We don't go to Sub-Level Five

by RadBunny

Rating: teen
Tags: Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Bat Pony, Other, Romance, Original Character, Horror, Adventure, Violence, Sex, Death, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 348128

Astral Sentinel is just a typical security guard. The job pays well, has decent hours, and it's basically glorified customer service. There was just one odd thing stamped on the job description. Never ask about Sub-Level Five, ever.

"Sub-Level Five doesn't exist." That's the official statement of the Stairway company.

Washing out from the Night Guard program is usually a death sentence to any similar career. When Astral Sentinel was asked if he was interested in a security job, the Thestral obviously jumped at the chance.

There was just one oddity about the job. Well, there were quite a few, but mainly just one.
He just never, ever could acknowledge the existence of Sub-Level Five.

When a complete lock-down traps the Thestral inside the odd facility, he has to break that one rule. As the security systems begin to eradicate all life inside the building, Astral has to venture down to the elevators that officially don't exist, to a floor nopony alive will speak of.

He soon finds out that some things are best left buried beneath rock and stone.

*Warning. Hitchhikers may be escaped convicts.

"This story is simultaneously horrifying and adorable." -Witchery

Takes place far after Season 9. Although, it could take place at any time...(or in the Radverse, as some people call it.) This thing took on a mind of its own.

Seriously.

Read on if you want to join Astral for the ride.
I hope you brought your crowbar.

In later chapters, loose spoilers for Timeless, Sunspots, and Cure for a Toxin
Warnings for creepy atmosphere, gore, violence, and brief mentions of sexual content/assault (nothing explicit, only implied.)

Despite this being a horror story with unpleasant elements, it's not grimdark or a depressing tale. Lots more ups and downs, but overall it's a positive read of good vs evil, love and fluff; those are the types stories I write, after all. I just want to let everyone know what they're getting into, and don't want any readers blindsided due to some of the content.
(Not a romance involving a 'herd')

Published 2021-08-31 18:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2023-09-02 14:59:03 UTC

Introduction

“Evening, Flask,” Astral said with a casual wave, the orange earth pony in question tapping the fancy ID card onto the scanner. Replacing the item around his neck, the pony waved back happily, fishing out a lab coat from the briefcase strapped to his side.

“Evening, Astral. Another slow night?” Flask Heat replied, the Thestral nodding.

“Yep. You’re the fifth in so far. Thursdays are usually pretty slow, not as many ponies in.”

Astral glanced at the high-tech readouts on the computer screen in front of him, green eyes narrowing as he ran down the biometrics. The ID card was the first line of defense; there were dozens of hidden sensors that surveyed temperature, heartbeat, even any rapid eye movements or shakes.

But, none of that was of his concern. All that mattered was that the readout was pulsing a happy green color, making the large security booth glow pleasantly.

“Alright, off you go. Take care, Flask,” the security said happily, tapping the large button to unlock the main doors to the elevators in the hallway.

“Thanks, take care, Astral,” Flask called, trotting down and shrugging on a lab coat as he walked.

The earth pony was one of the nicer ones. For having two Ph.D.’s in gene manipulation and…something else, Flask seemed fairly down to earth, no pun intended towards the pony. Between meeting the stallion outside of work on a few friendly lunches and the always-cheery demeanor, Flask was at the top of Astral’s friendship list from work.

“Astral,” a unicorn stallion grunted.

Astral’s supervisor, Ledger Knife, was the polar opposite. Not mean, but…well…

“Ledger.”

Curt.

Another green glow, and in the unicorn went. The massive steel doors shouldn’t open and close so seamlessly and quietly, but there were many things about the odd facility that didn’t quite fit right.

It wasn’t enough to leave, obviously. The pay was easily five times that which his position entailed, let alone the benefits.

Astral sighed, leaning back in the cushy chair. His fluff ears flicked at hearing the AC turn on, a pleasant, cool breeze making his dark grey coat puff up slightly.

The two previous ponies were usually the two extremes he saw. The chatty, and then the simple grunt of acknowledgment from everyone else.

It was a simple job. Check the ID card, make sure the biometrics flashed green, and open the door. If they flashed red, then things got interesting. An in-depth scan using a bunch of magic the Thestral really had no idea how it worked. If that also flashed red…then the burly trio of unicorns got summoned to escort the individual off the property.

If the pony got nasty towards Astral before the ‘detainers’ arrived, he got to press the ‘zap’ button. Thankfully, he had only needed to use that once. The booth he was in had hardened glass, and there was his crossbow if things really got out of hoof. The ‘zap’ button had only gotten one use, and Astral had to admit it was a bit of a cathartic memory.

Crazy reporter. It’s not my fault you thought my kind are the spawn of Tartarus and should go back to ‘where we crawled out of’. Astral thought with a soft grumble.

A mare trotted up, her ID card causing a red glare on the screen.

“Wrong side, Staple,” Astral said kindly, the mare flashing a thankful smile as the keycard got accepted, the biometrics matching with a green glow.

He knew quite a few ponies by name. However, there were a lot of employees for a two-story facility above ground, and four Sub-Levels. Well, four and a half, but that was an entirely different matter.

It was what he was supposed to tell the press or anyone asking after all.

There is no Sub-Level Five. Just Four and a Half, and it’s the maintenance and power generation floor.

It had been the biggest question in the interview. Not if he could detain ponies, his experience as a Night Guard trainee. Not even why he had been discharged from the Night Guard training program.

The basic stuff, and then that one question.

Can you never confirm the existence of Sub-Level Five? No matter how many questions or threats?

He had passed, obviously. That was why Flask Heat had hired him; the Earth Pony having been one of the interviewers along with Ledger.

The fact that Astral had suggested the Company supply him additional paperwork he could hand out to curious ponies such as building schematics showing the existence of no such level had earned him a promotion on the spot a year later. Clearly, they took the ‘no-Five’ rule seriously.

There weren’t too many rules when on the clock. Be professional, on-time, and as long as you could check ponies in and out, you were free to browse on the new, company-provided laptop, and do whatever you want.

The biggest rule, the one that would get Astral fired immediately if he broke it, was simple.

Never, ever discuss even the possibility there is a Sub-Level Five.

Three years on the job, and Astral hadn’t even come close to breaking the rule. He wasn’t about to start now.

“Evening Pen!”

“Heya Astral.”

Even if I don’t want to be here forever, this isn’t a bad gig. Pays for school, pays for a new house as soon as I decide where I want to live.

I think I’m getting used to this. A few years more of this pay, and I could live on an airship!
Now there’s an idea…

Author's Note

It begins.
Elevator closes soon. Going down...

Chapter Two: All systems normal. Cleaning teams assigned.

“A collapse?” he asked, Ledger nodding sadly.

“If it sounds stupid, it’s because it is,” his supervisor said with a growl. “We’ve been trying to figure out the weak spots for months. There was a spill that they said didn’t weaken the floor. Some egg-head is going to get sent to the moon over that fib. It happened in that room and caused the floor to buckle into L4.”

“And the blood?”

“A cleaning mare you must have missed. When the collapse happened, some beakers and vials shattered. She tripped, cut herself…and fell. She’s in critical condition, but doing ok,” Ledger said with a sigh. “What a mess; and it’s not on you. You couldn’t have done anything. Those rooms are locked and soundproofed, even for your fuzzy ears, so don’t get that in your head.”

Astral managed a weak smile, the unicorn patting the Thestral on the back.
“I figured you’d have thought that. Should be a slow shift. We just have repair teams and the usual bunch tonight.”

And with that, Astral was left to his duties, the Thestral shaking his head. It was a logical and believable series of events. He had even seen a staff member getting chewed out for mishandling an acid last time he was down there.

And yet something gnawed at his gut. That ‘something’ had been proven right before.

Walking over to the weapons locker, Astral examined the sleek, repeating crossbow held in place for emergencies. The explosive bolts were powerful enough to blow a manticore in half, and he had gone through quite a bit of training to be qualified to use it.

He liked big weapons; Astral wasn’t about to lie about that. Crossbows, Ballistae- the thought of the new gunpowder and brass-cased gear made him start to drool. But that was for high-end military operations, not security guards.

How that could change warfare though. From crossbows, black-powder muzzleloaders to brass-cased saddle-weapons?

If the bat-pony was being honest, he’d likely end up writing a research paper on the historical impacts…it was within his degree to do so.

Historical applications of weapons and battle-tactics…not exactly the ‘perfect guard’ you all envisioned. Astral mused, knowing his parents weren’t entirely thrilled, especially after the discharge incident. At least they believed him, mostly.

Partially.

Maybe.

In the end, it didn’t matter, it couldn’t matter, and Astral had come to terms with that.

Other than the fascination with potentially explosive tools, the bat-pony lived up to his name with a hobby of stargazing. His parents had caught him quite a few times just sitting alone and watching the heavens. His star-shaped cutie mark, half-hidden behind a shield was a clue enough for his general ‘purpose.’

Quite frankly, the Thestral envied ponies who had a clear-cut future and goal. He seemed to vacillate between teaching, the stars, and security work. Of course, maybe teaching about the stars too?

What’s another course to add to my workload? Why not?

The hours passed fairly quickly, a constant flow of repair ponies and usual employees filtering through. The only hiccup was a pony who forgot their badge, which Astral had to politely remind them that ‘they’d do him a favor’ wasn’t a valid reason to buzz the pony through.

It was a somewhat common excuse and reason to be turned away. Sometimes Astral wondered if the Company was testing him, but ponies could forget things. Stars above, he had forgotten his badge a few times at first too.

During a lull in the comings and goings of the employees, Astral let his mind wander briefly. The collapse had been an unwelcome jolt to be sure, and he wasn’t sure why it upset him so much. He didn’t have a fear of blood, per se. It was just the feeling that left him shaken. What was worse is that it didn’t go away, only lessened.

If not for the fact the goings-on of the company which was confidential (hence the top-secret security clearance) he’d have sent a voice-text to his hippogriff friend in Canterlot. There weren’t any new messages on the phone (another Sparkle-sponsored marvel taking Equestria by storm) but it had only been a few days. Knowing Gabbro, he’d be trying to decide which mare to go out with next…

So help me if he tries to teach me the ‘ways with ladies’ one more time…

The hippogriff meant well, he just had the problem of not knowing what he wanted, at least when it came to interested mares. That naturally meant a bit of heartbreak here and there.

But hey, the guy has a steady job and is pretty sharp. Can’t fault him there.
Astral let out a snort at that.
Can’t judge him either, since I’m the occupant of the single-stallion club. He’s got the reverse problem.

Another few ponies trotted in, Astral buzzing them through.

“Well, at least after tomorrow it’s the weekend,” he mused, once again left to his own devices. Talking to himself was a common thing at this job; nobody else could hear him in the booth, after all. “Maybe I’ll head to the mountains. Get out of here for a bit to clear my head.”

That sounded like a fantastic idea. The Thestral hadn’t been camping in a good month or two, so it was definitely time to revisit that hobby. One more day, and then the Thestral could get his head on straight and put the collapse business behind him.

Friday night did not start off on the right hoof.

He wasn’t sure if it was bad dreams, but Astral woke up with a grumble just before his alarm went off. Going through his routine, he checked his private phone, the device glowing with new texts from Gabbro.

“Oh, a hippogriff? Hope it works out for you, buddy,” Astral said, both annoyed but also a bit glad. Apparently, his friend was fine with taking things slow, which usually meant he was serious.

If Gabbro could find someone to put up with his incessant puns, Astral would be thrilled, if not a bit shocked. However, the follow-up text made Astral eat his words.

“Wait, she made more puns than you?” he muttered, sending back a message. “Don’t let this one get away you buffoon.”

His spirits lifted a bit, Astral ran through his checklist, a slight pang echoing in his chest as he glanced around the empty apartment. Aside from a garden of succulents, the dwelling didn’t have much life to it. With his best friend’s usual pastimes involving mares, it was an occasional, if not annoying, reminder of that missing fact to the bat-pony’s life.

Astral let out a huff, walking through the portal to get the evening started. Sure, he was lonely from time to time, but he was happy being himself, lack of a romantic life or not. He had a solid job, a chance to branch out his career in two different directions, and a wide array of hobbies.

He was happy being alone, but you couldn’t ignore the ‘what-if’s’ forever. Sure, he was content with life, but it’d be nice to share that with someone.

It was easier to ignore when your best friend wasn’t ecstatic about every new mare he met monthly. To Astral’s credit, he had at least triedto branch out a year or two ago at the urging of Gabbro. The hippogriff had meant well, very well. And the idea had been a good one.

And yet how well did that go when you learned how to dance? Pre-Gala classes and you quickly learned that even the Princess of Friendship can’t erase some viewpoints. At least I learned how to dance though, along with all those fancy manners. So that is a plus among other things.

That had been a harsh reminder that bat-ponies still weren’t as widely accepted as other races. Despite borders being fairly open, creatures of all types intermixing, Thestrals seemed almost forgotten, relegated to the past of ‘creepy and scary creatures of the night’.

Of course, Astral couldn’t help but smirk a bit.
A bit misunderstood, but we’ve got better hearing, awesome fangs, wings, and amazing fluff. I’ll take that over being a normal pony any day.

There were signs of progress; a Thestral had just been appointed to the council that reported directly to Princess Twilight. That had shut up quite a few of the more vocal nobles of their viewpoints on the matter.

So, things were definitely getting better. It was just a matter of waiting a bit longer. In his experience, mares still had a wide view on Thestral’s ranging from ‘exotic’ to thinking they were horrifying with their fangs.

But the likelihood of finding a fellow bat-pony mare was pretty low since they mostly stuck to their native lands in Hollow Shades.

“Eh. I can wait a bit. I’m not going anywhere,” Astral said to himself. “Decent job, and maybe I’ll just bite the arrow and enroll in some classes on the weekend. Can’t complain about no social life unless I do something.”

He kept that last thought to himself. Gabbro would never shut up about it otherwise until Astral made good on it.

I can hear him saying something already. ‘Well of course you aren’t meeting any mares! When WOULD you meet them? You need to get out more?’

“Yeah, I know, and I will,” Astral said with a sigh to his friend’s imaginary response. “First things first. Camping, and then scheduling some social events.”

He couldn’t help but grin. The Thestral could already hear his friend cheering in a supportive (but jesting) way that his bat-pony friend was finally getting out and about again.

“I’ll tell him once it’s planned. No point in him making a kerfuffle about it until then.”

Knowing Gabbro, he’d plan a whole party for my return to a social life just to get a laugh. But that’s why I love that feathery goofball.

Author's Note

Awww, things are going so nicely!
:trollestia:

Chapter Three: Take my breath away

Munching on some leftover fruit pastries, Astral happily relaxed in the lunchroom during his break. His spirits were certainly better, especially once he flipped over his brain to realize things weren’t that bad.

A good lunch, the usual soft murmur in the lunchroom; it made things feel more normal.

“Hey, Astral, mind if I have a seat?” Flask Heat said, the Thestral nodding with a wave of his hoof. Ordinarily, Flask would be technically his supervisor, but the older pony had transferred departments just after Astral had been hired.

So, now they could be friends without any ‘company ladder’ pressure.

“How goes it, Flask?” Astral asked between bites, the earth-pony chuckling.

“Oh, the same old same old. You?”

“Pretty much the same. I’ll probably go camping tomorrow, clear my head,” Astral replied, Flask nodding knowingly.

“Oh, the collapse thing? Horrid stuff, that,” he muttered. Astral noticed how his friend was shifting, the older pony more antsy than normal. “Hey Astral? Can I give you a tip, as a friend?”

“Huh? Sure, I can take all the help I can get,” Astral said with a shrug, immediately, but subtly shifting to lean a bit closer. Flask wasn’t this serious often.

Or rather, ever.

“If anything ever goes wrong here, and you don’t know what to do, the code 03240 will help. It can get you out of a lot of trouble, and into a lot of other places,” Flask whispered. “Just some friendly advice from someone who has been here a while. Your badge and that code are quite useful together.”

“Huh. Uh, ok? Thanks? I’ll keep that in mind,” Astral said, every sense in his body starting to hum with anxiety. The cryptic message was enough to make the Guard suspect poor Flask was starting to lose it with the stress.

“I’ve got to go; take care.”

And then he was gone, Flask leaving as if all was normal in the world, the earth pony chuckling and laughing with some of his colleagues as they aimed towards the elevators.

Everything Astral had learned as a Guard trainee was pointing him towards one conclusion. Something was going to happen, and Flask knew about it. But why the code?

Astral had half a mind to clock out early, but was Flask acting odd enough a solid reason?

Considering how the stallion’s stomach churned for the next hour, that answer was good enough for him. He hadn’t taken a day off in a few months, and after the collapse incident, this probably wouldn’t raise any eyebrows.

It was either that or sit in his booth miserable for a few hours wondering what Flask had meant.

Ugh. I’d rather be anxious at home rather than here.

“Hey, Ledger?” The Guard asked, tuning into the private frequency for his supervisor.

“What’s up, Astral?”

“I’m honestly not feeling that great. Mind if I clock out an hour or two early?”

A surprisingly empathetic sigh was heard from the other end.
“That collapse thing really got to you I take it? Yeah, no worries. Just be on time Monday evening.”

“Thanks, Ledger. I’ll let you know when I clock out.”

His nerves satisfied; Astral leaned back in his chair with a firm nod. Another hour and he’d be gone.

I don’t know what you’re playing at, Flask. But you’re going to get an earful from me on Monday for this stunt.

Oddly, the stallion wasn’t the type to play these types of pranks. Mysterious codes and such just didn’t fit with Flask’s personality. If anything, Flask Heat had been more of a mentor to him than anything over these three years. Of course, that was the unsettling thing about it.

The clock seemed to taunt the Thestral, moving slower than ever before. Ten minutes, twenty, Thirty…

His green eyes narrowed, his left monitor lighting up with angry red alerts.

Error codes?

“Ledger, this is Astral. I’m getting a ton of error codes up here. Is there a systems failure somewhere?” he asked into the radio.

The Guard was abruptly aware of the deafening silence. There was nothing. No hum of the air conditioner, no distant voices, and more importantly, no response from his supervisor.

Ok. So, we have a systems failure. By the book it is.

Pulling out a small folder, Astral ran down the ‘what to do’ section. It was fairly simple; there were only a few steps for major events like a systems crash. He wasn’t supposed to fix any of them, just let the proper ponies know after doing some basic troubleshooting.

And yet the errors continued to spread.

Loss of signal on SL-1, SL-2, SL-3, and SL-4. That’s not possible…

“Ok, rebooting the system,” Astral muttered, turning the device on and off again. If anything, that caused even more errors to flood the screen.

“Hey, this is Astral at the front security desk. Is there any support staff on the line?” the Guard asked, having punched the number for general support.

Static.

Astral’s sensitive ears abruptly spasmed, the bat-pony wincing in pain as a garbled mass of loud noises blasted from the speaker. The stallion felt fear gnaw into his heart as a single word was clearly yelled; he didn’t know where from though.

“RUN!”

He couldn’t make out much else, and the background noises sounded an awful lot like screaming.

“Ledger, what’s going on? I’m set to clock out here,” Astral asked again, even as he packed up his things and began to trot quickly towards the exit. The number of ‘weird and creepy’ events was one too many now.

Pushing against the door, Astral’s heart now rose into his throat. Hidden locks were now visible along all four sides of the rectangular doors, massive metal clamps springing from the walls. Another few solid blows to the door made it clear they weren’t going to budge, and Astral had half a mind to fire one of the explosive bolts at the entrance.

He began to walk back to his booth for that reason when a disembodied voice began to play over the speakers.

“Emergency. Emergency. Lockdown in effect. All essential personnel prepare for site-to-site transport. Emergency, Emergency…”

“Site-to-site transport?!” Astral muttered, now looking back at the sealed doors as his heart continued to fall. He knew that the doors were far too thick even for the bolts, his original idea dashed to pieces.

The space between the exit and the wall began to be filled with a foul-smelling foam, the substance hardening within moments to what appeared to be concrete.

“What is-”

Something shook the entire facility, a few cracks now appearing on the stone floor as Astral dove into his booth. The monitors were now all flashing red, errors and warnings dominating the screen.

That was enough for Astral, the bat-pony snagging his crossbow and bag quickly. He was almost on autopilot, his Guard training (and nerves) prompting him to stuff the remaining food and water into the side-saddle pouch quickly before trotting down the halls. Surely there had to be someone?!

No pony was visible on the first floor, locker rooms and elevator areas being barren. A quick jog up the stairs to the main, rather stereotypical office floor was likewise equally empty. The large windows were all sealed; massive metal plates having replaced the glass.

Judging from the still-operating computers and a whistling kettle, the ponies had left in a hurry. There was even a pile of dropped papers as if the creature carrying them had been whisked away mid-step, coffee cup spilled on the floor.

“Emergency. Power grid failure. Primary containment systems have failed. All essential employees have been secured. All non-essential employees please stand by. Systems Error. Systems Error. Emergency, Primary-”

Considering how another rumble shook the facility, ‘standing by’ was the last thing Astral wanted to do.

Jogging downstairs again, the Thestral beelined to the locker room; he should have visited here first!

Retrieving the portal crystal, the stallion gave it a nudge, only to have the item fizzle and sputter. Another few attempts and it was clear that something was blocking any way in or out; magical or not. His apartment portal was blocked, but it went into the saddlebag regardless.

He forced himself to take deep breaths, panic starting to cloud his thoughts. There was a reason he hadn’t wanted to become a Night Guard! Why seek out the crazy situations when in Equestria, they find you!?

“Warning. Containment protocols a-a-a-a-activated,” the disembodied mare’s voice sounded. “Step One containment authorized. Venting and replacing of oxygen of above-ground floors one and two commencing. All non-essential employees still inside the building will have next of kin informed of your demise. Please take deep breaths to ensure a peaceful passing. Warning…”

“WHAT!?” Astral shouted, hooves carrying him to the elevators. The stairway was sealed with the weird, concrete-like foam, but somehow the series of six elevators were still glowing cheerfully as if all was well in the world.

The air abruptly began to move out, hidden fans sucking away the life-giving oxygen.

Think Astral THINK!

Wait. Flask Heat…

As his vision began to waver, Astral entered one of the waiting elevators, a pleasant *ding* sounding out as he punched the buttons; only SL-3 glowing in response. But the elevator didn’t move even after he scanned his badge.

It's locked down. Usually I just scan a badge. I've never visited a floor when it's locked. You need a code for that.
But I don’t know any-

His hooves punched in the numbers; there was a single code he knew.
If this works…

‘0…3...2…4...0’

“Code accepted. Administrator override sub-routine initiated.” The mare’s voice said happily as the elevator doors closed, Astral leaning against the wall.

As the elevator dropped, the facility shook again.

“You have arrived at Sub-Level Three.”

As the doors opened, oxygen flooded into Astral’s lungs, the Thestral coughing as he staggered out of the elevator.

“Oxygen replacement complete on all above-ground levels. Re-evaluating containment measures. Stand by.”

“Go to Tartarus, you oxygen-sucking witch!” Astral spat, still sucking in deep breaths. It was a computer, that much he knew, but it made him feel better to yell at it.

“Ok. First things first. Let’s see if anyone is down here, get some supplies, and wait for rescue. Not a bad plan.” he said to himself, one hoof moving in front of the other.

“First to the offices, then I’ll check-”

Astral’s voice cut off abruptly, the pony skidding to a stop.

His hind legs began to shake, the security guard took out his crossbow with a quivering grip.

Staring at him with dead eyes, was Ledger, the pony lying flat on the tiled, blood-stained floor. He had been clearly running and been cut down mid-stride.

Where the bottom half of the pony was, Astral didn’t know. But the blood-stains aimed towards a familiar hole in the floor.

Author's Note

OHBOY! Now the adventure begins!
Future updates will obviously not be as fast...but I wanted to get things officially rolling. I mean, that's why you're hear, I imagine!

Comments and feedback welcome!

Chapter Four: It sees you when you're sleeping

*Hurk*

Astral’s barrel shivered, the last of his lunch now residing on the floor next to the elevator. The entire area was now silent save for his left-over retching.

Ledger stared back at him; unblinking eyes wide in horror.

Icy tendrils gripped the bat-pony’s heart as he ventured around the body, snagging Ledger’s security badge just in case.

Now things were different. There was somethinghere. The lockdown now made a bit of sense, and that was what made a ball of lead form in Astral’s stomach. The bat-pony’s black-tipped ears were on a swivel, green eyes darting from room to room.

The glass walls were shattered. The smell of spilled chemicals made his nose wrinkle.

Astral stayed plastered to one side of the wall, checking each room before passing it by. The crossbow was strapped to his right forelimb, brought up to aim at every broken, see-through door.

The hole was left behind, the stallion making it to the end of the hall without a fuss. To his relief, there were two doors left unlocked.

Supply closets. Perfect.

Not exactly an armory, but what he was looking for wasn’t a weapon.

To the pony’s eternal joy, three large tanks covered in straps lined the walls next to other various lockers.

Thank the heavens. Ok, this will work.

While usually used for fire-fighting ponies, the Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus’s (SCBA’s) were kept in times of an emergency chemical spill in the lab. There were likely another few in the other hallway just in case.

Mainly out of his personal sense of self-preservation, Astral had taken an introductory course on how to use them after accepting the job. They didimport a lot of nasty chemicals, after all.

Strapping on the full tank, the bat-pony briefly cursed the lack of a horn. If he had a way to shrink the other tanks, use a storage portal, something, he could take them along. As it was, he was stuck with just a single tank on his back…unless he got creative.

Thirty minutes, maybe an hour of air. That’s not too bad. Three tanks here, maybe another three in the other room; six hours. Surely enough time for someone to come to the rescue.

The stallion continued his quest for supplies, tearing open boxes for anything that could potentially be useful.

Pens? Not so much.

Large saddle bags? Perfect.

Respirator with large filters? Into the bags they went.

The first aid kits on the walls were also burglarized, quite a few fancy self-administering syringes carefully placed into the saddlebags. Wide-spectrum antigen, painkillers, bandages; it was a kit meant for fifty ponies in a lab environment. It would suit him just fine. There were some stimulants in the kit but those got put far out of reach so he wouldn’t accidentally take them. Last thing he needed was to be loopy right now.

Between the pack and the air tank, the stallion could only move at a brisk walk. But he wasn’t about to be running any marathons.

“Stage Two Containment authorized. Detonation of above-ground floors commencing.”

“Deta-WHAT?” Astral called out, sliding to place his back against a wall.

“Stand b-b-b-by.”

The entire room shook and shivered as if doing a jig, lights swinging to and fro as any unshattered glass joined its brothers on the floor.

And then it was quiet.

“Above-ground floor detonation complete. Evaluating for Stage Three Containment.”

“What are they trying to contain?!” Astral hissed, digging into the supplies and stashing a pack of water bottles into his saddlebags.

He then paused, sitting down with a slump.

The top floors are gone. That means…

His hooves began to shake, the bat pony forcing down the fear that clawed at his throat and threatened to escape as hot tears from his green eyes.

Rescue isn’t coming.

Two hours passed without so much as a peep from the computer. The only sounds were the facility occasionally shaking, and the distant grinding of metal or shattering glass.

Astral had built a decent barricade of shelving and other materials at the end of the hallway; the only door behind him leading to the emergency staircase. This exit was unlocked, but the stairs led down to SL-4. He’d prefer to stay as far away from that place as possible, considering that was where the hole on the opposite end of the lab led to.

The Thestral had at least covered the top half of his supervisor with a lab coat. But he wanted to stay as far away from that space as possible. Needless to say, the bat pony was not doing well. Currently huddled next to the extra SCBA units, the Security Guard was desperately trying not to have a panic attack.

Then again, knowing there was hundreds of tons of concrete and steel above your head ready to collapse was enough to send plenty of ponies into a tizzy.

Astral knew eventually that he’d have to move. But when was the operative word. He had some food, some water, but that was it. The phone had no service (obviously) and the computer voice was still silent.

There has to be another way out.

That was the key thought, but what the stallion dreaded was where that exit may be. He knew there was a level deeper than SL-4.5. But to that end, he hadn’t even seen SL-4.5. Only a brief glimpse into the power generation room on his initial tour. It barely qualified as a floor, just bare-bones equipment. You needed a special access code to get there, and Astral didn’t have that. Well, he didn’t originally.

Why would Flask give me an Administrator Override code? How high up does this access go?

There was only one way to find out, and the oh-so-lovely computer made Astral’s choice of when to move for him.

“Stage Three Containment Authorized. Replacing oxygen atmosphere of SL-3 and SL-4.”

As the fans kicked into high gear, Astral donned the SCBA and opened the valve. There was a total of five other spare oxygen tanks from the other closet; those had been positioned at the top of the stairs at the emergency exit. Whatever had replaced the oxygen in the air was obviously not breathable, as Astral saw a single moth abruptly fall to the ground and twitch once before being still. But sound still echoed in the room, so whatever it was must be similar to oxygen.

Opening the door and stepping through, Astral tried to control the shaking in his limbs as he dragged the tanks down, each one padded in some cardboard and duct-tape and wrapped into pairs, and a single tank. He wasn’t sure when he’d be able to refill them, so best to not leave them behind. The makeshift sled was heavy, but moveable.

Reaching the fourth-floor exit, the stallion carefully pulled the door open, leading with his crossbow. He tried not to think of how there was no breathable air outside of what was in his tanks.

This should just be some fancy labs. Testing rooms, manufacturing. Astral thought, recalling what he had seen on his initial tour.

The layout was similar to SL-3; instead of glass rooms, there were massive computer screens, robotic arms, metal lathes, and a few office cubicles. Eight massive squares, four on each side of the central hall with specific goals in mind. The glass walls had shone brightly during his initial welcoming tour, the two cubicles at the end of the hall being made of reinforced metal for more dangerous welding work.

The primary difference between now and his tour, was that every room was bathed in blood.

The hole was visible from where Astral crouched, the ceiling open on the far right end of the room. That large cubical was shattered, the reinforced metal walls peeled outwards like an orange on the side facing the adjacent cube.

Astral struggled to control his breathing, knowing full well he had a limited number of panicked breaths remaining. The mask wasn’t fogging up so that was a blessing.

Ok. So, something was here. Maybe still is here.

Astral knew he had to get to the elevators; they were located near the other stairway that led to SL-4.5. Unfortunately, that was on the other side of the room, and he couldn’t leave the oxygen tanks.

Oh, this is such a bad idea.

Crouching and creeping forwards, Astral scouted out the route, listening for even the slightest sound of life.

Thankfully, nothing was heard outside the occasional cracking of glass.

Hoof sliding across the tile, Astral scooted the various debris off to the side, clearing a path for himself and the sled. Darting past the hole in the roof, he reached the disturbingly-pristine elevator area, five of the six tubes still brightly lit and open amid the cream-colored walls.

It was then a simple matter to drag the sled over the tiles. It was a noisy affair, but he stopped every few moments to listen for anything. So far, so good.

Looking into the various elevators, Astral noted all of them stopped on SL-4.5. That would have to do.

Cautiously creeping out to double check the coast was clear, the bat-pony was about to head back to the elevator when he heard something that shouldn’t be possible.

Something was breathing. Something big.

Glass crackled around the corner, the enclosure with the torn walls making the sound echo unnaturally through the remainder of the room. The sound was coming from below the floor for a moment; indicating that the hole in the ceiling wasn’t the only breach.

A single clawed hand reached over the torn metal on the torn siding, and that’s when Astral backpedaled frantically.

The Thestral wasn’t sure if it was his own breathing or the thing’s that echoed in his ears as he skidded to a stop in the elevator, frantically typing the code and watching as the doors closed far too slowly.

He certainly wasn’t imagining things as the clawed hand gripped the corner of a stone wall at the edge of the room, claws tearing into the material just as the elevator door shut and whisked him lower.

Author's Note

:pinkiecrazy: Down we go...

Update schedule is tentatively a chapter or two on either Friday/Saturday/Sunday. So stay tuned!

Chapter Five: Sub-Level Five

Oxygen flooded into the elevator as Astral staggered out, dragging the sled of tanks behind him as he tore off the mask. Shutting off the tank, the stallion adjusted the crossbow on his forelimb and tried to stop his legs from shaking.

What was that?!

Seeing a piece of the threat made things both better, and infinitely worse. On the plus side, Astral knew his gut had been right and he wasn’t crazy.

On the downside, there was something here that could tear through metal and concrete.

Dragging the sled to the entrance of the elevator and stairway room, Astral carefully poked his head around the corner. The walls here were a bit cracked but otherwise intact. A cautious investigation down the hallway to the left revealed another supply closer (but no oxygen or useable items) and the right led to a massive room with generators.

Astral noted that the tiles seemed significantly worn on the right side, so that is where he dragged the sled, following the hallway to the metal catwalk that spanned the room.

The catwalk that led off to the right in the room hugged the wall, leading to a smaller, elevated room that was dwarfed by the other equipment. On the left and right were generators the size of small houses, flywheels spinning slowly. Overhead lights occasionally flickered, Astral pausing in the monitoring station.

Aside from refilling some water bottles, it offered nothing of use. Half of the board was covered in green lights, the other half in red.

Astral assumed red meant bad.

A brief pause and off he went again. The sooner he could leave the creature and the unfeeling computer-mare behind him, the better. The fact that there was a dark spot at the edge of one of the generators made him move all the faster. He wasn’t sure if it was another hole in the floor, but the bat-pony wasn’t about to find out. At least the ceiling was clear as far as he could tell.

“Evaluating Level Four containment measures. Stand by.”

“Oh, sod off, Lady!” Astral huffed, picking up the pace as he traversed the catwalk. There was light at the end of it; the catwalk leading into a room set into the wall with windows. At least these windows weren’t covered in blood.

It appeared to be an employee lounge; snacks and water went into the saddle bags (which were now fairly full) and a single hallway led to a bathroom and another, long hall.

The longer hall was a bit of a trek, with no windows on either side, just a path burrowing into the solid rock. It quickly opened up into a branch. The left one led to some large supply rooms (which appeared to be spare parts for the generators, electrical gadgets, and so forth) and then to the right, a large door.

Pausing at the massive, arch-like entrance, Astral blinked in surprise. The door was heavily armored, metal-clad, and not about to budge. There was no doorknob, only a keypad and ID card scanner.

Fishing out his personal card, Astral gave it a shot; and to nopony’s surprise, it blinked red.

“Hmm.”

Ledger’s ID card also didn’t work, so the bat-pony tried the only other tool he had.

‘0…3...2…4...0’

The keypad blinked green, a familiar mare’s voice speaking far too happily then sounding.

“Please use ID card for administrator access pairing.”

Pairing?

Trying his own ID card, Astral was genuinely shocked as the arch glowed a soft green.

“ID Card for Astral. Sentinel. Paired with Administrator level override code, confirmed. Welcome, Astral.”

The massive door slid open, and the Thestral tugged his supplies inside, watching as it closed soundlessly behind him.

“So, I’m an administrator now? Somehow I don’t think I want that promotion.”

The immediate room was far too cheery; cream archways well-lit with dark-green couches, a snack bar, and even a television. It was an employee lounge for creatures far above Astral’s already-generous pay grade.

“S.L Four-point-five, quite a maintenance floor indeed,” he muttered, cautiously checking each side door. Bathrooms, conference rooms, offices; it’s what he’d expect a high-rise skyscraper to look like. Even fake windows shimmered with artificial scenery.

He didn’t stop for too long, however, tugging the oxygen sled along the spotless white tiles down the central hallway. Sure enough, it led to another set of elevators.

While they appeared identical to the others, Astral noted the doors were significantly thicker, and the interior appeared almost armored.

He paused for a good long moment on seeing the floor selection, however. There was only one, the number softly glowing above another ID card scanner and keypad.

Sub-Level 5.

Astral stared at the number. It was one thing to know there was more than meets the eye to the facility, but like the monster, it was another thing to see it.

Sub-Level Five most certainly existed, and apparently, it was the only place Astral could go.

“Level Four containment measures authorized. Commencing immediate detonation of SL Three, Four, and Four-point-five,” a familiar, fiendish voice echoed through invisible loudspeakers.

‘Detonation’ wasn’t a term Astral wanted used to describe anywhere he currently was, so he hauled in the oxygen tanks, put on the mask, and tapped in the code on the nearest elevator. His ID badge caused a green confirmation light to flash, and the elevator immediately dropped.

The ride was a long one, and while it was smooth, Astral had a feeling they were moving fast. The stop was almost imperceptible, but the barely-detectible rumble overhead indicated that even the explosion of three basement floors didn’t so much as phase this one.

“Welcome, to SL-5.”

Stepping out of the elevator with the spare tanks, Astral paused to immediately look around. For all intents and purposes, it looked like a normal office. It was massive, hundreds of typical office cubicles with computers and magical doo-dads glowing in crystal lights.

The fact a moth fluttered in front of his face made Astral cautiously take off the SCBA, relieved the air seemed fresh. In fact, it smelled fantastic, as if it was piped from a mountainside.

For a secretive floor that shouldn’t exist, it was remarkably cozy and welcoming. Emblazoned on the welcoming archway was some odd lettering, however.

‘Welcome to Sub-Level 5, Silo 1.’

“Silo One?” Astral muttered, his thoughts interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Level Four Containment measures successful. Level Five measures remaining on standby. Thank you for your sacrifice.”

“You are not invited to my funeral, lady,” Astral proclaimed. Clearly, the computer was targeting that…thing. And if it was buried under a hundred tons of rock? All the better!

As he wandered the office, Astral noted that, like the above-ground cubical, there were signs of a frantic exit. Spilled coffee, microwave meals still on the counter; they had all left in a hurry.

A brief look around indicated that aside from a large employee lounge, there wasn’t much left on this level. Another hallway led to more elevators, but Astral left those alone for now.

There were some scattered folders the Thestral snagged; they looked a bit important, so that could be some reading material for later. But he quickly found that moving was increasingly difficult.

His limbs finally gave out, the bat-pony shrugging off the heavy saddlebags and SCBA unit. The mental and emotional weight came crashing down onto his shoulders, the Guard treating himself to a few microwaved meals and some fresh fruit.

Securing the supplies, he barely was able to flop onto the couch before passing out. The door was, of course, locked and barricaded, the SCBA unit and crossbow within reach. But the Thestral could barely keep his eyes open as he curled into a ball. Maybe when he woke up, he’d be back in his apartment.

Unseen by the Thestral, a small, dome-like protrusion rotated, red light blinking softly. The video feed traveled along the miles of wires, finally relaying the image of the slumbering pony to a brightly lit monitor. On seeing his various supplies and exhausted demeanor, the viewer let out a soft huff.

“Huh. I wonder how you got down here? I don’t recognize you. Hmm. I wonder if you’re a good pony or a bad one? I guess I’ll find out soon enough…assuming you live that long.

I hope you do.”

Author's Note

Chapter Six: Bountiful Brass Bouquets

Astral yawned, hoof reaching over to reflectively smack the alarm-

“Re-evaluating containment levels. Stand by.”

He awoke with a jerk, the stallion wincing at the slight headache.

“I would very much like to wake up to a mare’s voice. But not you!” he growled at the computer.

Unfortunately, he was still very much still underground; but at least he had slept. The clock indicated a good seven hours, and he wasn’t dead.

But ‘re-evaluating’ wasn’t a good thing when that blasted computer was saying it.

Cautiously un-barricading the door, Astral made a quick sweep of the office to confirm he was still alone. No freaky creatures greeted him, so he was able to organize his supplies and get some food. For all he knew it could be his last meal…but a microwaved hayburger and fruit wasn’t what he had in mind for that.

Well, it’d have to do.

A glance over the folders he had previously snagged revealed much less than Astral had hoped. Financial predictions, trade deals, and a lot of blacked-out text. There was one word that kept cropping up which made his stomach church though.

Experiments.

‘Experiments have met our goals and will be delivered on schedule.’
‘Experiments ran into some complications. Batch termination, new delivery schedule mapped out.’

Experiments. Well, that was a solid explanation for whatever the Tartarus-spawned thing that seemed to be chasing him.

With a huff, he set the files aside and began his morning explorations. Investigating the elevators, Astral took a peek inside and abruptly had to do a double-take.

The wall was covered in numbers.

“There’s not just a Sub-Level five…” he muttered, “there are dozens of floors. But what’s this sequential stuff?”

The writing was clear; the meaning, not so much.

‘Each floor is visited sequentially. As per security code, unlocking of the elevators is needed to progress to the next floor.’

Astral wasn’t sure what that meant, but he got a general idea.

“So, this elevator has another forty-six floors,” he said to himself, “sequential unlocking as a security measure; maybe it’s automatic? Does it pass a check on each floor before going on? I guess I’ll find out.”

There was nowhere to go but down, so after making the oxygen tank pile more of an official supply sled, Astral towed it into the elevator and let the doors close.
“Sub-Level six,” he whispered, “here we go.”

The code and ID card was accepted, and a familiar voice echoed in the elevator as it sped downwards. Thankfully, the voice faded rapidly.

“Containment Level Five authorized. Venting Oxygen on SL-5 and commencing detonation. Switching to adaptive containment protocol, minimal warnings will be given…”

“Oh. Fantastic.”

“Welcome, to SL-6.”

The door to SL-6 opened with a matching cheerful *ding*, Astral looking around before exiting.

Another office; but this one had familiar, lab-like cubicles in the back-half of the room. That put him on edge. What made the Thestral’s heart soar, however, was the hallway to his right. In bright, beautiful brass letters, it welcomed him in as he trotted immediately towards it.

‘Armory.’

“Please let this code and card work,” Astral pleaded to whatever twisted deity was watching over him. Most likely Discord, but that was a sobering thought.

The large metal door smoothly opened, Astral tugging his supplies in with a happy bit of prancing.

If he was going to deal with freakish creatures and a homicidal computer, he wasn’t about to use just a crossbow. The Thestral knew he was drooling, but he didn’t care.

Lining the wall behind a locked gate, was an array of weaponry he had no idea how to use, not practically. But oh, did it look amazing.

“I guess I get to learn fast,” he muttered, the code and card letting him in. No muzzle-loading stuff was present; it was the newest brass-cased projectiles that were set neatly on wall-mounts. Pistols meant for unicorn magical grips, side-saddles for Pegasi and Earth ponies.

I’ve only read about this stuff.
Thankfully, how the saddles were mounted made it fairly difficult to hurt one’s self, the barrels extending out at the shoulders. So at least there was that.

Shaking himself out of a daze, Astral noted there was a small firing range attached to the armory; sound-dampening spells activating on his approach. There were even small booklets on each firearm sitting next to the weapons. It certainly wasn’t the safest way to learn, but the bat-pony didn’t have much of a choice.

Well, he was about to learn, and fast.

Even if I fail, at least I have my crossbow.

The hidden cameras in the armory and office were quite active, switching to and fro to get different angles on the Thestral in question. The bat-pony took quite a few minutes to figure out how to even put on the side-saddle firearms, and then another ten minutes of how to reload it and sync them with the helmet aiming system.

Then it was time for the live firing range, at least as soon as Astral figured out where the safety was. He then chomped on the firing bit, and…

“SWEET CELESTIA WHAT IN THE WORLD?!”

The viewer let out a soft giggle at the bat-pony’s screech of surprise, Astral having quickly realized that there was special, upgraded hearing protection provided for bat-ponies on one of the shelves after firing the saddle.

The next half hour was spent watching the stallion slowly get the hang of the revolver-like saddle, Astral practicing loading, reloading, and fixing a stubborn jam.

Clearly there was a reason that there was a small pamphlet provided with the saddles. Astral read through it twice, each time then testing out what he knew.

The viewer let out a soft huff of surprise, fangs showing in a grin as Astral pranced happily in place as he scored his first bulls-eye, and then his second, then his third.

“Maybe you won’t die after all. I hope not at least. I still don’t know what your tag should be. Friend? Or Enemy.”

After a moment of thought, the viewer sighed.

“Well, if I don’t help you, you’ll probably die. Then again, we might both die as it is.”

His ears still ringing, Astral decided to call his practice quits. The Pegasus saddle fit him nicely, the odd contraption looking like two long-barreled revolvers nestled on his sides, just behind his shoulders. The bullets themselves werebig, easily thrice the size of a baby carrot. Then again, it was called the ‘Cloudsdale Repeating Cannon- Mark 5’.

‘Cannon’ indeed.

The recoil took some getting used to, but the fact that each saddle-gun had twelve shots was a lot more comforting than his four-shot crossbow.

Astral took a moment, the adrenalin wearing off as he made himself breathe a bit slower. He had supplies, and now a significant amount of firepower. On exploring the armory, there were even armored vests; that immediately got strapped on underneath the SCBA tank.

It even had shoulder armor. Quite snazzy. The cannon’s linked helmet also sported a flashlight; a fancy contribution to the saddle-mounted one in case the lights failed.

Which, of course, Astral had a feeling they would. That’s why he packed extra batteries. Aiming without the visor’s crosshair was possible but stupidly hard to do. He’d rather not rely on that unless necessary.

It felt like he was gearing for war, but Astral didn’t even know what he was fighting. He didn’t even know if these bullets could stop whatever had been stalking him. That thought was a sobering one. If this was a taste of the firepower the facility had…it certainly hadn’t been enough.

However, there was a large box that caught Astral’s eye.

“Ooooh. Explosive rounds.”

After securing his supplies, Astral began to tow his sled to the other side of the floor. While it was comforting to have military hardware strapped to his side, it didn’t assuage all of his fear. There was so much he didn’t know. Until yesterday, this had just been some facility. Now? Dozens of basement levels, military-grade weapons, and a thing chasing him?

He just didn’t know. It was almost too much, the stallion’s mind running on overdrive trying to process it all.

“Attention. Containment breach on SL-6. Venting atmosphere and detonating in t-minus five minutes.”

Astral barely had time to shove his supplies into the elevator before the entire floor shook, somethingimpacting near the elevators at the other end of the room.

That was when he saw it.

Two clawed hands levered an ovaloid body up, two skeletal arms and legs moving the creature in a Skitter-like fashion along the floor. Easily the size of a large gryphon, the grey creature looked at him and smiled, five red eyes widening above a mouth full of countless fangs.

He froze.

As the creature tore through the office on a bee-line towards Astral, the bat-pony struggled to run. To move. To do anything!

Whenever it’s my life…I always freeze. The stallion thought to himself, an internal commentary running as the pony was trapped in his own body. The creature lunged through some desks, batting them aside as if they were made of paper-mâché.

As it crossed the halfway mark, Astral was finally able to do a single action.

He bit down.

The cannon on his right roared, the round speeding towards the creature, red eyes widening in surprise-and blew a dinner-plate-sized hole in the cubical next to the creature’s head.

It grinned, bunching up its legs as if to jump. But that delay was long enough for Astral to adjust his aim, snapping out of his horror-induced daze. The next round blew the creature’s left arm off, dark-purple blood spraying across the room as it let out a horrified shriek.

HAH! So, it can be hurt!

As the creature dove out of the way of a few more shots, Astral backpedaled into the elevator and keyed the next floor.

That was when he heard it. The voice was somehow soft yet deafening, a slimy, angry tone that spoke of endless rage. It was all hidden behind a cajoling bit of laughter, warped and out of place. The Thestral wasn’t sure if it was saying anything coherent, but it was definitely speaking.

Astral only caught a glimpse of the creature as the doors shut. Its left arm, previously destroyed, was now visibly regrowing, red eyes widening as a large, barbed tongue licked out from blood-stained lips. Clearly visible on its right arm, however, was a large, tattooed bar code.

Rocketing downwards, the elevator sent Astral zipping away from the creature. The shaft then shook, explosives collapsing the previously-vacated floor above Astral’s head. As the elevator slowed down, it *dinged* with the ever-pleasant announcement;

“Welcome, to SL-7.”

Author's Note

Surprise chapter! I've been writing this like crazy, so...
Down we go!

Chapter Seven: Wake up. Smell the ashes.

Of the things Astral expected to see when the doors opened, grass certainly wasn’t it.

The tile extended to connect the six elevators in the welcome area, but grass then spread out to the left, a rainbow of flowers coloring the scene out.

Stepping out cautiously, Astral slowly pulled his sled of supplies, watching in amazement as bees flittered to and fro on the flowers. There was even an artificial sun glowing happily on the domed ceiling, making his green eyes narrow.

“What in the world…?”

Tugging the supply sled through the field, Astral didn’t notice anything out of place. Large trees grew around the exterior, giving the room a ‘clearing amidst a forest’ sort of feel. If he closed his eyes, he could almost forget he was underground.

So, he did just that, only for a few minutes.

Just get out of here, and you can stay up late and feel the sun again. I just need to keep moving.

On opening his eyes, Astral found that he couldn’t move. There wasn’t any force preventing him from doing so, but his shaking limbs simply refused. A few soft sobs wracked his frame, the stallion shaking his head back and forth. He didn’t know how much more of this he could take. Even when that thing had been lunging at him, he had frozen.

Maybe some ponies could handle all of this. Hardened warriors who thrived off a battle. But this was just…running. Hiding and panicking with extra steps. The defeatist thought of perhaps just waiting in this field for the creature passed through Astral’s mind; it wasn’t the worst place to go.

But he discarded that immediately. He wasn’t about to give up, not yet. If for no other reason than to spite the homicidal computer that dropped over five stories of concrete onto Astral’s head.

You’ve got to move. That thing could get down here.

The stallion found a few surprising tears brimming at his eyes, the bat-pony swiping them away with a forelimb. He couldn’t stop now. And yet the Guard’s body refused to move. He needed to move, to keep going. Otherwise, he’d be here forever, or at least until that thing found him.

Why do I freeze when I’m in danger?

Astral wished the question didn’t have a logical answer. He knew why. He just didn’t have the time to solve the puzzle.

“Hey, buddy? You’d better get going. That creature is going to find a way down here eventually.”

Looking around at the sound of the cheerful voice, Astral immediately found his limbs unbound at the distraction. It was light and airy, pleasant but carrying a knife’s edge. A mare?

“No, you can’t see me. Speakers in the walls. Get moving. The next floor down, SL-8 is full of toxic fungal spores, so have your mask on before that elevator door opens. Just get to the end of SL-9. There’s a tram that takes you to a Security Station at the Silo Junction.”

“I, uh, ok!” Astral called out, not sure if whoever it was could hear him.

Silo junction!?

“The microphones are fried by a power surge on this level and other areas, so I can’t hear you at times. Get moving if you want to live. Follow the signs, get to the Silo Junction, look for the Security Station One.”

The transmission cut out; the bat-pony’s limbs energized with the knowledge someone else was down here. A supervisor perhaps? Maybe a leader of a group of survivors from the accident?

Whoever it was, they offered their help. While Astral had plenty of reasons to both trust them, and not, it ultimately didn’t matter too much. The only way to go was down.

He had no idea what the individual meant by ‘Silo’ though. The fact that SL-5 had indicated this was ‘Silo 1’ made the Thestral uneasy.

You only numbered something if there were multiple of said something.

Regretfully leaving the beautiful field behind, the Thestral shoved his supply-sled into the elevator, about to begin the downward journey after donning the SCBA mask. In horror, he only got a few breaths in before the mask sucked to his face.

Disconnecting the valve, the stallion’s green eyes locked onto the gauge- solidly in the ‘empty’ area.

Replacing the tank and leaving behind the empty one, Astral made a mental note to check the gauge more often. That could have ended very, very badly. To that end, he also reloaded the cannons on his side; another oversight that could have been deadly.

I’ve got to remember to do that. No air or bullets; that could have killed me.

A full tank of air on his back and barrels loaded, the bat-pony keyed the elevator, once again zipping down to the next floor. As soon as the door opened though, his vision immediately was swamped by a soupy, pea-colored dust.

“Welcome, to SL-8.”

He hated that voice. It had no reason to be that cheerful.

It was clear now why the above floor was so pretty; this was where everything was grown. The massive domed area had dozens of greenhouses, a few split open and venting out the nasty, lime-green spores. That would be the fungus.

The tiled path that led from greenhouse to greenhouse was nearly covered with spores. That made navigating difficult, but Astral tugged the sled along nonetheless. Some of the greenhouses were intact, with beautiful ferns and flowers visible behind the double-sealed doors and filtered air vents. The artificial sun glowed above him, but the air was choked with the visible spores and who-knows-what-else.

Others were full of what appeared to be burned and dead plants, yet others held massive, meat-colored mushrooms that made Astral’s hooves tingle unpleasantly. They seemed to almost be breathing.

He didn’t know what they were, but he already hated those mushrooms. The bat-pony had half a mind to burn them. The greenhouses the mushrooms were in looked much more heavy-duty with decontamination areas on the entrance and exits.

A small section of the dome was sectioned off into an office, but the fact spores covered every inch of the area meant that foraging was pointless. The windows were broken in, and Astral wasn’t about to take any unnecessary risks. He had supplies, after all.

With a rebellious huff, he ducked in and managed to find a jug of sealed water along with some snacks. Perhaps a peace offering to the nice mare who had warned him about the soupy air.

To his relief, there was a decontamination arch near the elevators. While the device was mostly overwhelmed by the spores, the pressurized mist at least blew the majority of them off of Astral’s frame and salvaged supplies.

As he loaded the sled into the elevator, the Thestral couldn’t help but let out a relieved breath, the elevator apparently having a decontamination system as well that sucked all of the spores away with a whirlwind of air. There were now two floors between him and that thing, and these labs had actually been pleasant! Maybe the next one would be a giant pool?

Considering he was covered in sweat, grime, and all manner of dirt, that thought sounded amazing.

Opting to leave the mask on just in case, Astral queued the elevator for SL-9. The pony hadn’t been lying…so that was a point to them for trust, whoever they were.

As the elevator slowed, Astral took a few deep breaths and readied himself for whatever this floor had to offer. He was praying for a pool.

The doors opened, and the bloodied, torn-apart corpse of a pony promptly fell onto Astral, the stallion abruptly screaming in horror.

“Welcome, to SL-9.”

Author's Note

Hmmm. Someone else is stuck down here...:trixieshiftright:

Chapter Eight: Tenacious Trams Travail a Tired Traveler

Two things became abruptly apparent to Astral Sentinel.

One: The pony on top of him was very, very dead.
Two: Astral had quickly run out of breath to continue screaming.

Shoving the body off, Astral tried to calm his breathing as he looked around…and promptly felt bile rise in his throat. Yanking off the mask, he emptied his stomach onto the dirty tile floor. The bat-pony knew that as soon as he lifted his gaze, he wouldn’t be able to avoid the sights.

Taking a tentative sniff of air, Astral stowed the mask after shutting off the SCBA, wiping his mouth as he pulled the supply sled out of the elevator. The smell made him gag again, but he pushed on. The mask limited his vision far too much unless necessary.

Dozens of bodies were mounded near the elevators. All were torn apart by clear slash marks, making Astral’s head immediately swivel.

The source of said deadly blows was quickly found.

Plastered against a wall, a familiar grey creature was flopped on the ground; half of its head missing as dozens of bullet-holes marked its frame.

There’s more than one?!
And if there are two, there might be three.

That was a disturbing thought indeed, and Astral hoped the explosive rounds in the cannon would be enough. Judging by the six bodies of heavily-armored security ponies, Astral’s confidence was quickly fading. Then again, their saddle-guns were much smaller.

The format of the floors was definitely shifting to a domed layout, each floor also getting larger and larger. This floor seemed to have multiple, smaller domed areas sectioned off for separate tasks. The first dome was obviously dedicated to office-work, perhaps administrative, as shown by the typical office desks, chairs, and conference rooms. Neatly tinted blue-green glass dividers separated each cubical, even being constructed into larger, boxy rooms that stuck out from amid the cubicles.

The second dome that Astral traversed seemed to be a lab of some sort. Centrifuges, flasks, vials, mixing machines, and all sorts of electronic screens dominated the clear-glass rooms. The various decontamination stations indicated that there was definitely something nasty being worked on here.

Still, he pressed on, at least until he came to a massive barricade. Large, official-looking metal plates had been hastily welded together, bodies of armored ponies laying this way and that.

Some were in pieces, Astral’s light armor abruptly feeling very inadequate. The saddle-guns on their bodies were empty, the hundreds of brass casings littering the ground indicating why.

All this happened in the span of two days?! What was going on down here?!

That question was answered with a simple ‘bad things’ thought, and that ultimately covered it. After three more barricades, the Thestral found himself in the third dome. This one looked almost like a doctor’s office. If not for the blood everywhere, it could have passed off as a stereotypical check-up location at a hospital or local physician. Like the other rooms, it all branched off from a central hallway.

At least the lights weren’t-

*Shunk!*

Astral took a few deep breaths, clicking on the saddle and helmet-mounted flashlight. Of course, the power would choose this melodramatic moment to die.

Naturally.

Beams of light reflecting off of the glass made Astral’s sensitive green eyes ache. The helmet was a bit restrictive, but at least it had ear-holes, the fuzzy appendages on a constant swivel. The ear protection from the armory was battery-powered; it amplified any non-dangerous level sounds and blocked out any that may damage Astral’s hearing.

At this moment, however, he did not appreciate hearing every single crackle of glass. A brief gesture and he turned down the sensitivity. He had to focus. Thankfully, his goal was illuminated in bright but flickering emergency lights.

‘Silo Junction: Transit Station 1.’

Again, with the numbering, but Astral pushed it out of his mind.

The hall took a few twists and turns, the glass rooms on either side either blood-covered or utterly destroyed. The red crosshair on the helmet’s visor swept from side to side, Astral making sure to cover each room as he passed it.

I hate this.

It didn’t feel like anything was watching him, and that was almost worse. The knowledge he was likely the only living thing in this area…

He made it to the end of the hallway, a familiar ‘T’ junction with elevators to the right, supply closets to the left. The closets were destroyed; clearly burned from something or other. The elevator area was the same as all the others, save two doors.

Carefully walking into the area, three elevators on each side, Astral kept the crosshairs trained on the door dead ahead of him. At the end of the elevator welcoming room, two large metal doors were securely bolted shut.

Well, one of them had been at least; a gaping hole was torn through the hoof-thick metal. The sign itself was ominous, to say the least.

‘Direct access to Silo 2.’

The door directly next to it was likewise brightly labeled, the brass letters taunting the Thestral.

‘Silo Junction, Transit Station 1’

Ponyfeathers.

Slowly edging towards the door, Astral set down his supplies to listen, creeping forward as he kept the saddle-canons trained on the gaping hole.

Thankfully, nothing reached his sensitive ears. He wasn’t about to stick his head into the breach, but an outward glance revealed that the ‘Direct Access’ door was a fancy sort of elevator, but had a tube-like structure almost like what you’d see at a water park.

He added that to the list of the many odd things about this place,

The door to the Transit station was disturbingly easy to pull open, a small access panel immediately granting Astral access with the code and card combo. To his surprise, the hallway immediately beyond the door opened up into a small…subway station?

Well, the sign did say station on it.

Cautiously descending onto the platform, Astra noted the two tracks to either side of the obnoxiously-neatly tiled area. In the center, however, there was what appeared to be, on further investigation, a windowless supply closet with a water dispenser-still half full too!

Pushing his supplies into the closet for safe-keeping, the Security Guard took a closer look at the platform for any sign of, well, anything. There was a screen that would most likely have shown the trains coming and going, but it was cracked in half.

Well. I’m at the transit station. Now what?

That was when Astral noticed a softly-blinking red light in the ceiling, a small, hoof-sized glass dome recessed into the metal.

A camera?

With no other recourse, and also since Astral really didn’t want to go back up the stairs next to the likely-hole-of-death, he began to wave.

“Oh! Wow. You made it! Ok. Ummm, let me see.”

Astral wasn’t sure if he could feel better or worse since the voice sounded genuinelysurprised.

“Ok, does this button do it? Nope. Alright, maybe this one…” the voice muttered, sounding a lot less sure of themselves. “Ah! Got it. So, I’ve re-activated the tram system. It should-oh no. Hide. Now! I’ll lead it off.”

Astral wasn’t sure if the voice was talking to him, his head tilting to the side in curiosity.

“Yes, you! Thestral! Tram station! HIDE!”

With a mad scramble, Astral ducked back into the supply closet and shoved one of the large shelves against the door. His back pressed against the solid stone; he kept his cannons trained on the thin metal doorway.

He heard a smooth, metal-on-metal gliding sound, a familiar voice then reaching his ears.

“Welcome, to Silo Transit Station One.”

The raspy, laugh-like breath a creature expelled made the stallion’s heart rise into his throat. The tram hadn’t been empty when it arrived.

Within a few moments, a familiar voice rang out.

“Hey! You. The ugly thing with no hair! Can’t catch me!” the voice sounded from the top of the stairs. As whatever-it-was skittered across the tile, the voice echoed again, farther up the hallway and around the bend.

Thankfully, whatever this thing was didn’t sound too bright if it was chasing a voice.

After a good five minutes of silence, Astral was about to open the door to sneak onto the tram when his sensitive ears registered something. It was small, the sound as if a dozen little tacks were tapping across the tiled floor.

The soft, hiss-like whispers made him immediately recoil. Evidently, the giant creature wasn’t the only thing that the tram had brought over.

“Just stay there for a while. I’ll see if I can lead these things off,” a familiar voice whispered, Astral catching sight of a small, nearly-invisible dome in the corner of the room on the ceiling. “I wouldn’t go out there for a good long while. I’ll let you know when it’s safe.”

“Thank you,” Astral said softly, not sure if the voice could hear him as he slumped down, still facing the barricaded door. He wasn’t sure how long he stayed away, only venturing to eat and drink once the sound of the skittering faded away. Eventually, however, he dozed off to sleep, helmeted head resting against a shelf.

Looking at the viewing monitor, two dark-violet eyes softened at seeing the Thestral doze off, a soft huff leaving between two fangs.

“You’re welcome,” the pony muttered, tapping a few keys to pull up a file.

‘Astral Sentinel.’

This should have been done sooner but, truth be told, it hadn’t been likely Astral would survive this long.

“Huh. Not much older than me…” they muttered, eyes then narrowing at an ‘addendum’ mark.

‘Records Expunged from Military Tribunal.’

Ironic that most areas kept a record of ‘deleted’ files. Obviously, the Stairway Company had access to it, as it did for all employees when they dug into any past incidents, criminal or otherwise.

It was the three lines of text that made the viewer’s hoof tap in suspicion.

‘Two counts of Second-Degree Attempted Murder: Case dropped; records expunged.
Second-Degree Sexual Assault: Case Dropped due to testimony, records expunged
One count of Possession of Narcotics with intent to distribute and/or use within a military installation: Case dropped; records expunged.’

What sort of connections do you have, Astral? The pony thought. To get those charges dropped, you have to have friends in high places or a lot of bits. Those types of connections could certainly get you a job here.

“Maybe you aren’t so friendly after all.”

Author's Note

Hmmmmmmmmm....:trixieshiftright:
Hope you all are enjoying the journey! Feedback is welcome!

Chapter Nine: A friendly face?

Waking up to a soft chime, Astral looked around, his body jerking in surprise as the memory of the previous day flooded back.

“Whoa, easy there. It’s all clear,” the voice said softly. “Get some food and water in you and then take the tram on your right. It will take you to the central transit station. The creatures are gone; I lured them into the other tram car and locked it halfway down a tunnel.”

Astral nodded, downing some of the less-than-healthy food and cautiously opening the door. The voice was indeed correct; the station was empty aside from some disturbing silk-like stuff along the stairs.

Ew.

After double-checking to make sure everything was clear, Astral did a few stretches and scrubbed his face with some water; the best he could do for his wake-up routine.

He didn’t even know what time it was. None of the supply closets had a watch or clock.

Tugging his supply sled into the tram (after making sure it was clear), Astral sat down with a slump. It was almost like a normal subway car; he had been on one a few times before.

“Departing, Silo Transit Station One,” the obnoxiously positive mare’s voice said cheerfully over the speakers, “Destination: Central Silo Transit Station.”

The double doors smoothly shut, and the tram took off smoothly. The question of time was answered by a digital clock dutifully still functioning.

Midnight. Well, at least I didn’t sleep an entire night away.
Unfortunately, the lack of a bed and heavy exertion were starting to take their toll. Already Astral could feel his limbs and muscles aching, let alone his neck from sleeping in an awkward position.

He took the time to pop a few painkillers, eyes drifting to the floor. It was almost like his world had a sick sense of humor. The training, mock fighting, and such had been a fun part of the Guard program. The Thestral had genuinely enjoyed it both as a potential career and hobby. The legal ramifications and daily stress had not been a goal in the slightest.

But when your entire family is in the Guard business, one way or another, what career choice did I have?

This wasn’t the first time his path had been abruptly diverted. Of course, his ‘washing out’ of the program was a bit more complicated than what most knew. Well, Gabbro was only friend who knew the whole story, the only one of his friends who did.

He was also the only friend Astral could trust to believe him. Naturally, the cheerful hippogriff had without a second thought.

I still don’t even know if Mom and Dad believe me. I know most of my siblings don’t. How did my lack of wanting to be a guard make them think I was a worse pony? Just because I didn’t follow in generations of tradition? Is that all it took?

Ironic my training instructor is the only one who helped me, same with the judge. That made it real, of how deep I was in. If not for the poor mare's own testimony…

He shook his head; starting off the morning with such depressive thoughts wasn’t a good idea. But being on the run for two, no, three days now was starting to get to the Thestral. He had to stop somewhere safe, even for just a bit in the future.

By the time the tram began to slow down, the painkillers had kicked in, at least pushing the aches and pains to the rear of Astral’s mind.

“Now arriving at Central Silo Transit Station.”

Astral was wishing for a clean station like the one he came from. No blood, no bodies. Was that too much to ask?

As the tram stopped and the doors opened, evidently, it was.

Gritting his teeth, Astral pulled his supply sled through the remains of a few dozen ponies. He honestly wasn’t sure how many; it was hard to tell since none had an intact torso.

Bile rose in his throat, but he managed to shove it down along with the shaking in his limbs.

One hoof in front of the other. Keep going.

There was only one place to go; a stairway that led up into a larger stone room. On emerging, Astral briefly wished he had stayed in the tram a bit longer.

The massive dome was almost like the new, modern stock exchange in Manhattan. Large, tree-like protrusions with dozens of screens dotted the open tiled area. Bunches of desks were organized near each one, massive, now-blank screens hanging from the ceiling. Across the dome, there were two other staircases that led down; ‘Station’ lettering barely visible from Astral’s location.

But it was the bodies that made the stallion’s limbs start to shake. Dozens upon dozens of them, draped over desks, parts of them hanging from ceiling lights, some shoved halfway through some of the screens...

There were plenty of security personnel, their armor torn to pieces and torsos ripped open. Astral had the unfortunate realization that most of their internal organs were outright missing…or decorating nearby screens. The fact that there were quite a few unicorns indicated that magic hadn’t been of much use here.

He could feel the rising panic beating at the door of his mind. If he stayed here any longer, the stallion was afraid he wouldn’t be able to leave, his limbs simply freezing.

A large set of signs greeted the Security Guard when he made it to the rough ‘center’ of the dome, a simple arrow giving him some hope.

‘Silo 2 Transit Station
Silo 3 Transit Station
Transit Hub Security Station.

Security. That was a good word indeed, and that was where Astral angled his path. There were, notably, a large number of dead soldiers in this path, metal barricades being strewn up near the hallway in the distance. It was in this section of the dome that Astral saw hundreds if not thousands of bullet-holes decorating the wall, along with a smattering of dead grey creatures.

Thankfully, like the other bodies, they seemed to be in pieces and not moving. Oddly, about two-thirds of them (the largest ones) had barcodes on their right forearms. The other, smaller creatures didn’t.

Almost there. A security station.

The door, thankfully, was intact. A massive, pockmarked metal chunk of steel that looked more like the entrance to a bunker than anything. A smaller, equally-dented side door was locked up tight.

A familiar keypad and card scanner seemed to be operating, but barely. On tapping in the code and using the ID card, the scanner blinked yellow with a soft fizzle of electronics. That was when Astral saw the bullet hole in the side of the unit.

Oh, ponyfeathers. Come on…

He didn’t see any visible cameras, but an intercom panel was, of course, covered in bullet holes. The bat-pony tried it anyways.

“Hello?” he asked softly, depressing the button but hearing nothing, not even static.

As much as he hated to make more noise, there was only one other tried and true method to seeing if anypony was home.

He knocked three times, the sound echoing far more than he had hoped. But thankfully, there wasn’t any creepy skittering or heavy breathing. Almost more disturbingly, there wasn’t any sound.

Setting down his supplies near the door, Astral stayed within sight as he checked some of the desks. Just financial forms, more mentioning of experiments…he couldn’t make head or tail of it. There were a lot of acronyms, to say the least.

There was a soft plinking sound, and that made Astral’s ears swivel. A small piece of plaster fell down to shatter on the ground next to him, and then another.

That’s when he heard the breathing.

Terror spiked into Astral’s heart as he casually moved, acting as if he didn’t notice pieces of the ceiling falling around him.

I have to be quick.

More plaster, the breathing got louder. As he trotted towards the security barricade, Astral forced himself into a gallop, hooves skidding across the tile as he spun around, barrels aiming upwards.

The grey monster dropped from the ceiling, propelling itself towards Astral with a mighty bound-

*BANG!*

The creature’s torso abruptly grew a dinner-plate-sized hole, Astral firing again, this time punching a hole in the thing’s thick neck.

The creature let out a warbling hiss- the cry cutting off as the third and fourth shots destroyed the creature’s head and face. The Thestral put another four shots into the creature’s torso, reducing half of it to reddish-grey jelly to be sure.

Astral’s hooves shook, the creature’s claws only a short distance from him, the grey body quivering before laying still.

I killed it.
I didn’t freeze, and I killed it.

Any jubilation was cut short as movement drew his gaze. It was close, far too close for him to react even if his legs hadn’t abruptly seized.

A second and third creature had been flanking him; the two of them crawling along opposite, curved walls as the first had come straight down the middle.As the one to his right launched itself at him, Astral could only watch in horror, his body refusing to respond as a four-clawed hand reached out to tear into the pony’s throat.

Astral wasn’t entirely sure what happened next.

One moment, the creature had been on a straight path directly towards him; the next, it was skidding along the ground face-first. With a blur of movement, a figure skidded to a stop, aiming with two cut-down barrels of a side-saddle firearm, cutting the second creature down mid-leap. They moved fast, almost too fast to be natural.

Armored head to hoof, the pony looked at him, face invisible behind the tinted gold-tinted visor. Trotting over to the still-twitching first creature, the pony fired, the round blowing off the thing’s head.

There was a warbling cry; Astral’s heart in his throat as half a dozen creatures began to spill from a hole in the ceiling, previously hidden behind a large light figure.

“Move or die, Astral!” the pony barked, galloping towards the now-open security door, effortlessly yanking in the Thestral’s supply sled with them.

Galloping in with such speed that he whacked into the wall, Astral watched as the security door slammed shut, a high-pitched hum echoing around the entryway. Judging from the pained screeches and electronic crackling in the distance, the door was protected somehow.

The immediate entryway was a large, oval-like room with a few lockers, numerous doors branching out to varying other sections. The armored pony stood in front of Astral, barrels trained on the exhausted Thestral.

“Thank you,” he panted, barely managing to stand. The stallion then realized that the other pony’s firearm was definitely aimed at him.

“Whoa, I’m not-”

“The question I want you to answer is if you’re a good pony or a bad one. Because I’ve had to deal with a lot of bad ones lately.” the armored individual said firmly. Astral wasn’t even sure if it was the same creature from the speakers; the tone was so much more clipped, professional, and cold.

“I can hear your heartbeat, so I highly recommend you answer quickly and honestly. If you lie, I’ll be able to tell.”

Author's Note

Chapter Ten: Haven

“What?!” Astral asked, that question not being on the list of likely ones he had expected.

“It’s a simple question. I look forward to seeing how you will prove it. Good, or bad pony?”

“Good pony! As good as I can be,” Astral said with an uncontrolled laugh.

What kind of question was that?!

“And you want me to prove it? I’m stuck in this nightmare and I just got saved by a pony who wants to know if I’m good or bad? Everything I’ve seen is bad!” Astral knew he was rambling, his sides heaving with barely controlled sobs as he blabbered. “So many dead bodies. Ledger…I can still see his face! I just talked with him, no, a few days ago. I don’t even know where I am! Those things have chased me all over, and that stupid computer keeps detonating the floors!” Astral said, looking at the armored pony in exhaustion.

“I don’t know how I can- ok, wait. Here’s what I’m going to do because I’m far too tired to do anything else,” Astral said. “I’m going to put my guns down first. And then if you want to shoot me, go ahead. I don’t…I can barely stand,” he said, tone decreasing in intensity and volume. He reached up with a hoof, taking off the helmet and setting it aside. Flopping rather unceremoniously to the ground, Astral shrugged off the side-saddle, at least until it got caught on the SCBA unit.

Now firmly stuck with straps binding half of his legs, Astral simply lay there and let out a mirthless laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, his mental energy utterly spent.

“Yeah, ok, you’re definitely not a threat,” the armored pony sighed, the guns now being pointed at the floor, the firearms on some sort of hinge. The pony trotted over and untangled the Thestral, helping him up onto his shaking legs. “Get it together and let’s get moving. This place is fairly secure, but I’d rather have more than one door between me and them. You lead, I’ll grab the supplies.”

Nodding once, Astral plodded along on leaden hooves as the armored pony directed him down the hallway. A few twists and turns and they came to a large decontamination area, another security door behind it.

A few blasts of sterilizing mist later, Astral was trotted into a large security monitoring station. At least, that’s what he guessed it was. Dozens of computer monitors, half-circle keyboard, along with a few lockers with stowed saddle-guns in them.

The door closed, the armored pony letting out an annoyed sigh.
“I had really hoped there were fewer of those things up here,” they muttered. After Astral slid down to sit next to a wall, the armored pony walked over, promptly patting him down.

“What are-”

“I’d rather not have you shove a knife in my back. Hold still and take off the armor.”

The curt tone left no room for argument, the armored individual seeming a bit surprised at how quickly Astral shrugged off the saddle and vest.

“I don’t even have-oh. Yeah, there’s a knife on the right side,” he said, trying not to slur his words as any remnants of adrenalin were now fading.

Setting aside the saddle-guns and armor, the armored pony sat down in front of the bat-pony; and that’s when Astral realized a very key feature, one he had been far too distracted to notice before.

They had webbed wings.

“Wait. You’re a Thestral?” he asked, ears perking up in interest.

The armored pony sighed, reaching up to take off the helmet. Two fluffy, light blue ears poked up, the bat-pony mare looking at him with narrowed, dark violet eyes as he stared.

“If you keep staring, I’ll lock you outside,” she huffed, Astral immediately shaking his head.

“Sorry, just, I didn’t expect to see another Thestral here,” he admitted. “We’re not exactly common.” Of course, there were quite a few reasons he was staring, but all of them were out of surprise.

“Well, to be fair, I didn’t expect to see a Security Guard down in areas that he probably didn’t even know existed,” she replied, smoothing down her dark blue fur. “I’ve seen your file. You were on the surface?”

“Front security desk,” Astral said, simply happy to be having a normal conversation with a living, breathing pony. “I checked ponies in, and then I checked them out. That was basically it until the computer tried to kill me. Or rather, contain those freaky…whatever they are!”

“I just call them Skitters,” the mare said with a dismissive wave. “They’re not full spiders, since they only have four legs, but they’re creepy, have a venomous bite, and can walk and ‘skitter’ all over. But, like other nasty spider things, they don’t like fire. Or bullets.”

Astral couldn’t help but smile ever so slightly at that; it felt like an alien gesture.

“Well, you clearly know about me…” he said cautiously.

“Only what your file said,” the mare replied dismissively, gesturing to the monitoring station. “I have basic access to employee records and the security feeds, along with some tram controls in case of emergencies. Your file is pretty standard, so count me impressed you made it this far.”

“I aim to please. May I at least ask the name of the mare who saved my sorry butt from the Skitters?”

His comment drew a slight smirk from the mare, the other Thestral looking at him nonchalantly. Despite her casual air, there was almost a bit of confusion behind her gaze ever so slightly.

“Security Officer Sassi at your service!” she proclaimed with an exaggerated bow. “Well. Ex-Security Officer. Not like I have a job anymore.”

“Well, Sassi. Thank you again. I’d be very, very dead if not for your help,” Astral said sincerely. “Sorry if I can’t shake your hoof. I…um, am having some trouble moving currently.”

She frowned at that, looking over him with a keen gaze that made the stallion blush slightly.

“Very dead three times over indeed. Hmm. You also need a shower to make sure none of the scrapes you have get infected,” she muttered, “can’t do any of that here. Alright then,” the mare said to herself. “We’ll go down to the bunking area and my home. It’s sealed off and the safest place other than here currently. They installed a direct elevator from here to the barracks; some of us lived here for a while.”

Effortlessly picking up both his gear and towing the supply sled, Sassi trotted down a side hallway with a backward glance.

“Gotta move a bit more. Let’s go buttercup! You can crash soon.”

Being saved by a lovely drill sergeant…could be worse. Astral mused as he forced his limbs to plod after the mare.

The elevator was fairly nondescript; a single destination being visible as Sassi queued the device. Humming to herself as they dropped, the mare led Astral down another large hallway. He was now toughly convinced the company used the same tiling contractor for all hallways, as it had the same cream floor as other areas. Standard doors branched out here and there, Astral catching glimpses of a mess hall, kitchen, along with some bunks and additional supply rooms.

He didn’t have time to be confused, however, as Sassi led him down another, long hallway to a secure door with a keypad. Punching in the numbers, Sassi trotted inside, Astral’s green eyes immediately widening, the stallion not able to contain a soft “whoa,” at the abrupt change.

The large room felt like walking into an apartment, ocean-blue walls immediately putting his eyes at ease from the harsh lights. All that was missing were windows that looked out to…

That thought cut off as large, digital ‘windows' showed a peaceful forest to his left. Two couches and a television set was neatly placed adjacent to some cabinets and bookshelves. A kitchen bled into the living room, a small, beautifully not cream-colored hallway leading to what Astral guessed to be multiple bedrooms, supply closets, and bathrooms.

“You’ll be the first door on the right. I’ll dump your stuff there,” Sassi said casually, then walking back after doing so, snagging a large bottle of clear liquid. “I’ll be right back. Gotta douse the elevator and above-floor with this stuff unless we want visitors. Ground rules are simple. Your door is on the right, mine is on the left,” her tone got a bit more serious, sharp eyes looking the Thestral over. “Don’t go in there unless you want an electrical shock when you touch the door, and don’t do anything stupid when you’re here.”

Astral nodded numbly, walking into the bedroom and sitting down on the carpet. The fact his gaze seemed to be miles away seemed to make Sassi relax before she left.

Carpet. A nice, large bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and television. It was like walking from a horror movie into a neatly furnished hotel room. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was feeling, but it was overwhelming.

“Hey. You alright?” Sassi asked, Astral not having even registered that she was back and standing in the doorway. He could only shrug, the mare frowning. “Shower off and get clean. It would stink to escape those Skitters and get taken out by a cut. C’mon, let’s go.” Sassi’s words cut through Astral’s mental fog. On sitting in the shower, it was almost numbing at how good hot water felt.

However, on seeing the water run red as the blood was washed from his fur, the Thestral hung his head and cried. He wasn’t sure whether he was reliving a memory of seeing the red water, or if he was still in the real world.

At that moment, it didn’t really matter. He simply sat down and sobbed.

Sassi’s sensitive ears flicked, the mare letting out a sad huff.

“Poor guy,” she muttered, taking off her armor and hanging it next to the doorway. He clearly wasn’t a threat, or he was a better actor than any pony she had seen in the movies. Astral was obviously hanging on by a thread.

I guess I forget about normal ponies after a while. It’s just so easy for me.

Considering there were weapons hidden within hoof-reach at all times throughout her apartment, the mare wasn’t worried about the newcomer doing anything stupid, shady record or not. Add to the fact she could probably break him in half on accident made the overall threat, if there was one from this pony, to be pretty much null.

With the route they had taken doused with vinegar, the Skitters would have a rough time tracking them. So that made them safe for now.

What Sassi found increasingly difficult, however, was how to answer a single question.

How in the world do I talk to a normal pony? One who might not have been involved with everything down here?

Then again, if Astral’s file was any indicator along with his efforts to stay alive, he wasn’t the most ‘normal’ pony. Sassi would keep that knowledge for a later date.

In the meantime, I’ll just make sure he doesn’t die overnight. I’ll get answers eventually.

At that thought, she trotted over to her helmet, the heads-up display marking Astral in the shower. For now, she set his tag to ‘undetermined’ in her friend-or-foe category, not that he’d be much of a foe.

She couldn’t help but smile recalling the happy prancing-in-place he had done with his first bulls-eye.

I hope you’re not a bad pony, Astral. Genuine friends are in short supply nowadays…for many reasons.

I’ll get answers out of you eventually. But for now, you seem nice enough.

Author's Note

Player Two has entered the game...

Chapter Eleven: Situation Rundown

Princess Sparkle was currently ruing the day she made a pact to never turn a politician into a pastry. Yes, it had been necessary legislation, but it had only been one time, and only for a few minutes.

Discord had loved that little anger-infused loss of control, but Twilight had learned to control herself. Deep breaths. In, and out.

Her day had been perfectly normal, perfectly on schedule, and then the lovely company owner and politician Stylus Protractor came into the throne room and proclaimed one of hisfacilities had exploded.

That alone would have been a headache; Twilight already knew about it from the brief situational summary from a few days ago. What started as a headache had quickly turned into one of the best days this week. The individual who had shown up an hour or two before the initial company representative had made sure that this day was going to be a fantastic one. The entire interview and interaction were just formality on her part.

She had half a mind to invite Discord to watch. When the owner of a company (rather than someone from their board of directors) showed up daysafter an incident to explain what occurred, that was usually a nice courtesy during a chaotic time. In this case, it was downright suspicious, especially when adding to the memo she got.

“Ok, so, Mister Protractor, please explain this again,” she said courteously. This part had to be convincing. “Your facility which manufactures and tests…”

“Various chemical compounds and catalysts to help further positive technological developments in Equestria, along with some military contracts,” the pony said smoothly, “hence our top-secret security status we utilize.”

“Hmm. Yes, I was reading over the shipping manifests of some of the shipments,” Twilight said, her ‘royal tone’ in full effect. “And this facility just…detonated? Two stories above ground, four and a half below, if the initial report your representative delivered is accurate.”

“That is correct. The local emergency responders are sifting through the rubble now. As best as we can guess, there was an undetected leak of multiple storage containers which ignited on the bottom floor. We were able to retrieve most of our staff using the new emergency recall devices. No official fatalities as of yet.”

“Oh! Really?” the Princess couldn’t help but exclaim happily. With the various ideas and patents she had put out in some of her spare time, it was always a pleasure to hear they actually worked!

They usually did work, but it was nice to have positive feedback.

“Yes. We managed to recall all of our essential staff. Unfortunately, quite a few may have perished simply due to the rapid nature of the collapse; no fault of your design of course,” the light blue unicorn explained.

“Of course.”

“I just wanted to personally inform you that the Stairway Company will be submitting a full report as soon as we make sure the scene is safe. We welcome any investigation if that is necessary.”

“Oh? I doubt that will be needed.”

Twilight noted how Stylus immediately relaxed. This bureaucrat was taking her for a fool. Considering how much red tape this company had put up with her past investigations, the Princess was going to enjoy this moment quite a bit.

“That is good to hear. I’d be happy to answer any other questions if you have them. I was sent to make sure you were fully informed of the situation, after all.”

“Of course, Mr. Protractor,” Twilight said, secretly prancing with glee. “There is just one question I have for you.”

“Highness?”

“What is on Sub-Level Five?”

While the company owner remained composed, Twilight saw a knife’s edge slide across Stylus’s gaze. Twilight was secretly enjoying the exchange far too much. For too many years this company had eluded various investigations, put up far too many smokescreens for the book-minded Princess to take lying down.

Rumors were one thing, but when those rumors all had a common theme, that caught Twilight’s interest, especially when the spreaders of said rumors abruptly went missing more often than not.

When the rumors also dealt with unspeakable acts against her subjects, that made Twilight quite attentive indeed. She didn’t have multiple Ph.D.s for being lax in terms of research.

All her leads had been dead ends, all her back-door investigations yielded nothing but diplomatic shrugs. The company and primary facility were in international lands, after all. Of course, Twilight had taken a few liberties on conducting various studies of her own. Totally unrelated to the facility of course, at least initially.

However, now a golden opportunity had literally knocked on her door.

“Sub-Level Five, Highness?” Stylus said in apparent confusion. “There isn’t such a level. It stops as Sub-Level four and a half.”

“Yes, power generation and supply. I’ve seen the blueprints,” Twilight said, a slight smirk sliding onto her features. “But those don’t exactly line up with seismograph readings, Mister Protractor. Hundreds of lengths down into the bedrock. Quite interesting, really. A facility dozensof times larger than the original blueprints indicate.”

That made the light-blue unicorn’s face a bit paler.

“Send him in.”

Stylus’s eyes widened in shock as Flask Heat trotted into the throne room, an impassive expression on his face. Despite his cool demeanor, the earth pony’s light blue eyes shone with unrepentant rage.

“The emergency teleportation gem in your saddlebags won’t work, Mister Protractor,” Twilight said with a sigh, “so you can stop trying to activate it. The jamming field is my personal spellcraft. Considering you are being officially detained as a matter of national security, you may as well sit down. Besides…” a rather eager smile now dawned on the Alicorn’s face as she trotted down from the throne to sit in front of the mortified unicorn.

“We have so much to discuss.’

Across an infinite number of dimensional planes, a certain Draconequus perked up an ear; a light-yellow Pegasus reaching over to hold his paw.

“Discord?”

“Sorry, Flutters, I just caught a whisper of something wonderfully chaotic.”

Astral woke up to…he actually wasn’t sure. It was a cushion, a very comfy one at that. There was a voice humming away in the distance, but he wasn’t entirely sure who. Had he left the radio on in the apartment?

Wait, he didn’t own a radio.

With a jerk, the Thestral sat up in bed with a gasp, his heart pounding in his ears.

Right. Sassi, apartment place; safe.

He barely remembered drying off and staggering to his room. Looking at his forelimbs, the cuts and scrapes he had accumulated were expertly bandaged, the gauze soaked in disinfectant.

Right. She had bandaged me up and ordered me to bed.
Not like I could argue.

The stallion felt like his body had been run over with a train. Three days of running, creeping, pulling a supply sled, and carrying a significant number of supplies…

In a word?

“Ouch,” he grunted. But at least he was clean now. Sore and not up for a fight, but alive and clean.

First things first; locating a comb to tame the signature bat-pony head fluff.

Wincing with each step, Astral walked out of the room, his ears indicating Sassi was likely in the living room or kitchen.

Ugh, even my head wasn’t spared an ache or two.

There was, thankfully, a comb in the bathroom that tamed the fluff, Astral trying to wake himself up with some cold water. It was partially effective, the stallion finally trotting out to look around the small apartment. It only then occurred to him that this wasn’t a typical ‘soldier’s bunk.’

Oh. Right. This is Sassi’s home.

There were pictures on the wall with her and another pony; he was too far to see who it was, along with photos of her in various cities.

“Oh! Hey, you’re up!” Sassi said cheerfully, looking over to him from the kitchen. “You’ve been out for a while. You just passed out over ten hours ago.”

Ten hours?!

“Wow. I’m usually not that heavy of a sleeper,” he muttered, sitting down on the floor with a wince, Sassi waving a hoof dismissively.

“It happens. Acclimating to combat and stress. Heck, I slept every hour when I was off my shift during training. Barely had time to eat.”

Astral’s eyes widened as he glanced over to Sassi; the mare not having any of her armor on. Surprisingly, she looked just…normal. Dark blue coloration contrasting her lighter blue ears, mane, and tail, and webbed wings folded neatly against her back. A half-hidden compass behind a shield was emblazoned on her flanks; not that Astral let his gaze linger.

“Sorry,” he stammered, averting his gaze, “I half expected you to be a robot. Or have like, a limb or two made of metal.”

While true, it was only half of it true. Astral knew the stress was making him seek any sort of distraction. Noticing that the previously-armored mare was, underneath the gear, fairly attractive, apparently was such a distraction.

Sassi let out a snort, the Thestral then letting out a genuine laugh, a complete contrast from her earlier, clipped tone when first meeting him.

“I don’t blame you!” she said with a grin, “but nope! One-hundred percent flesh and blood! Enhanced, but still, well, squishy.”

“Enhanced?”

Sassi nodded, getting out some fruit from a refrigerated cabinet.

“Yeah. As part of the primary security program here, some of us got a series of booster shots,” she explained, rubbing her right forelimb with a wince. “It wasn’t pleasant, so I’ll leave it at that. Basically, just boost your, well, everything to about three times normal. Stronger, faster, yadda-yadda. I need to eat more, but that’s one of the few downsides. Considering the stuff we need to be on guard for, we needed an extra edge.”

“The Skitters?”

“Yup. Skitters, the other experiments…wait,” Sassi paused, looking at him with a bit of concern, “you really have no idea what this place is, do you?”

He shook his head, the mare letting out a low whistle.

“Ooooooh boy,” she sighed, “I was wondering if they gave you any information topside. Well, you’re in for a shock.”

“Try me,” Astral said, wincing as he walked over to sit on the plush sofa. “One of the few requirements of my job was to deny the existence of any floor lower than four and a half. Obviously, there are a lot more. I saw forty-six or so in the elevator. Then they’re these ‘silos’ of sorts? It’s a bit bigger than I intended. I thought the company was just making…” his eyes widened, the Thestral coughing, “eh. Not important. Clearly, they are doing a bunch of stuff that is so far beyond illegal there isn’t a word for it.”

“That’s an understatement,” Sassi said softly, Astral glancing over to her.

“Hmm?”

“Ok, rundown time,” she said, voice becoming more clipped. “You’re in the Main Silo Junction. There are three silos. Silo One is the safest; that’s where you worked, at one of the above-ground entrances that served as a cover. There are about fifty floors in that silo. You follow?”

Astral nodded, trying his hardest to remember every word.

“We’re in-between Silo One and Two. Silo Two is where the big stuff happens. Experiments, genetic-magic stuff, weapon production, product testing, power generation, and so forth. That one has another set of more than fifty floors, but each floor is much, much larger. Still following?”

Another nod.

“Then there’s Silo Three. That’s an old one probably as big if not bigger than Silo Two. It’s mostly decommissioned but has some floors that serve as a holding area for…volunteers, who are then transported to Silo Two. But it’s largely decrepit and abandoned.”

“Volunteers?”

“A nice way of saying death-row creatures who signed their life away for science. You don’t want to know the specifics.” Sassi watched as the grey Thestral turned a light shade of green, Astral curling up a bit tighter to himself.

“Experiments. The Skitters?”

“Those are the spawn of an experiment, yeah,” Sassi confirmed, “the Skitter Queen is at the base of Silo Two, if the readings are right. Usually, the number of offspring was limited, but ever since the surge….”

“Surge?”

Sassi nodded, sorting through the fruit on the counter in thought.
“A power and magical surge that happened about a week before everything went down the toilet,” she said, “it disrupted a ton of security measures and containment fields. Probably related to the computer virus that was spreading around. The main power failure was the icing on the cake which let everything escape.”

Astral nodded, staying quiet as he thought. To say this was overwhelming was an understatement.

“A lot to take in, huh?”

“To say the least,” he admitted.

“Well. If you want to keep your mind off things, can you cook? Or at least make something tasty with a blender?” Sassi asked, “I honestly can burn water, and I’ve never been able to get the right proportions for a good fruit smoothie. Not sure if that makes me less of a Thestral, but I’d appreciate it if you took a crack at it. Normal smoothies just taste so bland to me.”

“Huh? Oh, sure,” Astral said, levering himself off the couch with a wince. Walking over, he located a small knife and began slicing up the various fruits, finding the simple activity did help him process it all. “Were there many other Thestrals here? I don’t blame you for not knowing the proportions. We taste stuff a bit differently when it comes to fruits compared to other creatures.

“Hmm? Not that I saw. And that would explain why all other smoothies tasted so boring,” she replied.

“That sounds about right. We’re used to a bit more of a punch with sweet and sour things,” Astral explained, rather fascinated that he had found a Thestral who didn’t know this. Most children quickly figured it out in Hollow Shades, or anywhere else really.

“So can you put all of this into a nutshell for a pony who, as of three days ago-”

“Four.”

“Four days ago, only thought this place manufactured the odd chemical here and there?” he asked.

Sassi hummed, tapping a hoof to her cheek in thought.
“Anevil organization has a huge complex where they run a bunch of nasty experiments. Somehow everything crashed and set things loose and now the entire place is a deathtrap,” she said with a nod. “Oh, and you got your butt saved by the security mare.”

“I was going to go with an armored princess, but security mare works too,” Astral said with a grin, turning his attention to the blender, “ok, three parts pineapple, one part mango, two parts- no, one part kiwi…”

He missed how Sassi’s ears perked up, her face one of genuine surprise at his previous words.

“I’ll take the armored comment,” she chuckled, her gaze glancing away from Astral, “but definitely not pretty enough for the princess part. Either way, glad to help.”

Astral glanced over to Sassi, his eyes then returning to the blender.

The stallion wasn’t a flirter. When he genuinely tried, his anxiety went through the roof and he made a fool of himself. To quote his best friend “Dude, you just need to stop trying. You are like, the king of flirting when you do it by accident when just talking normally to mares. If you got out more and thought a bit less, you’d be more successful!”

To that end, Astral had to stop himself from correcting Sassi’s rather self-deprecating joke. It was certainly not appropriate to do when first meeting a mare, and definitely not when he was stressed out of his mind. The last thing he wanted to do was have her get any wrong impressions. If Sassi’s words about ‘dealing with bad ponies’ had any weight, he wanted to be as far away from that definition as possible.

Even so, the fact this mare thought herself not terribly attractive, even in jest, was rather odd.

Blending up the fruit concoction, Astral paused and tasted it with a nod.

“There we go. Let me know if you like it. Do you have a lot of fresh fruit down here?” he asked curiously, “the greenhouse I passed didn’t look the healthiest.”

She let out a snort at that.
“A decent amount, along with freeze-dried and dehydrated options. But that’s a mission for later,” Sassi explained. “For now, it’s to see if this is tasty or not.”

Judging from the happy ‘mmmmm’ that left Sassi’s mouth on taking a gulp, Astral had nailed it.

“Soooo much better than when I do it,” She sighed, pouring out half for herself and leaving a glass for the stallion. “Consider yourself on cooking and blending duty, payment for room and board.” Sassi then raised a hoof. “Oh, and before I forget, and since it probably would cross your mind, the reason you’re staying here in my apartment, is because some of those Skitters have a wicked sense of smell. The other rooms aren’t hermetically sealed, so you being here is one potential less failure point to worry about, even if it’s super unlikely. So, if you’re here, cooking duty it is!”

He did, for the most part. But Astra weakly saluted with a hoof, a genuine smile on his face for the first time in what felt like ages.
“Yes M’am.”

“Ew. No ‘M’am’s here,” Sassi shuddered, hopping onto one of the couches to relax. “If your file is right, you’re not much older than me. So, unless you want me to call you ‘Mr…’”

“Eurg, no,” Astral said with a firm shake of his head, taking his glass to sit down on the other sofa, “definitely not.”

The two finished their fruity meal, Sassi casually taking out a forelimb-long machete from the couch and beginning to polish it.

“So, Astral,” she asked, “I’m curious about you. How does a security guard end up down here still alive? Or even associated with an organization this scummy?”

Sassi saw his wide eyes, and the mare burst out laughing as Astral stared at the weapon.
“Oh wow! Sorry, that must have sounded a lot more threatening than I meant!” she wheezed, stowing the blade away. “I’m just so used to having creatures around who are comfortable with weapons. My question still stands though, since we’ve got the time and you technically are in my home.”

Well, she had him there.

“Where to start? the stallion said with a tired shrug. “I’m from Fillydelphia, long line of guards in the family. It didn’t work out during the end of basic training, so I wanted to try and find out what I really wanted to do. The Company reached out to me and asked if I wanted the job. Considering the benefits, how could I have refused?” he frowned at that, “I did some research, and nothing obviously illegal surfaced, and they even helped pay for a degree in a totally separate field. I got tipped off by a friend who helped me get this far.”

“Tipped off?” Sassi’s ears perked up at that, “like, to all of this happening?”

“Not directly, no,” Astral said, ears drooping. “I would tell you his name, but I don’t want to put him in…any….”

Astral’s eyes were locked onto one of the pictures, a smiling Sassi standing next to a familiar earth pony.

“How do you know Flask Heat?” Astral asked, Sassi’s demeanor immediately shifting to being more guarded.

“He’s a close friend, why?”

“Because he’s the reason I’m still alive,” Astral said softly, “he’s the pony who gave me a bit of warning, in a way.”

Author's Note

Bonus chapter! :pinkiehappy: Looks like the rabbit hole keeps getting bigger.

Chapter Twelve: Who's Who?

“What? What did he say?” Sassi asked immediately as she sat up, dark violet eyes wide with concern, “he’s a really close friend of mine; is he ok?”

“I assume he’s alright,” Astral said, “all the important ponies got teleported out. That meant pretty much everyone except for me. He just gave me a code that has so far opened every single door I’ve come across.”

“Wait, really?” she asked curiously, “that shouldn’t be possible. We may want to try that code. There are some supply rooms nearby I can’t get into.”

“Sure thing. Honestly, I’m in no condition to argue. It’s paired with my badge. So, you’ll need me alive for the code, and then the badge.”

Sassi shot him a fairly unimpressed gaze, Astral raising a hoof in defeat.
“You can’t blame me for being careful. For all I know you want to eat my insides when I sleep. Everything else alive I’ve seen so far wants to.”

“Hey, I wouldn’t-” Sassi said indignantly with an admittedly adorable pout, “I wouldn’t go to the trouble of saving your exhausted rear end just to hurt you. My job revolves around helping creatures.”

“Sorry, I meant no offense. I’m a bit of a jumbled mess right now.”

“No kidding. So how did you manage to get down here?” she asked, “you must have taken a dozen stimulants just to keep going. Either that or had an IV of energy drinks.”

The stallion laughed at that, the action making him grab his sides in pain as the mare watched him with an oddly careful gaze.

“Oh, that’d be awful!” he managed to say. “I saw those in the first aid kit and immediately put them in a deep pouch where I wouldn’t accidentally take them. I can’t even tolerate caffeine in a soda, let alone a full-blown stimulant pill!”

Sassi’s gaze shone with genuine confusion, the stallion not picking up how her gaze dropped, the mare in deep thought.

“Seriously?” she finally asked.

“Seriously,” he said firmly, “Caffeine makes me loopy, and energy drinks ten times that. So, any sort of drug or alcohol I stay faaaaaar away from. The only time I had an energy drink I sang non-stop for thirty minutes before passing out. So, never again.”

“You can sing?” Sassi asked.

“I didn’t think I could,” Astral admitted, “but yeah. Thankfully I haven’t broken a bone or anything that requires heavy-duty drugs. That would be bad. I honestly got this far with a lot of luck, and the security code that let me keep moving.”

“Hmm. I saw you when you entered SL-Five, but before that, the camera system isn’t networked to the station,” Sassi mused.

“Until then I basically just moved slowly, grabbed supplies, and hid in closets while shelving units barricaded the door.”

Sassi’s eyes widened at seeing the serious reply.
“Wow. That’s rather impressive actually, especially for somepony with little training.”

“Thanks!” Astral said happily, gladly taking the compliment (especially from a mare who clearly could snap him in half without thinking.) “Honestly, I’ve always enjoyed sparring and weapons and stuff, just, not the stress of the actual situation. I don’t do so well when my life is on the line.” The stallion’s ears flattened at that, the Thestral’s gaze drifting to the simple dark-wood coffee table between the couches. “If not for you, I’d be dead. I’ve frozen multiple times fighting those Skitters.”

“Well, flight or fright response can be a finicky thing,” Sassi said with a shrug, “I’ve had years of training. You’ve had…”

“Not nearly that long.”

“Exactly. My point is that you’re still here, and that’s impressive.”

He managed a weak smile at that.
“Where do I go from here, Sassi?” Astral asked honestly, “I just want to get out of this place. I don’t know what you’re still doing here.”

“I’m preparing to do that same thing,” she said firmly, “but sheltering in place for a bit until things settle down was the first goal. Trying to be open about sheltering ponies was the previous plan from my supervisor. That went about as well as you expected outside. It was just a giant beacon for a buffet. Most of the security forces aren’t enhanced, nor heavily armed.”

A green tint returned to Astral’s cheeks as he recalled the stacks of gore and bodies on the main station.

“Exactly. The ponies you saw were part of the containment team, and that clearly didn’t work. So, my plan is to gather supplies, lay low for a bit, and then see about getting out of this place.”

“Is there a way out?” he asked, “Part of Silo One has collapsed, right? That was the above-ground entrance.”

“That was one of the entrances,” Sassi clarified, “and I have no doubt the primary entrances have been sealed. But there are other emergency exits. The problem is getting to them, and then seeing if they aren’t sealed too. I was going to be hard-pressed to do it on my own,” she then smirked, gesturing to the stallion, “but I’m not alone anymore, am I?”

Astral couldn’t help but grin at that.
“I’d be happy to serve under your command, Security-Officer Sassi.”

“Welcome aboard, Security Guard Astral,” Sassi chuckled, reaching over to bump his hoof with hers. “For now, our mission is to lay low.” Her gaze grew a bit darker at that. “There aren’t any survivors nearby, none that we want to save. Anyone left…the more they fight the Skitters, the better.”

Swallowing nervously at that, Astral’s ears pinned back.
“The ‘volunteers?’” he asked, receiving a firm nod.

“Exactly. They’ll be organized fairly quickly. If we can wait for the Skitters to be fighting them primarily, we can slip out amid the chaos, and that’s assuming the self-destruct of the facility doesn’t kick on.”

“The what!?”

Sassi raised an eyebrow, gesturing around.
“What? After all you’ve seen and I’ve said, are you that surprised by a giant bomb being underneath this place?”

He raised a hoof in objection, then slowly lowering it.

“Exactly,” Sassi continued, “but with that code you have, we may be able to override it, or at least delay it if it ever activates. I doubt it will though. The Skitter Queen is a smart cookie; she may have cut the remote lines to it.”

“The Queen? The…Ook, we’re…um…” Astral stammered, reaching up to hold his head with a hoof.

“Oh, sorry. Too much?”

“A bit.”

“Well, you rest and recover. There are a few more supply areas I want to check before the big supply room that uses your code if you’re still set of keeping that a secret.”

“It’s just useless without the card,” he said, Sassi letting out a hum.

“Actually, I have an idea. Would it make you feel better to have it paired with your biometrics? So, then this scary mare can’t steal the code and card, leaving you behind?”

Astral glared at her, but there was no venom behind his gaze as he nodded.
“That would make me feel a lot better.”

“Well, let’s go do that now!” she proclaimed. “a short walk up to the security booth will do it. If it has as high a clearance as you say, it’ll be a pinch! We pair that to you, and then you can tell me the code so I can get us supplies while you recover.”

Sassi strapped on a single breastplate; a large knife angled across the chest as she led the way back to the elevator, the stallion snagging his ID card from beside the bed. Astral trotted along as best he could, limbs still aching quite a bit. It was rather embarrassing on multiple levels to feel so blasted fragile.

A quick miniature elevator flight up to the booth, and Sassi gestured to what Astral assumed was a hoofprint scanner.

Truthfully, it looked like a sideways, open metal lunchbox.

“Just put your card on top, type the code, and stick your hoof inside,” she said casually.

Doing as she said, Astral typed in the code and abruptly let out a yelp. A small microneedle poked his forelimb, the screens lighting up with various readings.

“Administrator access biometrics paired. Astral. Sentinel.” The cheerful voice echoed out.

“Wow, administrator access is…I don’t even know how high that goes,” Sassi admitted, “that’s above any clearance I’ve ever heard about. But there you go! she said happily. “There’s a locked supply closet in the main kitchen we can try. You can just put your hoof up to any old ID card scanner, and that will work now with your code.”

“Wait, the ID card readers double as that?” he asked, Sassi nodding, looking at him curiously.

“Yeah? From floor Four downwards. Wow, you didn’t know that? They kept everything from you, huh?”

“Evidently.”

The trip back down was uneventful, the two trotting into the very empty kitchen which could have housed a good bakers-dozen ponies.

“I already cleared out all the obvious food. But this supply closet miiiight have some decent stuff in it. Give it a shot!” Sassi proclaimed, gesturing to what appeared to be an ordinary door set in the side of the cafeteria wall.

Putting his hoof up to the ID card scanner, Astral typed in the code- and the door opened.

“Woohoo!” Sassi said, trotting in and looking around, “not much here. Some canned stuff, candy, oh! Fruit jerky! Looks like your biometrics work!”

He walked into the freezer, taking a look at the various items. There was a decent amount of food here, not a bad find.

“I guess they do. Well, fairs fair,” Astral said. “Flask Heat told me that this code would help me if anything went wrong. It’s zero, three, two, four, zero.”

Sassi abruptly froze, her eyes looking over to Astral’s, gaze locked onto him.

“What?”

“Zero, three, two, four, zero?” Astral said again, shrinking slightly.

The mare shook her head, eyes watering as she looked away.

“He said that it could help you?” Sassi asked.

“Yeah? If anything went wrong and I didn’t know what to do, the code would help,” Astral said in confusion, “he said it can get me out of trouble and into a lot of other places.”

To his shock, Sassi let out a soft sniffle, wiping her eyes on a forelimb before going back to rummaging through the supplies, still not looking at Astral.

“Did I say something-”

“No, it’s not you, Astral,” Sassi interrupted, “that code that Flask gave you? It means…it just means that he trusts you a lot, ok? It’s a bit of a gut-punch to hear it. I’ll tell you later.”

The stallion didn’t say anything for a while, the bat-pony finally shrugging.

“I always saw him as a mentor when I worked there,” he admitted, “I talked to him more than my blood parents these past few years. He was certainly more supportive.”

“Well, that wasn’t without reason. If Flask trusted you with that code, then I have every reason to,” Sassi said firmly.

“You trust him that much?” Astral asked in genuine surprise.

“Yes. Now, let’s get this stuff back to my kitchen. Unlike you, I haven’t slept in about ten hours,” Sassi said, a final sniffle fading as she wiped her eyes again. She seemed much more cheerful now, but that could just be Astral’s tired brain making it up.

“Yes M’-”

“Call me ‘M’am’ and I’ll lock you in the freezer.”

“Right away, Armored Princess.”

An exasperated sigh met Astral’s ears, Sassi letting out a groan as she smacked a hoof to her face.

“So, help me, Astral.”

He decided not to push his luck, carrying out the boxes as best he could before taking a break, limbs starting to tremble.

“Sorry. Just, I’m having trouble standing,” he admitted.

“Just take a breather. I’ll ferry these back inside,” Sassi replied, Astral eventually recovering enough to help with the last few boxes.

“You go rest. I’ll organize this stuff and then check the security monitors. I’ve set alarms to sound if there’s a ton of movement, so at least we’ll have some warning,” Sassi explained. “I’ll put your stuff next to the door.

Astral nodded, slowly plodding to flop down onto the couch.
“Thank you, Sassi. Sorry I can’t be of more use,” he said, genuine regret tinging his voice.

“You’ve done plenty. Just recover, and I’ll be back in a few.”

As the stallion dozed, Sassi subtly double-checked to make sure she had unloaded the stallion’s saddle-guns, setting the armor aside before heading up to the security booth.
Once there, she pulled out a picture, lips quivering as she looked at it.

“You trust him that much, Flask?” she asked to herself, the mare seeming to shrink slightly. “I don’t know if I can, not yet. I need some answers first. But I get the message. I’ll help him.”

Cradled in her hooves, the picture portrayed a smiling, younger Flask Heat, a small Thestral filly riding on his shoulders.

Chapter Thirteen: Numbers and concerns

Twilight massaged her forehead with a hoof. Today was definitelya migraine day.

Not only was Stylus Protractor being uncooperative, but the obnoxious company owner was also dragging in an army of lawyers along with the entire board of directors countering things individually. Of course, Twilight could simply bypass usual legal proceedings, but the current headache would be worth it.

All of this is based on the testimony of one pony…
Well, not exactly.

The amount of raw data, pictures, files, and statements that Flask Heat had provided on a sizeable flash drive was nothing short of a condemnation worthy of the history books. There was no way out of the oncoming storm, and Stylus likely knew it. His exact words and video, in many cases, were, to the effect of; “The Princess can bite my flank. There’s no trail to follow, we’re in the clear.”

And that wasn’t counting the atrocities that violated the rights of every pony, dragon, and pretty much every other species under the sun. The experiments, the outright murder, unethical programs…Twilight had only seen a glimpse of it and it had made the Alicorn’s stomach turn.

Lawyers or not, she was going to nail every creature responsible to a legal (and perhaps literal) wall. All six owners and the entire board of directors at the very least were guilty, but to what extent she wasn’t entirely sure.

But the numbers of deceased individuals over the years, the deals to known terrorist factions; it was monumental, and the reason she had placed a nigh-unbreakable tracking spell on Stylus and any other flight risks as she could.

Twilight was going to enjoy this ‘trial’ far more than she should. The simple laying out of such blatant horrors was almost overwhelming. Celestia and Luna may even visit to watch if they wanted some excitement. She hadn’t even told Stylus the details of what the data exposed; only that they had enough to make a ‘fairly solid’ case.

Flask Heat, however, was an anxious mess, staying in the castle under guard until the trial began. To that end, it wouldn’t be much of a trial; more like a televised execution of this company and its political, financial, and social holdings. She had assured him that they would not get away with it, and she planned on reading the file over more in-depth later.

Twilight didn’t miss how Flask Heat’s name was on quite a few of the files he had given her, a significant number. The simple act of self-implication was an odd thing indeed; he hadn’t shown any signs of wanting to run. The files themselves had a few inconsistencies, but the Princess could overlook that for now. A few blips in data weren’t an issue when there were decades of resources to sift through.

However, all of that had to wait. There was now an individual who was set to see the Princess, and she had to be composed for one of her subjects.

Apparently, he had been rather insistent.

“Send him in,” she called out to one of the guards, the door opening and a brightly-colored hippogriff trotting in. Bright blues, orange, and dark green feathers spotted his upper body and flank, anxious brown gaze looking around as he made his way to sit down in front of the throne.

Despite decades of curating a less-fearsome image that had haunted the ruling individuals in one way or another, a Princess was a Princess, and an Alicorn at that. There was almost always an inherent fear for many.

“What can I do for you…Gabbro, was it?” Twilight asked kindly.

“I- erm, Sorry, Princess. I’m a bit new to all this. Y’know. Talking to royalty,” the hippogriff admitted.

“No worries. Despite my horn and wings, I’m still a pretty regular pony. I’m just curious what has you so concerned. My reports state you’ve visited around five police stations and the local emergency office?” she asked.

Gabbro nodded, his brow furrowing at that.
“Yes, and none of them were helpful. The company representatives blew off my concern saying ‘oh, he’s probably safe.’ But I was hoping you could be more helpful,” he said, “my friend has been missing for over four days, and nobody knows what happened! The news is barely even covering it.”

That made Twilight’s ears perk up even more, the mention of a company making a distant alarm bell in her mind ring. A missing pony and event that wasn’t being covered? Had her intelligence network missed something? A bad meeting with one of the reclusive tribes perhaps?

“I am not sure how much help I can be for a missing pony, but I’m more than happy to try,” Twilight said calmly, “but what is it that the news isn’t mentioning?”

“The explosion!” Gabbro said, then wincing at his curt tone, “sorry, Princess, nobody seems to know. The factory my friend works at just blew up, and nobody can tell me if he’s alive! I can’t even visit the site since it’s so remote!”

Now the alarm bells began to ring full force in Twilight’s mind at that.

“Where did your friend work? What is his name?”

“The Stairway Company manufacturing and testing plant,” Gabbro said immediately, “his name is Astral Sentinel.”

Astral wasn’t sure what disturbed him more. The fact he was able to sleep, or the nightmares. Continually running from one of those Skitters down an endless hallway.

Waking up with a groan, the Thestral flopped out of bed. The previous day he had pretty much just crashed, walking for a bit on a treadmill in the spare room. To say Sassi had a nice apartment was an understatement. There was a huge supply room and even a workout room!

That was nice to at least be able to move. Sassi had been busy watching the cameras and making supply runs…whatever that entailed. The stallion occasionally watched the cameras with her at times, the mare explaining the goings-on in each of the levels. Oddly, her voice was clipped and professional in the station, but immediately flipped to her easy-going self when back in the apartment.

To that end, she had been very blunt when he had started to suggest he tag along during a moment of camera-watching.

“You are in no condition to run across a room, let alone from some freaky experiments,” she had said in that odd, no-nonsense, and curt tone of hers, “you stay here, rest, and recover. I’ll be back within an hour or two.”

And so she had, towing a massive sled of boxes and supplies.
He had been able to at least help unload it into the supply closet; the room quickly being lined with the containers.

Judging from the dimmed lights, she was still asleep. Astral walked around the living room, pausing on seeing the pictures. He hadn’t examined them closely until yesterday, but there were quite a few of Sassi and Flask.

How does she know him? He mused. They were all taken within the past few years; perhaps colleagues? Astral did notice how there were about five picture hooks that didn’t have any frames hanging from them; an odd thing to keep on a wall.

That would hardly be the oddest thing about this situation.

Deciding to take a bit of initiative, Astral made a fresh fruit-smoothie blend and stowed it. Just that action alone felt so odd, something so normal amid the absolute kerfuffle of a situation they were in. But he was the ‘designated’ cook, after all.

The door opened with a smooth *thud* Sassi striding in towing a pile of boxes on a crude sled.

“Another stash of FRE’s!” she proclaimed happily, pulling off her helmet as the door sealed shut behind her.

“I still have no idea what those are,” Astral admitted, the mare letting out a cheery laugh. She seemed to have two moods; drill instructor or commander, and, well, ‘genuine’. It was clear she was used to having fellow guards over, or maybe that’s just how she was?

“Oh! They may have been called something else in the Guard. They’re ‘Foods, Ready to Eat,” Sassi explained. “Some ponies say it’s three lies in one, but I think they’re delicious.”

“Well, maybe I’ll try one. But it’d be a shame to waste the fresh fruit smoothie I made.”

Snagging the offered glass happily, Sassi shed her armor after downing it, nodding in approval.
“Not bad. Definitely better than my concoction. I once tried mixing kale with the fruit to be healthier.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh no indeed. I used way too much,” she said, sticking out her tongue, “it was awful, but healthy apparently. Not worth it.”

Astral found himself smiling at that, Sassi’s upbeat attitude rather infectious.

“Sassi, I did have a question, if that’s alright?” he asked, the mare waving to him as she flopped onto the couch.

“Shoot.”

“Do you mean to be stricter when out and about? I just noticed you’re a lot different here than when you’re outside the apartment; even in the security monitoring station.”

She leaned up and blinked, fluffy ears flickering as the mare then let out a soft “ooooh.”

“Riiight. Yeah. Ok, that makes sense,” she mused, “Work mode and relax mode. I kind of had to separate the two. Considering how serious my work was, I had to act, well, kind of like a senior officer. All work and no play.” She then gestured to the apartment. “This is my home. I get to leave that mostly at the door.”

“That makes sense, and sounds fairly healthy actually,” Astral admitted, “thank you for explaining. It was almost like I was talking to a different pony at times.”

“You were, for all intents and purposes,” Sassi said, “I don’t even realize how intense I can get during a crisis when giving or executing orders. So, sorry in advance, or for the past.”

“No apology necessary. You yelling at me is what made me move.”

She let out a huff at that.
“Huh. Fair point.”

Despite relaxing on the couch, Astral could almost feel Sassi’s gaze on him every now and again. She clearly was more relaxed, but there was something about her when he was around. A slight edge, just a wall outside of the normal ‘I don’t know you’ sort of social behavior.

Then again, their situation was hardly normal, and she definitely didn’t know him, so that was fair enough.

“If you’re not too tired from the supply runs, I am curious about what you did down here,” Astral asked, flopping down on the sofa. “Like, clearly you lived down here. That just boggles my mind.”

“Eh, it wasn’t that bad,” Sassi said with a dismissive wave, her tone not entirely matching up with the unsure look in her eyes. “I got to go above ground for some assignments and breaks. This place is so big it feels like a city.”

“You’ve been here a while then?” he asked, looking around, “I mean, obviously at least for a while. This place is nice.”

“Astral, let me level with you,” Sassi said with a huff as she sat up, violet eyes locking onto the now very-unsettled stallion. “There’s a lot of stuff concerning working here that is unpleasant, and I’d really rather not dwell on it, let alone be judged for it. Considering I worked for the nightmarish company that caused this mess, that’s bad enough. I also don’t know you terribly well.”

To that, Astral could at least relate, the stallion listening attentively.

“I mean this in the nicest way, but considering our situation…” her ears pinned back, the mare averting her eyes to the floor for a moment, “I’d prefer to talk about some happier stuff. Most of my time working here isn’t an upbeat topic. If necessary, I can explain some things, but I’d like to avoid it, if possible, at least for now.”

It was only a glimpse, but for a moment Astral was looking at a very different side of Sassi. She seemed almost scared, violet eyes no longer being full of confidence and upbeat energy. And then it was gone.

“I get it, I really do,” Astral said, shrugging his webbed wings. “Well, on a happier note, if you’ve lived here for a while, what’s something you want to do when we get out of here?”

That seemed to cheer the other Thestral up immediately, the mare’s eyes lighting up with a familiar, happy glow.

“I’ve actually-” she seemed to catch herself with the exuberant reply, then matching his shrugging gesture, “I’ve got a few things in mind. The first is going to the beach. All that water. Just, whoa,” Sassi said, Astral clearly having hit a passionate note. “Any landscapes like that, where it’s just a huge expanse of something. Water, forests, snow; I want to see it all! And no Skitters to worry about either,” she added. “Not sure I’ll ever be comfortable without a weapon on me, ever, but it’s a start.”

“That sounds like a solid goal. I love camping myself, so I could point you to a few good forest locations,” Astral explained, enjoying that he had found a topic the mare was passionate about.

“That’d be awesome,” she sighed. “I’ve only seen glimpses of places, never had a chance to enjoy it for a while. Always on a time crunch.”

There was a crash from one of the rooms, and Sassi let out a groan as she inspected the supply closet.

“Hey, Astral? We’ve got our work cut out for us. A shelf collapsed. We need to repair it and re-organize this…at least temporarily.”

The work didn’t take that long. Then again, having a mare who could lift the entire shelf was still a shocking sight to the stallion, if not a helpful addition to repairs.

With Sassi going back up to the security station to monitor things, Astral was left with a bit of time to himself. There had been something that caught his eye, merely out of curiosity.

A thick calendar was mounted on the wall, the Thestral trotting over and breezing through the pages out of curiosity. What did someone who worked here have on a calendar?

As his green eyes drifted over the pages, Astral froze.
Wait.

He checked, double-checked, and then triple-checked. It was the same. Coupled with the pictures with Flask on the walls…

Circled in bright red ink and stars, the date ‘March, 24th,’ was highlighted and noted.

Zero. Three. Twenty-Four. Zero.

The code given to him by Flask, the very numbers that had saved Astral’s life, was Sassi’s birthday.

Author's Note

HMMMMMMMMMM :trixieshiftright:

Chapter Fourteen: Reckoning

Twilight trotted down the halls, aiming towards where Flask was currently residing. There were some questions that she had, especially regarding the explosion on the newest summary she had been given by the analysts. The data was comprehensive. Something had gone wrong more than a week ago, and then a few days later, a massive systems failure.

What remained unclear was why things had failed. She had barely been able to scratch the surface of what the Stairway company was doing with their horrors, but they seemed competent.

That was almost worse, an evil entity that wasn’t blundering around but covered their tracks well.

Stars above, they had eluded detection for decades if not longer. They weren’t slouches by any means. So why did things go wrong now? The data she had looked at indicated massive failures within the past two weeks.

The guards nodded to Twilight, the Princess knocking on the door.

“Yes? Come in.”

Ducking under the door slightly, Twilight’s heart was pricked with sympathy at seeing Flask pacing, a hard copy of the data-mined files spread out on a nearby table. Flask paused, the older pony sitting down and bowing his head respectfully.

“Princess, what can I do for you?”

Twilight let out a hum, walking over to gesture to the files.
“You, Flask Heat, can help me clarify a few things,” she said, waving to the guards to leave them be. As the door closed, she looked over at the pony, brow furrowing in thought.

“Anything.”

“Anything?” Twilight repeated an eyebrow raising, “that’s a wide-spanning answer. But as of now, I haven’t asked this question of you.”

That caused the earth pony to look at her curiously.

“In the reports a little over a week ago, there is a mentioning of a computer virus. Shortly after that, a magical surge paralyzed sections of the company,” Twilight recited. She had already committed quite a bit of the report to memory. “A few days after that, there was a complete failure of the security systems. In fact, the data seems to be almost live-streamed to a device up unto the point where the lockdown initiated and the emergency teleportation systems activated.”

Flask winced at that.

“I was going to bring it up earlier, but I feel now is the time to address this. What role have you played in all of this, Flask Heat? This data is almost a complete record of the past twenty years up to the exact hour of the lockdown, and your name is on a significant number of the files, including a few administrative ones. Speaking of which, were you ever on the Board of Directors?”

Flask averted his gaze, his shoulders slumping. To Twilights shock, the older stallion took a shaky breath, eyes watering.

“Princess, I am not a good pony,” he said softly, “I worked at this company for over three decades, and was on the Board for a time before I resigned that position more than twenty years ago. I am just as guilty as many of the individuals to be charged in this case, and to that end, I will welcome any sentencing. My life is not a priority. All that is different for me from the owners is I have a greater stake in it than they do.”

“Flask, you need to explain that to me. What are you talking about?” Twilight asked. “And just Twilight will do.”

“I have hurt creatures, Twilight,” Flask whispered, the pony not able to look at her. “Hundreds, thousands, maybe more. I helped design experiments that caused untold pain and suffering beyond what you can imagine, all in the name of progress. I should be in a cell right now in the deepest, darkest pit you have. I would hope that is my fate just to ease my conscience.”

“I never thought you were wholly innocent, Flask,” Twilight replied softly, “the files you gave me are implication enough. However, you still gave them over to us. That is why I am confident you won’t try to escape. So, what changed? Why expose them now? If you’ve worked for them for so long…?”

The earth pony glanced over to her, head shaking back and forth.
“Twilight, I didn’t just expose them,” he explained, “I made sure that the company would never recover.” His voice then shifted to a growl, “I wasn’t about to let them get away with this! When I realized the horrors of what I was doing, what I was letting happen; it was too much.”

The Princess had a fair idea of where this was going, but she stayed silent.

“I couldn’t live with it. It started as small things, but eventually, I couldn’t look her in the eyes, knowing the evilI had done,” Flask whispered, “So I had to do something. The catalyst was having my petition denied, my effort to give her a normal life,” Flask said softly, “they were going to kill her. I don’t know when, but I saw the secret emails. I would not let that happen.”

“Flask, did you cause the company’s systems to crash?” Twilight asked. What she didn’t expect was a firm nod, anger flashing in Flask’s eyes.

“I did. I have a Ph.D. in computer programming among other things; I helped write many of the systems,” he said almost proudly. “I had some help, but we hit them in three stages. But it went a lot further than I thought it would. It went s-so much further! Even more creatures died because of me.”

His eyes widened, the pony starting to crumple to the floor as tears flooded his eyes.
“I didn’t know about the adaptive A.I!” he cried, “The floors were wired with explosives, I didn’t know! I wanted to lock the system down, cause chaos and cripple the facility. The employees would mostly escape, but the evidence would be intact; I didn’t want to destroy it! W-with the A.I, the lockdown going so far beyond what I realized I m-might have killed her! She might be dead, the entire reason I even risked all of this! I c-couldn’t even give her the escapemap! I m-might have killed…”

“Who, Flask?”

Walking over to retrieve a picture from a worn saddlebag, Flask hoofed it over to the Twilight. The mare’s expression softened on seeing a laughing Thestral filly eating ice cream with a much-younger Flask, lab coat stained with various sweets.

“My daughter,” Flask said softly, wiping his eyes even as more tears flooded down his cheeks, sobs starting to wrack his frame. “I just wanted to give her a chance to escape. To try and show her that I’m not a complete monster.”

Sassi stared at the envelope in her hooves, a large USB drive having fallen out. It wasn’t the drive that had her focus, however, but the letter that accompanied it.

It was in the newest piece of snail-mail of the incoming box. She just hadn’t looked through it until now. It had seemed so unimportant with everything else. The letter was the last in line, placed by somepony just before everything hit the fan.

‘To my dearest daughter.
If my plan goes off without a hitch, you should have received the escape map of how you can get out of this accursed place through Silo 2 or 3. With the chaos the shutdown causes, you should be able to slip out during your normal shift.

I intended this to be short, but your father likes to ramble, as you know.
Before all else, and if nothing else, I am so, so sorry, for everything. I hope what I have done will make up for it. I tried to make them listen, little mango, I really did. But they refused, they threatened me, but more so you.
I’ve realized they would never let you go; they saw you as a threat…so I had to act. If the Board and Owners would not give you a chance at life, then I would force them to.

I have made countless mistakes in my life, many of which you have come to understand as you’ve grown up…and grown away from me as a result. I don’t blame you for that. I’ve always loved you, even when you’ve grown to hate the pony you thought was spotless. When you realized your father was just as guilty as the current administration.

I won’t let this company stand any longer. You deserve a life they refuse to give you, and a life I am powerless to provide. What I can do, what I and a friend have done…is give you a chance.

There are containers at dead-drop side A-2-42 and A-2-43 including new IDs, currency, and additional supplies. If I’m successful, I’ll be alive and in royal custody. Only contact me once this company is burned to a crisp by the media and the Princess.

If I am not alive, or if things went wrong, I have a backup plan. As of this writing, I don’t know who I am going to give the code to. Even if I did know, I dare not reveal them in case this is intercepted. If I fail, the pony I choose will do the right thing with this USB key, which I entrust for you to give to them. It has a detailed record of every horrific thing this company has done, a backup of what I have taken with me in case I fail. This drive goes back decades; far before I was even hired. I will trust it with a pony I know will do the right thing, even if it may cost them dearly.

I am not just trusting them just with this key. I am trusting that they will help you escape. They will be a good pony who you can trust. I would not give this key and code to any creature lightly.

You’ll know who they are. The code I gave them is our family password, a zero at the front and end, just like before. That code will also open every door for you, every system unlocked. I hope between their help and this code, you can finally escape this wretched place and have the life you have dreamed of. There should be a map with the files as well.

The code, our password, the one that I hard-wired into the system is the day I truly started to live life, the day I realized that I could be a better pony. I hope that it will be enough to finally give you what you’ve always deserved, but what I could never accomplish.

I love you, my little mango. The only regret I have is that I wasn’t able to be the good pony you thought I was, that I couldn’t give you the life you deserved outside these concrete walls. I’ve tried my hardest ever since that day…and maybe now I can, for a brief moment, come close to being the father you always deserved.

Love,
Your dad.

Tears began to trickle down the armored mare’s cheeks, the Thestral reading the letter three times before hugging it close.

“I n-never hated you,” she whispered.

After a few moments, a fire ignited behind Sassi’s violet gaze, the mare strapping on her saddle-guns.

“Time to get some answer, Astral,” she said softly, “if Flask trusted you, then you’re a good pony. You just need to explain a few things first. He knew you much longer than I did. I still need to hear the truth out of your own mouth.”

There was one thing that made the mare’s expression soften before she left, her hooves briefly pulling up a single news article tagged with a blurry photograph. She had barely glanced at it before, but now it made a bit more sense.

“Photo of Guard Trainees responding to a horrifying building collapse in lower Fillydelphia during the early hours of the morning. Hundreds were injured and trapped beneath the rubble. Without their timely intervention, many more lives would have been lost.”

In the act of reaching down to pull a terrified pony from the rubble, a familiar Thestral hung onto a rope with the other hoof, bright green eyes seeming ablaze in the dusty, dark atmosphere.

Who are you, Astral Sentinel?

“Sassi?” Astral asked, the armored mare walking in and looking at him. The no-nonsense demeanor immediately put him on edge.

“Astral. We have to talk about a few things,” she said in that professional, clipped tone that made the stallion feel abruptly very, very exposed.

“Ok? Um, what’s up?”

His attempt to light the mood was brushed off, Sassi gesturing to the couch, where Astral promptly took the hint and sat down. He did notice that her saddle-guns weren’t quite trained on him.

“I’m going to make this as plain as possible,” she said calmly, “Flask trusted you a lot more than I do. And I want to know why.”

“I’m…not entirely sure what you mean, but I’ll try to explain,” Astral said with a furrowed brow, then gesturing to the calendar. “After I answer your questions, I have one for you.”

“Oh?”

“I want to know why your birthday is the same date as the code Flask gave me.”

The question clearly caught Sassi off guard, the mare’s eyes widening in surprise.

“Fair enough. You’re a lot sharper than I gave you credit. Alright. You answer my question, I’ll answer some of yours,” she said, still clearly on guard for a reason Astral wasn’t sure of.

“Well, what can I explain? Flask is the one who hired me, and we’ve been friends ever since,” Astral said calmly, the mare staring at him. “He gave me the code and that’s it.”

“That’s what I don’t get,” she said calmly, eyes now gaining a razor-sharp sheen. “What type of connections do you have with ponies? Politicians? Financial investors?”

“I don’t follow,” Astral said, clearly confused.

“Two counts of attempted murder, one count of sexual assault, and one count of drug trafficking and potential use,” Sassi rattled off, “to get those expunged from a military court you need some high-up friends. I want to know who those friends are, and if they are connected to this company.”

Astral stared at her in shock, the stallion utterly speechless for a moment. In a move that genuinely surprised Sassi, he hung his head and shook it back and forth.

“I can’t escape it, can I?” he whispered to himself, “it was supposed to be erased. That was the deal.”

“So, you did make a deal? Who exactly are you, Astral Sentinel?”

Sassi found herself taken aback as she saw anger flare-up in the stallion’s eyes, the pony looking up at her. Interestingly, there wasn’t any fear.

“I’m just a pony who doesn’t know when to mind his own business, apparently,” he said flatly. “Before I explain, will you believe what I tell you? It’s clear you already have made up part of your mind.”

“I’ll take it under heavy consideration,” Sassi said bluntly, “Flask trusted you, and I know he’s a decent enough pony.”

“I doubt Flask knew about these specific records,” Astral huffed, sitting up straight. “Fine. Those charges were leveled at me in response to me stopping an assault concerning other trainees. Their parents moved faster than I did, were more powerful than I imagined, they got the first legal record in.”

Sassi sat down, waving a hoof at him.
“Ok, so what exactly happened?”

Astral’s eyes dropped, the Thestral’s demeanor becoming a bit darker.
“I don’t like thinking about it. But if it will put you at ease…” he muttered, then sitting back up.

“The short version? I was in the wrong place at the right time. Two other trainees were wanting to have their way with a mare; she asked for help and I hurt them, badly. Their parents had more connections than I realized, so they tried to charge me for hurting their precious children saying I was the aggressor,” Astral stated, the last few words more of a growl than anything.

“And the drug charges?”

“Planted evidence in my locker after I refused to sweep things under the rug, and I was absolutely going to push on with the case. The drugs made the case complicated due to media coverage. In short, it worked. The judge advised me to cut and run before the parents got even crazier with their connections and helped broker a deal. Unfortunately, the media moves faster than all else. The charges against me were front-page news across the city, while my eventually-proved innocence was a single paragraph on a tabloid.”

For the first time since Astral had met Sassi, she was at a loss for words. To that end, the guns now pointed to the floor, the mare sitting down on the other couch with a slump.

“Ok, I wasn’t expecting that,” she muttered, “Perhaps you can understand why I was so suspicious, but I’d like to know the long version as well.”

He let out a sigh at that, nodding reluctantly.

“I figured. Well, it was during the last few weeks of basic training. I was out a bit later than usual to clear my head. I heard some screams from the locker room, and I saw two stallions and a mare,” he explained, green eyes narrowing. “Evidently they didn’t know what ‘no’ meant, and considering one had a combat knife, it was fairly easy to see what they were trying to do.” He managed a weak smile. “Now I freeze when it’s my own life. But if someone asks for me to help them…”

The stallion paused, looking down at his hooves.
“It’s mostly a blur. But I clearly remember blood all over my hooves, my forelimbs shredded from a knife, and those two stallions out cold in a pool of their own blood. Broken jaws, fractured orbital sockets, and skull, snapped forelimb…” he shook his head. “I remember calling for a medical team. They survived, for better or likely worse. But their parents, some rather important ponies in the political and military ranking of the area, immediately assumed the reverse situation, the two ponies making up the story that I had been the aggressor on the mare.”

He shook his head slowly at that.
“Obviously, the story was utterly flawed from the start and the mare was willing to give her testimony. She also added that apparently, the parents and military officials had offered a bribe for her to shut up about it. The case progressed, but then somehow drugs were found in my locker. That complicated the case a bit. The media blasted it everywhere; finding a non-biased jury was going to be tricky.”

Astral shrugged in defeat at that.
“The Judge saw right through it all, but he’s the one who advised me to get out with an under-the-table plea deal. The parents were…I don’t want to say fanatical, but he used that word. They wouldn’t stop until I was gone. So, I cut a deal. I would leave the Guard, they would get expelled, the case then dismissed. The stallions served minimum time of course. And then I had to run.”

“Run?”

Calmly gesturing to the mare, Astral’s eyes held nothing but a weighted sadness.
“You came in here with guns almost aimed at me. How do you think most creatures in my social circle reacted to hearing the tale the parents spun up? The media? Even when it was concretely proven false, that was a single blurb clearing my name, versus dozens of prior ones condemning me to a life of prison as a…monster.” the last word marked a bit of hesitation in Astral’s voice.

“So, I left Fillydelphia as soon as I could, and got a job here.” The stallion’s gaze then drifted to the floor. “But even under a thousand lengths of rock, I can’t escape it all. I had hoped that maybe the records had been removed. I doubt Flask even knew about it when he hired me. A clean start, so I thought.”

After a few moments of silence, the mare spoke.
“He knew,” Sassi said softly, Astral’s ears perking up. “And he wanted you to have this.”
She slid over a USB drive, the stallion looking at her in curiosity.

“What? A drive?”

“I found a letter at my station. That drive contains a huge amount of information on the Company. To that end, I’m pretty sure the system failures were caused by Flask, but the letter leaves that vague,” Sassi explained.

“Flask said he would trust it to a pony he knew would do the right thing, and your file had a bunch of links to the court case you mentioned. He knew from the moment he met you,” her expression softened at that, “and he believed you, not the slander. He trusted you enough with a backup drive that could bring this organization down, along with that access code and a map out of this nightmare. He wouldn’t do that lightly; I promise you that. I know it for a fact.”

Tears welled up in Astral’s eyes, the stallion not trusting himself to speak.

“I was given a letter with that drive. I know it’s talking about you, because of, well, you figured it out already,” Sassi said, “the code he gave you is my birthday, something we agreed would be a family password. It’s also the day he adopted me.”

Now it was Astral’s turn to be speechless.

“You said that Flask’s words mentioned the code ‘helping?’ That was a simple way of him telling me to help you.” She managed a weak smile at that, a long sigh leaving between her fangs. “To say that password carries a heavy weight is an understatement. Flask wouldn’t give it to a bad pony, only to those he’d trust. He told you that I could help you. Well, in this letter, he said that whoever had the code would be willing to help me. He wouldn’t trust just anyone to be around me in this sort of situation, to have us help each other escape this place.”

She looked at him with a shrug of her wings.
“The files were pretty basic about your past stuff; links to articles and a bunch of other witness accounts. Somepony had done their homework but I didn’t know what reports to trust. Hence my question.”

“Well, that least that answers why you’ve been on edge around me,” Astral said, shrugging his shoulders, “can’t say I blame you. That also explains the first question you asked me.”

“When you grow up around a lot of bad ponies, you can’t trust outward appearances at times, or initial first impressions,” Sassi said bluntly. “But your story adds up. The alternative doesn’t make sense.”

That made Astral smile weakly, the mare abruptly letting out a laugh.

“I mean, jeez, they tried to pin a drug charge on a pony that can’t handle an energy drink? Stars above I hate politicians,” the Thestral shook her head. “Well, that answers that, even if it’ll take time for me to work through it. But fairs fair. Anything else you want to know?”

“Well, obviously quite a bit. But maybe just a few things at first. You’re Flask’s daughter?” he asked, the mare nodding in return.

“Yep. I basically grew up here. He adopted me when I was a filly,” she held up a hoof with a wince, “I can tell you a bit more about my time here, but I’d rather not talk about before Flask adopted me.”

Astral nodded in understanding. He wasn’t about to push things, not when there was clearly so much he didn’t know about this place.

“So yeah. Maybe more for a later time, but I’ve grown up in these silos, for the most part. Got a job, didn’t see eye to eye with Flask on…some stuff,” the mare said, her voice drifting off. “I can tell you the details later. But that’s why I’m here calling this Company evil beyond all else, but still working for them.” She shrugged, “I never really had a chance to do otherwise. I don’t know about every silo, but that’s why I know a lot about them. There’s a lot of nasty stuff here, so I’d ask any questions be spaced out. In short, I worked on containment and security teams for more than a decade and a half across all three Silos. I was pretty dang good at my job. That’s the sum of it.”

Astral let out a huff, the stallion shrugging in agreement.
“That’s fair enough. I’m just glad to get things out in the open,” he admitted, “even if you still don’t trust me, all I can do is tell the truth. You saved my life; you certainly deserve that.”

“I also deserve those smoothies you make. Speaking of whiiiich…”

The change to the familiar, peppy, and upbeat tone from the cheeky Thestral made Astral smile, the armored mare shrugging off her firearms and glancing towards the blender.

“Understood, Captain,” he said, the smile continuing to fight off the pensive frown on his face.

After making the fruit smoothie (something Astral had a feeling would continue daily until they ran out of fresh items) Sassi snagged a glass with a brief “thanks,” clearly still in thought.

“Hey, Astral?” she asked, tone softer and rather sincere.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for telling me all of that,” Sassi replied, violet eyes glancing over to him briefly, a surprisingly sincere look across her face. “For what it’s worth, I want to believe you, and I’ll try. Just…” her voice paused, eyes looking away. “When you grow up in a place like this, trust wasn’t very common, but bad ponies were. There were far more bad creatures here than good, and growing up with that messes with your head. I don’t like assuming everyone is bad, especially when you haven’t done anything to deserve that view.”

He was quiet for a time, downing the smoothie and then glancing over to the mare, noting how she was glancing his way curiously at the silence.

“If you want to believe me, that’s better than most. And we did meet only a few days ago. I don’t blame you for not fully trusting me,” he admitted. “But, thank you. That means quite a bit.”

The two didn’t say much after that. The time was spent organizing supplies and taking stock of various items (such as a rapidly dwindling supply of fresh fruit.)

“Your assignment tomorrow, Astral, is to sample an FRE,” Sassi proclaimed as they scrounged for dinner.

Judging from her eager expression, Astral was starting to wonder if the Skitters were a lesser enemy than those rations.

Author's Note

Hows that for developments? :moustache:
Feedback is greatly appreciated!

Chapter Sixteen: Crashing Hopes

Twilight smirked at the communications on her digital monitor, a fancy, floating display off to her left. The Stairway company had been busy.

Of course, she wasn’t known as a studious ruler for not having expected this. They were hardly the first organization to try and work behind the back of a ruler.

I admit, they were smart. I give Stylus and the others credit.

In the past day or two, communications had come in from other kingdoms accusing Equestria of sabotaging a lab dealing in contracts with their military. Apparently the Stairway company had been triple-dipping with their nation relations. Already, her sources indicated Stairway assets were being shuttled to low-risk nations, evading Equestria law.

Clearly they thought Equestria had something to lose by not revealing their ace in the hole.

We have always succeeded when we’ve worked together, the alicorn thought, a soft smile twitching at her lips. And now we have a new enemy. Not one as blatant as Tirek or Sombra, but one more evil and more insidious than either.

What she had read from Flask’s reports had kept the alicorn up for hours. The horrors that this company had inflicted on countless innocents ensured that if it came down to it, Twilight would have no qualms sending the owners and the entire board of directors to the center of the sun.

Celestia had confirmed she would allow her precious sun to be used as a purifying fire in this case; Luna said she would watch and bring popcorn.

If Twilight was being honest, that fate was more likely than not.

But before that, however, Twilight had a different plan. Relationships with other nations hadn’t been bad, with numerous student exchanges, creatures coming and going, but they could be better.

They had an evil to face and Twilight knew that to eradicate it completely, she needed the other nations’ help. She had an idea, but it would need a few more pieces to work.

“Highness?” one of her Intelligence advisors reported, the mare holding up a paper.

“Ah, yes, what do you have for me?”

“I think it’s code. Dots and dashes from our seismometers that translate using Borse code. But it’s just a bunch of letters and symbols.”

Twilight let out a hum at that, nodding to one of her guards.

“Please send for Flask immediately.”

Within a few minutes, the pony was brought into the room, confusion on his face as Twilight levitated the seismic report over to him.

“Someone is trying to communicate with us, Flask,” Twilight stated bluntly. “Our seismometers have picked up rhythmic vibrations that match up with Borse code. But it’s clearly meant to be abbreviations of some kind. Do you have any idea of what this is?”

She saw his eyes widen in recognition, the stallion looking over the report eagerly. Of the things Twilight had expected, Flask’s reaction wasn’t one of them.

The stallion abruptly sat down, eyes welling up with tears as he covered his mouth with a hoof to stop from crying out. Soft sobs wracked the older pony’s frame, Flask setting the report aside. But there was no grief on his face as he looked up to Twilight.

“One of the ponies who helped me. If he hadn’t been able to get out, this was how he would communicate,” Flask explained. “Using your seismometers. He…” the stallion took a few breaths to compose himself, “he says that my daughter is alive. He’s still in the facility with what appears to be a few others, but they may be able to escape soon. I didn’t kill her, she didn’t…”

“All that from numbers and letters?” Twilight asked, Flask nodding after he composed himself, taking a few breaths with a beaming smile on his face.

“We created our own language for this. I was going to ask about any seismic readings in the next day or two; he would have waited until around this time to avoid suspicion.”

The Princess nodded, deciding to see if there was anything else Flask was holding on to in terms of information.

“I am putting together a plan to deal with the Stairway company. It will involve multiple nations, but a few pieces are missing,” she explained, “one might say I’m creating a story, and while we have our villain, we don’t have any creature to rally around. Your daughter might be that pony.”

Flask’s ears perked up at that.

“Flask, I had a hippogriff in here asking about a good friend of his,” Twilight said. “He worked at the front desk. By all accounts, an employee that wasn’t deemed necessary by the company. Did you ever talk with Astral Sentinel?”

The earth pony nodded firmly, a sad smile on his face.
“I did. I hoof-picked him for a job. I was hoping he would…” the stallion’s ears plastered back. “I entrusted him with a very important task, and I gave him the tools to stay alive. I don’t know if I was successful, or if he was added to the long list of lives lost because of me.”

“Highness?” the Intelligence mare reported, a guard waving her in. “Another reading.”

Indicating that Flask should receive it, Twilight watched as the stallion read, his eyes staring in utter disbelief. He hung his head, tears resuming as they dripped onto the floor from his eyes.

Flask lifted his head after a few moments and laughed, wiping his eyes and gesturing to the paper.

“My question was just answered, Highness,” he explained, “My colleague. From what he can tell, my daughter met up with a pony who has used specific access codes. Astral is alive. He didn’t…” the full weight of the news made Flask unable to rise, the pony trying to regain control of himself. “Sorry, Highness. I didn’t kill my friend, nor my daughter. They’re ok.”

“What did you give to Astral, Flask?” Twilight asked kindly, trying to keep him on track.

“I hard-coded bypasses into the Company’s systems,” Flask stated with a smirk, “I gave him access that not even the owners would be able to shut off. Every door, every system is open to him. It’s the same code I gave my daughter.”

“Why?”

The question made Flask pause, the pony neatly putting the two reports together and withdrawing a picture from his saddlebags.

On seeing it offered, Twilight looked at the familiar photo, Flask and his daughter smiling at the camera.

“I saw through the rough times in Astral’s life,” Flask said softly, “and I took a chance. I saw a good pony, and that was more than I could call myself. I saw a hope that maybe he could do what I could not.”

“Which was?” Twilight asked, returning the photo.

“Help my daughter escape that horrid place,” he said between gritted teeth. “I knew that Astral would do the right thing. I gave my daughter a note to trust whoever I gave the code to, hoping they could at least help each other. I also gave them a simple escape map.”

“That’s a lot of trust to put in a pony,” Twilight remarked.

“Indeed. But as I said, he was a backup plan; they have a drive containing similar data that I gave you. But the primary goal was to help her escape. They’re smart enough to realize that. If I may make a suggestion?”

“Of course.”

“If there’s a way, we can establish communications with my colleague, perhaps my daughter and Astral could help them escape, should they remain trapped,” Flask said, brow furrowing in thought.

“I will keep that in mind. Considering the location of the facility, I need a bit more time and diplomatic support.”

The Alicorn then didn’t say anything for a few moments, a brilliantly devious plan now falling into place. The book’s antagonist had been easily discovered, and now…

“Please relay the information regarding the Stairway Incident to all affected nations,” Twilight said, addressing the diplomatic advisors on standby. “Yes, including the military contracts; they are all outdated anyhow. Make it clear that we are all on the same page; including being embarrassed by the same company. We air our dirty military laundry as a sign of trust, and everyone else will be forced to accept their own. We will all have the same files, after all.”

A simple chime indicated no advisors had immediate objections; as they shouldn’t. Twilight had briefed them hours ago.

“Also, please organize this into a few bulletins. Advise the nations we have suspected survivors. Some creatures who are still trapped. With the bordering nation’s permission, we want to try and establish communications. We welcome their help.”

Another chime, Twilight looking over to Flask with an almost too-eager grin on her face, decorum slipping for a bit.

“What is your colleague’s name?” she asked.

“Vial Centrifuge; or just Vial. We may not want to mention that yet, Highness.”

“Understood,” Twilight mused, “also, prepare a news briefing. We have as-of-yet to be confirmed reports that one of the brave whistleblowers who helped expose this organization is still alive, and trapped with other creatures. We are working on a way to get in contact with them.”

Her sly smirk now refused to be hidden, Twilight not able to rub her hooves together in glee. The storm that was forming would blow against this Organization for decades, sending it to the trash heap where it belongs, if she had anything to say about it.

“Also, it has been learned that the daughter of one of the whistleblowers is still alive within the organization. While this is in the preliminary stages, we have learned a security guard by the name of Astral Sentinel is also alive. We will watch his progress, and…” Twilight then realized she lacked an important bit of info.

“What is your daughter’s name?”

Flask was all smiles, quickly having seen what the Princess was doing.

“Sassi Satin, Highness.”

“We will watch the progress of Astral Sentinel and Sassi Satin closely. We will update all nations and the public on their progress as we learn it, assuming the Stairway company allows us immediate access to the site along with all other nations. Any delays produced by the company will be handled promptly. Also, please arrange a meeting between myself and Astral’s parents.”

A few yellow chimes this time, indicating a few advisors had some significant questions. As Twilight suspected, the mare trotting down from the steps as Flask let out an approving huff.

“You’re roping every nation against them,” he said in confirmation, Twilight nodding.

“Not just the leaders, but all the common creatures. Everyone loves a good story, rallying against a bad guy. We have our evil creatures, an organization more disgusting than I’ve ever encountered,” Twilight explained, her voice dropping a bit, becoming more subdued but sincere. “And now we have heroes to root for. And for all the public PR, I promise I’ll do everything I can to get them back safe. I intend to have every nation behind the efforts, Flask.”

The stallion’s lips quivered, the pony nodding in thanks as he looked away, tears immediately flooding his eyes.

“I’ll w-write down any communications ideas I can think of,” he managed to say. “I’m sorry about not c-coming to you sooner.”

“I understand there is a lot of risk for you doing so, and I can still tell there are things you are holding back,” Twilight said honestly, prompting a slight wince of regret, “but your intentions are noble. If it puts ponies at risk, I need to know about it.”

“It’s all in the files,” Flask admitted, “but the longer I prevent certain things coming to light, the less…disruptive they will be overall. Thankfully, my involvement will give the public a scapegoat.”

“Or a redeemed villain,” Twilight mused with a smirk, “we have a pretty solid track record of those here in Equestria,” her expression then shifted to a sterner one, “that said, actions carry consequences, Flask. Your trial will be after all is said and done, and after your daughter is safe.”

Flask simply nodded; the stallion pausing.
“If I may be so bold, Highness?” he asked, “when you meet with Astral’s parents, may I do so as well?”

The Princess nodded.
“I’ll let you know when it happens. I think that’d be a good thing indeed, as you’re the reason he’s likely alive.”

A weak smile was Flask’s reply, the pony nodding respectfully before being escorted back to his room.

Twilight then abruptly jerked as her own magical memo surprised her.

“Oh. Right. Speaking of…tell Queen Crysalis we need to move our monthly teatime ahead by seven-point-three minutes. Please apologize for the delay on my behalf, but I think she’ll enjoy the emotional roller coaster coming her way,” Twilight relayed, then sighing to herself, “I know she must be bored to tears with the lack of drama nowadays with overseeing the reformed hives. I think she’ll be tickled pink about this. In fact, please save some of the public recordings for her.”

“So, an easy enough route, right?” Sassi confirmed with Astral, the other bat-pony nodding a bit nervously.

“Elevators or stairs down to SL-Thirty where we check the main security feeds,” Astral said, “then we come up to SL-Fifteen to check the supply room. Then we head back here with whatever we find, checking some maintenance tunnels along the way to ensure they’re sealed.”

“And my one request?”

Astral couldn’t help but smile weakly at that.

“Don’t shoot you in the flank.”

“There you go. Now, we go quickly, but quietly. When in doubt, trade speed for silence,” Sassi instructed, “and if I’m stern with you, it’s not because I’m angry, most likely.”

“Right. Military mode.”

“And ‘keep Astral alive mode,” she said with a smirk, “but this should be easy. The Skitters should have cleared out and the smaller Spiders are easy to kill. If we had a unicorn’s help, we could recharge some shielding crystals for the armor,” she let out a huff at that, “but those were burned through far too quick. The Spiders just pile on and deplete the magic.”

Right. Actual spiders with paralyzing venom…the size of a microwave. Well, if spiders had only five legs and freaky pinchers on the end of them.

“Just follow my lead, Astral, and you’ll be fine.”

Nodding firmly, Astral felt his heartbeat skyrocket as Sassi strode out of the small, side-security door. They had already confirmed this floor was clear via the cameras.

Walking out onto the gory scene, Astral was quite grateful the new helmet had basic air filtration systems; along with a small oxygen supply on his back. The helmets were a wonder, digital icons relaying Sassi’s location and other information to the security guard.

With a simple thought, any creature could create labels or indicators that would show up to their squad. Or in this case, to Astral. The device had multiple other functions like a basic ‘wake up’ alarm system, motion sensors, and a few other features Sassi had rattled off. It was a lot to remember.

Another pile of dead bodies served to stifle any of Astral’s thoughts. Many of the ponies had similar armor to him, emphasis on had. Sassi didn’t even pay a passing glance to the bodies however, many of them appearing to have been further eaten.

The smoldering corpse of a Skitter near the door indicated that the security protocols were potent indeed. Astral forgot how many amps and volts the metal door could discharge…but there were a lot of zeros behind the number. The remote access built into his armor, along with a wireless ID card was able to bypass the now-useless scanner (which explained how Sassi had been able to get in and out.)

They returned to a familiar tram station, no sounds reaching their sensitive ears. Astral tried to keep taking deep breaths as the car slowed. He wasn’t alone anymore and had a bit more firepower to spare.

Their armor was a bit bulkier, but it had a sizeable medical kit and spare ammunition strapped on alongside the saddle-guns. It took a bit of getting used to, but the extra metal plating provided a bit of security to the nervous stallion. Sassi’s armor was similar; extra ammunition, a medical kit, and a smattering of grenades dotting her torso.

There was so much to think about, his head already starting to-

“Astral, you good?” Sassi asked, helmeted head looking back at him.

He nodded, trotting to catch up with the mare as they walked towards the elevator.

“Just focus on the here and the now. Nothing else. Plenty of time to think about things when we’re back at base,” she said in a clipped, but kind tone.

As they stepped into the elevator, Astral took a few deep breaths as they rocketed downwards, far deeper than he could have imagined.

“Welcome, to SL-Thirty.”

“Thanks, you oxygen sucking-parasite,” Astral muttered, Sassi looking over to him in shock before she abruptly began to laugh softly, holding her sides before getting back in control of herself.

“I’ve always hated that voice too. Way too upbeat for a place like this,” she admitted, then nodding to the doors. “Let’s get this done.”

Aaaand Military Mare is back.

The doors opened to an extremely bland-looking set of hallways. To that, Astral was quite grateful for. No bodies were present, but the general scent of death and decay managed to seep through the helmet’s filters.

The hallway from the elevator led into a series of branching hallways, which in turn led to more four-way intersections. Every so often there was a door leading to servers and electrical junctions, apparently.

“Stay close, Astral. I won’t get lost here, but you would,” Sassi said, Astral following to her right, just behind the mare. “Also, this floor raises Tartarus with radio communications. Others have relays, this one has too many electronics. That means I can’t communicate with you if you do get lost and separated.”

Indeed, judging from the twists and turns, Astral already had mixed up where they had come from, Sassi then gesturing to one of the walls. There was a slight scratch near one of the emergency lights, the mare nodding in approval.

“Hmm. I’m surprised those are still there. If you do get lost, somepony put those scratches. They mean turn right at the next junction. A vertical scratch means to turn left.”

“Good to know.”

The two didn’t say much, pausing briefly next to a blown-out door. Sassi flicked her lights on, helmet and gun barrels scanning the ruined interior with a huff.

“This was one of the server rooms. Looks like there was an overload. Burned everything in a flash. That would explain the odd glitches if the backup systems are damaged. I’m surprised there haven’t been more, but I’m glad that’s the…” her voice drifted off, gaze looking towards the floor.

Astral felt a disturbing shiver run up his hooves and down his spine for some reason on seeing the hole. It looked like the concrete had melted, but it was far too small for a Skitter.

“Great. This matches with what I was worried would happen,” Sassi whispered, gesturing for Astral to cover the door entrance as she bent down, stabbing at the concrete with a knife with a huff.

“The Spiders were slated to have different versions, but nothing official. So much for that. It looks like this version has acidic venom meant for burrowing.”

“That doesn’t sound good…”

“It isn’t. We would be safe in the security office; that place is totally self-contained and has a defensive grid wired through the rock. But this means they can move in and out of floors easier. They most likely have adapted or bred to have more potent venom too, and that’s not good.” The mare shook her head, tapping Astral on the side as she passed by. “Let’s go. Next up, supply floor. We’re a third done.”

Astral nodded, following Sassi down the winding hallways.

“I’m surprised they burrowed down here,” she said softly, “as I had mentioned a day or two ago, the creatures swept through every floor once or twice within the first few hours, then after half a day. There weren’t any survivors after the second wave. That hole is new, perhaps just for ease of movement.”

Astral nodded, his throat dry. Sassi had been fairly clear in her assessment of how he had been alive. The Skitters simply hadn’t reached the upper floors, and those which they had, already had been ‘swept’ by the creatures.

One of the many miracles Astral credited with being alive.

They quietly made their way back; each turn being inspected by Sassi as Astral made sure their rear was covered with constant looks back. Something was up; Astral could abruptly feel a change. It was a gut sense of a change.

About halfway back, Sassi abruptly held up a hoof, a red icon popping up on Astral’s Heads Up Display (HUD) as the mare tagged an enemy with a thought, the helmet activating silently.

“Slowly move to your left, Astral,” Sassi ordered, “quietly.”

He did so, hooves barely making a sound as she followed. He caught the brief glimpse of the back end of a Skitter silently stalking down the halls. Something that big should not move that noiselessly.

Slowing down the pace, Sassi’s head was on a swivel, the two of them constantly checking every direction. At least the ceiling was low, so they didn’t have to worry about something sneaking up above them.

Sassi abruptly crouched, more red dots lighting up Astral’s display- a lot of dots.

“Back. Slowly.”

As he took a few silent steps back, the dots moved.

The shotgun barrels on Sassi’s saddle roared, two dots abruptly blinking out.

“Astral, cover our rear!”

Scrambling backward, Astral turned to confront a single Skitter creeping towards them, pace now abruptly picking up at the sound of gunfire.

Still hearing Sassi’s guns firing, Astral bit down, an odd calm injecting itself into his mind as he cleared their path. The first shot punched a hole in the creature’s chest, the second took off the top of its head. The third turned the rest of the Skitter’s face into red jelly.

“Too many, move back! Let’s go, Astral!” Sassi barked, red dots disappearing but re-appearing as fast as the mare tore them apart.

Lobbing what Astral could only assume was a grenade, Sassi jumped, delivering a kick that sent a Skitter that got too close crashing into a wall despite her smaller size. With a swift movement, she kicked out the spent magazines to her saddle-guns, loading two fresh boxes with her mouth and taking aim once again.

“Keep going!”

Astral quickly peered around the next 4-way intersection- and let out a terrified yell of surprise. Out of pure reflex, he punched the box-sized Spider that was on the wall next to his head. Green gore exploded across the stone, the stallion blasting away a second Spider on the ground.

“We’re…” his voice faded on seeing the number of red marks continuing to grow on his HUD.

Sassi turned back to look at him, then the four-way intersection.

“Down that way!” she called out, steel buckshot shredding the front Spiders and Skitters that clambered over the floor and walls.

Ensuring the hall was clear, Astral turned to see if Sassi was following.

Instead of seeing an armored mare, the stallion watched as a Skitter tore a hole through the ceiling, dropping in front of him and raising a set of claws with a spittle-laden roar.

Author's Note

Yaaaaay! They're.....uh oh. :trollestia:

As always, feedback is greatly appreciated!

Chapter Seventeen: Run from it, Hide from it

Astral froze. His mind screamed for his body to move, but his limbs were welded to the floor.

The creature then let out a hiss of pain, a shot from Sassi’s guns blowing its hand away, a second severing its spine at the base of the skull.

“Astral!” Sassi called, the stallion scrambling backward she was forced down the hallway, a literal horde of creatures stampeding after the retreating mare.

That was when Astral realized the creatures didn’t even see him. So focused on Sassi, all they saw was the dead Skitter off to their left, Astral partially hidden by the corpse filling the hallway.

“…ust….ide. Find you.” the scratchy radio relayed in Astral’s earbuds.

Scrambling across the tile, Astral ran.

A few twists and turns later, and the stallion picked a room to try-

Locked.

Another door proved more a better choice, easily opened as the stallion slid inside. Surveying the mass of electronics and small workstations, it was clear this was a server room that doubled as a cubical of sorts.

The lightweight metal door had a single twist-lock; not the best material and method for holding back all those things.

He took a few moments to try and control his breathing, the stallion on the verge of hyperventilating. On the plus side, he couldn’t hear anything outside of the door. On the downside, he was clearly trapped.

I hope you made it out Sassi.

He knew such a worrying thought was rather moot. It was obvious that the mare could have likely flattened half of that horde.

She’ll be fine. Sassi survived this long by skill. I survived this long by luck and her help.

Now, what in the world do I do?!

There were no security cameras in the room, only large server banks. The electronic hum would help muffle some of his noise, but eventually, he would have to go out.

Hearing some heavy breathing immediately outside the door, however, killed any such thoughts. Astral checked his guns, noting how he only had about five shots total left before reloading. But that action made noise…

So, there he sat, barrels pointed at the door as a shadow passed slowly by the light under the frame.
I’m trapped.

Sassi let out a groan as she wiped off a pile of gore from her armor, the security door frying whatever parts of the horde had been stupid enough to try and get through. Anger tore at her heart, the mare making a quick beeline to the security station.

All of SL-Thirty was swarming. What in the world prompted that?

There were quite a few answers to that question. The Queen spreading out her minions, the Skitters getting smarter, or plain old bad luck. This was nothing like simulations though. The past few days had been so much worse than even full-breach containment scenarios.

Once she had made it to the elevator, Sassi had quickly discovered that true to her hypothesis, the creatures had burrowed into an elevator shaft. They had followed but quickly realized that Sassi had made it there first. It had been a shooting gallery, Sassi lobbing a few grenades at them before she shut the security door.

Now at her station, she shed the gore-covered armor and quickly began tapping the keys, eyes tracking over the monitors.

Come on, Astral. Where are you?

He had frozen; oddly. He had been fine the first time. It was saddening to realize he wasn’t an asset, but in many cases a hindrance, but that was just how it was. In all likelihood he was probably dead, or about to-

Sassi abruptly found her hooves shaking, the mare looking down at them as a bit of something tore at her heart, her ears flattening.

Did I really just write off Astral that easily?

The coldness which she stated Astral’s unlikely chances made her chest ache. To the military-minded mare, it was a fairly alien sensation. There were a few reasons she hadn’t made many friends here, largely because the creatures who worked here weren’t goodones. That made having some distance even easier. But also, attachment when dealing with deadly threats usually ended badly. She was sent to put down the nasty stuff. If she got attached to co-workers, when they made a fatal error, it just led to more baggage.

It usually helped that most creatures who worked at the company weren’t good individuals. It made distance easier.

But now Sassi could place the emotion properly that made her so unsettled; fear. Fear that she’d be stuck trying to escape alone. But what she found odd was that the fear encompassed abruptly being without a friend.

Perhaps I was starting to enjoy his company a bit more than I thought.

The clashing of Sassi’s cold training with her more relaxed self was making the Thestral’s head ache. It was so easy to view creatures she had little connection to as a statistic, simple matter-of-fact-statements. But when it was someone she knew even as a simple friend…

She hugged her forelimbs and wings around herself, eyes scanning the monitors continuously. The thought of Astral being dead and torn to shreds disturbed her on a level the mare wasn’t entirely capable of processing. The cold, fearful ache ate at her chest, Sassi shaking her head. Attachment wasn’t something she was intimately familiar with on some levels. Of course, there was Flask as her dad, a few brief and superficial relationships with some of the rare, slightly more-decent creatures who worked here. But that never went beyond a first or second date, which usually was just a lunch.

But there had certainly been nothing serious. It was rather odd she was feeling this way about just a simple friend.

But you’ve never had a friend who saw just a Thestral.

Such a simple thing of having another creature being kind, of being able to joke without the constant pressure and background of the Company hanging over their heads was freeing in a way Sassi was only now starting to realize. And the thought of losing that connection was downright terrifying, even if it was a simple as a friendly conversation as a certain pony made her a smoothie with a cheerful grin.

The mare realized that losing such a thing frightened her on a level that was so far removed from other emotions, she just had to ignore it for now. Threats to life and limb could be dealt with, combat situations cataloged and executed with training.

But this? Losing a pony that made things feel just a bit normal? That was too much for her right nowshe couldn’t process it, destructive thoughts starting to spiral into what if that is what happened.

Stewing wouldn’t help Astral, but plans and actions would. If she was so worried about him, sitting here wasn’t the way to show it.

Reload. Rearm, and get back out there.

She only could hope that he heard her message that she’d be back for him. Making her way down to the apartment level, Sassi took a brief moment to wash the lingering gore and grim from her fur, then toweling off and looking at the array of options within her bedroom armory.

Her hoof reached out to brush some large, egg-shaped projectiles begging to be used as they hung from a belt feeding into a rather large gun breach.

This time, I’m not bringing the shotguns.

Astral knew he had to move.

Sitting in this specific spot, on a floor where radios and electronics were scrambled was an easy way to make sure Sassi never could help him. Also, the sounds outside his door had slowly started to increase. The Thestral was fairly certain he had heard a few doors being torn open.

The plan was stupid and simple. Be quiet, find the elevators, and get back to at least a floor with security cameras.

After not hearing anything outside for a good, long while, Astral slowly opened the door. The hallway was clear for now, and he hoped it stayed that way.

Making as little noise as possible, Astral crept along the halls, looking for any emergency lights.

Bingo. Vertical scratch. That means turn left.
To whoever did that, thank you.

Astral was about to take the recommended turn, but the pony froze on seeing a Skitter creep across the hallway directly in front of him. The creature moved almost silently, a soft *tick…tick….tick* of claws on the tiles.

He wanted to scream, but aside from his heart thudding in the Thestral’s ears, Astral was silent.
I have to go where that thing just came from.

A quick check indicated that particular direction was clear, the Skitter vanishing down another intersection.

Come on, emergency light.

Astral almost thought he missed a turn, but an emergency light happily greeted the Thestral within moments.

Now a right.

He froze, hearing a *tick…tick…tick…* in the distance, but then he slowly crept along. The sooner he got out of here, the better.

Another left, and then a final right, and the Thestral was greeted by a beautiful sight; a spotless elevator lobby.

The ticking sounds seemed to be speeding up, and Astral wasted no time in diving in the nearest elevator and punching the first floor he saw that was up.

Safe.

Just as the doors began to close, a grey, barcode-engraved arm reached over them, a familiar head following as it turned to look at him.

Astral immediately bit down on the firing mechanism; a large bullet taking out the creature’s lower jaw as it recoiled.

And then the doors shut, the elevator zipping upwards away from the nightmare. Astral glanced at the buttons. He had pressed a higher-up floor, a familiar one at that; SL-8.

Unfortunately, Astral abruptly found out a feature of the ‘Sequential Locking’ of the elevator.

“Failure of Sequential Locking Authentication on SL-Twelve. Service will be resumed after manual systems reset is performed at SL-Twelve.”

He let out a sigh at that. The stallion had no idea how to reset things, so this was his stop.

Well, never been to this floor. First thing is to find a security camera.

Considering how many creatures had followed Sassi, Astral did not want to immediately return to the security tram or station to encounter a horde. This would have to do.

“Welcome, to SL-Twelve.”

Author's Note

Another floor. What's behind curtain number 12? :trixieshiftright:

Chapter Eighteen: An unruly hello

Sassi’s heart leaped as she saw a familiar form on one of the monitors.

Twelve? That’s a weird floor but nothing too crazy aside from records.

Keying the controls, the mare found she could only do one thing. Hopefully, he understood, Sassi then dashing off to strap on her weapons.

Hang on, Astral.

Staring at the domed security camera, Astral let out a huff as the light waggled up and down repeatedly.

“Message received,” he sighed, looking around the elevator lobby. The lack of bodies was definitely a good thing. The dozens of bullet holes, however, were not. And then there were the significant bloodstains.

That was when Astral noticed a defining feature was missing from the lobby. Mainly, the elevator doors to one of the shafts. His sensitive ears picked up something moving in them. Not wanting to discover what that ‘something’ was, he quickly set off down the hallway.

It was a familiar layout; large glass cubes with lab equipment intermixed with desks. Hallways branched off after some of the cubes, leading to either storage areas or perhaps bathrooms.

Ok. Gotta find a place to hide. I can do that.

The best option was in a series of half-cubicles next to a metal testing cube. Astral could see some vials, computers…
…
Wait. Is that a picture of a developing foal?

Checking if the coast was clear, Astral stepped through the thick, automatic doors to look at the whiteboard. He knew the company was scummy; that much was evident from Sassi’s explanations.

The compound shows enhanced binding properties to fetal tissue in the second trimester of pregnancy. Recommend immediate testing to assess potential mutagenic properties.

What in the world were they doing here?

He had a feeling that such a question was better left unanswered, or posed to a certain armored mare.

As he returned to the cubical location (not wanting to be stuck in a cube in case a Skitter emerged) the Thestral’s ears flattened on recalling the previous few hours.

I froze, again. If not for Sassi, I’d be food.

He knew why he froze, and that was a topic that needed to be discussed. While he wanted Sassi’s help, if she got hurt due to his inability to cope with things…

That thought was an unpleasant one. She had been a bit stern at first, but clearly, Sassi had a heart of gold. Of course, Astral wasn’t surprised to see her clearly reluctant to talk about certain topics. If she grew up in this place, he could only imagine how that could have affected the mare.

I’m surprised she’s as normal as she is.

He had to admit, the few days where he had forgotten they were trapped had actually been fun. They hadn’t chatted too much, Sassi going on supply runs and monitoring the cameras…but it had almost felt normal. Even her explaining what they were seeing on the monitors in that military tone had a sense of everyday drudgery.

And it was nice to see another Thestral, mare or not. It was a pleasant reminder he wasn’t totally out of place among the usually-non-Thestral population.

Checking with an ear-swivel, Astral ensured there wasn’t any familiar ticking before letting himself breathe again.

You know it’s not just that she’s a Thestral.

When appropriate, it perhaps was worth mentioning. That was something Gabbro didn’t know; how far the news of the Incident had spread.

When most ladies had heard something about the ‘crazy Thestral who assaulted a mare,’ you either had to lie or deal with the immediate consequences.

Astral hated lying, so his friend pool, let alone prospective dates dried up faster than a puddle in an Appleloosa summer. Even the times where he thought perhaps they’d get to know him a bit before dropping that question, it always ended the same. Finding a mare who didn’t know about it (initially at least) was borderline miraculous. The fact someone wanted to believe him even more so.

Honestly, I just want out of this nightmare.

Of course, such a wish was a whimsical one. A familiar heavy-breathing made the stallion shudder, the Thestral double-checking his guns (reloaded, of course) and readying himself to shoot and run, assuming his limbs didn’t lock up again.

Kill this one, then run to the Elevators to a different floor.

A familiar set of claws reached over the nearest half-cubicle, Astral taking aim at where the head would be.

As soon as the head appeared, Astral fired. He almost hesitated, but something pushed him to clamp down on the bit, the shot blowing the creature’s head to chunky smithereens. It was almost a normal sensation, for better or worse.

Galloping out into the hall, Astral’s hooves slammed into the tile, now almost halfway to the elevators.

With a crash of desks and foam partitions, another Skitter lunged forward, smacking Astral to the side. His head ringing from hitting a desk, Astral aimed and fired once, twice- the final shot punching a hole in the creature’s chest as it flopped over.

Forcing himself up, the Thestral beelined for the elevators- only to see a third Skitter out of the corner of his eye.

He knew it was only a chance of him being able to hit, the creature looking down at him with a gaping mouth. Yet instead of freezing, the stallion began to turn his gun barrels to line up, the Skitter launching itself from the ceiling.

Something made him snarl, a boiling wave of anger flaring up. At the company, the situation, at these mutated freaks; he just wanted out.

He fired, the shots punching holes in the ceiling as they tracked towards the Skitter- the last few actually hitting the creature’s shoulder and then chest. The guns then clicked empty, the Skitter shuddering as it died in front of him.

Part of him still amazed he had even hit the thing, Astral fumbled to reload the guns.

He knew that the creature that abruptly crawled out of the Elevator shaft would get him before that. Smaller Spiders accompanied it, zipping across the floor to get a few bites in.

The Skitter jumped, claws outstretched. The Thestral braced himself for the blow-

Only to find something slammed into him, pushing the bat-pony out of the way.

With a pained grunt, Sassi fired, the weapon on her side making the creature explode into bloody chunks. Her hooves pulverized the nearest Spiders, the others darting around and trying to jump onto the mare, a few angling towards Astral.

Making one of the disgusting Spiders explode with a mid-air punch, Astral ducked another one, stomping it with an armored hoof.

Four more Skitters emerged from the elevator shaft, Sassi angling the large, belt-fed weapon and firing with a dull *THUDTHUDTHUDTHUD*. The top half of the creatures simply vanished, abruptly painting the walls with a jello-like red paste.

Ripping off a biting Spider on her back, Sassi was about to turn toward Astral when a final one of the nasty creatures jumped up, fangs digging into her lightly-armored neck before the mare swatted it away.

The two of them covered in gore, Sassi turned to look towards Astral, her sides heaving. Her visor flipped up, two violet eyes looking towards him in relief, but also fear. That was when Astral’s heart dropped.

Sticking half out of her chest was one of the Skitter’s severed claws.

Author's Note

Chapter Nineteen: Save a life 101

The mare began to sway on her feet, Astral immediately at her side. A calm immediately injected itself into his mind, everything else fading as Sassi spoke.

“Astral, listen to me c-closely,” she said, coughing up a bit of blood. “I’m not going to be able to move soon. My medical kit. Leave armor on. Purple syringe in my chest port first, then green, then pull t-this out,” she said, starting to shiver and sway on her hooves. “Then use the foam deep into the wound. Purple. Green. Pull. Foam. Soon. Safe first. Then p-purple. G-green….”

Helping her stagger along, Astral heard the elevator shaft start to echo with angry shrieks. He briefly had an idea- dashing over to the elevators next to the open shaft and slamming a bunch of the buttons to have the empty cars sent up and down to distract the Skitters. He then returned to Sassi’s side as she wobbled against a wall.

“S-smart,” she coughed with blood-flecked lips, the two making their way down the main hallway and taking a left. A few more twists and turns, and the Thestrals were deep into SL-Twelve, far behind the research modules and in the storage and maintenance areas.

Feeling Sassi start to sag against his side, Astral made the call to stop. Hoping the room labeled ‘supplies’ had exactly that, Astral opened the door. It was small, but it had a desk, water, and some large metal cabinets with boxes.

Half-dragging Sassi inside, Astral barricaded the door, the mare now starting to violently shiver.

“Purple. Green. Pull. Foam,” he repeated to himself. The medical training classes came flooding back; both for the Guard and outside of it. Her helmet visor still up, Sassi looked at him, the mare starting to go unconscious. At the moment their eyes met, Astral saw something he should have expected, yet it was startling all the same.

There was a simple pleading in Sassi’s violet eyes, along with genuine fear as her body refused to respond.

“Hang on, Sassi,” he whispered, the mare’s head sagging to the side as her eyes closed.

Yanking off her medical kit, Astral noted how there were indeed a few prominent items. They had gone over it briefly before leaving, but only in terms of general application of how to use them. But they certainly hadn’t covered anything this serious. This qualified as full-blown surgery.

There were two self-injecting syringes with an odd, jello-like liquid inside. Green and purple respectively, along with what appeared to be a shaving-cream can with a long nozzle. He left her armor on, noting how the claw had dodged the metal portions and dug into the tough fiber around the sturdy breastplate. For what he was doing, the stallion found himself remarkably calm, fear simply absent as he recalled Sassi’s instructions.

“Purple,” he said, taking the hoof-long syringe and shoving it into a small, previously unnoticed port on Sassi’s breastplate. The fact the mare didn’t respond just made Astral more nervous. “Green.” The next syringe injected itself, Astral putting the two aside.

Now the bad part. It was probably good Sassi was out cold.
Smoothly pulling out the claw, Astral was mortified to see it had buried itself at least half a forelimb-length into her. Shoving the foam canister (and long, funnel-like applicator) immediately into the wound, Astral depressed the large tab, a loud hissing noise emanating from it.

To his surprise, the foam billowed out from underneath Sassi’s armor, the canister clearly having more force and volume than its size indicated. The fact there was no more blood, and that the foam was beginning to harden into a semi-solid indicated its purpose.

A clotting agent perhaps? Probably magic-enhanced.

Sassi seemed to be breathing easier, even though now her breaths had flecks of foam on every exhale. Apparently a lung had been punctured, so how in the world was she still alive? Even with the ‘enhanced’ features, surely that would be a fatal wound?

Or perhaps this med-foam was a lot more potent than Astral realized.

Another item in the medical case was a small screen with a needle. He didn’t use it, but the title of ‘Blood Contaminant Level Analysis Spectrometer’ gave Astral a general idea as to what it might be.

Making sure Sassi was in a reasonably comfortable position, Astral sat down with a slump, numbly reloading his weapon. His eyes drifted over to the mare, and now that the moment had passed, a pang echoed through his chest. The hyper-focused state he had been in faded, the calm within his mind condensing into an emotional lump in Astral’s throat.

Hang in there, Sassi.

A few hot tears now stung his eyes, the Thestral hanging his head in shame.
This is all because of me.

Unfortunately, Sassi’s only response was her regular breathing.

Astral passed the hours by exploring the storage room multiple times. In all of the cosmic garbage they had been on the end of, a saving grace was that there was a small bathroom connected to the area. Nothing fancy, but there was still water and a way to wash off some of the grime from the armor.

His armor and fur a tad damp, Astral pushed aside a pile of boxes. Mostly office supplies but there were some interesting odds and ends. Nothing immediately useful aside from duct tape and some poorly-stowed flammable liquids.

Sassi’s armor was bare, Astral having put the weapon over to the side with the emergency rations and remaining medical kit. To that end, the firearm she had arrived with had him staring.

A belt-fed, miniature grenade launcher with flechette rounds. A bunch of words that sound beautiful together.

On reading the foam canister, Astral’s initial guess had been fairly correct. Some sort of magically-enhanced booster. It sounded like the end-all treatment to traumatic injuries. Stopping even a fatal arterial bleed and boosting natural healing.

The lack of any warnings, however, led the stallion to believe there were side effects. Then again, such things were rather moot (to a point), if it was a fatal wound that could be healed.

Sassi let out a groan, the mare shifting as Astral trotted over. He double-checked to make sure both the barricade against the door was secure, and that nothing was lurking outside.

“Hey, Sassi? You back?” he asked softly, the mare letting out a soft, incoherent murmur. Her eyes snapped open, darting over the room before settling on Astral. She tried to speak, but all that came out was a whisper.

“I guess that venom makes it so you can’t talk?” he suggested, “not sure how long it will take to wear off. You’ve been out for a few hours. Three I think.”

As her eyes darted over the room, it was clear while Sassi had plenty to say, her body refused to respond.

“We’re barricaded in a small supply room. But hey, at least it has a bathroom, so I consider it five-star accommodations,” Astral said, the mare managing a soft, amused huff at that. “I haven’t heard anything outside for about an hour, so we’re probably in the clear. We’re not going anywhere until you can walk. There’s not a lot of airflow, so the Skitters haven’t smelled us. Or we got lucky.”

“Hel…met,” Sassi said slowly, Astral taking the hint and pulling the armored piece off. The mare nodded in approval, slowly working her jaw back and forth as Astral took his own off.

“Can talk. Will get better,” she added, flopping her head against a wall, “this stinks.”

“Well, it beats being dead,” Astral replied, “if I had to guess, that claw punctured a lung. I have no idea how you’re still alive.”

“Foam.”

“Ok, aside from the magic foam. That stuff is amazing. I guess you’ll still need stitches or something afterward.”

“Nah, just some bandages, and I’ll heal right up,” Sassi said, voice quickly returning to normal, “ah, that’s better. Voice is usually the first thing back. Rest of me, not so much.”

“The poison? Paralyzing to a great degree?”

“Yep. And considering I had multiple bites, I’d be dead if not for the antigen you shoved in me,” Sassi said, “the poison paralyzes the victim with one bite, but more than that, it stops your heart and diaphragm. Unfortunately, it’s a weird paralyzing agent, not numbing. So, I can feel my limbs, and everything; I just can’t move them.”

Her eyes widened as Astral took a shaky breath, his gaze lowering to focus on the floor.

“I’m sorry, Sassi,” he whispered, “you being nearly killed, us being stuck here, that’s my fault.”

“Well, yeah,” the mare replied dismissively, “but why is that a bad thing?”

He looked up at her in utter shock, Sassi letting out a choked laugh.
“Seriously. I’m alive right now. I’m not invincible, Astral. I was going to get hit by those creatures sooner or later. The only difference now is that you were here and able to save my life. So, thank you. I’m just happy I got hurt saving somepony instead of me being stupid and letting my guard down.”

The stallion was speechless for a moment, finally managing a “you’re welcome.”

“Didn’t think about it like that, huh?”

Shaking his head in response, Astral shrugged his wings.
“How could I not?”

“Well, it wasn’t the plan to get separated. You may have frozen again, but your guns were empty. So, either way, you needed help,” she added, “I just happened to get there in time.”

“The freezing. That’s a mess I need to sort out,” he said, ears flattening in defeat.

“That’s a conversation for when we’re back in the apartment. That said, while I don’t blame you for our situation, this hurts, so I want plenty of smoothies.”

A weak smile slid onto Astral’s face at that.
“I can do that,” he paused, “so, what now?”

“Now? We wait until I can walk again. I’m still on the antigen upswing. I’ll probably need more of that stuff. There should be a booster in your kit,” she paused, “I’m surprised the Skitters haven’t found us. Perhaps we overestimated how many of them have a good sense of smell in general. That’d be a nice surprise.”

Rummaging around in the kit, Astral found that sure enough, there was another foam canister along with two colored syringes.

“For now, we wait. I’ll probably crash a few times which is going to be horrific, but as long as I have regular injections, I should be fine. That little box with a needle can tell you if I need another shot,” Sassi explained, “if the percentage goes up? Time for a shot. If it goes down or stays stable, no shot. So go ahead and stick it in my arm.”

“It’s a good thing you’re not afraid of needles,” Astral said, gesturing to the box.

“Please. I’ve been poked so many times I’ve lost count.”

Astral tried. He really did. But stress and exhaustion had worn his mental filter down to a thread. Sassi must have seen the look in his eyes before rolling her own with a slight grin.

“I probably could have phrased that better.”

“To be fair, I tried. Not nice to laugh at something like that around a lady.”

At that, Sassi did laugh.

“Oh, yeah, I’m quite a prim and proper lady here. I’m a security guard, basically a soldier for more than a decade and some change. You’ve been a guard in training at least. Our senses of humor, or at least tolerances, are to the point of making a normal pony implode from shame.”

“Ok, that’s fair. But I can still try to be a gentlecolt regardless.”

“…as you poke me.”

Astral stared in absolute shock, Sassi laughing until there were tears in her eyes.
“I’m s-sorry! I couldn’t r-resist!

He couldn’t help but now laugh softly, shaking his head back and forth.
“You are quite the mare, Sassi,” Astral chuckled, now pushing the needles into her forearm, noting a slight pink on her cheeks.

“Blood contamination at six percent,” he relayed.

“Not too bad. That’s not a literal reading, more of a generalized summary of severity,” she explained, “six percent of my blood being poison would make me very, very dead.”

Astral nodded, the unit apparently self-cleaning the needles as he set it aside.

“So, we wait?”

“We wait.”

Fear then blossomed into Sassi’s gaze as some familiar heavy breathing sounded outside the door, a creature slowly walking down the hallway. The mare looked over, immediately seeing Astral aiming the gun barrels at the door without so much as a flinch.

To her surprise, there was no hesitation in his eyes. Not that she’d admit it, but the raw determination and focus in Astral’s green gaze made her heart flutter rebelliously.

Thankfully, the sound passed, Astral letting out a tired breath as he engaged the safeties, then having an idea. After rummaging through the supplies, the stallion busied himself with some spare duct tape and towels. Carefully laying them against the door on the floor seam, the stallion duct-taped them in place. He then added strips of the stuff on the other seams of the door, giving each a good two or three layers of the stuff before finally sitting down.

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of that before. That should muffle things and help dampen any smells if that is an issue,” he whispered, Sassi nodding in agreement. While the door was one of the thicker models, the seams would definitely be a weak point for sound.

Another bonus of being a bat-pony; they could whisper softer than most other creatures and still hear each other crystal clear. Despite the tension, Sassi once again had just the thing to say to make Astral nearly laugh out loud.

“Well, may as well get to know each other.
….
Hmmm…What color is your toothbrush?”

Author's Note

Phew. :yay:
As always, feedback is greatly appreciated!

Chapter Twenty: Getting to know you over a cup of poison.

“Toothbrush?” Astral asked, the other Thestral grinning with a roll of her eyes.

“A figurative question. I said I didn’t know you that well. I’m literally unable to run from you telling me your life’s story. Not that you need to, but may as well at least learn a bit about the stallion I’ve saved.”

“Twice. Or more.”

“Twice or more. And now saved my life. Hmm. How about I ask a question, then you do?” she suggested, a bit of pleading leaking into her gaze. “Astral, if I can be honest with you, I’m really trying to stay distracted from my current situation. Not being able to move right now is disturbing on a level I don’t want to elaborate on. I have more hooves than the times I’ve had to rely on someone to this extent, none of them good.”

“It’s alright, Sassi. Hmm, favorite food?”

“You’re asking this to the mare who has a smoothie every day.”

“More like every few hours, but point taken.”

Sassi’s indignant glare was enough to make Astral smirk, but the playfulness dancing behind her eyes muted any genuine annoyance.

“But aside from smoothies?”

“Ooooh. Grilled fruit with a pile of hayfries on the side. Yours?”

“I can’t top that,” he admitted, “but fruit pastries are a weakness of mine. Hayfries are amazing though. Just wait till you try the garlic ones.”

“I need that in my life. Like, immediately,” Sassi said with a groan, “and my stomach.”

“Well, as soon as we get out of here, I’ll take you to the best place that sells them,” Astral said firmly. The look in Sassi’s eyes threw him off. It was…hopeful? Unsure?

Does she think I’m joking?

“Well, my turn then,” she said. “What’s your favorite hobby? Cutie mark purpose works too.”

“Stargazing,” he replied immediately, “that, and learning about weapons. Not sure why that isn’t my cutie mark. But the stars take the lead.”

“Stargazing?”

“Well, that and just, space,” Astral sighed, “the stars, the constellations, how small we are. What things are out there, how space works…everything! I just find it so cool! There are no ponies in space yet, but plenty of automated golems have been sent up into orbit!” he waved his hooves excitedly, then settling down on seeing an amusing smile on Sassi’s face. “So…yeah. Put me next to a telescope and I won’t move for hours on end. You?”

Sassi seemed like she was about to say something, then decided against it.
“Well, for me, working security has been my life,” she admitted, “but while I like it, I just want to explore. Visit all the crazy places in the world. Biggest waterfall, somewhere deep in a forest nobody has visited, that sort of thing. Hence the compass part of my cutie mark I guess.”

“That sounds like a ton of fun, honestly,” he admitted, “considering you could take on a Bugbear, you wouldn’t have to worry about much in the wilderness.”

Sassi’s eyes lit up at that, the mare grinning.
“That is a good point,” she mused, eyes looking over to him. “Ok, my turn. Current special somepony waiting for you? Or rocking the bachelor life?”

Astral stared at her, Sassi matching his gaze.
“What? Oh, come on, I was going to ask eventually," she sighed, “you can’t make a ‘poking’ joke and not expect me to wonder if I’m going to get slapped by some crazy mare on escaping this place,” she then paused, “or stallion. Whatever.”

“Ok, that’s fair enough,” he sighed, “Well, definitely mares for me, but certainly none are going to slap you. The whole legal case fried any chances I had for a while. So, I haven’t gotten out much in the past while. I wanted to change that, meet some creatures, but then, well,” he said, gesturing around them. “This happened.”

“That stinks.”

“To say the least. But hey, after all this is over, the least scary thing will be meeting new ponies. So that’s a silver lining. No more social anxiety!”

Sassi smirked at that.
“Well, my answer is pretty obvious. My apartment only has a guest room that was only used by my dad when he had to stay here for a while. So, I was just living the single mare life…with my dad occasionally visiting. Woohoo,” Sassi said, the roll of her eyes meant to be humorous, but Astral picked up a bit deeper of a regretful tone to her voice. “Considering most of the ponies here were lousy creatures, or were married, had a marefriend, or both, my options were nill.”

“Wait. Married, and marefriend? I assume neither of those knew about the other.”

She stuck out her tongue in disgust.
“Bingo. One above ground, one below.”

“Urg! That’s slimy,” Astral said with a revolted expression.

“I know, right?!” Sassi replied with a relieved sigh, “seriously, soooo many saw no problem with it! Flask had to work hard to teach me that what was considered normal down here was not normal in the rest of the world. Or rather, the right thing to do. Giving me an idea of what morals were in a place that actively worked against having such things,” her expression grew a bit downcast at that. “But yeah. I certainly didn’t want to do anything serious with any of the creatures here. Even finding a friend was hard, they came and went.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t get more offers of any sort, no offense,” Astral mused, Sassi huffing at that. Once again, a bit of confusion shone behind her gaze despite her next words being rather matter-of-fact.

“Well, there’s a reason for that. As I grew up there were rather…unpleasant comments,” she admitted. “When the vast majority of creatures here are guys, the treatment towards the girls wasn’t exactly stellar. So, my choices were basically different flavors of garbage. It all came to a head when one guy did try to put his hooves where they didn’t belong. Once word spread around that I broke his nose, dislocated both his forelimbs and left him in an elevator bleeding everywhere, they left me alone.”

“You can be a bit scary at times, Sassi,” Astral said, “but if it worked, it worked. I can’t imagine how rough it must have been growing up in a place like this.”

“It…yeah,” her words trailed off, eyes drifting to the floor. “Not the best conversation to lift spirits.”

“Hmm. Well, what would be the perfect date?”

Her ears perked up at that, genuine surprise as Astral shrugged.
“Hey, you asked about having a special somepony.”

A weak smile slid onto Sassi’s features, her ears now starting to flatten.
“Can I take a mulligan on that one? I’ll get back to you on it,” she said, not meeting Astral’s gaze. He winced. It was clearly a sore subject for whatever reason.

“Fair enough. How about your favorite firearm? Or weapon. Obviously, you have used a lot more than I have.”

That made Sassi’s eyes light up, the mare letting out a hum.

“Well, that depends!” she said happily. “Are we talking closerange, medium range? Long-range? All around? I have different favorites for each. Close range? Shotgun side-saddle. For sure. Medium range, that flechette grenade launcher turns things...”

Astra’s vision turned a bit warm and fuzzy, and he was fairly certain a few pink hearts were leaking out of his ears.

“Uh, Astral?”

The stallion’s face flushed, hoping the stars in front of his eyes hadn’t been visible.
“Uh-huh?” he replied, Sassi looking at him curiously.

“You zoned out there, or something.”

Judging from the slight blush on her face, Sassi had a slight idea of what Astral’s stupor had been about.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry. Just…” he couldn’t meet her gaze, abruptly finding a nearby shelf fascinating. “It’s nice to find somepony who shares a passion of mine. Usually, it gets weird looks.”

Her expression relaxed, Sassi grinning widely.
“Oh? You said you were i-interested in that stuff, b-but I didn’t…know…” her voice drifted off, violet eyes widening as her limbs began to shake.

“A-astral?” Sassi asked, a bit of fear now injecting itself into her voice, “can you take another measurement p-please?”

Immediately doing so, Astral frowned on seeing the number.
“Eight percent. Well, time to get another shot,” he muttered, digging out the two syringes. “Ok, Green is the antigen, Purple is the booster. Booster before the antigen,” the stallion reiterated to himself, having read the instructions on them extensively in the downtime previously. The armored mare was quiet, her eyes focused off in the distance.

“Sorry, hope this doesn’t hurt too much,” he said softly, injecting them into the armor port. Sassi’s limbs slowly began to stop quivering, the mare’s eyes slowly refocusing. He set the medical supplies aside, noting how they didn’t have any more injections left.

“Hmm. I guess we’ll have to find more,” Astral said, then turning to Sassi and walking over, “well, in the meantime we can-”

His voice cut off, a ball of lead abruptly forming in his stomach. As her eyes had cleared, Sassi glanced around, her gaze settling on Astral. On not being able to move, the mare’s eyes widened in a very familiar emotion.

And then it was gone, Astral not saying anything as Sassi looked away in utter shame, the mare immediately realizing that he had understood what had been shining in her eyes.

Fear.

Astral couldn’t lift his gaze, head feeling like it weighed as much as an anvil. Seeing a mare like Sassi look at him in blatant fear, assuming his innocence was a lie…

It hurt. Astral knew it was logical on her part but that didn’t blunt the pain for a second.

“There is something I didn’t tell you about the charges against me,” he said softly, “the worst part of it all. Worse than the slander, the lies. I could understand that. Just bad ponies and fanatic parents. The worst of it was how that mare looked at me afterward. How everyone did.”

Sassi didn’t say anything, Astral feeling a few hot tears well up in his green eyes.

“She looked at me just like that. Afraid. She was afraid of the Thestral who beat two stallions into a pool of their own blood. After the trial, that’s how everyone saw me, even if they didn’t believe the counter-charges. I wasn’t somepony who helped. I was just an unhinged Thestral who was in the right place. And now, I can’t even escape all of that a thousand lengths underground.” He looked at his hooves, the Thestral’s ears pinned back. “I just wish I knew what I could do to make creatures believe me.”

“I believe you,” Sassi whispered. “Even if I doubted you for a moment. You’ve done nothing to deserve that. But you need to understand, unlike the creatures above ground, this time it isn’tyou.”

He glanced up at her, but her form was a bit blurry from unshed tears.

“I grew up among some of the worst creatures this world can offer,” Sassi continued, her voice shaking slightly. “Many wouldn’t have a second thought about taking advantage of a mare in my current position, they certainly made enough jokes about it. For example, when we get back to the apartment, I’ll need your help getting this armor off and rinsing all this gore from my fur. The wound has to be bandaged and cleaned or I’ll be in real trouble from an infection.”

Her eyes looked away, the mare’s jaw clenching. “And the thought of that terrifies me, having you be that close. But logically, your case aside, you’ve done nothing to warrant that suspicion. Yet if it isn’t Flask, I wouldn’t trust anyone near me like that, male or female. And that’s just it.”

Her voice shifted, Sassi’s eyes drifting to the floor.
“I am so tired of always second-guessing creature’s words and intentions. There was always a hidden motive, a secret, unspoken want. My entire life I’ve had to be on my guard just to survive in this place. But I don’t want to think that way about you, Astral. You’re just going to have to give me time. I’ve been tired of it for a long, long while, but it’s tough to break from it when that’s your reality. I only got brief glimpses of life when that’s not the case.”

Nodding in understanding, Astral sat down next to Sassi, still not looking at her as he thought.
“I know, and I don’t want to do anything to make you think ill of me. Logically, you have more reason than most to not trust me, or anyone really.” He paused, ears flattening. “It just…any creature who knows about the case looks at me in either disgust or fear. It makes me wonder, as stupid as it is.”

“Wonder what?”

He let out a humorless huff at that.

“If the papers were right,” the bat-pony continued, “if the dozens of articles, constant posts on that oh so lovely digital platform, the jeers, they were all calling me something I knew I wasn’t. But after a while, it’s just my voice saying that I’m n-not a monster.”

Sassi didn’t say anything for a moment, the mare finally letting out a disproving snort.
“What a bunch of idiots,” she finally said, rolling her eyes as Astral looked over to her in surprise. “The only reason they’re calling you a monster is because they’ve never seen a real one. Like the ones we’re currently hiding from.” Sassi paused, letting out a wince. “Can you help me up? Just, lean me against the wall.”

Helping the mare settle into a more comfortable position, Astral shook the tears from his eyes as Sassi looked at him with a surprisingly intense gaze.

“Astral, I’ve grown up among monsters,” she said firmly, “some looked like Skitters. Others looked like ponies, gryphons, or other creatures. I’ve killed many types of them. You are not one.”

A thankful smile, however slight, slid onto Astral’s face.
“Thank you, Sassi,” he whispered.

“The creatures above ground are so blasted sheltered,” Sassi added, a bit of bitterness in her tone, “there hasn’t been a large war in what, decades? Centuries? More? Most creatures have no idea how good they have it, no idea that evil still exists. The only difference is now that instead of a Tirek or Sombra from history class rising up again, the bad creatures look exactly like everyone else. I’ve gotten pretty good at discerning them, for your information.”

“I certainly believe that,” he said, smile still starting to tug at his mouth.

“And you are not a bad pony,” Sassi said, gaze then settling to her hooves, “you’re a good stallion, a much better one than I…this place deserves.” Her voice paused briefly, as if abruptly changing her thoughts, eyes then looking over to him. “So, I hope you can forgive me for my doubts. I’m trying to work through them. But I can’t forget my past experiences just because a handsome stallion says something, or even saves my life apparently. I do trust you, but I just need time,” her ears then flattened, “or perhaps I also need to convince you that I do trust you.”

Astral’s face was still burning from the ‘handsome’ comment, but he held his tongue.
“I guess we both need time,” he managed to say, Sassi rolling her eyes.

“No, you just need to keep being an infuriatingly upbeat gentlecolt,” she replied, “and be a bit patient. I need time to work through growing up in a social cesspool and not trusting creatures.”

“I mean, ok?” he managed to say, head tilting to the side curiously. “And infuriating?”

She rolled her eyes again at that.
“Yes. Infuriating. Even in this lousy Silo, you are still kind and naturally upbeat. Those are things missing from this place.”

“And that’s infuriating? Not sure I understand.”

Sassi’s explanation didn’t come, the mare abruptly starting to shiver.
“P-ponyfeathers,” she hissed.

Taking another blood reading, Astral noted the percentage hadn’t dropped, so…

“Just a wave. Happens with high doses of venom. It makes parts of your body run haywire,” she explained, “I’m guessing the Spiders were bred to be more potent again since our last tests. So, I’m not dying yet. But these waves are awful if they’re anything like what we tested before.”

“Tested?!”

“Yeah, we got pricked with a bit of the venom in case we got bit. Nothing permanent, but just to know how to handle the symptoms. This is clearly worse. Waves will continue for a few days with high enough doses; not fatal with sufficient anti-venom, but lousy.”

As the mare continued to shiver, Astral looked through the medical kit for anything that could possibly help. He found nothing, unfortunately.

“I appreciate the thought, but this is a ‘ride it out’ sort of thing,” Sassi said softly.

“What can I do to help?” he asked, their eyes widening as a familiar *click…click…click* echoed outside the halls.

After a few minutes of long silence, Sassi whispered a single word which made Astral look at
her in surprise.

“Hoof.”

“Huh?”

Scooting over next to her, Astral’s eyes met Sassi’s. As her body shivered, the mare’s eyes were wide in genuine fear, a few tears brimming on the edges. It was clear that everything up to this point had been relayed from behind a casual wall of confidence, that everything would be alright.

In an abrupt shift, the stallion realized that he was seeing Sassi the pony, not the armored mare who had effortlessly torn apart the Skitters. He was seeing someone who could still get afraid, who could feel helpless.

“T-this is going to sound hypocritic-cal after our whole trust talk,” she managed to stammer. “But that’s what you can d-do to help.”

“…my hoof?”

“Just hold my hoof, Astral,” Sassi said, no sigh of exasperation, but an almost pleading tone as the mare continued to shiver. Her breaths abruptly became a bit more panicked, eyes darting around briefly as if struggling to focus on something.

Reaching down to firmly hold the mare’s hoof in his own, Astral noted how she immediately calmed down.

“T-temporary blindness. Venom is working its way all around my system,” she explained. “So, I can’t see you right now. I’m…I can’t really do much of anything.”

She sniffled, the crumbling walls of confidence hammering home to Astral how helpless the mare felt.
“As I s-said, I am not used to relying on others, even Flask,” Sassi whispered, “and w-well, I wanted more reasons to t-trust you, so here you go,” she added weakly, Astral squeezing her hoof with his own.

“We’ve known each other for two weeks, not even that,” he said firmly. “You can’t rush trusting someone. Stereotypes aside, I’d certainly balk if a mare was inviting me into a shower after that time, even if it’s common for some. But I’d say we’ve still got a pretty good track record, huh? You saved my life from freakish creatures, me repaying you with smoothies.”

Sassi let out a weak laugh.
“That’s fair, but they’re good smoothies. And you’ve done a lot more than that.”

“I…have?”

The mare closed her eyes, wincing as the shivers abated for a moment.
“Topic for another t-time. Going to close my eyes here, not like I can see anyways.”

They didn’t say much more for a time, Astral feeling fairly useless as he settled down next to Sassi, still holding her hoof. To see her so vulnerable was extremely disarming; it was like meeting a new pony, but not in a bad way. It made her seem more real and less of an indestructible soldier.

“Astral?” she asked, “can you just, tell me something.”

“What kind of something?”

“Anything. What is it like when you go camping? What do the trees look like? The sounds? Anything to make m-me forget what is going on right now,” she explained. Sassi’s sides shivered, Astral shocked to realize the mare was barely holding in sobs. “This is bringing back some really bad stuff, ok? P-please? I don’t want to think right now.”

“Well, some of the best forests, I think, can be in winter or the fall” Astral said immediately. He shoved his worry down, and there was a fair bit of it for the mare on multiple levels. It was clear there was still a lot he didn’t know about Sassi, layers, and layers that were surfacing in this situation. The genuine pleading in her voice made his heart ache in sympathy, even if he didn’t know what she had gone through. All he wanted to do was help.

So, he’d do the best he could.

“During the fall, in areas where the weather moves on its own, it has this weird sense of power when you walk under the trees,” the stallion continued, “everything moves on its own, a little world where you’re just visiting. The leaves falling, the clouds, even the weird wildlife. The best smell would be pine after rain…”

He continued to describe a simple walk through the woods, how camping went, the sights and sounds of it all.

Judging from the peaceful smile on Sassi’s face, Astral was doing a decent job.

Author's Note

Poor Sassi :pinkiesad2:

Chapter Twenty One: Percentages

Sassi dozed off sometime after Astral finished talking to her about the beach, perhaps an hour or so of steady descriptions. The mare’s legs occasionally twitched, but other than that she was out cold.

That left him some time to think.

It was clear that Sassi had a lot more on her plate, dealing with much more than Astral originally thought. The fear in her eyes and just asking for him to hold her hoof was enough to show that.

His gaze softened as he looked over to the mare, the stallion letting out a huff.
Astral wasn’t about to lie to himself and say he didn’t find her rather attractive. But there was a time and a place. Hiding in a closet from freaky spider-things was neither of them. Yet the fact there was clearly so much he didn’t know just made him more curious. He just didn’t want to break what amount of trust she did have in him.

That said, the ‘handsome’ compliment still buzzed around in Astral’s head. The last time someone had genuinely said such a thing had been easily years. He wasn’t sure, but he’d sort that out later. For a few minutes, Astral busied himself with trying to think out how to get to the elevators without being eaten. Other than ‘run like crazy’, he didn’t have much if Sassi couldn’t walk.

Since he couldn’t sleep, Astral occupied his time with reading the medical contents, sifting through potential supplies, and generally trying to not have a panic attack.

After about an hour or so (in which no creatures were heard, thankfully) Sassi began to stir, wincing in her sleep. Not waking up despite the violent shivers, the mare was obviously uncomfortable.

Deciding to take another reading, Astral glanced down at the device; and his heart dropped.

Nine Percent.

He wasn’t sure how often she needed the doses, but those Spiders had been more venomous than Sassi originally thought. However…

We don’t have any more doses.

Trying to wake Sassi up was fruitless; she was out cold despite loud whispering and shaking her back and forth. After trying to wake the mare up, Astral noted how her breathing began to be a bit more labored. On taking another blood sample, ice water injected itself into his veins.

Nine-point-five. It’s rising, and fast.

Logic dictated there was some sort of first aid station here. Whether it would have the fancy syringes, Astral didn’t know. But if he didn’t do anything, Sassi probably wouldn’t wake up.

Scrawling a quick note on his whereabouts, Astral then slowly unbarricaded the door, listening for even the slightest sound.

Still in the clear.

Checking Sassi’s toxin levels again, the stallion felt an icy tendril dig into his chest at seeing the reading already having climbed higher. He needed to move.
Duct-taping a bit of miscellaneous fabric onto his metal-shot hooves to muffle them, Astral looked at his forelimbs, no shakes or shivers present. The Thestral then crept out into the hallway and closed the door. He took a marker with him; making a single line on a wall near the floor as he turned a corner. Getting lost was not an option.

Find a medical kit, get back to Sassi.

The hall had multiple doors leading this way and that; none of them were labeled. However, the sign for an eye-wash station made Astral’s ears perk up. Unfortunately, it led back towards the more open halls with the experiment-cubes.

Creeping along, Astral paused every few moments to listen. The large hallway that led to the cubed area (and the elevators) extended past the pony to the right. That was also where the eyewash station and a glorious ‘first aid’ sign now was protruding from the ceiling.

*click…click…click*

Astral froze, hearing a bit of raspy breathing from his left. It was far off, but the sound quickly faded. It was clear he wasn’t alone, however.

Navigating to the eyewash station, Astral found himself near the entrance to an employee lounge, the station a small closet-like area set into the wall.

Please let these syringes be common.

The massive first-aid kit, a box bolted to the wall beckoned to the Thestral. Ever so slowly, Astral unlatched it, the hinged lid thankfully not uttering a single squeak.

Jackpot.

The syringes must be a staple in the facility because three of each greeted Astral’s eager eyes.

Snagging the six cardboard-packaged items, Astral left the other supplies. Every item he took cost time and could make noise. He couldn’t risk either. Sneaking out of the room, Astral had turned the corner and nearly made it to the intersection, when the clicking started again.

Heart pounding in his throat, the bat-pony watched as a Skitter crept into the employee lounge, gaze focused straight ahead. Astral trained his gun barrels on it, hooves slowly creeping backward.

Keep moving!

His limbs continued to edge backward. One step, two steps, a side step…

And he was out of the line of sight.

He quickly made his way back to the storage room, not daring to sacrifice silence for speed, however. A final check and he opened the door and slid inside.

As the door locked and the Thestral barricaded it once again, Astral’s rear limbs began to quiver.
Not yet.

As soon as he was sure the door wasn’t about to be easily opened, the stallion set out the syringes, taking another reading.

Ten percent. Ok, purple, then green.

Injecting another two-syringe dose into Sassi’s chest, Astral let himself flop against the wall next to her.

I don’t know how much longer I can do this…

And yet the stallion knew there was a part of him that could handle this. But for now, that stayed under lock and key. And yet the fact that Astral hadn’t frozen only confirmed what he already knew. Perhaps Sassi’s blunt observations could help out to that end, whenever she woke up.

The mare was breathing easier, and Astral let himself take a breather. Downing a bit of freeze-dried fruit packed as a snack, the stallion tried to stay awake but could tell he was drifting off. Running on pure adrenaline for multiple stints was exhausting, along with the constant tension.

Unfortunately, taking stimulants would only make things worse, so that was out.

As long as they didn’t make any noise, they should be ok. After another reading from her forelimb to confirm the percentage had dropped, (now down to seven percent) Astral had a thought. He tied a small metal bobble onto some spare string, then dangled it from one of the barricade pieces. Any nearby movement with the door would send it swinging.

Putting Sassi’s helmet on along with his own and closing the visors, Astral only then settled down next to her.

Just in case a homicidal AI wants to suck the oxygen away again, this should give us some time, a few minutes of emergency air to get to the elevators.

He adjusted his head, making sure to face the string-and-metal bobble when leaning against the wall.

This helmet can sense thoughts, right? Ok helmet, can I set an alarm? A motion detection triggered one? Just that I can hear through the earbuds?

On his HUD, a simple text line flashed.
‘Motion sensor alarm set. Alarm type, interior audio-only.’

“Huh,” he muttered. “That will work. Set another alarm for forty-five minutes.”

Only then did he allow himself to doze off leaning against a wall. He made sure to hold Sassi’s hoof, however.

She had asked him to, after all.

Author's Note

Go Astral! :yay:

Chapter Twenty Two: Truth

Sassi woke up with a soft groan. She felt terrible, but at least she felt something. She noticed immediately her helmet was on, the mare blinking and looking around as best she could. Her neck could sort of move, and her hooves could twitch. So at least there was a bit of progress, along with being able to see again.

Astral was asleep in front of her, guns pointed at the doorway. An odd piece of metal on a string dangled from it, Sassi then realizing its purpose.

A motion detection alarm. Something shoves the door; it swings and wakes him up. She couldn’t help but smile at that

Smart stallion.

Her eyes then drifted over to the collection of syringes, and shock made her violet eyes widen.

More doses? But the kits…

She was a smart mare, and in this case, it involved two-and-two together. They only had two combined doses total before she dozed off.

They now had an additional two, a third already used. Sassi knew they didn’t stock those things in random supply closets, but they were in use for the general medical kits.

The mare abruptly realized she didn’t know how to react to this. Astral had obviously gone out and procured more doses, and then fallen asleep guarding the door. Considering the barricade had been moved, that matched up. The problem was that creatures just didn’t do that, certainly not the ones Sassi had grown up with. If you made a mistake or got into trouble, everycreature made sure it wasn’t their life on the line. You watched each other’s backs only on specific tasks, specific dangerous missions.

Other than that, nobody had a care in the world whether your co-worker lived or died, for the most part. And there certainly wasn’t someone there to hold your hoof.

Sassi was fully aware of how logically her expectations didn’t line up. The fact Astral hadn’t tried to kiss her or put his hooves somewhere was honestly shocking.

She hated the fact it was surprising.

One of the few genuine stallions she had met, and the mare kept expecting him to do all sorts of things that just didn’t fit his character. And that was outside of the tossed-out charges. Her father trusted Astral to help her and that meant more than Sassi could explain. And yet there was still the constant doubt. She had hidden it fairly well; she didn’t want Astral to think she didn’t like him or something. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. But the doubts were constant, always lurking on the edge of her thoughts.

Yet the fact Astral had been nothing but a gentlecolt was one of the most pleasantly disarming things Sassi had ever encountered. The stallion was still holding her hoof because she had asked him to.

He went outside to save my life.

Sure, she could try to logic away it all with the fact she was his best chance for survival and all that stuff…but combined with how just kind the stallion had been, it didn’t match up. If he cared about only survival, he’d have made sure she didn’t die and not really cared one way or the other if she was afraid.

Astral, however, clearly cared. If for no other reason than he saw her as a pony, a friend, and wanted to help.

That thought made Sassi’s eyes immediately water, the mare hating the fact she couldn’t wipe the tears away. The idea of someone caring for her, of thinking she was worth the effort was so new and counterintuitive it made her brain hurt, her chest ache, but not for a lack of wanting to think about it.

There was a reason she hadn’t pursued the ‘first date’ question. She didn’t want to think like that, as if there was a chance someone would want something non-physical from her. And yet Astral’s casual comments had started to pry off the welded armor Sassi had tried to lock such feelings behind. It had been easy when living down here, living with creatures that weren’t so…

Sassi mentally shook her head at that. So many words floated up to finish that sentence. Regardless, she’d have to confront it all sooner or later. Assuming they made it out of this room, she’d have to trust him to rinse her off and bandage the chest wound. If it got badly infected, that could be disastrous.

The idea of having him help her like that was terrifying, and yet there was a previously-smidgen of hope in Sassi’s heart. Maybe she was wrong. Everything lined up for her doubts and fears to be nothing but immaterial.

Sassi found herself wanting to be wrong more than anything. The odd stallion had done a lot more than just make her apartment livelier. He had treated her like a mare, another pony who happened to be a friend. Astral clearly had no idea how much that meant to her.

And yet there’s still so much I could tell you, should tell you. She thought, eyes drifting to the floor and across her paralyzed limbs. And yet that frightens me more than anything. You’d certainly see me differently. My answer to the date comment, other stuff, you’d just look at me like everyone else did.

Blinking at that, Sassi’s brow furrowed.
Or, maybe you wouldn’t. I think I can tell you a bit more today. You’ve certainly shown that you care.

I just wish I knew how to react to that. It’d be so much easier if you saw me as everyone else did. Maybe you eventually will.

A soft beeping reached Sassi’s ears; the alarm much louder for Astral using the earbuds. It shut off as Astral woke, the stallion shaking his head with a grunt.

“Ugh…” he muttered, looking over her. “Sassi? You up?”

“Alive and well, thanks to you it seems,” she relayed, noting his ears perk up happily. “Hey, Astral. You’ve been busy.”

“Just a bit,” he admitted, taking the helmet off after deactivating the alarm, “that’s better. Want me to take yours off? I didn’t want a homicidal computer sucking our oxygen away without warning.”

Sassi managed a chuckle at that.
“Yeah, the less I wear it the better. Gets cramped,” she admitted, letting out a relieved breath as the constraining armor piece was removed. “So, what’d I miss?”

Stretching briefly, Astral then gestured to the syringes.
“Your blood contamination was rising really fast. It was above ten percent when I managed to get some more doses in you,” he explained. “It had risen point-five in like, ten minutes. So, I knew you needed those. Luckily a nearby medical case had some. Aaaaand here we are. That was about an hour and a half ago; two sleep alarms worth,” he added, stallion’s brow furrowing. “Probably should take another reading.”

“No objections here.”

The device was stuck in her forelimb again, Astral letting out a soft huff.
“Eight and a half- went up again. Shouldn’t it have gone down by now? Three doses?” he asked, Sassi still trying to keep her nerves under control.

“Should, yes,” she said, as calmly as possible. “But if I had to guess, these new Spiders are more venomous. Much more concentrated with each bite, or injecting more of it. I’ll probably need an IV of concentrated antivenom rather than these individual doses with boosters. I have some back at the apartment.”

Preparing another set of doses, Astral nodded, injecting the solution through the armored ports before sitting next to her.

“So, we get back to your apartment. That’s the long and short of it.”

“Basically,” Sassi affirmed. “Sooner rather than later.”

“Well, we only have a single dose left, so we’ll have to move soon,” Astral muttered. “I can leave my guns here and just take the grenade launcher. It’d be easier to fire with you on my back.”

“You’re seriously going to carry me?” Sassi asked with an incredulous look, Astral shrugging.

“Can you walk?”

Helping her up, it was clear that Sassi could at least be on her hooves…but that was about it.

“Hmm. No moving?”

“I can twitch a hoof, that’s it,” she confirmed, sliding back down with Astral’s help.

“So, yes. I carry you.”

After a few moments, Sassi’s ears flattened, the mare looking away.
“This feels so wrong,” Sassi muttered, Astral’s head tilting to the side in confusion. The fact his fluffy ears were perked up made the stallion far too adorable at the gesture.

“Huh?”

“This. Me not doing anything. I can’t…I don’t know how to handle it,” Sassi tried to explain. “Even the fact of you giving me meds is putting me on edge, even if they’re saving my life.”

Seeing Astral’s brow furrowing in confusion, Sassi’s eyes drifted to her useless forelimbs.
“Look, Astral. I know this will cause more questions, but I think it’ll answer a few too,” she paused, her jaw clenching. “The program which made me modified?” Sassi said slowly, emotion starting to clog her throat. “It wasn’t voluntary.”

Astral’s gaze locked onto her, his eyes wide in shock.

“What?”

“I was the only one who saw the modifications to the end. The other…participants didn’t end up like me,” she explained. “You at least deserve to have a reason why I was a mess- am a bit of a mess.”

Astral could only stare. It made so much sense, and yet to hear it was overwhelming.

“They forced you? Didn’t Flask-”

“He adopted me years after it started. The program was initiated when I was really, really young. Still growing and able to adapt to the drugs and modifications. Once it was all started, it had to be completed otherwise I’d have a crippling or fatal rebound reaction,” she explained. “The other security forces had a smaller dose when they got hired; nothing near to what I had. Flask adopted me when I was partially through the program, helped me finish it so I could at least have a life, maybe get out of here. That was the goal at least, from what he said.”

The stallion’s jaw clenched, Sassi’s own eyes widening at the rage that surged to the fore. And yet none was towards her. As Astral looked at the mare, her heart fluttered on seeing nothing but compassion.

You don’t see me as…

“They forced that on a filly?” he whispered, Sassi nodding once.

Astral had to take a few moments to process what he heard, Sassi looking at him curiously.

No wonder you don’t trust me.

While a lot of pieces to the Sassi-shaped puzzle were still missing, this explained a lot of her recent behavior. What Astral was struggling to come to terms with was the amount of anger burning through his veins. The Company was just like the creatures he dealt with during the court case, caring little for the well-being of others, and only about themselves, be it in the name of progress or saving face.

Selfishness and greed were as universal as harmony and friendship, both in and out of Equestria. It had been a harsh lesson he learned, and now the painful reminder refused to be silenced.

Astral thought that he had gotten over the frustration, the anger at the unfairness of his court case so many years ago. If his current emotional state was any indication, that was grossly inaccurate. All he had done was ignore it. It was like he was back in that day; the unfairness and cruelty of the world showcased for all to see. And yet most creatures didn’t notice, didn’t want to notice.

Above ground, underground, it doesn’t change anything.

“Astral?” Sassi asked in concern, her eyes soft with genuine care.

“Sorry, just, it all is the same. Above ground, below…I don’t think I was able to deal with it all healthily,” he managed to say.

“Deal with…?”

“The fallout from the court case,” Astral said firmly, “the anger. The frustration and rage from being manipulated all by creatures I couldn’t possibly challenge, that they couldn’t care less about helping, only about saving own reputation and skin.” He then gestured to her.

“And now the same thing happened to you, something I can’t fully comprehend. It’s different, but somehow the same up there or down here. Hearing that just brought it all back, how I’m powerless against such things. I’m sorry, Sassi. Nobody deserves that. I just wish…” he paused, the Thestral trying to organize his thoughts, finally just shrugging. “Sorry. I didn’t want to make this about me. I just wish I could help.”

An understanding but sad smile slid onto Sassi’s face at that, the mare not entirely sure how to reply.

“You do help, Astral, and thank you. But, yeah, that’s how the world is. For those who don’t ignore the bad at least,” she mused. “I just grew up with a lot of that bad.”

“More than anyone deserves, from the sound of it,” Astral growled, “everything about this company is rotten, isn’t it? Experimenting on kids, creating those Skitters…” his expression softened, the pony taking a few deep breaths. “Well, rotten outside of a certain mare in my company,” he added with a grin, subdued anger still flickering in his eyes. “Thank you, Sassi, for telling me.”

“You deserve that at least,” she replied, cheeks still a bit pink at his comment. The blush flared up as she realized another very obvious fact. “Don’t think you can’t help, or rather, aren’t helping. You were nice enough to hold my hoof, so I thought you at least deserved to know why I am so unsettled.”

“If you hadn’t wanted to tell me, I’d have understood. I didn’t expect you to at the time,” Astral added with a shrug of his shoulders. “You were hurting, so I helped.” He then let out a soft chuckle, head shaking back and forth. “Now I get why my family is in the Guard profession.”

“Hmm?”

“The drive to help,” he explained, waving a hoof. “Looks like even though my passion is the stars, there’s still that want to just help ponies.”

Sassi mused over that for a moment.
“That’s not a bad thing in this world,” she finally said, “especially when there’s so much nasty stuff to sort through.”

Nodding in agreement, a genuine smile flickered onto Astral’s face at that.
“Speaking of nasty stuff, you never did get around to telling me what exactly the Skitters and Spiders were.”

“I didn’t?” she asked, genuinely surprised.

“The cameras went all wonky and it distracted us when I asked last as we were watching the feeds.”

She let out a long sigh at that.
“Ah, right. Well, there’s not too much to say,” Sassi admitted. “I don’t know when they created the Queen, or if she was found, or whatever. They called her Jorōgumo, or Joro. Where she came from, I don’t know, but she’s bad news,” the mare said, “as far as I know, her offspring can evolve into either the Skitters or the Spiders, both of which were then either artificially grown or modified by the company. I heard rumors they made a second queen with her DNA, but that’s way above my clearance.”

Her eyes flickered over to Astral, a weak smile twitching at her lips at seeing his face rather pale.
“Too much?”

“Giant spider queen? Just a bit,” he admitted.

“Well, on the bright side, we just have to deal with her scouts, none of her guards or anything worse than that for now.”

As if summoned by Sassi’s words, a familiar voice rang out, almost mocking the pair.

“Warning. Extreme contamination levels detected in Silo One. Pre-set containment protocols have failed. Maximum countermeasures deployed. Detonating all remaining Silo-One floors in sequence. Timer set for T-minus ten minutes for initial detonations.

Have a nice day.”

Author's Note

Oh. Oh no, poor Sassi. :raritycry:

Talking time over. Now...run.

Chapter Twenty Three: Ten Minutes

The two of them stared at each other. A siren began to wail and the sound of it made Astral’s skin crawl. Sassi was the first to speak the obvious.

“Astral, we need to go, now,” she said flatly. “This is the only silo with that form of containment. We need to be anywhere but Silo One.

Immediately putting on his helmet, Astral affixed Sassi’s, unbuckling the grenade launcher from her side.

“What are-”

“Too heavy. Need to go,” he explained, not hearing any objections as he stuffed the remaining dose into a pouch. Rummaging through the first aid kit, Astral immediately downed a hoof-full of fast-acting painkillers.

If luck was on his side, he’d escape this with just a few sore muscles. If not; painkillers.

“We need to get to the elevators, then to the transit station on SL-Nine,” Sassi said, her voice quivering slightly, the familiar professional tone then returning. “We just don’t stop. It should be a straight shot.”

Astral nodded, unlocking one of his saddle-guns to further reduce the weight. They left them with twelve shots; it would have to be enough. Sassi had two grenades; he quickly attached those to his vest, along with a can of the miracle-foam.

“Nine Minutes.”

“I can barely move my head, so I can’t be of much use. Please don’t drop me.” Sassi said, the tremor in her voice returning. To her surprise, Astral smirked, visor lifting to look at her.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said with a nervous grin, “it’s just like in a book. Plenty of stallions dream of rescuing a gorgeous mare in distress and carrying her to safety.” His smile then dropped, not quite reaching his eyes. “I just get to do it right this time.”

The raw determination in his green eyes threw off Sassi’s response, the mare not able to speak for a few moments as her heart fluttered. The fire behind Astral’s eyes was a complete about-turn from the easygoing stallion’s previous demeanor.

“Astral?” Sassi finally asked, the stallion pausing.

“Hmm?”

“You’re not a monster,” she said firmly, a smile twitching at her face, “but sometimes we have to go to a different place to fight them. However you felt when you helped that mare? When you pulled that pony from a building? That’s what we need right now,” she hesitated, “it’s what I need. Ok?”

It was a bit of a round-about way of saying it, but Astral nodded as he removed the barricades. Sliding underneath Sassi, he adjusted the mare on his back, making sure she wasn’t about to get jostled off.

“Jeez, Sassi,” he grunted, “I thought with that form of yours you’d be a bit lighter!”

Thankfully he couldn’t see her blush again. The stallion carefully looped a makeshift duct-tape strap over the mare’s forelimbs; at least something to keep her secure.

Astral took a few deep breaths.
“And thank you,” he whispered.

You’re a smart mare, Sassi.

Maybe he was a monster to some, maybe he wasn’t. But all the stallion knew is that he had a new friend, a friend who needed his help. A friend who had been through so much more than he had. The trials the stallion had endured paled in comparison, that much was apparent.

Forced into an experiment? Trapped underground?
I have no right to complain. What I went through was bad, but Sassi…

The thought of a small, innocent filly being subjected to whatever this company had to offer made his limbs shiver with anger, Astral not trying to force it down. Something in his heart snapped, a raging fire that matched the one when he first joined the guard. It hadn’t been a life’s calling, but it had been something that felt right. When he had pulled a foal from the rubble of the building, the mother then embracing him tearfully…

His love was in the stars, but there was a part of the stallion that Astral couldn’t ignore. The call to protect, to make the world a bit better, as much as he could. And now seeing how broken things were, the injustice that lurked beneath the literal surface; it made that desire just burn all the brighter.

Not many ponies got a second chance at life-changing events, let alone live through one such as this.

We’re not going to die down here.

That thought made Astral’s limbs bunch with energy. It wasn’t a question; a simple statement. The odd, laser-focus flooded through his mind. He now remembered from when he first felt it; an artificial calm during an extremely stressful situation. It happened during the few times he had needed to use his guard training outside of the academy. When the team leader had directed them into the rubble of the building.

It was also how he had felt moments before beating those two would-be assaulting ponies to a pulp. A single goal that erased everything else. Just like when he had been saving Sassi’s life with the injections.

Only now it raged with anger. A single voice defiantly refused to be silent when everything had gone so, so wrong. So much was wrong with this situation, this place.

Maybe he could be one of the few things that were right.

You’ll see the forests, Sassi. The ocean, the mountains.

I promise.

“Eight Minutes,” a familiar voice called, distant alarms starting to sound, a low, pulsing drone.

“Let’s go.”

Astral almost didn’t recognize his voice, the stallion opening the door-

A Skitter stared back.

There was no hesitation, Astral chomping on the bit and punching a hole in the creature’s chest with a roar from the gun. Galloping past the flailing creature, the Thestral’s hooves dug into the floor as he skidded around a corner.

This left. Then a right. Then left again to the end of the hall.

Taking another corner, Astral’s eyes narrowed as a Skitter blocked the way ahead of them. There wasn’t any fear, just simple anger that melted any freezing of the stallion’s limbs.

“Seven Minutes.”

“MOVE!” Astral bellowed, green eyes narrowed at the creature. The Skitter appeared surprised as the pony charged towards it. The first shot went wide- the second and third shots tore into the creature’s ribs as it scrambled away.

End of the hall.

“Six Minutes.”

Making sure Sassi was still secure on his back, Astral took off again.

One more turn.

Sliding around the corner, Astral’s heart leaped as the familiar cream color of the elevator lobby shone in the distance.

No more Skitters were present; the stallion ducked into the elevator, the doors quickly closing.

“Five Minutes.”

Selecting SL-Nine, Astral felt the elevator zip upwards. They just had three floors to go…
“We’re almost there, Astral” Sassi whispered, the stallion letting out a grunt.

“Let me focus, Sassi,” he said firmly, but kindly.

The door opened, and Astral was confronted with the piles of dead bodies, emergency lights flickering on and off.

“Four Minutes.”

With only a sliver of hesitation, the Thestral galloped into the dark hallway. Blood was still sprayed across doors and rooms but his previous fear was all but gone.

Now he had a name for what caused all of this. Spiders. Skitters. The Stairway Company.

And at the moment, one of those was blocking his path again.

To the Stallion’s surprise, the Skitter only glanced at the pony briefly before moving, tearing along the wall towards the elevators they had just left.

Perhaps it knew time was limited as well. But Astral paid it no mind, only taking a few seconds to toss a grenade behind them as a good measure.

“Three Minutes.”

There!

The Silo Junction sign glowed like an entrance to the heavens. He took the stairs two at a time, careful to not drop Sassi as he landed with a thud on the tile. Metal-shod hooves shattered the tiles as he skidded to avoid a pillar.

“Two Minutes.”

Their tram was still there; Astral ran to the front of the car.

“Input your code, select the main Silo Junction as the destination. There should be a simple icon to click,” Sassi instructed.

Tapping the keys, the override code immediately pulled up the destinations map, Astral tapping the appropriate location.

“One Minute…”

The tram doors shut, a familiar voice echoing as the car pulled away down the tracks.

“Zero. Detonating. Have a nice day.”

Astral didn’t let himself relax, a distant rumble then making the entire tram shake. Dust blew briefly past the car, then settling as they continued to travel.

That could have been us.

That thought was an overwhelming one, but the Thestral pushed it out of his mind.
“You holding up back there, Sassi?” he asked.

“Just peachy. You’re doing amazing,” the mare said, as if not entirely sure what to say.

“I aim to please. Let’s get back home.”

The tram slowed to a stop, Astral noting how the car was now ‘down for maintenance’ as soon as it docked with the station. The coast appearing clear, he trotted up the steps, peering out into the main floor.

Aside from the still-decaying dead bodies, it was oddly silent. And that made Astral nervous. The familiar feeling of eyes boring into the back of his head returned, and he didn’t have nearly enough bullets to deal with it.

“Sassi,” he said softly. “If you have any feeling at all in your limbs, I need you to hold on. The door should open when we’re close, right?”

“Y-yes. I set it to detect our badges. It will auto-arm the defenses once we’re inside.”

At first moving quietly, Astral abruptly felt almost shoved by an unseen force to pick up the pace, every instinct screaming at him to gallop.

So, he did.

Hooves slamming into the tile, the pony tore towards the security station, a cacophony of clicking echoing from behind and abovethe pair. He dropped the last grenade, letting it slide across the floor behind them.

The small security door slid open, the grenade detonating with the furious shrieks of maimed Skitters as Astral neared.

So close!

A particularly ambitious creature jumped ahead, landing directly in their path.

With a snarl, Astral fired. The creature’s arm was the first to be torn off, chest punctured by explosive rounds as a final shot ripped its throat apart. Astral jumped, barely clearing the fallen Skitter’s limbs as he aimed for the door.

In an unceremonious heap, Astral and Sassi landed inside with a thump, the door shutting and activating with a high-pitched hum. The pained cries indicated that a lot of Skitters and Spiders had been forming a welcoming committee just outside the tram exit.

“Sassi? You ok?” Astral asked, his limbs now starting to shake as he carefully slid the mare off his back.

Quite abruptly, Sassi started to laugh, an exhausted, tired, stressed, and scared laugh, but also a genuinelyhappy one.

“That. Was. Awesome!” she crowed, tapping her helmet against the wall as a sign for Astral to remove it. “You were incredible! Mangos and seeds Astral, you can really tussle!”

He managed a weak chuckle, the stallion ducking under to pick Sassi up again.

“We’re not home yet. Let’s get you set before I crash, yeah?” he said. “If I’m going to pass out, I want to make sure you’re going to be ok.”

Sassi was very quiet at that, the two traveling down the beautifully-silent lift to the apartment.

“Thank you,” she whispered, Astral looking over to her with a nod.

“I would say anytime, but let’s not do that again.”

The mare abruptly snorted, an exhausted grin on her face as they entered her apartment, the heavy door sealing behind them.

Safe.

Author's Note

Run, Astral, Run!
Somepony got it together! :yay:

Chapter Twenty Four: Rest and Revelations

Stopping in the hallway, Astral carefully put Sassi down, shedding his armor as he looked at her expectantly.

“So, how do we do this?” he asked. “I know there are medical supplies in the main room here; there’s an IV bag too? Along with more foam and a dressing for your wound?”

Sassi nodded at that, slightly speechless as she looked at the stallion. The Thestral in front of her was a very different one; an individual who almost seemed familiar. A soldier, not the glorified security secretary who had first met the mare.

She tried to ignore the warm fluttering in her chest at the sight.

“The IV bag is on the right side; it’s sealed, but we can do that after…I’m out of this armor,” the mare said, clearly not wanting to think about that process.

Not that Astral blamed her in the slightest.

“First, we need to rise all this blood and gore off me from what, ten hours ago? However long. The excess foam will dissolve in warm water, but an extra injection of the stuff wouldn’t hurt since it has antibiotic properties. Then just a basic set of gauze bandages for the puncture wound.”

“Right. No stitches, bad idea,” Astral mused. “Ok, so first we’ll get you clean and set up on your bed? Couch?”

“Couch probably.”

“Couch it is. Let’s do one thing at a time. First is to take a reading in case you need another injection.”

A blood-contaminate scanner from one of the manystockpiled medical kits indicated only a slightly-elevated reading of seven-point-five. They had time.

On the plus side, Sassi found that she could move a bit more of her limbs despite the reading. The downside was that they were clearly shaking against her will. Yet she saw nothing but understanding in Astral’s gaze, or at least as much as he could understand.

Getting the armor off was fairly easy, Sassi standing in the hallway as Astral got the water running. She hated the fact that fear now ate at her every thought. The stallion literally just carried her through a collapsing silo and freakish creatures, and she was worried about what he’d do.

Astral didn’t seem to show an inkling of annoyance at her doubts. Despite clear exhaustion radiating from the hours upon hours of stress, along with a now slight limp on his right-rear leg, the Thestral remained cheery as he carried her into the shower and stepped off to the side.

“Would zhee mademoiselle like the shampoo?”

The abrupt posh accent radiating from Astral made the mare turn her head in shock- as much as she could at least. Despite being utterly exhausted, sore, and near collapse, the Thestral managed to make her smile and, for a moment, completely forget their current circumstances (shower and otherwise.)

“W-what?”

“Zhee mademoiselle is getting zhee spa rinse, yes?” Astral continued, somehow perfectly nailing the Canterlot snootiness mixed with the accent from some of the better-known spa ponies. Sassi had been above ground enough to know that accent at least.

“Just a rinse. Just to get the main stuff off,” she managed to say, a rebellious smile twitching at her face.

“Zhee rinse it is!”

Astral calmly began to rinse Sassi down, the previous tension having mostly evaporated. She found herself smiling, both out of the fact that warm water was amazing, and the fact the stallion had managed to kill her fears with a simple silly accent. It was still there, but every passing moment that flew by continued to erase the remnants. Even if it was a silly gesture, it was something that distanced Astral from the ‘what if’ archetype Sassi had expected.

As the soap suds came off, Astral’s heart abruptly froze for a beat in shock.

He didn’t hesitate long, continuing to rinse the mare off. But the stallion couldn’t help but stare for a second at the dozens of scars crisscrossing Sassi’s body. Across every limb, up her shoulders, and down her back the grey scars were visible as if a foal had drawn a skeletal stick figure on the mare.

“It wasn’t voluntary.”

Sassi’s words echoed in his mind, and Astral had to swallow an emotional lump in his throat. He caught the other Thestral’s gaze for a split second, a clear, guarded, and expectant look in her eye as if Sassi assumed he’d say something.

All he could do was shake his head, the stallion clenching his jaw to stop the emotional lump from misting his vision. The thought that anyone, let alone a filly had to go through this…

It was too much for him to comprehend at that moment. His reaction seemed to make Sassi pause, genuine surprise in her eyes as Astral didn’t say anything or let his gaze linger.

“Oh, zhee seaweed scented conditioner iz magnifique!”

His accent immediately made her demeanor soften once again, Astral pushing it all out of his mind.

A few minutes later, and Sassi found herself rinsed off, the stallion watching where he put his hooves. His gaze was on her chest wound; the foam having dissolved.

“Ok, let’s get you on the couch,” he said, accent clearly on hold for now.

“No more posh pony?” she asked, finding that she could not so much walk as much as lean-and-drag her hooves as Astral supported her. There was very little of the guarded edge Sassi commonly had with her demeanor, an odd, almost curious manner taking its place in which she watched Astral.

“Nope, serious time now, unless the posh-pony helps,” he said, making sure she was comfortable before retrieving one of the many stockpiled medical kits.

“Ok, foam first,” he remarked, half to himself and half to Sassi. A quick re-application of the material and bandage was the final step, the stallion placing the kit back, returning with an IV stand and packaged bag.

“I haven’t put an IV in before,” he admitted.

“That’s fine; just read the instructions. These are fancy self-injecting ones. All you have to do is press the button and line it up,” she explained.

“Seriously?” Astral muttered, looking over the very basic instructions with a huff. “Wow, nothing like normal hospitals. So, this is the right one, correct?”

“Yep. That’s the antivenom. Why the IV version is such an ugly shade of tan, I don’t know. But a single bag will be more than enough. A lovely cocktail of antivenom, booster, and antibiotics.”

Following the instructions, Astral put the odd metal and crystal contraption on Sassi’s left forelimb, the device resembling a bunch of crisscrossed silverware. A simple spell illuminated the primary vein, and all Astral had to do was line up a projected line with it and press a button.

“And now you press the other button to clamp it to my arm,” Sassi explained, nodding in approval as he did so. “Tada! One IV for me. Now we wait.”

“Anything else you need?”

The question made Sassi stare, the mare shaking her head.
“You have done more than enough, Astral,” she said, finding a bit of a lump in her throat. “More than pretty much anyone else ever has. If I could have a ration bar and bottle of water within reach, I’ll be fine. You need to rest.”

Quickly putting the requested items next to her, Astral meandered into the shower himself, washing off the grime and blood splatters.

The stallion found himself zoning out, barely believing they had made it.

Did I really do all of that? He wondered. The thrill of pride in his chest seemed to confirm it, but it almost seemed like a daze. The painkillers were dulling the ache in his rear leg, so that was a plus. Something must have twisted when he was running. He hadn’t even noticed.

Toweling off, the stallion downed some water before snagging his usual blanket, dragging it over to Sassi.

“In case you need it,” he murmured, the world starting to become fuzzy. He retrieved the spare blanket Sassi had given him, curling up with it on the adjacent couch with a long sigh. A bed inside a dark room all alone didn’t sound the most appealing at the moment.

He dozed off within moments, vaguely hearing Sassi’s voice whisper to him.

“Thank you, Astral, for everything.”

Sassi wasn’t able to sleep, not that she didn’t want to, but the previous excitement certainly had her adrenaline pumping. Unlike Astral, she hadn’t been running all over the place.

So, she lay there, safe, and let herself take a few deep breaths.

The IV will handle the venom and any infection along with the foam. We’ve got enough supplies for a while even without Silo One. She mused. The AI was only in control of that one Silo, as far as I know, and the escape map indicated we’d have to go through Silo Two and Three anyhow.

Of course, that was all later, mainly after she recovered.

It was also after she figured out how in the world to see Astral now. Her previous way of thinking didn’t work. He wasn’t just a pony to be ordered about or seen as a total liability. He was something else.

On first meeting him, the stallion had been a clear risk factor. He had collapsed at the security station and been way over his head. While a nice change to the routine, he was still just a pony Sassi put in the ‘civilian’ category, guard training or not. The fact he froze had fully convinced the mare he’d be dead before he even got close to her security station.

But now?

Sassi frowned, reaching over with her mouth to pull the blanket over her with a sigh. Now, that view was simply outdated, to say the least. He had just literally carried her to safety and killed multiple Skitters on the way, and that was just the start of it. There was a lot more to Astral than she originally thought, perhaps more than he originally knew. And then there was how he acted.

I told him about the experiments, and he didn’t see me differently.
He saw the scars and didn’t say anything. He almost looked like he was about to cry.
And in the shower, he didn’t do anything. He tried to make me forget how scared I was- but without any other motive.

Why would somepony care that much? How could they?
…about me?

Astral clearly had no idea how much that meant to her. His initial reaction of shock, genuine anger, and empathy to learning about her past had thrown Sassi completely off guard. Sure, she knew logically that’s how a pony would react above ground to her admittance. But when you grow up with only one kind of reaction, anything outside of that was jarring. In this case, it was in a very good way.

The fact he hadn’t said anything about her scars only solidified the oddity. Most everyone commented on those, which led to the next conundrum.

The ‘pretty’ comments.

It didn’t make sense. Almost every casual interaction Sassi had grown up with ran completely counter with what this stallion indicated.

She wasn’t a pretty mare. Sassi had come to terms with that. The modifications, how creatures looked at her, treated her, made it clear Sassi wasn’t a likable pony in many of the ways that she wanted to be, most of the ways. That was what her life had told her.

Yet Flask had never confirmed those views, quite the opposite. He had worked hard at trying to convince her otherwise. But as her dad, it was hard to take some of his comments to heart. Now there was Astral. Now it wasn’t just one, but two ponies directly countering decades of opposing viewpoints.

Sassi just didn’t know what to believe.

It was hard enough to not admit to herself that she found herself liking the stallion more and more. Thatthought made Sassi suppress a groan.

So much for that. Not admitting it at least.

The fact she wasn’t having a stressful rebound from the entire shower experience was testament enough. She should be a nervous wreck after that; and yet there was a simple, odd calm. Astral had done exactly what he had said he would do. No motives, no sneaky glances or gestures, simply helped. It was so strange, so odd and out of place in Sassi’s world.

Sassi found herself eager for when Astral woke up. Not just for the companionship, which was a significant part of it, but even more for him to keep proving her wrong. It was so new, so inviting to have the constant fears blown away time and time again. It was almost like discovering a new world, a new land, or knowledge. Previous pillars of what she knew to be true simply vanished, allowing something new to grow.

She wanted to tell him everything. Lay it all out just to watch him dash the mountain of fear to dust. The mare now felt something that scared her more than the Skitters as she curled up in a ball, her heart fluttering with a rare warmth.

Hope.

That was something she hadn’t had for a long time. It scared the mare how much she wanted to hold on to it, even though such an emotion had been dashed to pieces time and time again. Yet this stalwart stallion had given Sassi something she thought had been lost, something she hadn’t even been sure was worth trying to believe in again.

As soon as I can move, I’m hugging you, Astral.

Author's Note

A lot more than meets the eye with a certain military-mare.
Poor Sassi.

Feedback is always appreciated!

Chapter Twenty Five: Heart to Heart.

Astral woke up with a wince. His entire body ached, back-left limb more than anything. Then again, he had dozed off in a storeroom and then run with a mare on his back the day before.

His eyes blinked lazily, the lights in the living room automatically having clicked on to a low, standby level. It was nice having another Thestral as a running-for-our-lives roommate. The lights were always at just the right brightness, and there weren’t any extremely loud sounds (like alarms) that would hurt his ears. But if the clock was right….

Slept through the entire day and part of the night.

Gaze immediately drifting over to Sassi, he noted how the IV bag was empty. She was still sleeping peacefully at least.

After getting up with another wince, Astral moved his stiff limbs slowly, gathering a few supplies to place on the kitchen table. Painkillers and some muscle hot-cold cream for him, and a new sterilized bandage for Sassi. He didn’t want to wake her up with making a smoothie, but he set the required ingredients aside just in case.

Almost as an afterthought, Astral meandered to the bathroom to smooth down the usual mane-fluff, noting the bags under his eyes despite the ten hours of sleep. He was exhausted, so today was definitely a ‘do absolutely nothing’ day.

The emotional weight of the pell-mell retreat from Silo One was still settling in. Another minute and both of them would have been buried. Oddly, it wasn’t as shocking of a revelation as it would have been a week or two ago. The stallion still felt a thrill of pride at how well he had done. No freezing, just acting. The raging fire in his mind had cooled off, leaving an exhausted void.

And yet the situation was oddly normal. He had seen and experienced odder things than a controlled demolition in his brief time here. The usual nerves and anxiety were present but at subdued levels.

Astral wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing that he was getting used to the deadly weirdness in this place, at least to an extent.

The stallion realized he had been zoning out for a few minutes, finally shaking his head and making his way back to the sofa. He flopped down and tried to get somewhat comfortable. While not hungry, taking painkillers on an empty stomach was a horrid idea.

A certain mare yawned, ears flicking as she slowly woke up. Astral almost laughed as a thought rose into his mind.

How could a mare be simultaneously intimidating and adorable? True, Sassi couldn’t move now, but she could likely still incapacitate him with a single hoof somehow…while still sleeping. He wasn’t about to call her adorable to her face just yet. He had a feeling she’d hit him on the shoulder which could dislocate it.

Yet she wasn’t nearly as scary as when they first met. Seeing that there was a vulnerable pony behind the hardened military front was rather interesting. It added an air of mystery, and Astral was wondering how much he’d learn about both sides of this mare. There was a lot more to Sassi than he originally thought. A side that was more akin to a standoffish comic book superhero…and then something else.

“Hey, Astral,” Sassi muttered, blinking owlishly as she yawned. The stallion felt something flutter in his chest as she looked his way. For a brief moment, there wasn’t the usually guarded glint in her eyes, just a simple, friendly, and attractive warmth.

“Hey, Sassi. Looks like we’re both still alive. I’ll take that as a win,” he replied, the mare chuckling.

“Yep. I can move my hooves a bit, even stand up, but I’ve got zero strength. Another day and I should be back to normal though,” she explained, then frowning. “No more injections needed, but as a heads up, I’ll probably crash today, a rebound from the doze of antivenom.” The mare disconnected the IV injection port with a simple movement of her hoof.

Astral simply shrugged at that, getting up with a wince as he made his way over to the blender.
“Well, sounds like it’s a smoothie day. Along with not moving much at all. I tweaked my back leg, so we’ll both be on relaxation duty.”

“No arguments here,” Sassi replied, ears then flattening as a slight bit of pink colored her cheeks out of either embarrassment, annoyance, or both. “Erm, if I could borrow you for a minute though? I can stand, but walking is out of my reach for now.”

Astral nodded, pausing his blending duties as Sassi slid off the couch, wobbling on her four hooves.

“Much better,” she sighed, Astral supporting her as she semi-walked down the hall to the bathroom. “Just being able to move is great. I woke up a few hours ago and just stood up for like, twenty minutes.”

A short trip to the bathroom, and Astral waited outside to then resume his role of acting as an extra set of legs for the mare, Sassi shaking her head as they returned to the couch.

“Seriously, Astral. Thank you,” she said in a rather subdued tone. “I know I said it before, but it’s still so weird for me. I’ve never had to rely on someone like this outside of Flask. But he’s my dad, so that’s different. This is a bit of an adjustment in a lot of w-ways.” The last few words seemed to waver slightly, but Astral didn’t pay that any mind.

“No big deal,” Astral said happily, then returning to his blending station. “I had to help out my siblings when they got sick at times. My dad cannot be in the same room as a throwing-up filly. If he did, then you’d get two ponies vomiting everywhere. He only made that mistake once.”

Sassi let out an amused snort at that.

A short time later, Astral delivered the long-awaited smoothie to Sassi’s grasp, settling down on the couch with his own meal.

“So, this stuff isn’t new to me,” he explained further. “I mean, I helped take care of my youngest sibling when my parents weren’t home. Feed them, all that stuff. Obviously, it’s a bit different here, but the concept is the same. Just making someone else comfortable.”

“Well, it means a lot, so, yeah,” Sassi said, words failing her. The mare occupied herself with downing part of the smoothie with a contented sigh. “Oh, I have missed that. Even if it was just a day. Fresh. Fruit.”

“Yeah, we’re running low,” he admitted, “and some of the fruits are getting almost too ripe. We’ll have to switch to rations within a day or two.”

“Eh, could be worse.”

Sassi then paused, her eyes swiveling towards the stallion.
“What’s your family like?” she asked cautiously. The fact her ears immediately flattened clued Astral into her next question. “I…don’t really know what it’s like to have siblings. So, I guess a better question is, what is it like having a family? Flask is my dad, but he could only do so much.”

Astral looked at her in shock, his ears drooping. He hadn’t thought about that.

“Ok, wow that came out a lot sadder than I meant it to,” Sassi added, but her ears betrayed that her cavalier attitude wasn’t entirely accurate.

“I mean, I can try to explain. It’s…hmm. It’s just a big ball of craziness at times,” he began. “My mom and dad led stuff as best they could. Being senior Night Guards, they always had that ‘scary’ aspect to them, but they rarely raised their voices to us like, ever. My two younger brothers and one sister were a bit more playful than my older sister and brother. I was in-between the hard-liner guard profession and ‘maybe we’ll try something new’ if that makes sense.”

“Huh, yeah it does.”

“It’s nice, honestly. You can let your guard down around them, at least for the most part. At least for my siblings, I was always able to have a listening ear,” Astral explained, “my parents weren’t the most involved, but they kept us out of trouble and generally supported what we wanted to do. Well, at least as long as it was Guard-related. They didn’t take it well if you wanted to try a different, unrelated career. So, when the…I…”

Astral’s voice drifted off, a tightness abruptly gripping his chest. He hadn’t meant to delve into those memories (it had been hard enough with a paid therapist) but now they all came flooding back full force.

“Family isn’t perfect,” he finally said, gaze drifting to the floor and not seeing Sassi’s concerned eyes locked onto him. “It’s a bunch of imperfect ponies trying to help each other and be there for each other during life. Sometimes that works out. Sometimes it doesn’t.”

Sassi was quiet for a time.
“I guess the Case changed stuff? Do you still talk to them?”

Astral clenched his jaw, nodding once.
“Now and again. But nothing like before. I didn’t realize how ‘misguided’ my parents thought I was, having such reservations about joining the guard and liking something they saw as superfluous. The Case kind of just proved them right in a sick way. I don’t think they even realize it,” he added, ears flattening. “I don’t hold it against them, how can I? They got misled just like most other ponies I talked to. So, imperfect ponies trying to do the right thing. In my case, they’re still working on it.”

“I’m sorry, Astral. I didn’t mean to stir up stuff,” Sassi whispered.

“Not your fault. I’m surprised I didn’t realize it would stir stuff up,” he admitted. “It’s a part of me, so I’m not going to hide it. Even if it stinks, it formed who I am, good or bad.”

That seemed to make Sassi think, eyes drifting to the floor.

“But I still love them. I hope maybe they’ll believe me one day. It still hurts most of them didn’t. My younger brother and sister did. Still waiting on the rest of my family,” Astral added.

“It still sounds nice, even with the ups and downs.”

“It is. It just takes getting used to. I kind of have to learn where I fit in this ‘new’ family.”

“That’s a good way of thinking about it.”

Sassi was quiet, her ears then perking up.
“Do you want a family? Like, I guess that’s a personal question, but I definitely don’t have the best measurement of that sort of thing in terms of what ponies talk about,” she admitted. “Well, outside of knowing a few things of what not to talk about, which were usually the topics of conversation among workers here.”

“Eh. It’s a common question one for sure,” he said with a wave of his hoof. “Family in terms of like, kids? That’s what most creatures mean at least. Not for me, I just never really wanted them for various reasons. I’ve got enough siblings that I can be a crazy Uncle if I want. But ‘Family’ in the sense of adding someone to my life, oh, definitely,” he let out a weak chuckle at that, “just haven’t been too successful.”

“Huh. Ponies have different definitions? I guess that makes sense,” she mused. “I guess most just assume family equals kids,” Sassi stuck out her tongue at that. “Yeah, I’ve got waaaaay too much stuff I want to do. I’ve spent my entire life mostly underground. I just want to be free to explore. So, kids were a ‘no’ with an exclamation point. But I never really factored in even having someone else, to be honest. It seemed so…odd at times. Someone who cared that much?”

The mare got quiet at that, very quiet, her gaze locked onto her hooves.
“I guess I never let myself think about it.”

Her eyes then locked onto Astral, the mare seeming to weigh out her next words carefully.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure?” he replied cautiously, not entirely sure what to expect.

“You’ve said it a few times, and I just want to make sure I’m not misinterpreting things.” Her eyes refused to leave Astral, genuine curiosity swimming in their depths, but a familiar, guarded edge now returned.

“The ‘pretty’ and ‘gorgeous’ comments. What do you mean?”

Author's Note

Cue dial-up tone noises for poor Astral.

Chapter Twenty Six: Untangling Threads.

Astral stared, blinking as he stammered initially for a response.

“I-erm…” he took a deep breath. The stallion let out a sigh as he winced, not able to look at Sassi as his cheeks immediately began to burn.

“Ponyfeathers. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he admitted, ears flattening immediately, the embarrassed blush now bright on his face. “Gabbro, my best friend, said I usually flirt without even trying. When I’m stressed or just forget, I just speak without thinking. I really didn’t mean to overstep anything. The filter just isn’t there at times. I’ve gotten better when focusing on talking, but I’ve just been too stressed I guess.”

That answer seemed to simply confuse Sassi, the mare’s head tilting as her brow furrowed.
“Well, ok, good to know, but I’m not upset in the slightest. That wasn’t what I was looking for. That makes things more confusing.”

That made Astral’s head snap up.
“Huh?”

“I wanted to know why you were saying such things. I’ve only gotten those comments before when it was clear they wanted something from me. Never sincerely aside from my dad, but he’s, well, my dad. I know I’m not the best-looking mare out there. You saw the scars.” Sassi said, her gaze not able to meet his as the last words left her mouth. Her ears drooped, the Thestral’s demeanor seeming to shrink slightly as she spoke.

What she didn’t expect was for Astral to stare at her like she had grown four new heads.
“Wait. Are you serious?” the stallion asked, Sassi’s previously solid foundational argument starting to crack.

“Yes. I appreciate compliments, but I don’t like insincere ones,” she huffed. “It’s a nice thought, but not as much when it’s untrue. That part borders on the offensive and makes me wonder what you want.”

Astral’s face was now a lovely shade of purple, the stallion letting out a sigh as he looked anywhere but the confused mare.

“Ok, uh, I’m going to be as blunt as possible, Sassi, especially considering the creeps you’ve had to deal with and what they probably said,” Astral remarked, still not able to look at her. “I wasn’t being insincere. When I make those comments…they’re about as genuine as I can be.”

“Huh?” Sassi blinked, the answer making the poor stallion a bit more fidgety.

“If I asked ten random Thestral stallions to define what type of mare they found physically attractive, I’d be shocked if more than one or two said you wouldn’t be near the top of their list, scars and all. And last I checked, you’re both very smart and rather fun to hang out with. So, attractive in many ways.”

Sassi’s face was abruptly becoming hot, the Thestral mare staring at the uncomfortable stallion as she tried to process what he was saying.

My entire life, I’ve always been viewed as…

“You’re not joking, are you, Astral?” she asked, voice bordering on a squeak towards the end, much to the mare’s annoyance.

“Not in the slightest.”

She could only stare, her usual military-minded methods of sorting problems and solutions coming up utterly blank.

“If I may be furtherly blunt, Sassi, how in the world did you grow up not realizing that?” Astral asked pointedly, the mare shaking her head.

“When you’re a modified pony, creatures treat you differently,” Sassi said, cheeks still a bright pink as her violet eyes darted to look anywhere but Astral. “Especially if you’re an orphan and raised for a brutal job. I wasn’t a normal mare, a co-worker. Compliments were never given without a specific goal. When all you get are insincere remarks, lead-ins to what some other pony wants from you, you eventually believe the opposite. I was just seen as a…” her voice drifted off, Sassi shaking her head. “Let’s leave it at that for now,” she said, no sharpness behind her tone but a soft, respectful pleading.

“That’s fair enough. But that still doesn’t explain things fully. I won’t pry though. I am still amazed though that this company is standing with that revelation.”

“Huh?” Sassi asked, now utterly lost.

“Because if you grew up thinking that, everyone in this place must have been blind.”

It started as utter silence, then a soft *snrk*, then a side-aching laugh that made Sassi flop onto the sofa with a wide, genuine smile.

“That, Astral, was absolutely horrible. And yet rather smooth,” she finally said, the stallion sitting up proudly.

“Well, I was trying that time, and those moments are hit or miss. But my point stands.”

Sassi’s train of thought abruptly wrecked as she realized a very obvious fact.
“So, to that end, you find me…” she left the statement open-ended, partially because Astral being flustered was one of the more enjoyable things to witness.

“To be an extremely attractive mare in many ways, yes,” he clarified, somehow managing to meet her gaze briefly, an awkward grin now on his face. Astral couldn’t help but feel a bit of nerves creep in, but the warmth in his chest helped counter that.

Honesty had gotten him this far.

“And yes, a mare who is also a bit intimidating since she could bench press me with a single hoof, but someone I’d like to get to know more. You’re fun to be with even when we’re not running for our lives. If not for our current situation and everything, I’d have asked you out on a date.”

The mare was genuinely speechless. It was one thing to suspect it, but to hear something like that directed at her was different. Genuine sincerity and a simple, happy awkwardness. It made Sassi’s heart melt. She briefly wondered if that was how she should be feeling, her everyday ‘normal’ now being exposed for the outlier.

Seeing her surprise, Astral winced, ears pinning back briefly.
“Hopefully that’s not too forward,” he added, Sassi shaking her head immediately before he could further misinterpret her surprise.

“No! I mean, just…” she stammered, letting out a frustrated huff. “This is new for me, ok? I-it’s not too forward at all.” The mare wished her chest would stop fluttering, an emotional lump clogging her throat. “I’d really like to get to know you more as well. A friend and more so. Including taking you up on that date.”

“Really?”

Astral’s reply made Sassi laugh, the mare weakly gesturing towards him with a hoof.
“What do you mean ‘really?’” she added, “you literally held my hoof when I was sick, risked your life for me, and have been nothing but understanding of every odd thing about my life that I’ve told you. Of course, I want to get to know you more and see where things go.”

The mare then paused, eyes dropping to her hooves. “Just, I need time to figure out how to do that. I haven’t been open to the idea of having someone as a close friend, let alone anything more.” Sassi let out a tired chuckle, but her eyes betrayed a storm of turmoil behind the casual gesture.

“I’m closer to you in ways than I’ve been with anyone other than Flask, but that’s different. I don’t really know how to go from here. So, yeah.”

His brow furrowing, Astral finally shrugged his wings.
“Well. We’ve got nothing but time. I’m not entirely sure either. This isn’t exactly the time and place I’d find out a mare was interested in me. Imminent death and all that.”

That earned a rather odd look from Sassi, the mare letting out a frustrated groan.
“It’s why I didn’t get attached to creatures here,” she admitted, “first, they were lousy individuals. Second, they might be transferred, eaten, or die of incompetence,” Sassi then jabbed a hoof towards Astral. “Then you waltz in here and make it happen anyway!”

“Um…sorry?”

That prompted a glare from Sassi, even if there was no venom behind it.
“Don’t apologize for being you. I’m just trying to come to terms with it all. There’s still plenty you don’t know about me. I’m surprised you want to learn more. There’s a reason I didn’t believe other pony’s compliments.”

Now it was Astral’s turn to look at her, his eyebrows raising.

“You mean learn more about a mare who is a borderline super-pony, saved my life, likes my smoothies and wants to explore the world? Has three degrees and is still curious and wanting to learn? That mare?” he asked, a genuine but slightly goofy grin on his face. The Thestral couldn’t help it. “The pony who has an armory in her room but also is totally easygoing and fun to be around? Are you seriously asking why I’d want to learn more? Seriously, Sassi. Why wouldn’t I?”

Apparently, Sassi hadn’t been expecting an equally honest answer in return, because her face was bright pink, mouth hanging slightly open as Astral smirked.

“Don’t ask a question you don’t want an answer for,” he proclaimed cheerfully. “I’m not sure where we go from here, but that’s about as honest as I can be. I can tell there’s a lot of stuff you’re not telling me, but I don’t expect anything else at this point. We all have our own stuff to work through. That doesn’t mean we can’t get to know each other while that’s happening.”

She still clearly wasn’t sure how to reply, Sassi finally letting out a frustrated huff.
“I’m not good at this,” she said, burying her head into a pillow before glancing his way. “I guess, just give me some time to figure what this means? It might be simple for you to realize you are interested in someone, but not so much for me. Our situation is complicated enough as it is.”

“That’s fine,” Astral said calmly, shrugging his shoulders with a happy smile. “I’m just happy to be on the same page and find out an amazing mare sees me as potential special-somepony material. Today is already a good day.”

Taking a few moments to think, Sassi finally spoke up.
“A picnic,” she said firmly.

“A what now?”

“The question before, when you asked what an ideal first date would be?” she said, a clear bit of hesitancy in her voice. “I figure you may as well know. I just, I haven’t told anyone before. Not what I’d really like that is. So, a picnic.”

“That sounds rather nice,” Astral mused, still a tad confused, “wait, were you concerned what I’d think? That’s hardly an odd idea for a date.”

“Astral, the creatures here didn’t have a healthy way to pursue relationships. Flask made that very clear,” Sassi explained, “their idea of a first date involved some wine and a bouncy bed. There usually wasn’t a second date, or at least, what most would call one. How some of them got married, I never will know. And for me, a pony who was usually the one sent to eliminate any experiments who were on the loose, always the deadly mare…” she let her words hang.

“The idea of you wanting a picnic could be seen as a weakness, let alone even being nice. That was for the above-ground ponies, the ones who were too ignorant of the world if I had to guess their viewpoint.”

Once again, Astral surprised Sassi with his insightfulness, the stallion putting exact words to a noncoherent fear.

“Basically. I wasn’t that kind of mare, into picnics and…romantic fluff,” she explained, curling up into a slight ball. “At least, that’s what everything thought.”

“They only saw the military-Sassi, huh?” he suggested, the mare nodding once, “not the one who enjoys chatting, smoothies, and wanting to explore the world?”

“That’s how it had to be,” the Thestral replied softly, eyes not meeting his. “It wouldn’t have ended well if they knew me past that. I tried mentioning stuff a few times but quickly learned why not to.”

He let out a long breath, head shaking back and forth.
“That sounds rough. So basically, you could only be half a pony?”

Another nod.

“Hmm. Well, I’ve seen what the military side of you can do, but I’m interested in knowing about Sassi as a whole. So where would be the best place for a picnic do you think?” Astral asked, noting how her ears immediately perked up at that.

The blush on her cheeks was rather lovely, the stallion had to admit.

“Just on a hill, under a tree,” she finally said, clearly embarrassed and not looking over to Astral. It was odd and rather striking, seeing this abrupt, almost shy mare who previously had torn apart two Skitters without blinking. “Somewhere quiet and alone.”

Then again, perhaps that’s why she is so embarrassed. Nobody would expect it from her if all they saw was military-Sassi. I know a few ponies like that.

“Huh. Well, that sounds rather nice, honestly,” Astral mused, a bit of the embarrassed flush on Sassi’s face fading. “Rather romantic. I can’t say I expected it from you, but it’s a nice surprise.”

“Nobody would,” she mumbled, half into the pillow.

“Ahhh. Because naturally,you’d much rather fight freaky spider mutants on a date? Or so they think?”

A slight nod greeted his words.

“Well, I think knowing you have a romantic side is nice. Makes you seem more…” he gestured in the air with his hoof, “real, in a way. Not just one-dimensional. Nice to know there’s a mare underneath the armor, romantic fluff included.”

For some reason, the look that Sassi sent his way as she peeked over the cushions made Astral’s heart abruptly melt. It was brief, but her violet eyes just seemed so alive, genuine, almost pleadingly hopeful. A crack in the armor that Astral hadn’t even known Sassi was wearing.

“So, it’s only fair if we hold to the question rules,” he added. “I guess it’s a bit of a cop-out with my cutie mark and hobby, but a stargazing date sounds amazing.” It was now the stallion’s turn to look a bit wistful. “Just sitting under the sky and thinking about how small we are, but at least are together. It just-I suppose I can relate to you on the ‘not understanding’ bit. It’s changing, but not many stallions would be supportive of…” he held up his hooves in mock quotes “‘fluffy’ dates. Even though I think it’d be fun. Maybe I’m old-fashioned or something. Or just simple.”

Sassi let out a huff at that, her blush seeming to have intensified slightly at Astral’s description of his ideal date.
“Yeah, I say neither of those things applies to you,” she mused, then smirked at him. “Last I checked, isn’t it a good thing that stallions don’t like those dates? Aren’t you trying to get with a mare?”

Raising a hoof to object, Astral then put it down with a grin.
“You raise a fair point,” he admitted, gaze softening as he looked over to her. “How about this, Sassi. When we get out of here, we go on a picnic date, and, if you’d like, a stargazing one.”

It looked like the mare was tearing up, but Astral couldn’t be sure as she glanced away. A slight sniffle confirmed such suspicions though.
“A-and maybe a combo of the two?” she suggested, Astral smiling at that.

“And maybe a combo, with plenty of garlic hayfries. So at least three dates to test the waters once we’re out of here and can relax without doom hanging over our heads. Until then, we’ll just see how it goes? Now that we at least have things out in the open a bit?”

Now he was sure there were tears in Sassi’s eyes, but she nodded firmly.
“I’d like that, Astral. I’d like that a lot.” Her purple eyes then narrowed playfully. “As soon as I can move, be prepared for a hug. Assuming you like them at least.”

“I’m not usually huggy,” he admitted, rather amused at seeing Sassi’s ears drop.

Evidently, she is.

“But if it’s with someone I’m interested in, that changes. I haven’t really had many chances to explore hugs if that’s an area of study.”

Aaaaand the ears are back up.

“Is somepony a hugger?” he said with a slightly teasing tone, Sassi not meeting his gaze but mumbling.

“Maybe. I don’t really know.”

He then trotted over to pick up her empty smoothie cup, the Thestral surprised at how vulnerable Sassi looked. She was clearly embarrassed; rubbing it in wouldn’t be the nice thing to do.

“Well, let’s add that to the list of things to test out then?” he suggested with a kind smile, returning the cups and then sitting next to the table. “In the meantime, I have a date with a hot shower and painkillers. This blasted leg is bugging me.”

“The first stallion I’ve seriously wanted to go on a date with better not cheat on me with a shower and painkillers,” Sassi grumbled, Astral not able to resist a laugh, even as his face heated up.

Wait. The first serious one?

“I mean, the shower is kind of…hot.”

A loud groan met Astral’s words, the mare evidently not appreciating his pun enough.

“I’ll take fighting the Skitters over those puns.”

So unappreciative.

“Say, do you know how to play board games? I have a lot of them I’ve wanted to learn, but Flask never had the time to teach me, and I didn’t have the time to figure it out myself,” Sassi added, Astral glancing over to the large cabinet full of the items.

“Huh? Yep! I recognize a lot of them. I take it we have the next few hours planned then?”

Sassi’s gaze was an immediate answer, a bright, cheery eagerness shining in her violet eyes.

How could he say no to that?

Author's Note

Aww. Getting things out in the open. Yay!

As always, feedback is greatly appreciated!

Chapter Twenty Seven: Comforts

Sassi shivered underneath the blankets. Fear dug into her heart with illogical claws, the Thestral huddling into a miserable ball.

The dream hadn’t even been a figment of her imagination. The usually weighted blanket just didn’t have the same effect when draped over her on the couch. Usually, the nights weren’t that bad. She didn’t usually have nightmares. It was almost always memories, something much worse.

I can still feel the needles in my limbs.
My chest, my side.
And nobody cared.
Paralyzed as they just watched the monitors.
Results over all else.
I can’t remember when I started screaming.
Only when I stopped.

A few hot tears sprang to the mare’s eyes and ran down her cheeks. A kind, sincere stallion had broken apart all of her walls by simply caring. That was the crux of the matter, a simple aspect of life so many creatures took for granted. And it had happened fast. Each of his actions had progressively shattered the preconceptions she had about him and what she wanted in general. The determined fire in Astral’s eyes when he had literally carried her to safety had dug into the mare’s heart a lot more than Sassi originally thought. He asked for nothing in return. That simple fact had been a commonality over all of Astral’s actions.

Sincerity, genuine care was something Sassi was realizing had been largely missing from her life, and Astral was exposing that fact every hour he was around her.

She hated to ask him. He deserved to rest, and it was clear the Thestral was still utterly exhausted. Astral had taken some painkillers to help with his leg, but they weren’t too heavy.

As much as Sassi willed it to be so, logic couldn’t help her right now. The memories were too raw, too close to the surface. While her strength was returning, it was still too close. Too similar to times before.

Yet now she had someone here who did care. Even if the mare was still trying to figure out how to process it all. The two of them had played various board games for hours; the pair evenly matched. She won Chess, he won Nimopoly, and back and forth they went. It had been fun. Actual, genuinely fun in which their situation was a muted side-thought.

The times Sassi could remember which that three-letter word was used ran fairly thin outside of with her dad, at least outside the few times growing up with other kids her age.

At this moment, however, she just needed to know someone was there. It certainly wasn’t the first time she had curled into a ball on her bed and cried as a grown mare, but it was the first time she had been able to ask for help. That she let herself ask.

“Astral?” she asked softly, the stallion asleep on the other couch, his hind limb in a better position than if he was on a bed. “Astral?”

“Muah?” he mumbled, flopping over and blinking slowly. The fact his mane was so adorably fluffy nearly chased away the demons in Sassi’s mind alone. “Sassi? You alright?” he asked, green eyes blinking sleepily, concern starting to flood his gaze.

The first thing he asks.

“N-not really,” she managed to utter. What could she say? “Just a mental wave. And I can’t sleep. Sorry to wake you. I just-I don’t want to remember stuff,” the mare added rather lamely. “I just can’t let myself think. Sorry. I didn’t know what to…”

“Oh. Ok,” he said blearily, flopping out of bed and meandering to the couch drunkenly. “Scoot.”

Sassi barely had time to be surprised as Astral slid next to her, curling up so that his back and shoulder were towards her; perfect ‘pillow’ height.

“There. This is better,” he mumbled, “just use me as a pillow if it helps.”

The fluffy Thestral abruptly fell back asleep as if a light switch had been flicked.

She didn’t know how exactly to react. Was Astral even awake when he moved? Perhaps the painkillers were more powerful than they had thought. Sassi took a moment to try and process her thoughts. The mare honestly wasn’t sure what frightened her more; the fact that her usual fears, doubts, and anxieties about having someone this close were so subdued, or the fact that the insecurities had fled so quickly.

Creatures just didn’t get this close to her; both out of their own volition and her personal boundaries. Flask was the only one who had hugged her occasionally. But this? Not having her usual aversions to contact was completely alien territory for the mare. After a few false starts, Sassi leaned her head on Astral’s back, not able to hold back an utterly content sigh.

It all just faded away. The simple act of having someone there who didn’t provoke her usual fears, just…

I can’t think about it right now. It’s too much with the memories.

Explanations could come later. At least this worked. She hadn’t been joking when the mare first met him. Even without the helmet’s enhanced audio, hearing his steady heartbeat was somehow soothing. The smell of Astral’s fur was a surprisingly lovely thing to fall asleep to as well.

Once again, Astral, you surprise me. Even if you may not remember doing any of this. Tomorrow will be interesting.

Thank you.

Astral yawned, the stallion curling up into a tighter ball. Surprisingly, he felt rather decent underneath the still-drowsy cloud his mind was under. The blanket was warm, and the pillow, while oddly positioned, was quite nice. He scooted a bit closer, burying his cheek into the soft material. Whatever the pillow was made of, it was fantastic.

Smells rather nice too, he mused, gunpowder and fruit.

That thought settled in his mind, the Thestral’s eyes snapping open as he processed the mental words.

Wait.

Another oddity about his current position was that the pillow was hugging him.

A few things ran through Astral’s mind, one of which was the pony making peace with his life if Sassi decided to hug too tight considering there was a forelimb around his upper chest and neck.

Cautiously craning his neck, Astral tried to figure out how in the world he got into this position. Curled up next to the mare, the pillow against the back of his head had apparently been Sassi’s chest, the mare burrowing her head into his upper back and wrapping a set of forelimbs around the stallion.

He found himself oddly conflicted. On the one hoof, if Astral moved he’d wake the sleeping mare up. On the other, he had no idea how in the world he got from one couch to snuggling next to Sassi.

And then there was the fact it was comfortable. Considering it was the closest he had been to anyone in years, the Thestral was having a true mental battle of whether to move. He just felt safe, and that was something in short supply when running for his life underground.

Thankfully, his decision wasn’t necessary as Sassi shifted, a soft mumble leaving her mouth. The mare’s movements became a bit more distressed, her shoulders twitching as her hold around Astral tightened.

A nightmare?

“Please, no more. They hurt.”

The soft, barely-audibly whimper made Astral’s heart shatter. There was no filter, a simple, soft, pained plea as the mare cried in her sleep.

What did that do to you, Sassi?

“Sassi?” he whispered, shaking his shoulders slightly, hoping to wake her up. Unfortunately, his actions seemed to have the opposite effect. The mare abruptly burrowed further into Astra’s mane; her body immediately relaxing. Her hold around him tightened, a content sigh making his fur rustle as Astral’s face radiated a lovely pink glow.

He wasn’t about to complain, but Astral would feel a lot better about all of this if it was voluntary.

Held hostage by a hug.

Judging from her nightmare, Astral was happy to help, even if it meant being a pillow. Thankfully with a yawn, Sassi shifted a bit, a rather cute mumble leaving her mouth as she sat up slightly.

The soft, adorable *eep* that reached his sensitive ears indicated that a certain mare had abruptly noticed her position, forelimbs slowly retracting as she said one word.

“Huh.”

Astral slowly sat up, stretching his neck and blinking as he looked over to a mare with very pink cheeks, despite her casual demeanor.

“Sassi. I have no idea how I got over here,” he admitted, “so, I’m sorry in advance, but I don’t remember anything.”

She opened her mouth, then shook her head with a sigh.
“Y’know, if I didn’t like you, I’d joke about having you made it a night to remember,” she mused, “but that’s no fun now. However, the painkillers were a bit stronger than we thought.”

The mare abruptly let out a cackle as Astra’s previously-blushing face drained of all color, Sassi waving a hoof.

“Oh gosh, nothing badhappened,” she wheezed, her blush still quite present as she didn’t meet Astral’s gaze. “In fact, you helped, well, about as well as you could have.”

“I did?” he managed to say, the other Thestral still not looking his way, her left forelimb rubbing the other. Her ears flattened briefly.

“I was having a rough night,” she said softly, “horrid memories. I woke you up not really sure how you could help. You simply said for me to scoot over and that I could use you as a pillow. And then you were out,” her eyes met his for the briefest of moments. “I must have shifted in my sleep to…um…yeah.” She glanced away, hoof scuffing at the sofa cushion. “So, thanks.”

“You’re welcome? I think? I honestly don’t remember, but at least I helped,” Astral replied, a kind smile on his face. “You were having a nightmare this morning a bit ago,” he admitted. “That’s when I woke up at least. You gave me a blanket to help with my rough night, it’s only fair I acted as a pillow for one of yours.”

Sassi’s eyes were wide at that, a flicker of fear darting across her gaze.
“Did I say anything?” she asked cautiously, Astral’s head tilting curiously. His ears flattened, the stallion gritting his teeth.

“To stop. That they hurt,” he whispered, shaking his head. He noticed that Sassi only winced slightly as if Astral’s words weren’t a surprise.

“Oh. That dream,” she muttered. “Well, thank you again.”

Astral nodded; he wasn’t about to pry. He could connect the dots easily enough.

“Of course. It…” the stallion stopped, shaking his head. “It didn’t sound nice. I’m glad I was able to help even if it was being a pillow. Happy to help anytime.”

The last few words made the stallion’s cheeks heat up; he hadn’t really thought those words through. Sassi seemed rather amused by it; a definite pink tinge on her face.

Astral decided to add a little bit of levity to the situation; the last thing he would want to think about would be bad dreams.

“It’s also a nice surprise to wake up finding out that the mare who fancies me finds me equally comfy.”

Sassi’s mouth hung open at that, the indeed pink-faced mare staring at him in shock, Astral wincing.

“Too much?”

The mare didn’t say anything for a few moments, and it was Astral’s turn to be surprised as a genuinely shy smile lit up her face, violet eyes not able to meet his. The mare’s demeanor shifted ever so slightly, losing the usual confident edge. Instead, there was something else, softer and almost vulnerable. There was an odd sincerity about the mare now, a sliver of someone else showing their face.

It was endearing, to say the least.

“Not too ‘much’, but just, new,” she managed to say, “I’m…nopony has really-this is all new for me, slight genuine flirting included. I’m just not used to getting those types of compliments sincerely.”

“You do understand I find that shocking,” Astral admitted, Sassi continuing to smile.

“Well, it’s surprising for me to hear that. Most compliments or flirting in my life, if you could call it that, were centered around crass remarks involving one-night stands or having that be the end goal. Any experience I have with otherwise is related to what Flask said usually happens when dating, or various books or such.”

“I did see A Queen Betrothed in your library. It’s nice to know you have an inconceivable taste.”

Sassi snorted at the reference, her head shaking back and forth.
“You’ll have to give me time to get used to that too. But just keep being you, Astral.”

“So, smoothie-maker, occasional pillow, fifty-fifty good or horrendous flirter, and future date?” he suggested, the shy expression returning.

The stallion quickly decided that this other side of Sassi was equally attractive and intriguing. To know the mare had another side that was starting to peek through made him oddly excited to get to know her, that part of her more.

“Yes. That and much more. But let’s get started to the day before my face stays red forever.”

Astral chuckled, hopping off the bed and meandering to the kitchen.
“A shame. It’s a lovely look.”

“Not helping, Astral.”

“Neeeeever said I was!” The exasperated but clearly amused sigh in response made Astral grin, the bat-pony walking over to the kitchen to scrounge.

“Well, we have enough for one more large smoothie. I’ll throw it all in and see if it’s good,” he reported, “today is just a relaxing one I assume? Planning for our next move?”

After taking a tentative sip of the then-prepared smoothie, Sassi nodded in reply.
“In a word? Yep. I’ve tried every day or so to access any sort of exterior or interior communications systems, but they were all shut down the day things went haywire. So, we’ll need to check that, but we can start to plan how to get through Silo Two.”

Astral noted how her voice hitched on mentioning that Silo, the mare’s ears flattening to her skull.

“Silo Two isn’t going to be a walk in the park, huh?” he asked softly, settling on the couch opposite her.

“It’s where I spent a lot of my time. Where I was modified, grew up at times…” she shook her head as the words trailed off. “The less time I spend there, the better.”

“Well, it’s not like we’re coming back to this place.”

Sassi’s ears perked up at that.
“Hmm?”

Astral gestured with a hoof, shrugging his wings.
“I can’t imagine the difficulties you’re going through, Sassi. But this is just a thought, you only have to go through it one more time. Seeing stuff and the memories directly. After that, we’re gone and not coming back to this place, not unless you want to. Unless you really want to work for them after all of this.”

She snorted at that, turmoil in the mare’s eyes betraying the gears turning in her mind.
“That is a very nice thought, Astral,” Sassi said, “and I don’t know if I’m ready to think about it like that.”

“You didn’t go above ground much, huh?” he asked carefully.

“Not really, a few times a year until recently,” she admitted, “but it’s still a huge change. An entirely new world. I want it more than I can explain, but it’s still a bit unsettling.”

Astral was quiet for a time, the stallion getting up to take her empty glass. On passing, he reached over and gave her a simple pat with his wing, the Thestral then walking to the kitchen.
“Well, you’re not going to be alone in figuring it out,” he said firmly, “even if things don’t work out in terms of us dating for whatever reason, you’ll still have a friend regardless.”

On settling back on the couch, Astral looked over to see Sassi’s eyes rather damp, the stallion wincing. “I’d have trouble forgiving myself if I made a mare cry, so…”

She laughed, swiping a forelimb across her face.
“Sorry, just. It’s a lot to take in. The fact I can even act like this around somepony is overwhelming. Usually, it’s bits and pieces. Not all of it. The fact you’re not laughing at me just opens the stupid floodgates.”

“Forgive me for being selfish, but it’s rather nice to have me being the support,” Astral admitted with a grin, “after having my rear end saved multiple times by you, it was a little bit intimidating. I’ll take any supportive roles as a win to my fragile ego.”

“I can still bench press you,” Sassi grumbled.

“I never said you weren’t still intimidating.”

“…with one hoof.”

“I rest my case.”

That seemed to make the mare a bit happier, Sassi getting up and stretching slowly.
“Ugh. Pins and needles, but should be good,” she remarked, “I’ll be on the treadmill for a few hours to work the last of that junk through my system.”

“Maybe I’ll monitor the cameras? Just the stuff you showed me, nothing fancy?”

She nodded at that.

“Sassi, could-is there a way for me to access company files?”

The mare froze at that, turning to look at him with a guarded gaze.
“Hmm?”

Astral shrugged, gesturing to the table where the drive still sat.
“I just want to get a general idea of what this organization has been doing. If I can help bring them down, I want to. But I want to know what exactly the company that hired me was doing.”

Sassi chewed her lip, clearly uncomfortable about something before nodding once.
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” she mused, “Use that administrator password on the terminal if anything is restricted. You should be able to access any information you want. The search engine can even take verbal requests.”

It didn’t take but a few moments for Astral to piece together why the mare was so nervous.

“I won’t search anything regarding you,” he said softly, Sassi’s ears perking upright. “The stuff you aren’t telling me, I trust it’s for a good reason. I know what it’s like to have someone find out things about your life before you’re ready.”

Looking like she was near tears again, the mare managed a slight smile.
“Thank you, Astral. I’m going to go walk before you hit me with any more emotional punches.”

“That’s fair enough. Glad to have you back,” he said with an understanding nod, the two separating to their different destinations.

Once up in the security terminal, Astral sat down with a deep breath. Did he want to know all of this? It was a moot question. Part of him needed to know. This was the company that had killed so many, hurt Sassi, and had paid his bills. The latter thought made him shudder.

Turning to one of the monitors, the search bar blinked softly, Astral leaning towards the microphone.

“General search.”

I need to know.

Author's Note

Poor Sassi. Lots of developments in this chapter.

As always, feedback is appreciated! Also, if you have an idea for a weird Silo floor these two might encounter...leave it in a comments. :trollestia: (If I use the idea, I'll certainly credit you.)

Chapter Twenty Nine: Progress

“We have a connection.”

Twilight’s mouth narrowed into a smirk. Despite assurances that there was ‘no way it could be done’ by the Stairway company, they had found a way to relay a crude series of instructions to the trapped scientists. It seems that the facility jamming signals weren’t as bulletproof as the Company claimed.

“Let’s proceed then. Time to let those ponies know they’re not alone down there. The primary objective is to confirm who is alive and needing rescue. Are all exits secured?”

“At least the ones we know about,” the team leader said, the unicorn examining a clipboard in front of them, the throne room conveniently empty for this very purpose. “The company is reluctant to disclose some of the exits, but they have no legal room to stand on. Nothing has come out of the exits as well, for better or worse.”

“Assign additional guards to each exit as it is revealed then. This will be a process as we drag it out of them. They have very little to gain but everything to lose it would seem. Carry on,” Twilight mused, hoof tapping in thought.

She had put out a notice to Astral’s parents; the two of them would be meeting with her within the next day or two. As to what she’d say, the Princess wasn’t sure, hence wanting to get some form of communication established for certain.

The last thing she wanted to do was inform them that their son was alive when in fact, he was not.

While the Company was dragging its hooves, multiple nations were pressuring them into cooperation. Unfortunately, and potentially more troubling, the Gryphon Empire had been subdued in their response.

While now one of the closest allies of Equestria under Emperor Ironclaw, the silence of the Empire was a warning flag indeed. Considering Tanzil, the Emperor, was a close friend of Twilight’s, the odd response worried the Princess far more than she let on. He had been absent for their usual talks for the past few months. Other than missing being able to talk openly with a close friend, the lack of more substantial communications simply added to Twilight’s concern.

The storm continued to brew, and yet all they could do was wait.

Sassi tapped the treadmill controls, stepping off and stretching with a relieved sigh. After not moving for so long, it felt fantastic to walk, jog, and gallop again. All in all, the mare felt a good eighty percent, and that was improving by the hour. She could just zone out and run. No thoughts, no worries until she stopped.

Right on cue, a twinge of rare anxiety plucked at Sassi’s heart as she made her way out of the exercise room. She wasn’t sure what Astral would be reading. She trusted him, or at least, she wanted to trust him.

At least she could identify why she was nervous. It wasn’t the content; it was what he’d think of her if he read something.

Judging from the stallion being curled up on the couch, whatever he read hadn’t been good.

“Hey, you ok, Astral?” she asked, gently nudging his shoulder with a hoof.

The stallion shook his head.

“Not really,” he admitted, “the search engine was too effective in describing some of the projects. Sorry about the mess in the sink.”

“Oh.”

Poor guy.

She sat down at that, ears flattening.
“Kind of a shock, yeah?” she asked softly, “I’m so desensitized to it that I forget how normal ponies react.” The mare then smiled weakly, waving a hoof towards him. “It’s another reason I like you. You’re not part of this world, even if you’re here temporarily.”

Sassi was surprised she was able to vocalize her feelings without stuttering. It confirmed, in a way, what she already knew. Astral had no preconceptions about her, part of what made the current situation a bit stressful.

Astral managed a smile, the stallion sitting up.
“And yet I’m a part of it regardless,” he admitted, “what made me sick was reading that the Company likedme. They’ve killed a hundred thousand creatures, and I helped them a ton. They thought my performance was fantastic. I was going to be an ‘essential’ employee within a year!” He stared at her in utter shock. “They even had a deadly booby-trap in my workstation!”

“There’s a lot you didn’t know, Astral. You can’t hold yourself to what you didn’t know,” she explained, “the Company has hidden from rulers and nations. It certainly could hide stuff from you.”

“Yet that only makes me feel a bit better,” he admitted, Sassi nodding knowingly. “But I’m glad I now know, and I got a general idea of how deep a hole this company deserves,” he said, gesturing to the printed-out papers on the table. “Something did come up I wanted to ask you about. I didn’t further search, but I am a bit curious.”

“Oh?” Sassi asked, not able to prevent her posture from straightening, a twinge tugging in her chest.

“You can check my searches. I didn’t pry into anything of yours intentionally,” he said.

The simple reassurance made the twinge melt away; a very odd feeling indeed.

“I was searching to see to make sure the Company didn’t start any foal experiments while I worked there. The computer said it was permanently suspended after a double murder that you committed.”

Oh. Those two.

Sassi snorted at that, her eyes darting away. She didn’t know how he’d react.
“Dr. Centrifuge and Slide, right?”

“Those were the names. I wanted to ask you instead of searching for who they were. I promised to not pry into your matters, after all.”

Her eyes darted over to look at him with a rather astonished gaze, a tired but relieved expression on Sassi’s face. Warmth bloomed in her chest, Sassi shaking her head in surprise.

“You are something else, Astral,” she muttered, “I can explain that matter simply.”

Sitting up a bit straighter, Sassi took a deep breath to calm herself.
“Dr. Centrifuge was the leader in foal experimentation,” she began, “he was a monster in every sense of the word. He oversaw a short part of my modification. While not a direct part of my program, other projects reported he didn’t use anesthetic…because he either didn’t care or enjoyed screams. Any type of experimentation you can imagine they conducted, well, they never involved sexual stuff. Not out of morality, but just because it wasn’t ever a concern of theirs, thankfully. But that was who they were. Monsters in every sense of the word.”

Astral’s stomach rose into his throat, all color draining from his face. His eyes narrowed briefly on seeing Sassi’s face twitch as she spoke, her left forelimb rubbing her right nervously.

She couldn’t hide the memories. Even mentioning those two things made the mare’s skin crawl.

“Dr. Slide was his apprentice, supposed to continue where Centrifuge left off and was taught everything he knew. The two of them had been ejected from the Company due to their extreme measures. It was too much even for the creeps here to tolerate, along with many other organizations. I found out they were visiting for research purposes and decided to put an end to it,” Sassi continued firmly.

“I traded one of the prisoners for a computer program that would immobilize the elevators and cut the power to cameras. It was easy to ambush the two and put a dozen explosive shotgun slugs into each of them. There wasn’t much left when the bodies were found later. No amount of magical reanimation could fix them. I made sure of that.”

Astral could only stare.

“Nobody could definitively prove it was me, but everyone knew. That’s why the penance was only three months of home confinement outside of my work,” Sassi said with a dismissive wave of her hoof, “nobody liked them. The Owners saw the Doctors as a blight on their record, as well as a high risk. They didn’t bother with anything other than a cursory investigation, even though they could have easily discovered it was me. I guess I did them a favor in a way. But I certainly don’t regret it. They canceled almost all of my above-surface expeditions soon after that.”

Sassi’s chest tightened as she finished speaking. She had figured that Astral would run across something, but being judged for killing ponies wasn’t even a consideration. Everyone here knew she had. Confronting someone who didn’t know that abruptly filled the mare to the brim with anxiety.

That was something Sassi recognized she was completely unequipped to deal with. In almost every interaction underground, the mare couldn’t have cared less what co-workers or others thought. She had a job, and she did it well. But now…

Would he hate her for it? Ponies didn’t kill. That was something Flask had tried to help Sassi understand, the view above ground versus below.

He didn’t say anything for a few moments, Astral finally sighing.
“Well, good riddance to utter trash then,” he muttered, “that explains that.”

Ears flattening, Sassi found herself unable to look at Astral.
“I know killing isn’t something common above ground,” she said slowly, “so, I’m not entirely sure how that factors into your view of me.”

The stallion was quiet, eyes slowly looking over to the table. He didn’t say anything for a few moments, clearly in thought.

“Sassi, the more you open up to me, the more and more I understand that you were hurt, badly,” Astral finally said softly. “You’re still hurting in ways I can’t imagine. So, I can’t judge you based on a life that is so alien and painful to me,” he looked up at her, a slight but sincere smile on his face, wings shrugging. “All I can do is try to understand it, to be a good friend. I just wish I could do more. You deserve that at the very least.”

The emotional lump in Sassi’s throat abruptly popped, tears welling up in her eyes. This pony really had no idea how much he already had done.

“I didn’t print out the leaders of the company so I could shake their hoof,” Astral continued, “I don’t intend on letting them get away with this. I can’t say exactly what I’ll do, but I’m not about to judge you for getting rid of two very evil ponies. I’m still processing how such creatures could exist. I’m just glad there are two less.”

Sassi tried to not sniffle, but due to sensitive bat-pony hearing, that was a moot point. Astral still had that kind, genuinely concerned smile on his face, the one that punctured through her usual ‘business only’ demeanor.

“You thought I’d judge you, huh?”

Sassi shrugged, the mare getting better control of her emotions for the time being. The fact she was continuing to open up made Astral oddly happy. It was like getting to meet a brand-new pony, an opposite one from the confident mare who had saved his rear repeatedly. This Sassi almost seemed ‘normal,’ even if the things she had experienced weren’t.

I wonder if she knows that?

“In a way. Being judged for stuff was pretty common. But not so much for that,”she admitted, “most creatures here knew what I did. Combatting experiments and violent creeps; that required killing more often than not. I had to force myself to not care what they thought of me, and that worked. But now there’s someone who I do care about how they see me,” the mare choked out a half-chuckle, not meeting Astral’s gaze. “This is all new to me, very new. Including caring what other ponies think.”

“Wow. So, a lot to think about, huh?” he asked softly, Sassi nodding. “Well, maybe enough heavy stuff for now?”

Sassi couldn’t help but laugh at that, nodding in agreement. Warmth bloomed in her violet eyes, a genuine, unspoken thankfulness as she glanced his way.

“I did have a question about what I saw on the wall,” he mused, doing his best to change the topic to something a bit nicer. “So, you have multiple degrees?”

Ears perking up, Sassi’s demeanor immediately brightened at the question.
“Yep! Two lower ones, one higher one, depending what terminology you use, and in what kingdom we are talking about,” she said happily. “The lower ones are in Psychology and Biology, the upper one in…Wilderness Expedition.” Her voice hitched on the last one, the mare appearing almost embarrassed. “Didn’t get out and about to test it much. But I want to.”

Stars above she’s smart too. I knew that, but wow.

On looking up, her face abruptly brightened, cheeks flushing on seeing Astral’s surprised face.

“What?”

“Sorry. Just…” he waved a hoof, abruptly not able to look at the amused mare. “That’s really impressive and, well, attractive. Kind of just adds to the things I find amazing about you. What made you want to explore each of those?”

While she was enjoying the increasingly adorable and flustered Thestral in front of her, Sassi managed to wave a hoof at the degrees nonchalantly, hoping the heat on her cheeks settled down a bit.

“Well, Biology since it’s nature and how life works. I found that really cool, learning it outside of the nasty experiments here,” she explained, “Psychology since I just found it neat of how creatures think. And then the Wilderness Expedition one because I just want to go out and explore. Maybe it could lead to a job. Flask said he’d work on seeing if I could have extended above-ground leave,” her ears flattened at that. “That didn’t go over too well, apparently.”

“Hmm. Well, it was smart to have a plan,” he mused, “still really cool you got all that accomplished. And I guess now you get permanent leave?”

She chuckled at that, nodding in agreement. “Well, I had some free time down here. So, I figured, may as well learn!” Sassi happily remarked, ears then flattening briefly as the mare’s brow furrowed. “There is a downside though.”

“Hmm?”

“Psychology,” she said, tapping the side of her head with a hoof. “I know a lot of what I have to work through and why I start acting certain ways. I am logically aware of many of the issues I’m facing. Trauma, the effects of it, why I am reacting to certain things, but it’s just hard to change it. It’s infuriating.”

“Oh, that makes sense. Hard to change when you’re stuck in a certain environment too.”

She looked at him curiously, nodding in agreement.
“To say the least. But then you come along and throw me for a loop.”

“You said to not apologize.”

“I did. But just, ugh,” she muttered, “knowing that I start to think certain ways and that it’s logical, but not how I want to think is a bit hard.” Sassi’s smile then returned, the Thestral shrugging sheepishly. “So, thanks for understanding when I’m a mess at times.”

“Well, you’re welcome. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t think holding one’s hoof for comfort would be out of the norm considering the monsters we face,” Astral mused with a grin. “So, honestly, you haven’t been acting that odd. I’m the one who freezes, after all.”

Her face a bit pink, Sassi gestured to him at that.
“Do you know why you freeze?” she asked, the stallion surprising her with a nod.

“Yep. Figured it out early on with a therapist. Ugh, what did he call it? Psyco…static?”

“Psychosomatic?”

“Ah, that. Duh, Psychology degree,” Astral chuckled, making Sassi beam. “But yeah. That’s what the therapist said, and what I was starting to work through. I freeze because I’m afraid of what I’ll do, which is plain stupid, I know.” His smile softened at that, gaze flickering over to the mare before focusing on the table in front of them. “But having someone not think I’m a monster helps counterbalance that quite a bit. Experiences and a certain pony now make it so it’s not just my internal label, but the opposite. The freezing has been getting less and less.”

“I noticed,” she replied, a sly smirk on her face. “And I’ll repeat it if you need it. You’re not a monster. I’ve seen plenty, such as the Skitters. You’re waaaaay too nice and good look…erm.”

“Hmm, what was that? Sounded like your last word got cut off?” he teased, Sassi glaring at him playfully. The genuine, easy-going, and playful look in her eyes made Astral’s heart flutter.

Before she could reply, however, a monotone voice echoed through the room.

“Personal message waiting for: Sassi Satin. Marked Critical Priority. Please acknowledge.”

Author's Note

Hmmmmm :trixieshiftright:

Chapter Thirty: Relief

The two of them trotting up to the security station, Sassi sat down and tapped a few large keys with a frown.

“I have no idea who could be messaging me,” she admitted, pulling up the internal email server. “Everyone who could is either dead or no longer here.”

The message was a simple text file, the sentences flickering on the screen.

“This is Vial. Contact with outside. Flask’s plan succeeded. He is ok. Princess has data. Company at trial. Armed help is at exits to assist with extraction. I am trapped with colleagues. Silo 2, lvl 61. If rescued, will provide ice cream. Flask sends his love and apologies. Warning: Experiment activity high. All Silo 2 containment breached. Please respond and will relay info to Princess. We have more than a week of supplies. Cannot reach exit points without support. No wounded.
Family-friend password: Lemon Lime Lillies.
See you soon (I hope)
-Vial”

“Sassi?” Astral asked softly, “does this message mean what….?”

“Vial is alive? I’m impressed,” Sassi muttered, her brow furrowing. “He is the only one here who my dad trusted with a family password when I was young. He walked me to different levels and stuff. A total egghead, but a nice pony, one of the few here. I’m not surprised he found a way to re-route the email around the system lockout.”

“So, they’re in level sixty one?”

“About two thirds down Silo Two, yep. Lots of computers and servers in that area.”

Sassi didn’t say anything for a few moments, staring at the screen as she swallowed a lump in her throat.

“My dad’s alive,” she whispered, “and the Princess has the data. We’ll still keep the backup safe. But he’s ok. And there’s help at the exits.”

Staring at the floor, Astral took a deep breath. Their break couldn’t have lasted forever.
“So, we have a plan?”

Sassi typed a short reply and sent it, looking to him with a firm nod.
“We have a plan.”

“Acknowledged. Astral Sentinel is safe with me. Silo 1 is collapsed. We will start heading your way within 24-36 hours. Should take us no more than 2-3 days to reach you moving slow, leaving at least 1-3 days to get to the exit points. Save some ice cream for us.
-Officer Sassi.”

Sassi walked back into the apartment, Astral following. They had monitored the cameras for a few moments, then headed back downstairs. Unfortunately, that was enough time for reality to come crashing down. An alien, icy tendril of terror encircled the mare’s heart, limbs freezing in place.

I have to tell him.

It wasn’t just Vial who was alive, but his colleagues who knew about this place.

Who knew about her.

Fear tightened its grip on Sassi’s heart, the mare forcing herself to take deep breaths. She hadn’t been genuinely frightened in so long, it was overwhelming to feel scared again. Foalhood memories rushed back; the times during her life when fear was a constant.

He’ll find out eventually, in Silo Two.

It would almost be easier if he did know. At least I know how to react around such creatures. But maybe he wouldn’t-

“Sassi?” Astral asked. “You alright?”

It would be so much easier if Astral just didn’t care, or even wasn’t into mares. The simple act of asking if she was ok; Astral had no idea how odd that was to her. Plenty of creatures had asked her that, but the oddity was that she knew Astral meant it in the full sense.

Sassi could easily brush it off, just say it was just an ache or pain. But she was so tired of it all. Always having to lie about what she wanted to say, what she wanted to do.

Who I am. Who I want to be.

Astral hadn’t given her a reason to stop being honest. So, she took another leap of faith. It took every ounce of willpower to shove aside the cautionary voice that had kept her safe for so long, to never open up to someone.

“Saving the scientists is bringing up some stuff if I’m being honest,” she admitted, ears drooping. “Not the nicest things. Vial is like family, but the o-others…”

Her voice hitched on the last word, Sassi’s mind and body betraying her. She didn’t want to be this exposed this fast. But abruptly having someone there who cared, even as a friend was shattering every one of her barriers faster than the mare could rebuild them. Rebellious tears squeezed out of her eyes, the mare hanging her head in shame. Sassi hated being out of control more than she could put into words, and that included her emotions.

But part of her was so tired of being strong, a large part. Tired of being strong, of living half a life. Of being half a pony.

Sassi just wanted to be herself. And that option had never existed until now.

“Oooooh, I’ll bet that does bring up some stuff,” Astral immediately replied with a wince. The stallion sighed, a gentle, almost tender look in his eyes. “I know you said that I’d be the one getting a hug as soon as you could walk, but I think you need it a bit more if you’d like.”

I wish you weren’t so sweet, so different than the others. It’d make it so much easier to just ignore it all.

But she didn’t want to ignore it.

Sassi simply nodded, the other Thestral promptly trotting over and wrapping her up in a hug. She couldn’t help but instinctively flinch, as much as she didn’t want to. Before Astral could pull back, the mare immediately returned the gesture, her heartbeat thudding in her ears. The initial nerves faded, Sassi feeling herself completely melt into the embrace. True to her hypothesis, the stallion had just the right amount of squish and fluff. The smell of his fur was the final key that made everything fade away.

The voice that usually was screaming at her to get away, to put physical distance between whoever was in her personal space was muted, almost completely silent. Instead, the soft, simple warmth of another creature’s presence blotted out the usual fears. To be comfortable this close to somepony had been but a fantasy, a wistful dream that Sassi hadn’t been sure would ever happen.

Yet now Sassi realized it hadn’t been such a far-away dream after all.

You don’t realize how much I’ve needed this, Astral.

As Astral hugged her back, Sassi felt a few tears slide out of her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this close to someone other than Flask, let alone in a positive way. The Silo had never given a comfortable feeling of a home, only her apartment providing a calming relief. Yet for a brief moment, the mare felt safe. It defied all logic, the simple touch almost intoxicating. It all just faded away.

Whether or not the stallion felt his fur getting damp was moot, because he tightened his hold ever so slightly.

Maybe you do understand how much I needed this.

Astral wasn’t a huggy pony, at least that’s what he told himself nine times out of ten. Aside from close family…or Gabbro. It was an abominable thought, living in Equestria. The land was practically powered by hugs. You could walk up to a stranger with who you happened to be sharing the same type of hat with and they’d accept a hug.

To that end, a certain Princess had invented a reactor that could utilize the gestures.

However, Astral was quite quickly realizing that perhaps his statement wasn’t entirely complete. It was abundantly clear that if anyone needed a hug, Sassi was the candidate. The poor mare was clearly struggling with some internal challenges Astral couldn’t fathom. The flinch proved that at the very least. The fact his shoulder was now a bit damp from some tears was another obvious indicator

Yet he couldn’t ignore the fact that after being close to death multiple times within the past weeks, Astral needed a hug as well. So, he decided the simplest action was to hug Sassi a bit tighter.

The fact such a simple gesture could make him feel a bit safer was silly, and yet very, very real. Astral hadn’t fully appreciated that fact until now. There was only one creature, one mare in the world who knew exactly how difficult things had been, and she was in his arms. He hadn’t understood how much that meant to him. Nobody else could comprehend what they had gone through.

Except for Sassi.

He’d be processing that fact for a long time. But for now, one would think he’d have learned this simple fact long ago, living in Equestria.

Hugs were nice.

Thankfully, the pony who needed it the most was composing herself, clearly embarrassed as she wiped her eyes and then promptly buried her head back into the crook of Astral’s neck and shoulder, the stallion now abruptly blushing.

The ‘friend’ hug abruptly felt like something else. Obviously, Sassi was interested in him, and vice versa. That hurdle had been already jumped rather seamlessly. They had already agreed that formal dates were on the table.

But maybe I’m overthinking it?

Astral put a fair amount of weight into that thought. He certainly was. Sassi was just-

The abrupt kiss on his cheek fragmented those ideas.

The stallion pulled back ever so slightly to look at her. Any remnant ideas of Sassi’s intentions were quickly clarified even further, the mare looking rather shy as she could only meet his gaze for a few moments. If she had bangs, she would be trying to hide behind them. There was a bit of an unspoken question in her eyes as if she was wondering if Astral would accept the gesture in any way.

To see Sassi having a genuine, consistent shy side was a bit of a shock, but a pleasant one. Knowing he had a rather awkward but silly smile on his face, Astral simply leaned forward to rest his forehead against Sassi’s, tightening his forelimbs around her slightly. He didn’t want to leave anything to chance, so he traced his muzzle down to rest his cheek against hers; a common gesture just below a kiss in terms of intimacy as he hugged her close.

He felt her frame shiver slightly in response, her limbs pulling him a bit closer. Maybe it was the fact she burned calories at a higher rate, but Sassi was warm. That, coupled with the fruity, gunpowder smell made Astral’s vision fuzzy with a warm pink glow. Her fur was just the right amount of softness, not too coarse. Though he wouldn’t say it, Astral realized in an instant that he wouldn’t mind being this close quite often. He couldn’t help but smile. It wasn’t to say he didn’t care about Sassi, quite the opposite, but the stallion hadn’t thought of how close to the surface his affection ran for her, even if it was still blossoming. Evidently, he had underestimated her feelings quite a bit.

“Y’know, that was a surprise, a nice one,” he said softly, the mare letting out a snort.

“It’s not my fault you’re so, ugh.”

“Ugh? That’s going to be what you say after kissing me? I’d return the gesture but I’m still processing things.”

The glare that Sassi pulled back to give him nearly made Astral burst out in laughter, partially because the mare was trying her hardest to pout but failing miserably.

“I don’t know what to say,” Sassi said softly, her shy demeanor still not fleeing completely. “I just…”

Her eyes flickered to her hooves, head shaking briefly.

“You don’t need to say anything; I’m not complaining and certainly not going anywhere while you figure stuff out,” Astral said with a smile. “I’m just a tad surprised, that’s all. Well, not that you think I’m awesome that is,” he added with a false bit of bravado.

Sassi slugged him on the shoulder at that, thankfully holding back considerably as the stallion smirked. But the joke seemed to get her troubled look to vanish.

“I’m familiar with a lot of dangerous things,” Sassi said, “but weaponized sweetness is not something I know how to handle.”

Astral couldn’t help but stand up a bit taller at that.
“I can’t say I’ve ever been given that compliment, but I’ll take it,” he said with a grin, expression softening. “But Sassi, do realize I’m just being a decent stallion. I know you’ve had a rough time here. Don’t settle for me thinking there aren’t plenty of other ponies like me in terms of being a good friend.”

Letting out a snort, Sassi tossed her head for Astral to follow, meandering to the couch. To his surprise, after he slumped down, she sat down next to him.

That was new.

“I appreciate that, Astral,” she admitted, “but I’m not that sheltered.” Sassi paused, then shot a glare his way as the Thestral raised an eyebrow ever so slightly.

“Ok, I’m pretty sheltered in some aspects, but I know that how you’re treating me isn’t that out of the ordinary. Hard to find, but not impossible. Don’t think for a moment I’m settling. That undersells what I think of you by quite a lot.”

Before he could object, Sassi raised a hoof.
“It’s not that you risked your life multiple times to save me and held my hoof, it’s how you did it,” she added, rolling her eyes. “I know plenty of stallions who would do that, along with a list of other things just because a mare asked. But it’s everything else.”

The mare gestured to the couch with a sigh, her ears drooping.

“Usually, it would make me uncomfortable even being this close to someone physically, let alone a hug. Flask and Vial were only the two ponies that broke through that,” she admitted softly, “the way of life I’ve developed over growing up here is telling me to be as far from you, or anyone else as possible,” Sassi explained. The mare paused, not looking at Astral as her sides shook.

“But that’s not w-what I want,” she whispered, “I didn’t think it would take just a week or two to trust someone, let alone have my life be in their hooves. All you’ve done is give me reasons to trust you. And that scares me, Astral. I’m scared that the cautionary voice, the way of living my life that has kept me safe while being here is going to eventually be right about you. But I can’t just do nothing and let you think I don’t care. Not after everything you have done for me. It’s already eating up my thoughts just trying to process it all.”

He didn’t say anything for a few moments after that, brow furrowed in thought. To say the stallion had been correct about Sassi dealing with internal stuff was an understatement.

“Well, how about this?” Astral suggested. “I’m going to do my hardest to keep proving that voice wrong, to not push things along or make you uncomfortable. That’s all I can really think of how to help. I feel the same way about you, and I’d like to see where things go.”

She sniffled at that, that shy smile returning which Astral was quickly starting to like.
“A bit of pushing is fine,” Sassi admitted, “even the simple inadvertent flirting. Normal things. Things that help me start to think as I should, rather than always doubting. Just…” her tone then shifted. The mare looked like she was about to speak a few times before settling on her words.

“All I ask is no surprise hugs or anything,” her ears drooped down at that. “Physical stuff is a barrier I’m still processing. I don’t want it to become a regular thing but just ask first. Please. Other than that, just keep being you. The fact you haven’t expected anything of me after all your remarks, for example, helps me realize that my normal isn’t, well, a good one. So that helps a lot.”

“Hmmm,” he muttered, “that doesn’t sound too odd at all. And ask I shall. As for the other stuff…”

Her eyes dried up a bit on seeing Astral abruptly grin, the Thestral sitting up proudly.
“Is this permission to badly flirt with you now and again?”

She smacked a forehoof to her head with a groan.
“Yes, but I don’t think I fully anticipated what that will entail.”

“Hey, I can be sweet!”

Sassi burst out laughing at that, jabbing a hoof at him.
“Yes, you can and are. You may have a weak stomach for horrific stuff, freeze when you really shouldn’t, and have some unresolved conflicts,” Astral’s ears flattened at that.

“But so do I, a lot more.” Sassi whispered, “the fact remains that you are an absolute sweetheart, Astral. And I don’t want that to ever change. It’s something I…” her voice drifted off, the mare shaking her head. Astral’s ears perked back up, her demeanor another indicator that there was indeed another side of Sassi he was starting to see.

The stallion’s green eyes softened as Sassi looked back at him.
“Yes, I know there’s plenty of ponies out there who could be my friend, a coltfriend, all that stuff,” the mare said softly, “and I appreciate you mentioning that. But of those, how many could handle the things I have told you? The s-stuff I haven’t mentioned? Most are way too soft f-for that. And then there’s you, hence my current troubles.”

“Sorr-”

“No apologies.”

Astral could then only shrug.
“I’m just a bit surprised none of this has come up earlier.”

“Oh, it has,” she said with a frown, “but only briefly. Either Flask warned me, or I had access to employee records. I could see proven criminals who got off on the company’s good graces walking around as if all was well. And that was outside of the general scummy behavior that was taking place. Flask had to teach me what was right and wrong, which is weird when the majority is flipped. I only had a few friends who got close enough to where I was thinking about this, but they always saw me as…” her voice drifted off, and Astral saw her eyes flicker to her right forelimb, likely to the scars.

“Different?” he suggested.

“Different,” Sassi said with a weak smile, appreciating the lighter word than what came to her mind. “To put it lightly. And so, then there’s you. Within two weeks you’ve given me no reasons to not trust you, and I’m having to deal with this stuff when we really don’t have time for it. And don’t apologize. The timing is just lousy. I didn’t think I’d have to adapt this fast. Then again, I’ve never had my life saved multiple times and very specific fears proven utterly wrong,” Sassi sighed, shaking her head as her brow furrowed.

“How you acted when I couldn’t move, the shower, and even right now. The fact you aren’t trying to scoot close to me and place your hooves somewhere is confusing in the best way possible. In a few weeks, I’ve gotten more comfortable with you than I have with co-workers I knew for a decade,” her brow furrowed at that, “which further explains the type of unsavory creatures who worked here, unfortunately.”

Astral’s mouth closed at that.
“So, because you’ve had no reason to not trust me…”

“My subconscious has decided I don’t have reasons to not open up to you, whether I want to or not. So, I’m sorry for all of that.”

Now it was Astral’s turn to grin cheekily.
“No apologizing, but that does sound frustrating,” he quipped, Sassi glaring at him without much venom. The playfulness in her eyes made Astral’s heart thud in his chest.

“To say the least. Especially when we have to plan an expedition for tomorrow,” Sassi sighed, shaking her head. “If you were less adorable this would make things a lot easier.”

Her cheeks reddened, the mare turning to look at the wide-eyed Thestral with a glare.
“I’m not taking that back, but don’t say anything,” she muttered, Astral donning a goofy grin and saluting. She sighed, a genuine smile on her face. “I guess I’m just asking for you to be patient while I try to figure this out on my end.”

“Well, I can promise that at the very least, as we’re running for our lives. Plenty of time for figuring each other out after that,” Astral mused as Sassi let out an amused chuckle.

“Ok, that is true. To that end, we have a day or two, so we need to make sure we’re both back to a hundred percent, and get our supplies and armor packed,” she explained. “You need to definitely try an FRE, because we’re probably packing those and compressed ration bars for the trip. Usually, we could get to Silo Two in like, fifteen minutes. But I have no idea if the trams even work.”

Astral’s face drained of color at that.
“So, if they don’t work…”

“We’d have to walk the tunnels in the dark, which would be annoying,” Sassi confirmed. “But I can check the security cameras again and some of the readouts in the security terminal. Unfortunately, I can control functional trams only from here. Even if it’s a simple lockout, it has to be reset on site. But we can figure out that part of the plan later. Today is a weird day.”

“I think it’s going rather well,” Astral mused with a grin. “But weird is a good descriptor. I probably should keep stretching my back leg. Not sure what I pulled, but it’s better,” he mused, glancing at the aching appendage.

“Well, you stay there and I’ll get some painkillers and an FRE,” Sassi said as she hopped off the couch. “What sounds better? Pizza with a mango fruit bar, or spicy hayburger?”

“Uh, either?”

“Both it is!”

Despite the impending trip, Astral couldn’t help but relax ever so slightly. Things weren’t going that badly. The FRE taste test would certainly keep the still-acidic thoughts about his involvement with the company at bay.

Of course, a simple recollection made the stallion grin goofily, banishing any tendrils of negative twinges for a time.

She thinks I’m adorable.

The day hadn’t ended that bad after all.

Author's Note

Aww. :twilightsmile: Making progress you two!

Chapter Thirty One: News and FRE's

Astral happily downed the remnants of the ration pack, eying the empty previously-sealed pack in hopes there were more. For a military-produced-ration that was a few years old, FRE’s were pretty tasty!

High in calories, but at least they were yummy calories.

Sassi had watched him provide commentary with an amused grin on her face, eventually revealing such internet footage of other civilian ponies doing such taste tests rather fun to observe. Apparently, there was one famous stallion who ate FRE’s that were decades old.

That was after putting them out on an equally-old but somehow immaculate tray first. It was oddly amusing from the brief clip Sassi had shown him from a partially-saved video.

Astral had then made it a point to ask her to show him more of those videos when they had a connection. The request had made a rather cute blush flare-up on Sassi’s cheeks before the subject changed.

“For stories about blowing up plumbing, those were really good,” he remarked cheerfully. “I definitely can’t choose between them. The spicy hayburger is probably way too hot for most ponies, but it’s just right for me.”

The Thestral then poked a half-eaten bar with a hoof, glaring at the item as if it had personally offended him and every ancestor in the past century.

“That said, that alfalfa and spinach bar can dive into the darkest pit in Equestria,” he said, sticking out his tongue.

Sassi was trying hard to restrain giggles at that, nodding in agreement.

“Yeah, that one is pretty bad, even for me,” she admitted.

“Y’know…” he mused, looking over the ration contents, “once we’re out of here, we could totally have a date where we see what can be cooked with these ration packs. Fancy style. I think making casseroles or other dishes using this stuff could be fun!”

Not hearing an immediate response, Astral glanced over to Sassi. He had to stop himself from laughing, barely managing to contain himself. The poor mare’s face was bright pink, wings slightly flared as she stared at Astral, violet eyes locked onto his.

“Uh, is that a yes?” he ventured to say, a squeak that did not match what he knew of Sassi leaving her muzzle.

No, it doesn’t match my version of Sassi. This is a look at who she is underneath it all.

At that thought, Astral couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Sorry. I didn’t expect that reaction,” he said, “it’s kind of like getting to know another pony, the non-military one.”

Sassi’s ears immediately flattened at that.

“Hey, I didn’t say that was a bad thing! Quite the opposite. I never expected you to have a shy side. It just takes some getting used to,” Astral interjected, Sassi’s ears immediately perking back up at his cheerful tone. “I never thought the mare who has saved me multiple times from monsters would blush at hearing about an FRE date. This is quite a change from two weeks ago.”

“It’s…nice, ok?” Sassi said almost shyly, looking down at her hooves. “Having someone take interest in something about my life like that is new. Getting to know someone, or rather, someone wanting to get to know me wasn’t common.”

“And I’m guessing you’ve never really been around ponies or creatures who are ok with being yourself? All of you?” he ventured to ask. Not the most eloquent way of stating his thoughts, but it got the point across.

“More or less. There was only one way to act down here if you wanted to survive. Physically, socially, or emotionally.”

Astral pondered that, cleaning up the FRE leftovers with a hum.
“But then having Flask be your dad, teaching you what life was really like, then the above-ground missions, that gave you a perspective that you didn’t have to just be that way.”

A soft smile dawned on Sassi’s face, the mare nodding.
“And I thought I was the one with the psychology degree.”

“You are, I’m just connecting the dots. You have a lot of them you know.”

She smirked at that, Astral not able to resist a chuckle as she still mostly looked at her hooves.
Sassi has a shy side. That is going to take some getting used to.

“Y’know, I swear you’d be hiding behind bangs if you had them.”

A frustrated grumble left her mouth at that.
“I probably would. But you had to keep your mane short for security detail. I’ve always wondered…” her voice drifted off, Astral staying quiet. It was an odd mental nudge, something telling him that these moments were a glimpse into the mare’s other side. A test on her part, even if not intentional.

“I always wanted to grow it out. Just to see what I’d look like,” Sassi let out a snort as she tossed the short, light-blue mane. “A mare who’s never had this thing grow out. It’s the simple things like that I am curious about. A long mane, learning what other mares to talk about, how to talk to other mares. I mean, makeovers? Getting pampered at some spa? Outings with their special someone? Hobbies? University classes? I don’t know what normal ponies do, stallions or mares.”

“Well, Gabbro knows quite a few ladies of many different species and is on good terms. I’m sure some of them would be willing to give you a crash course in getting a spa treatment, painted hooves and all,” Astral mused. “And there’s no reason you can’t grow your mane out to see how it looks. I promise it won’t drive me away.”

He could have sworn Sassi’s eyes started to shimmer before the mare let out a huff, shaking her head.

“I may hold you to that,” she managed to say, tone a lot softer than usual.

“Feel free to,” Astral replied cheerfully, then gestured to some of the non-sampled FRE’s. “Say, how many of those do you usually eat? You mentioned that you eat more than most, smoothies included.”

A playful glare was her response to that last bit, Sassi shrugging her shoulders.
“In total, I eat three times as much,” she mused, “give or take.”

“Wow, that much?”

The mare nodded, poking one of her forelimbs with a hoof.
“Three-point-one-four times, to be exact. That’s how much more enhanced I am compared to the average pony.”

Astral’s head tilted to the side curiously, ears twitching in thought.
“Pi?”

“Funny enough, yes,” Sassi said with a smile. “The scientists called it the ‘Pi Wall’, basically the amount they could enhance a creature without it affecting their looks or mental state. Short of permanent implants or changing how a body naturally functions, ‘Pi’ is about as much as they can do with targeted surgeries, serums, magical boosters, and that sort of thing over years of work. With just the normal injections for security forces, the most they could get is about half of that, maybe up to twice as much if there’s a good match,” Sassi then winced as she spoke.

“Regardless, the injections had to be spread out over months to acclimate their bodies. Normal ponies are put through the wringer with those injections. My treatment was a lot more rigorous.”

“Huh. Learning something new here every day.”

“So, I eat about that much more to compensate for the upkeep. Can get a bit annoying, but high-calorie meals and supplements solve that.”

“No wonder you have a great figure. You’re burning calories like a furnace,” Astral mused, “makes for really nice hugs. But you miss a meal, and you’re back down a couple pounds. Lucky.” He looked over and saw Sassi staring at him, her cheeks a bright pink. “What?”

The shy smile Astral was quickly starting to love flickered across his face, the stallion replaying his words in his mind. “Oh. Uh, sorry. I didn’t meant to come off as-”

“Astral, just quit while you’re ahead,” Sassi whispered, the mare not able to meet his gaze but still having a shy smile. “It’s not creepy or weird when stuff like that comes from you. It means a lot more since you’re being honest, even if you don’t realize it. That’s very different from the usual comments I got.”

“Really?” The Thestral asked, shrugging his wings.

“Well, yeah. You’re staying stuff without wanting anything in return. That’s new to me. I can see how it could be a problem for others, but non-filtered Astral is something I don’t think I’ll get tired of.”

“And I’ll hold you to that,” he replied cheekily, Sassi shooting him a glare. Her gaze softened, demeanor shifting rather abruptly. For a split second, Astral saw the side of Sassi that was increasingly making an appearance. A shy, hopeful look dawned in her eyes before vanishing, the mare once again looking like she wanted to hide behind non-existent bangs.

And then it was gone, Sassi cracking her neck.

“W-well, if we’re leaving tomorrow, we’d best pack and take stock of what we need,” she said, voice hitching slightly. “I have some storage crystals for my items. Pretty much this entire place can fit inside the crystals. Everything I own, essentially.”

“Huh, that’s rather nifty,” Astral mused as the mare meandered back towards her room. “We can’t take all of the supplies, can we?”

“Nope. The crystals aren’t meant for fast access, and they take time to retrieve items. We also found that organic and food items go…weird if stored inside.”

“Weird?”

Sassi shuddered at that.
“When an FRE suddenly proclaims ‘the dark harvest has begun’, it’s a bad thing indeed. We can store some ammo and medical supplies, but rations are off the table. That’s for our saddlebags. We shouldn’t need more than a few days, which is easy.”

“Want me to get all the rations into a pile then?” he suggested.

“That’d help! I’m going to get the guns and other weapons pulled out of the armor after I pack up my room and the rest of the apartment. Let’s start organizing and packing.”

“It’s a date!” Astral said cheerfully, breaking out into laughter as Sassi glared at him, pointing a hoof in the stallion’s direction.

“You are pushing it…” she warned, a soft laugh leaving her frame. “Keep it up.”

Astral counted that as a total win.

Twilight took a few deep breaths, setting aside the crystal pad for a moment. Reading through the Company’s darker dealings was not healthy, but she had to know.

Currently, however, she was needing to address a much happier topic. Due to the recent communication with the survivors, Sassi and Astral were confirmed to be alive and well. They’d meet up with Vial and the others and then head to the nearest extraction exits.

Unfortunately, the connection was haphazard at best, and there hadn’t been any more messages after that. The Princess found it quite odd, but it was a secret facility that suffered massive damage.

Currently, Astral’s parents were supposed to be making their way here. She had read their files twice and it was impressive. Both decorated Night Guards, half of their children following in their hoofsteps, the others too young to determine a path just yet.

Flask’s input, whatever it may be could turn out to be invaluable in this case; he knew Astral far more than the Princess. And the past incident concerning Astral’s trial had made Twilight’s wings flare.

To that end, she had pursued a few leads to make sure certain parties were now going to be held accountable. But what she found odd was Flask’s closing remark.

“Astral said they never really believed him. That was as much as he was willing to speak about the matter. At the very least, I’d like to shed some light on his behalf and thank them.”

This would be an interesting meeting indeed. But she wouldn’t push things; the goal was to inform them of their son’s status.

A simple knock sounded on the throne room doors; a simple gesture Twilight kept regardless of magical and digital notifications.

“Let them in, please,” she called out.

The two Thestrals walked in, Twilight not surprised to see both clad in their ceremonial breastplates.

Some of the older guards to be sure, but their reputation is well earned, from what I read. She mused. How that carried over to raising their son, she didn’t know.

“Lieutenant and Corporal Sentinel, thank you for coming,” Twilight said, the two bowing respectfully. “At ease. Aside from greeting formalities, this is very much a personal meeting rather than business.”

“We only heard something regarding our son?” Lieutenant Edge Sentinel asked, the mare’s eyes widening in surprise as Twilight calmly trotted down to sit in front of them.

“I do. And what I tell you cannot leave this room, not yet.”

The two nodded, Corporal Halberd Sentinel shrugging his wings.
“We are well versed in confidentiality, Highness.”

She smiled at that, nodding knowingly.
“Of course. But this is a unique matter. What do you know of the current situation involving your son?”

It was a carefully crafted question, and for a moment there was genuine suspicion that darkened the gaze of both the parents. That sight made Twilight’s heart fall. But then it was gone.

“We know there was an incident at where he worked? An explosion of some kind? We haven’t heard anything, so we assumed everything was alright,” Edge said calmly, Twilight keenly picking out the guarded curiosity in her gaze. Unlike other parents the Princess had met with during much lesser crisis, these two seemed oddly distant.

Or, perhaps it wasn’t so odd. Their lack of even checking in with Astral when knowing there was an explosion was telling indeed.

“That is a very basic explanation of what has occurred,” Twilight said. “In short, the facility he worked at suffered a catastrophic failure. Many creatures were evacuated. He was not, and was presumed to be dead until very recently.”

That made both the parents’ eyes widen, yellow and blue gazes registering genuine shock.

“The Company he worked with unknowingly is currently part of a criminal case that dwarfs any preceding trials in the scope of violations, deaths, and outright heinous acts. This was discovered due to an employee escaping and leaking the information,” Twilight explained, “Astral did not know any of this, along with the fact the facility was larger than originally known. Hence his presumed loss.”

“But he’s not dead? He’s alright?” Edge asked, relaxing ever so slightly as Twilight nodded.

“He is indeed alive and well. He is currently with Sassi Satin, a Security Officer of the facility. We finally got in contact with them, or rather, a secondary source,” Twilight held up a hoof at that. “I can’t explain any rescue attempts in detail, as the Company is trying to block many of our efforts from investigating but they are proceeding. We have forces at each exit we discover, and I intend on rallying significant leverage against the Company. However, as his parents, I felt you deserved to know, especially since his best friend asked about his whereabouts, and news could spread. I wanted to inform you of this personally.”

While she hadn’t meant it in condemnation in the slightest, the guilty expressions across the two Thestral’s faces on hearing Gabbro’s involvement indicated quite a few things to Twilight indeed.

“That said, this is Flask. He is the pony who hired your son, and also exposed the company. He wanted to speak with you.”

The aforementioned unicorn trotted out, sitting a short distance away.

“You hired out son?” Halberd asked, the Thestral’s eyes narrowing, “and you worked for this…Company?”

“I did,” Flask said firmly, “and I am just as guilty as those the Princess is investigating despite my efforts to expose them.”

“Then why help our son?” Edge asked, then wincing slightly, “we are grateful beyond measure, but this all still is rather confusing.”

Flask nodded at that, Twilight returning the gesture to him as he looked her way for permission to elaborate.

“I hired your son for a very specific purpose, Mr. and Mrs. Sentinel,” he said slowly, “and part of why I chose him was because he’s a good pony.”

That made the parents look at him in confusion.
“There are plenty of good ponies. Why him?” Edge asked, clearly suspicious.

“Because past behavior is indicative of future behavior,” Flask replied, “and your son, on at least two separate occasions, has risked his life to save another at the incredible risk, and expense of his well-being. There is someone very close to me that needs saving, in many ways.”

A flurry of emotions danced across the Sentinels' gaze, their eyes drifting to the floor for a split second. They clearly noticed the present tense of Flask’s words.

“My daughter is trapped in that facility,” Flask said, his voice starting to get choked by emotions, “and I was unable to help for her entire life. When I caused the systems to crash, I gambled with many lives, including your son.”

There was a flicker of anger on Edge’s face, but that faded as Flask met her gaze.
“I gave Astral a code that could help him escape, to lead him to hopefully help my daughter start a life outside that wretched place. You may not ever forgive me for endangering him, nor do I ask it. But you deserve to know.”

The two armored Thestrals were silent for a few moments, Halberd finally speaking up.
“Why are you telling us this, Flask? Are you expecting our forgiveness? Our understanding?”

The unicorn snorted at that, shaking his head immediately.
“I seek neither. I would hope for understanding, but I wanted ultimately to simply say thank you.”

“For…?” Edge asked.

“For raising Astral however you did.”

The two were once again silent on that, Edge’s ears flattening.
“We made quite a few mistakes, I think,” she said dejectedly, “and I fear your trust is misplaced. I hope it isn’t though.”

Twilight had to stop herself from audibly gasping at that. Flask had a much more measured reaction, his eyes narrowing.

“Meaning?”

Halberd shrugged almost nonchalantly, an odd gesture indeed.
“He isn’t perfect and has made some significant errors. It sounds like you know a bit about him though.”

“Oh, the military tribunal? Expunged records, a deal, slander across multiple channels? Those errors?”

That made both Thestrals stand up ramrod-straight, Flask waving a hoof.
“The Company has extensive records, many illegal. I dug into Astral’s past for days. To that end, you don’t believe him, do you?”

The two parents didn’t have an answer, only staring at Flask in shock.

“Well, I do,” the unicorn said flatly, “I put in many, many hours in researching his incident in the Guard, the deal he cut to be free from those maniacs. I even personally contacted the mare he saved and confirmed it all, same with the judge.”

Twilight’s head whipped over to stare at Flask; she hadn’t known that! An apologetic shrug was all the unicorn could offer. To be fair, she hadn’t asked.

“And now I find out that he met up with my daughter, and that they’re alive. It is…painful to meet parents that don’t believe in their son. Not as much as he deserves.”

“You aren’t in a place to ridicule us,” Edge growled, a prickly demeanor settling over her, “working for a company that has done so much evil if the Princess’s words are true. How dare you lecture us on civility!”

Her anger simply glanced off of Flask, the unicorn nodding in agreement.
“You’re absolutely right. And I will answer for my actions,” he said grimly, “in fact, I would expect nothing else. But I don’t care, because my daughter will likely be alive and free all thanks to your son.”

Flask paused, ears flattening to his skull. “He never spoke ill of you, by the way. He was reluctant to mention the later times in his training, for obvious reasons. But I could put two and two together, especially when he didn’t leave for holidays to spend with family or talk about outings with them. I grew to know your son quite well. He was, and still is a close friend.”

While there was still anger in Edge’s gaze, Halberd seemed to be more contrite, the Thestral looking to the floor.

“That’s all I wanted to say,” Flask said, shaking his head, “thank you, but I suppose I’m a bit jealous, in a way.”

“Jealous?” Halberd piped up.

“You two have a fairly normal family. For all its ups and downs, you love each other, and live a relatively uneventful life, guard incidents aside,” Flask explained. The two parents were thrown off as the unicorn brushed away a few tears. “A normal life with family is something I have only dreamed of, something I never thought I’d be able to give Sassi or have myself due to my work. But your son has given her a chance, even if I’ll be behind bars or dead. If that is the result of all this, I will be at peace, for better or worse.”

The two parents didn’t have anything to say to that, Flask taking his leave as Twilight let out a long breath.

“I wasn’t entirely sure what he’d say, but Flask wasn’t lying,” she said calmly, “from what we understand, Astral has a code that can unlock the facility. Escape should be fairly easy, and Sassi is an accomplished fighter…” her words drifted off, the two Thestrals only half-listening.

“Are we bad parents?”

Halberd’s words made Edge shoot him a glare, one that immediately fizzled and died as guilt flooded her gaze.

“Flask was right, then?” Twilight asked gently. It was Edge who nodded once.

“We want to believe him. But Astral had started to be unpredictable before joining the training program for the Night Guard. Perhaps it’s normal for children to break away from parents or family, but our lineage has always been Night Guards,” Edge explained, “clearly, we didn’t know him as well as we thought since he voiced wanting a different path. Breaking from generations of being a guard. Who knows what else we didn’t know? Surely, we made a mistake?"

Twilight waited a few moments before speaking.
“I don’t think you are bad parents,” she said carefully. “Goodness, I once createda town-wide problem with a want-it-need-it spell because I was so wrapped up in submitting reports to Celestia, I couldn’t see past the obvious ridiculousness of it all.” The two Thestrals raised their heads at that.

“I think you two are imperfect ponies trying your best, which is all any of us are, myself included. However, just because a child doesn’t follow in your footsteps doesn’t mean they’re lost. They may have just found a path that you couldn’t see.” Twilight couldn’t help but smile, recalling the moment she realized how important friendship was. “Sometimes they can’t see it themselves for a bit.”

Digesting that for a moment, Edge then shook her head.
“I wish it was that easy to believe. There was so much assurance back then, and so when the final verdict came it also seemed faked. Astral mentioned having cut a deal which avoided trouble, how could that be honorable…”

The mother’s eyes then widened in horror, the mare turning to look at Halberd.

“The deal. He tried to tell us.”

Halberd’s ears flattened, the Thestral hanging his head in shame. Edge simply closed her eyes, shameful tears running down her cheeks.

“The deal that let him escape,” Twilight said softly, “you assumed it was a plea to avoid jail time, a guilty pony trying to cut and run.”

“He t-tried to tell us. We ignored it,” Edge whispered, not looking up. “Every source, official and personal said it was a plea deal. A deal for the guilty.”

“Would you like to know what it was?”

Halberd nodded, his wife leaning on his shoulder as the two refused to raise their heads.

“The parents and individuals accusing your son were very powerful. I say ‘were’ because that will change within the coming months if I have anything to say about it. They were so adamant about their own son’s innocence that they used multiple media and political contacts to ensure the coverage of the event was absolute. The deal was a simple but not widely covered one, simply allowing Astral to not be charged and preserve certain family’s reputation. That let the actual perpetrators off with barely any time served, for now,” Twilight explained.

“Astral simply wanted out. After they planted drugs in his locker, it was clear that his resources were limited while his opponents were not, and they would go to extraordinary lengths. He was formally cleared of all charges on the heavy recommendation that he left the guard, and the accused would serve their time. Unfortunately, his innocence was hardly covered at all, along with the details of the deal.”

The two parents didn’t look up, shame radiating from every pore.

“That’s what he told us,” Halberd whispered, “but so many voices were proclaiming the opposite, of what he did, we eventually didn’t speak with him for months at a time. Longer. And now we can’t.”

The throne room was silent until Edge spoke up, her voice trembling.

“We didn’t trust our son. Just because he wanted to try something different, we didn’t trust him,” Edge’s voice trembled. “A pony we never met trusted our son more than we did, trusted his own daughter with Astral. We didn’t even believe our own…” her words trailed off into a self-loathing whisper, the mare shaking her head back and forth.

“I think you will have a lot to talk about when he gets back,” Twilight said kindly, “and if I had to make a guess, I think he’d be quite happy to speak with his mother and father again, even if some trust has to be rebuilt.”

A soft chime echoed out, indicating some sort of new data on the Stairway incident.

“While I have to see what this is about, you two are welcome to stay here as guests for a day or return to your home city. I can arrange for time off if that is appropriate, just let me know.”

The two parents were clearly in shock; their previously confident demeanor utterly shattered. Twilight gestured to one of the guards, a kind smile on her face. There was a certain individual she had asked to meet with them, anticipating this sort of thing.

“Hey, um, Mr. and Mrs. Sentinel?” a tall, colorful hippogriff asked as he was led in. “We uh, haven’t met, but since Astral is my best friend, it’s nice to meet his parents. He’s been like a brother to me. My name is Gabbro.”

That perked the two Thestrals up immediately, Edge drying her eyes as she shook the outstretched set of claws.

“It’s nice to officially meet you, Gabbro,” Edge managed to say. “We’ve heard a bit about you, but not nearly as much as I think we should have. I think you might know our son better than we do.”

Gabbro simply shrugged his wings, the easygoing hippogriff smiling kindly.
“Eh, every family has stuff to work through. I’d be happy to fill you in a bit if you’d like. The Princess is buying lunch, I think.”

Edge’s lips quivered at that, the mare finally nodding happily along with her husband, the stallion’s jaw clenched as he tried to stay composed.

“We’d like that very much.”

Author's Note

We meet Astral's parents...and...well, they're trying! And of course some fluff with Sassi discovering a part of herself.

Longer chapter this week! May skip next weeks upload, but the story continues! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated!

Chapter Thirty Two: Four Letters

Sassi couldn’t sleep.

The mare tossed and turned, the Thestral having tried everything that usually helped. A run and walk? Herbal tea? Meditation?

Nothing.

Her mind was foggy, an odd departure from the usual crisp and clear way in which Sassi thought. Things were so confusing now.

Confusing.

That was a good word and very apt. Anxiety still ate away at her thoughts, yet there wasn’t a reason for it. Without intending to, Astral had cracked a shell Sassi hadn’t wanted anyone underground to see. Thankfully, nobody had until now.

Retrieving one of the few items not in the storage crystal, Sassi looked at the pink, fluffy notebook in her hooves. The journal was protected by multiple spells and encryption techniques. The storage location had previously been booby-trapped just in case. But now it would just go in the storage crystal when she was done.

She hadn’t written in it for some time. But the past few weeks had certainly been journal-worthy. It was a nice thought, leaving something behind even if things turned bad.

Sassi sighed as she saw the newest entries. The containment failures, meeting Astral. The clear confusion on interacting with someone not from below ground? On a mission it was easy. She stayed focused, even above-ground she couldn’t tell anyone essentially anything. But now?

Now…

That word led to another. Four letters written in her journal before they set off tomorrow.

Hope.

The journal was put away, that single word floating around Sassi’s head as she tried to get to sleep. Hope wasn’t something she had entertained for a while. Flask’s efforts to have her above-ground missions expanded had abruptly ended. There had been talks about potentially letting her live outside the facility. But she assumed his efforts had failed, the note to her had confirmed that.

But now there was a chance and that was only half of the problem. Far less than half, if Sassi was honest with herself.

Freshly fallen leaves by a river.

That simple description of a smell made Sassi let out a groan into her pillow. Over the past hour, she had quickly figured out why sleep eluded her.

The bed just wasn’t as comfy as Astral’s fur, and it certainly didn’t smell like it.

The thought made her blush, face reddening even though she was alone. Sassi wasn’t stupid, far from it. She knew she was falling hard and fast for this curious stallion. How much he realized it, Sassi didn’t know.

Did she know?

There were still walls, barriers preventing Sassi’s emotions from running completely wild. But even those were being tested. Astral had been through a lot, but he brought an innocence into her life that was just so appealing. One of many things, many things.

Including how his fur smelled.

She really should have expected it. Not having almost any positive physical contact for nearly her entire life took its toll. The mare was smart enough to recognize the negative impacts, yet rather handicapped in her efforts to stop them. To say waking up with her forelimbs wrapped around a stallion had been a shock was an understatement. Yet in that brief moment, before she had fully processed it all, it had just felt so nice. A glimpse into a life that could have been, something she’d never have.

No.

Eyes welling up with tears that quickly began to trickle down her cheeks, Sassi hugged the pillow tighter. It was one of many unsettling thoughts swirling around in her mind and heart. She wasn’t afraid of the Skitters, the upcoming mission. Escaping the facility just felt like a training exercise. Brutal, familiar, and straightforward. It made sense. The unknowns were expected. There wasn’t much to be afraid of.

It was everything after that.

For so long there wasn’t a life outside of the Silos. There had once been a hope, one that was crushed repeatedly. It was enough so she didn’t dare give it too much thought outside of private, secret moments in her journal. There was a side of Sassi she had never been able to explore outside of wishful fantasy, books, and movies. She was a mare that was always fighting, never weak, never soft. While that was naturally a part of her, there had always been more. There hadn’t been an atmosphere when that part of her was allowed to grow.

Yet the life that ‘could have been’ was no more. Astral’s arrival and her current feelings had changed that mindset to ‘what could be.’

That scared Sassi more than she could comprehend. There was so much Astral didn’t know, but did it matter? The parts of her personality, parts of her silent life that had been locked away abruptly resurfaced with his innocent yet adorable remarks. The times he had seen underneath the mask, the emotional armor Sassi had been forced to craft, all of it had brought nothing but a cheerful smile and acceptance from Astral. No jokes, laughter, or outright dismissal. Just a pleasantly surprised pony with that same, caring smile on his face that reached his green eyes.

It was too much. Sassi could feel the thoughts hacking away at her preconceptions, starting to make her understand that maybe, just maybe she was worth something, both as a pony and to someone. Flask had only been able to do so much against that view. Someone outside of her world now was saying the same things Flask had.

Two viewpoints, not just one. That started the slow, mental cascade that Sassi could feel creeping into every thought and preconception.

Maybe everything had been wrong. Was her perception so incredibly skewed? Two ponies indicated that was the case.

Maybe Flask had been right. Maybe the world down here was sick, all the words and actions had really been the opposite of normal. She knew that was the case logically, to an extent. But internalizing it was an entirely different matter that a few weeks couldn’t cover.

It hurt to think. She had to compartmentalize everything. First escape, then figure out how to live.

How to live. A simple thought that previously had only included her. Yet now, she wanted someone else in that life. It was such a new feeling.

Wanting someone, and being wanted were two unknowns Sassi had wanted for so long to explore. Such thoughts and hopes were previously only found in her journal, in dreams. So much that was unsaid, buried underneath pain and fear.

Everypony thought she was so confident, so sure of herself. That was true when it came to combat.

But what about everything else? What about who I am?

Is that all I’m good for?

Sassi hugged the pillow a bit tighter, the weighted blanket wrapped around the Thestral an acceptable substitute for a hug. Over the years, she had slowly begun to realize how much the Company had stolen from her. Of no fault of her own, Sassi had been helpless as key parts of her life were either ripped away or never allowed to blossom.

I don’t know what it’s like to be close to someone. Even if it’s as a friend, as the beginnings of something more. Is this what a normal friendship looks like? A somewhat normal relationship? Things I want so much, but I have no idea how to even act. Somehow, I haven’t messed it up yet. All I’ve been is me.

That made Sassi’s breathing slow, drowsiness coming with a warmth that reminded her of Astral’s hug.

Is that enough for somepony? For everyone?

It’s been enough for Astral. Maybe it’s enough to be…me.

That thought was one of the scariest but most exhilarating she had thought of in a long, long time.

Astral yawned, meandering to make a breakfast out of preserved…well, whatever they had left. Fruits, pastries, things he could scrounge up.

He had gotten some sleep, but the nerves had kept the stallion up for a bit. The knowledge of how evil the company was still churned in the stallion’s mind. Yes, he didn’t know, but it still dug at him.

The self-loathing had quickly transformed into a burning ember of determined anger. In this case, he could make sure this Company never recovered. He had used that energy to further cement the looks of the six Company owners and their names.

He still wasn’t sure what would be done if he met one of them. The initial, gut-reactions made his stomach turn for how easy it was to imagine-

Shaking his head, Astral banished his thoughts. At least the memorization had settled Astral’s mind, at least until the other nerves decided to rear their ugly head. They were leaving today, and that was unsettling, to say the least. The packs were stuffed full, armor cleaned and guns reloaded.

Yesterday, the nerves had utterly fled when Sassi had laid out her armory to get them equipped the previous day. The stallion hadstarted to drool at that. He didn’t think Sassi was the type of mare to giggle, yet that sound had been beautiful. It was odd seeing how such emotional spikes clearly annoyed the mare, yet all Astral could do was take it in stride. He couldn’t imagine how odd this must be, nor the challenges she must be dealing with.

Experimented on as a filly.

That alone had left physical scars, and Astral assumed a heaping ton of emotional and mental ones too. Compound that over a decade or two? Almost three? It was amazing Sassi was as together as she was. He couldn’t hold any of her oddities against her, not that Astral would ever think to.

And to think a mare like her is interested in me.

That was the crux of it. Where Sassi saw herself as troubled (true as that may be) Astral simply couldn’t help but see an incredible Thestral far stronger than himself. If he could help her come to terms with it all and start on a life where she could be happy…he could only promise to try. Knowing there was a genuinely sensitive mare buried underneath the pain she had gone through; that only made Astral more curious.

Hearing a mumble, Astral trotted over to the hall, not able to resist a grin at seeing an adorably disheveled Sassi grumbling as she made her way towards the kitchen, clearly still drowsy.

“I thought you were a morning pony?” he asked teasingly, the mare’s shoulders slumping. “Sassi?”

“Usually I am, Astral,” she said tiredly. Ears now flat against her skull, Sassi glanced his way. In a tone that he had only heard when she had asked for his hoof, Sassi shook her head.
“Can I…hug?”

He blinked, head tilting in confusion.
“Huh? Of course.”

In a smooth motion, Sassi took a few steps forward and wrapped up Astral into a tight hug, the Thestral’s ears perking up in worry as he returned the gesture.

“Whoa, what’s wrong?” he asked, the mare shaking her head and hugging him close for a time. Astral’s concern levels were certainly rising, but she seemed to be a bit more at ease.

“Nothing serious. It’s just too much to think about,” she finally whispered, “I can’t think straight. I’ve never had this before. Usually, it’s easy to separate things. Missions, co-workers, casual friends, the future. Now…”

Astral was starting to get used to this, in an odd way. Perhaps not so much ‘used to’ as ‘expect.’ These vulnerable, shy moments from Sassi seemed to be increasing, obviously to her discomfort. It was a bit endearing but certainly outweighed by seeing the Thestral frustrated.

“Well, if a hug helps, I’m not complaining,” he chuckled, “pretty sure we’re both starved on the ‘daily hugs’ department.”

The fact that Sassi was relaxing in his embrace was a clue enough for that.
“I don’t get this close to creatures,” she said softly, “it’s confusing, even a hug. All I know is that it helps.”

“Confusing that you want to? Or that I most definitely return those feelings? Or is it that I’m not trying anything scummy?”

“All.”

“…Ah.”

He was stumped in a sense.
“Well,” Astral said slowly, “I admit I’m a bit cautious, because I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, and there’s obviously some stuff I can’t help with. I guess I don’t know how to help.”

She laughed at that, a tired but cheerful sound.
“You are helping, Astral,” Sassi said softly. “You’re not ridiculing me or thinking I’m weird when dealing with all of this. And you’re not being pushy in any way. That means a lot more than I think you know.”

“I guess?” he offered, finding himself surprisingly disappointed when Sassi let him go, taking a step back. Evidently, she wasn’t the only one heavily starved for positive physical contact. “It’s a different kind of help than I’m used to.”

“That’s fair enough. I appreciate it nonetheless,” she said, the Thestral yawning and tossing her head. “Well, a nice way to wake up at least.”

“If you want to make morning hugs a thing, I’m not going to complain. Would be a rather nice way to start a crazy day. I think you’re discovering my huggy side,” Astral admitted. A very soft, high-pitched squeak caught his attention, the stallion failing to fully muffle his laugh at seeing Sassi staring at him again.

“I take it that’s a yes?”

“To say the least,” Sassi managed to say, a frustrating grumble leaving her mouth. “I just…I can’t think about everything. So many contradicting things. I can’t keep it all straight.”

What could Astral say other than offering a sympathetic nod?
“Sorry, Astral. This has to come off as really weird and confusing,” she admitted, the two walking to the kitchen to down the last semi-fresh foods available.

“I mean, yeah, in a way?” he said, brow furrowed in thought. “But considering our circumstances and what I do know about you, it makes total sense. So, not too weird. But it is confusing.”

“Well, I promise to try and clear some of that up,” the mare replied, “but we probably shouldn’t delay here.”

Nodding in agreement, Astral downed the simple but filling breakfast of dried fruits. Sassi took a few minutes to scan every inch of the apartment again, the mare already having triple-checked it the night before.

“Got everything?”

She nodded, tapping her saddlebags with a hoof.
“Yep. All in the storage crystal. Time to suit up and head out of here.”

“Just like that?” he asked, walking over to where his armor had been pre-positioned the day before and beginning to buckle it on.”

“Just like that. The longer I think about it the more bleh I feel.”

“Well, off we go then. All the guns are loaded, so we should just go. Sounds too easy,” he muttered.

“Oh, it sounds easy. But either way it’ll be fun,” Sassi replied cheerfully. “Well, I think it’ll be fun. Ish.”

“I think we have different definitions of fun, Sassi.”

Author's Note

Poor Sassi. But now the pair is geared up for what lies ahead...

Chapter Thirty Three: Updated Objective

With their saddlebags loaded, guns strapped on, and armor buckled to their frames, the two Thestrals trotted out of the sealed apartment, Sassi taking a last look around. Even her pictures had been carefully packed into the storage crystal, along with a few of the board games.

“You good?” Astral asked, the mare turned to look at him with a nod. Her smile didn’t quite reach Sassi’s eyes, an odd mix of regret and relief in her gaze.

“I’m good. Let’s get out of here. Check the cameras again and then all we can do is go.”

Astral looked over his gear again, the two of them now armed with drum-fed shotguns, the explosive slugs being about as close to miniature grenades as you could get. Strapped onto their saddlebags (and anywhere possible) were spare drums, each container holding over two dozen shots.

The guns themselves were an interesting thing. Parts of them were protected by an anti-magic field, micro-crystals set within the metal. Apparently, the company didn’t trust that rogue unicorns (or other magic users) would try and jam the guns if threatened.

Sassi seemed to be more and more comfortable with each step she took away from the apartment. A quick check over the cameras indicated an all-clear, and then it was time.

“So, Silo Two transit station?” Astral asked, Sassi nodding.

“The lights are on, but I don’t see any trams. So, we check that and start walking. Then we have to get down about twenty-five levels of the Silo.”

“Busy day or two…”

“To say the least,” she paused, genuine concern flickering in her violet gaze. “You going to be ok?”

Astral found himself nodding, Sassi looking at him in surprise.
“I’ve come this far. Not about to quit now,” he said firmly. “Nervous? Yeah. A bit scared? Sure. But at least I’m alive. I’ve already gone through stuff I couldn’t imagine. May as well add some more to that list.”

He didn’t miss a bit of pink on Sassi’s cheeks before her visor flipped down.
“You continue to surprise me, Astral,” she said softly. “You’ve come a long way since I met a panicked security guard inside this door.”

Astral kept his visor up a little bit longer, the warm fluttering in his chest making it far too natural to smirk.

“I’d say so. Instead of pointing a gun at me, you’re hugging me. I definitely prefer the latter,” he teased. Astral would be lying to himself if this side of him wasn’t a tad surprising. More playful, carefree…

No, perhaps that isn’t so much of a surprise. Sassi isn’t the only one who has played things close to the chest. I’ll let her know those things soon enough. I think she’ll like that.

He heard a soft squeak over the inter-helmet radio in reply, the stallion trotting up to stand next to her.

“Well, what do you say we get out of this place?”

Sassi flipped her visor back up, and Astral’s heart skipped a beat. Her violet eyes were shimmering, but there was an ocean of tumultuous emotions that nearly made the stallion cheer.

For the first time since Astral had met her, Sassi looked hopeful. There was fear, anxiety, but a spark of something that hadn’t been there before.

I promise you’ll see the forests, Sassi.

Taking a shaky breath, Sassi nodded once as Astral did the same, their visors locking into place.
“Let’s get to that tram station,” she said firmly, the military-minded mare now prioritizing things that were much easier to think about.

“Should be a straight shot. I’m right behind you.”

The two trotted out into the barren transit station, the helmet filters thankfully handling the stench of death and decay. It was a short but cautious trot to the Silo Two station, the pair covering each other. Sassi had instructed Astral previously how to move together, making sure their guns weren’t aimed at the other’s backs.

They had even practiced in the apartment, but it had been a simple lesson Astral was familiar with. They had covered such things in the Guard training, after all. But that had been with much more rudimentary firearms.

Walking down the stairs, the two looked around the platform. Sassi made her way to a console next to the central pillar, tapping some of the holographic symbols before it flashed red. She tapped a few more keys before shutting off the console.

“I’ve got good news and bad news,” she muttered. “Good news is that no motion sensors are tripping in the tunnels. There’s one that’s a bit wonky, but the power surge probably fried it. The bad news is…”

She pointed to the opposite end of the station, a now-visible wreck of a tram car now in Astral’s view.

“Oh,” he muttered, “we walk?”

“We walk.”

Astral felt a shiver run down his spine, Sassi either not sharing or broadcasting her trepidation as the Thestral neatly hopped down to a small maintenance causeway next to the tracks.

“The power was already disabled, but I enabled the emergency shut off just in case. The tracks don’t have any juice in them,” she said. “Probably shouldn’t touch them just in case there’s residual charge though.”

“Didn’t have to tell me twice…” Astral muttered, following Sassi into the dark tunnel. Their helmet’s infrared vision lit up the tunnel in a sickly glow that made his eyes ache. But at least they could see. Otherwise, the entire area was pitch black as they rounded a corner.

“The Silos are kept separate in case of a breach. Obviously, that can only help so much,” Sassi relayed as they walked, “without the trams, it’s a ten, maybe twenty-minute walk. Shouldn’t be too bad.”

“It’s dark even for our eyes. And that’s saying something,” Astral said softly. “Forget normal dark nights. This is like, advanced darkness.”

Sassi laughed over the radio, the sound not fitting in with how nervous Astral felt, but it certainly helped.

“Well, we should be out of here soon.”

At what Astral could best guess was the halfway point Sassi abruptly paused.

“Left side. Be ready,” she whispered. “Movement.” As she spoke, a threat marker popped up on the stallion’s helmet display.

The usual nerves Astral would have expected were subdued. They were very much there, but it was a simple formula of what would soon follow.

If it was a Skitter or Spider? Shoot it.

If it wasn’t? See what Sassi did.

They crept closer, and now the pair could hear some heavy breathing. That’s when they were able to see it.

The Skitter was laying against the leftmost wall, limbs twitching slightly, at least, what limbs were left. That probably explained the weird motion detector readings from earlier.

The creature at first glance would have made Astral assume it was dead. A large chunk was missing from its side, two of its limbs torn from the torso, and a large gash present on its face. He wasn’t even sure if it could see, at least two of its visible eyes gouged out. One barcoded arm still twitched.

Sassi’s guns were trained on it, Astral following suit. Perhaps it was too wounded to fight and they could slip by.

If it so much as twitched, they’d both-

“Poniesssss.”

The two of them froze, staring at the Skitter.

“Ssssmell you. No fight. Cannot see,” the creature hissed.

Sassi stared for a moment, Astral not about to be the first to respond.

“Ssspeak. Know you are there,” the Skitter said again.

“I’ve never met a talking Skitter- I thought you all were just feral. Give me a reason not to kill you,” Sassi said bluntly, scanning around to make sure they were still in the clear.

“Sssshe needsss your help.”

“She?” Astral muttered, Sassi still staring at the creature.

“Who? What is this about?” she asked, the Skitter letting out a gurgling sigh.

“The Queen. Ssshe sent me. Hivemind failing. The other wantsss out. To ssssee the sssun and consssume all.”

“The Skitter Queen? Joro? What other?” Sassi barked, the creature’s head lolling about.

The Skitter then slumped against the wall, and the two Thestrals noticed the ever-increasing pool of dark blood now underneath it on the floor.

“Two Queensss. I ssserve the true Joro. I am one of the lassst in her sssservice, one of few who can ssspeak. Level Thirty-Ssssix. Ssshe needsss your help. Can give information to help you. Guide you passssst the otherssss…”

The Skitter then fell permanently silent, the threat marker blinking off. The two Thestrals didn’t say anything for a long minute, Astral then letting out a long breath.

“Two Queens? One asking for help? What is this, Sassi?”

She shook her head, the mare methodically resuming their previous course with Astral in tow.

“I don’t know, Astral,” Sassi admitted. “It could be a trap, but we have to pass by that level regardless.”

“So, we’re going to help?”

“We’ll see. That Skitter had been attacked by other creatures, not gunfire. As much as I hate to admit it, we do need information. We’re walking into a Silo I have no idea the current status of,” Sassi explained. “Levels one to forty I know like the back of my hoof. Below that is spotty, restricted areas even for me for another few dozen levels at least. I was only down there on rare missions which were in-and-out tasks. Below that, I only know the floor names.”

“Ok, well, I guess we get to the new Silo, then see where it goes?”

“Pretty much.”

Astral gestured back towards the now-dead skitter.
“That one had a weird-looking barcode on its arm. You said those are only the old ones?” he asked. “You explained barcodes briefly before, but I never really brought it up again.”

The mare paused, nodding once.
“That’s fair. Well, barcodes are for any experiments created by the company, one of the first things they do once the specimen is viable. It’s a way for them to keep track of products,” she explained. “If you see an experiment without a barcode, it’s likely been born after things went crazy. Security staff don’t count; that’s why you didn’t see any codes on their bodies.”
Something was slightly off in Sassi’s tone as she explained the barcode, but Astral couldn’t quite place it. He simply nodded as she continued.

The mare then turned back to Astral gesturing to the dead Skitter.
“That one was old, really old. The barcode was stretched and an older format, from what I could tell. That’s why it looked different, which lines up with what it said.”

She turned back, waving him onwards.
“Head on a swivel now. We’ll relax once we get to the Silo Two security station. It should be decently secure. I doubt the station should be anything exciting.”

The two traveled in silence for the remainder of the tunnel, a weak light finally shining at the end. Their night vision deactivating, Astral felt his stomach flip as they trotted up to the station.

The platform, pillars, and ceiling were coated in blood, the decapitated head of a pony staring soullessly at them from its position on the equally-slicked stairs.

Author's Note

Hmmmmmmmmm :trixieshiftright:

Hope you all are enjoying the ride! As always, feedback is appreciated.

Chapter Thirty Four: Flickering Lights

“Watch our backs, Astral. Let’s go,” Sassi ordered softly.

Astral nodded despite the vice clamped around his stomach. Yet something burned in the Thestral’s chest to combat the rising nausea.

The two carefully walked up the stairs, noting how a dozen decomposing bodies were shoved to one side of the stairwell. On poking her head out of the exit, Sassi took a few tentative steps forward and nodded.

The eerie silence ate at Astral’s nerves, the large series of rooms matching the Silo One transit station. If he had to guess, it was a standard layout. This station, thankfully, lacked the decorative body parts of Silo One. Instead, there was a disturbing lack of bodies. The blood-covered desks, chairs, sofas, and monitors indicated that hadn’t always been the case.

His hypothesis about the design held true, as the security station was located where Sassi’s had been in the previous Silo. They turned the corner-

The stallion nearly ran into Sassi, the mare’s breath quickening ever so slightly. Turning his head to briefly look, Astral felt his heart drop.

The Security Station door had been torn from its mounts, the forelimb-thick and garage-door sized steel apparatus firmly embedded in the right wall.

“Sassi?” he asked, turning back to scan the floor and ceiling.

“That was our safe checkpoint. There are a few backup stations on the levels below us. It’s a dead-end here aside from a single hallway. There are very few things that could have done that damage. Every floor has at least one smaller reinforced security checkpoint no matter what. So, we should keep moving.”

“No argument here.”

The two traversed the remainder of the blood-splattered tiles, eventually arriving at a familiar set of elevators. Hopping in one, Astral watched as Sassi punched in the override code, tapping the floor below them.

“We’re on floor eight?” he asked, Sassi nodding as the elevator dropped.

“Silo Two isn’t like One. It doesn’t have a concealment section of four levels. It’s underground. Level One is still buried underneath a mountain of rock,” she explained. “It deals with the nasty stuff, so it needed to be more secure. Silo Three is even deeper and more secluded. I don’t know nearly as much about it, since the majority is condemned and quarantined.”

“Ah,” was all he could say.

“Level Nine is just administrative stuff. Simple office layout, desks along multiple hallways at head-high cubicles. Security station is to our left,” she instructed. “Let’s just get there and figure out our next step.”

“Hopefully nothing too exciting then.”

Astral’s reply made Sassi huff slightly in amusement. The doors opened, and the two trotted out across the fairly-clean tile. Aside from desks and papers being strewn about, there wasn’t any initial sign of death and destruction on the floor.

The Thestrals moved down the halls, the silence almost being worse than knowing there was an imminent threat. The security station’s door was battered and only hanging on by a hinge, but it was intact.

The room was a simple one; a few computer terminals, screens, and empty weapons lockers along the walls. Sassi immediately began to tap at the shimmering keyboard, frowning as only a few of the screens turned on.

“Cameras are fried. This Silo is a mess,” she muttered. “I can at least send a brief message to Vial.”

A short ‘we are here’ email was sent, but the mare frowned.

“Hmm. The connection is shoddy. It may take some time to even send.”

“Uh, Sassi?” Astral asked, pointing to a screen. The stallion’s eyes were wide as he stared. “What is that?”

The creature slowly stalking a hallway on one of the cameras nearly filled up the entire screen. It had the same general shape as a Skitter, but thick muscles and armored plates had replaced the usually spindly limb and skeletal torso.

“That is a Queen Guard,” Sassi muttered, “I’ve never seen one outside of the two kept under heavy guard. I never had the chance to go to those levels more than once or twice. But if one is stalking the halls on level Forty-Nine, then that means there are more. That explains the door we saw.”

“I assume that means bad news? That’s a big…thing.”

“Very bad. We could take one out between the two of us with these guns. But you’d want a grenade launcher for it. On the plus side, it moves slower than the Skitters but is harder to kill.”

“Fantastic.”

“Eh, will be a fun challenge!” Sassi said, perking up a bit. “We shouldn’t have to worry about them up here. They’re kept close to the Queen, hence the name. Considering it takes a lot of resources to grow them, I doubt there are more than five. Maybe ten total if I had to guess with available biomass. We’ll watch the cameras for a bit and then move on. If there isn’t one on this floor or any others nearby, it likely they tore the security section apart and then retreated to the Queen.”

The camera watching was informative but did nothing to assuage Astral’s nerves. This Silo felt different. Odd, off, in a way.

“So, off to the elevators?” Astral asked, Sassi nodding firmly.

“Yep. There’s nothing left on this floor, and things seem to be clear. So down we go.”

“Hi Ho, Hi Ho…” Astral muttered, Sassi letting out a soft *snrk*. The two of them then left the relative safety of the security checkpoint.

Staying quiet, they made their way back to the elevators, Sassi punching in the override code and the 20th-floor button.

“I wouldn’t want to go more than ten floors at a time,” she explained as the elevator began to move. “Last thing we want is to walk into a Skitter trap. I’d prefer to go the last few floors one at a time if we can.”

The elevator abruptly halted, the two of them stumbling as a familiar voice chimed out over the speaker.

“Warning. Automatic authorization for the floor-locking elevator system has been disabled. Failure in primary and secondary systems. Manual reset required at junction stations before proceeding. Audio announcements at intermittent levels.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Astral muttered as Sassi let out an annoyed hiss.

“It means we can’t travel more than a few floors at a time,” she said, “there’s a manual reset on every floor we’ll need to power cycle before the elevators unlock. It shouldn’t take long each time, but it adds risk. It’s supposed to be a safeguard, but now is a royal pain in the flank.”

“I always hated those kinds of video game levels,” Astral replied with a grunt. “Please walk through fire and death to flick a switch. I can’t say my view has changed now that I’m in it.”

Another soft snort from Sassi was her reply, the elevator doors opening. On the plus side, ‘intermittent levels’ of audio meant no obnoxious voice apparently.

“This level should be simple. Just a server room,” Sassi said quietly as they excited the copy-and-paste layout of the elevator lobby. “On the right is where the relay switches are. I’ll show you how to do it.”

Astral nodded, his throat abruptly dry. Any lessened nerves had given way to the familiar undercurrent of tension as they walked. The server racks hummed with their various lights blinking, only a few blood stains here and there to mark any absence of normality.

The relay entrance was a simple, office door set in the wall. Sassi cleared the room, a chime over the helmet radio indicating for Astral to step inside.

What looked like a bunch of normal, household fuses greeted the pair. Sassi gestured to a larger array of switches and dials with an armored hoof.

“These are the ones that have to be engaged to allow the elevators to proceed,” she explained. “Usually marked by the ‘F-L’ letters. Floor Lockout. You just make sure these dials are set to ‘on’,” her hoof adjusted the panel. “And then flick these switches.”

With a simple flick of her wrist, Sassi made the two red lights over the fuse-like devices green, the mare nodding in approval.

“Simple enough?”

Astral nodded, the two quickly making their way back to the elevator.
“Simple enough. I can handle that if I have to.”

The elevator doors closed. They managed to travel two floors before the lockout engaged again, Sassi nodding slowly.

“Two floors…this may take us a bit if that’s the limit,” she muttered. “This one is a large gym, basically. Firearm shooting range, sparring arenas, basically anything training-related. It’s a bit of a walk for this one. With a bit of luck, we’ll be clear.”

The door opened, and a microwave-sized Spider promptly launched itself at Astral’s face.

Author's Note

Down we go...

Chapter Thirty Five: Cracked Foundations

Letting out a surprised yell, Astral backhoofed the Spider out of reflex, smacking it into the wall. Stepping on the squirming remains, he let out a snort. The moment passed as the stallion’s sides heaved, catching his breath from the surprise. Thankfully the helmet had muted his cry.

“I hate those things,” he growled. There was an abrupt edge to his voice that even surprised the stallion before it faded, Sassi stared at him for a moment, her head shaking back and forth in amusement. “What?”

“You’re a very different pony than the one who first came down here. You just punched a spider,” Sassi replied, amusement leaking through her tone.

“Well, I’ve been through just a few things,” he huffed, the two quietly scanning the lobby.

“Just a few. I’m still impressed.”

He stood a bit taller at that, clearly quite happy to get the approval from a near-super-mare.
“As long as neither of us gets bitten, we’ll be good,” the stallion remarked, the two of them cautiously traversing the floor.

As they passed by sparring arenas, gym equipment, an empty (and blood-covered) armory, Sassi seemed to grow a bit more nervous. As they stopped about halfway through the floor, Astral saw her physically shudder. The mare’s gaze was clearly locked onto one of the sparring arenas; that much was easy to see even with the visor down.

“Sassi? You ok?” he asked softly, the mare not responding at first.

“I spent a lot of time here, Astral. In this ring training,” Sassi finally said. Her words were almost monotone, but Astral got the sense it wasn’t for lack of emotion. She seemed tense, as if the forced words were the only alternative to something else.

Judging from the slight shake that briefly shuddered up her limbs, Astral figured it wasn’t good.

“I never really thought about it until now. But seeing everything broken and empty it hits differently,” she muttered, “I spent weeks, months, probably years by now, all right there. You had some combat training for the night guard; I learned all of that when I was a foal,” Sassi continued. “That’s not to brag. I had to complete the courses even if my limbs barely responded. Quarterly evaluations after that to see how the modifications were taking. Even until my hooves cracked and….”

Her voice drifted off, Astral watching curiously as the demeanor of the mare crumbled. The confidence faded, and a very vulnerable, very real pony poked out from behind the pained words.

How much of you is buried underneath the training and torture, Sassi?

Just the thought of it made his chest tighten. There was no physical enemy to combat here, only memories.

Astral lifted his hoof, wanting to at least offer a bit of comfort. He then set it back down. She had specified that physical touch was a rocky area. The memory of the scars jumped out at him, making the stallion’s heart twinge.

I don’t blame her for being uncomfortable about that.
Small steps, as slowly as she’d like.

Sassi saw the movement out of the corner of her vision. The mare couldn’t help but smile, edges quivering as a torrent of emotions threatened to burst through the dam of training and conditioning. Her fluffy ears perked up, even as Sassi’s world moved in slow motion as the mare processed everything in an instant. While she was able to clamp down on the outward expressions, the warm hum of affection that made her chest glow refused to be silenced.

It was such a simple gesture of help, yet Astral had no idea how much it meant. It was likely because of her degree in Psychology, but Sassi admitted it probably was additionally due to the training on how to read creatures to analyze them for threats. Whatever the case, she was able to take a snapshot of Astral at that moment, and it made her heart melt. A brief burst of emotion dashed across her mind, a feeling the mare had been so terrified had long since been choked out by the evils of the Silos. It warmed Sassi from the tips of her ears to the ends of her hooves.

It was so simple yet the snapshot spoke volumes. Astral was confident. The only hesitation on his part was after beginning the gesture, meaning he wanted to comfort her. The stallion was obviously on edge, but the minute she showed any distress, that fear seemed to flee. There were no tremors, no terror in his eyes at their situation in those moments.

It was something Sassi had picked up on when Astral had first rescued her. But it was now becoming more and more apparent. When it was just them walking, she could almost see his nerves. The moment she showed any discomfort, any pain, a very different pony stood next to her.

The mare realized she didn’t have any words to put to the feeling she felt on thinking that. All she could say was three words. Not the three precious ones she feared would never be said her lifetime, but some Sassi hoped would convey an ounce of the mare’s gratefulness to this curious stallion.

“Thank you, Astral,” she whispered.

A shake of the head, and the confident, military-minded mare was back. The doubts and churnings of her feelings were under lock and key once again, but barely. They had a mission, and this was all just a distraction from that.

“Let’s keep going.”

Astral nodded, following Sassi down the central hallway. The remainder of the room was then split off into two locker rooms. Considering each entrance was covered in blood, they avoided that route.

Locker rooms. I still remember snapping that stallion’s arm like a twig when he didn’t seem to hear me say ‘back off.’

Oddly, that encounter didn’t disturb Sassi nearly as much as seeing the training arena.

Continuing down the main hallway, Sassi led them past the showering area, and then some open rooms which had previously been used for things like stretches, meditation, and so forth. She had never really gotten into that.

Cuddling with Astral is the type of meditation I could get used to.

The thought rose so unbidden it nearly caused Sassi to stumble, her eyes widening behind the visor. This wasn’t normal. To have such things punch through and distract her was exactly what she had been trained to not have happen.

Then again, she hadn’t ever been comfortable enough with somepony to have such thoughts, let alone anything more.

That was an entirely new train of thought Sassi shut down. She couldn’t go down that road, not now. Even during this straightforward mission, her usual barriers were barely holding back a flood of thoughts, a tidal wave of emotions the mare wasn’t used to processing.

The fact she didn’t want it to stop just added to the confusion.

Thankfully, their current situation reared a new obstacle in the form of a Swiss-cheese style arrangement.

“We can’t go over that, can we?” Astral asked.

The hallway that led to their goal, the electrical room, was currently full of dozens of holes. Judging from how the metal was dripping inwards, some sort of chemical had eaten up from below.

There’s a series of testing labs below this one. Some of the piping must have burst.

“No, I think we should stay as far away from that as possible,” Sassi muttered. The floor groaned in response, the mare slowly taking a step backward. “There’s a series of maintenance tunnels behind us and to the right. We can use those instead. But let’s not make any sudden movements.”

“No argument here,” Astral replied, cautiously testing each step as he backed up.

A terrified yelp made the mare’s head whip around, Sassi barely catching sight of Astral as the floor collapsed around him.

Author's Note

OHBOY
(Credit to Witchery for the prompt of Sassi using those psychoanalytical skills!)

Chapter Thirty Six: Woes of Green

One moment Astral was stepping backward. The next, his vision was full of soft metal, broken glass…and green.

Lots of green.

Apparently, the floor directly below them was completely gone. Astral had landed mostly on his hooves on the floor below that, the large metal counter providing a disturbingly cushioned impact from the two-story fall. The odd liquid coated most of the floor, enough that was about halfway up a counter at chair height. The neon-green fluid seemed normal enough, but considering everything it had touched appeared to sag, it wasn’t good. It didn’t move much, only slightly sloshed when debris fell in as if it was the consistency of warmed jello.

“Astral? You ok?” Sassi asked, worry coating her voice over the radio as the mare looked down from above.

“Y-yeah. Landed on a counter. Weird green stuff everywhere,” he relayed back. “How do I get out of here?”

The counter he was on was in the main hallway, spanning to his left and right. Previously pristine (so he assumed) glass rooms lined the hall. The glass was either dripping, sagging, or was broken. No bodies were seen, so at least that was a plus.

“Hallway that leads away from you, towards where we were trying to go is not the way out,” Sassi explained, “that leads to a small elevator that goes up to the lab above you. Or, what used to be the lab. It looks like it’s completely melted through. You want to go away from that.”

“Ok. My options of moving are a bit limited. And squishy,” Astral asked. “The metal and plastic feel like cheesecake texture. Uh, any idea what this stuff is?”

“Not a clue. Probably a mix of garbage they were experimenting with and didn’t take seriously. If it just melts metal, plastic, and anything non-organic, you might be ok if that’s all it’s targeted to do. The fact things haven’t dissolved completely means it’s not super potent, but we don’t know.”

“So, don’t touch it?”

“No. Don’t touch it. Can you find your way back? I’ll reset the elevator locks here, but you also need to reset them on your end. They’ll be on your way back, so just flick the switches as I showed you. Otherwise, we’ll have to make another trip if the elevator locks on the floor. It should be the second door on your right after the glass cubicle’s end, just before the elevators.”

“Ok, I can do that.”

“Let’s get this done. I won’t use the radio unless I need to so you can focus.”

Astral nodded in reply, taking a few deep breaths.
“Sounds good, Sassi.”

There was a pause, and for a moment Astral assumed Sassi was going silent.

“Be careful, Astral.”

Her tone was a lot less firm, the military cadence cutting out and replaced with genuine care. He couldn’t help but smile despite the circumstances.

“You too.”

Astral took a moment to plot his route. Ultimately, the path was going to be the worse version of ‘the floor is lava’ ever. There were tables, chairs, tipped-over metal boxes, and cabinets all over. Whether they’d hold his weight or not was a question Astral would find out soon. There wasn’t any other way down the hall.

If the hallway had been a bit wider and not had dozens of sparking wires hanging from the ruined ceiling, the Thestral would have given flying a shot. But even then, the heavy armor prevented anything outside of a basic glide.

So, jumping it was.

Ok, here we go.

He cautiously jumped to the nearest island of safety, letting out a yelp as his hoof sank into the material.

But it held.

Ok. Now I know what to expect.

Each jump made Astral’s heart rise in his throat. Yet slowly but surely, he made his way down the flooded hallway- until there was nowhere left to jump.

That left only one crazy, stupid option.

Poking his hoof into the wall, Astral quickly confirmed his hypothesis. He could make hoof-holds in the material.

Like a terrified, armored spider, the stallion shoved his hooves into the wall methodically, clambering above the toxic mess. When the hallway shifted back into the full-length glass rooms, that made it easier. Astral was able to walk tightrope-style across the dividers.

Second door on my right.

The concentration of fluid was definitely decreasing down the hall, the amount barely covering the floor by the time Astral got past the various glass rooms. The electrical room door opened, only a bit of the green stuff washing in. It was remarkably solid- not at all like water, so it only flowed in the entrance slightly.

Slipping on the tile floor as he jumped in from his hallway-clambering, the stallion smacked into the nearest wall with a *thud*.

Ok. The switches…

Sure enough, the identical piece of equipment was on the far side of the room. Toggling the appropriate switches and dials, Astral nodded as the panel lit up.

“Sassi? Locks disable.”

“Perfect. I’m almost to the elevators on my end. I’ll be down there in a moment. Is there any of that green gunk near the elevators?”

Astral shook his head as he spoke on the radio.

“If there is, it’ll be just a thin layer. It’s barely bit-high at the electronics door, just washed in a bit.”

“Understood. See you soon.”

Astral commandeered a spare chair to slide out the door, then latched onto the wall once again. The material was quickly starting to firm up, confirming the toxic sludge wasn’t as present.

Just as Astral spied the familiar elevator lobby, his hoof-holds crumbled into dust. The stallion fell backward, immediately getting coated in the chemical slurry which seemed to move on its own, covering him from head to tail including under the armor.

He let out a terrified yell, scrambling onto the nearest item (a file cabinet) and for a moment thought that the green gunk wasn’t anything to worry about. Nothing felt off.

That was when a million invisible ants began to bite at his skin.

“Sassi! I slipped. I’m covered in the stuff. What do I do?” Astral yelled, panic punching through his thought process.

“Take a breath, Astral. You’re good,” Sassi’s voice immediately replied, calm and steady in his ears. “When you head to the elevators, take a right down that hallway. There’s a decontamination station. It should still have power. I’ll meet you there.”

Astral nodded. As the sensation of biting ants slowly began to intensify, he resumed his course. With a few jumps to a rogue chair and a sagging metal crate, he managed to clear the final remnants of the gunk. The Thestral slid across the tile and smacked into the opposing wall, leaving a slight green imprint. Trying to force down nausea in his stomach, Astral could feel his limbs beginning to shake. They felt…off. Cold.

There!

Down the hall, three large doors were visible. The left-most two were the decontamination chamber. One for an observing party, the other for the actual procedure in and out of the lab. While silly, Astral briefly wondered how the observer would be sterile- did they come from the lab-side?

The sight of a broken emergency exit latch answered that question. Sassi had made her own entrance on this side, the mare already typing in the observation station.

“Ok, Astral. Get into that room and strip off everything. Helmet, armor, guns, bags- dump it all into the large crate to your right,” Sassi instructed.

Astral managed a nod, stumbling into the clear plastic room. Taking off his equipment, the stallion shoved it all into the nearby bin. As soon as everything was off, the crate snapped shut with an audible *SNIK*.

“Beginning decontamination sequence. You’re going to have to get a shot or two as well. Just stand in the middle of the room, hooves on the markers on the floor,” Sassi instructed, her voice level and calm.

Astral matched up his hooves to the four large circles on the floor, a large circular array now descending into the room above him. A simple oxygen mask was attached to his nose and mouth after a blast of water and foam covered his face. A minty, stinging scent was promptly pumped into his lungs. Nozzles then sent water coursing up, down, and sideways across the stallion’s body. Jets recessed in the floor covered him head to tail, nothing being missed. Thick foam was next, the substance fizzing and popping as it seemed to burrow under the Thestral’s fur.

Another round of water, and then a thicker, almost slime-like material was promptly dumped onto the stallion.

Stopping himself from letting out a shriek, Astral felt his limbs immediately start to shiver. There weren’t many things that he was genuinely afraid of (outside of freakish creatures at least.) But for some reason, slimly textures on his fur provoked an immediate and violent get-away-from-me reaction.

It was all he could do to remain stationary, his breathing borderline hyperventilating. The slime was almost rinsed off now, the Astral’s near panic-attack cresting as he quivered.

It’s almost off.

It was a very specific texture. Jello wouldn’t do it- but this decontaminating slime was just the type of substance to make Astral’s anxiety skyrocket.

After another few moments, Astral was slime-free, but then subjected to more fizzing foam and then a final wash of lime-green fluid before a rinse of water. He chanced a glance over to Sassi behind the thick window. While his vision was blurred, she looked genuinely disturbed, her visor flipped up as she watched him and the displays.

That didn’t bode well for whatever Astral had fallen into.

As fans and pumps both dried the fuzzy Thestral and removed the water, Astral spied a robotic arm. He knew what came next as a large needle entered his vision. It promptly dumped a syringe of something into his bloodstream, a mechanical set of claws slapping some self-adhesive gauze on the injection site.

“Decontamination procedure complete. All residual toxins preparing to be expelled,” a monotone voice chimed, Astral staggering out of the chamber with weak limbs.

As Sassi hurried over to him (newly decontaminated apparel in tow) Astral managed a weak smile.

“T-that wasn’t so ba-HURK!”

Author's Note

Holiday bonus chapter! :pinkiehappy:

Chapter Thirty Seven: Five Leafed Clover

Astral abruptly vomited up a ball of what appeared to be black tar, the stallion spitting out the remnants as he recoiled in horror. Another ball of nightmarish ooze was promptly spat out as the taste settled in.

“Oh, what in Tartarus’s name is…that’s awful!” he gagged, eyes widening as the tar began to fizzle and steam on the floor. “It’s on my tongue! It’s all over!”

“Better out than in your bloodstream,” Sassi explained as Astral spat out another glob. “It has to come out one of two ways. Trust me, this is the much preferred one.”

“I’ll *gag* bet,” Astral managed to say, sitting on the floor and shuddering. “So…I’m good? I don’t feel that great.”

Sassi gestured to the monitors in the observation station.
“Scans say you’re clean. But your body will take some time to adjust. You just underwent the equivalent of a few weeks of detox treatment in…a few minutes. It’s a shock to anyone’s system, let alone an unmodified pony who is already stressed. The system needs to recharge here, but if we find another station it may be a good idea to send you through again just to make sure.”

“F-fantastic,” he shuddered, “can’t wait.”

“Can you stand? We need to get moving. This place isn’t secure.”

Her clipped tone refusing any argument, Astral nodded. He buckled on his armor and saddlebags with Sassi’s help. The two of them made their way back to the elevators. Astral immediately flopped down to sit inside the enclosure as the doors closed.

“Ok, need a minute. Whoa. Legs are jelly,” he panted. Sassi was immediately at his side. Her visor flipped up again as a pair of concerned eyes looked the stallion over. The mare’s demeanor was a polar opposite from a moment ago, worry leaking from every pore. Astral felt his heart skip a beat as her eyes met his, genuine affection swimming in their depths.

“I’m not surprised, that treatment is a doozy even for me,” she said softly, sitting down next to him. “Sorry about earlier. We just had to get out of there.”

Waving her off, Astral managed a shrug.
“You being calm helped me focus and move. So, no apology is necessary. There’s a time and place for the military mare, and I appreciate it. Thank you for getting me through that. I was nearly panicking.”

She was quiet at that, Sassi finally shaking her head.
“Well, I have a lot of training with that sort of thing. But it also helped me stay calm. I was scared.”

Astral glanced over to her, the previously-stoic mare not meeting his gaze. She had spoken the last sentence almost as if Sassi was trying to understand it herself.

“Huh?” was all he could say.

“Why wouldn’t I be? I had no idea what that goop would do to you, if the decontamination would even work. I didn’t…” her words drifted off, Sassi sighing. “I miss when things were simpler.”

“Starting to lose me there, Sassi,” he admitted, Astral still struggling to catch up from ‘I nearly died to slime’ to ‘very concerned super-mare is here.’

“I’m not used to caring about ponies. Not this much, not even close. I’ve lost ponies I knew loads of times. That was just how it was down here. It got easy, losing coworkers to experiments, accidents, and such. But never someone I cared for. Not like…” her voice trailed off, but Astral got the gist, and it made a familiar warmth glow in his chest.

The stallion wasn’t sure if he should be flattered or apologize. Or maybe both.

“And I know you’re thinking of apologizing, so don’t,” she added, a bit of playfulness entering her expression.

“You’re starting to know me rather well. It’s selfish, but it’s nice to have someone worry. That entire experience was not my favorite,” Astral admitted. “Especially that decontaminating slime.”

“The slime?”

The elevator had long since stopped at the next floor but Sassi had kept the doors closed. Astral appreciated the break.

“It’s a sensation thing,” he explained. “Just, that texture has always freaked me out. Completely illogical, I know. But it just makes me want to run screaming into the nearest body of water. Never had to deal with it outside rare cases.”

“I’m surprised you stayed as composed as you did.”

“Well, my limbs were shaking and I nearly had a panic attack. But at least that’s all over.”

Nodding at that, Sassi looked over in concern as Astral took a few deep breaths, the stallion shivering slightly.

“Mind if I borrow your shoulder?” he asked. “I don’t want to be too-”

His cautionary words cut off as Sassi scooted closer with an immediate nod. Astral rested his armored head against her shoulder pads thankfully.

“Still have the chills?”

Astral nodded, taking a few deep breaths.
“Feels like I’m coming off having the feather flu. Or whatever the equivalent is for Thestrals. We always just called it the same thing.”

“It should pass fairly soon. We can’t stay here too long though,” Sassi warned.

“Pity. You’re comfy even with the armor.”

A soft, amused huff was Sassi’s reply.
“We’ll give it a few minutes and then keep going. Think you’re up for that?” she asked.

“I’ll manage. Not sure if I trust my hooves if we need to run, but I can walk easily enough.”

The two were silent for a few moments after that, Sassi finally speaking up.
“I’m just glad you’re ok, Astral,” she whispered, leaning her helmeted head against his briefly.

Her caring tone was so juxtaposed against the previously strict, drill-instructor-like mannerisms that it threw Astral for a bit of a loop. He was getting used to Sassi switching back and forth, but she hadn’t ever sounded so genuine before. Each interaction seemed to be peeling away another layer of this curious mare.

It was one of many peeks Astral was getting, and he was continually reminded that there was somepony underneath it all, somepony very different than his first impression. From how Sassi was acting around him at an increasing rate, Sassi was a lot more sensitive and caring than anyone would initially assume.

“Well, all thanks to you,” he finally replied, shaking himself out of the torrent of thoughts. “And it’s not my best day. We barely leave the apartment and I get covered in toxic goop.”

“Not one of your best moments, no,” she said, a soft laugh putting Astral’s heart at ease. He wasn’t sure how that could be so calming.

“Well, what’s next?”

Sassi sat up a bit straighter with a sigh.

“We open the elevator doors and flip some switches. This level might be pretty weird though,” she admitted.”

“Weird being…?”

“It’s one of the magical labs. If we’re lucky, the anti-gravity spells they were working on didn’t trigger or warp.”

As the two stood back up again, Astral nodded as Sassi opened the doors.

Unfortunately, judging by how they were greeted by floating books, clipboards, and rubble, the pair were very, very unlucky.

Author's Note

Hi ho, hi ho, it's down and deeper we go....

Chapter Thirty Eight: Gravity of the Situation

“Antigravity spells?” Astral asked, the two carefully pushing through the floating debris. The floor was mostly open, head-height cubicles spread out over a hoofball field-sized distance.

“Yep. Usually localized to objects or a select area. Usually. So…we’ll just hope the stuff above us doesn’t fall.”

Looking up, Astral saw a series of clear glass testing rooms, the same that usually held the research floors. He was fairly certain these shouldn’t be floating. The rectangular rooms were located high above his head along with innumerable bits of broken and sharp glass.

“Oooook.”

“Just…stay behind me. I’m a bit more durable than you. I can endure being thrown across the lab if a spell glitches.”

The fact Sassi was being deadly serious made Astral swallow nervously.

“Sounds good.”

The giant floor looked like the inside of a dirty snow globe. Papers, desks, chairs, and computers either hovered in place or floated along predetermined paths. Astral had a feeling Discord would have liked it.

He nearly ran into Sassi, the mare stopping.

It was easy to see why. The floor was simply gone. No lights, no rubble, simply a large rectangle of nothing.

“Can we go around?” he asked, Sassi shaking her head.

“This is the main hallway. If we backtracked, there’s only a small maintenance tunnel that leads to the switch reset board. I’m not sure if we’d even fit, and I don’t want to try and squeeze through somewhere with no way to retreat.”

The mare picked up a piece of non-floating concrete, casually tossing it into the air.

It floated.

With a simple hop, Sassi jumped up to about head height and promptly stayed there.

“See? Perfectly fine,” she said. Her eyes abruptly widened at seeing some magical sparks flicker across the room, the mare freezing as she almost began to hyperventilate. She shook herself out of it, but Astral was far too focused on the dark pit to notice.

“Nooooooo,” Astral said vehemently, shaking his head, “nope nope nope!”

“W-well, you can stay there, and I’ll float across the pit of eternal nothingness to reset the switches,” Sassi said, regaining control with only a brief stammer as she calmly tossed more debris and watched them float across the chasm and continue.

“I both like that idea and hate it at the same time,” he grumbled.

“Seriously. I’m more magically resistant than most ponies, and the antigrav spell affects me fine. You’ll float like a feather! We…”

Sassi paused, flipping up her visor and meeting Astral’s gaze.

“Astral. Jump. Now,” she hissed, angling her body to bring her guns to bear on something.

Without a second thought, Astral jumped as high as he could, wings pumping downward for extra thrust.

Smacking into a floating desk, he let out a soft groan as Sassi visibly relaxed, looking up at him.

“What was it? Skitter?” he asked, the mare shaking her head.

“I don’t know. It didn’t look right,” she muttered, trepidation carrying over the radio. “It was like…I’ve never seen that before. A bare, clawed arm reached out of the vent back there. The head didn’t have any skin either. Just three eyes without pupils in a triangular skull. The moment I started to aim, it ducked back into the vent without a sound.”

“A modified Skitter maybe?”

“Maybe. All I know is that nothing I’ve seen or read about matches it. That makes me nervous, because I knew just about every experiment in this Silo, even if it was just by name and description. So, let’s get moving to reset these switches. I’ll see about tossing a grenade into that vent before we pass by it again.”

With a flap of her wings, she propelled herself forward.
“Just fly normally, Astral! About half as much power as you usually would use,” she called out.

Astral nodded, swallowing nervously and trying not to think about the pit of eternal nothingness in front of him.

Ok, half power. Half-

“AAAAAAAH!”

Sassi ducked instinctively as Astral went rocketing past her, the Thestral letting out a surprised yell that made her snicker despite the circumstances.

“Astral? Just fly normally. The spell is pretty widespread,” She managed to say, struggling to not laugh as the poor stallion spun in the air. He latched onto a floating chair, and while she couldn’t see his eyes, she could feel his glare.

“I was! I just took off!”

“Oh. Uh, so I guess my magical resistance is a lot more than I thought? The spell is on overdrive for you.”

“Ok. So small flaps.”

“Small flaps indeed.”

Barely moving his wings, Astral made his way over to Sassi, visor flipping up as his wide eyes looked at her.

“That was both exhilarating and horrifying,” he grumbled. “My stomach feels like it’s…urg…”

“Antigravity does a number on normal ponies. I’m used to it. Well, sort of. I did a few sessions of training in case things went haywire,” Sassi explained. “I’m surprised you haven’t thrown up.”

“Probably nothing left.”

“Perhaps, but hey, you’re ok. Just don’t look down.” He did, of course. Astral’s eyes immediately met Sassi’s, the amused mare having flipped her visor up.

“I said not to look.”

“Yes, you did. I regret not following your advice,” the Thestral admitted, wide eyes making Sassi nearly laugh again.

“Just follow me, Astral. We’ll float over to the left side of the lab. Even if the spell fails, we’ll land on solid ground.”

“S-sounds good.”

She could tell the stallion was shaken. Then again, looking down into literal darkness while floating would do that, even if they could fly. Sassi wasn’t going to dwell on the fact that a gravity spell would yank them towards the ground…or the hole of darkness.

“Just focus on me, Astral.”

“Can do.”

He was still clearly nervous. That didn’t change as they floated over the black rectangle, Sassi frowning as the tiles looked clearly out of place.

“Let’s not land just yet. Keep floating and following me.”

“Ok.”

She heard him take a few deep breaths; Astral had likely spotted the warped tiles too.

“Just focus on something else,” Sassi mused, a bit of a cheeky smirk sliding onto her face, “like if you’ll kiss me on our first date or the second.”

The mare almost froze in shock, her mouth completely having run away with her thoughts. A bright blush now burning on her cheeks. Had she just said that?!

I never had these breaks in concentration before. This could end badly. Losing focus at a time like this.

Astral’s stunned silence made Sassi panic. She felt her mental wall slam back into place. That wasn’t something she should be thinking about. She couldn’t think about that. It was just setting herself up for a bigger fall.

But she wanted to. So much. Yet every instinct and past experience-

“You’re making a lot of assumptions there, about who kisses who first, Sassi.”

The stallion’s cheeky but slightly-shaky reply back made Sassi’s thoughts flatline into a warm, pleasant glow. Her heart raced, the two of them finally landed on some solid-looking tile. Astral smiled as his visor flipped up.

“I think we have to get past the ‘who hugs who’ stage first though,” he said with a continued grin. “I appreciate the distraction though. It certainly worked.”

It was such a simple exchange. Sassi had heard plenty of simple, flirty conversations that mirrored this one a dozen times out on her missions. She had always blown it off.

So why were tears now welling up in her eyes? This was supposed to be normal- but that was the answer to the question. It wasn’t normal here, such things didn’t-

“Hey, Sassi?” Astral asked softly, walking to stand next to her. She looked over to him, and the mare felt her mind being torn down two paths. The simple, genuine affection in Astral’s gaze made her want to hug him and never let the stallion go.

And yet every instinct was yelling at her to put as much space between and the potential threat as possible. He was a threat to her normal, to what should-

She shook her head, wincing as an almost physical pain jolted across her head.
“I…” No more words came. It was just like the sensation a few minutes ago that made her stammer and freeze. The room had abruptly felt familiar. A horrible, sickening feeling as the magical sparks had been identical to before.

Every hair tingling with a restraining spell.
The whine of mechanical arms, syringes angling towards-

“Sassi? May I…?” he asked, raising a hoof. It would have been comical if not for the concern in Astral’s eyes, the Thestral clearly wanting to help.

He wasn’t touching her without asking, and that made the threat assessment of him fragment. Why was he-

She felt herself nod, and the gentle touch on the shoulder immediately grounded the mare. It was almost a physical relief, the tension leaving her shoulders. The loop of thoughts vanished, and Sassi felt her logic start to return.

All from a touch. You’re really starting to crack, girl.

That thought made Sassi’s throat close.

No. They’ve always been there. I’m a broken vase hiding inside a concrete ball. I’ve just never dealt with it. How could I?

“I guess being ‘normal’ is still rough, huh?” Astral asked. He was a smart pony, easily putting two and two together. Of course, he could tell when she was struggling, not that it wasn’t obvious.

“I want it to be easy, so much. But it just…” A few more words, but then nothing.

“We’re still trapped down here. I don’t think we’re going to be getting a lot of normal. I can try my best to-”

“No, Astral. This isn’t on you,” she managed to say. “This is all on me. I’m trying to move too fast, but I don’t have another option. Just keep being you, and don’t fall into that pit.”

The stallion gave her shoulder a tentative squeeze, then retracting the hoof with a firm nod.
“I can do that. No plans on going anywhere, especially into that freaky thing,” he added with a toss of his head towards the bottomless pit.

She took a few deep breaths, gesturing to the nearby hallway that led into the solid rock face.
“The good news is that the switches are in there. So, we’re almost halfway done.”

Walking inside, the two followed the hallway to a familiar door, the untouched interior looking oddly out of place. The switches were flipped without issue, and Sassi then trotted to open the door. Just before she touched the doorknob, the entire room shivered.

“…that’s not good, is it?” Astral asked.

“Probably not.”

Sassi opened the door, looked around, and promptly shut it again.
“So, I have good news and bad news.”

Astral felt his left eye twitch.
“Which is…?”

Gesturing to the door, Sassi sat down with a huff.
“Well, the good news is that since this room houses sensitive electronic equipment, it’s more heavily shielded than most.”

“And the bad news?”

Sassi opened the door, and Astral’s stomach dropped.
“The bad news is that we’re now facing the lab on the opposite side of this one,” she said grimly. “Whatever weird magic was going on, it rotated the room completely around to the opposite end of the floor.”

Astral barely heard her; all he could focus on were the floating plasma-ball entities and complete lack of a floor.

“Oh.”

Author's Note

Credit to Witchery for the idea of a magical lab!

Time for some topsy-turvy times...

Chapter Thirty Nine: Hippity Hoppity

Sassi looked around, casually picking up a few stray pieces of electronic…something and chucking it out the door. The mare’s eyes narrowed as she tracked the object, noting their path through the air.

“Well, more good news and bad news.”

“O-ok?” Astral’s tone was significantly less confident than a few minutes ago.

“Good news is that we know how to get across the room. Bad news is that it involves floating to each of those plasma balls since the floor is, well, gone.”

Astral’s visor flipped up, the stallion looking at her incredulously.

“Those big metal balls the size of a carriage with electrical bolts coming from it? That’ll fry us!”

“The bolts are just excess magic,” Sassi explained, “they are barely enough to make your hair stand on end. It’s mainly for looks so that any excess discharge from the device can be seen and contained by non-unicorns.” The mare then frowned, gesturing to one of the many metal orbs. “However, that one probably has lethal amounts of power running through it.”

Astral took one look, his deadpanned expression making Sassi snort.
“The one with giant red, angry lightning bolts that are smoking? That one?”

“Yes. That one. But as for the others, I saw them in the lab before, just not this big. Assuming they are just increased in size the magical discharge still should be minimal.”

“You know what they say about assuming.”

Sassi now stared at him, a soft huff leaving her muzzle.
“I am open to other suggestions, Astral.”

“I wish I had any,” he muttered, “limbs are still feeling all tingly from the detox.”

“Just follow my lead, ok?”

He nodded, the mare steadying herself and jumping into the air with a flap of her wings. Following the path of the still-floating debris, Sassi made it to the first metal orb without issue. Pink lightning crackled over her frame, but the Thestral was otherwise unharmed.

“See? First one down. A few more to go!” she exclaimed cheerfully over the mic. “Your turn! Just hop and flap.”

The stallion jumped, carefully angling himself towards the orb and barely flapping his wings. With a bit more control than the previous attempt, Astral floated over and landed with a soft ‘thud’. He grabbed onto the carriage-sized orb with all four limbs, Sassi looking over to him in concern.

“You alright?”

“Peachy. Next one?” he replied with a shudder. For loving the stars, he hated the fact the floor was just inky blackness. It wasn’t like space at all.

With a hop, Sassi smoothly cruised over to the next orb, waiting for Astral patiently. As he got up, the Thestral flipped up his visor, a soft *hurk* sounding over the radio as he spat out a large glob of black tar.

“Eurg. Whoa. Stomach isn’t…hold on,” another tarry blob was spat out. “Ok. Better now,” he muttered.

“You’ll be spitting that stuff up for a bit. Just push off the orb towards me, Astral. Ready when you are.”

With a reluctant push, the stallion half-floated, half-flew towards the next orb. He promptly hugged it with all four limbs.

“See? Piece of cake!”

“Sassi, the floor is completely black. If there even is a floor! I can’t see anything.”

“Soooo don’t look at it?”

His visor flipped up, the stallion glaring at her in frustration. She mimicked the gesture, looking back at him with a slight smirk, a bit of playfulness dancing in her violet gaze.

“You just don’t like that I’m right,” she teased, Astral grumbling as the mare floated off to the next metal orb.

“Security Officer Obvious…” the stallion muttered, a soft titter echoing over the radio as they carefully traversed the dozen or so metal orbs. They moved in an inverted ‘U’ shape across the chaotic lab, eventually starting their downward journey towards an intact hallway.

Sassi being two large metal orbs ahead of him, the mare landed on the solid hallway with a dull *thud*. The platform extended outwards, supported by heavy struts. Astral assumed it had been a second-floor level entrance originally.

Before the black hole of death swallowed it up that is.

She waved at him, the stallion steadying himself as he pushed off from the metal.

Halfway through his flight, Astral’s stomach did a flip. His vision wobbled and warped, Sassi staggering in the distance. Abruptly sinking midair, he quickly flapped his wings to stay aloft. The best he was able to do was a controlled glide, the armor, and weapons weighing him down as the stallion clung to the last orb with all his might.

“Sassi!? What was that?!” he called out, feeling the abrupt return of gravity clawing him down towards the dark pit. There was a shudder in the air, Astral feeling the pull downwards increase abruptly before fading.

“Anti-gravity spells are failing. Astral, you need to get out of there! Push off when the rubble starts to float again.” Her calm voice punched through the rising panic as a massive chunk of concrete sped past Astral.

The object hit the dark void below and abruptly vanished. It was like dropping a marble into a vat of oil.

“Can’t I dump my guns and fly?”

“No, because then you’ll be defenseless. Your armor alone will weigh you down, and your wings could get crushed by the gravity fluctuating. Look, it’s following a pattern. Shorter and shorter periods of the spell functioning. Wait for it.”

Astral watched, the rubble floating again. It then abruptly fell, the stallion shaking his head.

“That was barely enough time for me to jump!”

“You need to go on the next pulse. Astral, I’ll catch you. I promise.”

“There’s no way I can make that!” he called out, the gap looking like nothing less than a death sentence. Empty space and rubble dotted a house or two length between him and Sassi. She had darted down the hallway and was making a rather loud racket doing…something.

“Astral, do you trust me?”

Her calm, collected voice pierced through the fear that threatened to overtake Astral, the stallion nodding once as he tried to draw in a breath that didn’t shake and shiver.

“Yes.”

“Then jump. T minus ten seconds. I promise I’ll catch you.”

His limbs were shaking, but Astral steadied himself. It was one thing to say he trusted Sassi, but this was an entirely new level of conviction.

I trust her with my life.

She had saved him multiple times; this was no different.

“Now, Astral!”

Shoving off the metal orb with all his might, Astral pumped his wings downwards and back, sending him rocketing towards the intact floor section. As he got close, his fear began to dissipate. The spell was holding, and he was close enough to see Sassi wrapping something around-

The air abruptly yanked Astral downwards.

Barely a stone’s throw from the platform, and the Thestral felt as if he was under an invisible waterfall. An even, abrupt force pushed down on his shoulders and back as something drew him towards the black, magical pit.

The platform and Sassi vanished in a flash- he wasn’t even remotely close enough.

He plummeted down, and for a brief moment, the stallion fully expected to be in agonizing pain. Would the dark pit slowly dissolve him? Or just *poof* his entire existence away?

His entire body (and thoughts) were abruptly halted with a jerk that made his skeleton feel as if it was trying to escape the Thestral’s body.

“Gotcha!”

The armored mare, sans weapons, had wrapped her forelimbs tightly around Astral’s upper torso. Her hooves immediately snaked to hook onto the armor’s straps. Craning his neck, Astral’s eyes widened in amazement at seeing thick, sturdy electrical cables wrapped around Sassi’s rear hoof, connecting them to the platform above. Her visor was flipped up, the mare not having trusted the artificial display during the maneuver.

As the gravity spell pulsed again, Sassi’s grip tightened, wire creaking under the strain as the force desperately tried to pull them down.

“I am not letting you go, Astral!” she growled.

If not for her words, the stallion would have been genuinely fearful. There was something behind Sassi’s tone that had a bare edge, a ferocity that made him shiver.

Yet the protective look in her eyes melted any notions of fear or uncertainty.

As the spell reversed, Sassi yanked on her hind leg. Astral had no doubt she could have hauled him up even without the magical assistance, as the two of them were sent soaring upwards. She angled her body, flipping the cable to then pull them onto the platform.

Super-mare indeed.

She shoved him forwards, pushing the Thestral towards the safety of the hallway as the mare retrieved her weapons. Slotting them onto the saddle with a satisfied nod, she trotted after him as the room continued to devolve into gravity-spurned chaos.

“Let’s go, Astral! Before we get sucked into that pit.”

Staggering down the hallway, the pair entered a beautifully familiar electronics room with elevator switches. Astral’s legs abruptly buckled, the stallion’s sides heaving with stress. He had been literally within a stone’s throw of death, if not closer.

First the goo, now the gravity void; it was a bit much to take in. The door rattled, magical sparks starting to eat at the walls.

The Thestral’s vision wobbled, Sassi’s eyes widening on seeing him sway back and forth.

“Astral?”

Having flipped the switches for the elevator, the mare was back at his side immediately. Catching him on her shoulder as he slumped, Astral struggled to catch his breath.

“I...woozy. Can’t….” he stammered, words swimming on his tongue but refusing to leave.

“Hang on. We need to get out of here. The magical field is destabilizing. Just lean on me and walk. Can you do that?” she asked, voice still clipped and firm but carrying a definite undercurrent of concern. Astral saw the door start to shiver, the metal bubbling with red sparks.

“One hoof in front of the other, I can do that.”

Leaning on Sassi, Astral was led down a side utility hallway. It was barely wide enough for one pony; which was actually a blessing. He was able to lean on the wall until it opened up into a familiar, beautifully-untouched elevator lobby.

He flopped against Sassi again, the mare leading him into an elevator before he collapsed, sides heaving. The doors closed, and Sassi’s visor flipped up as she locked the car safely between the next few floors. She looked him over, concern radiating from her striking violet eyes.

“We’re in the clear; the containment measures will keep it all on that floor for now. Are you ok? Just take as long as you need,” Sassi asked immediately.

“World is still spinning,” he mumbled. “I can barely keep my head up. Trying to catch my breath after…” Astral’s voice trailed off. His sides shivered, an almost physical pain making the stallion wince.

He had been so close. A few moments from being utterly erased by that magical void. First the freaky goo, and now this?

Astral had felt a bit of pride before, at being able to navigate their situation with only a few shakes and shivers. But the past few hours had shattered that completely. His eyes were locked onto the floor, the events spinning over and over again in the Thestral’s mind.

The tears were felt on his cheeks before Astral even knew he was crying. Sassi moved a bit closer, trying to meet his gaze. She pulled her helmet off, Astral nodding as she offered to the same.

It was barely a conscious thought, but Astral wrapped his arms around the mare tightly as soon as the helmet clattered to the ground. His sides began to shake with barely pent-up sobs. It was only after a few seconds he let her go, the stallion wincing even as he tried to wipe away the tears

“S-sorr-”

His words were cut off as Sassi hugged him back, the stallion immediately returning the gesture as emotion clogged his voice. She shook her head, Astral assuming at his cut-off apology. He could only croak out a single sentence before the lump in his throat took over.

“Thank you for catching me.”

He heard Sassi sniffle as she hugged him tighter. Even as the adrenaline, fear, and anxiety fled, something else seemed to take its place. An odd barrier had abruptly been shattered in Astral’s mind, and his entire chest fluttered with warmth as Sassi held him tighter.

“I’m not letting you go, Astral. I’m not…” her voice trailed off, Astral relaxing in her embrace as the familiar smell of fruit and gunpowder eased his nerves.
“I’m not letting you go.”

Author's Note

Yikes! :pinkiegasp: But at least they're safe (ish) and sound for now!

As always, feedback is appreciated!

Chapter Forty: Decompression

Astral wasn’t sure how long he let himself cry. Held tightly by Sassi, Astral felt the fear and horror slip away. Trained as a guard or not, he just wasn’t as resilient as she was. Killing the Skitters was easier. But having back-to-back near-death experiences was a shock to his system, to say the least.

A shock that a certain mare was blunting quite a bit. Her next words made Astral’s ears perk up.

“I’m just so glad you’re o-ok.”

He caught the stutter in her voice, and the stallion abruptly realized she was holding one of his hooves tightly.

Feeling her pull back, he could hear the beginnings of a ‘sorry’ on her lips. The fact he promptly held her hoof back cut that off though.

She leaned into him, the mare being oddly quiet. Somehow, amid all of the nightmarish events, this moment was genuinely peaceful.

Pulling back slightly, Sassi looked Astral over again with a worried but relieved expression on her face.

With a nearly electric jolt, the affection in her gaze as she settled back into their hug made Astral’s heart do a flip. A dozen barriers he hadn’t even known existed abruptly shattered, their remains burning into his mind. The look in her eyes and Sassi’s breath on his neck as she burrowed closer solidified it all.

Astral nearly kicked himself at the realization. He had logically understood it all before. Goodness, Astral had acknowledged that this amazing mare was the type he’d want to get to know further. Dating and everything that involved.

But now something was different, very different. it made his chest both tighten and warm, a hundred thoughts making the Thestral wince. He hadn’t let himself return this, not fully. It was always behind the wall of making sure Sassi was comfortable. He hadn’t dared initiate anything.

What Astral abruptly realized at that moment was that mindset had been both in a physical and mental sense. He simply hadn’t let himself see Sassi fully, as a beautiful, incredible mare that was interested in him.

He hadn’t let himself feel everything.

But now…

As he rested his head against hers, Astral let himself revel in the warm affection that flooded his frame. It was like comparing an ice cube to a glacier. Not the fleeting moments before that had been inadvertently cut off in his mind.

Astral hadn’t realized how misaligned his mind was with his heart until now. It was overwhelming, processing everything he knew to be true but now was letting himself feel.

This incredible mare cared about him.

‘I’m not letting you go!’

Those simple words, a fiery and affectionate look in her eyes had torn through blockades the Stallion hadn’t known existed.

She cares.

He couldn’t resist a smile at that thought. He had dwelled on it a hundred times before, but Sassi’s actions showed how incredibly dense Astral had been. Logically, he had known it, of course. But he hadn’t accepted it.

Sassi’s feelings about him were clearly a lot sturdier than he originally thought.

Then perhaps it’s ok if I care too. That I let you know.

You deserve that at least.

The acceptance of it all made him relax, the stallion letting himself fully enjoy the hug. Nothing else existed for a moment. As he tightened the hug slightly, he felt the mare pull back to look at him curiously, then return the gesture. She must have noticed something was different because she rocked him back and forth slightly.

I’m not letting you go either, Sassi. I promise I’d show you the forests.

“I like your hugs,” Astral finally stated once he was feeling relatively secure, Sassi laughing softly.

“Well, right back at you. Did they teach this in the Night Guard curriculum?” she asked.

“Nah. I took extra coursework for this. Top three in my class.”

The silliness of the exchange made Sassi snort, a relieved sigh leaving her frame.

“Well, I’d say you’re in my top three.”

“Do I get a medal? That’s pedestal worthy.”

The familiar playfulness returning to both her eyes and voice as the mare snorted lifted Astral’s heart. He gave her a final squeeze with his forelimbs before settling back down, checking his limbs to see if they were still shaking.

“What’s next?” Astral finally asked softly, Sassi looking adorably miffed as she took a step back and adjusted her armor.

The two put on their helmets again, Astral still processing how simply happy he was. Trapped underneath a thousand houses-worth of rock and cement and with a hundred monsters, but he was happy.

Worried and unsettled, but still feeling over the moon. How accepting a simple reality could elicit such a change, the Thestral wasn’t entirely sure.

On second thought, it made complete sense considering his feelings for Sassi.

I definitely want to confirm things. As amazing as this feels to know she cares, I don’t want to push too much.

Yet now, Astral wanted nothing more than to see where things went.

Sassi let out a hum, looking at the floor numbers.
“Next? The next floors should be the last few ‘fun’ ones. Hydroponics and Botanical Experimentation.”

“…please tell me the plants aren’t carnivorous?” Astral nearly begged, Sassi waving a hoof at him.

“Thankfully not. If anything, it’ll be a beautiful, overgrown floor. At least, I hope. If the plants try to eat us, guns and fire will do the trick.”

“Here’s hoping,” he muttered.

“Well, assuming there are no plants that want to eat us, we can take a break. I’d say you deserve it.”

A weak but genuine smile was Astral’s reply. He wished that he was able to have more confidence, but the stallion could feel his limbs starting to shake again despite his previous bolstered attitude.

“Keep your helmet closed for now,” Sassi said softly, clearly noting his state. He nodded, waiting as the elevator *dinged*. “I guess hugs are a temporary energy boost.”

“Well, that just means we’ll have to hug a lot more often. Since I am in your top three best huggers. I have to defend my title after all. Besides, you’re comfy.”

His immediate reply made a soft squeak echo over the radio.
“Not fair,” she grumbled.

“What? I wasn’t joking!”

Astral choked back a laugh. He could feel Sassi’s playful glare on him through the helmet.

“Alright. Let’s get this done,” a familiar, clipped tone said through his helmet speakers.

Sassi covered the entrance as the doors opened, and the pair was met with a rather surprising, but welcome sight.

“That’s…a lot of green,” Astral murmured, following the mare out into the lobby.

The usually-pristine elevator area was covered in thick vines, moss, and all manner of ivy. Bright grow lights punched through the broken walls of what must have been experimentation rooms.

“Well, the air is clean. Really clean. No toxins detected,” she reported, reading from the helmet’s display. Taking off the headpiece, Sassi took a deep breath.

“Oh whoa. That is…wow,” she muttered.

Astral followed suit, his eyes widening.
“That smells amazing. I forgot how bad and stale it was until, well, this.”

If he closed his eyes, they could have easily been standing in a thick pine forest, or perhaps in a willow-packed area next to a lake.

“I am totally building a cabin after all of this,” he sighed. “Forget the city. I want to wake up somewhere it smells like this.”

And fruity gunpowder.

Walking out of the overgrown lobby, Astral couldn’t help but look around in wonder. For a stadium-sized area, massive, moss-covered trees, vines, and flowers spread out before his eyes. A large, glowing artificial sun lit up the entire scene with a cheerful glow, the remnants of cubical scattered this way and that.

“Wait here for a moment, Astral,” Sassi instructed, the mare poking her head into a room with a canted door.

Forcing her way inside, Sassi glanced at a few monitors, Astral seeing it was barely as big as two office cubical inside. She tapped a few keys, then nodded as a confirmation message flashed on the screen.

With a nod, she walked up next to him, the two continuing to walk across the soft, mossy ground.

“This floor is safe,” she said with a relieved smile. “Security measures have been engaged. All the vents, tunnels, and doors were sealed, and no breaches. It all locked down when the plants grew out of control from the broken lab containers. They’re not volatile anymore. Just normal, big plants.”

Astral forced himself to breathe, the two of them in a small, grassy clearing amid two overgrown metal desks.

“So, safe?” he ventured to ask.

“Safe,” Sassi said, shrugging off her saddlebags. “I’m going to look around, staying within sight. Just to be sure.”

At that, Astral’s hind limbs buckled, the stallion slumping to the ground.
“I’m…just gonna sit here for a bit then.”

Safe, for the moment.

Author's Note

Yaaaaay! A floor not made of immediate death! :yay:

Chapter Forty One: Fire

Sassi didn’t take long to walk in a large spiral emanating from Astral’s position. She checked behind all of the usual hidey-holes where something nasty could be lurking. Under a desk behind a half-closed door.

Nothing.

With the lockdown activated, an alarm would trigger if anything got through. With magical labs two floors above them, they were, for the moment, safe. The floor was remarkably open aside from the trees. But the scans seemed to be telling the truth. There wasn’t a smidge of hostile activity here, at least for now.

Walking back to Astral, her heart immediately twinged at seeing the stallion trying to catch his breath. A lead ball of emotion bounced around in the mare’s stomach, the image of him falling towards the pit still burning in her mind.

But I caught him.

That was not as comforting as Sassi had hoped. Within the hours since they had left, she had been abruptly reminded that Astral was still a normal pony.

An incredible, fantastic stallion, one that exemplified how an individual could adjust and adapt to a wide variety of circumstances.

But still normal. And that meant he had limits.

And dealing with almost dying would push most ponies over the edge. He’s handling it really well.

….am I?

The mare walked over and sat down next to Astral, the thought punching through her usual ways of thinking. Her feelings for the stallion made things far too clear for Sassi’s analytical mind. There weren’t the ‘clouded emotions’ so often mentioned in romance novels, books, or the like.

It was a simple equation, but it was one Sassi had no idea how to solve. Too many unknowns, too many variables. All she could do was reach out to check in on him.

“How are you holding up, Astral?”

Shaking his head, Astral managed a weak smile.
“Still here. Just a lot to take in.”

With a nod, Sassi scooted a bit closer.
“If you need another hug…”

“If you ever offer and I refuse, assume that I’m a changeling. I just don’t want to push things,” he chuckled.

Giving him a half hug, Sassi let herself enjoy Astral leaning against her. Such a simple gesture, yet it somehow made everything so much better.

“Again, thank you for catching me, Sassi.”

Astral’s whisper immediately made the ball of emotion crack. Her eyes watered, but the mare shook her head. If she started to cry now, she wouldn’t stop.

“I’m not letting you go,” she replied, both loving and hating the tremor in her voice.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Sometimes she wished Astral wasn’t so…him. It made it so much more difficult to not just hug the stallion and never let go. That was an increasingly common thought.

“FRE’s are heating up by the way. Some chili dishes,” he added.

“Oh, that’s a good one.”

Astral settled down a bit more on his haunches, the surge of emotions fading enough for Sassi to trust her voice a bit more.

“Hey, Astral? There is something I wanted to explain,” Sassi said, almost before realizing what words were leaving her mouth.

Am I ready to explain it to myself?

She had thought about it for a while. The emotional spikes, the tears. It was so conflicting, but he at least deserved to know why she was a mess. It wouldn’t change anything, but it was something she wanted him to know. Another bit of herself she could offer, as much as she dared.

“Oh?” he asked, pulling back to look at her with genuine curiosity.

Sassi let out a sigh, blowing out a breath.

“Just, the emotional spikes? I wasn’t a crying mare before all of this,” she explained, then pouting as she felt Astral’s sides shake with laughter. “I swear!”

“N-no! It’s not at that. I just…” he pulled back, and then let out a loud *SNRK* “Yep. I knew that pout would be there.”

The glare she gave him didn’t reduce the stallion’s mirth, Sassi grumbling.

“I mean, you already told me about coming to terms with everything that’s happened. So, I just assumed you were dealing with trauma. I was a wreck, so I’d be a hypocrite if I thought ill of you for it.”

“You almost died twice. I’d say you have an excuse,” she fired back, then visibly winced as the color drained from Astral’s face. “Oh. Um, sorry.”

“It’s o-ok,” he stammered, “well, no, it’s not ok. It’s very far from ok, but I’m getting there. Why mention the emotional stuff now though? I certainly don’t look down on somepony willing to show genuine emotion.”

“Because I didn’t know I had any left.”

That made Astral pause, looking at Sassi with wide eyes as they sat next to each other.
“Huh?”

“I thought it was all gone. I could feel it leaving,” Sassi said softly, her eyes drifting to the grassy ground. “A year or two ago I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed until I cried. And that scared me, Astral.” The tears refused to stay out of her eyes, but thankfully they didn’t fall.
“All these spikes. I feel a bit bad for you having to deal with them.”

“I don’t mind.”

She smiled, a warmth blooming in the mare’s chest at the immediate response.
“Thank you for that. But…why I’m telling you is because of the ups and downs, they remind me I can still feel things. I don’t want it to stop, and I’m still processing the fact that part of me isn’t gone. And that’s more overwhelming than the actual emotions.”

“Huh. And I assume I don’t help the matter?”

A soft huff left her muzzle, the mare nodding.
“To say the least. And don’t you dare say you’re sorry.”

“I wasn’t going to!”

“You were thinking it.”

“Guilty as charged.”

She snickered at his reply, a soft hum of contentment leaving her lips as Astral rested his head against hers.

“Thank you for explaining; I do like getting to know you. I can’t imagine not wanting to learn more about you, so…yeah.”

It was an adorably awkward statement with a golden meaning, so Sassi gave Astral points for trying. As he pulled back, she caught his glance- and froze.

Something is different.

Sassi’s threat assessment kicked into high gear, things slowing down as she looked Astral over.

What was it?

The spike of alertness abruptly faded; the energy being focused into a blush that made it feel as if Sassi’s cheeks were on fire.

His eyes.

Something in Astral’s gaze made Sassi’s heart constrict, the warmth in her chest blooming. His demeanor was softer, more open. The two eyes that looked back at her were unguarded, something in them making the mare draw in a surprised breath, her heart beating faster immediately.

It was new, inviting, and…

The mental walls slammed into place. Such thoughts and dwellings only made a higher cliff that she’d fall off. Sassi knew it was setting herself up for it. He’d find out; she couldn’t think like this.

But I want to.

It was a look that she had read about, to say the least, certainly observed among hundreds of other ponies. It held such a simple message, but one that Sassi was still learning to process.

He cares.

“Sassi?” his words jolted the mare out of her thoughts, Astral looking at her curiously. “What’s up?”

“Just, something’s different about you. Not sure what.”

“I’m a sweaty mess from almost dying twice? I probably have that decon foam still in my ears.”

She huffed, the weak joke nod deflecting her focus.
“The way you were looking at me.”

A bright, immediate flush spread across Astral’s face, and Sassi secretly crowed with joy at seeing his cheeks redden. Getting him to blush was quickly becoming one of her favorite things to try.

“Is that a bad thing?” was his rather meek reply, Sassi leaning over to give his shoulder a nudge.

“No. Just a curiosity.”

Not a bad thing at all.

“How about I explain over lunch?” he suggested, waving a hoof towards the steaming FRE’s. “Maybe not our first date, but a date? That pretty much gives us eternal bragging rights for the craziest and most dangerous date ever.”

Sassi chuckled at that.
“Ok, that is true. But not our first date?”

He shook his head, divvying up the FRE components.
“Well. We have our for-sure three dates once we get out of here. This would be different if that makes sense?”

“So, we have ‘underground’ dates, and then ‘normal’ dates?” Sassi asked with a raised eyebrow. Seeing Astral nod, she laughed softly. “Underground dates it is. I like the idea of having bragging rights.”

The carefree smile on the stallion’s face made Sassi’s heart do an increasingly common flip in her chest.

Seeing him happy makes me happy.

Sassi didn’t have a response to that thought. She hadn’t felt that way, not this deeply. Of course, she liked helping creatures. But this was so different.

“OH! There’s something I’ve always wanted to try with these,” Astral exclaimed, digging into the FRE components. “Where is it?”

“If you’re trying to make a bomb out of the heaters, you’ll need a lot more. If you add some of the spicy sauce, you make homemade tear gas,” Sassi mused, Astral pausing and looking at her.

“You are a dangerous, dangerous mare,” he grinned, Sassi beaming. “We so have to try that when we’re out of here.”

“Are you suggesting we make a bomb for one of our dates? And tear gas?”

His attempts to look innocent utterly failed, Sassi holding her sides as Astral still tried his best.
“Maybe?”

I am never letting this stallion go.

Such a thought punched through the last of the debris that threatened to impede it. She knew this was all going to fall to pieces soon. But even if that was the case, Sassi was going to let herself feel normal, even if it was just for an hour or a day. Every second until it all came crashing down was a gift.

And maybe he won’t. Maybe he won’t be-

“Tada!” Astral said joyfully, gesturing to the normal-looking entrée pouch, the vegetarian chili steaming. “And now the test.”

Watching him with an amused glint in her eyes, Sassi found herself abruptly jealous of the entrée as Astral let out a very satisfied groan of satisfaction.

“That. Tastes. Amazing,” he sighed. “Best idea ever.”

“Well, I hope you can share!” Sassi grumbled, Astral smirking and offering the meal.

On taking a bite, Sassi found herself involuntarily matching Astral’s previous exclamation.

“Whoaaaaaaa.”

“Right?!” Astral said with a grin, the mare looking at the pouch in shock.

“What did you do?”

Astral gestured to the empty containers. Sassi quickly scooped up her rations to recreate the tasty meal.

“Add in that spicy cheese sauce, the cornbread all into the chili. Then stir it. I thought you would have tried that?”

“Nah. We usually use the cornbread to wash down the chili if we don’t have time to heat it,” Sassi explained. “On training missions and stuff. We rarely had it all heated, so the cheese didn’t get all melty.”

Taking a bite of her meal, Sassi sighed, then nodded firmly.
“You can cook a mean smoothie, and make FRE’s somehow taste even better. You are definitely on meal duty.”

Astral saluted, the two chuckling as they finished their meal. The stallion looked around, taking a deep breath. He felt peaceful here, the two near-death experiences still scratching at his mind but somehow distant.

“You seem a bit better,” the mare remarked softly, and he nodded in reply.

“This is about as close to outdoors as I’ve gotten in weeks. The forests are always so relaxing, even if this is more of a jungle.”

Looking around, Astral then spied some hanging vines. An idea popped into his head, and he meandered over to yank some smaller ones off the tree. They were thin, green strands yet still supported some rather beautiful flowers of pink, purple and white.

“If this is a date, then I am going to make you something,” he proclaimed, sitting down and starting to work.

Sitting next to him, Sassi watched the stallion begin to weave the vines together.
“Wait, you can braid?” she asked incredulously.

“When you have sisters, yep. And it’s fun. Can be used to make young fillies look pretty, or it’s rather nice to have in survival situations to make nets or rope,” he added with a chuckle. It was just out of the corner of his eye, but he saw a blush flare across Sassi’s cheeks.

It really was a good look, if he was being honest.

“Is there a mirror anywhere around here?”

Sassi got up and trotted off. With a slight screeching of metal and a crack of something, the mare returned with a large piece of glass under her forelimb.
“Found the bathrooms and a mirror piece.”

Glancing over to it, Astral nodded in approval.
“Perfect! Thanks. I thought you may want to see how it looks. I mean, I’m confident enough to rock this accessory, but I think it’ll look better on you.”

A few more minutes passed, Astral braiding the vines with hooves and mouth.
“Tada!” he exclaimed, holding up the circlet of vines. “I mean if you don’t want to wear it…”

“Astral, if I didn’t, I would have said something,” Sassi interjected, taking the offered tiara-circlet in her hooves. “This is incredible! These are really, really good patterns.”

“The secret is to leave a loose loop for our ears,” Astral explained, gesturing to the item as Sassi put it on. “A piece can then hold it in place but not pinch.”

“It’s comfy,” Sassi mused, tossing her head back and forth, “and surprisingly sturdy. I’m impressed.” The blush returned to her cheeks as she looked over to Astral. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. You need to see how it looks first,” Astral chuckled. He set the mirror up against the trunk of the large tree to their right, standing next to Sassi.

“What do you think?” he asked, all smiles as his heart thudded in his ears. The smile then dwindled as Sassi stared. “Sassi?”

Sassi was frozen in place. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation, but the memory held her bound. The surroundings vanished, sucked into a whirlpool of past thoughts, feelings, hopes….

Dreams.

I’ve seen this before. How did I forget?

She could only stare at the mare in the mirror. It was almost identical. Sassi was yanked back to when she was a teenager, an outwardly-confident but silently unsure mare struggling to find herself amidst a place that told her who she was.

It had been a single dream after a long day of painful training. A few notes in her diary, and Sassi had collapsed into a tumultuous slumber. It was back when she still dreamed of a life outside of the Silos, as if it was only a week away. A time when romance films and books had been a potential future rather than wistful escapes. Even growing up in the silo hadn’t stifled her dreams of a knight in shining armor. If anything, the atmosphere had made them even more precious.

It had only been a snapshot, a few seconds burned into Sassi’s mind from a film reel of a future she never expected to have.

Flask had been standing at her side, the older stallion looking at her in pride and joy. Sassi had been standing in front of a flowery, well-lit mirror in a cream-colored room. Armor still was on her frame, naturally. She had been getting used to wearing it all day during that time.

Yet flowing from her back and shoulders was a short, elegant white dress. A golden bracelet on her left hoof, and bangs that were properly combed off to the side of her face.

A flowered tiara had sat upon her head, silver and green strands showcasing flowers made from gemstones. Flask had gestured towards the door. Sassi never saw who it was. But as she had turned to look at the stallion, the feeling of warmth, joy and genuine happiness had burned in her heart for months afterward. Even if it was just a dream, knowing that such a feeling existed had pushed the mare through more trials than she had thought possible.

But she had forgotten. A dream buried by the nightmares she faced every day. A single flame couldn’t withstand a storm, not without help.

Maybe I never forgot. It just got almost snuffed out. But there was always something. I always hoped there was.

“Sassi?”

She turned to look at Astral, tears running from her eyes. The stallion appeared cautious, taking a few steps forward.

“You ok?”

She nodded, turning to look into the mirror again. Sassi couldn’t speak, not yet. The mare that looked back at her…

That’s me.

For the first time, Sassi looked into the mirror and felt happy. Her mane, even though a bit matted and unkempt, was now long enough to flop over the circlet slightly. They weren’t full bangs, but it was a far cry from the military buzz-cut. Even how she stood wasn’t ramrod straight anymore. Her demeanor wasn’t as sharp and clipped as usual. A genuine slump of her shoulders, angling of her back; it was all her. For all intents and purposes, she looked normal.

Her eyes weren’t dulled in the monotonous pain of the Silos but held a lively spark and depth to them. And the mare in the mirror looked happy.

I’m my own pony.

Such a statement made the tears fall even faster. The reflection was tired, but a determined glint showed in her eyes. A playful shard occasionally poked through, but there was a gentleness that shone through it all that made Sassi’s heart soar. Not all of her had been beaten out by living here, by growing up here.

This is me.

Author's Note

FEELINGS! :raritycry:

Chapter Forty Four: Defragmenting

It was a long time before Sassi finally got control of herself, wiping her eyes and shaking her head.

“Sorry. Just…I can’t really explain it now. I want to, but the right words aren’t easy to find,” she finally said, Astral letting out a soft chuckle.

“I figured there was something building, along with stuff you’re not telling me, or can’t. You mentioned it, but I’m not going to press things. I just want to help however I can. I know our date was a big step too.”

“Well, this helps quite a bit,” she said softly, burying her head into his neck and sighing happily. “How do you still smell amazing after being in a suit of armor for an entire day? Like, wow. And I thought the jungle smelled good.”

She was able to feel Astral’s face and neck heat up, the stallion only letting out a soft “Uh…I’m…”

“Hey, you’re not the only one who knows how to flirt. Just mostly.”

“I never said I was, and I’m not about to complain,” Astral replied. Sassi felt a smile slide onto his face. She was quiet for a moment, finally taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

“I’m just having trouble with the two worlds. If I can try to explain it. You deserve that at least,” she said, struggling to process the storm of thoughts and emotions into a coherent sentence. “The world I’ve lived in is wrong. Flask told me, and I guess I logically knew it. But now I’m forced to confront the right world, your world is now here. And it doesn’t fit into this one. It shouldn’t be here. Everything familiar is just…gone.”

She paused, taking a shaky breath. “I was able to ignore that fact before. In the apartment it was distant. The jungle floor was more of a change with me. But now I can’t ignore the Silo. I’m never going back to how things were, how things always were,” she paused, “how I feel things should be, even if it is so, so very wrong. It was still my home, my normal. And that’s g-gone.”

Astral couldn’t say much to that. What he could do was scoot a bit closer and tighten his hug ever so slightly. Resting the side of his head against Sassi’s, he let out a soft sigh.

“That sounds like one monster of a conflict,” he admitted. “And I don’t really have any answers.”

“Ironic, since you are the answer.”

“Come again?” he asked, Sassi shaking her head.

“You just keep proving how wrong my world was, how sick and twisted a life down here really was. I don’t want you to stop, but I don’t know how to adjust to the idea of a new world. A new ‘normal.’” Her hold around the stallion tightened at that, Sassi’s voice dropping to a whisper. “I don’t want that to stop. You don’t belong here, the world you’re a part of doesn’t. But it’s the world I want to be a part of. I just don’t know how to mesh the two. I don’t even know if I belong in a world outside of this one. I want to think I do.”

Once again, Astral didn’t have a response to that. What could he say? Sassi was going through something so alien to himself, at least in scope, any advice would pale in comparison. The shift from an outwardly confident mare to one who was having some serious doubts was abrupt enough. Add in the massive scope of it all, and it left Astral empty for solid answers.

In this case, there wasn’t a quick fix.

“Well, all I can promise is to be here for you,” he finally said. “I think everyone, yourself included deserves to have a world other than this wretched place, and most certainly belongs there. The fact you’re letting me hug you is key enough that times like this mean a lot more to you than I originally thought.”

A soft sniffle was Sassi’s reply to that, confirming Astral’s words.

“I’m certainly not going anywhere. So, if you need me, let me know. Even if it’s for something like a hug.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” she countered, letting out a soft squeak as Astral tightened his hold briefly.

“I’ll do my best to meet your hug quota. But hey, one day down, two to go. Then we meet up with the scientists and we’re out.”

For some reason, that didn’t provoke the upbeat response Astral was anticipating. Instead, Sassi seemed to shrink slightly, finally letting go with a numb nod.

He wasn’t stupid, far from it. There was a mountain of things Sassi clearly wasn’t telling him, for one reason or another. And any mentioning of the scientists seemed to spark a distancing gesture from her. There were a lot of unknowns.

And yet here he was, happily hugging her if she needed it. Astral couldn’t help it, not that he’d want to change that fact. He still wanted to learn more about the mare underneath the now-figurative armor. And if that meant not prying into things until Sassi was ready, so be it. She had already taken a huge step in showing how much she trusted him with the physical contact. He wasn’t about to push things.

She was trying her best. That was all anyone could ask. Astral trusted her, and that was enough for him.

Setting their armor next to the sofa, Astral dug out a smaller ration pack after double-checking the door. It was a heavy model and would give more than enough time to slide in the battle-harnesses of their guns.

Sassi flopped down on the other end of the sofa, the Thestral’s ears were flat against her skull as her violet eyes darted across the floor. As she was clearly in thought, Astral snagged another of their FREs and slid it over to her.

Downing their food in silence, Astral made sure to bag up the remnants (just in case the Skitters that had a good nose were about) and took a brief look at the computer consoles. He didn’t understand a lot of it, but the fact most of the monitoring lights were green seemed to be a good thing.

Green lights, good. That’s about the limit of my technical expertise with using this system.

His limbs now visibly starting to shake, Astral decide to call it quits. His mind was fuzzy, the detox having taken its toll. Astral trotted back to the couch with a yawn, flicking the lights to a dim glow without any objection from Sassi. Putting on his helmet, he quickly rigged up a familiar motion-detection alarm on the door, this time with external speakers. A piece of string and rogue metal, and it was as good as any.

Carefully setting the helmet down, Astral then flopped onto the couch with a sigh. It had only been a day, but it certainly had felt like longer. Somehow the multiple life-and-death scenarios were muted, a part of him almost feeling energized at the experience.

But most of the stallion felt like it had been put through a blender and then pounded into a vaguely-pony shape. He was tired.

Turning his attention to Sassi, she hadn’t moved much from her couch position, and that ate at Astral. She very clearly was not ok. It made the stallion’s heart ache to see her so clearly troubled.

“Anything I can do for you?” he asked softly. “Motion alarm is set, and we should be safe here to get some sleep. The cameras look like they’re for this floor, and it’s all clear.”

“Thank you, Astral,” she finally said, now yawning herself. The mare seemed to be battling internally as he got comfy on the other end of the couch.

“Warning. Temporary power failure of lighting systems,” an obnoxiously familiar voice sounded out through the room speakers. Right on cue, the already dim lights shut off.

“Lovely,” Astral muttered. Even with his inherent night vision, the soft emergency lights in the room barely allowed him to see anything other than dim outlines. He sighed, shrugging as he curled up on the couch. The bonus of having a decent amount of fur was that a blanket was optional, at least at this temperature.

“Astral?”

The tone of Sassi’s voice immediately made him look over in her direction. It was the increasingly common soft, and almost shy inflections that he had started to expect from her at times.

“What’s up?” he asked, a frustrated sigh leaving Sassi’s mouth.

“Well, I’m still not doing so great,” she admitted.

“I figured. You weren’t exactly subtle. Aside from nearly collapsing coming in here, the explanation you gave made my head hurt. You’ve also barely moved.”

She smiled weakly, fangs glinting in the nearly nonexistent light.
“That’s true enough. I could use some help though.”

“I, uh, don’t follow?” he replied, head tilting curiously.

“I just-I meant what I said back during our date,” she explained, “but it’s still hard for me to process it all. Just the…” the words drifted off.

“Hugs and such?” he suggested.

“Hugs and such. I don’t know what would help right now.”

Pausing for a moment, Astral couldn’t help but let out an amused huff.
“You’re the mare with a psychology degree, but isn’t it a bit premature to try to overcome a decade or two of conditioning, unwanted advances, physical contact, and an entire way of life in like, a month?”

A soft laugh met Astral’s ears, the mare nodding.
“Ok, that’s fair enough. But that doesn’t mean I can’t be frustrated by it. To that end, I’d prefer to not be curled up here all alone. If…that’s ok,” her voice trailed off, an embarrassed tone making her last few words barely above a whisper.

“You do understand that this makes me feel rather guilty,” Astral admitted, Sassi glancing over to him curiously. “There’re very few reasons I’d ever not be ok with that, considering the gorgeous mare in question. But I don’t want to have that all come at your expense. So, in a word? Yes. In more than a few words, well, I already explained that.”

Sassi stared at him, finally glaring at the stallion. A familiar bit of playfulness ignited in her violet gaze, a blush highlighting her hidden freckles and pushing aside the previously troubled look.

“Just shut up and scoot over, Astral.”

Astral tried to muffle his laugh as he did so, adjusting his limbs as Sassi flopped down next to him.

“I do appreciate the thought though,” she added softly.

“That’s why I said it. I just want to be open,” Astral added. He then rested his head on a cushion with a yawn, getting ready to doze off. The stallion then nearly let out a yelp of surprise as Sassi flopped her head on his upper back, the stallion’s face immediately burning.

However, Sassi immediately sighing in relief lessened the embarrassment. If it helped that much, he wasn’t about to oppose. Not that he would anyway. The simple, comforting touch made the tension bleed out of his shoulders.

She didn’t say anything for a few moments, finally sighing. “I just want to stop thinking,” the mare said. “I go round and round in circles. No training works, no logic, it’s just…” Sassi’s voice drifted off. “It just spins around. Knowing there’s someone here helps,” she paused, “a lame explanation, but the best I can do.”

“Well, if cuddling with me helps, I’m not opposed in the slightest,” Astral managed to say despite feeling his ears burn with a blush. “But it’d be nicer if it wasn’t at your expense, and I’d be lying if I wasn’t looking forward to a time when that isn’t the case.”

Astral’s ears perked as a soft *eep* reached them, the stallion looking over at the now bright-red Sassi.

“Uh, Sassi?”

“I never really paired that word with…this.”

“Eh, first time for everything, cuddling included. I can’t think of a better cause,” he mused with a cheerful grin.

“Wait. You’ve never-?”

“Been this close to anyone? Or rather, mares? I certainly haven’t cuddled Gabbro,” Astral replied, “but considering how he is, I doubt he’d object. But no, not really. I just haven’t had many opportunities. A few brief moments on dates, but that’s about it. Just never the right creature or time till now. I’m not usually a huggy pony, at least casually. I like my physical bubble. So, this is a bit new to me too, not wanting to scoot away. I don’t have much experience with this.”

Sassi was quiet, very quiet for a few moments.

“I’m actually surprised,” she admitted, the increasingly-common shy tone resurfacing.

“Sassi, did you really think I was that much of a mare-magnet?”

“I wasn’t sure!” she protested with a huff, head flopping into his upper back. “But considering how I see you it wouldn’t have surprised me.”

Astral had to pause for a moment, emotion clogging his throat as the full weight of Sassi’s words settled. It took quite a bit of self-control not to pull her close as warmth fluttered in his chest.

“That’s really sweet, Sassi,” he finally said, “thank you.”

“Just telling the truth.”

“Well, I assume you haven’t been this close in this manner, so I suppose get to add this to the list of ‘first-time things together.’ That, and FRE’s.”

Another soft squeak and Astral craned his neck over to see Sassi staring at him with wide, surprised eyes.

“What?”

“Just,” she shrugged, eyes narrowing in thought as they darted away from his. “It’s a new thing. Being able to be on the same page as someone else is appealing, sharing something like that, even if it’s simple. It’s a lot more attractive than I thought. I never really got to have a first-time anything with friends. Or anyone outside of Flask. Not in a meaningful way at least.”

“Huh. Well, considering I’ve never been in this type of situation in my life, the past few weeks have been a lot of ‘Sassi and Astral firsts,’” Astral mused, a tender smile sliding onto his face. “And I’m quite happy to have shared those with you, military rations or otherwise.”

That earned another blush, something Astral was quickly appreciating more and more. He had started to pick out the freckles under her eyes better now. They were only visible when she blushed rather furiously…

He was totally going to mention that sometime, but not now.

It made his heart flutter as Sassi clearly was calming down, and Astral wasn’t about to lie to himself and say he hadn’t wondered how nice this sort of situation would be. Such thoughts hadn’t been present for a while though. Their date in the jungle had reignited parts of Astral’s heart that the stallion thought was long since forgotten. Parts he had tried to forget.

“I missed this,” Sassi whispered, her head buried into the fur near Astral’s neck as she began to doze. “I really did.”

With a gentle brush of his forelimb to let her know its position, Astral draped it gently across the mare’s shoulders. She approved because a content sigh left her lips as Sassi relaxed. Her sides rose and fell evenly, the mare quickly falling asleep within moments.

Astral had wondered what a moment like this would be like. As it turned out, he had vastly underestimated how lovely it was. The simple comfort of another pony he trusted being this close was made all the sweeter by their current situation. Nobody else knew their challenges, their struggles. He was only alive thanks to one mare, and she was currently asleep on his shoulder.

He couldn’t help but realize that Sassi was warm. Sure, he had noticed it before, but with a slightly chilly atmosphere, it was made all the more apparent. Like a weighted, heated blanket.

And somehow I’m ok with her being this close.

It had been years since Astral had let himself wonder about moments like this. In the darker times after the court case, when he had been all but a pariah in multiple cities. It had been easier to just ignore a future that wouldn’t likely happen. What mare would ever want to associate with the Monster of Fillydelphia?

But before that…

Sassi wasn’t the only one who had buried hopes and feelings. That thought made Astral’s gaze drift to the floor. He knew that he had avoided other parts of himself out of fear, both those related to the Case and not. Why focus on something that was so far out of reach?

Why ruminate over a dream that he never thought could happen?

A simple fact was now starting to be hammered into his heart. Sassi’s actions were clear enough, their interactions a few hours ago on their date should have solidified it all. But the fact she snuggled a bit closer in her sleep made the Thestral’s green eyes dampen abruptly.

Someone trusts me that much, cares that much about me.

How long has it been since I stopped dreaming of that? Stopped getting a genuine thrill at the thought that someone was out there. That out of millions of stars, one of them might…

As he dozed off, Astral couldn’t help but smile.

We’re there for each other, to whatever end that may be.

Author's Note

Adorable fluff balls.:yay:
Hang in there, Sassi.

As always, feedback is appreciated!

Chapter Forty Five: Grounding

Sassi woke up with a yawn. The mare blinked, looking around briefly. Despite the restful sleep, she still felt exhausted.

More importantly, Astral wasn’t being her pillow. That made her immediately annoyed, a lot more than Sassi would have originally thought.

Something immediately made the alarm bells in her mind clang away, however. The door was unlocked, swinging slightly.

He wouldn’t have left, let alone not closed the door.

She shrugged on the remaining suit of armor and guns, her helmet sealing with a soft hiss. Oddly, the HUD seemed warped, distorted. Astral didn’t answer on his radio either.

She crept out into the hallway, a shudder running down her spine.

Something had cleaned up the floor. It looked almost like a normal workday, sans creatures. Papers neatly stacked; computer screens brightly lit…

A ladder drew her gaze, her hooves mechanically moving towards it. It didn’t have any place here, leagues underground rock and dirt. And yet Sassi felt compelled to climb it. It seemed to go on forever, but finally, the mare reached a simple, locked hatch.

Forcing it open, the mare clambered out into fresh air- at least, until she took a breath.

Smoke filled her lungs, the mare’s eyes widening in horror. Canterlot burned in the distance, and two nearby towns were reduced to embers. All the greenery of the world was in flames.

Her hooves began to shake. Even as ghostly shapes darted among the ruins, Sassi knew why this had all happened. Why the Everfree forest was on fire, why the skies were raining ash and embers.

Her world had done this. It had gotten out, infected everything from outside the Silos. There were no more forests to explore, no oceans to swim in. It was all burning. Everything Sassi’s world touched was turned to ash and barren rock.

An unintelligible sound then caught Sassi’s attention, the mare turning to look.

She couldn’t process the sight at first, the mare staring. It didn’t make sense. When it finally did, Sassi couldn’t hold back a horrified cry.

Strapped to a disturbingly pristine lab table, was Astral. He looked more like a fish at a market than a pony, neat incisions now laid open that matched the scars on Sassi’s own body. Considering how much blood was on the table, he shouldn’t be alive.

And yet his green eyes turned to look at her, now narrowed in disgust. Sassi’s entire body went cold, terror gripping her heart as flames began to ignite around them both.

“You killed me,” Astral hissed, the stallion's eyes narrowed. “You killed it all. You don’t belong in this world. Look what happened when you took a step into it!

You shouldn’t even exist.”

It was when the stallion’s sneering, now-severed head flopped off the table to rest next to Flask’s that the mare woke up screaming.

The real Astral was dead asleep, the past weeks of constant stress starting to take an increasing toll. However, he was abruptly awakened by a rather tight grip around his barrel and a completely distraught mare, Sassi bawling into his fur.

“Wha? Sassi? What…” his words failed him, Sassi refusing to look at the stallion as she cried. Out of pure reflex, Astral shifted around to wrap a forelimb tighter around her shoulders.

Rocking her back and forth slightly, all Astral could do was hug her. It was obviously a nightmare, but he had never even thought Sassi could be this…

Vulnerable?
Distraught?
Emotional?
All the above?

The fact she was physically shaking was another clue that Astral had barely scratched the surface of the complicated mare even with the genuine moments between them. Even what she had told him was so unrelatable and complex; how could he fully grasp the impact of it?

In short, he couldn’t. Trying to imagine Sassi’s dilemma, merging two separate ways of life and aspects of one’s self was overwhelming. Add in the fact that one of them was wrong in many, many ways, and it just compounded it all. He didn’t blame her in the slightest for having these moments. The events he had experienced had nearly pushed the stallion over the edge. He couldn’t imagine realizing that his current way of life was wrong, and over, let alone Sassi coming out of her shell.

All he could do was rock her back and forth. Sassi only said a few more words before falling silent again.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”

Leaning into Astral’s embrace, the mare eventually dozed off again, Sassi refusing to say anything else.

What is going on with you, Sassi?

He woke up again slowly, a pleasant, blissful existence in the never-never land where anxiety or fear hadn’t yet taken hold. All he knew was that he wasn’t too tired, and was quite comfortable. The air was cold, but he was quite warm.

Of course, that was when he realized his blanket was a slowly-awaking mare, one who seemed to be half furnace. It was like having the best-weighted blanket ever, but it would have been better in a colder room.

He filed that under the ‘things to definitely try’ folder in his mind.

The day’s interrupted sleep came flooding back, Astral yawning as he glanced over to Sassi. It certainly confirmed (yet again) that she was absolutely adorable more times than not. She was flopped half over him, resting on his shoulder with a forelimb wrapped around his barrel.

The fact he was still ok with the gesture when he was only partially awake spoke volumes. Astral naturally wasn’t a ‘physically-close’ type of pony. That applied to hugs, general contact, and so forth. Yet right now, those boundaries were muted for Sassi, be it for her benefit or otherwise.

He wasn’t surprised, especially after realizing things the previous day during their ‘totally not first date’. The warm glow in his chest refused to fade at that thought. There was still a lot he didn’t know about her, but he wasn’t about to let Sassi think he didn’t care. He couldn’t help but find himself continually falling head over tail for her, circumstances permitting.

I wouldn’t mind waking up like this more often.

The brief thought that flickered through his mind made the stallion’s cheeks heat up. It was true, one of the many thoughts that were based on the future. What would going on normal dates with Sassi be like?

Who was Sassi underneath it all? Once the walls of the Silos were torn away?

He had a feeling that question was slowly getting answered, piece by piece. Moments like this, when she had looked in the mirror during the date, and the various glimpses during the day. There was a mare underneath the training and horrors of this place, and Astral couldn’t wait to get to know all of her.

Even if things didn’t work out, Astral didn’t have any intention of just letting her flounder once they escaped this place. Sassi was incredible, even if she couldn’t see that herself. Somehow Sassi had checked all the boxes, and then some for what Astral would look for in a partner. Not without her own challenges of course, but everyone had those to an extent. He still couldn’t help but just find her fascinating and admittedly adorable.

Astral’s eyes flickered down at that thought. Perhaps she needed a reminder about all of that. Then again, he was still processing his feelings. He liked her, certainly enough to want to pursue things. The switch in his mind had definitely been flipped in that respect during their jungle expedition. And yet how much should he let on, especially for how attractive he found the mare? It was a grey area. Yet apparently, moments like this were ok.

When in doubt, ask. It’s all in the phrasing I suppose.

It didn’t help that she had roused quite the protective streak in Astral, especially on seeing how shy, and admittedly troubled Sassi was underneath the initially confident and independent exterior.

Shifting upright slightly, Sassi let out a huff in what he assumed to be in annoyance on waking up, the mare then flopping her head into his fur.

“Good night to you too,” Astral said, the mare’s head darting up with a pink tint on her cheeks. She couldn’t meet his gaze, instead looking down with her ears flattened against her skull.

“Astral, I…” Sassi’s words failed her, a simple shake of the head conveying enough. Despite her embarrassment, she still had no qualms about resting on his shoulder.

“We don’t have to talk about it. I just hope you’re feeling better,” he replied softly, “I don’t know what it was, but I know a nightmare when I see it. I’m here regardless, even as a pillow. I’m certainly not going to complain.”

That made her glance over, expression lightening at his words.

“Well, you are a comfy one,” she muttered. A softer, almost embarrassed smile darted across the mare’s usually stoic features. “I could get used to it.”

“Likewise. But as I said yesterday, not at your expense,” Astral clarified. “I’d feel much better knowing you were in this position of your own accord, not because of a mental battle you’re fighting.”

Sassi promptly gave him a brief hug at that, head shaking against his fur.
“This would be so much easier if you weren’t so sweet.”

“To be fair, I’ve been surprised by my sugar content.”

The rather lame joke still made Sassi snort, the mare sighing.
“Just keep being you, Astral. I’ll catch up eventually. Wanting something and feeling ok with something are two different things right now. So, thank you for being cautious.”

As she was clearly reluctant to move (and, to that end, so was Astral) he decided to chance something.

“You are most welcome. I just don’t want to push things too much,” he said. “Hmm. How much do you know about, well, Thestral dating…stuff? Specific gestures and things?”

That earned an immediate blush, the mare shaking her head.
“Thestral specific? Not much. And I mean that in a general sense. I never really realized how nice it was to have another Thestral around in general,” she admitted, “like how my lights in the apartment were always dim, or the smoothies tasting off. I guess there’s a lot I don’t know, a lot that I never was able to appreciate.”

“I mean, what we’re doing now already counts as one,” Astral said with a cheeky grin, one that made Sassi blush, “Buuuut right now, you’re in the perfect position to learn about another one, with your permission,” Astral said, raising a single hoof. “Just with a forelimb that applies to us Thestrals. That’s all if you’ll let me.”

She was more curious and cautious, Sassi nodding.
“Fair enough. I am still laying on you. So…” verbalizing that fact immediately returned the blush to full force. “Go ahead.”

Noting that her words seemed almost cautious, Astral was struck by a simple realization.
She’s still trying to defuse the aversion to somecreature’s touch.

It was a trust Astral would never break, and it was heartening to see Sassi was trying. He was beginning to understand that the pony underneath the horrific upbringing and conditioning genuinely was yearning for a connection. The fact she trusted him to try and break those barriers that spoke volumes. First, a hug when she needed it, and now this. Sassi was clearly pushing herself, and that meant more than Astral could fully understand.

Small steps.

He carefully reached up to gently place his forelimb next to her head, Sassi looking at him oddly. That expression abruptly faded as he stroked her fluffy ears, the mare immediately settling her head back down on his shoulder.

“Whoa,” she mumbled, Astral not able to resist a laugh as a content sigh left the Thestral.

“Yeah, we have sensitive ears, both inside and out,” he explained. “Most Thestrals think it feels really, really good. There’re massage parlors with special experts dedicated to ears.”

“I knew that in general, but Flask had only done that when I was a foal,” Sassi murmured, “so, this is a Thestral gesture then? Family?”

“Family, really close friends, yeah,” Astral explained, not about to stop the gentle movements. He wasn’t sure if Thestrals could purr, but Sassi seemed pretty close. She was definitely more relaxed; the stallion having to try and not focus on how nice it felt to have her snuggled up against him. “It’s also kind of like a kiss on the cheek, in a way. Between couples at least. A less obvious gesture in public but can have the same meaning. Like right now.”

That made her eyes snap open, violet gaze locking onto his.

“I just want to be here for you, whatever that may entail,” he explained. “I never really said it during our date yesterday.”

Something darted across Sassi’s eyes. It was dark, twisted, and shrouded in fear. Something that was immediately buried. His words seemed to make her withdraw, a shaky breath leaving her barrel.

“How long will you be here, Astral?” she asked softly, “there’s a lot you don’t know about me. A lot.”

“True. But you’re not taking into account what I already know,” he said. “You’re an interesting mare, Sassi, one who I still want to get to know more. Rocky road and all.”

“Not a bad flavor of ice cream either.”

He chuckled at that.
“True. But I just didn’t want you to think I’m just here for the nightmare comfort sessions,” Astral said, finding his voice starting to waver. “For what it’s worth, I do care. In case I didn’t make that clear before.”

Sassi reluctantly sat up, Astral doing the same as he retracted the forelimb. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, voice hitching as she spoke.

“It’s worth a lot, Astral. More than I can really explain,” she replied, “I just don’t want you to go anywhere.”

“I promise I won’t.”

“Don’t…don’t promise something like that,” she warned, gaze abruptly hardening and becoming more guarded. A bit of the armor returned, her demeanor stiffening. The mare steeled herself for the next few sentences. “That’s a big promise for a lot of unknowns. Before we meet the scientists later today, or tomorrow morning, there are a few things I need to explain. Not now though.”

The words were forced as if they were being dragged out of Sassi kicking and screaming. She didn’t meet his eyes, and Astral could have sworn he felt her start to shiver against his side.

Whatever she still had to tell him, it must be a doozy.

“Well, I still mean it. I’m not going anywhere,” Astral finally said firmly, “even if it takes a while for me to convince you.”

The armor abruptly shattered, Sassi’s shoulders sagging as her ears flattened. It was such an abrupt demeanor shift. False confidence held up with rotting foundations that a few kind words tore away.

“Please, don’t stop trying,” she whispered, almost sounding afraid. After a moment, the mare leaned forward and gave him a final hug, burying her face into the Thestral’s fur with a happy sigh.

Astral hugged her back, her gesture another reminder of how Sassi wasn’t the only one who was starved for positive physical touch. It was a gentler gesture lacking any of the previously intense comforts as before. A simple hello, a friendly, affectionate touch in an environment that sucked out anything good. As she pulled back, Sassi blushed, her eyes meeting Astral’s for a moment.

“Just wanted a time when I wasn’t a total mess,” she said softly, her gentler tone still very much present.

“As you wish.”

His returning quip made Sassi’s cheeks redden again, the mare shaking her head shyly as that side of her poked through. Letting out a sigh, Sassi then chuckled softly.
“I suppose it’s time to get started.”

Astral nodded, getting up and stretching.
“I agree; we’ve got a Silo to traverse.” His gaze softened, Sassi’s violet eyes looking at him curiously. “And I promise not to stop trying.”

The gentle smile on her face was as good of an answer as any for Astral as the two began to down a quick meal and get suited up. Despite the familiar stoic demeanor and actions as Sassi shrugged on her armor, there was a softness to it all. Astral couldn’t place it. Just the way she glanced his way every now and again. It was affectionate, but there was something else, something deeper. Then again, the trust he had in Sassi was far more than any other friend the stallion had.

It wasn’t in a less-or-more sort of gauge, but a simple realization that he could trust Sassi with his life. He trusted Gabbro in a general sense of being there for him, but Sassi had proven it. Fighting side by side and saving each other’s lives…that was a deeper level of trust Astral was only now starting to understand. The trust between a squad, of soldiers.

Those thoughts could wait, however. They had a Silo to tackle.

Author's Note

Onwards and downwards...

Chapter Forty Six: Truth 2.0

As Astral strapped on his armor the oddest sensation flooded the Thestral’s frame.

Pride.

It was enough to make him physically pause, a harsh realization melting away.

When was the last time I was proud of myself? Genuinely?
When was the last time I thought that I was a good pony? Accepted it?

The impact from saving Sassi had made a bit of an impact. For the oddest reason, suiting up after comforting Sassi nailed it home.

What kind of monster protects creatures? Is that really a monster at all?

Astral wasn’t stupid, and a caring smile twitched at his face. There was a singular individual who had helped jar those silly notions loose. The smile settled into a determined grin, green eyes narrowing.

He had once been labeled a monster due to misinformation, hateful bias, and selfish greed. Entire cities turned him away just because the Thestral had tried to help. Yet now, Astral realized that perhaps being a monster to some wasn’t a bad thing.

Maybe a monster can be a good thing at times.

Every time the thought crept into his mind, Astral began to understand very quickly that there was one entity he wanted to be seen as a monster by.

If the Stairways company grew to think he was a monster, then Astral could rest a lot easier. And he was going to put the work into it if that is what it took to bring the Company down. He had memorized the names and photographs of the owners.

To what end, Astral wasn’t sure. But he had settled on hog-tying any of them without question. Whether he’d leave them to the Skitters was an internal battle. But the fact he was even considering it still made him feel…off. It forced him to acknowledge things that, until now, Astral had managed to ignore. A darker side to the pride he felt now.

His fears had surfaced in the few counseling sessions he had started after the Case, but the Thestral had never delved into it. It wasn’t the fact that he was labeled a monster that was part of the root issue.

It was that he had to acknowledge that on some basic level, they were right.

That had been the hardest part. He could feel his hooves quivering at the thought. Such a thing had never been voiced, not out loud.

But he knew it was true.

There was a side of the Thestral he had never fully understood or delved into, but always there. It had surged out when he had confronted the two stallions that one night. No moral boundaries, simply a ferocious, horrific fire as he tore into the two attackers. Barely guided, only the simple thought of intervening regardless of the severity. Before that, he had never really needed to make a choice. Rescuing ponies after a building collapse was different.

This was actively putting his own life at risk in combat, all to save somepony he didn’t know. That decision had ignited something that had previously been buried. And it still burned, flaring up more often down here.

Yet as good as his intentions and, ultimately, actions were, Astral had his own deep-seated fears. If the stallion let it, that same fire would consume him. He could feel it. It tested the limits of his thoughts that he didn’t realize were there. Snapshots of what he could do to the creatures who had caused so much death and pain in these Silos. What an increasingly large part of him wanted to do. To strike out against an evil that polluted everything it touched. Then there was an immediate mental recoiling in horror.

Eventually, he’d have to confront it all.

And yet there was a different force, a concentrating force that refined all-consuming inferno into a welder’s torch. While the stars had always been his passion, there had been a consistent undercurrent, a powerful tide that surged when needed. Saving the foal from the collapsed building, and now helping Sassi. But now a temporary tide had become a tsunami.

The stars could wait. Realizing how much of an impact he was having with somepony; it was a bit overwhelming. He could do something about this broken world. That feeling focused and utilized the previous anger, the surge of hatred at confronting the evils of a world that was portrayed as largely happy and peaceful. The anger eventually burned away, a simple, guttering flame of simply wanting to be the good thing in a world that was so very wrong.

Sassi wasn’t the only one battling within her mind. It made Astral wince ever so slightly, but the train of thought quickly settled down. It was both empowering and frightening that he could make a difference that way. To battle against something so vile and see the results. It was all too much when he tried to put it in perspective. He wanted to help, but the world was so broken.

Yet Astral wasn’t trying to save hundreds or thousands, that was too much pressure. He could help save one pony.

“You alright, Astral?”

Sassi’s voice snapped him out of it, Astral letting a slight but genuine smile on his face.

Just one. I can do that.
Just one.

As he tightened the straps, he saw the mare look at the Thestral curiously.

“Sorry. You’re not the only one realizing things. Trying to figure stuff out internally,” he replied. “I’m just happy I can help, in a nutshell. I’ll see if I can explain later.”

She seemed to accept that answer, the two of them double-checking the room and cameras. As far as they could tell, the floor was clear.

“On to the elevators,” Astral said firmly. Looking down at one of his hooves, he noticed there wasn’t a tremor to be found, and the lack of fear in his voice had made Sassi’s ears perk up. Was that a blush on her cheeks?

He had to abruptly clench his jaw as a warmth bubbled up in his chest. There was a curiosity, an affection in Sassi’s gaze that threatened to rip apart the carefully placed barriers in his mind.

The emotion that flickered in her eyes made a few burning tears edge into his gaze before the stallion tossed them away. He had seen that gaze before.

Covered in dust and scrapes, the young filly in his arms had looked up at him as Astral had yanked them to safety from the collapsed building. Their tearful eyes had only held a single emotion, one that punched into Astral’s heart even in recollection.

Hope.

For a split second, Sassi’s gaze held that same unwavering, desperate emotion.

Just one.

The two of them entered the elevators, the car whisking them downwards. It was a short trip, only one floor.

As they silently cleared the lobby, Astral saw Sassi stiffen.

“See something?”

“No. Just…I know this floor,” she said softly, “not in a good way.”

“We’ll make this quick then. Lead on. There are a few branching hallways.”

Following Sassi down a cream-tiled hallway, Astral saw her hesitate before continuing to walk. There was a large locker room, showers, and then what appeared to be more training areas….

That was when he saw the large glass rooms, examination tables visible in their centers. Judging from the robotic arms holding a nightmarish array of instruments, this was a floor that was soaked in literal and figurative blood. Sassi’s head turned briefly, the mare shaking her head before focusing straight ahead.

No wonder she’s antsy. I wonder if this is a floor where they did the modifications.

Just the thought of it made Astral’s anger spike. He took a few deep breaths, focusing on the current task.

Clearly bypassing the locker room, Sassi led him down a smaller hallway, one that wound between some office cubicles and sealed evaluation rooms. The blue tiles on the walls contrasted against the cream ones on the floor, clearly the area designed to make cleaning easier. Large pipes ran along the right hallway wall, the thick metal carrying something or other out from this floor and into the ceiling.

There was a soft clanking in the air ducts again, the two of them pausing.
“Stay close,” she whispered, picking up the pace.

Passing through a small locker room, the two aimed their guns upwards as the rattling intensified in the ceiling.

“If you see it, shoot it,” Sassi hissed, “what is it doing…?”

The sound faded, the mare taking the lead with a huff.

“Leaving for now. I guess it-”

*BANG!*

With a screech of metal and the shattering of tile, a fleshy, clawed, and bony arm punched through the wall. Even as Sassi fired off two quick shots, it was clear she had never been the target.

A pressurized mist shot from the ruptured pipes, immediately igniting in contact with the air and making the entire floor shake with multiple breaches. The mysterious creature let out a loud, warbling moan as Sassi fired into the vents. She clearly hit the assailant because it made the ceiling vibrate with its frantic movements as it fled. A few drops of dark blue blood trickled from the bullet holes in the metal.

The pipe continued to belch flames, blocking their path. That was when Astral noticed Sassi cradling her right forelimb with a hiss.

“Sassi! You ok?”

“Can you get me one of the gauze wraps? Not magically enhanced, just a simple one,” she replied, answering his question easy enough.

He dug out one of the rolls from the kit in his saddlebags, tossing it over to the mare as she gestured for it. Wrapping it over her forelimb, she let out an annoyed snort as she put weight on it.

“Nothing too serious. That was annoying,” Sassi muttered, “we have to go through the other hallways. Let’s go.”

Her voice was more clipped and forceful than before. Then again, a burn would do that. Astral simply nodded and followed her.

The mare was clearly unsettled as they walked through the locker room, her fast pace nearly leaving Astral behind.

“Can you slow down?” he asked, the other Thestral reluctantly slowing.

“Sorry. Just don’t want to be here any longer than we have to.”

Something had changed; that much Astral had picked up on. He nearly fell over, a bunch of metal making his hooves slide.

“Careful!”

The ruptured gas line had shaken the lockers in the adjacent room enough so that all of their nameplates had abruptly fallen off. They now littered the floor, Astral picking his way through them.

“Hold on. I hear something,” Sassi muttered, crouching down at the end of the hallway.

Sassi’s heart was nearly beating out of her chest. Genuine panic was coursing through her veins, yet she still held it together.

I’m going to rip that thing’s head off with my hooves.

The sound faded, the creature keeping its distance for now. Sassi glanced back to Astral, the stallion looking around curiously. His gaze lingered on some of the name tags for a few moments, but his eyes then went back to her, the Thestral waiting for her to lead.

We’re almost out.

Sassi felt her right forelimb itch, and the mare looked down and quickly tightened the bandage. The burn had barely touched her skin, the sore spot already healing despite having singed off almost all of the fur. That wasn’t the issue.

Her eyes darted down again and the sight made the mare’s skin crawl with anxiety. The mare's heart jumped into her throat.

Now barely hidden by the gauze wrap on her forelimb was a large, intricate bar code.

Author's Note

And the hammer drops...

Chapter Forty Seven: Castling

Astral followed Sassi as she beckoned him onwards, tearing his eyes away from the nameplate at his hooves. The electronics room was just ahead, the mare scanning this way and that for any threats.

As they ducked inside the room and flipped the switches, Astral let out a relieved breath.
“Well, at least you winged that thing. Whatever it was.”

“It’s gone for now. That’s good enough for me.”

Nodding in agreement, worry itched into Astral’s mind as they made their way back to the elevators. Sassi was clearly on edge. Then again, so was he. If he had been leading, the flames from earlier would have barbecued him.

Once back in the safety of the elevator, Astral waved a hoof towards Sassi as they traveled downwards.

“You doing ok?” he asked, genuine concern leaking from the radio.

She nodded, but a dull roar then cut off any further conversation.

“That…didn’t sound mechanical,” Astral whispered, Sassi punching the emergency stop on the elevator. It ground to a halt just before it stopped at the next floor.

“I don’t think it was. And this is floor two; the car will lock here,” she muttered. “Only a few floors from the Queen’s supposed location. Of course.”

Icewater dumped itself into Astral’s veins as a simple realization hit him.

“That wasn’t a Skitter, was it?”

Sassi checked her guns, Astral doing the same.
“Nope. Queen’s Guard. And we’re going to attack it first.”

“We’re what now?”

Sassi let out a huff, gesturing to the floor below them.
“We know it’s there, which means it lacks a bit of surprise. Either that, or it smelled us and is waiting. Let’s take a peek.”

Flattening herself onto her stomach, Sassi took out one of her knives and pried the elevator doors open a crack.

“We’re clear. Hit the emergency stop again and take us down. When the doors open, you take the left side of the hallway, I take the right,” she instructed. “If it comes at us head-on, aim for the head. If it’s too small of a target and moving too much, go for the ends of its limbs or joints.”

“I can do that,” Astral muttered, waiting to see Sassi nod again before he punched the button.

A strange thrill ran through Sassi’s veins, clearing out any other thoughts. This sort of thing was familiar, easy. Taking down a freaky monster? That was the equivalent muscle memory at this point.

And yet the idea of kissing Astral makes-

She cut that thought off right away. This Guard was going to take both of them, and the last thing the mare needed was to not be focused.

The doors opened, and they took their sides of the hall. The office space looked like one of the many other hybrid lab floors with cubicles and glass rooms on either side of the main hallway. The lights flickered on and off, the back half of the halls being dark.

Maybe hiding in the dark? That’s odd.

They moved quietly. At first, everything seemed to be intact. It was about a dozen cubicles and three lab rooms down when Sassi spotted a piece of debris.

“Bingo. That’s what made it roar.”

“…ouch.”

The jagged metal edge dripped with dark blue blood, what was once a support beam having been warped and physically torn from the ceiling. It angled downwards at an angle that would definitely have jabbed into a larger creature, let alone that behemoth wandering about.

“Watch the end of that hallway,” she instructed, the two of them moving now into the darker portions. Their helmets were able to use the ambient light to brighten things up, but things looked quite odd.

“The hallway ends?” Astral whispered, “it looks off.”

That was when the ‘hallway’ moved.

A comparatively small, watermelon-sized head turned to look at them, an elongated mouth letting out a toothy roar as the room-sized wall of muscle and armored bone abruptly charged at the pair. Two massive arms yanked it forwards, smaller hind limbs propelling it in unison. Another two limbs sprouted from its upper back, long and spindly with three claws on each end.

Sassi’s guns roared as soon as she saw the creature. The first shot barely missed the creature’s head, the Guard seeming to move that part of its body back and forth erratically even as it had roared at them. The explosive shell hit- but despite making a bloody, hoof-sized hole in the Guard, it didn’t seem to faze it. The massive, armored bone plates covered the Guard’s upper torso, top of its head, and arms. That protection also extended into parts of its collarbone.

Another shot, this one skimming the top of the Guard’s head. Sassi briefly kicked herself for not having a rifle. Astral’s guns now joined in with their chorus, the stallion not taking as much time to aim. Then again, when a carriage-sized beast is charging you, Sassi didn’t blame him for a bit of panic.

The shots from Astral hit the creature in the chest- armored bone crackling. The others walked up towards the head but stopped at the armored collarbone.

Ducking a thrown desk from the Guard, Sassi continued to fire, her guns running dry even as one of the rounds punched a hole through the side of the creature’s mouth and right side of its head. A glancing blow, one that missed even its eyes. Another series of shots glanced off the creature’s thick skull, others into the softer flesh around its stocky neck.

Despite showing jaw muscle and sinew through the exposed hole in its jaw, the Guard didn’t slow down. Sassi backpedaled as Astral fired again, the mare kicking out the dry magazines and slotting new ones in. The stallion was about half out of ammo; on par for when the mare was usually able to empty her weapon and reload it in similar training.

Her thoughts were cool and calm. A simple rundown of the following events flowed through the mare’s mind in a pleasant stream.

Astral is about out. I’ll cover him as he reloads, and then we-

With an abrupt THUD, the Guard face-planted into the floor in front of the two. Astral’s guns made a soft clicking as he tried to fire again before noticing the ammo counter in his helmet display.

Sassi drew her knife, throwing it at the Guard’s head to double-check and watching it stick in without so much as a sound from the motionless creature.

“Huh…” she muttered, cautiously walking over to inspect the creature. Letting out a laugh, she then gestured to the creature’s head.

Or rather, what was left of it. Her knife was embedded on one of the few intact areas on the back of the Guard’s skull.

“That was a fantastic shot, Astral. Right between the eyes!” Sassi exclaimed, letting out a whistle.

The stallion appeared more miffed than anything, hooves awkwardly reloading the saddle guns.

“I just wish it had been skill. These shotguns aren’t very precise, even with slugs,” he grumbled.

“A good shot is a good shot. You picked up on the saddle guns pretty quickly in the armory, if I recall. That used less ammo than I thought, but still way too much,” she muttered. “That’s two magazines used for each of us for one guard. We only have three more reloads. Two more guards, maybe three with just guns.”

“That’s…not good,” he muttered.

“We’ll just be careful. Maybe get some more great shots from you at the start!”

He waved off the compliment with a huff, the stallion appearing more annoyed than anything.
“I just wish I could say it was skill rather than luck. I’m a fantastic shot with the crossbow, the top three in my class, and the top for long-range with the basic rifles. These are nothing like that. Close quarters and such. The slugs clearly don’t have much power against armored targets.”

Sassi let out a hum at that, the two carefully entering the blacked-out area of the hall.
“So, you’d probably do better with a gryphon-style rifle. It has a stock you can put to your shoulder if you rear on your hind legs, or lay down to balance it on something,” she mused.

“Most likely. I’d love to try them. Have you seen the size of those bullets?!” Astral let out a jealous sigh. “I’d love to get my hooves on a few of those. A rifle would tear right through that bone.”

“Well once we get out of here, we shou-”

Sassi’s words were cut off as something tore through the floor. Throwing cubicles, chairs, and desks aside, another Queen Guard immediately charged at them. With a swipe of its arm, it sent Astral flying into a cubical wall with a yelp.

Bloody holes erupted from its collarbone, a shotgun slug glancing off its skull. Ducking a blow from jagged bone claws, Sassi skidded underneath it. Two shots tore into the Guard’s exposed hip joints and made it stagger. The mare clambered up its back.

With a smooth motion, the mare buried a combat knife into the base of the Guard’s skull, jumping off to land in front of Astral protectively.

*THUD*

A wet, dull explosion was heard, Sassi smirking as the guard flopped onto the floor in front of them. She turned to Astral, helping him up.

“You ok?” the mare asked, looking over him worryingly. Her eyes widened on seeing a long gash in one of the armored plates along the Thestral’s side. A hoof’s length either up or down and it would have missed the metal plating. The stallion would have been gutted by the jagged bone.

He nodded, testing his limbs a bit.
“Fine here thanks to that armor. And those cubical walls are made of that flimsy fabric. I’ll take that over concrete,” Astral explained. “Can we just…you took that thing on yourself! That was awesome!”

Her visor flipping up, Sassi shrugged. A bashful blush flared on her cheeks as Astral looked at the downed creature.

“Seriously, you didn’t even need my help that first time! That was incredible!” he continued, then gesturing to the creature’s missing head. “How did you do that?”

Drawing out another knife, Sassi then gestured to where an empty grenade pouch was located.

“These knives are quite nice. I had them custom ordered. They have a metal edge which a grenade can be pinned to. I stuck that thing right in its skull.”

“Whoa.”

The stallion couldn’t really say anything else other than that. It had been some time since seeing the mare in action, and it still blew him away. Her movements had been too fast to track.

“I don’t suppose I could get some of those knives?”

She let out a snort, the two walking towards a familiar electrical room.

“You already have two of them. I just wouldn’t recommend a normal pony using them as I do.”

“Oh.”

They flipped the switches, the two Thestrals making their way back to the elevators. Astral shook his head as they passed the guards, letting out a soft whistle as the gore continued to spread out from the bodies.

“I’m still dumbfounded. That was…wow.”

Even with the visor down, Astral could sense the mare was a bit flustered. How she wasn’t used to compliments with such feats, he didn’t know.

As the elevator whisked them down again, the Thestral felt a strange energy barrier make his fur prickle, Sassi letting out a hum of interest.

“That’s new. Some sort of protective field,” she murmured. “Considering the occupant, that may be appropriate.”

“Time to see if that Skitter was telling the truth?”

“Yup. Either it’s a trap, or we’re going to meet the Queen. Either way, let’s see what she wants.”

Chapter Forty Eight: Who really is in the cage?

The elevator doors opened, the pair angling their guns down the hallway. Lights flickered, a single, long passage leading to multiple metal blockages. They pushed on slowly, only a few doors on their left and right.

The metal barricades revealed themselves to be an intact checkpoint apparatus as they got closer. Energy hummed through multiple crystals set into the steel gate, an automated gun angling at them from the ceiling.

Sassi examined a small access pad to their right, out of sight of the gun in a small alcove. She entered the override code, a magical field powering down.

“Scans indicate everything is clear. No breaches in the past few days. Almost a week. Before that, it looks like something came and left,” she explained, tapping the pad again. “If it’s a trap, we can activate it again and this checkpoint will go live. That gun will hit anything that passes through the gate.”

“Those would have been nice on the other floors.”

Chuckling, Sassi pushed the metal grate open, pistons and gears clicking to indicate it was much heavier than it appeared.

“It’s a tricky thing. Automated upkeep, pinpoint tracking, yada yada yada. It’s expensive but set-and-forget, hence why it’s used mainly in Silo Three. Here, it’s more obnoxious and a last resort. But hindsight and all that.”

There was a second checkpoint, and then a third. After deactivating it, the pair paused.

Greeted by a very-dead skitter at a broken control panel, Sassi walked around it, head shaking in confusion. The console was set into the wall, just before the hallway opened up. The creature’s head, limbs, and torso had been spiked through with sharpened rebar, pinning it to the console.

“That’s either good or very bad,” Astral muttered.

“I vote weird. Let’s see what’s next.”

A final checkpoint and the hallway opened up into a massive chamber. It was easily half the size of a hoofball stadium and in a similar shape to a half-oval. Automated defenses were visible along the walls; spellcasting crystals and turrets were deactivated. Yet the majority of the space was dominated by dozens of the green crystals mounted on the floor, powerful spells making the air hum.

And in the center of the room, seemingly dwarfed by the massive pieces of equipment, was the Queen.

Contained in the magically-strengthened cell, she looked at them expectantly from behind the shimmering, translucent green walls. Thrice the size of an alicorn, she had a triangular head sporting eight eyes, four on each side, draconic in nature. The skin covering the Queen was almost scale-like, a cross between old, unreformed changelings and dragons, and a dull green in coloration. She even had a scaled tail, more dragon-like than a pony or insect.

Two smaller, clawed limbs rose from her back, neatly folded against her barrel. She otherwise stood on all four legs like any other quadruped complete with hooves, or something close to them. She had a regal nature despite the alien form.

“Huh,” Astral muttered as they walked down some metal steps towards the cell-like enclosure. “I was expecting more…freaky-spider-like.”

“I can hear you if you’re this close, armored helmet or not,” the Queen called out in a rather annoyed tone, her voice lacking the elongated ‘s’ the previous Skitter had. If anything, the Queen’s tone was more fitting to various nobles Astral had encountered. Refined and pointed.

“Oh, uh, sorry,” Astral said out of reflex, the Queen letting out a titter.

“A polite one? This is quite a treat,” she mused, then turning her eight eyes towards the other Thestral. “Ah, the famed Sassi. At last, we meet. I have heard quite a bit about you. Less so about you, Astral.”

Sassi nodded to Astral briefly after examining a series of crystal displays next to the cell, a miniature control room set up outside the enclosure.
“We’re clear. This level is definitely on lockdown. No motion detected for almost a week.”

The mare sat down, looking at the Queen with a guarded gaze after flipping up her visor.
“What…who are you?” she asked.

“I appreciate the distinction,” the Queen replied, sitting down as well and looking down at the smaller mare. “My name is Joro. I am-was the Queen of the creatures you call Skitters, warped as their forms and minds may be. I still am, but not here.”

“What do you want from us?”

Joro blinked, a hoof-like limb gesturing towards Sassi.
“To be free.”

“Not going to happen,” was Sassi’s immediate reply, the Queen letting out a sigh.

“Not here. I want to go back to my realm. My home,” Joro clarified.

“Wait. You weren’t created here?” Astral asked.

Joro shook her head. “No. But everything you have seen so far was.”

A huff left Sassi’s mouth, the mare shaking her head.
“Wait. So, the Skitter you controlled wasn’t like, your spawn?”

Joro bristled at that.
“No. Everything in the past few decades was grown in this place, more or less. Including the other Queen who seeks to kill you. Even the creatures here who were created still responded to my control until recently. The earlier experiments had intact minds from my realm until the new Queen took control. They are all gone now, and only the monstrosities remain.”

“Ok, wait. Sassi, we need to learn more,” Astral whispered, “you don’t know much about this Queen, let alone a second one. We may never get a chance to learn about all of this. And quite frankly, this is rather out there.”

The mare huffed, nodding as she settled down on her haunches a bit, addressing the queen.

“Astral is correct in that we don’t know much about all of this,” Sassi admitted, Joro seeming rather pleased that the mare knew she could overhear. “You said you could help, provide us information. So, where do we start?”

“If you have time, the beginning, if you so desire,” Joro said, her tone abruptly shifting. Astral’s eyes widened, a hoof gesturing to her.

“Sassi…”

The mare stiffened. As they looked closer at the Queen, they saw dozens of scars crisscrossing her body. A nearly-invisible collar was wrapped around her throat, a soft series of lights blinking on it. The lights matched a rather large orb on the ceiling of the cell.

“That collar, what does that do? Is this a trap?” Sassi hissed.

Joro abruptly laughed; a horrible, tired and pained sound.
“Trap? Only for me. Come now, Sassi. You know what this collar will do. You’ve seen it before.”

“I’ve seen a version of it on the prisoners. Remote detonation if things get out of hoof.”

Astral gulped at that.

“Correct. The device above me is a bomb, but not for me. It’s a failsafe in case their experiments failed. Do you want to hear it all, or just bits and pieces of my situation?”

Joro’s words seemed to calm Sassi, or at least make her reluctantly settle down and listen.

“Ok, how about we start at the basics. Queen Joro, where did you come from then?” Astral asked, the individual clearly brightening at hearing his respectful tone.

“Aren’t you an interesting and polite pony? It has been so long since someone has been so…” her voice trailed off. “Yes, that is indeed a place to start.”

Sitting up a bit taller, Joro took a deep breath, a wince spreading across her draconic maw.
“I come from a place you know as ‘Limbo.’ My realm is within it, a…level. That is the best translation I can use to describe it. We came here out of curiosity, to explore the magic that bled from your world into ours. A crude translation of our race would be the ‘travelers’. We wanted to find a way to access this world.”

“To conquer it?” Sassi asked,

Joro’s eyes narrowed to slits. “To explore it!” she yelled, Sassi’s eyes widening.

“Explore?” Astral asked.

Joro took a few more deep breaths, Astral gently pressing a hoof against Sassi’s. The mare nodded, taking a step back and letting the stallion lead. The Queen clearly relaxed when addressing him rather than Sassi.

“To find out what creatures could battle individuals from our realm. Your kind has accessed Limbo before, defeated enemies such as the Pony of Shadows. We wanted…” A sad, tired, and heartbreaking smile slid across Joro’s features as she looked up at the two Thestrals. “We wanted to make friends.”

The stallion stared as Sassi didn’t move a muscle.

“What happened?” Astral asked softly.

“The Stairway Company happened,” Joro growled. “They played the part of a diplomat while scheming to imprison me. When we met for formal introductions through a portal, my guards and entourage were slain or imprisoned. I was shortly after placed into this cell. It took me a few years, but I finally learned of their sick plan, and what they were doing with my blood. That was…decades ago. I don’t know exactly. I don’t age as you all do.”

“And you’ve been here ever since?”

She nodded, Astral letting out a tired breath.
“Ok, I wasn’t expecting that.”

“So, the Skitters, all the other monstrosities in this place…” Sassi asked, Joro looking at her with an odd, pitying gaze.

“Were all created due to me,” the Traveler Queen sighed. “My blood. They cloned a crude copy of myself, used my blood to make the Skitters, Spiders. She can breed in this realm. I cannot, likely the same reason the Hivemind failed. Unfortunately, our natural desire to explore was corrupted to simple bloodlust. A side effect of the interference I assume.”

“Huh?” Astral muttered, Joro smiling kindly.

“Your world is different, far too different it would seem for the lesser-developed of my kind,” she elaborated. “I can function perfectly here. But my guards? Others? They were overwhelmed when the hivemind link failed when I first came here,” Joro explained.

“Your world produces interference to conscious thought within the hivemind. Since my clone was created here, she lacks any of the restrictions I suffer under. Ergo, a stronger hivemind and the ability to lay eggs and give the Company all the experiments they desire. When the systems here failed and the magical suppression spells wavered, my Clone’s hivemind easily gained control of every Experiment here. That allowed her to control the existing creatures in holding cells in addition to her own immediate brood. The few Skitters loyal to me were few in number and only kept around for research purposes. She has been the one in control for more than two decades.”

The two ponies could only stare for a time, Astral finally managing to speak.

“Ok, I was not expecting that,” he muttered. “So, you were used as a baseline to create all those things. That’s why they don’t look like you.”

“Correct. My clone is likely more accurate to your freaky-spider expectations,” Joro confirmed. “The…purity of my blood? Genetics I think is the term. Whatever it is, some of it is corrupted by the magical fields in this world. And so, you get monsters. Actual monsters instead of a sane individual such as myself. Any creatures with a barcode you saw were grown in the labs. Those without were hatched recently, and may vary in form.”

“That’s a lot to process,” the stallion added. “So, now what? You said you have information?”

“I do. But you first need to understand the larger picture.”

“I assume you’re going to elaborate on that?” Astral asked, Joro smirking.

“Indeed. In short, there are portals that my clone is operating to access Limbo. She can bring through the minds of creatures from my kingdom there. That is how they are supplementing her natural offspring. Depending on available biomass, she can form additional Skitter bodies. There are innumerable consciousnesses in my realm that would desire an experience in yours, even in a crude ‘Skitter’ form. They are immediately corrupted of course, and the process is initially slow. But the portals are growing in strength.”

“Meaning?” the stallion pressed, a slight shiver running up his spine at the ‘biomass’ comment.

“Meaning, that some are likely self-sustaining at this point. As it stands, they are using my magical signature as an anchor. If I am either killed or returned to my realm, the portals would be destabilized and at risk of collapse. That is what the bomb is for.”

She gestured above her head.
“That bomb will go where I go. If the collar goes out of range, my head becomes, well, no longer attached,” Joro said. “The bomb is meant to be sent back with me as a failsafe. They wouldn’t trust me, of course, to close the portals out of my own goodwill. So, the bomb would destroy things from the Limbo side. The magical detonation would certainly destroy even self-sustaining portals beyond repair. I will give you more information, but you will then need to promise to help. This means you have a choice.”

“Being?” Sassi interjected.

Joro’s smile softened, a reluctant and melancholy expression on the Queen’s face. The Traveler looked at Sassi, something flickering in her eyes that made Astral pause. He abruptly felt like a third wheel, not understanding some large, missing detail.

“You will get your information either way. You can then do what you were trained to do; kill me here or send me back with the bomb. Alternatively, you can set me free, and I give you my word that I’ll close the portals when I am sent back.”

The Traveler Queen’s sad smile matched her defeated shrug, eight eyes focusing on Sassi. She looked much older now, not defeated but tired.

“That is your choice. Kill me, or trust me. But either way, at least I will be out of this nightmare.”

Author's Note

Hmmmmm. :trixieshiftright:

Chapter Forty Nine: We are who we choose to be

Nobody said anything for a few very long moments. Astral looked to Sassi, the stallion clearly out of his league.

“Sassi?” he ventured to ask, the mare’s brow furrowing.

“I need to think about this. I didn’t know about the real situation here,” she growled, clearly frustrated. “I only knew about one queen, and apparently the rumors were the truth about her being a clone. It’s…all mixed up.”

“Warning. Power failure. Please reset manual interlocks to restore reactor flow. Automated systems unavailable,” a robotic voice called out as the lights flickered.

“Manual? That’s new,” Joro mused. “I imagine those are in the electrical room to your right, at the end of the long hallway. Usually, the automatic systems fix it. The Clone has been trying to cut power to this level for days.”

“Why would she do that?” Sassi asked suspiciously, Joro letting out a sad chuckle.

“Well, if the power goes out for too long, the battery backups on both the bomb and my collar expire. They then detonate. It’s an easy way to kill me. Sure, that would remove some of the weaker portals, but then she could take over what remains of my kingdom without any resistance through some of the self-sustaining portals. That is, once she secured the Silo.”

“Sounds to me like you want us to let you go,” the mare added, Joro sighing.

“Obviously I’d prefer to live. But yes, killing me would give Her an advantage. I didn’t bother mentioning that at the start because I assumed you would kill my clone regardless. Am I wrong?”

“A fair point,” Sassi huffed. “We’ll go reset the backups.”

“You’ll have to also re-route them from the main console. It takes two creatures to do it. That prevents a single individual from cutting power and keeping it off,” Joro added. “From what I understand, it should be a simple matter of making all the fuses flash green.”

“You said this floor is still clear, Sassi? I can do it. I don’t know how to work that console. You have more experience with their systems,” Astral said. “I can flick some switches.”

She checked one of the screens, nodding.
“Still clear. And are you sure? I can track you on the cameras here.”

With a nod, Astral trotted off down the hallway.
“As long as you can track me and it isn’t far, I should be good.”

“Just…be careful,” Sassi whispered.

As Astral vanished down the hallway, the mare turned to look at Joro.
“You planned this? To have us split up?” she growled, muting her microphone.

“No. But it does present a lovely moment for a heart to heart,” the Queen admitted. “He doesn’t know, does he?”

Sassi bared her fangs at that.
“If you say anything, I’ll-”

Joro interrupted with a shake of her head.
“I don’t intend to. But I take that as a no. I don’t think it would matter, however.”

“What?!”

A motherly smile dawned on the Traveler’s face, the Queen gesturing to Sassi.
“He’s one of the good ones. With all the time I’ve spent down here, the kind ponies stand out amid everyone else. He clearly cares about you, and vice versa I assume.”

Sassi let out a huff, eyes darting down to the bandage on her forelimb.

“It’s ironic, isn’t it?” Joro asked, her tone soft and sincere. “We both came into this world desiring friendship in a way. Perhaps it was childish and naïve to expect it. Both things are torn apart in this horrific place."

The mare didn’t say anything until Astral’s voice crackled over the radio.
“Some of these switches are fried! Some sort of power surge. I have to balance it. One green switch flips others to red, and so forth. It’ll take me a few. I can also reset the elevator lockouts here.”

“That’s fine, we’re good here, Astral,” the mare replied, adjusting some settings on the console as power began to fluctuate.

Sassi was quiet for a few more moments before speaking.
“We both did come into this world wanting that. But the Company used both of us.”

Joro looked to be near tears on hearing the sincerity in the mare’s voice.
“For what it’s worth, I am so sorry for all the pain I have caused. I never wanted any of it,” the Queen whispered. “Without me, you would have been spared a lifetime of pain. I do not ask for forgiveness, only understanding if nothing else.”

Confusion swam in Sassi’s gaze and demeanor. This was all so far from what she expected. This was another shade of grey in what a monster was. More lies, more deceit, but now some actual truth.

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Sassi said finally, Joro’s head snapping up to look at the mare, all eight eyes wide in shock. “Yes, I’m here because of you, but you came here desiring friendship. That was twisted, warped, and taken advantage of. How could I judge you for that? How many times did I…” her words trailed off.

A few gelatinous tears slid from Joro’s yellow eyes, her head hanging.
“I did not expect such kindness, let alone from you. Not after what the Company did,” Joro whispered. “I thought you were an extension of their will, from everything I heard. I thought they used me to create another automaton.”

“I was, to a degree. I don’t deny that,” Sassi said softly. “I didn’t know anything else, growing up here. But even knowing I was different; I had a dad who taught me right from wrong. Even if I was stuck down here, knowing things were bad, my dad tried to help me understand.”

“Is he…”

“He’s the one who sabotaged the entire place with some help. Do you know Flask Heat?”

Her head lifting, Joro’s eyes sparkled, a smile showing some fangs.
“Flask? I remember that pony from over a decade ago,” she mused. “He was kind, speaking for my better treatment before he was silenced. It is comforting to know some good has come from this evil place. Of so many who did not deserve the Company’s wrath, you were among the most innocent of us all. You didn’t ask to be here,” Joro paused, continuing to smile. “Perhaps Flask’s daughter can be the turn of the tide. Regardless of what you physically are, you were raised by a good pony. That is a comfort, knowing not all of what I caused was warped by evil intentions.”

Sassi smiled, a cautious but genuine gesture that clearly surprised Joro.
“I’ve also had a lot of help. And my life hasn’t been completely bad, especially recently. It’s not been an entire life of pain. I still want to live, and I wouldn’t be here if not for you,” The mare didn’t meet Joro’s gaze, clearly in thought. “So, I suppose, in a way, I should say thank you. Feels odd though.”

“I would never expect thanks from you. But…I am glad to have been involved in something good in this place,” Joro said, the motherly smile returning with a relieved nod. They then heard Astral report that the switches were flipped and he was on his way back.

“He is fascinating, an interesting pony indeed. No preconceptions, an open book to learning. And his name too. How fitting.”

“How what?” Astral asked, walking back into the room. “Something about my name?” The two stared at him, the stallion blinking. “What? I just heard something about my name. I didn’t choose it, y’know,” he grumbled.

Joro laughed, gesturing to him with a scaly hoof.
“Apologies, it is rude to gossip. I’ve always found pony names to be fascinating with your cutie marks. My kind has a more elaborate naming system. The pony names translate sometimes rather well, other times, it’s amusing.”

The lights brightened up again, Joro glancing around and nodding.
“Good. The power is back for now.”

“Ok, but what was that about names?” Astral pressed, Sassi staring at him. The stallion’s cheeks flushed, an armored hoof scuffing at the floor in embarrassment. “What? This is fascinating. Like meeting someone from another planet. Literally, that’s the case here! It’s a nice distraction from everything.”

A laugh echoed around the cell, the Queen looking at Astral in apparent glee.
“A learner? I assumed your first name had to do with the stars. Your name in my tongue is quite interesting.”

“Oh?”

“Indeed. Yours translates rather well; Guardian of the Stars.”

Astral stood a bit taller at that.
“I like how that sounds.”

“There is a single-word translation as well. Comet, or Meteor. We see them as a purifying fire. Yes, we have stars in Limbo, in a different way,” Joro added.

“Do I have a name in your tongue?” Sassi asked, Astral looking over to her in surprise as the mare’s tone was cautious, almost warning.

While Astral’s gaze was distracted, Sassi saw Joro nod to her firmly in understanding.

“Indeed, Sassi. Yours is more poetic but abstract. Deadly Primrose.”

Astral was all smiles at that, Sassi blushing.
“That sounds fairly accurate,” he mused, the mare letting out an embarrassed huff.

“How is that abstract?” Sassi grumbled.

“We have much of the same flora and fauna in our realm, with marked differences of course,” Joro explained. “The Primrose flower only blooms at night. Deadly, well, you are, so that’s appropriate. There is an unspoken subtext to your name though, such polar opposite things combining to produce a more elaborate meaning.”

“Which is…?” she asked.

“Flower that blooms in the darkest of nights,” the Queen said kindly.

Sassi’s mouth hung open at that, the familiar, motherly smile now on Joro’s face.

“That sounds appropriate,” Astral added quietly. Judging from Sassi’s shocked expression, there was another, deeper level to what Joro had said.

There was another pause, Astral shaking his head.
“I don’t want to kill her, Sassi. I see no reason for it, and I certainly don’t want to find one,” he muttered. “You’re the expert here. But I say we send her back. A bit of trust can go a long way. This place has a bomb connected to the reactor, right? Or close to it? We can always blow it up on our end anyhow.”

Sassi nodded, the mare’s brow furrowing.
“Let me check the readouts,” she said, sitting at the console and tapping a few displays. The mare let out a huff, eying some graphs. “Well, there are stable, extremely high energy readings from the reactor chamber. Multiple of them. I assume those are portals?”

“Most likely. Outside of basic readouts, I am uncertain as to what that console can display. I’m surprised you can even determine that,” Joro said.

“Well, we have an all-access key,” Sassi muttered, typing in the code again. “I see eight anomalous readings.”

Joro let out a hiss at that.
“Eight? I had hoped for only five at most. That is disturbing. Many more will come through, and soon. You must make your choice, or at least detonate this facility to make sure. Time moves differently in Limbo. It may be minutes or hours before I could get the portals to close.”

“I can’t disable the cell from here, but I can activate the portal that sends you, and the bomb back,” Sassi said, her voice picking up a bit of a monotone. “I can also send Vial a short note…there. Now he knows we’ll be there within a day at the latest.”

“Let me hold up my end first,” Joro said calmly. “I promised you information.”

Sassi’s ears perked up, the mare walking over with Astral to sit beside him in front of the cell.
“I’m listening.”

Joro gestured with a hoof to the floor.
“My clone will likely have another Guard on the floor below you, just like the three you encountered first.”

“There were only two,” Astral muttered, Joro sighing.

“Well then, two more below. A total of four Guards were assigned to me, as far as I could tell. In terms of what you call Skitters and Spiders, she has many. Skitters in the dozens, at least fifty by now, maybe a hundred. I don’t know how fast she can breed, and more consciousnesses come through the portal daily, likely about one per portal per day at this point. There could be many more Skitters, I don’t know.” The Queen’s tone was frustrated at that.
“Spiders are odd. As best I can guess, they’re a mutated form of a common spider largely created by the Company using my genetics as some sort of catalyst. They still respond to the hivemind though.”

Sassi nodded, ears perked and listening as Astral tried to control his nerves.

“She will keep her remaining Guards at the Reactor level; that’s thirty levels down from here. That is where my Clone is currently making her nest. There should be no more than three Guards immediately near her, along with the Skitters. There may be more, but that is the best guess from my scouts before they were killed. But that was some time ago.”

“Making her nest next to the reactor? Wouldn’t that be basically making a home on a bomb?” Astral asked.

“Essentially, but I don’t know how to detonate the facility. I doubt she does too, since such information is encrypted in the network,” Joro explained. “The excess energy likely boosts the portals, or she can at least metabolize it for the process to create new creatures. That would be my assumption.”

The Queen paused, scaled brow furrowing.

“The only other bit of advice I can offer is regarding the other Silo. Something is wrong there,” Joro said, tone softer and cautious. Her eyes stared at the pair, intense and unblinking.

“Do not go to Silo Three.”

Author's Note

Surprise double-chapter this weekend!
But....HMMMMMM :trixieshiftright:

Chapter Fifty: Warnings and Friends

The two ponies looked at Joro, the Queen shaking her head.

“I only know snippets. In addition to wanting to weaponize my subjects, the Company was trying to use the genetic properties of my blood to augment their own experiments,” Joro said. “Apparently, also brought through other things from my realm to try and boost the effects. What exactly, I don’t know, but almost all of those gene-splicing experiments took place in Silo Three.”

No more words were uttered, Joro then continuing. Four of her eyes flickered to Sassi briefly, a simple, understanding look. The mare’s face was impassive aside from a slight clenching of her jaw.

“Before being killed, one of my scouts was investigating the descending utility tunnels near the reactor; that is one of the few ways from this Silo to Three other than the trams far above us. The tunnel was locked down and intact, but there were barricades halfway down the tunnel.”

“That’s not surprising. The prisoners must have snuck in and fortified it,” Sassi said with a shrug.

“The barricades were on her side of the tunnel, created by her minions. Some of the security doors had already been torn open from the other side.”

Astral felt an icy chill run down his hooves and spine. Sassi simply stared.

“That makes no sense. Your Clone boarding things up? There are a lot of prisoners, sure, but very few weapons. They’d be free food. And nothing in there should have been able to get through those doors.”

“I don’t know why. All I know is that my scout was horrifically afraid of that place. A baser instinct warning it away, if the blood on the walls didn’t. The Clone waited for it to exit the tunnel before killing it. She wouldn’t send her forces down the utility tram shaft,” Joro said. Her tone abruptly shifted to that of a genuinely disturbed nature. “I don’t know how long they were using my blood, or what for, but I worry they were successful.”

No words were said, an unsettling mood now clogging the air up like a fog.

“Hopefully we won’t have to worry about that. Blow the reactor, and that’ll kill the Clone and seal off Silo Three for whoever deals with it next,” Astral said. “We find out how to do it remotely so we don’t touch that place.

“A valid plan,” was all Joro could offer. “That is all I know. I wish I could provide movements, but all I know are basic numbers and guessing from how her forces grew. One final warning is that you must kill all of her forces, at least the Skitters and Guards.”

“Not that I am arguing, but why?” Sassi asked.

“If she combines part of her genetic structure with it, a new Queen could be formed. Mutated into a new nightmare if given enough time, food, and energy.”

“So, blow up the reactor and then kill everything?” Astral asked.

“Everything. I doubt a Spider has enough biomass for it to work. But one of our troops, the Skitters, even in their mutated form, could serve as a vessel for a new Queen.”

“What about a Skitter that has a bare head? Long arms, really spindly? I didn’t see any eyes either. Just sunken sockets.” Sassi added.

Joro’s eyes narrowed at that.
“I have no idea. That sounds most unlike any mutated versions from my realm. I never have seen something like that. Perhaps a creation of the company, or…”

“Or?” Sassi asked.

Eyes flickering to Astral, the stallion swallowed his nerves. He immediately knew what the Queen was going to say.

“Or it came from Silo Three.”

There was silence for a long moment, Sassi finally shaking her head as she returned to the control panel.

“We’ll tackle that problem when it arises. I haven’t met anything we can’t kill with enough bullets. It’ll be hard enough continuing with those numbers of creatures ahead,” she muttered, tapping the keys to examine the readouts. “And I still need to think.”

Astral trotted over to her and sat down next to the mare. He was quiet as she examined the readings, but it was clear her thoughts were not on the displays.

“What do you think? I vote we trust her. Nothing else feels right,” he finally said.

She was quiet, tapping a few keys to begin the powering up sequence with a shake of her head. As mechanisms and spells hummed in the room, Sassi snagged a loose, crystal datapad to watch the readings. Trotting over to the cell, the mare stared at Joro intently for a few moments.

Only the Queen could see the turmoil in Sassi’s gaze, the mare fighting against every bit of training she had.

“Prove me wrong, Queen Joro,” Sassi whispered, only the two of them able to hear. “I want to be wrong about Astral with all my heart. Please let me be wrong about you too. I want to be wrong.”

With a punch of the hoof to the controls, Sassi watched as the collar fell from Joro’s neck, the bomb above them blinking off.

“We trust her,” she proclaimed a bit louder. “I want to trust her.”

Astral walked over to the mare, nodding in approval as the Queen bowed her head.

“Thank you, Sassi,” Joro said quietly, her gaze turning to Astral, a hopeful smile exposing a few fangs. “And perhaps you will be the meteor who helps to burn away the evil of this place,” she whispered, a few tears being quickly wiped away on her forelimb.

As the crystals sparked with magic, Joro gestured to the control panel behind them.
“Oh! Of course! Voice command, backup, and eject storage!”

With a soft click, four large crystals popped out of the control console, Joro turning to Astral.

“Guardian of the Stars, Perhaps you will find this of use, or at least of interest,” she explained. “Before my final followers were destroyed a week ago, I had them key that console for a few voice commands, mainly recording. As I have had nothing but time, I dictated everything I know about myself and my race, encrypted until now. It was to be a final record if I died, so at least something would remain of my kingdom and kind. There are two crystals in the set and one backup. Perhaps we can both learn from all of this.”

Astral carefully retrieved the crystals, stowing them in both his pack and then Sassi’s (after the mare looked them over.)

“I’ll look at them as soon as we are out of here. Thank you, Queen Joro,” the stallion said, “I look forward to learning more about one of the few friends I made down here, however brief.”

Joro stiffened, staring at the pony in shock.
“Friend?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Astral nodded.
“Why not? They’re in short supply down here. You’ve been kind and are pleasant to speak with during our short meeting.”

As the Queen stared in surprise, Sassi let out a frustrated sigh.
“I can’t get there that easily. But prove me wrong, Queen Joro. I would like to think you are our friend in all of this. We certainly need them.”

A few more tears slid from Joro’s eyes, the Traveler nodding firmly as the entire cell began to crackle with portal energy.

“I suppose ponies can surprise me in both the worst ways and the best. I am honored to have met two who prove the latter. I promise I’ll close those portals. Goodbye, my little ponies,” Joro said with a smile. “And thank you…my friends.”

There was a flash, and then the cell was empty. Red lights began to flash, but they quickly shut off as the system powered down, the cell walls sliding into the floor and leaving an empty platform.

The two of them stared at the empty cell, Sassi finally leaning her head over onto Astral’s with a huff.

“I don’t know what to think,” she muttered, “but I feel good. My training says I failed, but everything else feels right.”

“I’m proud of you.”

She tensed at Astral’s words, then melted into his brief hug.

“I know you had a ton of training. I can’t imagine how much letting her go went against it.”

“It…yeah. I’m trying to ignore it. You make that easier,” she muttered.

“Oh, I’m the world’s best distraction?”

“The best.”

That made Astral almost literally glow. It helped that Sassi meant every word.

Separating, the two were about to walk away when there was a flash of light. Two obsidian-like crystals, no bigger than half a horseshoe, stood in the cell.

Attached was a simple parchment.

“To my pony friends,
My kingdom is intact, along with most of my subjects. The portals will close within five of your hours.

Thank you for your kindness. Perhaps I will be able to repay it in full someday, or thank you face to face, should circumstances permit. I won’t open any portals to your realm. If you want to reach out, I’ll find you if you choose to establish a connection to Limbo.

Regardless if we meet again, may these two gifts be a reminder to you…and myself, that there is good in your world beyond measure. That we both have friends beyond the stars.”

Looking at the crystals, a few simple inscriptions were etched into the stone with golden minerals. Underneath the simple, legible text was another line, assumingly Joro’s native tongue. The first held a beautiful etching of a flower, the second, a depiction of a comet.

‘Sassi
Deadly Primrose
Flower that blooms in the darkest of nights.
The strongest creature I’ve ever met.’

‘Astral Sentinel
Guardian of the Stars
My first pony friend.’

Astral felt a lump in his throat as he stowed the memento, his jaw clenching.
“Something so simple…” he whispered.

His shoulder shook as Sassi gave him a nudge, the two of them walking back down the halls after she put away her crystal. The mare’s eyes seemed to have tears on having read her inscription, but they quickly were brushed away.

“Sometimes kindness can make the biggest impact of all,” Sassi finally said. “It did for me.”
Astral didn’t say anything. All he did was pause for a moment, reaching over to give Sassi’s hoof a firm squeeze before they continued walking.

They had made a new friend today.

Author's Note

Chapter Fifty One: Don't Breathe

Astral’s mouth turned into a frown as they walked back to the elevator. The floor beneath Joro had been uneventful, the pair resetting the switches with ease. Sassi had gotten more agitated as they walked, the mare not saying much as her demeanor stiffened. It wasn’t about Joro, at least that’s what Astral assumed. After going through the room where Sassi had been burned, he had a pretty good idea of what the issue was though. A bunch of puzzle pieces had abruptly fallen into place, and yet it really didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

His thoughts were derailed as the doors opened, a dimly lit and dark floor spreading out in front of them. The cubicles were wrecked, and what looked like explosives had charred the floor and ceiling.

“Well, this looks promising,” he muttered, noticing how tense Sassi seemed. A pang of sympathy spiked into his heart, but the Thestral couldn’t dwell on it. First things first.

“There should be Guards here. Stay alert.”

Sassi’s clipped tone matched her movements as they carefully proceeded, scanning all angles. They paused, the dull scratching reminding them that a certain mutual fiend was still present in the air ducts.

“Shouldn’t the vents have sealed?” Astral whispered, the two of them making their way into the portion of the floor with intact cubicles.

“Should have, yes. But the Silo has suffered a lot of damage. The seals are meant to keep out toxins, not creatures,” Sassi explained, then pausing. “Speaking of which, Astral, is there an orange, flashing light in the bottom left of your helmet? The sensors can be finicky, so I want to double-check.”

“Yeah, I have it. Icon says it’s a toxicity warning?”

She let out a soft hiss at that.
“Same here. That’s what I was worried about. It’s not just Skitters in the vents it seems. We need to hurr-” The mare paused as the nearest vent began to abruptly pour with a thick, sickly-green fog. A sigh that sounded more irritated than concerned echoed over the radio. “Of course.”

“Sassi?”

“Make sure your helmet is sealed, but then breath normally, Astral. As long as that orange light continues to glow, it means the filters are scrubbing the air,” Sassi instructed. “If you see numbers appear, that’s the system trying to calculate how long the filters have left. We should have hours at the bare minimum.”

“Right. I remember,” he muttered, the thick fog pooling up to their barrels as it continued to dump into the room.

“Let’s move and get to the room before we lose total visibility.”

Only slightly more concerned at the curt tone and demeanor Sassi now had, Astral followed her as they trotted down the semi-ruined hallways, taking a few lefts and rights. It reminded him of a prior office level that resembled a maze.

As they entered a large, half-trashed section of cubicles, the gas reached above their helmets fully. Astral could barely see his hoof in front of his face. The only indicator of distance was Sassi’s marker in his HUD. An abrupt, primal fear tickled at Astral’s senses, the Thestral shoving it down as best he could.

“These helmets have the old gear. Ugh. This gas is…weird. It’s mostly scrambling the infrared,” the mare muttered.

“So, how do we find our way through?”

“Well, I said mostly. I’m not sure if your helmet has it- but try shifting the viewing filters. Or use voice commands.”

“Filters? Oh, right.”

Carefully tapping a hoof against one of the few buttons on the high-tech helmet, Astral’s view abruptly erupted into green static.

“Urg. Nope. I can’t see a thing. Not even shapes, just static.”

“Hmm. Must be an older model, or damaged. Just follow right behind me and-”

Astral was quickly learning that when Sassi stopped talking, that wasn’t a good thing.

“Astral. Cubicle. Now.”

Ducking into one of the few office spaces without chairs, Astral looked around, watching the entrance as Sassi slowly scanned above them. Moments later, he heard a heavy something pushing through the hallway and knocking over some of the still-standing cubicle paraphernalia. It was getting closer, staggering loudly through the fog as it hacked and wheezed.

Only the rough outline was able to be seen, but Astral nearly jumped out of his armor when the body of a Skitter slammed into the floor, the head looking away from him as the two ponies huddled in the cubicle.

A final hiss, and the Skitter stopped breathing.

They didn’t say anything, Sassi waiting to hear if there were more.
“It’s dead? Astral finally asked, Sassi nodding- her head barely visible in the fog.

“Apparently. Half a mind to sample this fog and see if we can flood the lower levels with it.”
A set of ticking numbers then drew Astral’s attention.
“Uh, Sassi?”

“I see it. Is yours about ten minutes?”

“Nine.”

She let out a growl, head shaking as the mare dug into her saddlebags.
“We’ve got a single spare each. Usually, that can last half a day with the nastiest stuff we had here. Obviously, that was a gross overestimate. There’s more in the security station, assuming they weren’t taken. So, let’s go.”

The mare led him out of the cubicle, but then abruptly yanked him into the next one.
The loud crashing of something indicated why.

The fear that had been tickling at Astral’s heart now dug deep, the stallion’s heart rate spiking. This was different.

A low clicking echoed out through the mist, the newcomer causing the occasional item to slide to the floor. Other than that, there was only the soft creaking of metal as it crawled about, presumably on top of the cubicles. Another set of clicks, and Sassi ducked under the large office desk, gently tugging Astral under as well.

The clicks that erupted above their heads were deafening, and Astral felt his hooves shake. He hadn’t even known this was a fear of his. Being hunted, yes, that was a terrifying thing in and of itself. But that added to not being able to see anything in front of his hooves ignited a sensation similar to the slime. He wanted out, he needed to get out!

A box popped up in the top right of his vision, the stallion’s rocketing heartrate flashing with warning labels. The air felt thick even with the filters, the numbers ticking down at a fast and faster pace, or so it seemed.

His trembling hoof was abruptly held by Sassi’s, the mare squeezing it tightly. It was a brief thought, but the realization he could squeeze back as hard as he wanted was a nice thought indeed. The fear still crashed against his thoughts, but at least there was something else to focus on other than that.

The metal covering on the cubicle walls creaked, whatever it was making its way past them. A grotesque, wet slurping sound echoed through the office. Something was being torn and tossed, the heavy items hitting either the ceiling or walls with a *splat*.

The unmistakable sound of something ripping apart flesh now filled the air. Astral knew what it was, but he wished he was wrong. When the severed, bloodied head of the Skitter crashed down onto the floor in front of them, however, that only confirmed it.

Whatever was stalking them was eating their enemy for dinner.

Author's Note

Uh oh....

Chapter Fifty Two: Torn

The new creature ate its fill within a few minutes, then slowly crept off with the tell-tale clicks every so often. The two ponies stayed dead silent under the desk as the noise lessened but didn’t completely vanish.

The numbers on their helmets flashed; less than two minutes remained for the filters. Sassi had shown Astral how to change them before they left the apartment. But to say it was more difficult in the current circumstances was an understatement. A toxic environment swap was possible, but obviously a bit more tricky.

Giving his hoof a final squeeze, Sassi waved a hoof, pointing at herself to catch Astral’s attention. With a smooth motion, she popped out one of the filters and swapped a new one in. The mare depressed a small tab on the side of the mask, her exhaled breath purging any contaminants that snuck in before taking a clean breath. She mimed again the exact place you had to press to snap the filter out, slowly setting the spent filters down and away from them with barely a sound.

His hooves shaking, Astral managed to swap out the first filter. As he went to slot the second in, his grip slipped, the new filter falling to the ground only to be caught by Sassi a hair’s breadth from the tiled floor.

She shook her head, carefully putting the filter in his helmet as the counter reset to ten minutes.

Astral’s heart was pounding in his ears, but at least it was easier to breathe. Whatever the gas was, it saturated the helmet filters far beyond their capacity.

Those are our only spares.

They stayed still for another minute, Sassi then gesturing for Astral to stay put. Another motion and she indicated the direction of the electrical reset switches.

It was a clear enough plan, and Astral hated to agree. With her heightened senses, Sassi could navigate to the electrical room and back far easier if he didn’t stumble around.

Especially with that thing still here.

Astral nodded firmly, taking slow, deep breaths to try and stop the panic from rising as Sassi vanished into the fog.

Hurry back, Sassi.

The mare crept along the halls, hooves barely missing nudging some metal debris. Whatever the creature was, it was on the far end of the floor towards the elevators.

Her goal was simple; disengage the elevator lockouts and hopefully get rid of this poisonous gas.

The fact the creature seemed unaffected by the same gas that killed a Skitter was a troubling bit of information. What further unnerved Sassi was how panicked Astral had been. Something had gotten to him; that was a question for later.

Finding the room was easy, as was engaging the various disconnects. Even if the contents of the floor varied, the electrical room was generally in only one of a few places.

Frowning from behind her visor at the obnoxiously red switches, Sassi scanned over the available options. There were a lot of things wrong here. Contaminant warnings, pressure drops. The entire floor was a mess.

While the primary and secondary fans were offline, one thing did remain functional; an air conditioning sub-grid. A few switches later, and the gas began to every-so-slowly drop, vented to…well, hopefully, a decontamination chamber. But as long as it wasn’t here, that was ideal.

She quickly made her way back to Astral. The last thing the mare wanted to do was leave him alone if that thing came back, especially since the fog wouldn’t be masking them anymore.

A surprisingly strong wave of relief washed over the mare as she found the stallion right where she had left him.

“It’s gone,” he whispered. “Heard it tear open an elevator door.”
“Let’s get out of here then, in case that changes,” Sassi said, reaching down and giving her friend’s still-trembling hoof a firm squeeze. “You doing ok?”

“I’ll manage. Let’s get out of here.”

Sure enough, one of the elevator doors was torn from its mounts; the Thestrals piling into the farthest one away from that.

As they dropped down to a new floor, Sassi flipped up her visor as the air read all clear.

“Well, that was obnoxious,” she muttered, pausing the elevator before the doors opened. “So, what’s up?”

His visor flipping up, Astral’s face was a rather unnatural, pale color.
“I’ll be ok in a second,” he said, “I just found out a new fear. So…yay.”

She let out a half-amused huff.
“The gas? Or being hunted by whatever that thing was?”

Slumping down to sit and breathe, Astral waved a hoof.
“I’m used to being hunted. Kind of has been the ‘thing’ since I got here,” he admitted with a mirthless chuckle. “But hunted with the gas? Not being able to see more than a hoof in front of me? It just triggered something. No idea why.”

“Well, we’ve all got our weird glitches. Take a few deep breaths; the air is fine here.”

Within a few moments, Astral was back to normal, the stallion standing with a stretch.
“That was unpleasant,” he admitted. “Thanks.”

“For…?”

“Not making fun of me? Saving my flank by going through the fog? Want me to pick?”

Despite his voice shaking, it was clear Astral was quickly getting back to normal, the rather wry smirk twitching at his face giving Sassi a clue enough for that.

“I wouldn’t make fun of you. But, you’re welcome.”

As the door opened, Astral added a final little quip.

“And…the hoof thing.”

Sassi let out a snort at that.
“Well, I’m glad it helped.”

“…we should do that more often.”

The mare’s face lit up in a blush, Sassi glaring at him with pursed lips as a cheeky grin dawned on Astral’s face.

“You’re not-I wouldn’t mind-just…” the words jumbled together in her mouth, Astral looking rather pleased with himself.

“Dispatch a freaky creature without batting an eye, but mentioning holding hooves is your weakness?”

“You are impossible,” she growled in frustration, failing to hide the smile on her face as they sealed their helmets again.

The two entered another ruined office, this one with a mostly destroyed section with what looked like explosive craters. Rubble was piled here and there, only the more distant cubicles intact. Whatever had happened here had long since ended; black scorch marks having marred the tile, the ceiling caving in here and there.

“This explains the busted pipes maybe?” Astral suggested.

“Perhaps. But head on a swivel. Whatever happened here was for a reason, and we can just hope that reason is long gone, or dead,” Sassi said.

They angled towards a familiar door; the electrical room. A few piles of rubble were mounded nearby along with some destroyed, partially-burned furniture. The abrupt lack of any sound other side of soft hoofsteps and distant, dripping water made Sassi’s fur crawl.

“Flip the switches, then on we go,” she whispered.

The rubble to their left abruptly erupted, an alien roar echoing around the floor.

It happened too fast for Astral to track.

The rubble abruptly being shaken off, the Guard that had been hiding underneath the lightweight drywall lurched up and swiped at Sassi. It heaved its bulk into the swing, intending on crushing the smaller mare if it missed.

Ducking the blow, Sassi skidded to the right, hoof whipping out a combat knife. She swung around to the side of the creature, using the knife embedded in its arm as a leverage point to swing onto its shoulder. Three close shots to the Guard’s head from the shotguns, and the creature thudded to the ground.

Astral had barely aimed by the time the Guard was leaking gore across the floor. He stared, wishing he could have seen more than a blur of movement.

“Stars above, Sassi,” he said, the mare letting out a huff.

“Got lucky that time. I can take them or the Skitters down if it’s close quarters. Long-range is harder,” she remarked, cleaning off the knife.

“But, like, whoa. You-”

Astral was nearly knocked off his hooves as the second Guard announced its presence by dropping from the ruined ceiling. How it had been hiding up in the interstitial space, he had no idea.

The stallion fired a salvo of shots, all but one of them shattering against the ceramic-like bone armor. The final shot tore into the creature’s wrist. It blew off the Guard’s clawed hand, the creature roaring as it swiped at the stallion, missing by a hair.

Sassi galloped forwards, ducking under a swipe and trying to climb on the creature’s back again, out of reach of the larger forelimbs or smaller arms. The Guard abruptly rolled, nearly crushing the mare as it landed a blow with its bloodied stump of an arm.

Metal screeching, Sassi dodged another strike, armor sporting a new gash across her chest.

The Guard moved, and then lunged in the opposite direction.

A fake-out.

Sassi arched her back, serrated bone nicking the underside of her helmet. The follow-up strike earned a few shots at the Guard’s face, but none of them managed to connect outside of digging into the collarbone. Another fake-out strike with two separate lunges, and the Guard nearly tore Sassi’s forelimb off with a swipe, the creature lumbering forwards.

With the mare jumping clear, Astral unloaded his entire shotgun magazine. Over a dozen shots tore into the Guard’s fleshy areas, one nicking the creature’s head as an armored arm was brought up as a shield.

His guns clicked empty, Astral reloading as Sassi charged in. The mare seemed enraged. The torn-off bandage from her forelimb dangled from the Guard’s claws, the stallion wondering if her behavior was a way of coping with the pain from the burn.

Before he had reloaded, Sassi had managed to climb onto the Guard’s back, knife slicing off the smaller arms with ease. With a rather furious snarl, the mare shoved a grenade into the creature’s mouth, yanking the pin out as she backflipped onto the floor. Another slice with the knife, and the Guard tumbled backward, its hip tendons severed.

The meaty *WUMP* made the floor shake, the grenade blowing the Guard’s head into mist that coated the ceiling.

Sassi cleaned the knife on a bit of drywall, letting out a snort as she sheathed it, waving to Astral.

“That was a smart one,” she said.

“It was unnerving, yeah,” he agreed. “But my gosh, you just shoved a grenade down its throat! That. Was. Awesome!”

Sassi smirked, a blush on her cheeks as the two entered the security station which housed the electronics, this room a bit larger than the others.

Closing and locking the door, Astral glanced looked over to Sassi as she flipped the various switches.

“There. Now on to the…Astral?” she began to say, voice trailing off as the stallion stared at her, visor flipped up.

The stallion calmly gestured towards her, clearly not sure what to say. His expression was calm, simple curiosity shining in his eyes.

“So…?”

Sassi looked down, and a lead weight settled into her throat.

The barcode on her forelimb was fully visible.

“When were you going to tell me?” Twilight asked. Flask Heat didn’t meet her gaze as he sat next to her in the conference room. “I knew those deletions were intentional. When were you going to tell me about her?”

“You mean about what she is?” Flask asked, the Princess nodding. The pony sighed, shaking his head. “When it wouldn’t matter. The longer it was concealed, the more ponies and creatures could cement the idea she was normal. I knew you’d discover it. But I assume it’s just you, and maybe a few others who know?”

“Some of the data analysts figured it out. You were sloppy,” Twilight admitted, “but it will spread.”

Flask sighed in relief at that.
“The broadcasts are already going out. That was my goal, to have her story in the public before anyone knew. That means she can have a normal life, that her past is a mere afterthought rather than the first thing on everyone’s minds. To them, now she’s a normal pony who was hurt, instead of being an experiment in everyone’s eyes from the start. That was the goal.” His words were laden with nothing but love, and Twilight let out a soft chuckle.

“I want to be mad at you, but you clearly have done this all out of the betterment for Sassi. Can you be a bit more transparent with me now though? I need to know the specifics. I certainly am not going to hold it against you, but I think the major issues are now on the table?”

Expression hardening, the pony nodding firmly.
“Indeed they are. What you’ll find in the files is nothing but evidence of my sins. I didn’t delete that.” The stallion’s jaw trembled. “I am guilty of far more than you know, Highness.”

“Perhaps. But your current actions may speak far louder than your past.”

Flask could only stare, brow then furrowing in thought.

After pausing for a moment to think, Twilight looked at Flask curiously, the hint of a smile on her face.
“I am curious. Choosing Astral was a big step indeed, taking this new revelation into account. Why him? You explained it to me before, but this adds another layer to trusting him.”

Flask was quiet, a flicker of fiery hope igniting in his eyes.
“Because the right pony in the wrong place can make all the difference,” Flask said softly. “Especially to Sassi.”

Author's Note

The hammer drops again...

Chapter Fifty Four: Small Steps

The two stayed in that position for some time, Astral not saying anything as Sassi leaned on his shoulder. His wing pulled her close. It wasn’t tight enough to constrict, letting her pull away if she so desired. But the gesture was a simple one.

‘I’m right here.’

The lights in the room flickered, Astral frowning as a familiar disembodied voice echoed out of the speakers.

“Warning. Multiple power failures detected. Re-routing subsystems. Estimated time of restoration, unknown.” the voice relayed.

“Well. I don’t want to go wandering around in the dark. But we could still make some progress,” Astral mused. “But I’d say this is more important.”

He felt Sassi smile, the mare blowing out a tired breath.

“Thank you,” she added softly, pulling away and gesturing to the couch.

They walked over, sitting down as their eyes quickly adjusted to the dim backup lights.

“It still hasn’t settled in that you don’t think I’m a freak, that you aren’t going to leave me,” Sassi admitted, gaze on her hooves and voice soft and insecure. “But I’m trying.”

“Just let me know how to help. I can safely say I’m not going anywhere.”

His immediate reply made Sassi smile, the previous frustration and anger having dissipated. Now confusion and nervousness radiated from her demeanor and gaze. The mare was clearly struggling with her thoughts, something Astral couldn’t help with, as much as he’d like to.

“You deserve some answers,” she admitted, ears perking up in surprise as Astral shook his head.

“Not if it hurts you to say. I knew what you were hiding was a doozy, so I didn’t ask. That still is the case, even more so.”

Sassi’s gaze immediately softened. The fact she still felt safe with this stallion was incomprehensible. She couldn’t understand fully how or why.

And he was still here. Nothing about Astral’s behavior had changed, even when he had learned about her.

“I want you to know,” she finally said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’ve never had to cope with this before, someone outside of Flask or Vial treating me like a normal pony. And you’re different, so much more. I want you to know.”

“Then I am here to listen. I am certainly curious, but just tell me as much as you’d like.”

I want to tell you everything.

The unbidden thought made Sassi’s throat close up. It was so close now. He knew about her past, about what she was. And Astral was still sitting right next to her.

Maybe he won’t leave.

For the first time, Sassi found herself truly believing the hopeful thought. All she could do was take another small step forward.

“Well, the stuff I told you before wasn’t entirely lies. Just partial truths. Flask is my dad. As in, he’s the reason I’m here,” she explained. “Only a few other ponies were viable in my batch; I was the only fully capable one. Someone corrupted the initial chemicals and development process. To what extent I still don’t know.”

Astral’s eyes widened at that.
“Flask?” he asked, Sassi nodding.

“As best as I can tell. He didn’t tell me a lot, mainly to protect me. I discovered what little evidence there was through documentation. Some incidents rendered almost all of the experiments ‘useless’, and then Flask resigned from the Board of Directors. That’s when the active gene-splicing experiments were shut down, as far as I know.”

She paused; her ears flat against her skull.
“I thought I hated him for a while. Maybe for a bit, I did, but only because I understood,” she admitted to herself quietly.

“Hated him?”

“He’s the one who helped develop the original program. Plans for Joro, creating me, the others. It’s how he got onto the Board. But when things began to be put into motion, something snapped. I don’t think he originally intended to grow ponies, only use existing ones. A super-soldier program of sorts. So, when it started with growing them, with doing those modifications on foals, he couldn’t see it through,” she paused, the mare shaking her head. “That’s what Vial told me. Apparently, Flask is the reason I wasn’t terminated. I wasn’t the ‘ideal’ super soldier, but close enough. Even so, he could give me a somewhat normal life. So, he adopted me and left the Board. That was the condition to have the Company leave him, and me, mostly alone.”

“Wow.”

She nodded, scooting over to lay on Astral’s shoulder. Talking about this was far too easy. It just flowed off her tongue. Sassi tried not to dwell on the thought that she had never had this before. Telling a creature about her past and not judging her.

“When I said I’m not a pony, I meant it,” she said. “Project Chimera is what the name describes. I’m kind of all of the ponies. And some dragon thrown in there too, and…some other stuff.”

“I figured it was something like that.”

“There’s also something else. Joro? She…” Sassi’s words drifted off again. “Comic books always talk about some super-soldier serum? Well, the Company found it. Turns out, the key part of that serum was some refined genetic markers in Skitter Queen DNA. That’s the key.”

Astral blinked, staring at Sassi in surprise.
“Wait. Those experiments Joro was talking about…”

“Part of her DNA was used to bind together everything I am. A small fraction of a percent, but it was the key. That’s why she…” a few tears brimmed in Sassi’s eyes. “She said she was sorry. I still can’t process that. I guess if it takes two creatures to make someone, she’d be my mother in a way. I’m one of the few successful ponies it worked on. But my project being canceled derailed any future efforts. Flask didn’t tell me what else they did with their serum or the efforts before me. Or he didn’t know.”

Her counterpart didn’t say anything for a time, the stallion finally letting out a long breath.
“That explains the odd looks you two shared. I figured there was something else. That’s a doozy.”

A choked laugh left Sassi’s mouth, the mare drying her eyes.
“No kidding. But their adaptive qualities are what made it the perfect agent to bind all of what I am together. I try to not think about it,” she admitted. “I’ve got a bat pony body, earth pony strength, unicorn magic resistance, and Pegasus flight muscles. Dragon for…I guess poison resistance, tougher skin, and to lengthen my life,” those last words turned to ash on Sassi’s tongue.

“Like, hundreds of years?”

She waved a hoof at that, seeing Astral’s eyes widen.
“Fifty. Seventy most likely. Maybe more. Just enough to make the ‘investment’ worthwhile. Not creating a new super-soldier every generation. They were also experimenting on some repeatable rejuvenation spell, but I didn’t hear too much about that.”

“Huh,” Astral murmured, “well, I guess I’ll have to find one of those age-boosting spells when we get out of here.”

Sassi sniffled, Astral looking at her with concern as she waved a hoof.

“Just, you’re so casual about it.”

That goofy grin that made Sassi’s heart flip flop slid onto Astral’s face, the mare wiping her eyes. It was so second nature to him; just immediately acknowledging and supporting…

“That’s basically it,” she continued, “I grew up partially above ground with fillies and colts, a normal elementary school experience. I just had the booster treatments on the weekends. It was after that when things got tricky. More extensive training, and modifications. I wasn’t the ideal soldier, but the Company wanted to make sure they got their investment. Even if I wasn’t what they wanted, they could observe the effects of the DNA splicing on their product.”

The disapproving snort from Astral made Sassi smile.

“I eventually just grew to lead a security team here. Handling prisoners, escaped experiments, all that stuff. And that’s the rough version of it all. I didn’t get to have a normal teenage life or anything like that. Growing up was…hard.”

“I don’t doubt it, and I won’t pry.”

“I’ll end up telling you, just not now,” Sassi sighed. “I’m still processing all of this.”

No words were said for a few moments, the mare’s shoulders shaking slightly.
“I’m-you’re still…” her words trailed off. Reaching over, she gently poked his chest with a hoof.

“Still here, Sassi,” Astral said softly, two violet eyes meeting his. “And I’m still not going anywhere.”

Her lips trembled, Sassi shaking her head. It was when Astral gently reached over to hold her hoof that she sniffled again.

“It doesn’t feel real,” she whispered.

Her hoof was quickly squeezed, Sassi not saying anything further as she snuggled up against Astral. She needed to think. And for the first time, she felt completely safe as the Thestral’s wing wrapped around her shoulders.

Sassi didn’t bother to check the clock. She simply stayed settled next to Astral until her head stopped pounding, her thoughts finally settling into a river rather than a tsunami.

The stallion hadn’t moved, only occasionally shifting to a more comfortable position to rest his head against hers.

She had been wrong. All of her doubts, all the scenarios that had plagued her for weeks were gone, snuffed out in an instant. The remnants still lurked, but Astral’s simple presence prevented any thoughts from going further.

The mare’s violet eyes flickered to the floor, wincing as the lights came back on unexpectantly. She felt odd. There was an emptiness, but not in a negative way. A simple lack of anxiety, expectations, and training. For the briefest moment, she simply was.

Is this what it feels like to be free? To not think about this place? No objectives, simply…whatever I want?

The initial shock of Astral’s reaction, or lack thereof, had worn off. Instead, the peaceful emptiness was quickly filled by a warmth that bubbled out of her chest and up to the mare's eyes. A few tears trickled down her face, and all Sassi could do was smile.

I’m not sad. Why am I crying?

That’s when it hit her, just as Astral looked over with concern radiating from his green eyes.
“Sassi?”

She shook her head, wiping away the tears as a shy but genuine smile pushed onto her face.
“I’m ok. Well, I’m better,” Sassi admitted. “I’ve just- I’ve never cried like this.”

Head tilting curiously, Astral’s brow furrowed.
“Like what?” he asked, not understanding.

Sassi’s lips trembled, the mare not able to look at him out of an abrupt wave of shame, illogical as it may be.
“I’ve never cried because I’ve been happy,” she whispered.

The compassion bubbling up in Astral’s eyes made Sassi’s throat close, his expression of nothing but genuine care. A jolt of surprise made her pause for a moment. There was a surprising tenderness in the stallion’s eyes, a softness that she hadn’t seen before.

It only made the warmth in her chest overflow even more. She watched as he lifted a hoof carefully, eventually resting it against her cheek gently.

“Well, since I assume that’s a good thing,” he said softly, the affectionate tone still managing to catch Sassi off guard. “I hope I can give you a lot more of these moments. I certainly want to.”

The laugh that left Sassi’s lips came out half-choked, the mare still managing to smile as she simply leaned forwards, Astral gently hugging her.

“S-since when did you become such a romantic?” she asked, the tears thankfully slowing. The mare hadn’t known how much tension had been building inside her mind and heart until it was just…gone.

“Well, I’m…” Astral stammered, his brow furrowing as Sassi slid out of his hug at the pause, finally having regained some of her composure.

“You,” she said, pointing a hoof at him with a grin, “are adorable with that blush.”

Naturally, that didn’t help Astral’s case at all as the mare cackled, her movements becoming more fluid and confident as she slid back into her armor.

“Even if you don’t answer, Astral, thank you,” Sassi whispered, glancing back at him. Astral walked over, brow still furrowed in thought to strap on his armor and guns.

“You’re welcome,” he finally said, making sure his saddlebags and guns were secure. “And to answer your second question, I’ve always been one. I just…” the Thestral paused, green eyes darting to his hooves. “It just went away for a while. Afterward. It had to.”

She knew what he was referencing, and simply nodded. A hoof gently poked his side, Sassi smiling.

“Well, I look forward to learning more about that side of you. Fairs fair!” she said with a grin, Astral’s smile now matching.

“Oh, I think you will.”

The slight eagerness in his tone made Sassi shiver; that was new.

Was she really getting flustered over more hugs and a potential kiss?
Evidently so.

Did her thoughts stop there? Absolutely not, but that was something Sassi refused to dwell on. The shock of having such thoughts was jarring enough.

Shaking her head to clear it, Sassi then let out a soft laugh.
“I forgot. We should stop at a level three below us. Just for a bit. Assuming it’s intact, we can take another break there. I think you’ll really like it.”

Head tilting curiously, Astral simply shrugged.
“Sounds good to me. But shouldn’t we go towards Vial?”

Sassi nodded, then took a deep breath and sat down in front of him, not able to meet the stallion’s concerned gaze.

“Look, Astral, I’m doing better but not even close to a hundred percent,” Sassi admitted quietly. “Breaks more often than not is a good thing. I was a mess a bit ago.”

Understanding as always, Astral nodded firmly.
“Well, then let’s get to this mystery floor and re-evaluate, yeah?”

She smirked, giving him a playful bump with her flanks.
“You sound like a soldier.”

Caught completely off guard, Sassi’s chest erupted with a warm glow at the sly look Astral sent her way. Just as his gaze had been gentle and serene a few minutes ago, there was now a knife’s edge in his eyes. A confidence, a far cry from the panicked security guard from weeks ago.

“I guess you’re rubbing off on me.”

She chuckled, putting on the armored helmet as Astral did the same.
“Perhaps. Let’s get to this floor.”

It was an uneventful jaunt to the elevator, Astral occasionally glancing Sassi’s way.

“I’m not going to break into pieces, Astral,” she murmured, the stallion chuckling.

“Just making sure.”

“Being a soldier is what I’m good at. Being vulnerable and letting myself dwell on feelings? Total mess,” the mare admitted. Her words made Astral laugh in partial agreement. He looked at her curiously, Sassi meeting his eyes.

“But…thank you.”

Astral simply nodded, their visors now sealing. A warm glow spread through Sassi’s chest. The fact Astral was watching out for her made the mare feel…

Dwell on that later.

The elevator doors opened, and an empty office greeted the pair.
“This floor, then time for the surprise,” Sassi muttered.

Stepping out into the hallway, it was almost more disturbing at the fact the office floor appeared mostly untouched out of anything. A bit of blood, but mostly intact.

Sassi was about to remark about the fact, but a large spider launched itself from its hiding space in a cubical.

With a smooth step to the side, Sassi backhoofed the creature into the wall, the experiment meeting concrete with a wet *slap!* A second spider jumped from its position now on top of the cubical walls, its legs abruptly twitching as Sassi’s knife spun to stick it neatly in place.

She was in the process of turning around, bringing her guns to bear on any threats to her right when Astral bumped into her.

Forelimb swinging, the stallion sent one of the two spiders soaring into the solid wall with a growl, the first spider having been turned to mush under his hooves.

“I. Hate. These. Things,” he muttered, Sassi looking at him in both partial surprise and approval. “What?”

“Rubbing off on you indeed.”

He snorted, the pair resetting the backup switches and returning to the elevator.
“I don’t like how few Skitters we’ve seen. Most must be congregating in that bottom level?” he suggested, Sassi nodding in agreement.

“That’s my thought too. But for a few minutes, I want to show you this. Then…look, I’m really trying to not think about meeting with Vial today. Just give me another fifteen minutes of that,” Sassi explained, her voice hitching. “Please.”

“As you wish.”

Unable to stop herself from giggling, Sassi shook her head as the elevator came to a stop.
“Ah. Here we go.”

The two walked out into the copy-and-paste elevator lobby, Astral looking up at the large golden lettering. His ears immediately perked up.

“Virtual Observatory and Simulation Apparatus?!” his voice all but squeaked, making Sassi laugh.

“Yep! They model space phenomenon with their satellites, intercepted transmissions from the large telescopes Equestria and the Kirins constructed, along with the Gryphons. I thought you might want to take a look,” she said with a grin. “Oh, and did I mention it was all holographic?”

Astral’s joyful affirmation was cut short by the shattering of metal. Sassi was barely able to bring her guns to bear as a long, fleshy arm lunged out of the air vent in the ceiling. It whipped violently against the stallion with a lightning-fast blow. He lurched through the air, impacting the nearest wall with a crunch. Something let out a loud crack, concrete spider-webbed out from the impact. Metal armor shrieked in protest.

A feral, horrified cry left Sassi’s mouth as a head with three empty eye sockets peered from the vent. The needle-filled mouth opened in a gruesome smile as a loud clicking echoed around the room.

“ASTRAL!”

Author's Note

Awww :yay:

But OHNO!

Chapter Fifty Five: Galactic Shift

Sassi’s world slowed. It was automatic during any potential threat, any immediate engagement. Her targeting reticle moved far too slow for her liking. The creature crawling slowly out of the vent-

And then it moved.

The mare’s eyes widened, a sliver of horror piercing her heart. It was fast, the usual time-dilation perception that her abilities granted seeming to not exist. She had never encountered that before.

Her first shots only grazed the creature, slicing along its emaciated shoulder.

An odd sense of wrongness radiated from the experiment. Sassi could almost see parts of what used to be a pony…or a gryphon? A torso, hind leg, wing joints now mutated into smaller, clawed appendages.

Skinnier yet larger than a Skitter, the creature was covered in ashen-grey skin stretched over its thin body. Four limbs were horrifically elongated, barbed claws protruding from the ends, the two smaller limbs lying flat across its back. The torso was gaunt, ribs pressing against its skin as tendons and lean muscles moved underneath. The oval head moved back and forth erratically; no eyes were present in the three sockets above a mouth filled with bloodied, needle-like teeth.

And yet Sassi felt it looking at her as it dodged her shots. A blow from one of its arms scored her armor, the mare barely ducking the second strike. Odd growths were visible in oddly symmetric patterns across its neck and the rear of its head; fungus from the looks of it.

The one thing that Sassi did recognize was the barcode on its horrifically-long right forelimb. A large tattooed ‘#29’ stood out plain as day next to the code.

One of her shots connected. The slug punched a clean hole in its right arm. It didn’t even make the creature flinch, the explosive rounds not having hit anything hard enough to detonate.

Ducking another set of shots, the creature let out a warbling roar- and Sassi nearly lost her right forelimb as an ambitious Skitter tore through the elevator doors to her right and tried to bite it off.

The precious few seconds she spent putting it down with a flurry of shots let the new nightmare dart to her left. Sassi buried her hoof in the face of a Spider that tried to join the fight, forcing the mare to turn her back briefly to the open elevators to confront the experiment that launched itself at her with supernatural speed.

It can keep up with me.

As it was able to dodge her shots, Sassi was able to duck and jump out of the way of its strikes. Reloading one of her guns, she fired the last two shots in the other as the creature tried to capitalize on her pause. The slugs connected, tearing a chunk off of the creature’s shoulder.

The head turned to Sassi again, and the needle-like teeth were exposed in a smile. Was it going to bite her? She bunched her muscles, readying to jump-

No.

As if to spite the mare for landing another two shots, the creature abruptly jumped sideways, aiming its dagger-like claws towards the still-incapacitated stallion against the wall.

Sassi’s hooves cracked the tile with her movements. Intercepting the creature mid-flight, the smaller mare buried a combat knife up to its hilt in the creature’s side. Her guns were brought to bear, the creature’s eyeless sockets widening in apparent surprise.

The shotguns roared, the two explosive slugs detonating as they impacted hard bone. With an otherworldly shriek, the creature tumbled to the floor, Sassi landing to stand over Astral protectively. The right arm of the experiment hit the floor with a wet *SPLAT*, the shoulder socket blown to pieces.

Black blood already coagulating around the wound, the creature let out a low hiss, Sassi’s final shots missing as it threw itself down the elevator shaft. The doors were sent flying, the experiment fading from sensors and sound.

Sassi grabbed one of the holds on Astral’s armor, dragging him down the hallway and into one of the simulation rooms. As soon as they were in, she tapped a few keys on the wall panel, guns still covering the entrance.

Heavy metal doors lowered from the ceiling, the exits sealing with a dull rumble. As soon as the readouts flared green, Sassi let herself breathe normally.

They were safe, for now.

The world came back into focus, all the sights, smells and normal thoughts surging to the fore. She had to force down the worry that clogged her words. Astral’s armor was flashing with a warning symbol; that meant he was hurt. At least it wasn’t a severe wound. But there was a lot between a laceration and being disemboweled.

He let out a groan, and Sassi had to stop herself from hugging him.

“Bwa?”

“Stay still, Astral. I need to figure out how badly you’re hurt,” Sassi said, her voice thankfully not trembling.

“Well, I can talk, see, and move all of my limbs. So that’s a start,” he muttered, “hurts to breathe though. Ow…”

“Then stop talking, doofus.”

Digging out a small data pad attached to a spell crystal, Sassi ran it over the stallion. A frown crawled onto her face as red icons flashed on the screen above an outline of Astral’s body.

“You’ve got four fractured ribs and nasty bruising on the others along your right side,” she muttered, carefully looking over and staring. “Oh.”

“Oh? That’s not good,” he said.

Carefully unbuckling Astral’s right saddle gun, Sassi placed it in front of him, the stallion’s eyes wide as his visor flipped up.

“Oh.”

The impact had flattened the barrel and crushed the firing mechanism into the armor plating. If not for the armor and the cushioning behind it, that gun would have been lodged into the Thestral’s side from the impact with the cement wall.

The mare dug out her medical kit.
“Hold on.”

Astral’s breathing was light; the stallion hoping he didn’t cause himself to get dizzy from hyperventilating. His entire right side was crawling with pain, the stallion unable to take a deep breath due to the pain. Hooves beginning to shake, fear poisoned the stallion’s eyes as he looked up at the mare. To Astral’s credit, he was putting on a stoic front, but Sassi could see through it fairly easily.

I forget sometimes that he’s still just a normal pony. He’s come so far since we first met.

Sassi took extra care attaching the crystals onto the armor; the spells within them activating with a soft hum.

Astral took a relieved breath, still wincing slightly.
“That feels better; what are those? Healing gems?”

The mare let out a snort at that.
“I wish. Healing spells for some bones are tricky and only available in medical bays. Even with a crack, you need specialized medical equipment, because if the spell heals it incorrectly, the bone could disintegrate. The splints are calibrated only for ponies down here for that reason.”

As the stallion stood back up on wobbly hooves, his face was a bit paler than before.
“Oh. That’s…not a lovely thought.”

Sassi was at his side immediately, letting Astral lean on her briefly.

“Not a nice thought at all. But those crystals are just a splinting spell. It scans for bones out of place and immobilizes them, and has a passive painkilling spell. It’ll hold until we’re out of here or can get you to a medical table.” Sassi led him towards the center of the room, an elevated platform with a half-circle of consoles arrayed out in front of it like a peacock’s fan.

“You need to rest for a bit to let the spell solidify, so we may as well look at this. I had hoped this would be a happier thing,” Sassi grumbled, making sure Astral was alright before tapping a few keys on the console. “Ah. There we go.”

The large, empty room abruptly lit up with blue lights, out-of-focus lights dancing this way and that. Sassi took off her helmet, Astral doing the same.

“I mean, you’re here in some sort of observatory with me,” Astral mused, looking around. “That makes me pretty happy as it is.”

That goofy smile that was dawning on Astral’s face made Sassi’s heart abruptly melt into a puddle.

“Oh?” was all she could reply with, Astral nodding as he wobbled over to sit next to her, examining the console.

“Yeah. Guess we never really talked about some of my hobbies,” he mused, then looked at her in amusement. “Do you even know what you’re doing with these buttons?”

Sassi’s face abruptly lit up in an embarrassed blush.
“Not entirely,” she mumbled. “I know how to turn it all on and get to the main startup sequence.”

“Mind if I take a crack at it?”

Surprise dancing in her violet eyes, Sassi watched as Astral expertly tapped a few keys, the stallion sliding a few switches and twitching dials. With a flick of his hoof, the pony sent the now in-focus stars spinning around the room with an abrupt laugh as the lights dimmed further.

“How did you do that?” Sassi whispered, Astral looking at her rather proudly.

“This is set up almost exactly like the simulation room at my observatory,” he explained, “much-higher tech, but same focusing and rendering controls. Honestly, I think they just bought a bootleg version of the software program we use. Cheapskates.”

“You have an observatory?!”

He blushed, shaking his head.

“No. I mean, sort of? I teach a class on Astrology at a small university now and again, and I volunteer to give tours of the town’s observatory during the summer months and maintain it. Nobody else really wanted to.”

Gesturing towards a series of controls, Astral frowned.
“Not sure what those do though. What is “Activate AHRS?”

Sassi grinned, reaching over and tapping one of the buttons. She knew exactly what it did; it was the control she had been looking for.

Astrological High-Resolution System.

The floor vanished, the room spinning as every wall and surface was turned into a screen. There were a few flickers as the power draw fluctuated, but it had the desired effect.

Their planet floated in front of the pair, Luna’s moon slowly orbiting it. And beyond that, tens of thousands of stars flickered.

Looking over to Astral, Sassi felt her already-melted heart turn into a vapor.

The utter joy on the Thestral’s face was nearly palpable. His green eyes sparkled with a life Sassi hadn’t ever seen before, hooves shaking as he tapped a single control marked ‘advance location.’

Their planet was left behind, the camera zooming through the stars as it centered in on a prominent celestial body.

“The Horsehead Nebula,” Astral whispered, “I’ve only heard of high-resolution photos of this.”

“There’s an audio AI if you want to ask to see something,” Sassi suggested.

Astral took a few deep breaths, looking over to the mare in genuine concern.
“Can we spare a few minutes? Or….”

“Astral, I brought you here because I knew you’d like it. Ask away. As I said, we need to wait a bit for your ribs anyhow.”

His expression brightened, Astral looking at the wide array of controls.
“Uh, AI?”

“Present.”

The voice was thankfully a new one; disembodied and very different from the others.

“Do you have the Bubbles Telescope deep field video?”

“Actual file or uploaded short video widely available?”

“You have the actual…” Astral began, then shook his head. “The video. It’s an older one; I got made fun of plenty of times for not having an HD version on tours.”

“Automatically sharpening image. Ready to play.”

Astral’s hoof scuffed the floor bashfully, Sassi looking at him curiously.
“This is the video that I saw that really kicked started my love of the stars. Well, academically at least, when I was a young colt. I’ve always loved them even before really studying it all,” he said. The Thestral then glanced up, and Sassi saw a dozen emotions in his gaze. “If you want to know more about me, Sassi, this is what shaped so much of how I view the world, and how I view creatures,” his ears then flattened. “Even if it’s low-rez and cheesy.”

She reached over and bumped his shoulder with a hoof.
“I’ll be the judge of the cheesiness. Your name relates to the stars, after all. So just play it.”

“Playing.”

*Highly recommended to watch*
Hubble Deep Field Video
Then.
Hi-Rez Hubble Deep Field Explanation

Sassi’s heart was in her throat. She had never thought about anything like this; why would she? Her world was underground and painful enough. Dreams were hard to sustain without imagining the stars.

But this…

Feelings swirled in the mare’s heart that Sassi couldn’t pin down. Wonder, amazement, fear, and an odd peace, as if this knowledge was a piece to a puzzle of her own views that she hadn’t known was missing. Somehow the knowledge validated a many dreams and closely-held values in a way the mare couldn’t fully comprehend at that moment. To be such a small blip among an immeasurable number of...worlds? Planets?

Sassi was used to categorizing things. But this was too much. It made her feel something, but the mare struggled to put words to it.

A soft sniffling caught her attention, and Sassi glanced over to see Astral wiping his face as he struggled to take even breaths.

When Astral’s green eyes looked her way, the mare’s heart pounded in her chest.

There was so much excitement, energy, and passion in Astral’s gaze and expression. It was almost a completely new pony standing next to her. The wonder in his expression, the soft pleading that flickered across his green eyes was familiar, a simple request to not judge the stallion for the emotions he now wore openly.

It was a completely new side of Astral that Sassi had never seen before. She realized rather abruptly there was a lot she didn’t know about him. And that thought almost made her want to wrap the stallion up in a hug. She wanted to know. It was so new to Sassi to see someone so passionate about something. This love of the stars, this newfound energy.

Her previous curiosity paled in comparison to this. It was a simple, almost desperate yearning to just be huddled underneath Astral’s wing as he explained it all, whatever it may be. To see this life and light in his eyes grow and never fade away. She wanted to see him this happy all the time, to be the reason…

Her thoughts ground to a halt. A four-letter word described quite nicely the feeling that warmed her entire body, a new desire simply to be with this fantastic stallion next to her. No specifics, a simple want to be close.

The previous affection she had felt fluttering in her chest was no longer an ember, but a roaring fire. As time slowed for a moment, Sassi realized with a shock why this was all hitting now.

I compartmentalized. Again.

Just as Astral hadn’t let himself see her fully, Sassi realized with a bit of reluctance, that she had done the same. It was easier to see him as a security guard. A competent friend and companion, and maybe edging towards something more. This was the second time Sassi had been yanked out of that way of thinking.

But now it was as if she was truly meeting him. The mare was now unable to ignore that the pony next to her had dreams, passions, and world outside of all this. He was a whole pony with his own life unrelated to the Silos. That hadn’t sunk in until now, not fully.

And she wanted to be a part of that more than anything.

Is this what Astral feels for me? She wondered. It would make sense, but…

That thought was too much, so she forced it down. Sassi wasn’t fooling herself on this, but she had to focus on one thing at a time.

But the affectionate glow still lingered, as if a pleasant reminder that her feelings weren’t about to be snuffed out.

“I…” words didn’t quite form correctly on Sassi’s tongue for a moment. “I don’t know what to say, or think. I didn’t know, not really know. That’s incredible.”

Astral nodded, calmly taking a few deep breaths before tapping a few keys to power down the display.

“I can’t. I want to look more, but it’s too familiar. I can’t get in that mindset down here,” he whispered. “I just can’t,” he said finally. “When we’re out, yes. But I can’t be homesick or think like that. It’s too much.”

Sassi reached over to pause his hoof for a moment. She tapped a few more keys, searching for a brief time before locating the rather prominent icon. A simple entering of their Admin code, and the AI spoke few final words.”

“Authentication accepted. Ejecting physical backup drive. Encryption disabled.”

A large flash drive popped out; Sassi carefully set it in Astral’s saddlebags.
“Then don’t get into that mindset,” she said softly. “But promise you’ll show me more when we’re out of here.”

Astral didn’t say anything for a few seconds, his jaw trembling as he finally nodded.
“I promise,” he whispered, the affection in his gaze and tone making Sassi’s entire body flood with warmth. “And thank you, Sassi.”

She gave him an affectionate bump with her shoulder, pausing as he nudged her head with his. Even a simple touch was grounding, a physical realization that there was somepony here that was her friend, and more.

That last thought abruptly exploded into mental confetti as Astral gave her a brief kiss on the cheek, the stallion’s cheeks rather pink as she blinked. Before he could have any second thoughts about it, Sassi nudged her head underneath his with a happy sigh.

There was no anxiety, no worries. That realization was almost as impactful as the kiss itself.

Is this what it’s like to be normal?

“Y’know, I figured out another thing I like about you,” she murmured, feeling him stiffen in surprise.

“Hmm?”

“You looked different when that movie was over. Passionate.”

That earned another blush, but Sassi gently poked his forelimb with a hoof.
“And that’s a good thing, by the way. I want to see more of that side of you if that’s ok.”

He hugged her, and Sassi felt Astral’s sides shiver slightly.
“Plan on it.”

They stayed like that for a few minutes, reluctantly separating and meandering back towards the main door.

Sassi chuckled, shaking her head as the lockdown was disengaged, the two putting their helmets on. It was a simple matter to walk to the electronics room and disengage the locks before heading to the elevator.

“I never thought I’d be so openly fuzzy with someone like that,” she said.

“Well, I’m glad you are.”

As the elevator doors shut, Astral turned to look at the mare with a smile.
“Let’s get out of here, Sassi.”

Sassi held back a sniffle, nodding once as the two closed their visors.
“I like that idea.”

The elevator continued to travel, the two of them abruptly tensing.

“We’re not stopping?” Astral muttered, the car then stopping. “It went straight to the scientist’s floor?”

Sassi let out a frustrated grunt at that.
“Odd indeed. Perhaps it’s the same electrical malfunction of why Vial hasn’t contacted us.”

The floor appeared to be one of the lab-office combinations, the two Thestrals creeping along the oddly-intact area. The floor branched off to the left, a large hallway ending with a series of large interlocks. The doors were heavy, oval-like hatches with multiple locks and a single viewport in-between them.

“This is the science section; a bigger floor. They should be somewhere behind there,” Sassi said. “These should have minor decontamination procedures, but I’m not sure how many due to the damage in the Silo.”

The first door opened, the Thestrals moving inside. The interior was fairly blank; tiled walls that glistened as a disinfectant mist was sprayed over them as gears whirled and hummed.

“One down, three t-”

Sassi’s voice abruptly cut off as they stepped into the next compartment, the mare standing stock still.

“Sassi?” Astral asked, the mare not moving as the door closed behind them. Something was wrong, very wrong as she didn’t answer. The Thestral hadn’t moved a muscle.

“Sassi! What is going on?”

No reply and Astral’s heart began to thud into his chest.
“Sassi…talk to me. What’s going on?”

“Awaiting commands.”

The voice that responded was almost robotic in nature, monotone, and emotionless.

“Commands?! What in the world are you-”

The door in front of them opened, and the sight of a gun barrel cut off any further thoughts.

Astral pivoted, aiming his gun at the newcomer as the door slid fully open, revealing three or more ponies behind it. The first two were clad in ragged guard uniforms; two pistols levitated in their grasp (and more importantly, aimed at him.) The third unicorn behind them wasn’t entirely visible, but Astral wasn’t concerned with him.

“DROP IT!” Astral bellowed before he could even consciously think of what to say, saddle-shotgun trained on the leader. A fire roared into his blood, the Thestral baring his fangs from behind the helmet.

“Whoa whoa whoa! Friends here!” the third unicorn piped up. “Lower your guns, gentlemen. Us first.”

The two unicorns lowered the pistols in unison, something seeming off about them. Their features were fairly normal, a bit on the muscly side.

The third unicorn let out a laugh as he trotted forwards, a somehow intact suit adorning his front half.

“Fantastic! Ah, this makes things much easier. Vial was right!” he crowed.

Astral’s heart abruptly chilled over. He knew exactly who this unicorn was. Despite the pleasant demeanor as he walked over, Astral felt nothing but boiling rage.

It was the Director of the facility, one of the members of the Board of Directors.

His name was Split Tie.

“Princess!” A unicorn mare cried from her position at a monitoring console. “We’ve got a video feed! Intermittent, but we’re getting feeds from dozens of cameras!”

“Record everything, and get Flask in here!” Twilight ordered, the mare’s wings flaring. Excitement dumped itself into her veins. For the first time, they could get a look at what was going on.

As the horrors of the Silo began to flicker across the monitors, the excitement turned to cold dread. There was nothing but death on the screens, at least until…

“There!”

The communications pony zoomed in on Twilight’s exclamation, a gaggle of ponies being shown.

“Survivors, and that’s Astral and Sassi in the armor!” Twilight said with a smile. They were ok.

Oh no.

The sight of one of the owners of the Silo made the mare’s stomach turn. That explained the lack of communication from Vial.

“Do we have audio?” she asked.

“Intermittent, only in the elevator areas,” the communications officer said.

“Keep monitoring. We don’t know when the feed will cut out again,” Twilight said, Flask entering the room with wide eyes.

“No. No no no no!” he whispered, the pony’s limbs beginning to shake. “The Director. If he’s there, Sassi…she…”

As Twilight took Flask into a side room briefly. Flask’s eyes flooded with tears, the stallion bawling as only a terrified father would as he tried to explain. The usually in-control Princess felt an uncommonly strong barb of rage pierce her heart.

How dare they.

Author's Note

Awww. Starstruck Astral!
But out of the frying pan....

Chapter Fifty Six: Knife's Edge

Astral knew he had a choice to make. He could reveal he knew, or…

There was only one other option, and it was the one Astral went with. With Sassi hurt or otherwise incapacitated, he had to get the trust of this unicorn. Hopefully, that would let them escape. To what end, Astral wasn’t sure. But revealing that he knew the horrors of this place might just earn him a bullet to the head.

Patience it is.

“And you are?” Astral managed to say. The rage nearly made his voice growl, but he managed to cough and look at the unicorn curiously.

“Director Split Tie. So, lower your gun,” Split said, the pleasant demeanor now on a knife’s edge. “Now.”

“How do I know that?” Astral countered with a genuine snarl. “I’ve just been through Tartarus and back! I’m not about to get shot by you lot because you claim to be some boss! For all I know, those freaks can shapeshift!”

As Astral had hoped, Split rolled his eyes and produced a formal ID in his magical grip.
“Satisfied?” Split asked, a faint poisonous tone dripping into his utterance.

Now came the hard part.

Astral flipped his visor up, immediately lowering the gun with a sigh of relief.
“Director Tie? Oh, thank the stars,” the Thestral panted, looking at Split with what he hoped was a passible look of thanks. “That means you can get us out of here. I didn’t think-I’ve been…it’s good to see you, Sir.”

The unicorn’s demeanor abruptly became as pleasant as pleasant could be.
“Well, it’s quite nice to meet you too. And you are Astral Sentinel, correct?” Split asked.

Astral nodded.
“Correct, Sir. I was the security guard at one of the topside entrances. It’s been a nightmare ever since things went crazy. Thankfully Sassi saved my hide and got us down here. Took us a while, but we made it.” He then walked back over and gestured to the still-immobile mare. “I think she’s hurt, Sir. Can we get her inside? Maybe the scientists know what’s wrong? I don’t think she got bitten by those things.”

It was remarkably easy for Astral to sound genuine with his words. A few weeks ago, such comments would have been sincere. All he had to do was not let the disgust overcome the logic and the need to sort things out.

“Sassi? Oh, Astral, you have no idea what she, or rather It is, do you?” Split chuckled, walking over and patting Sassi’s shoulder.

Astral had to stop himself from putting the targeting reticle on Split’s head, instead taking a deep breath.

“What do you mean?” he asked, ears drooping. “She’s a Thestral like me, and my friend. I owe her my life. What’s wrong with her?” He added a bit of a tearful tone to the last few words.

Not a lie, so there’s that.

That was when Astral saw Vial, the teal unicorn matching the picture in the database back at Sassi’s apartment. The pony’s eyes were wide in abrupt fear, his head shaking back and forth from behind the other two guards. He tapped something on a large datapad strapped to his forearm, but then relented and shook his head again. Vial subtly kicked a long cable behind an open access panel to hide it, the end matching a port on his gauntlet.

A few other ponies in lab coats cowered behind him, none of them daring to raise their heads.

Astral made sure his eyes met Vial’s; he had seen.

They’re scared.

“Sassi isn’t even a name, Astral. It’s a designation,” Split explained, then stood in front of the mare. “Relay callsign and purpose,” he ordered, Sassi snapping to attention as she flipped up her visor, then saluting.

“Super Augmented Strike Soldier Initial Five, Codename, Sassi,” the mare recited, “Secondary Adjusted, Tertiary Infantry Number One, Codename, Satin. Purpose; await orders from valid spell-ID verified users.”

“Augmented what?” Astral asked, an icy spike jabbing into his heart at seeing the mare’s expressionless face.

“It’s an experiment, Astral,” Split sighed, gesturing to Sassi. “Grown and programmed by the company. Some things went awry early on, but at least the command spell worked. The blasted thing was being indulged far too much. And as I suspected, Flask removed the control chip. Traitor. At least that hivemind research paid off as a magical backup,” Split growled to himself. “Whether he knew about it or not…it doesn’t matter now.”

“Command spell? Control chip? So, she’s like…a robot?” Astral asked, playing dumb.

It was remarkably easy for him, for better or worse. But the thought of a computer chip forcing Sassi to the Company’s will nearly made him lose focus, the rage frothing.

“Unfortunately, no. I can explain later, but what matters is that you are here and It kept you safe. Now It can do the same for us and get us all out of here,” Split sighed. “Let’s go, Sassi. Follow us.”

“Yes, Sir.”

The group moved down the interlocks, waiting as the next series of decontamination procedures cycled.

Vial casually bumped up against Astral, forelimb angling to show him the datapad on the scientist’s forelimb, a simple message shining on it.

‘You’ll have two minutes. Save her.’

The message was then gone, the pony meandering back to the other scientists.

As they went into the final chamber, one of the unicorn guards let out a chuckle, his hoof tracing down Sassi’s flank.

Astral’s thoughts simply vanished. There were no coherent words, ideas, or plans. Within a split second, the Thestral had smashed his armored hoof across the other stallion’s jaw, shoving the shotgun barrel into the other stallion’s mouth with a snarl.

“WHOA WHOA WHOA!” Split cried out, gesturing to the other Guard to lower his pistol. “Astral! What’s going on?”

“Don’t. Touch. Her,” Astral growled at the unicorn, the Guard on the receiving end of the gun seeming surprisingly carefree about the entire ordeal.

“Astral, I’d rather not order Sassi to shoot you. Please don’t kill one of my guards, I’d rather have us all leave here intact,” Split sighed. “Now, Astral.”

With a reluctant step back, Astral released the stallion who obediently took his place back next to Split.

“Are we going to have a problem?” Split asked, Astral looking at him in confusion.

“Huh? No, Sir. I’m just defending my friend,” he explained. “Is that a problem, Sir?”

Split gestured to Sassi with a sigh.
“It’s not your friend, Astral. It’s programmed to be friendly. You are simply a means to an end. In this case, to restore order to the Silos. If I ordered it to, I could have Sassi kill everyone.”

“W-what?”

Split smiled in pity as Astral’s ears drooped.
“I know it’s a shock, but we are real ponies. It is not. Look.”

Split casually drew his pistol in a magical grip from the side-holster on his saddle.
“Sassi. Do not move. Confirm command.”

“Command confirmed,” the mare said.

Pointing his pistol at Sassi’s head, Split waggled the weapon back and forth. It took everything Astral had to not empty his entire magazine into the unicorn.

“See? I could kill it right now. Totally immobilized. A shame the experiment was ruined even further, it appears, by that traitor. At least the command spell is intact,” Split muttered. “So, Astral, as you can see, Sassi is an automaton. Looks like a pony, acts like a pony…but isn’t a pony. Now, do jumping jacks, Sassi.”

The mare did so, Split chuckling.

“Perfectly obedient. These two are similar to her, the same batch,” Split said, gesturing to the two guards. “Not even close to her level, and while they’re more obedient than intelligent, they do their job well.” He turned to the two waiting Unicorns. “Isn’t that right, chaps?”

“Yes, Director,” they replied in unison.

They’re modified?!

At least that answered Astral’s question about why the other two stallions seemed ‘off’. There hadn’t been any other option other than to play along. Astral wasn’t in any condition to fight, let alone against two modified ponies.

Split finally ordered Sassi to stop after a few moments.
“It would have done those jumping jacks until it keeled over and died.”

Astral put on the abject picture of misery; ears drooping, head down as his shoulders slumped.
“But…she’s my friend,” he whimpered, Split walking over and gently patting his shoulder.

“I know it’s a shock, but now that It’s here, we can all get out of there. We’ll get back to Company headquarters, and you’ll have a very cushy job for the rest of your life. Retire early and live on an island maybe?”

Astral perked his ears up at that, a hopeful look on his face.
“Really?”

Split nodded, stowing the pistol and gesturing to the other ponies.
“Of course! This has been a nightmare. As long as you let us clean things up and work with the governments to make sure this never happens again, you’ll never have to worry about bits again. It’s the least we can do.”

Astral nodded eagerly at that.
“Oh, yeah. Going to the press would be pretty stupid, huh?” he mused. “All that panic, why would anyone do that?” he asked curiously, the group moving onto the next set of doors.

“For bits. And then they’d cause a panic, more ponies would die, and it’d be even a bigger mess than before. We’ll discuss that all more once we get back to the main room, ok?” Split explained, then let out a hiss.

“The command spell. I’d better fix that,” he muttered. “Sassi, fro-”

As they walked through the next door, it abruptly slammed shut. The lights began to flicker, Sassi and Astral trapped on one side of the door, the rest of the ponies stuck ahead of them.

Split was yelling at the scientists, all of them cowering as the unicorn drew what looked like a detonator and waved it in their faces. Vial raised a hoof, gesturing to his pad frantically and shaking his head. His answer apparently satisfied Split, who turned away with a frown.

Vial’s eyes met Astral’s, and the unicorn's message surged to the fore.

You’ll have two minutes. Save her.

Chapter Fifty Seven: Snake Pit

Astral turned so his back was partially to the window, the stallion muttering to himself.

“Fix? Is the spell faulty?” he looked at Sassi. “How do I order you to lie? Can I do that?”

“Unsure. Please specify the command.”

Astral looked at her, tears brimming in his eyes as she didn’t focus on him.
“Sassi, I know you’re in there. Fight it,” he whispered. “It’ll take a bit, but I promise I’ll get you out, ok? I just need you to trust me.”

For a split second, Sassi’s eyes twitched. Her violet gaze angled to meet Astral’s, raw terror shining in their depths.

“I promise to help you break out of this. I just need time. I can’t fight all of them at once,” Astral whispered, flipping his visor down just in case they could see his lips moving. “I hate giving you orders…but ok. I’m so sorry that I have to do this. First, please close your visor.”

After she did so, Astral felt a bit more at ease; at least no pony could see them talking as they stood and waited. And she was doing what he asked, so that indicated something about the spell was faulty indeed.

“So, can I order you to disobey orders?” Astral asked.

“If orders conflict with primary directives, orders will be canceled.”

“What directives? Outside obeying Split?”

“Directive is to obey all authorized individuals.”

Astral puzzled over the options, and a devious idea quickly formed.
“Ok, can I order you to countermand all other orders?”

“Unknown.”

“So, to confirm, you’re able to follow my orders? Why is that?”

“Yes. The command spell is activated when in the presence of certain magical fields. All other individuals are authorized users at this time. Hypothesis: Spell has degraded from the initial cast. The spell is meant to be tied to only certain unicorns with a magical signature.”

“How do I remove a magical signature?” he said.

“Unknown. Magical signatures radiate primarily from the horn of a unicorn.”

The stallion smirked at that. It had been an answer without being too specific; that was a significant flaw indeed. And that’s when an idea began to form in Astral’s mind. First, he had to keep her safe.

“Sassi, I am ordering you to, at your discretion, disregard any orders given to you by Director Split Tie, or any other individuals by which following said orders would put yourself at risk, be it mentally, physically, or emotionally.” Astral said, grinning behind his visor.

“You are likewise ordered to exercise your own choice in disregarding any orders that would cause you to inflict harm on individuals you deem to not be a threat to yourself. You are also ordered to maintain the appearance of following orders, even if you will not carry them out. I am ordering you to deceive Split into thinking you have to follow his orders when you don’t. You’re not to reveal any of this or what I say in the next thirty seconds to Split Tie or any other individuals. Confirm commands.”

“Commands confirmed,” Sassi said, and Astral swore he could hear some devious snark in her tone.

“Can you repeat back what the order is?”

Sassi nodded.
“I am to deceive Director Split Tie into thinking I am following his orders, when, I may exercise personal choice and not follow them. I am to put my own wellbeing above orders that may compromise it. My orders are to exercise choice in which orders to follow in regards to targets, my well-being, and maintaining the appearance of following orders.”

Astral sighed. That would have to do.
“So, if Split Tie orders you to kill Vial, what would you do?”

“I would disregard the order.”

Perfect.

“What if you were ordered to kill Split?”

“I would not carry out that order due to his Essential Status,” Sassi said, and Astral could have sworn a bit of a growl entered her tone.

“Ok, what about one of the guards?”

“I would follow the order.”

Bingo.

“Ok, I think that’s as good as we’ll get. Hang in there, Sassi. That’s the best I can do without making him suspicious, especially if he has a detonator of some sort,” Astral muttered. “I promise you’ll be free. I’m sorry for what I’ve had to say and will say to get Split’s trust. Please, trust me. I’m not letting you go.”

The decontamination cycle finished, Astral flipping up his visor with a cough.
“That stuff tastes horrid. Glad these helmets have filters. Forgot about those for a bit,” he admitted, Split looking at him suspiciously.

“Hmm.”

“Sir?” Astral asked.

“Nothing. Anyhow. Sassi. You are ordered to take commands from only me, and kill any creature who tries to harm me. Confirm commands,” Split said with a wave of his hoof.

“Commands confirmed.”

As he followed the group down the hall, Astral knew the next few hours were going to be crucial. One way or another, they’d be free.

I promised to show you the forests, Sassi.
Hang on.

The group entered a large room, piles of spent supplies shoved here and there among numerous wall-mounted computer screens. Astral spotted Vial looking his way, and the Thestral nodded once.

Now, what comes next?

“So, this is where you all have been? We just heard to come down here to help get you all out. I admit Sassi did most of the fighting,” Astral remarked, Split nodding.

“Indeed. I was inspecting some of the more sensitive projects down here when the entire crash happened. Myself and my guards found these scientists here trapped by a few of those…what are they, Skitters? We eliminated those and got planning. The creatures haven’t bothered us since.”

“Really?” Astral asked, sitting down with a wince, acting the part of the relieved security guard. “They were always being a pain for us, but Sassi tore them apart. Really scary.”

And impressive.

Split casually took a device from his front breast pocket, a very obvious flip-and-click detonator held in the unicorn's magical grip.

“Sir?!” Astral cried out, Split gesturing with a hoof to calm the Thestral.

“Relax, Astral. This is just my ace in the hole,” the Director explained. “The Skitter Queen and I have an understanding. They don’t attack us, and I don’t detonate the reactor where she is brooding.”

“Uh, wouldn’t that kill us too, Sir?” Astral asked.

“Normally. But this isn’t just a detonator, it’s a powerful teleportation spell as well. Thirty seconds after activation, a room’s inhabitants would be yanked to a secure location using the overloaded reactor as a boost to punch through the Silo’s shielding,” Split said, then frowning. “Before you ask, the reason we have waited for you is that it’s a fifty-fifty chance the spell doesn’t complete in time and we all die. I’d prefer better odds of escaping, hence why it’s a last resort.”

“Those aren’t great odds,” Astral muttered.

“No, they aren’t. It’s also to make sure nopony gets ideas,” Split growled, looking at the scientists. “Once I press the button, the detonator is useless. The spell activates within a few seconds, and that’s to make sure we don’t have any more issues. The Company has a big enough mess as it is.”

“Oh. Like, wanting to spill to the press?” Astral asked, Split nodding.

“Indeed. But with you and Sassi here, we can push our way to the end of this floor past the barricades. My two guards aren’t nearly efficient enough to have done that. But the end of the floor is where the escape tubes are. The Skitters have claimed everything past the elevators; including those pods. But now we can go. If you look up there,” he gestured to a camera with blinking lights.
“We’re being watched. Vial says he managed to broadcast a feed to our secure channels. That means help is just outside. Failing that, we can get far enough away to overload the reactor and be teleported to a remote, secure facility,” Split let out a frustrated snort. “This facility is lost anyhow. We’ll clean it up after we’re out. The reactor overload will purge this entire Silo.”

Astral nodded slowly.
“So, Sir, when do we go? I need to resupply, same with Sassi. We’re almost out of ammo,” he explained. “And I wouldn’t mind resting for a moment, if possible.”

“Oh, Armory is down here,” Split said with a wave. “And please don’t think of trying anything stupid. Sassi would make sure you’re dead before I am.”

“Sir?” Astral said in confusion. “I’m still not sure what’s going on down here. There’s nothing to ‘try’. I just want to get out. I’ve only got basic training…and it didn’t cover this. I’d appreciate specific orders if you can.”

That seemed to please Split greatly. Astral wasn’t sure if the unicorn had his head shoved somewhere warm, or was just used to subordinates being too terrified of him to question. Either way, it was making Astral’s job easier.

“I can do that, Astral. Replenish your supply and meet up with the rest of us. You can run point with Sassi since you have worked together with It for this long. My guards will cover our rear. We’ll leave in about ten minutes, so get some water, food, or whatever you need.”

Put me in front and make sure I can’t shoot you in the back. Not so naïve, are you Split?

Something abruptly pounded in Astral’s chest. There was an energy that nearly made him stumble as the Director shambled away casually, whistling softly.

This creature is the one who caused all of this. So many deaths, Sassi’s imprisonment, her torture.

Everything.

There was a simple sentence that described the feelings threatening to overtake Astral’s mind.

The monster wanted out.

After a few moments of collecting himself, Astral meandered over to Vial briefly.
“So, you’re Vial?” he asked, noticing how Split was now occupied talking with one of his guards.

“Yes. Nice to meet you officially, Astral,” Vial whispered, clearly cautious.

“Likewise. We got the message you sent,” Astral made sure the pony saw his eyes drift to the director. “It was pretty general though, so wasn’t sure what to expect. Glad we could make it. Another two minutes and we’d have been toast.”

Vial’s eyes widened, shock and then a spark of hope shining in their orange depths as he realized what Astral had been saying, the Thestral nodding once.

Good, he gets it.

“I’m glad you all made it here too. We had ten scientists,” Vial’s eyes gestured towards the Director. “Now we have fewer.”

He killed them?

“I know this place has a ton of deadly creatures, I’m not surprised,” Astral muttered, eyes flickering over to Split Tie. “So, I guess we get out of here? “

“Yes. But to what end I don’t know, especially with the cameras watching us.”

“That’s a good thing Vial. The Company is certainly watching, and probably others too,” Astral whispered.

Vial’s demeanor brightened slightly at that.
“I worry some of my co-workers are going to incur the Directors wrath. My more reserved colleagues aren’t around, so be careful, Astral.”

“Will do, Vial. Just be ready.”

At Astral’s last words, Vial swallowed nervous, his eyes drifting to the Thestral’s gun. Astral simply nodded, then began to make his way to the armory.

It was a small room, the selection in the armory limited, mainly having ammunition rather than actual guns. Putting on three more reloads for his single saddle-gun, Astral’s eyes widened as he spied a few belts.

“Sir, I think we can use these for clearing the Skitters,” he said with a gesture, “with your permission.”

“Grenade belts? Hmm. Possibly. We wanted to give it a shot, but that would be quite the explosion,” Split mused. “I think Sassi could throw them far enough.”

“That would take out a whole hallway of them,” Astral said, now able to be genuinely excited. “High explosives, fragmentation, armor piercing? Oh, I wish we had these a few days ago!”

“A weapons aficionado?” Split chuckled, Astral shrugging.

“I mean, I guess? I did enjoy that part of Night Guard training. They just would have torn these monsters apart- ooooh, flashbangs!” Astral slotted two onto his belt, along with a grenade sling. “Can your guards carry the other two belts? If we can time these, we could blow an entire corridor clear right to the pods!”

“Hmm. Very well. You two; take those,” Split ordered, his unicorn lackies putting the slings over their barrels.

“Sir, I did have a question,” Astral asked as they sat outside, Sassi loading her weapons in the armory. “What will happen to her?” he pinned his ears back. “Experiment or…whatever she is, she still saved my life.”

Split gave Astral’s shoulder a reassuring pat. It was all the Thestral could to do not shudder.
“Well, I am not sure. Ultimately, It’s company property. It’s not a pony; doesn’t have rights or anything,” he explained. “Its primary creator decided to ‘adopt’ it. It was indulged far too much. The Experiment began to think on its own, in a limited way. I can promise you that It will be treated well though, that much is certain.”

Shove that promise up your-

Astral nodded, taking a deep breath.
“Ok, Sir. It’s just hard to get used to. That my friend isn’t a pony. But I understand. I just want to go home. As long as she’ll be ok…”

“I can certainly make sure that’s the case, Astral. Now, I think we’ve all had enough time down here, don’t you think?” Split said, Astral nodding in agreement as he struggled to not show any emotion.

It was almost overwhelming, the sense of sick wrongness radiating from the Director. It grated on every sense Astral had, every instinct warning him to get away from the pony as soon as possible. Despite the casual tone, there was nothing friendly about this Unicorn. Knowing a creature that had authorized the butchering of thousands could appear so normal was chilling.

But that’s how some monsters are.

“Alright ladies and gentle colts, time to get out of here. No reason to delay,” Split said with a wave towards the scientists; two earth ponies, a Pegasus mare, and then two other unicorns including Vial.

Sassi’s emotionless movements made Astral’s heart ache. He couldn’t imagine what she was going through.

“Sassi. You and Astral are to clear us a path. We will follow close behind,” Split directed.

“Yes, Sir,” Astral said, trotting over toward Sassi. His sensitive hearing caught a few snippets from what one of the Guards said to Split, or rather, the Director’s whispered response. Any other pony wouldn’t have been able to hear, but Astral’s fluffy ears weren’t just for show.

“Oh, shut up. When we’re out of here you can order It to do whatever you want before the autopsy. An hour or two or whatever you stallions want, I don’t care. Just don’t say anything around the new guy. That’s an order.”

A simple, almost peaceful clarity settled over Astral’s mind. The rage subsided to a honed welders flame, and there were three targets for it. All of Astral’s self-control was being used to not turn around and kill Split right then and there. His limbs trembled with suppressed anger.

He knew exactly what was going to have to happen before they reached the escape tunnels.

The monster battered at the cage in Astral’s mind, and the stallion decided to stop fighting it.

There are many monsters down here. Skitters. Spiders. Ponies…I guess it’s time to add the Monster of PhillyDelphia to the mix.

In his mind, Astral stepped aside and opened the cage.

I won't let Split leave this place alive.

Chapter Fifty Eight: Ignition

The group trotted down the hallway, Astral and Sassi leading. The stallion noted how the office floor was mostly destroyed, cubicles and lab rooms utterly torn apart with bloodstains everywhere. The emotions still boiled in his mind, every sense searching for the right time.

“Yeesh. This is a mess…” Astral muttered in observation, spying a large metal barricade up ahead. “That’s the limit?”

“No, that was the final fallback. We’re good until we hit the main elevators,” Split said calmly, clearly not worried about either Astral or the Skitters. “First, however, a final word.”

He paused, looking over the clearly-frightened scientists.
“Any questions about your career opportunities in the future?” he growled, the lab-coated ponies shaking their heads.

“Sir?” Astral asked, Split smiling in a gesture that didn’t reach his eyes.

“There were some previous…conflicting viewpoints,” Split explained. “Memory wipes are messy. I’m just making sure everypony knows to let the Company handle the cleanup, stay quiet, and enjoy the mountain of bits that will be coming their way.” He then turned to Astral. “That seems reasonable, right?”

Astral paused, finally nodding.
“Well, you said Sassi will be ok, so yeah. Seems like a smart business move to me. This is above my pay grade. A tropical island sounds quite nice,” he mused, a blissful smile coming onto his face.

That seemed to satisfy Split.
“Good. Well, now then, onward. There’s an opening to the right.”

The hastily-welded barricade of metal and concrete covered the entire hall. A simple, crude door was bolted to the right side, and everypony slid through.

The wall beyond it was pockmarked with explosions and bullet holes, eventually leading to the main elevators. Of similar make to the others, their smaller design indicated that perhaps there were multiple elevator shafts on this floor.

“And now for the messy bit where Skitters may try to stop us,” Split sighed. “Sassi. You and Astral continue to take point…” the unicorn paused.

With a snarl, Split drew the pistol and promptly shot the nearest earth-pony scientist in the head, the gunshot echoing around the room.

Astral whirled around, forcing himself to not aim at the Director but more appear in shock, even as his stomach twisted and spasmed.

“S-sir?!” Astral asked, hating the fact that he promptly leaned over and vomited over in the corner, visor flipped up. Skitters and dead ponies weren’t a surprise, but a cold-blooded execution?

The stallion had never seen such a thing before, let alone in front of him. His mental barriers to violence and gore had their limits.

I can’t hesitate when I kill him.

The thought was so calm and logical that it made Astral double-check himself. He was really going to-

Reaching over into the dead pony’s coat, Split withdrew a large data device with a frown.
“I knew one of you was trying to steal something. I saw you out of the corner of my eye. Come now, how stupid do you think I am? I told you what would happen. And yet here we are. What a waste,” the unicorn sighed, smashing the device with his hooves.

Split stowed the gun and left the pony on the floor. Vial and the remaining scientists shook their heads sadly but didn’t seem surprised.

“I warned them. We can’t have any data leaving here. From what I understand, there was a significant leak already, but I won’t know the full extent until we’re in the company headquarters.”

So, he doesn’t realize that he’s on borrowed time, that Royal Guards are outside?

“You alright there, Astral?”

The Thestral could have mistaken Split’s tone for being genuine concern, but he nodded, wiping his mouth.

“It’s…different. Y’know. Ponies or experiments,” he explained. “Doesn’t seem right.” Astral regretted the last few words that slipped out, even if they were an understatement.

“I see. Well, I’m sorry you had to see that, but we have to contain this as much as possible.”

Astral’s eyes widened at Split’s now suspicious tone.
“Sir? Does that include me?” he asked bluntly, the other unicorn shrugging.

“Does it? I’d rather not have you end up like that poor fool,” Split gestured to the dead pony. “And I’d certainly rather not dredge up certain facts from your past to make life more difficult for you once we’re out of here. Yes, I’ve read your file, Astral. I’m asking you again. Are we going to have a problem?”

Astral blinked, staring at Split for a moment. He then lowered his head, wings drooping.
“No, Sir,” he muttered, “I don’t see any reason for that. I just want to go home. I’ve had enough problems to last me a lifetime.”

“Good. Now, lead on with Sassi.”

Split was clearly smarter than Astral initially gave him credit for; the Director had known who he was from the start. While forthcoming with information, Split was always ready to shoot someone in the back.

But he’s still cocky and doesn’t think anyone will stand up to him.
I need to get that detonator. First, remove his horn. That should throw any magical control out of whack, and he can’t instantly press the button. I can grab it before he gets his hooves on it. Then I have to deal with the other two guards, but I should have a few moments.

Astral wasn’t sure when things would go into motion; he only knew the room had to be a certain size, and have everyone be in it at once. They pushed past another, partially—destroyed barricade. The torn body of a Skitter was draped across it. There was silence as they pushed through.

It has to be soon.

There were no Skitters, not yet. As the signs for ‘Escape Tubes’ grew more numerous, Astral knew he was running out of time.

They were running out of time.

The next room was a series of large utility elevators, the tiles splattered with blood. Beyond that, a glowing ‘Escape’ sign was visible hanging from the ceiling. Astral’s hooves moved in slow motion as he walked, heartbeat thundering in his ears. Was he about to do this? There was a high chance he’d simply get shot. The counter-commands to Sassi may not have worked, and the two other guards might just be faster. It ultimately came down to a simple question.

What would I do to protect Sassi?

The fire burning in his chest answered that question without coherent words, a monster roaring in defiance against a world that was so sick and wrong. What would he do to see her happy, to know this beautiful mare was free and able to chart her own path?

The rage and defiant anger came to the same conclusion, yet it was refined by a following thought.

If the stars aligned, he’d like to be the reason she smiled. If nothing else, he’d be her friend when she was able to live her own life. What would he do for that?

I promised.

Astral paused, shaking his head. It was time.
“I heard something,” he muttered, “Skitters in the elevator shafts?”

Split paused, shrugging.
“Sassi, do you hear anything?”

The mare paused, head tilting.
“Unsure. There could be a creature aware of our presence, waiting to ambush us,” she explained.

I hope that means the commands worked because all I heard was some shifting metal.

“Should we take care of it? Toss some grenades in there to get it to drop down?” Astral asked, taking off the grenade belt and fiddling with it.

“No. Let’s simply continue. We’re a few halls from the Escape Pods,” Split ordered.

“Yes, Sir,” Astral said, putting the belt back on.

Thankfully, nobody had seen him drop the flash-bang grenade from his armor pouch as the belt was put on once again. A simple flick and kick…

“SKITTER!” Astral roared, turning to confront a partially-open elevator.

As the scientists scrambled back into the recessed hallway, the guards stood in front of Split, looking towards the elevator, and the flashbang.

The grenade went off, blinding light and sound that would have deafened him if not for the helmet. Astral felt his active conscious thoughts take a back seat, a silent roar echoing through his mind.

NOW!

The flash and sound immediately disoriented the guards, the two unicorns dropping their weapons and crouching to the floor with hooves over their ears. Modified or not, they had taken the full force of the blast along with Split. Astral’s helmet dampened the explosion to almost nothing. Sassi crouched into an at-ready stance, but the mare otherwise didn’t move.

Split seemed barely affected by the explosion, the unicorn blinking as he turned around.

He had a sadistic smirk on his face as Astral aimed. Split’s drawn pistol drifted towards the Thestral; a magical grip also drawing out the detonator and beginning to flick the safety. The unicorn was fast, far faster than Astral had anticipated. It certainly wasn’t natural.

Astral’s first two shots impacted an invisible shield around Split’s horn, the unicorn’s mouth widening into a cocky sneer. The unicorn’s gun went off; the round skimming off of Astral’s armor plating. Split was still smirking when the third shot punched through the shield and turned his horn to dust.

Astral continued to fire, the shotgun roaring as six explosive slugs tore into the Director’s now-vulnerable head, neck, and chest. Chunks of gore splattered across the walls as the unicorn flopped to the floor, the detonator and pistol clattering out of his grasp.

Sassi collapsed to the floor as if a puppet cut from strings. The mare flipped up the visor, taking in massive gulps of air as she struggled to breathe. Tears flowed down her cheeks as her body was wracked with violent tremors.

Aim then shifting, Astral’s next shots missed before refocusing. His next shots were on point; the two guards then collapsed as their horns were blown to smithereens, recently-retrieved guns dropping to the floor. Astral kicked their weapons out of reach, carefully stowing the detonator in his armor after making sure it was on safety.

“Sassi!” Astral then cried, the mare not looking at him as she leaned against the wall. Even without her responding, Astral darted over to stand between the vulnerable mare and the threats.

Reloading the spent shotgun, Astral promptly trotted over and planted a hoof on the nearest Guard’s neck, and pressed down none-too-gently.

“If you do anything other than lie there and snivel, I’ll shoot off your legs and leave you behind. Got it?” Astral growled, his voice not sounding even remotely familiar.

“G-got it…” the guard whimpered.

“Sassi, are you alright?” Astral asked, turning his attention to the mare. She shook her head, unable to speak.

Now we just have to get-

“Youff shtoooopid fruit sucker…”

Astral turned, eyes widening in horror as Split Tie tottered on his limbs, shredded mouth knitting back together as muscle and sinew regrew, a malevolent red glow igniting in his chest and behind the unicorn’s eyes. The holes in his neck and chest began to zip closed, black sparks of magic darting over the jagged edges.

“I’m going to enjoy this,” the unicorn growled, barely phased as Astral’s shotgun roared, blowing the pony’s jaw off again. Whipping his head back, Split glared at Astral as a furious scream left his mutilated face, the unicorn trying to jump and snag one of the guns on the floor.

As another few shots tore into Split’s torso, Astral felt a chill of fear run down his spine. Now exposed underneath shredded flesh, the unnatural interior of the Unicorn was visible. From beneath the rapidly-healing wounds, Astral saw that the Director’s head, spine, and ribcage were encased in some odd, grey metal. A faint red glow radiated from behind the pony’s armored ribs; a healing crystal if Astral had to guess. Every immediately vital part of the unicorn was protected by internal armor fused to bone and sinew. The shotgun rounds barely dented it.

No wonder he had been so cocky.

“You don’t have enough shots to kill me, bat pony,” Split spat, cracking his neck as his torso knit back together. “I’m going to make you watch us dissect Sassi, bit by bit. And then I’ll wipe your memory and make you watch it all over again on repeat.”

The shotgun roared again, Astral snarling as he fired.
“Shut up,” he hissed, Split still not being phased as the hole in his neck began to heal.

“Or maybe I’ll let my Guards have their way with It. Either way, you’re going to be-”

Another shot, and then another. Even the Unicorn’s eyes were armored, or at least the sockets were, because the bone didn’t fragment even with a slug shattering against Split’s face, eyeball fizzing back into existence.

“I said…shut up!” Astral bellowed, emptying his magazine into the unicorn’s chest.

As he reloaded, Split’s wounds continually knit closed, the unicorn now starting to laugh, a wet, meaty sound.

“You don’t have enough firepower!” he snarled, swiping at Astral with a hoof as the Thestral got too close. “As soon as my horn regenerates, I’ll rip your throat out!”

Backing up, Astral yanked off two items from the guards before trotting back over to Split, promptly shooting off the Director’s legs first. The unicorn’s horn was partially reformed, but Astral solved that problem with a swift punch of his hoof.

“You’re not even a pony,” Astral muttered, buckling the two grenade belts around Split’s torso and neck. The unicorn began to thrash but then settled on glaring at Astral and lashing out with a half-regenerated limb.

“All this for that experiment!?” Split growled. “What? Do you want some personal whore at your beck and call? Is that all this is-”

*SPLAT*

Astral’s punch tore off Split’s reforming jaw again, the Thestral snarling at him.
“You don’t get to call her that. After what you’ve done, what you threatened to do to her. To me, to everyone…”

Yanking the Director over, Astral checked the elevator shaft after prying the partially-open doors apart.

Empty.

To his credit, Split only glared at Astral, hatred, and rage glossing over his eyes. There was no pleading for his life or any more threats. Astral felt a soft flicker of pity for the unicorn. Not as a pony, but as…something else. It felt like the Thestral was putting down a rabid animal, not an intelligent being. There was no compassion, no life in the Unicorn’s eyes. Simply cold, calculated rage and hatred backlit by a red glow.

“All this for some experiment? It’s just a product!” Split spat.

Astral didn’t hesitate. He ripped the detonator cords off of the belts. There was only one thing Astral could say in response as he threw the Director into the elevator shaft, the Thestral’s roar echoing around the room.

“Not to me!”

As Split vanished from view, Astral heard a defiant bellow before the grenades ignited. A cacophony of thuds resonated up the shaft. Almost two dozen grenades detonating made flames lick out of the half-closed doors. It was enough firepower to shred an airship, let alone a single pony.

And then there was silence.

Astral took a few deep breaths, the scientists edging their way out of the other hallway.
“He’s gone?” Vial asked, immediately snagging one of the pistols in a magical grip.

“Yes. Now let’s get out of here,” Astral said, turning towards Sassi, concern flooding his frame.

“Sassi, are you-”

It was only a split second, a stop motion film consisting of a few frames.
Sassi turned to look at him, the mare unable to stand as she leaned against the elevator door on the opposite side of the room.

The door opened, ripped from its mounts by two Skitter limbs.

As a colorful Spider latched onto Sassi’s neck, the first Skitter aimed a strike at the mare. Instead of plunging into her exposed neck, the limbs sheared off the saddle-gun mounts from their brackets before yanking Sassi into the elevator shaft.

Astral didn’t even hear himself let out a cry, the Thestral emptying the shotgun into the second Skitter that launched itself at him from the open door, fear, and anguish ripping out his throat in a single word.

“SASSI!”

Author's Note

Out of the frying pan, and into the volcano.
...
You all didn't think escape would be that simple, did you? :trollestia:

Chapter Fifty Nine: RASP

The scientists stared, Astral’s limbs starting to shake as he put a final shot into the head of the Skitter on the floor.

She’s gone.

One second, she was there, and the next…

The stallion’s limbs finally moved, Astral dashing over to look down the elevator shaft.

Empty.

A quick glance solidified his plans. The two saddle guns had been neatly sheared off at their attachment points. That wasn’t an accident.

“Let’s move,” Astral said, mouth moving before his thoughts could catch up. He walked over and kicked one of the Guards in the ribs, forcing them to stand. “NOW! You two lead! Disobey me and I’ll kill you.”

As the hornless unicorns tottered on ahead, Astral trotted behind them, covering the group of scientists.

“Astral, I’m sorry…” Vial whispered, the stallion shaken and struggling to hold back tears.

“She’s not dead.”

Vial looked at him in shock as they rounded the corner, the unicorn not understanding.
“Astral, she-”

“Get to the escape tubes and point me in the direction of an armory,” Astral growled, flipping his visor up and gesturing to Vial.

Fear darted across Vial’s face, the stallion nodding.

The escape room was a simple one. A dozen large plastic tubes were set into the concrete wall, each appearing more like a large, pony-sized mail-delivery system than anything. From what Astral could gather, the user climbed in, punched two buttons, and off you went.

“This leads to the surface?” Astral asked, Vial nodding as he waved the other ponies into the various tubes.

“Yes. An above-ground exit. There should be Royal Guards there. Make sure those two don’t get far. Shoot them if you have to.”

Nodding in approval, Astral watched as the scientists and Guards were sent on their way, the capsule-like pods closing and zipping away in a flash. After a few moments, they returned for the next occupant.

“You won’t make it, Astral,” Vial said, having waited until everyone else had gone. “You have a few dozen shots with a shotgun and a single grenade belt against a Skitter horde and the Queen. That’s not enough, not even close, and that’s with your ribs being splinted!”

“I don’t care,” the stallion growled, waving a hoof at Vial. “I couldn’t live with myself knowing I left her behind. She doesn’t deserve any of this! The Skitter ripped off the guns on purpose instead of killing Sassi immediately. So, she has to be alive for some reason. Why else would they take her?”

Vial’s expression softened, but he still didn’t move.

“If you’re not going to help, get in the escape pod!” Astral growled.

“How much do you care about Sassi?” Vial asked pointedly. “There might be a way, but it will probably kill you.”

Astral paused, his thoughts slowing as he processed Vial’s words.

I promised her that I wouldn’t go anywhere, that I wouldn’t leave her alone.
But how far does my promise carry?

Warmth spread up through Astral’s chest, his jaw clenching. It was an empty question. The stallion knew fully well the answer.

“I’m not leaving this place without her. Whatever it takes.”

The scientist then grinned, a fire igniting in his gaze.
“Then follow me.”

The control room was silent, Twilight staring at the screens.

Somepony finally lost it, a communications stallion vomiting into a nearby trash can. The cold-blooded execution of a scientist, and then Astral’s actions had the entire room in shock.
And then Sassi…

“She’s not dead,” Flask whispered. “She can’t be. I can’t-”

“Astral doesn’t appear to think so either,” Twilight said, gesturing to a screen.

Flask watched as Vial led Astral into a small side-lab, the scientist punching in a series of codes for a secondary elevator downwards. The cameras switched, and Flask abruptly began to cry as a lab snapped into focus, four letters emblazoned on the entrance.

“RASP? It’s still active?” he whispered. “Astral, you would do that for her?” Flask asked the screen, his lips quivering.

“Please save my baby girl…”

Twilight was about to spread a wing over him in comfort, but Flask looked up with the oddest expression on his face.

Hope.

“I only understood half of that, Vial. Something about armor? Experimental?” Astral asked. The anger, fear, horror, and anguish were a confusing ball of lead in his stomach. His head was at least somewhat clear now, Vial leading him to something that could help.

“RASP is the key,” Vial said again, his voice jittering with both excitement and anxiety. “I don’t…it’s the only thing that could help. You won’t make it past two floors with the suit and gun you have.”

Walking into a large room, Astral could only stare. On one side, an odd enclosure sat. It looked like a surgical table, but with needles and robotic arms angled for the patient to be standing while being injected. Green amplifying crystals surrounded the table, all indicating something important.

Astral was more focused on the item to the left of the table.

Held suspended by wires and power cables, a suit of armor faced the pair. Every inch of the suit was covered in either black, flexible fiber, or dark grey armored plating. Blue ‘veins’ ran from underneath the plating and across the entire suit, pulsing softly. The unblinking look from the angular helmet’s gold visor seemed to pierce Astral’s heart.

This is how I get her back.

“Rapid Augmentation Soldier Program,” Vial explained, tapping various keys on a nearby console and making the whole room flicker with various lights. “RASP. Officially off the company’s records for everyone but the Board. It was designed to take an ordinary pony and have them battle-ready in under an hour and be as combat effective as an entire squad. They’d be at Sassi’s level, or close to it. It’s the culmination of what Sassi’s treatment was originally designed for.”

“Explain what I have to do, Vial. Quickly.”

Vial adjusted a few more settings, finally sitting down in front of Astral.
“You can’t wear this armor, not as you are,” he explained. “It’s reactive and supportive. Originally the armor itself was just meant to supplement and amplify movements. But we found out that if you aren’t modified, you’ll tear yourself apart. Your movements in the armor would kill you. It normally operates at the same speed a modified creature does. Metal-ceramic composite armor plating, bulletproof and stab-resistant mesh, isolated reactor, shields, medical injections, modular weapons; it’s a one-pony army. Assuming the modifications work, that is.”

“And I assume that table…?”

Nodding, Vial gestured to the large apparatus.
“It modifies one’s magical and genetic structure. Ideally.”

“Ideally?”

The unicorn’s expression became grave, the pony taking a deep breath.
“We’ve only had five live subjects, and we’ve refined it each time. Flask only heard about the basics of this project, and he had no idea I was working on it. It’s beyond secret and barely tested. Astral, I’m asking you again. Are you willing to die for a chance to get to her?

It wasn’t even a question requiring thought. Sassi had done the same for him.
“Yes.”

Vial frowned, then continued.
“Look. The augmentations never got to the ideal time limit with minimal side effects. I don’t even know if you’ll survive.”

“Vial, tell me exactly what is required for me to wear that, and what is going to happen if I go through with this,” Astral growled impatiently. He knew the unicorn was right in his previous words. A single shotgun against the Skitter hordes?

But with this armor…

“You’ll get injected with a similar serum that Sassi was, but far more concentrated and refined. Magical energies will then saturate your frame and accelerate the process. Your genetic structure will be altered along with every other part of you,” Vial said. “We were aiming to give the soldiers a full day before the side effects hit. We never got close.”

“What’s my timeline? What happened to the five test subjects?”

Tapping a few more keys and dashing to another console, Vials shook his head.
“I don’t know. The other ponies…it was bad, ok?” he shuddered. “The first died on the spot, literally dissolved into a bloody puddle. The second lived a week. The third through fifth survived, thankfully. The fifth test got two hours of feeling a hundred percent before being laid out for two months in intensive care, and that was with round-the-clock healing spells. But he lived, and the effects were permanent as far as we can tell. I’m not sure where he is now. You’d be the sixth, but…” his voice trailed off, and Astral got the gist.

The full weight of the decision now began to settle in Astral’s mind, not that it changed it.
“So, this will kill me?”

“Step in here, this is a preliminary scan.”

As he did so, Vial sent the spell running over the Thestral’s body, then frowned at the readouts.
“Horseshoes, Astral. What did you do!?” he gasped. “Your blood toxicity levels, adrenals…”

“Might have gotten dunked in chemical waste earlier on, I went through a decontamination cycle though. And I’ve been stressed for weeks on end.”

Vial let out a huff, shaking his head.
“Well, that cycle wasn’t enough. But that just makes this trickier. That stuff may make the process more efficient, or the opposite. Any allergies?”

“Bad reactions to caffeine, narcotics, and any other heavy-duty drugs I assume. Not medically bad, but they make me loopy,” Astral paused, “And you never answered my question.”

Silence settled into the room, Vial not meeting Astral’s gaze.
“If you don’t get to the medical bay in Silo Three and stay there until stabilized, yes, you will die,” he finally said, eyes on his hooves. “If I had to guess, you’ll likely have about four hours of feeling combat-ready based on our prior improvements. You can look forward to those hours as a taste of what you'll feel like long-term, if you survive. But unless you can have the healing systems in that medical bay keep you alive during the immediate side-effect period, you’ll die. The suit can’t heal the amount of trauma your body is going to endure from this.”

Vial shook his head, now meeting Astral’s gaze. “Even with the healing spells in the medical center, you aren’t likely to survive. Your body is just too stressed. If you do survive the immediate modifications, you’ll need to continually inject yourself with the follow-up serum twice a day for a week after that. If you don’t, you’ll go into full organ failure. With your current state, you’re looking at months recovery time at the absolute minimum, and that’s with constant healing spells. I don’t even know if you’ll be able to move. Our other subjects had a year to prepare and were in peak physical condition.”

The unicorn paused, shaking his head slowly.
“That said, if successful, you’ll be close, or at Sassi’s level of strength, reaction time, stamina, calorie intake, and so forth. You’ll have decades added to your life as well. You'll weigh more due to increased muscle and bone mass, and another big side effect is that you’ll be sterile. Your DNA is going to be completely altered,” Flask seemed rather surprised at Astral’s amused shrug. “This is all assuming you aren’t permanently disfigured by the process, of which there is a chance of occurring. You sure you want to go through with this?”

It wasn’t so much of a choice for Astral as much as a confirmation. Was he ok with this? Likely dying at a chance to save a mare who could already be dead?

Rather abruptly, a simple peace returned to Astral’s mind and heart. A warm fluttering in his heart, a confirmation. He was ready to charge down there without the armor, and that was a death sentence. This was a step up from that.

I promised.

“Let’s get started,” Astral said firmly, shedding his saddlebags and shotgun. “What’s first?”

“You’re sure?”

The Thestral nodded, wincing as Vial carefully removed the splinting crystals, gesturing to the armor.

“Then take off everything. You’ll go through a rapid detox and healing procedure first, including your ribs,” Vial paused. “This entire thing is going to hurt.”

“Never thought it wouldn’t.”

Vial managed an uneasy smile at that, waving the stallion into a small stall adjacent to the full-blown medical table.

Astral’s fur crackled as a powerful surge of energy pulsed across his body. For a moment he felt fantastic, and then abruptly sick as his insides twisted and turned. He vomited up a mouthful of tar-like liquid, spitting in disgust.

“Great. That stuff again. Whoa, world spinning…”

“That’s detoxification tar, a magical and natural by-product of the process. You’ll be having that stuff leaking out of every orifice for the next few months as your body learns to process contaminants. And I mean it will come from everywhere.”

A huff left Astral’s mouth at that.
“Charming. What’s next? At least I can breathe easier. That fixed my ribs?”

“Correct, that was a rapid healing spell. Thankfully it’s already got Thestrals in the database, hence why it was able to target your ribs. Over to the modification station. Stand here.”

As Vial strapped him in, Astral’s ears twitched in thought.
“Thestrals? Was Sassi…”

“The initial armor set was designed for her. But with the failure of her program, it was delegated to this one,” Vial explained. “There’s only one other suit located at one of the main exits past Silo Three, but there are refill stations in that silo. They were starting to implement them as supplementary pieces to the crowd-control armor the guards had. Even with her limited involvement, Sassi was rather insistent about the software program version to end on. Apparently it meant something to her.”

“Oh?” Astral asked, trying not to focus on the dozens of large needles slowly lowering to lock a hair from his skin.

“She asked that we have the last iteration of the update be one hundred and seventeen. Mark two.”

He couldn’t help but smile at that. The stallion could almost hear the chanting.
“She would.”

Vial shrugged, tapping a few more keys as the modification table began to hum, straps locking around Astral’s limbs.
“After this, no going back, Astral,” he said. “If we stop the process, you die.”

“I’ve only got one question then,” Astral asked, looking over and meeting Vial’s gaze. “Is there any other way for me to fight dozens of Skitters, Guards, and get to Sassi other than this procedure?”

The unicorn shook his head firmly.
“No.”

Astral nodded, taking a deep breath. He looked around, then noticed a camera in the corner blinking at them.

“Then do it. Just tell my parents that this was my choice, ok?” Astral asked, then glaring at the camera. “And if the company is watching…I already killed one Board member. I’ll come for the rest if I have to.”

Apparently, Astral’s tone was a lot nastier than he thought because Vial was rather pale as he looked at the Thestral.
“You frighten me, Astral,” he admitted.

“I’ve been through a lot.”

“Clearly,” Vial murmured. “Nod when you’re ready. First will be the injections, a one-minute pause, and then the magical fields for fifteen minutes. That will be the most painful part. Painkillers are part of the procedure; I can’t change that. They’re strong ones.”

“Well, I apologize in advance for singing and dancing,” Astral muttered. “But if there’s no other way, let’s get started.”

“Bite on this.”

Taking the offered mouthguard from Vial, Astral clenched his jaw.

This was going to hurt.

The injections weren’t that bad, dulled by painkillers dumped into his bloodstream. As he stood there, the needles retracting, Vial looked over his screen and nodded.

“Phase One complete. Latent period beginning, starting up acceleration spells.”

The world seemed to both blur and sharpen at the same time, Astral feeling a bit tipsy. This wasn’t so-

“Phase Two beginning.”

A small cyclone of magical energy tore around Astral’s body, every spark a biting ant that dug through flesh and bone. He would have vomited if not for the fact every muscle in his body was tensed up and locked in position.

The mouthguard cracked in-between Astral’s clenched teeth, stabs of pain radiating up and down Astral’s limbs, burrowing into his eyes and gut.

I promised.

A growl formed in Astral’s throat, the Thestral lifting his head and staring ahead. As the pain continued to crawl and sear across his body, the image of Sassi’s hopeful, affectionate expression saturated Astral’s thoughts. The hopeful look in her eyes after giving her a brief kiss. The embarrassed but proud blush at every compliment…

I promised to show you the forests.

He knew that a yell was forcing itself out. More images flashed across his mind. Saving the mare in PhillyDelphia, pulling the filly from the wrecked building.

Meeting Sassi…

The growl was now a roar, anger making the pain feel more like a challenge than a procedure. Even if it would likely kill him, Astral had had enough of this place, of this world. And yet the anger was complimented by the yearning to simply be close to the amazing mare he owed his life to many times over.

Sassi had saved his life over and over. But when the Guard fell, who saved them?

I promised to not go anywhere, to leave you alone.

I promised.

Author's Note

Chapter Sixty: Si vis pacem, para bellum

The world spun.

Sassi’s vision came in scattered bursts, the venom in her bloodstream making her entire body limp. She wasn’t sure what time it was, only that the mare was spread-eagle against a wall, a thick, reddish substance cementing her to the concrete.

The Thestral was still reeling from the magical mind-control, the horrific, violating sense of being used and controlled making her feel sick. The Spider venom made her unable to focus on anything. Sassi was only vaguely aware of a booming voice, dozens of multi-limbed bodies moving past her.

The last thing she recalled before falling unconscious was the memory of a horrified voice, the roar of guns as she had been dragged away.

Astral.

Astral lost track of time. It was only fifteen minutes, but the pain was merciless, unrelenting as magic coursed through his body. Only one word pushed him through, cementing the singular goal of the entire procedure.

Sassi.

She had gone through decades of pain. Astral wasn’t about to buckle over fifteen minutes that could be the key to saving her. He’d endure it as long as he needed to.

I promised.

Vial trotted back and forth, tapping various keys on the monitors off to the side and ensuring the magical fields remained stable. The unicorn occasionally looked towards Astral, worry shining in his expression.

Don’t worry about me. Just make sure it works!

His mind was clear, but somehow an odd fuzziness was permeating his senses. Maybe it was the painkillers and other chemicals being dumped into the stallion’s system, but it felt weird. No looniness from the painkillers or other side effects, so that was a bonus. Or maybe that was just temporary.

As the crystals slowly began to decrease their magical output, the Thestral had to blink. For a few moments, Vial moved slowly, magical sparks likewise seeming to be moving in molasses. It then sped up again as the unicorn nodded in approval.

“Procedure complete,” Vial muttered, looking at the various charts and scans of Astral. “Take a step out of the station, carefully.”

Astral did so, the world seeming somehow sharper, more refined. He could see the minor imperfections on the tiled floor, and hear the hum of wires in the distance. The cool breeze of the ventilation in the lab against his fur made the Thestral shiver.

“Ok, the procedure took surprisingly well. You’ve got the highest compatibility I’ve seen yet,” Vial explained, scanning the Thestral with a spell. “I guess those chemicals did some good. How do you feel?”

“Really weird,” Astral said, “the world slows down sometimes, and my senses are definitely sharper. I feel lighter too.”

“That’s normal. And with heightened reflexes, you’ll have a ‘super sense’, per se, if combat arises. It lays dormant until you sense a threat, even subconsciously. When you have an adrenaline dump, fight, get startled, or anything that could be perceived as a threat, everything will slow down. It’s an automatic response.”

“That explains Sassi’s movements.”

“Exactly. How about anything else? Lingering pain? You should be starting to feel pretty good.”

Astral blinked. Nothing hurt, and he did feel good. A pool of energy was quickly forming in the pony’s body as if running to Canterlot and back would be a breeze.

“I do feel pretty great. Tons of energy.”

“Excellent. Now let’s get you into the armor. While it can amplify your natural movements when needed, it’s also designed to help acclimate to your own body when the armor is off. It should be seamless, wearing the armor and leaving it.”

“Alright, just tell me what to do, Vial.”

“Stand here.”

Moving to stand in front of the armor’s case, Astral watched as robotic arms peeled the suit apart into a dozen pieces.

“Stand still. Initializing suit-up sequence.”

At first, the metal and mesh were ice-cold against Astral’s fur and skin. Within moments of locking into place, however, the stallion didn’t feel anything as the mesh matched his body temperature. It was the oddest sensation, just a faint weight against his body despite the armor weighing far more than he did.

“Limbo reactor online. I hope it holds…” Vial muttered, watching as a small backpack-like object was latched onto Astral’s back.

“Reactor?”

“We never were able to solve the power generation issue. The reactor on your back is a miniaturized portal. It converts latent Limbo energy into useable electricity to power the suit. But something always interfering with our efforts on the other side. It barely drew enough power to even sustain basic functions, less than ten percent. You’ll need to recharge after about four hours; that’s as long as we could make it last even with the best batteries we have. Even so, some systems may…wait…”

Tapping a few keys, Vial’s eyes widened in shock.
“Reactor output at one hundred percent,” he whispered, “all systems online, Limbo connection stable. But how?”

Tears abruptly pooled in Astral’s eyes. His eyes flickered to his discharged saddlebags, where a soft, friendly blue glow emanated from where he had stowed the Queen’s gift.
“Joro.”

“What?!” Vial exclaimed, shaking his head. “Never mind. Well, that solves the power issue. Carefully take a step over here. We need to calibrate the tactical systems.”

Running through a brief drill of looking at a five-point light system, Astral barely felt the armor as he moved.

“Shields online; they take a good five minutes to recharge once completely depleted, so don’t let them run too low if possible. Take cover and let them recharge. They’re meant for last-ditch defense, not a constant barrage of blows or bullets. It’s an exponential escalation for how much power they drain for absorbing a strike. A would-be fatal strike would drain everything, but minor hits only a few percentage points,” Vial explained. “I hope that makes sense. Usually, we have an entire day to acclimate them to armor systems, and then a week-long training course. We were meaning to then move on to a month of tests, but we never even got to the one-day rapid deployment tests.”

“It makes sense.”

Vial tapped a few more keys, the metal walls opening up to reveal a vast array of items.
“The armor can heal you, but it’s meant as a support system to keep you alive until actual treatment. I’ve activated the auxiliary power systems, so the armor can utilize a wide range of available power options if it senses them, when the reactor isn’t enough. It’s experimental though and may be finicky,” The unicorn walked over to a small set of metal saddlebags, a robotic arm slotting them onto the armor.

“These are the life support systems and the cartridges. You have three spares. Each is slotted in here…” he showed Astral how to reload the rectangular objects into the armor. “Antibiotics, stimulants, painkillers, antivenom, coagulating, and healing foam; it’s a comprehensive mix. You don’t want to use more than one or two of these, but three is for an emergency. There are more in Silo Three. Last I heard, they were being spread around as a one-stop medical station, if necessary,” Vial explained.

“I’ve put eighteen total doses of the follow-up serum in the packs as well. That’s nine syringes. That gives you four spare doses; it’s all we have here at this station. I’ll set reminders for you to inject them. There may be another station in Silo Three, but I don’t know anything outside of rumors.”

The next set of containers was along Astral’s flanks; Vial gently putting the contents of Astral’s previous saddlebags into them, including a brightly glowing stone that made Astral smile.

“Basic cargo storage. You’ve got your old items, and a survival it with a few days’ worth of food and water. The armor has waste elimination and recycling, so don’t worry about that. Just spit the tar into your helmet and it’ll dispose of it. There’s a drinking tube to water reserves inside, to the bottom-right of your HUD.”

Astral nodded, noting how the display was fairly minimalistic. A crosshair, magical shield status, and physical health condition along with reactor output.

“The helmet has night vision, heavy-duty filters, scanning suites, the whole smash. There’s an onboard AI to answer questions and activate them if you can’t reach any of the manual buttons. You’ve also got a map and basic motion tracker, so getting lost isn’t an issue. Just tell the AI where you want to go.”

“Got it,” Astral paused, “Erm, how do I get out of this thing?”

The unicorn let out a snort at that.
“Emergency repair kit. It’s with the medical supplies. There’s a wrench to release each segment under the edges of the armor plating. The armor mesh isn’t a single solid piece, as you saw. But when power is run through the fabric, the pieces work together. It’s stronger than a bulletproof vest, and the plating can take any known projectile like a champ. It’s also modular and can be worn by multiple users if needs be.”

Another few presses of keys, and Vial gestured to the new items.
“And these are to replace your shotgun.”

Astral felt a surge of excitement, an odd swelling of emotion that brought more tears to his eyes. In any other circumstance, he’d be drooling over the beautiful tools in front of him.

The two saddle-mounted weapons were cut-down, tri-barreled miniguns. A black belt fed into each, the rectangular ammunition containers on the rear. If he had to guess, a simple kick to some smoothed extraction levers would eject the magazines and reload them. Blue internal lights made the weapons glow softly.

All he could see now, however, were the keys to rescuing Sassi.

“Emotional swings?” Vial asked, glancing at the readouts.

“A bit, yeah.”

“That’s normal. Let’s get these on you.”

The guns that were strapped to Astral’s frame must have weighed easily half of his body weight each, and yet he still felt light as a feather.

“You have ten thousand shots per gun, and a spare magazine for each,” Vial explained. “The bullets are small, about three times the size of a grain of sand. But coated in magical plasma, they’ll aggressively react with any unarmored targets. They’re far more effective than even your explosive rounds, but minimal effectiveness against armor. The suit can utilize raw metal to obtain more ammunition in an emergency, but it needs to be connected to the reactor. They can function on batteries for a limited time if connected to a normal battle-saddle as well.”

“Miniguns and cannons online,” a disembodied voice abruptly said; the AI.

Tapping each side of the miniguns, Vial gestured to the larger barrels that locked into place above the tri-barreled assembly.

“These are the cannons. They fuse about a dozen normal shots together before being fired, so it uses more ammo. However, it can punch through heavy armor, but they fire much slower, only about two shots a second. They overheat fairly quickly too. You can switch in your HUD, voice command, or use the passive neural interface. The helmet has a similar system to your other one and can pick up on pointed thoughts.”

“No testing range?”

Vial shook his head.
“Try it out in the hall when we’re done. Ok, that’s armor, medical, shields, guns, AI, and power generation…walk around the lab for a few minutes to get the onboard systems used to your movements. Just say ‘activate calibration mode and tutorial.’” Vial then let out a sigh.

“The best advice I can give you is from what Sassi once said about being modified. ‘“If you can think you can do it, then you can. That’s what these modifications do.’”

The Thestral nodded in thanks, activating the calibration and tutorial in his helmet as he walked. The AI ran through a series of simple ‘how-to’ instructions ranging from checking vitals, systems, movement, reloading; everything he needed for a combat scenario. Vial seemed to be recording something, speaking into a camera above a monitor for the minutes he was walking around.

A final chime echoed. Apparently, that did it.
“Calibration and tutorial complete,” Astral relayed, Vial nodding and tapping a few keys. A file popped up in Astral’s HUD before vanishing.

“Perfect. And I just finished making a few messages to you for later. They’ll pop up automatically. The AI can answer questions about the armor as well, but I think that covers everything.” A square robotic arm then jutted out from the wall. “Well, that’s not necessary, but…”

“And that is?”

“A tactical marker. Squad symbol for later deployments. Not necessary now.”

Astral smirked, the rumbling fire in his chest flaring.
“Do you have the icon for a meteor by chance?”

‘Perhaps you will be the meteor who helps to burn away the evil of this place.’

I remember, Joro.

Tapping a few keys, Vial nodded in confirmation, the robotic arm making a matching set of icons on Astral’s shoulder pads.

“Looks good in gold,” Vial mused. “Oh, one thing I didn’t mention, but I suppose it’s worth a shot. You have a satellite communications feature on the armor to pair with other helmets, or broadcast on a wide spectrum. I doubt that’s enough to punch through the Silo’s shielding, and it probably would be seen as a virus by Equestrian Intelligence. But at the very least, you can record and play back your helmet footage. From what messages I got, they’re trying to monitor things down here. So, on the other end, everyone will be looking for a message.”

Astral took a few deep breaths, feeling oddly good. His emotions were muted, for now.
“Well, it’s worth a shot. Then I guess that’s it. Thank you, Vial,” he said, the previous statement about emotions being torn to shreds as Astral’s throat clogged up. “I can’t thank you enough for this.”

Gesturing to Astral, the two made their way back up the small elevator and to the escape pods.
“Consider this my best attempt to do some good in this world. I should be thanking you for the chance at some form of redemption,” the unicorn admitted, pausing next to an empty escape tube.

“You’ll have about four hours from now until the effects wear off. That’s my best guess. By then you’ll need to be in the medical center. So set a timer. Your emotions may be a bit up and down, but overall, you should be combat-ready. Assuming Sassi was taken to the Queen on the reactor level about twenty-five floors down, there’s a utility tunnel that leads to the upper third of Silo Three. Go there, and through the nearest utility stairwell. The medical center will be on your left, past three sets of security doors. After that, I don’t know much about the layout. The suit can scan for a general blueprint of that Silo.”

Silo Three.

The chill that ran down Astral’s spine was offset by the massive guns on his side. That could wait.

“Thank you again, Vial. Is there any way to track Sassi with the armor?”

“Not directly. You can try to tap into the Silo systems and have it scan for any personnel still alive. But there’s no way to know. Sorry,” Vial said.

Astral flipped up the gold visor, meeting Vial’s gaze.
“Then I’ll go floor by floor. If you see my parents…just, in case that camera was faulty, let them know I want to do this. Whatever the outcome may be, and that I love them.”

Vial nodded, reaching out a hoof, shaking Astral’s.
“I’ll do that. Good luck, Astral. You’re better than this Silo deserves.”

With a nod, Vial was then gone, whisked up through the tube.

And now I’m alone.

His thoughts abruptly stopped, the stallion letting out a growl.

No, I’m not alone. There’s someone here.
I’m on my way, Sassi.

Author's Note

If you want peace, prepare for war.

Chapter Sixty One: We send unto her...only you.

Astral stood at the end of the hallway, a series of smoking holes in the metal at the other end.

The minigun had minimal recoil, but the canon made Astral’s body shudder with the recoil. The forelimb-wide hole at the end of the hall indicated that it was a small sacrifice to make. He began to trot towards the elevators, some text popping up in the corner.

‘Weapon discharge detected. Final fire-control system calibration needed.’

“Calibration? How long will that take?” he asked, the AI providing an immediate answer.

‘Three minutes to achieve optimal power flow and targeting projections.’

“Then do it.”

The loading bar ticked down for the calibration, Astral’s eyes narrowing.
Four hours.

He didn’t know what awaited them in Silo Three. But at that moment, the Thestral didn’t care.

I promised her.

Punching the next level, he had to wait only a moment before the elevator jarred to a stop, the power then shutting down at the next floor.

‘Calibration complete. Combat recording active. All systems operating at maximum efficiency.’

Astral took a deep breath.

I’m like a hero in all of those action movies…

He let out a snort at that, a jarring through punched through the stallion’s mind as he forced the doors open.

No. That’s not right.

As a Skitter charged from halfway down the hall, Astral planted his hooves and fired. The guns roared, the shots shredding the creature as it collapsed into a gory pile a few paces from Astral.

This place doesn’t need a hero.

Two more Skitters burst out from rooms on the side of the hall; guns screaming their response as the creatures collapsed into a mound of shredded limbs and claws.

This place needs a monster!

A fire was building in Astral’s chest as he walked over the Skitter. The same creatures that had tormented him for days, nearly killed him…

They were nothing now.

I have to move fast!

“Start a timer. Three hours, forty-five minutes. And can you tap into the speaker system of the Silo?” Astral asked the AI.

A timer appeared in his HUD, and a confirmation also popped up as a list of broadcast options was listed.

‘Two-way broadcast available. Multiple speakers and microphones detected on multiple floors.’

“Broadcast everywhere. I want that Queen to hear me!”

“Broadcast coming through! We’ve got audio on this broad spectrum, but it’s going to fade soon.”

“Queen of the Skitters, Clone of Joro!” Astral’s voice boomed from over the speakers. Ponies abruptly turned down the volume in the control room, Twilight and Vial listening intently. With a wave, the audio stream was broadcast was sent to the other monitoring stations in the neighboring kingdoms. The video feed was shaky, but they were able to see the armored Thestral pause on the Silo floor.

“Let Sassi go.”

An evil hissing laugh echoed through the speakers, the Queen sneering from her level twenty-five floors below him.

“No.”

Astral’s eyes narrowed, his eyes picking up movement at the other end of the destroyed office floor despite the lights being off.

“Let her go, or I’ll kill every one of your spawn until you do!”

Another hissing laugh.
“You amuse me, pony. You may try.”

The movement intensified, four Skitters charging across the rubble towards Astral. Two more punched through the ceiling, nearly on top of the Thestral as they lunged at him.

Their limbs slowed, Astral watching as they bounded towards him.
The miniguns spun up, their barrels rotating far too slowly for Astral’s liking.

There was, however, another weapon he had seen listed in the tutorial.

His right forelimb jerking, a blade snapped out and locked into place from the armored vambrace. Ducking the swipe from the nearest Skitter, an emotional dam snapped. A roar left the Thestral’s mouth, Astral sending the blade up through the Skitter’s jaw and into its brain. The miniguns finally spun up, shredding the other with a blast of rounds.

The other four were almost close enough to strike, but the magical bullets tore into the flesh as if it was tissue paper. Holes were punched through chests, arms, and heads. Their bodies tumbled to the ground as Astral lashed out with the blade at the last Skitter who got too close.

Standing on the pile of former experiments, Astral saw a Spiders creeping towards him, apparently having followed the Skitters.

The cannon blast blew a hole in the floor, the spider now nowhere to be seen.

I hate those things.

“Broadcast again.”

‘Broadcasting.’

“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear,” Astral growled. “I’m going to kill every one of your minions until you let Sassi go. If you want to make a deal, send a single Skitter to the floor below me. I won’t ask again.”

“Interesting. You are not normal,” the Queen mused over the speakers. “Perhaps your modifications will serve my children well too!”

“Is that why you want Sassi?”

The Queen paused, chuckling darkly over the speakers.
“This mare’s genetic structure can give me an edge to spread beyond this place. The collapse of the portals means nothing!”

Good. So, they did close, or are about to. That means no more creatures coming through.

“If you hurt Sassi, I’ll overload the reactor,” Astral warned, “Split Tie told me that room is heavily shielded by systems even you don’t know about! I’ll be safe up here, but that room will be incinerated. Then I’ll get her!”

It was a bluff, but a logical one. However, it clearly caught the Queen’s attention, a furious hiss echoing around.

“The detonator? You would kill her!”

Astral smirked. A bluff and a bet had paid off. He assumed the Queen had Sassi close; now he had a more solid idea of why and exactly where.

“So. She’s close to you then? Twenty-five levels down? Good to know. I’ll see you soon, Queen.”

“You will die, pony.”

“Eventually, but not today. My deal stands. Let Sassi go, or I’ll kill every one of you. Goodbye.”

“You DARE threaten-”

“Pause broadcast mode.”
The Queen was abruptly cut off.

“Chart fastest route to the source of where that voice was.”

A simple directional compass appeared, aiming directly at the large utility elevators at the end of the floor. This Silo had odder elevator shafts than others; the passenger ones being separate from the multiple cargo options spanning multiple floors.

Astral let out a growl as he saw a familiar, bulky shape climb out of the destroyed utility elevators at the end of the room. His hooves slammed into the ground, a nearly uncontrolled rage spiking in the stallion’s heart.

The cannons roared, the Queen’s Guard reeling as its bony armor was blown to pieces. Its left arm was severed at the shoulder, then its right. The arms on its back were then shot off, the behemoth toppling to land in front of Astral as he aimed the cannons again. The creature looked at him, and Astral hoped the Queen was watching from her hive mind.

A single shot to the head coated the floor in gore, Astral then galloping towards the open elevator.

“If you can think you can do it, then you can. That’s what these modifications can do.”

I hear you, Sassi.

The anger was still building, the idea of some monster harvesting Sassi for her blood…it was just like the Company all over again.

Another creature using her.

His hooves slammed into the tile, the ceramic shattering as Astral charged towards the open elevator, the doors having been long since torn aside. The AI picked up on his intent, marking the target with a simple dot.

Jumping into the elevator, Astral wrapped his hooves around the thick cable. His heavy weight sent the Thestral flying down, sparks flying from his hooves.

As he landed on the utility elevator ten floors down, Astral felt his limbs shaking, but not with fear.

The doors were blown off their hinges, two Skitters desperately lunging at the Thestral as he charged from the elevator shaft, a dozen more scrambling to catch up to the pony. As the guns tore the Experiments to shreds, Astral saw more creatures surge from a side hallway. His vision sharpened, the world moving in slow motion.

The anger at the injustice of the world, of this place; Astral couldn’t take it anymore. He had been running and hiding for weeks, months.

Running.

The moment when Astral had tried to stand against the rotting ideals in the world as a Night Guard Trainee, the world had just forced him to run. Run from the city. Run from a normal life. Run straight into the jaws of this Company.

Then running from the AI that then tried to collapse the Silo on top of him. Running from the Skitters…

I’m so sick of running.

The evil of this Silo, this world; they all wanted a piece of the pony that had evaded them for so long. More Skitters joined the horde ahead of him.

This place wanted to tear away the one mare Astral cared about. As if a childhood of torture wasn’t enough penance, the world wanted to extract even more from the mare.

Gaseous fear rose in Astral’s throat; but not for the horrors that reached out with boney claws. It then condensed, a white-hot ball of rage burning in Astral’s chest.

“You want a monster?!” he bellowed. Astral wasn’t sure who he was talking to. The Skitter Queen, the World, the ‘Harmony’ that was supposed to keep everything in check?

He didn’t care.

“WELL, HERE I AM!”

Hooves slammed into the tiles; the ceramic shattered as the Thestral charged the oncoming horde. The guns made the air scream with magical rounds. A wordless yell left Astral’s throat, fangs bared as the guns joined in with their own calls.

The Skitters became shredded underneath the rain of rounds, limbs torn off and were sent flying. The ones who got close enough met Astral’s blade. As he threw off the body of one Skitter, he caved in the head of another, hoof punching clean through the bony skull with a splash of gore.

Another wave gathered, but Astral didn’t give them a chance to regroup.

I promised to not leave her.

The guns continued to fire, barrels heating up to a cherry red. Even as they paused to cool down, the stallion charged, cannons blowing two of the Skitters to pieces.

The suit inadvertently broadcast his next words as he skewered a Skitter with his blade, speakers across the Silo and control rooms roaring.

“GIVE HER BACK!”

Author's Note

Chapter Sixty Two: Rip and tear, until it is done

Astral had abandoned energetic yells and roars some time ago.

His throat was raw, breath coming in fit pants. The smell of blood and magical discharge made his nose twitch even through the helmet’s filters.

A swipe from a Skitter nearly took his head off, the Thestral ducking and lashing out with the blade. The guns roared, pounding three other creatures into submission as they tried to charge him. The grenade belt had been used up long ago; the explosives having shredded dozens of Skitters flooding back from the floors the stallion had zipped past on the elevator cable.

Now, it was just the RASP suit and Astral against whatever the Queen could muster. Odd energy flooded Astral’s frame, an occasional snarl making the stallion bare his fangs.

His hooves stepped on Skitter corpses, blood soaking the armor. Astral’s hooves crushed bone as he climbed onto the pile of bodies. More charged at the stallion, his guns screaming their reply. Another few steps forward, the Thestral ripped a smaller Skitter off his armor and slammed it into the wall. The cannons belched, tearing the arm off of a Guard that charged down the narrow hallway.

More blood soaked Astral’s hooves and covered the armor. The Thestral pushed forwards. After so many years, the monster was finally free from its cage.

His armored hoof cracked the skull of a Skitter that charged. Astral jumped, dodging a strike, and continued to fill the air with magical rounds.

Now the stallion understood the thrill of battle. Whether it ran in his family’s blood or not, he finally realized why so many sought out the Guard and trained for combat. There was nothing else except the fight. Anything and everything to win was an option. A single-minded goal and purpose.

He loved it.

And yet part of Astral had recoiled in fear at the simple realization. It had been so easy killing Split, and worse of all, it had felt good. That comprehension had made the Thestral shiver. He had killed a pony and there hadn’t been revulsion, but genuine satisfaction.

He had shoved that down. Astral could psychoanalyze himself later.
The Skitters and creatures were different and provided the perfect distraction. Now they were what stood between him and Sassi.

In the oddest way, Astral felt a sense of being complete, even as his guns blew off limbs and the blade gutted Skitters. His mind was empty of everything else but battle.

Restraint would get him killed, hesitation leading to failure. No thought to whether he was on the right path. Every shred of protective nature was drawn upon, and no violent option needed to be discarded. He had felt similar to this at brief moments. Training for the guard during combat classes, when intervening to help the mare as a Trainee, and, oddly, when saving the filly from the collapsed building.

It was a mind-emptying clarity. There was a singular purpose, an objective. Everything else faded away. Be it saving a life, or in this case, taking one.

But the monsters in the Silo’s didn’t elicit a shred of pity from the Thestral. Astral’s fangs were bared in an almost eager grin as he charged the nearest Skitter horde.

The strikes moved in slow motion, it almost being foals-play to dodge and deliver a deadly strike. Even three Skitters attacking at once were dispatched with a burst of bullets and ripping of the blade. There was no more fear, no more hesitation as blood and gore soaked the stallions’ armor. Claws that lashed out to strike were severed; torsos were blown in two.

Another Guard now tried to tackle the Thestral head-on. It bullied aside some office equipment as it charged, a Skitter jumping off its back to try and pin the pony.

A burst of shots shredded the smaller creature, Astral ducking the swipe of the Guard’s boney arm. The blade lashed out, the Guard stumbling as its hip tendons were severed. Astral then turned, cannons ripping into the lightly-armored back of the creature as it rumbled past him- and then it was dead.

There was only one objective. And she lay far beneath Astral’s hooves. These creatures wouldn’t stop him.

They couldn’t stop him.

I’m coming, Sassi!

Astral?

She could have sworn she heard the stallion’s voice through the blackness. Sassi eventually blinked after some time had passed, the mare’s body feeling like molasses. She was able to survey her surroundings again. Sure enough, she was still plastered into place with organic…something to a wall. To her left, the mare could barely see a massive creature out of the corner of her eye. The hum of a reactor made it fairly clear who that was.

A dozen Skitters clambered past Sassi, the lumpy, web-like maroon material on the walls providing easy handholds for them.

“No. Leave her for now,” the voice hissed.

Sassi looked over, her heart dropping as a colorful spider looked at her. It moved away, head bowing to the voice.

“I wanted to at least speak to you once, Sassi,” the Queen growled, moving to look at the mare. Like an engorged spider, the front half of the Queen was vaguely changeling-like, at least before reforming. Easily twice the size of Joro, the large, triangular head sported eight green eyes that contrasted against the pale-grey chitin.

Numerous arms sprouted from her thick torso, legs supporting a thorax that extended from outside Sassi’s view.

In Astral’s words, a ‘freaky spider’ indeed.

The mare twisted this way and that as the Queen chuckled.

“Save your energy. You’ll need it. I hope to revitalize hundreds of eggs with your blood. I’m going to enjoy this. You’ve been quite an annoyance to me over the years.”

“My blood?” Sassi asked, her tongue feeling heavy, her mouth tasting horrible from the after-effects of whatever venom was in her system.

“You are modified to be better than other ponies. I can use that mutagenic structure for my brood, especially with the traces of that other Queen in your blood and tissue. If only your mate could join you, but he won’t survive long.”

My what!?

Seeing her blank face, the Queen let out a huff.
“It matters not. He can’t fight forever. He’s already tiring.”

Sassi stayed quiet. The last thing she wanted to do was give the Queen any information. But her heart soared, at least until a familiar spider bit her neck again.

Astral’s alive!

Astral panted, shoving the body of a Skitter off of him. With a wince, he yanked one of its severed claws from the armor. It had punched through the mesh, a red warning flashing in his helmet. Even ‘stab-proof’ material had limits.

Three hours, and I’m a little over halfway there. Ten more floors to go. No more Skitters at the present…good.

The pain from the stabbing claw in his side faded, the suit injecting more healing foam into the wound. It was one of multiple stabs and slashes that had gotten through the suit’s defenses. Astral would have been dead a dozen times over if not for the armor, but it could only do so much. He already was coughing up bloody foam now and again, Skitter claws and teeth having punctured through the protective fibers.

In the end, Astral didn’t have the tactical training and experience Sassi had. He wasn’t used to being this effective in combat which made it easy to overestimate himself. More than one Skitter had managed to sneak up on him, and a spider had gotten a bite in just before he had ducked into this side room for a breather. His limbs had already started to tingle.

‘Neurotoxin detected. Administering antidote and painkillers.’

The odd tingling vanished, a warning light flashing.
‘Medical reserves depleted. Please replace.’

Removing the cartridge, Astral slotted in a new one, the suit incorporating the refill with a soft ‘hiss’ of sterilizing mist. There was only one left, the hours of fighting having depleted his other spares. And that was assuming there weren’t side effects from all of the antibiotics, painkillers, foam, and other things being pumped into the stallion’s system. Considering he was going past the recommended limit…well, that was a problem for later.

How am I going to get through ten more floors?

His energy had faded along with the rage. Adrenaline had been spent, the stallion’s muscles burning. It had been a slog, dozens of Skitters clogging up hallway after hallway in the past five floors. The sheer mass and numbers had forced Astral to take it slow, more than a few having gotten some good strikes in. Joro had either intentionally lied, or vastly underestimated how many of the creatures there were. Astral assumed the latter, and he had killed dozens of them, yet they still came. Some were small, lacking a barcode. These Half-Skitters were faster but less powerful. They died all the same.

He had never fought this hard, the blade on his forelimb having dispatched quite a few Spiders and Skitters alone. The breaks had been sporadic and tense, the stallion barely chancing a swig of water rations before soldiering on. Three hours of combat was far beyond any of Astral’s experiences. It had been a strange blur, yet he could recall individual moments clear as day.

Ducking swipes from Skitters, cutting their throats. Bullets shredding them by the dozens all in slow motion. The cannons tearing into the rare Guard sent his way. It had been a bloodbath, and he hadn’t remained unscathed.

Twenty thousand rounds between the two miniguns had already been expended, and Astral was halfway through his only reload. The Queen had sent so many waves, sometimes backpedaling and firing had been the only thing Astral had been able to do.

And yet he had gotten this far.

But his limbs still shook with stress. Emotional, and physical; it was easy to get overwhelmed. The anger and rage had been the perfect fuel, but now that was gone. There was no more thrill, only a blood-filled slog as he pushed forwards. Of course, that had been covered in the Night Guard boot camp. When all of the adrenaline and thrill were gone, that was where your training took over.

The timer still ticked down.

A few breaths in, a few breaths out. Astral didn’t have the years of training for this. The pool to draw on was almost dry. His limbs shook, even as the timer continued to spin.

I have to keep moving.

Unknown to the stallion, hundreds of eyes were glued to the images of the cameras throughout the Silo. The past three hours of gory firefights had weeded out the weak of stomach. Multiple control centers were recording the footage, but only the most hardened remained.

It was then Flask who voiced what many ponies were thinking as the Thestral sat still in the small room, sides heaving.

“Get up, Astral. Get up.”

“At my current pace, how long until I get to the reactor chamber?” Astral asked.

‘Two hours.’

It was too long, even assuming Astral had the full four hours before the side effects took him out. He was down to his last hour as it was, likely less.

“Highlight the most direct route again. How much time if I gallop?”

The path led down the hallway and a series of stairs; the elevators were locked in place on this floor.

‘Estimated time: Twenty minutes if running non-stop, allotting a slower pace for stairs, elevator shaft traversal, and so forth.’

So, he had to run. Not pause and fight, but go through the hordes.

Move, Astral!

He stood up, facing the door and taking a few breaths. The stallion missed the anger; it had made things easier, gave him purpose, and energy. Rage had gotten him this far, but no more. What else was there? His combat training was used up long ago. There was no Guard, no organization coming to his rescue. It was just him. What more could motivate-

With an almost electric jolt, Astral’s thoughts flatlined.

“Motivation?!” he muttered to himself.

The anger returned, but all of it was directed inwards. Did he just forget why he was here? His hooves began to move, Astral pausing at the door. A soft growl formed in his throat.

Sassi.

“I promised,” he whispered.

What more motivation did he need? Warmth flooded the stallion’s chest, Astral taking a final deep breath before entering the hallway.

“I promised to show you the forests,” the stallion added, emotion abruptly clogging his throat.

His most recent words as she had sobbed into the Thestral’s arms made energy ignite through his frame. The mare begging him not to leave her.

Why would I ever abandon the mare I’ve fallen in love with?

The simple four-letter word flowed smoothly into his thoughts, and it made Astral’s chest glow. That was the crux of it. Such a simple admittance, and he wasn’t about to backtrack on the thought.

I love her. The strong start of it at the very least. I’d be lying to myself if I used any other word.

The reactor levels abruptly spiked, a temporary boost of power…odd.

“I promised you that I wasn’t going anywhere,” Astral whispered, “just hang on. I’m not stopping.”

I never will.

A new icon appeared in the corner; it had flashed up a few times.

“What is that icon again? An attack cut off your last explanation.”

‘Broadcasting video and audio footage to available sources. The connection is intermittent. Discontinue?’

So, someone was watching.
“Alright. May as well stream it. Maybe give the other Board members an idea of their fate,” Astral growled, pausing to look at a Skitter with the top of its head missing. “Maybe they’ll get the picture. But first things first. Highlight the route and alert me of any motion outside my vision.”

‘Confirmed.’

Astral’s hooves began to move again. First, it was a trot, and then a gallop.

Two Queen’s Guards tore through the floor at the end of the hall, the creatures barreling towards him.

That made Astral smile. No more Skitters meant the Queen was, hopefully, running low on minions.

But he couldn’t stop.

The cannons roared, projectiles slamming into the two guards with a thunderous staccato. Tearing into the first Guard, the projectiles tore off half of the creature’s arm. It ducked into a roll, then sprang towards Astral with its hind legs and swiping with its good limb.

The stallion flattened himself to the floor, guns still firing as he slid underneath the creature. Armor or not, the number of projectiles began to saw the Guard in half from beneath.

The second guard managed to land a solid blow, the serrated bone making Astral’s armor shriek in protest. The shields dropped, and the metal across his left side now sported a brutal gouge.

Astral righted himself, leaning towards the follow-up strike from the Guard. Sidestepping at the last moment, the stallion lashed out with the bladed gauntlet, ripping into bone and flesh alike.

And then he bolted.

The Guard roared as it gave chase, not expecting the pony to abandon the fight. Ducking into the large stairwell, Astral made the cement crack as he plowed through the guardrails to skip various steps.

The next floor sent its greeting to the Stallion immediately, three previously immobile half-Skitters trying to pile onto Astral as soon as he stepped out of the stairwell.

He felt something jab into his side, Astral letting out a yell as the guns fired, blade lashing out. The miniguns cut one of the Skitters in half, the cannons vaporizing the chest of a second. The third had latched on something fierce, and Astral literally carving the monster’s torso in two with his blade.

Yanking out one of the smaller Skitter’s claws, Astral let out a hiss as the medical foam patched the wound, armor mesh tightening to put pressure on it. He wanted to stop and let his shields recharge, but there was no time.

A fourth, fully-grown Skitter tried to attack; but it was more out of desperation than anything.

Seeing it jump in the air at him, Astral sidestepped and promptly sliced off a few of its limbs. As it tumbled to the ground, a few strikes with the blade made the creature utterly harmless aside from its snapping mouth. The Thestral snarled back at the creature, punching an armored hoof right into the Skitter’s mouth.

As it spat out broken teeth, the Skitter let out a screech, Astral’s blade now impaling it against the wall. The Thestral retracted his visor and glared at the creature.

“I don’t know how your hivemind works, but deliver this message to your Queen! I’m still coming, and I’ve got plenty of ammo! How many more do I have to kill?”

To Astral’s joy, he saw fear flicker in the experiment’s eyes.

“One Skitter on the next floor if you want to make a deal. Sassi had better be unharmed!” he snarled. “I’ll be waiting!”

With a swipe of his forelimb, Astral decapitated the Skitter with a snarl, trotting towards the next set of stairs.

He didn’t know how many more creatures the Queen had to throw at him, but if he could get close enough to her, he had an ace in the hole.

To that end, the stallion paused to retrieve some metal piping, wrapping a few items around it with some heavy gauge wire he had picked up previously.

It was a gamble, but it was all Astral had.

Chapter Sixty Three: A Promise

Astral entered the next floor and was genuinely shocked to see it mostly bare. Destroyed, but empty. Desks and workbenches were scattered everywhere, these final floors apparently having been dedicated to manufacturing and occasional research the closer he got to the reactor. Quite a few storage rooms branched off from some side hallways, but those weren’t Astral’s concern.

A single Skitter greeted him at the end of the floor. Even from the creature’s mutated features, Astral could sense the rage radiating from every pore as it spoke.

“Very well, pony. Follow this one,” the Queen said through her drone.

Astral followed into more stairs, senses on a swivel. It was the perfect place for a trap, after all.

Halfway down the stairwell, his hooves began to squish on…something. Maroon, webby organic matter carpeted the walls, the floor, and the ceiling.

He was fairly certain parts of it were pulsing, an organic hive structure starting to cement itself, replacing concrete and rebar. They descended past the last few floors, and Astral’s stomach abruptly convulsed.

Spitting up a blob of black tar, Astral’s eyes widened in horror as the helmet disposed of it with a fizzle.

It’s too soon. I should have another thirty minutes!

He thankfully didn’t feel any different yet, so down they went, exiting a few floors above the reactor.

They then passed through numerous previously-secure doors, decontamination stations, and monitoring checkpoints. Astral had no doubt this had once been secured as they went down a few more sloped halls and wide stairwells. But the organic mush and Skitters had destroyed it all. The halls felt like they were closing in, the hive material providing an infinite number of holds for Skitter and Spider claws.

Dozens of them were watching the Thestral. Full-grown Skitters, the small ones, and Spiders too.

A final Queen’s Guard stood at the end of the destroyed hall; the creature moving aside as they neared. It was eerie to see them still and not lunging at the stallion.

The hum of a reactor now reached Astral’s senses as the room opened up.

To both his left and far, far right, large organic pillars rose to the ceiling, many floors in height above them. To his immediate right, the wall was carpeted with the hive material, more dozens of Skitters watching him.

On his left and in the distance, a massive series of crystals and metal stalactites and stalagmites jutted out from the ceiling and floor in the background. Blue plasma flickered from point to point, all from behind a thick, plexiglass window.

In front of the reactor, he came face to face with the Queen.

Towering over hundreds of eggs, the spider-like creature glowered at him with eight eyes radiating rage. A skitter watched Astral to his left on one of the pillars, even more latched onto the ceiling far above.

Past the Queen and down a short slope on her left, Astral saw the top of a tunnel.

The utility tram!

“You wanted a deal, pony?” the Queen growled. “Then speak!”

“You let Sassi go, and we leave,” Astral stated flatly.

“And then you would destroy us with the reactor. Give us the detonator, and then you can take your mate and go,” the Queen countered. “Not that it matters. We’ll be free soon enough!”

“Let me see Sassi. Give her to me, and then we’ll discuss what I do! I have no assurances that she is even alive!” Astral growled.

With a hiss, the Queen waved a large limb, the Skitter to Astral’s left moving. The Thestral’s heart lodged in his throat as a familiar mare was cut down from the organic prison.

She fell into a heap on the floor, Astral moving over to gently check on her, all the while making sure his guns were trained on the Queen. Sassi was alive, but her pulse was weak, the mare unresponsive outside of briefly managing to open her eyes from behind a shattered visor.

“I warned that if you hurt her…”

“She was sedated. The poison will wear off, assuming she gets one of your antidotes,” the Queen replied dismissively. “I didn’t plan on keeping her alive much longer regardless. Now then…” she growled.

Astral nodded, first picking up Sassi and securing her on his back with some repurposed rope. A hasty, sloppy job, but it’d work. It also masked his cough as more black sludge came up.
“So, you let us go free after we give you the detonator?” he confirmed.

“That is the deal.”

Astral noticed movement on his motion detector. A large dot and five smaller ones slowly moved above him and got closer. He’d have never noticed unless he looked up.

An ambush.

“Alright. Here’s the detonator,” he said slowly, drawing out the device.

The dots moved even faster.

He wasn’t a fool. The Queen had no intention of letting them go; especially if she could just re-capture Sassi. The creatures were almost on top of him now, barely a few paces away.

“Drop it on the ground and then you can leave,” the Queen said, a bit of smugness entering her tone. “A deal is a deal.”

Her eyes widened, the detonator wasn’t the only thing being held in Astral’s hooves.
Slamming a combat knife onto the metal pole, Astral stomped on the end of the hollow tube. The detonator was already affixed to the knife.

“Say hello to the Company for me!” he snarled, flicking the switch. The Thestral depressed the button and hurled the weapon at the Queen.

She moved to dodge the makeshift spear, but the mutant hadn’t been Astral’s target.

Hitting the floor in front of her, the spear slid underneath the Queen’s massive bulk and was lost among the eggs and fleshy floor. Astral galloped towards the utility exit. The six ambushing creatures now lunged towards the Queen, desperately trying to locate the detonator as she let out a wrathful roar.

The reactor began to spit red sparks, Astral barreling towards the utility gate as a powerful teleportation spell began to activate.

“Timer. Thirty seconds. Medical Center Destination, Silo Three.”

The countdown began, no Skitters following as they focused on the detonator. Not that it mattered. If what Split had said was true, once activated, the device itself was useless after a few seconds. Hopefully, the teleportation spell had activated when the spear was close enough.

The downward-sloping tunnel was a fairly steep one, the arching area easily big enough to park three carriages side by side. A dull orange metal moving platform sat parked just behind the torn-open blast doors.

Landing on the platform, Astral punched the activator switch. The gears began to turn, the platform moving down the now-visible central tram line, one gear tooth at a time.

Twenty.

It was too slow.

Jumping off the platform, Astral heard the Queen let out another bellow, the Thestral shooting a lone chasing Skitter with a blast from his cannon.

His hooves sent out a cascade of sparks as he slid down the smooth cement. Red emergency lights became a blur, the stallion watching the countdown in his HUD.

Ten.

True to Joro’s word, a set of security doors halfway down the tunnel was torn open, a hasty barricade of metal and debris covering the opening. Two shots from the cannons blew them to pieces, Astral zipping through the jagged entrance with a flurry of sparks.

Even at his speed, Astral could see the walls on both sides of the security door painted with blood and gore. Odd, white-colored fungal growth was blooming from the Silo side of the door.

Five.

The bottom was now visible, a set of rusted, corroded catwalks winding up from the subway-like station.

Sliding across the cement, Astral’s armored hooves scrabbled to regain traction as he shifted into a gallop. He turned, spying a large red button next to what appeared to be some sort of control panel next to the tunnel entrance behind him.

Astral fired a flurry of shots as he was jumping up the stairs. It had the desired effect; the weathered device shorted out and sent a large blast shield rolling down from the ceiling as the magical bullets hit the button.

Zero.

The explosion shook the entire room, cement cracking as a bright light ignited at the end of the tunnel. The roar grew in volume, flames starting to lick around the blast shield before it slammed into place. Debris rattled against the metal, the door starting to crack and spit out flame before subsiding.

Astral continued to climb, his limbs starting to become weak. He burped up more sludge, a cold shiver running down the Thestral’s spine.

Time’s up.

More flights of stairs, the metal and concrete halls looking more decrepit the farther Astral went. The only modern areas were the thick, white doors that were securely bolted into the walls, ensuring no passage without proper clearance. They were thick enough to potentially withstand a few blasts from the cannon.

Thankfully, the override code still worked, and Astral continued on. There was only a single pause in a simple decontamination cycle; no more than thirty seconds. The water pelted down over the pair, Astral’s gore-soaked armor now at least not dripping with blood.

Entering a long hallway with faded white tiles, Astral stopped at one of the large double doors to his left. Halfway down the hall, it was pitch black, so that would have to wait.

Pushing into the medical center, Astral immediately secured the two-room medical bay. There were only two main doors, one having already heavily barricaded in the other room and leading to a small side-hallway. That left the main doors in the room with four beds. That was easy enough to seal. Even though there was a small, circular window on each door, the glass was fairly thick. The air vents were also barricaded, safe enough for now.

The medical center was at best, non-sterile. The floor was at least clear of debris aside from faded bloodstains. The counters were ruined; clearly having been scavenged by some sort of individuals along with the wall-mounted shelves. The medical beds themselves, however, were somehow spotless, robotic arms with healing crystals awaiting activation. What sort of backup power they ran on, Astral wasn’t sure, but the magical spells were still active. The lights in the center of their room flickered on and off, finally settling on a dim glow.

Astral set Sassi carefully down on the middle medical bed. He then got to work. A cold sweat spread across his fur.

Opening the cabinets above the medical beds, Astral’s eyes flickered over the contents. At first, there was nothing in any of the storage cabinets of use. Old, expired medications, ruined materials, and a slew of ruined IV bags. The helmet seemed to switch into a different mode, cabinets abruptly being highlighted with potential supply locations.

He filed that away for the future.

A few empty highlighted cabinets later, Astral then he found. In the back of one of the large drawers beneath the cabinets, a single, intact IV bag full of antivenom greeted him, along with a basic first aid kit.

He quickly set up the IV drip into Sassi’s arm, the stallion then stumbling. His limbs were starting to become numb.

‘Warning. Blood toxicity levels rising. DNA destabilization process beginning. Seek medical attention.’

Dropping one of the miniguns on the floor, Astral lay on the bed, body starting to shiver. He punched the large power button, watching as the machine spun to life.

“Auto-detection mode activated. Multiple patients detected. Stand by for treatment.”

As healing magic saturated Astral’s frame, he could barely keep his eyes open. Black tar continued to ooze from his mouth despite trying to clear it. The door then shuddered. From more explosions or a creature, Astral didn’t know.

He flopped to the floor, barely managing to aim his gun towards the secure entrance. The faint, red mist of a healing spell still managed to reach him off the bed. Sassi was able to get a full dose from her position.

The last thing Astral saw was the mare still out cold. Even with his failing body struggling with the healing crystals, Astral couldn’t help but smile at the warm glow in his chest at seeing her. He then turned back to the door as it shook again, something collapsing in the distance with a rumble. The stallion’s mind was oddly clear and peaceful. There was no more monster, not anymore. The battle had been won, and the Thestral almost laughed at the thought. But that was too much work. His eyes drifted closed. The utter exhaustion was too overwhelming. But they were safe.

Sassi was safe.

I kept my promise, Sassi. I didn’t leave you.
I hope I can see you again, but now I’ve got to go.
I’ve done everything I can.

You’re on your own.

Everything faded away.

Author's Note

Next chapter: An intermission.

Chapter Sixty Four: Intermission, Part 1

Twilight glared at the cowering unicorn. The company representative had wet himself, limbs still shaking in fear.

“I don’t suppose you’re able to explain any of this?” she asked calmly, horn still smoking from multiple arcane discharges.

The unicorn shook his head initially, but then finally nodded once.

Behind Twilight, the now-smoldering corpse of the Skitter Queen and a dozen pony corpses were visible, the teleportation spell having yanked the wounded behemoth creature into one of the Stairway Company’s large receiving platforms along with six of her brood.

The Princess had only been contacted when the security force of the previously-secret installation had begged her to intervene. The Queen had slaughtered the Company’s quick-reaction force before attacking the large blast doors. Twilight could only assume it was Astral who had sent the monster here; contact had been lost with him many hours ago.

When she had gotten word of it, Luna had offered to dispatch the creature herself, claiming it would be a ‘glorious battle’. Her husband had apparently been rather miffed that they couldn’t have a monster-slaying date again.

She now understood why Luna had picked the stallion. But Twilight had settled for some instant alchemy, modifying the hydrogen levels in the room until one of the many damaged electrical panels ignited the air. It had been an instant inferno, burning everything inside the teleportation room to a sterile crisp behind a dozen layers of magical shields.

The Skitters accompanying the Queen had been dispatched, so the threat was disposed of, for now. But there were still two Thestrals unaccounted for.

Sassi awoke to a pounding headache. The mare let out a groan, her senses dulled and limbs obnoxiously leaden.

I was in the reactor room.
An armored figure.
Running.

That snapped the mare back to the present, her eyes flying open.
ASTRAL!

Everything else took a back seat in her mind. Sassi’s eyes darted around their surroundings. The medical bay greeted her, and while she hadn’t been to this one specifically, it was laid out similar to another one in Silo Three. Dormant healing crystals were glowing softly next to the mare, a few others on retractable robotic arms.

An armored pony was crumbled near the entrance, two miniguns strapped to their side.

Only now noticing the empty IV connected to her arm, Sassi disconnected it and dashed over to the figure. Even with her increased strength, it was a struggle to push them onto their side. Red healing spells still flickered across the armor, the aura emanating from the identical, robotic arms poised over the nearest medical bed with diamond-shaped crystals on the ends.

She carefully removed the helmet, red warning lights flashing on the interior.

A horrified cry then ripped from her throat.

Chapter Sixty Six: Return

Fear threatened to overwhelm Sassi’s training and logic.

She forced it down, immediately pulling Astral closer to the healing apparatus. Blood, tar, and foam oozed from the unconscious stallion’s mouth, the pony completely dead weight. Even with her extra strength, she couldn’t haul him fully up onto the bed. Thankfully it had a lowering function so the mare could carefully drag him.

The fact the bed held Astral’s weight with the armor and was able to rise back up to normal levels was impressive.

Now that he was closer to the diamond-shaped crystals, the devices brightened up again as the metal arms lowered slightly. The healing aura spread over Astral, the crystals blinking once. The mare retrieved and put on the RASP helmet.

‘New User. Identify.’

“Sassi Satin.”

‘Voice authorization of previous user confirmed.’

“Display status of other user.”

Sassi’s lips trembled as the outline of a pony was displayed, all of it marked in bright red status lights.

“Should I take off the armor to increase the efficiency of the medical bay’s healing?”

‘Not advised at this time. Armor healing matrices are stabilizing vitals in addition to external spells. Mesh compression systems are providing pressure on multiple, deep lacerations in tandem with vita-foam. Recommend tying in armor systems to the additional power supply and calibrating to work with exterior spells for maximum effectiveness. Initiate?’

“Do it.”

The armor itself glowed, the healing spell flickering for a brief moment.

‘Calibration complete. Utilizing armor healing systems in conjunction with Silo Three Medical Bay, Bed Two. Efficiency at ninety-seven percent; operational maximum. If there is an interruption of power, the RASP reactor can provide an estimated twenty-seven minutes of backup power for Bed Two at full spell strength. Recommend replacing supplemental medical supplies. Current reserves exhausted.’

Sassi carefully rolled Astral partially over, retrieving the last reload for the armor. Slotting in the combination of foam and medications, the mare’s eyes widened in horror as all of the medication levels abruptly dropped by twenty percent before stabilizing.

He was already fading.

“Status and recommendations?” Sassi asked, her voice hitching as Astral coughed up some black tar.

‘Critical condition. Extreme blood toxicity detected. Unstable genetic structure detected. Multiple puncture wounds to vitals including liver and lungs detected and sealed with vita-foam. Multiple, severe contusions across forelimbs, ribcage, spine, and abdomen.

Medical armor reserves such as vita-foam, antibiotics, steroids, and painkillers may be exhausted within 72 hours. Maximum levels of painkillers and antibiotics already deployed; maintaining. Further use is limited.

Recommendation: Movement of the injured user is not advised. Constant power supply to healing elements is critical for user survival at this stage. Obtain additional armor reserves.
Projection: Unknown survival rate. Side effects of unstable genetic structure unknown. Currently evaluating.’

“Would adding another bed’s healing crystals help?”

‘Negative. Magical fields of current user are saturated. Additional healing crystals would drain power and be ineffective, potentially decreasing spell potency.’

The Thestral took a few deep breaths, putting the helmet down.
“Switch to external audio and visual displays,” Sassi said, then looking at the HUD projected above the device. A small icon then faded. “What was that which disappeared?”

‘RASP Armor is set to broadcast when a connection is established to an exterior network. Drive storage at 12% capacity.’

“Well, don’t do that anymore, not until we know more.”

‘Confirmed.’

A wave of helplessness swept over Sassi, the mare shuddering. Not being able to do anything for Astral was disturbing on a level the mare was struggling to deal with. And that was outside of the mind-control she had just gone through. Sassi couldn’t think about that, not yet. Even that brief thought made her stomach clench.

She stood up, retrieving the other discarded minigun and buckling it on. While less effective, the gun could operate while not connected to the RASP armor for a limited time; it just needed to be recharged after each use. The helmet could still be synced to it, so that solved the aiming problem.

It’d have to do.

To that end, Sassi retrieved the other minigun, setting it aside to draw less power from the armor’s systems.

And then she was left looking at Astral. Locating a stack of clean cloth stuffed in the back of a cabinet, Sassi trotted back over to her friend. Her hoof shook slightly as she wiped his mouth. Blood, foam, and detoxification tar stained Astral’s lips, the Thestral still unconscious. She gently placed her hoof against his cheek for a moment, then pulled away.

Her hoof was shaking. The tidal wave of fear was only barely held back by her walls of training that kicked in.

There’d be time to think later. First, assess the situation, herself, the room, and then outside the room.

The first was spotty. They were in Silo Three. Specifically, a medical center. There were a lot of holes in Sassi’s knowledge as to where they exactly were. Her experience in Three was vastly limited and confined to specific sections. She didn’t even know how deep this Silo went. The only parts of this place that Sassi did know were buried deep under trauma and past job experience in the prisoner blocks.

Neither would be pleasant to navigate, but she shoved that down. They also had limited supplies; so, scavenging was the name of the game in this room.

The opportunity had been so close, escaping just out of reach. That fact battered Sassi’s mind. Astral could have escaped, part of the mare had expected him to.

And yet once again, the stallion had proven her wrong on all counts.

The second assessment of herself was simple, Sassi’s previous thoughts leading into it. Her emotions and mental conflict threatened to shatter all of Sassi’s training. Even now, the mare’s limbs shook as memories tore at the Thestral’s mind. Physically, she was fine. Mentally, she was a wreck, but that wasn’t a new revelation.

The third assessment was the medical bay. A careful inspection of the entrances revealed decent barricades at each. Even the double doors had been hastily reinforced and blocked. There was nothing visible outside of the windows on the doors aside from the dim lights. Sassi solved that problem first, immediately covering the windows with some papers dampened from a still-operational faucet. The last thing she wanted was for something to spy on them.

Sassi then carefully went through each cabinet, setting aside things they could use. While nine out of ten items were either destroyed, used, or stolen, there was a growing pile of items they could use. Clean water, a few more medical supplies, portable healing crystals, rags, and other odds and ends. An inspection of Astral’s armor revealed some basic water and food supplies, and the items from his other set. Sassi’s armor still had all of her basic survival gear, sans the guns that had been torn off of her. At least they had enough food and water for a few days. She didn’t trust the faucet water, not yet. But their supplies were enough for now.

The final assessment would have to wait. She wasn’t about to leave the room just yet.

The training then slowed, waiting for the mare to decide what to do next.

Now she could think.

A single item brushed against Sassi’s hoof as she dug into her saddlebags again, and it made more tears abruptly swell in her eyes.

A carefully-woven vine circlet looked back at her. The flowers were wilted, but the green vines still were vibrant and out of place in the dimly-lit medical bay.

Walking over to Astral, Sassi stared at the prone stallion.
“You went through all of t-this, for me?” she asked him, tears rolling down the Thestral’s cheeks as she sat next to him. “Do you even know what this means? The treatment you went through. It will…you could…”

He had to have known, yet here he is. Astral was willing to die to save me, to be modified.
He did all this just for me.

Her lips trembled, soft sobs making the mare’s sides shake. She didn’t know what to say. The RASP was something the mare was familiar with; she had helped each version of the armor after all. The fact that Astral was wearing the latest armor indicated that on at least some level, the modifications had taken.

Astral was like her now. He had willingly been modified just to save her, even if it meant risking death. That pushed Sassi’s mind to the limit, the mare resting her head on Astral’s bed as she continued to cry. The idea that someone would willingly go through the procedure she had been forced into, didn’t make sense. He must have known the risks, the side effects…

There was only one scenario in which logic won out, and it made Sassi’s heart ache. She couldn’t go there. She couldn’t think that way just yet.

“Do you care that much for me, Astral?” she whispered. “Because I’m h-having a hard time imagining anyone feeling that way about me. Caring t-that much.”

Wanting me that much.
Am I worth all of this?

She reached over a hoof to gently rest it against Astral’s cheek. The tears continued to flow from her eyes as the stallion let out a soft murmur, moving his head ever so slightly to press against her trembling touch.

Is this what it’s like for someone to love you?
To fight for you?

That thought caused more tears to well up. She couldn’t process the weight of those statements, not when it was tied to so many buried dreams, and futures the mare thought would never happen. Yet Astral refused to stop feeding the fire of those long-forgotten hopes.

It was too much, far too much to continue mulling over for Sassi’s limited emotional battery. Seeing the stallion she cared about lying near death was a blow enough. Knowing that he had done all of this for her was the knock-out punch. The future Sassi wanted more than anything was dying, and all she could do was watch.

No.

She dried her eyes, a snarl forming on her lips as an almost painful warmth ignited in the mare’s chest. Taking a deep breath, the mare adjusted the minigun and carefully unbarricaded the door.

I won’t let that happen.

If Astral was going to have a chance at waking up, Sassi had to make sure those machines stayed undamaged and powered. And she’d kill anything that stood in her way. Her eyes narrowed at that. She could be vulnerable and afraid, allowing herself to explore the emotions that had been suppressed and ignored for so long. Sassi even accepted the idea of having another good, solid cry later.

But not now.

Thinking about her emotions wasn’t going to keep Astral alive. Ironically, the mare realized her training would.

Next assessment. Make sure the area is clear.

Now, she had a goal. That made things feel even better.

Let’s see what’s in this hallway.

Author's Note

As a heads up, slowing down to 1 chapter per week for now. Expect releases every weekend though!

At least Astral's alive...mostly?

Chapter Sixty Seven: We don’t go to Silo Three

The mare carefully slid out the door. Snagging some pieces of thin metal rebar from some of the debris on the ground, the mare bent them through the double-door handles.

That would hold for a few minutes; she wasn’t going far. Sassi was abruptly aware of how loud the noise of the creaking metal was.

She watched the motion tracker on the helmet, but it was mostly fuzzed out. Some odd electrical field was making the device jump this way and that. Her head on a swivel, the mare stopped halfway down the hallway. The lights weren’t broken, the night vision confirmed that much.

The power was either out or rerouted from this point onwards. Silo Three had its own reactor, a smaller, more inefficient design. But apparently, it was still chugging along.

Infrared night sensors now activating, Sassi carefully walked down the hallway and into the darkness. The area was quiet. There was no humming of electrics, no soft rattle of air conditioning. Particles in the air hung in front of the mare, the infrared beams reflecting off of them.

A cold shiver ran down Sassi’s spine. The mare wasn’t used to feeling fear like this, not anymore. While being close to Astral had ignited a different deep-seated fear, odd situations and experiments simply had stopped frightening the mare.

Yet something made every sense scream to be on an alert. Her enhanced hearing and sight were useless. There was nothing here.

It was like a tomb.

The hallway continued straight, then opened into a room on her left and right. The first was a simple break room connecting to some offices; the medical bay being significantly separate from the other rooms. That was a good realization; the medical area was surrounded by massive deposits of rock on all sides in that case. Only the vents and doors would be the entrance.

The break room was abandoned. There were blood stains here and there, papers strewn over the floor. But no bodies.

A quick sweep and Sassi turned back, starting to exit the room.

As the beams from the infrared swept over the wall near the door, the mare had to clamp her mouth shut from uttering a mortified gasp in shock.

Sassi found herself face to face with a bloody, skeletal skull grinning back at her.

Any semblance of form outside of a skeletal system had been lost. It was as if something had vacuumed all of the soft tissue out of and out of a pony, and then vomited it back at the skeleton and plastered the entire mass to the wall. The organic matter had started to grow across the floor. What color it was, Sassi didn’t know due to the black and white of infrared.

Now the fear began to eat at Sassi’s heart, the mare quickly making her exit. In all her times of dealing with experiments, prisoners, and the worse the Silos had to offer, she had never seen anything that could do that.

On exiting the hallway, Sassi’s heart began to thud in her chest. Directly across from the hall, was another set of offices.

The Thestral could count at least a dozen flesh-plastered skeletons on the walls, ceiling, and floor before she began to backtrack.

What is all of this?!

The minigun hummed, constantly spinning in case the mare had to fire. And yet the hallway was silent. The infrared indicated the hallway curved left past those rooms, but Sassi had seen enough.

The sensation of being watched abruptly hit her. Yet there were no vents, no eyes in the darkness. Only the sensation that the particles in the air could see her, that her movements that sent the dust flying alerted something to their presence. It was like she had stepped on a single thread within a spider’s web.

The mare got back to the hospital doors, quickly ducking inside after removing the metal pieces. Her heart still thudding in her chest, Sassi double-checked the room. The barricades were carefully dismantled and rebuilt more securely, ensuring that nothing could get in the other door or the two air vents on the walls. The main door was also reinforced, the mare scavenging some of the unused beds, cabinets, and other items for the metal.

A crowbar had been lodged in one of the doors to wedge them shut. The mare carefully retrieved the tool and latched it onto her armor.

She then sat next to Astral, struggling to catch her breath. Her training had abruptly failed outside of screaming at her to leave, a primal sense of wrong radiating from the area down the hallway.

The Thestral’s ears twitched. She was aware more of the movement on her head than the sound, initially. In the silence, there had been something.

It was distant, but it moved quietly. A soft shift of some broken glass, the crunch of office papers.

The mare stayed still; guns trained on the main doorway. The other being paused, and a low, ominous clicking echoed down the hallway. The motion tracker was a blur of static, some interference whiting out the display as Sassi yanked the helmet off.

To Sassi’s horror, dozens of smaller clicks replied. The soft skittering of claws ran up and down the hall. The footfalls of the larger individual went past them, a large shadow passing in front of the covered porthole windows. It then turned around at the locked security doors at the end of the hall.

It let out a huff, then retreated down the hall, the smaller ones following. What sounded suspiciously like a warped, deep chuckle echoed down the hall, and then the silence returned. Sassi put the helmet back on, the motion tracker now clear.

Do not go to Silo Three.

Joro’s warning had been correct.

Sassi stared at the door for a while after that. Once no sounds had been heard for some time, the mare let herself relax a bit.

Oddly, knowing there was something here made the Thestral feel a bit more at ease. There was still the unknown of what it was, but that could be solved in time.

Turning her attention to the other minigun, Sassi opened up a back slot on the weapon. Scraping together some solid metal debris, the mare dropped them into a small funnel-like aperture, a soft orange glow igniting within it before guttering out. A message then popped up on her HUD.

‘Minigun Two: Ammunition status, 34%. Inputted matter conversion sequence initiated. Estimated levels after process: 63%. Correction. Battery power is insufficient to initiate the conversion. Please attach to armor to utilize reactor and restart sequence.’

Well, it had been a nice thought. At least the minigun on her saddle had 45% ammunition remaining.

The mare shoved in some more metal, the levels then projecting 100% after the matter conversion. She then stowed the gun, doing the same with the one she still put back onto her side-saddle. If they could spare the power, they could get more ammo. But Sassi didn’t want to draw a single volt from the reactor that was keeping Astral alive, let alone the who-knows-how-damaged electrical grid.

She nearly jumped out of her skin as a crackly voice echoed over the helmet’s speakers, a grainy picture appearing in the HUD.

“Sassi, this is Vial. I hope you get this, and you’re ok,” the stallion said, looking into the camera.

The mare nearly replied, the stallion’s next words nixing that idea, however.

“I’m making these recordings to go off at intervals. Astral is acclimating to the armor now. There’re nine syringes in the back-left saddlebag of the armor; each one has two doses. Astral needs an injection twice per day for a week. I put in two spare syringes; four doses. In an emergency, there might be more syringes in Silo Three, along with the armor’s refill packs. I only heard rumors, nothing concrete. But this is the first reminder to inject a dose into any of the medical ports built into the system. More on that in a moment.”

The stallion sighed, shaking his head.
“I hope to see you two again soon. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for working for this foul company, this place…I’m so sorry for everything,” he said softly. “I wish I could offer advice. Silo Three is a black hole; I don’t know what’s there. It’s been cut off since the first day, and it was heavily compartmentalized before that, as you know. So just be careful. I’ll program reminders to go off every twelve hours to give Astral the injection. If you’re a bit late on the first injection, that’s acceptable. You just need to be on time for all of the others, within the hour.” The unicorn’s lip trembled, the scientist taking a shaky breath.

“I always saw myself as that weird uncle to you. I know you certainly deserved better than Flask or I, but know that we did our best, or at least tried. Well, as good as very flawed ponies could try. I hope to see you again soon. Take care, Sassi. This message will repeat until silenced.”

Acknowledging the recording, Sassi then moved over to Astral, her heart having been pricked by Vial’s words. He had always been nice to her, and she had indeed seen him more as an uncle than anything.

Flawed ponies trying their best.
That sentence put into words quite a few feelings Sassi had about both her father and Vial. But even ponies trying to be good was a rarity in the Silos. She had gotten lucky with two that actually cared.

And now, three.

To that end, Sassi located the syringes, withdrew one, and injected it. It emptied with a pressurized hiss, automatically stopping at the halfway mark, awaiting another application.

Carefully stowing it, Sassi then set a timer for twelve hours, just in case. She frowned, carefully picking out a syringe that had shattered in the pack despite the protective padding. That left only one vial left as a spare.

The mare then busied herself with organizing their shelter, finally pulling over two other medical beds next to Astral. It beat lying on the floor, and she could easily stand up and blast anything that came through.

There was, of course, another reason for wanting to lie down. The mare gently reached over and held Astral’s hoof, a few tears welling up in her eyes.

Hang in there, Astral.

Author's Note

Dun dun dun.....

Chapter Sixty Eight: Outage

After setting a motion detection alarm, Sassi let herself doze, or at least, tried to.

Her attempts were immediately corrupted by nausea that ran through her frame. The mare’s chest tightened, her hooves shaking as the memories came flooding back.

I could have killed him. I would have killed him.
All it would have taken was an order.

If not for Astral’s intervention, far more would have happened with Split Tie and his guards.

They’d have…

Tears began to run down her cheeks, the mare trying not to sob. The feeling had been so horribly familiar. Trapped in her own body and unable to do anything but watch, listen, and wait. The threats and spell had evoked the waves of nausea and a cold, shivering sensation that had often visited the mare after her modification sessions.

It was a violating sense of…Sassi wasn’t sure how to describe it. She hadn’t known about a command spell, but it had been an identical feeling as when the control chip was active. Her body refused to respond to her mind, yet the mare could feel everything that was going on. It was the reason she had been so unsettled back when that spider had bitten her. The memories surge to the fore, just like then. The cold syringes, doctors talking about procedures.

She couldn’t even cry out during those times, no matter how much she wanted. There were other times Sassi could…but nobody had listened.

The mare wasn’t sure which was worse.

The only cure for any of those times had been a long, cold shower. Or breathing exercises as the mare sat on her bed in a dark room. Even Flask’s usually comforting touch was too much afterward. It took Sassi hours, days, sometimes a week or two to feel even remotely ‘herself’ again.

A barb of self-loathing darted into Sassi’s heart. The thought of even Astral’s hug made her fur prickle and squirm illogically, her muscles tensing. It was only holding his hoof that was a balance, and even that threatened to cross over from comforting to illogical fear. She wanted the safety the stallion’s embrace could provide, but it was too soon to even think about.

Her hoof squeezing Astral’s gently, the mare rested her head down on the medical table. Would he understand?

Would he even wake up?

It was so much for her to realize, and the command spell had just made things even murkier. Sassi could only dwell on that for a moment; it was still too soon to deal with.

Even after that, she still was having trouble processing what this stallion had been thinking. Astral’s immediate decision to protect her up to killing Split Tie, undergoing the modifications, and everything involved. It was too much when she couldn’t have any sort of exterior comfort. She still felt the doubts threatening to return. What did Astral want? Why was he willing to go through all of that?

The mare had an answer this time. The words that rang in Sassi’s mind made her chest glow with warmth, the kind that beat back the tendrils of fear and doubt. She had managed to see the fierce snarl on Astral’s face as he had tossed Split down into the elevator shaft, a fire in his eyes that made everything seem a bit brighter.

‘Not to me!’

Any festering doubts in Sassi’s mind about how Astral had viewed her had been torn to shreds. He cared enough to be right here, in this horrific place with her. She didn’t fully understand, but the mare didn’t logically doubt. Yet it was so hard to ignore the ‘what-ifs’ from her life. Almost every good deed had been predicated on wanting something.

But now there was an opposing force. What if she was all Astral wanted? A friend. Something more? The idea was a beautiful one, and Sassi could only partially understand it. Her entire life, Sassi had been only seen for what the mare could offer. Be it combat experience, her modifications, or…other things.

To consider somepony wanted to be close to Sassi simply for being herself was such an unsullied concept. But it threatened to be extinguished both metaphorically, and in a very real, physical way as Astral lay on the medical table.

I’m not going to let you go, Astral. I want to find out.

The memories were close, far too close to the surface to have the mare pause and think. If she stopped and ruminated now, she’d lose it. Astral bearing near death. Her implied fate from Split Tie. The command spell; it was all battering at the doors of her mind.

Sassi could barely focus, a dozen fears and traumatic memories starting to tear apart her training. It was all the mare could do to keep breathing steadily. Astral couldn’t help her right now; she’d have to make do.

The lights abruptly shut off, a disembodied voice echoing down the hall from a crackly speaker.

‘Warning. Damage to primary electrical grid. Rerouting. Rerouting. Re-re-re-re-rerouting,’ the voice paused, ‘Successful. Warning, circuits unstable. Fuse junction box now misaligned. Manual reset required. Automatic reset in t-minus two hours.’

All of her thoughts took a back seat as the healing crystals around Astral dimmed ever so slightly. The disembodied voice had clearly encountered a glitch; that wasn’t a good sign when trying to reroute power. If the primary grid was down…

‘Warning. T-minus twenty-five minutes until primary healing crystal spell matrix failure. Reactor output unable to sustain additional spells.’ The message scrolled across Sassi’s HUD. ‘RASP armor healing capacities unable to sustain vitals. Primary user’s vitals will degrade immediately if primary healing spells fail.’

Immediately getting up, the mare snagged extra material for a barricade. She slotted on the second minigun, hating the very idea of leaving Astral alone.

But there was no other way. If the spells died, so did Astral. Sassi wasn’t about to allow that. In an obnoxious bit of respite, Sassi realized that this miniature crisis was a twisted blessing. At least her thoughts were quiet now.

After listening for any odd creature steps, the mare unblocked the main door, then made sure that multiple pieces of metal were bent around the handles of the door. A few thin shivs of metal also were shoved into the hinge gap. Short of ripping the doors off their hinges, they weren’t opening. While Sassi had cleared the offices, these would stall anything that snuck past her. It'd buy the mare some time to get back and beat whatever-it-was into a pulp.

“Set timer for twenty minutes. Locate fuse junction box on this level and plot route,” Sassi whispered, wanting to give herself plenty of time. She frowned as a single dot appeared in the HUD.

“Timer set. Full schematics for Silo Three incomplete. Scanning. Electrical grid schematics obtained. Location available. Plotting.”

It was something.

The mare trotted back down the tunnel, eyes flickering to the motion tracker every so often. Just as before, everything was silent, unnatural. Having grown up in a silo where the constant hum of electronics and air conditioning was a part of life, it just felt wrong here.

The room with the fleshy remnants of ponies was passed by without incident. Sassi paused at the sharp turn in the hallway. There was a small supply closet to her right, but the main hall took an abrupt left. The motion tracker read clear, so the mare crept around the corner. The infrared lit up the hall with a sickly, green glow. Bloodstains were smeared up and down every surface as the mare snuck along.

The hallway continued, branching at least twice. Her objective was to the right and then doubled back slightly.

A turn of the corner and the fuse box was in sight. It was large, and old, a microwave-sized metal box.

Pulling open the lid, Sassi’s eyes widened on seeing more than a dozen fuse switches. Half of them were burned and melted.

Only three were flipped into the red. The helmet highlighted a single fuse- and Sassi carefully flipped it over to green.

No lights came on, but a chime in the helmet made Sassi’s ears twitch.

‘Primary power source restored. Recharging backup batteries. Healing spells at full strength.’

The timer read ten minutes. At least she had a window.
She carefully made her way back down the halls. Pausing outside one of the rooms, the mare’s heart began to beat a little bit faster.

When Sassi had passed by not a few minutes ago, there had been three skeletal figures plastered against the wall.

They were gone.

Author's Note

Chapter Sixty Nine: Security

The mare’s keen vision then spied some movement- and it made her heart stop.

The door to the medical center had been forced open.

Her hooves thundered on the tile, Sassi skidding to a stop outside the doors. The rebar had been cut neatly into pieces. Shoving her way in, time stretched as the mare’s eyes took in a sight that made her blood run cold.

Three things looked at her. ‘Looked’ wasn’t the correct word though, for the raw, fleshy skulls held no eyes. And they clearly stared at her in surprise.

The pony skeleton had been twisted and warped. Odd fungal growths burst from the bright red, skinless flesh spread tight across a figure that looked more like a skinless corpse. The teeth in the creature’s mouth were part of the skull, the upper and lower jaw portions having been eroded into a nightmarish visage of red muscle and sharp bone.

Sassi’s hoof was already moving even before she had processed the scene. Training dictated a reaction before conscious thought.

One of the creatures was poised over Astral, a blade-shaped forelimb starting to raise. The knife left Sassi’s hoof, burying itself into the creature’s skull with a *thud!*

As it flopped onto the floor, the other two jumped forwards.

Unlike the other experiment, these moved at a ‘normal’ speed. They were fast, but not Sassi fast.

The mare let out a growl of anger as she ducked one of the swipes, the miniguns firing and shredding the nearest creature in half. The third met its end by the mare caving its skull in with her hoof.

Immediately checking on Astral, Sassi confirmed that he was unharmed. She then dragged the corpses out of the room, the HUD starting to fizz with electrical interference. The distant sound of something moving made rage rather than fear fill the mare’s frame.

These things almost killed him.

A dark barb of anger made Sassi’s hooves shake, along with a stab of guilt. So much for thinking he was secure.

She didn’t know what was in this Silo, but she could at least send it a message.

She tossed the corpses over into the dark part of the hallway, save one. Yanking out her knife, she cleaned it before dragging the final body across the width of the hall, then heaved it over into the darker area.

It was now a literal line of blood between the lit and unlit portions. Perhaps whatever this creature was would understand that.

Sassi wasn’t about to barricade the doors again, not when the new creature was just down the hall. There wasn’t anywhere to run out of that medical bay anyhow; just back to a side hallway. Both of the miniguns spun, the mare preparing herself to fill the entire hallway with thousands of magical rounds.

The helmet went dark with a screech of interference.

She ripped the armor piece off, blinking as her eyes adjusted. The lights flickered, something making the electronics strain.

The soft sound of breath then caught the mare’s attention.

The ambient light should have allowed Sassi to see the figure in the unlit portion of the hallway clearly; and yet there was only a vague outline as if the creature itself absorbed the light. The only distinguishing feature was three red eyes locked onto the mare. Two smaller blue lights flickered next to the eyes; appearing to be electronic eyes rather than biological. Whatever it was, it stared at the Thestral with an unblinking gaze. The eyes moved briefly, barely-visible yellow pupils examining the bloody line on the floor at the separation of light and dark. They then returned to stare at the Thestral with a soft growl.

“You all stay over there,” Sassi growled, her hoof pointing to the corpses and line of blood. “I don’t even know if you’re smart enough to understand me. But if you cross that line, you die.”

A soft, guttural laugh was not the response that Sassi had been hoping for. It had an evil tone, a sickening ‘we’ll see’ implication. There was a soft chittering, and Sassi could see dark shapes moving along the floor, wall, and ceiling in the hallway farther down.

The mare snarled, firing off a single burst from the guns that kicked chunks of debris off of the wall. She then aimed the guns at the dark, shapeless creature. The cannons emerged from their recessed sockets, ready to fire.

“Next ones are for you. Back off!” she hissed.

The creature let out a growl; the movement ceased.

So. You can understand me.

If Sassi could avoid fighting, she would. While every instinct screamed at her to fire the odds weren’t in her favor, not if she wanted to keep Astral alive. At least these things could understand either her tone, words, or the situation enough for a form of negotiations.

There was a wet dragging noise, and the three corpses were tugged away. Whatever it was retreated, but the red and blue eyes never left Sassi until they disappeared into one of the offices.

The mare stayed still, waiting a few more moments until all movement had ceased. She carefully picked up the helmet, placed the now-functioning device on her head, and backed into the medical center.

‘Warning. Unknown failure of motion detection software. Interference detected. Attempting to diagnose.’

It was a simple matter to snag some spare rubble and making a forelimb-high wall just behind the arbitrary line. Of course, Sassi had plans for what to do next. If they were going to be stuck here, they’d need a solid barricade.

First, however, the mare checked on Astral. He was still out cold. No doubt those things would be watching, so she’d have to outsmart them. Her cracked, discarded combat helmet was still functioning. Well, mostly.

The motion detection was active. That was enough.

“Pair motion detection with the closest helmet. Standby until motion is detected.”

‘Pairing confirmed. Standby mode.’

A second, smaller motion-detector circle popped up on Sassi’s helmet.

Perfect.

She trotted out to the wall, ramming a piece of rebar into the concrete. The helmet was placed on it at about head height.

Now I’ll know if anything is coming, even if they are on the ceiling.

And if the display abruptly shut off, then a bigger problem was on the way. The standby mode would conserve battery power and still give Sassi a warning if anything came down the hallway.

It would let her work.

Sassi didn’t even try to hide her sounds this time. The mare swiftly darted down the opposite hall and through the decontamination doors. Annoyingly, the final door refused to open, the lights flickering. Since there was no way to separate the door from the frame, the mare began her work.

She used the minigun like a surgical tool, slicing away the anchor points into the concrete. The door fell to the floor, and the mare promptly began to drag it down the hallway. With a heave, she wedged the thick metal door against the wall. The makeshift barricade was now about head high.

Another trip down to the hall, and the mare busied herself with scavenging the various debris left by the explosion from Silo Two. The main blast door was scarred and pockmarked with holes; generally useless. But bits of plating were still strewn about here and there. It took a few trips, but the mare found enough debris for her liking.

In a maintenance room near the end of the utility tram tracks, Sassi made another few discoveries.

Back in the hallway, the darkness was blasted away briefly as the mare welded the metal plating together. The portable welding rig was still half-full of both battery power and flux wire; more than enough for Sassi’s needs. There was an option to plug it in, but that would draw precious volts from Astral’s healing rig.

Besides, even if it was slower, it worked.

Sassi slid in a few pieces of rebar, nodding in approval. She had even fabricated a makeshift hatch to slide through if the fuse box needed to be reset, along with some firing ports. After a few hours, the hallway was covered from floor to ceiling with metal plating crudely welded together to a horizontal security door.

It would do.

Standing outside the medical center double doors, the two intact security hatches were to Sassi’s right; those were still solid. Then to her left, the sealed hallway. The final barricade would be the double doors. Sassi had also welded the barricades on the air ducts closed and reinforced the doors. She had mulled over the idea of leaving the other helmet out by the barricade, but it was the only other helmet with air filters. With a bit of medical tape, the helmet’s cracks and leaks were been solved.

The mare then sat down and took a few deep breaths. She examined their rations and filled up some apparently-clean containers with water, just in case. As Sassi took a few bites of a compressed ration bar, she let herself breathe.

Now, they had a home base.

Chapter Seventy: On Air

Sassi had scanned the room almost a dozen times. The only reason the mare had done so many sweeps was that every time she found something. A small vial at the back of a cabinet, half a bottle of what smelled like the world’s strongest alcohol, and some scalpels; the ‘scavenged’ pile continued to grow.

The hours passed slowly. It took all of Sassi’s willpower to not check on Astral constantly. The suit kept her up to date with his vitals; none of which had changed. His medication needs had thankfully slowed. Three days until depletion had stretched into four, and then five as the estimate to when the foam and supplementary supplies would run out.

She tried to sleep and did at a few points. Even with the constant lighting, she could try to keep a schedule. Her dreams were nightmarish but thankfully forgotten as soon as the mare woke up. It left her in a constant state of unease.

Her cheeks were still damp from crying earlier. But she finally had let herself sob. It hadn’t lasted long, at least for now. There had been too much clogging up her thoughts.

The timer that Vial had set went off, Sassi giving Astral his second follow-up dose. Over the hours, she had tried to broadcast with the RASP suit’s communications equipment. But either nobody was listening, or the jamming fields were still too strong.

With nothing to do but think, Sassi was already starting to tense up. Thinking was her enemy. The mare’s training could only secure her mind for so long. But with nothing to do, the fears and trauma began to creep in. The command spell had shaken Sassi far more than she originally wanted to admit.

It was overwhelming now, the desire to just curl in a ball and cry. But with nobody else to protect Astral, she’d wait. She had to.

Astral would do the same for me. He has done the same for me.

Sassi knew that it was a dangerous road she was going down. Goodness, her degree had covered codependency as part of the studies. It made her want to scream in frustration.

When the only good thing in this place was Astral, how could she not look to him to be happy?
And now that he was on a medical table, still unconscious…

When did I lose that?

The thought was jarring, enough to make Sassi physically freeze. She walked over to Astral, sitting down next to him.

“When did that go away, I wonder?” she asked softly.

When did I stop fighting to be happy? Believing that I was worth it?

It was a crushing realization, but at the same time empowering. Somewhere along the way, Sassi had yielded her happiness to the company, given away another part of herself to the evil entity that had torn so much away.

Over the years, the mare had stopped believing that she was worth happiness. Very few interactions had indicated any other option. And now with Astral here, the stallion having risked his life over and over for her…

Maybe I can believe that.
Maybe I can believe him.

She couldn’t shift the mindset immediately. Decades of being beaten down by the life in the Silo’s had left their scars. But she could start. Tears trickled down Sassi’s cheeks, the mare smiling genuinely as she reached over to hold Astral’s hoof. As he did every time, the stallion smiled in his sleep ever so slightly.

“Small steps,” she whispered. “Even if I don’t believe it myself, Astral, I’ll try.”

I want to be the mare you think I am.

That thought made Sassi’s jaw clench. She could work with that. Despite Astral’s assurances, she didn’t feel attractive in many ways, let alone worth all the effort this incredible stallion had put forward.

But she trusted him. That was the first step. Sassi trusted that whatever Astral saw had a shred of truth. The stallion had risked his life for whatever he saw in her.

She wanted to believe he was right. That was a step.

A few of her bangs drifted down, the mare smiling again. Somehow in acknowledging her weaknesses, she felt…herself. The oddest sensation crept through the mare’s heart. There was the shyness, the tentative feelings of hope. Yet there was also the fire that made Sassi’s eyes flick to the doors now and again, hoof occasionally moving towards her knife at the sound of any potential movement.

Could those two parts of me ever join together?

Sassi’s eyes then narrowed, Astral’s vitals abruptly spasming.

It was soft at first, but it quickly increased. In perfect pitch, a few sentences left Astral’s lips in a half-whisper.

“Watching it come true, it's taking over you. Oh, this is the greatest show…”

She stifled a laugh of both surprise and utter relief. Squeezing Astral’s hoof, Sassi watched for any other signs of wakefulness but wasn’t rewarded with any. Regardless, she let a few more tears run down her cheeks unimpeded. It was the first sign of life from the stallion. She reached over to wipe off more detox tar from Astral’s lips.

But he was lucid enough to sing in a whisper, and that was progress enough for Sassi.

Apparently, he does know the lyrics to the Greatest Showmare.

“Y’know, we could dance to that, if you wanted,” Sassi said, not expecting a reaction. “I still need to see it. I’ve only heard the songs in pieces.”

Maybe it was her wishing for it, but Sassi could have sworn Astral’s hoof squeezed hers ever so slightly.

He didn’t move though, and it was easy to forget the stallion had even spoken.

The icon indicating the lack of a connection pulsed in the corner of the helmet, drawing her attention. She gave Astral’s hoof a final squeeze, then sat down and tried to collect her thoughts. Of course, that was part of the problem. Being productive would ward off both boredom and the doubts and trauma that eagerly awaited.

She flirted with the idea of taking out her journal. Perhaps she could-
Her thoughts stopped. The connection icon still blinked in the bottom-right corner of the HUD. The embers of an idea popped in Sassi’s mind, quickly roaring into flame.

No, not the journal.

It was the oddest idea, and yet somehow it seemed right. Sassi abruptly realized that part of her feared doing this, silly as it may be.

That’s how she knew it was the right thing to do. Pushing the boundaries just a bit more.

She placed the helmet on an empty roll-around cabinet, angling it towards her.

“Are audio commands active?” she asked.

“Audio commands are online. Currently in standby.”

After a few false starts, and the mare running through briefly what she at least intended to say, Sassi took a deep breath. She wasn’t used to this.

“Begin recording.”

“A transmission! Quality is degraded, but it’s something!” one of the communications officers shouted, the unicorn’s magic tapping a series of keys.

Twilight looked up at the main screen; the command center knew to bring it on the primary monitor.

“Is this live?” she asked, the unicorn frowning.

“I don’t know. The transmission is, but the time stamp appears off. We can’t get a good read on it. It may have been broadcast hours ago, or just now.”

The Princess let out a frustrated huff. That annoyance vanished as a face appeared on the monitor.

“Get Flask in here.”

The stallion was at her side in an instant; the bonus of teleportation crystals. The unicorn’s lip trembled on seeing his daughter look back at him from the screen.

“I don’t know who is going to receive this, or if anyone is still looking for us,” Sassi said, a few bangs falling in front of her eyes. “I guess I wanted to have a record of us. In case of…well, the obvious.” She stood up a bit straighter.

“If I was still a security officer, I’d do a situational report. All I can really say is that we’re…I’m ok,” she said, voice hitching. “We’re in the Silo Three medical bay near the utility tram. The hall is barricaded, so hopefully, those things can’t get in here. Never seen a Skitter like that before. But that’s…I’ll do another recording about the situation later,” she muttered to herself, brow furrowing.

“We’ve been here for a day, maybe more. Even if it’s talking to a camera, it’s better than focusing on the alternative,” Sassi admitted. “And I suppose this is the first time I’m able to talk to anyone outside of the Silos as myself. I’ve never been able to have that chance. If I ever had mentioned it, the Company would have…” the mare shook her head. “Doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t know how much anyone knows about me. So maybe I’ll start at the beginning. Maybe everyone already knows this stuff by now. But if not, at least someone will, if the worse happens.”

Twilight felt Flask shivering at her side.

“So, I guess, to start off…Hello, everyone,” she said in a softer tone, “my name is Sassi Satin.” Her eyes stared at the camera, and the mare’s posture relaxed, a shy, tentative smile sliding onto her face.

“And, well, I’m an experiment.”

Author's Note

Holiday bonus chapter! (In the U.S at least)

Chapter Seventy One: Stabilization

“Maybe everyone already knows that by now. If not, surprise!” she said with a weak chuckle. “Not like I’d be able to hide it. It takes too much energy to try and act normal, so I may as well get it out of the way. I mean, it’s the reason I’m still alive. Stronger, faster, more durable…all the other normal ponies are either dead or gone. Well, most of them I guess.” The mare turned to look at an armored individual on the table.

“And that’s Astral Sentinel. H-he’s alive. Barely. The healing spells are active, and I’ll do everything I can to keep it that way. He went through modifications to save me; fought through hundreds of creatures. But there’s a good chance he won’t…he…” her voice drifted off, Sassi’s eyes looking to the floor.

“I can’t go there right now. But we’re alive, and it’s been more than a day since the reactor detonated. I-” the mare’s eyes narrowed, her demeanor abruptly shifting. “Something is at the barricade. I’ll make another recording later. End recording.”

The video and audio feed then snapped off; the control room was dead quiet for a moment.

“She’s ok,” Flask whispered, the stallion taking a shaky breath. “She’s ok…”

Twilight took comfort at seeing him more at ease, the mare quickly calling a meeting to analyze the footage. They could use Sassi’s message in their broadcasts, that much was certain.

It also gave the Princess a distraction. The more she learned, or rather didn’t learn about Silo Three didn’t sit well with the studious mare. An alien, twisting fear occasionally dug into Twilight’s mind around the topic.

But the two Thestrals were alive; that was progress.

Sassi shook off the gore on her hoof. It was another one of the…she didn’t know what to call them. The skeletal pony creatures. It had shoved a claw through one of the makeshift firing ports, and Sassi had quickly opened the hatch to kill it. After it shoved its head through, she had crushed its skull.

Oddly, there wasn’t a brain, not a recognizable one. It was an odd, sponge-like material that matched the fungal growths on the figure’s spine. If it was a fungus, at least they weren’t in an area where there were spores. The helmet’s sensors still came up clear.

The mare drove a spike of rebar into the cement, dead-center of the hallway and on the line of blood spanning the floor. She then slammed the half-destroyed head onto the spike nodding with a huff as she went back into the medical bay.

The creatures clearly had a form of intelligence and hierarchy. That meant Sassi could send a message. Putting a head on a pike was as good of a message as any.

The odd growths had stumped her, the mare musing over them as she cleaned off the oddly-thick blood in a sink.

A fungus of some sort? What could she even call these skeletal nightmares?

Fungus-pony?
Fungony?
Fony?

The last word made the mare snicker, Sassi drying off her hooves. One of the best ways to deal with a horrifying enemy was to introduce a bit of humor- so ‘Fony’ it was.

A phony pony. That could work.

She busied herself with organizing their meager supplies. Perhaps there was a spare water jug in one of the offices, but the sink was still putting out clean H2O. With her modified stomach, the mare would likely be fine even if it was questionable. But Astral wouldn’t. So, until then, they’d-

‘Warning. User’s genetic structure has passed critical destabilization threshold. Unable to compensate with available measures. New treatment needed. Time of death without intervention; t-minus seven minutes.’

The alert message scrolling across Sassi’s helmet killed any mirth, the mare dashing over to Astral. She had heard that phrase a few times during her modifications. However, it usually was in the sense of ‘this is going to hurt to prevent the destabilizing.’

“What do I do?” she asked the AI.

‘Experimental procedure recommended. Fusing multiple healing crystals to user will allow creation of a stabilized magical field within the user’s body. 83% chance of stabilizing genetic structure. Unknown long-term survival rate.’

Fusing?!

“What do I have to do?” Sassi asked, the helmet highlighting a series of objects.

‘Step 1: Remove RASP armor. Ensure reactor is as close to the user as possible to ensure continued power flow, along with supplementary injection system. Other pieces of armor may be discarded.
Step 2: Retrieve five healing crystals from any medical bed.
Step 3: Place crystals to indicated points on user’s body and follow fusing instructions.
Step 4: Activate magical field. Surgical removal of crystals will be necessary in the future.’

Sassi took the wrench out of the cargo pocket, quickly removing both the armored plates and the mesh. Her stomach did a flip, fear threatening to impair her thoughts as foam and blood dripped out from underneath the protective material. Astral wasn’t even close to being ok; the armor just hid it.

The protective piece of armor on Astral’s back was left alone, that segment containing the reactor and the medical injection system. The rest of him was exposed, and Sassi had to force herself to not look too closely. The Thestral’s usually fluffy fur was matted with blood, healing foam intermixed with it. There weren’t any actively bleeding wounds, but Astral’s skin felt disturbingly soft as if every part of him was made of jelly.

‘Step 1 complete.’

Sassi snagged five identical, diamond-shaped healing crystals from the adjacent bed. They had healed her, so at least they worked. The objects were about one and a half times as long as her hoof, slender like a knife once removed from their protective robotic housing.

‘Step 2 complete. Place crystals on indicated points.’

The HUD indicated the five positions for the crystals. One on the dead center of Astral’s chest, the other four on opposite sides of his body. Just behind the shoulder blades, and just before his cutie-mark on the flanks.

Sassi pressed the first crystal to Astral’s chest, and a magical field made the object stick to the stallion.

‘Please apply continual pressure as the crystal is fused.’

The smell of burned fur filled the air, the crystal shining with a white light as it burrowed into Astral’s chest, past the fur, and into his skin. It stopped until it was flush with his surface, the stallion’s unburnt fur covering it ever so slightly.

The other crystals followed, each one cementing itself underneath Astral’s skin. The fact he wasn’t awake for the process was a tender mercy.

She took a step back, the crystals now in place.

‘Step 3 complete. Stand by.
Step 4 ready to initiate. Proceed with magical field activation?’

Would the crystals ever be able to even BE removed?
Did it matter at this point?

He dies if I don’t do this.

“Proceed.”

The crystals immediately began to glow, pulsing in unison with a soft blue light. Dimming, the objects became nearly invisible save for a soft, even light underneath Astral’s skin.

‘Magical field activated. Processing…
Success. Complete genetic structure collapse averted, stabilized. Continuing previous treatment. Additional update: All exterior lacerations have been healed. Vita-foam usage decreased by 43%. Estimated time of stabilizing internal puncture wounds: 13.5 hours.’

The mare sat down with a soft *thump*, her ears flat against her skull. Just like that, Astral had almost died. Even if he wasn’t bleeding out, there was so much wrong with him…

But Sassi wasn’t about to let him go.

“Should I put the armor back on?” she asked the AI.

‘Negative. The magical field takes time to stabilize. The armor’s anti-magic systems, while intended for defensive use, could compromise the healing spells.’

“A simple ‘no’ would have sufficed,” Sassi grumbled.

‘Acknowledged.’

It was a simple computer program, but the mare could have sworn there was sass in that text. Regardless, the mare busied herself with cleaning off the interior of the armor pieces. There was a lot of foam and blood; a worrying amount. Then again, there was a reason Astral was out cold.

At least now the armor won’t give him an infection.

Rubbing alcohol was in bountiful supply. Sassi set aside the waterproof mesh and armor plating after cleaning it as best she could. Water and disinfectant would have to do. For Astral, she wiped his limbs, sides, and face down as best she could, not daring to do anything else that could react with the foam and healing spells. But at least his natural fur color was (mostly) returned, and he wasn’t filthy.

And then back to waiting. At least this time, she had an idea. Another journal entry, another small step towards opening up.

The idea that someone could hear her, even if it got through hours later, was comforting.

She put on the helmet, wanting to adjust the settings first. As Sassi examined the display, her eyes narrowed.

"Why is the storage already more than twelve percent full?” she asked the AI.

‘Combat footage was automatically recorded and archived. Recording began when fire-control systems underwent final calibration.’

Excitement flared in Sassi’s chest. Having been unconscious for the hours after being taken, this could fill in the blanks.

“Begin playback from the beginning.”

‘Confirmed. Playing.’

Hearing Astral’s voice made Sassi’s heart soar. She couldn’t help but smile, drawing in a surprised gasp as he neatly dispatched the Skitters.

The tone in his voice when threatening the Skitter Queen made a shiver run down her spine. Sassi hadn’t known Astral could be so…
Protective?

Even the thought made her hooves tingle with comforting warmth. Sassi didn’t realize a single word could, in a way, feel like a hug.

“You want a monster?! Well, here I am!”

A few tears welled up in Sassi’s eyes. Of all the creatures down here, Astral was the farthest from a monster. But she could at least understand.

Not that the mare agreed with him in the slightest. But if Astral was a monster, he was her monster.

She watched as Astral galloped down the halls, blade and guns ripping through Skitters. He hurtled down an elevator shaft, sparks flying from his hooves.

As the stallion tore into another swarm of monstrosities, his next words made the tears finally fall from Sassi’s eyes.

“GIVE HER BACK!”

The speakers crackled as Astral’s determined cry roared in the mare’s ears as he fought off the horde.

All for me. Just to get me back.

Sassi’s jaw trembled, the mare pausing the footage to check on the unconscious stallion.
“I trust you, Astral,” she whispered, gently squeezing his hoof. “I trust that you t-think I’m worth all of this. I’ll try to be the mare you think I am. I just hope you…”

The wall of emotion was almost a physical force, Sassi choking on her words.
“P-please wake up so I can say thank you. So I can talk to you again. Please.” Her grip tightened, hoof shaking.

“I’m not letting you go either.”

Chapter Seventy Two: The Viewscreen Cracks

“You have news about Astral?” Edge Sentinel asked, Halberd at her side.

“I do,” Twilight said, the three of them in one of the many conference rooms of the castle. She had summoned the parents after they had processed the footage. There wasn’t any reason to withhold it outside of ‘clearance’ issues. But even then, Astral’s parents had the credentials. It wasn’t exactly stellar news, however.

“In short, he’s alive. We have some footage of him, but-”

“We want to see.”

Halberd’s simple utterance made Twilight blink, the alicorn holding up a hoof.
“It’s combat footage, so you don’t see his face many times. The most recent transmission from Sassi is the information we’re operating on. Astral was unconscious for that.”

“Show us our son, please,” Edge whispered, the mare’s steely demeanor breaking as she looked at Twilight almost desperately.

With a flash of magic and one of the wall screens lit up with the combat footage from Astral’s helmet, soon after he began the fight down the Silo floors. Some of the scenes were blurry, prompting the two parents to frown.

“The movement speed is off. Is the footage broken?” Edge asked immediately, Twilight shaking her head.

“Your son underwent severe modifications. They sped up his reaction time by approximately three times normal. The camera is only able to capture so much.”

“Modifications?” Halberd muttered. “What kind of modifications?”

“I can bring in Vial to explain if you’ll permit him. He was the last pony to speak with your son. But we can watch some of this footage first.”

The two parents stared at the combat film, neither moving a muscle as their son tore through hordes of monstrous creatures. The two experienced guards physically jerked in shock as an enraged yell crackled through the speakers, the stallion skewering a Skitter to a wall as he beat its head in with his bare hooves.

With a furious bellow, the stallion jumped at another Skitter. The blade slit the creature’s throat, Astral’s guns tearing into a wall of the creatures as gore spattered the helmet. The Thestral tore the obscured piece of armor off, camera now showing his features widened in a furious snarl as a hoof shattered a writhing Skitter’s skull.

“I’ll kill you all!”

“That’s…that can’t be out son,” Edge muttered. “What did those modifications do to him?”

Her head shaking, Twilight gestured to the screen.
“That is your son. Vial would be able to confirm the specifics. But that’s Astral.”

The two Thestrals were clearly shocked as they continued to watch.

“I’m coming, Sassi. Hold on!”

At hearing Astral’s growl, Edge’s eyes narrowed.
“All of this for Sassi? Surely not.”

Twilight had to resist an outward wince.
“It’d appear so. He defended her with his life, from what we could tell. That involved killing the Director of the facility in her defense.”

“What?” Halberd exclaimed. “Show me. I’d have to see it to believe our son would do such a thing.”

The footage from the encounter with Split Tie was immediately brought up, the two Thestral’s staring. Astral ripped off the detonator cords with a roar, throwing the Director into the elevator shaft.

“He killed…a pony?” Edge whispered. “For Sassi?”

Twilight resisted an interjection. From what she understood, calling the Director a pony was a stretch.

“This is the most recent footage we have.”

The footage then shifted to the most recent transmission, and Edge’s eyes narrowed at Sassi’s words.

‘And I’m an experiment.’

After it closed, the mother let out a soft huff.
“What in the world did you get yourself into, Astral,” she muttered.

“Wait. She’s not even a pony? Some…creation from this company?” Halberd added on. “Why weren’t we told this sooner?”

Twilight couldn’t hold back a disproving snort.

“Sassi was created by the Company, yes. Just as a gryphon or dragon isn’t a pony, neither is Sassi,” Twilight said, a bit of stern coldness entering her tone. The change immediately made the two guards look her way. “I would expect her to be treated with the same respect. You weren’t told because it wasn’t essential information concerning Astral.”

It was also because Twilight hadn’t known, but she left that part out. It certainly wouldn’t inspire confidence.

Their ears flattened, but it was Edge who spoke first.
“Apologies, Highness. It’s just…difficult to understand. And accept,” Edge admitted. Despite the apology, her eyes didn’t meet Twilight’s. Her tone was far from genuine, an almost angry inflection creeping in.

“From our last meeting, it was clear that Astral had taken a very different path. I thought we were starting to understand that, but he’s gone even further than we can grasp. Or at least, I can. These modifications, they may kill him, won’t they? Something is off about this entire affair. And I mean aside from the monsters.” The mare was clearly troubled, head shaking back and forth.

“There is a high chance of him dying from them, yes,” Twilight admitted. Lying served no purpose now.

“And he did all of that for some thing…mare he met a few months ago? Who even is our son?” Edge added, correcting herself with a visible gritting of her teeth.

Halberd had no answer, the stallion shaking his head.
“I thought I knew. I thought we knew.” He looked up at Twilight. “What will these modifications do to our son? What did they do?”

“May Vial explain? He was the last one to see Astral,” Twilight asked. Thestrals immediately nodded, ears perking up. “Bring him in.”

Vial trotted in, sat down, and shifted nervously.
“H-highness?” the unicorn asked, Twilight smiling kindly.

“These are Astral’s parents. They’d like some clarification.”

The unicorn’s ears perked up, the scientist’s nerves starting to fade.
“Of course. I imagine you have some questions about, well, everything? How much can I say?” he asked, looking towards Twilight.

“They’ve got the clearance.”

“Did Astral really volunteer?” Edge asked, her voice slightly barbed and clearly not caring at Twilight’s warning glance. “This company has used Astral for so much already, why not another test subject?”

Vial blinked, letting out a soft hum.
“That’s a fair point. But your son did ask for the treatment,” the unicorn explained. “I made the risks clear many times, but he insisted. He was going to die otherwise. I offered an alternative.”

“What!?”

Halberd’s exclamation made Vial wince.

“Sorry. Astral was going to charge after Sassi with or without the modifications. He wouldn’t have made it a single floor with the armor, weapons, and injuries he had. I had to stop him.”

The two parents stared at Vial in shock.
“He was going against all of that…before?” Edge asked cautiously.

“Yes. I offered him a greater chance of success, nothing more.”

“And what exactly did these modifications do to our son?” The mare pressed.

Vial took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
“He’s like Sassi now, to be brief,” he explained. “Longer life, faster reaction time, resistant to poisons, more durable, and more. It was a rapid-augmentation program designed to produce an effective soldier. Sassi was the first fully-successful case, and now Astral underwent the treatment her program evolved to. In his case, the modifications took extraordinarily well. He had the highest compatibility I’ve ever seen. Emotional swings, yes, but nothing that would be out of the ordinary.”

“So, he’ll be ok…?” Halberd asked, Vial then shaking his head.

“I didn’t say that. The modifications require extensive follow-up treatment and healing. But based on the footage, at least he’s in a healing bed. That means his odds go up every day he’s under those spells. If those falter, however, his body won’t recover from the strain. The odds…” his voice trailed off as the parents shook their heads.

The unicorn shifted uncomfortably during the silence that followed, the Thestral’s clearly in thought. Twilight sent Vial back to his team, the mare waiting to see if the parents had any more questions.

“Why would he do all that?” Edge muttered. “Surely not for…no.” The mare seemed to be lost in thought, fluffy ears shaking back and forth slowly.

A simple message came through with a magical *pop*, and Twilight hummed as she read the brief note.

“Flask is requesting to see you if you’ll allow it.”

Edge let out a huff, shrugging her wings.
“Why not? Clearly, he understands our son more than us,” she growled, Twilight immediately noticing an acidic tone to the mare’s voice.

That wasn’t good. Perhaps this wasn’t the best idea.

“He won’t take offense if you refuse.”

The two Thestrals shook their heads, Edge waving a huff.
“Just send him in. I have a few questions anyhow.”

As Flask was brought into the room, Twilight glanced over Astral’s parents briefly. Halberd was quiet, obviously unsettled. Edge, on the other hoof, was actively tense, a spring winding up.

“You wanted to see us?” Edge asked, Flask simply nodding. The unicorn was calm and collected, the Thestral’s clear annoyance at him simply being shrugged off.

“I did.”

“I have a question for you first,” Edge continued, walking over and glaring at the unicorn. “What did Sassi do to Astral?”

The stallion blinked.
“Pardon?”

“What. Did. She. Do?” Edge growled, gesturing to the blank monitor on the wall. “My son. We don’t even know who he is anymore! While he’s never been fully committed to the Guard traditions of our family, this is so far past that. The combat footage, accepting these deadly modifications…and now this? Killing somepony! Astral’s never killed before. For what? A thing the company created?”

The air in the room took on an icy tone as Flask met the enraged mother’s gaze with an emotionless yet chillingly fearless look of his own.
“That ‘thing’ is my daughter,” he stated, “and yes. I believe he did all of that for Sassi. Astral stated as much.”

“Daughter? Well, is she? She was created by this company. Why? Obviously not to be your daughter,” Edge countered.

“To be a perfect soldier.”

“So, never to be a normal creature. Created for a single purpose?”

“Yes. But I tried to give her a chance to be normal. She deserved that, at the very least, since I’m the one who sabotaged the program.”

Edge let out a snort, walking away with her tail swishing in annoyance. Halberd let out a frustrated grunt.

“A…mare he’s known for what, a few months? He’d suddenly die for her? That’s hard to accept, to say the least. I have my doubts,” Halbert muttered. “I didn’t even know you could create creatures in a lab like this.”

“And our son is going to die just to save…her? It? Whatever Sassi is?” Edge hissed. “It’s not right. A creature created to be a soldier? Why would our son do all of that?”

Twilight stayed silent. Perhaps she should have expected this, but Flask seemed perfectly at ease.

“He cares about her. That is the only reason that makes sense,” the unicorn stated cautiously. “He says so himself in the footage multiple times.”

“Oh, that’s quite a pair. My son and an experiment,” Edge let out a humorless laugh. “Astral is many things, but I don’t think he’s that far gone. Friends? Sure. But all of this for some experiment? A creature with no future outside of the labs?”

Even as Halberd nodded in agreement, Twilight had to suppress a soft, surprised gasp. The views of the two parents had quickly unraveled into something else. Flask’s gaze settled on her, the stallion seeming completely nonchalant about the entire ordeal, and a soft, subtle shake of his head forestalled any words Twilight was about to say. There was no anger in the stallion’s eyes, only a surprisingly gentle sadness and disappointment.

“I’m simply stating an explanation to it all,” Flask explained, “Sassi clearly cares for him, so-”
A wince slid onto the unicorn’s face as Edge laughed, the unicorn regretting his words.

“Charming. But to what end? After a few months, really? It’s one thing to train with someone, to have that bond of battle. But even in these ridiculous circumstances, suggesting our son is close to someone like that in any way other than friends is borderline offensive.”

“Offensive?” Flask appeared genuinely surprised.

“Our family is one of tradition, of the Night Guard and Thestral culture,” Halberd explained, “what you’re suggesting violates all of that. Add in the rapid changes our son has experienced…it doesn’t add up.”

Flask winced again, the unicorn’s demeanor slumping.

“Goodness, I courted Halberd for two years before marrying him. To think Astral would even consider going down that track with an experiment, some artificial creature…” Edge muttered. “What did she do to him to make him kill a pony?” The Thestral let out a rather disgusted huff. “I can think of a few things that she could have done to wrap Astral around her hoof. I never thought our son would be so easy to manipulate though; quickly jumping into bed with a mare that shows any interest.”

Twilight was about to interject, but Flask caught her gaze and shook his head firmly. He stood up, and not seeing any objection to his departure started to trot towards the door.

“I don’t know what Sassi did to our son, but I’ll find out before all of this is over,” Edge said softly, glaring at Flask. “None of this is right, and he obviously isn’t thinking straight. Whatever that experiment did to him when they were stuck together, I’ll find out. The sooner he’s away from her, the better. Not like we’d ever approve.”

That made Flask pause, the unicorn turning to look at the mare.
“She didn’t do anything,” he said firmly. “If anything, I thought you’d be happy.”

“And why is that?” Edge asked with a hiss.

Flask’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, a dangerous glint escaping from underneath his previously impassive demeanor.

“Successful parents strive to raise their children to be better creatures than themselves. Both you and I succeeded.”

‘Hello everyone. Sassi here.
Well, I’m not sure what else to report. We’re still here. Astral’s alive, but…well, now he gets to be a power-pony with some crystals fused to his skin. Astral nearly died a few hours ago. Genetic destabilization. But he’s ok. If the power fails though, I…

Not going to go there yet. Still can’t think about it.

I slept…at least I think I did. Built a barricade and negotiated with the monsters in this Silo. And by negotiating, I mean slaughtering a few to make them leave us alone. They’re some sort of fungus-based organism as best I can tell. There’s another, a big one with a cybernetic eye or two. It’s smart enough to not mess with me, not since I put the head of one of its minions on a pike.

The power grid is stable for now, but I don’t know for how long. It makes me uneasy. The fuse box already had to be reset a second time. That was about thirty minutes ago. It’s badly damaged. We’ll need to move.

I’m not doing so great. Nopony to talk to, and the stallion I care about is lying unconscious on a medical table. This place feels like a tomb. But it won’t be ours. I just have to figure out our next move. I don’t know how long we can stay here.

I’ve begun setting the RASP suit to scan the surroundings. If there’s another medical facility nearby with a stable power supply, we may need to move there. We’ve got enough food and water for a bit, but we’ll need more supplies.

The mare takes a few deep breaths, her hoof shaking as she brushes the bangs out of her eyes. She looks at the unsteady limb with a frown.

Maybe I’m not doing as well as I’d like to think. But we’re still alive. I’m going to try to get some sleep. I haven’t slept well.

Sassi Satin, broadcasting for anyone who can hear this. Over and out.’

Flask left the conference room without another word, leaving an agitated Thestral mare behind as Halberd stayed silent.

“The nerve. How…” Edge began, shaking her head. “I think we’ve heard enough, Princess. I appreciate the new information, however unsettling it may be.”

“You’re welcome. When we learn anything else about Astral, I’ll let you know,” Twilight said, opting for diplomacy rather than immediate empathy. She could feel the tension in the air, thick enough to cut like a cheesecake.

Astral’s parents left, Edge letting out a few angry mutterings to Halberd as they exited the doors. As soon as she was alone, Twilight let out a groan and planted her face on the nearest wooden table, cracking it. To say that had gone poorly was an understatement.

A piercing barb of regret and failure made the Princess wince. Twilight took a few deep breaths as she composed herself. Despite almost two centuries of cooperation, cross-border travel, and integration programs, there were still deep roots of…

One breath in, one breath out.

She wasn’t sure what to call it. Xenophobia? Fear of the new? This was different, as both Edge and Halberd’s reactions to Sassi’s origins weren’t completely unwarranted. It wasn’t like she was a gryphon or dragon.

Then again, most creatures feared that which was different or not understood. Sassi being created as a soldier rather than embarking on the traditional training route directly challenged many tenants of Thestral and Night Guard culture.

“Flask is requesting to see you, Highness,” one of the secretaries said, a voice piped in on a wall speaker.

“I’ll see him immediately. Please send Flask to meeting room three; that’s closer for him.”

With a simple teleport, Twilight appeared in the room just as Flask walked in, making the unicorn jump.

“Highness!” he gasped, then took a few deep breaths to calm himself before sitting.

“Sorry, Flask. Didn’t expect you to be here so quickly,” she said with a gentle smile. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes, but for your sake, rather than mine.”

“Hmm?” Twilight asked, head tilting in curiosity.

“You seemed rather disturbed during the exchange with Astral’s parents.”

“I’m surprised you weren’t more aggravated if I’m honest,” the mare admitted.

Flask’s demeanor slumped, and the stallion shook his head.

“I wasn’t, because I’ve heard it all before. So has Sassi,” he said. “Nothing about what Astral’s parents said was new to me, not in the slightest. You can’t disprove that viewpoint by arguing. Sometimes they grow out of it and learn from experience, but it can’t be forced. Seeing some of the footage…it would have only solidified their stance. I recently saw a few recovered clips, and that’s why I didn’t push things too far.”

“That was a rather insightful parting shot you gave them though,” Twilight said with a slight smirk.

“There’s only so much I was willing to put up with. That said, I know a little bit about some Thestral traditions, especially with military families. Taking that into account, do you really think anything I could say would change their minds?”

Twilight shook her head at that, Flask letting out a sad sigh, which quickly brightened into a smile.

“But the fact remains, I think Sassi cares for Astral far more than we know. And vice versa. I’m not surprised his parents drew their own, likely correct conclusions.”

A soft chuckle left Twilight’s mouth at that.
“I’d say that’s accurate. Astral took on an entire Silo of freakish monsters to try and save her. There’s something we’re missing.”

“And it’s not because she slept with him.”

The Princess blinked at Flask’s statement, the hints of a growl on his tone. He waved a hoof, head shaking as the unicorn winced.

“Sorry. Just, that’s what I can’t stand. Ignorant fools classifying Sassi as some loose…” he let the words hang, head shaking. “It’s a touchy subject.”

Twilight had to take a deep breath as a spike of anger made her mane spark with arcane energy.
“Ah. I take it the Silos were not a…safe atmosphere.”

Flask managed a smile at that.
“Hardly. But nothing ever happened. I kept her safe. Other times, she kept herself safe. Thankfully, when you’re a super-soldier, there’s not much anypony can do to you if you don’t want them to.”

“That’s a fair point.”

“But considering the dregs of creatures that worked there, the atmosphere was…” the unicorn struggled for words. “Not becoming of explaining to a Princess.”

“I’m not a child, Flask. The more I can learn about these Silos, the better I can try to prevent this from all happening again,” Twilight said kindly, appreciating the sentiment if nothing else.

“You’re a mare, highness. Stallions, and I use that term to span all species, are at times not respectful towards the other sex. That was only amplified in the Silos. There weren’t as many ladies that worked underground.”

“I suspected as much. So, the implication that Sassi would use Astral…”

“Was angering on several levels. She doesn’t let creatures get close to her unless she wants to,” Flask explained. “That means me included, not even for a hug at times, especially after the modification sessions.”

“I saw your report about removing the control chip.”

“And yet I missed the spell,” Flask’s ears flattened, his voice choking with emotion before the stallion composed himself. “Thankfully, Astral was there to save her. I dare not dwell on what the alternatives are. Those alternatives, even if they never came to pass, were a constant threat in the Silo’s, and often joked about.”

“Even with the stigma of being an experiment?” Twilight asked.

“Because of the stigma,” Flask clarified. “She wasn’t ever seen as a mare, a pony in her own right. Just a product to be used, however any pony wanted. Controlling experiments, or…other ways. I kept her safe, but I could only do so much for blunting perceptions.”

The stallion abruptly fell silent, and Twilight’s heart ached in sympathy as Flask looked up at her, eyes brimming with tears.

“When your daughter asks you why nopony finds them pretty or doesn’t give them hearts-and-hooves-day cards, how do you answer that?” he whispered. “It was all I could to do reassure her, and even then, I was one voice against a storm. It only intensified during her teenage years, and that was what broke part of her, I feel. When you’re only seen by what you can offer, it wears you down. When your validation is only based on that, how can you convince somepony they have worth, simply by being themselves?”

There were a few moments of silence before Twilight spoke.
“It sounds like aspects of gryphon culture. Relationships based on what can be offered, rather than seeking mutual friendship.”

A nod was Flask’s response, the unicorn taking a few deep breaths as he wiped his eyes.
“That’s accurate in many ways. So, when Edge suggested Sassi was effectively using Astral, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Truthfully, I feared the opposite.”

“Really?” This was news to the Princess.

“Very much so. She has never seen herself having value outside of what she was created to do. If someone did provide that positive impact, I was afraid she’d be easily manipulated. Being complimented, validated for who she is both in deeds and looks is something Sassi hasn’t had in abundance.”

“Despite being a gorgeous mare?”

Twilight’s words made Flask smile, a wide, thankful gesture as his eyes dampened again.
“Yes. But I was the only one who told her so, outside of those who used complements to try and gain something. At least, until a certain stallion entered the picture. And he has surpassed my expectations, to say the least.”

He gestured to a screen, holding up a small, crystal data chip.
“This is the footage that made me hold back when talking to Astral’s parents.”

With a flash of her horn, Twilight connected the device to the wall screen.

“We just retrieved this,” Flask explained, the short clip speaking volumes.

The room was covered in beautiful greenery, and two familiar Thestrals were visible conversing. A simple green circlet was visible on Sassi’s head, the audio unable to pick up their words. Whatever was said, the overall feeling was obvious as Astral gently hugged Sassi, the mare leaning into his embrace.

Twilight could only smile, a familiar feeling of warmth welling up in her chest. Even in a place as vile as the Silo’s, there was good that pushed out the darkness.

“She’s never let a pony do that, Highness. Outside a few awkward hugs, she simply hasn’t let someone get that close, other than myself or Vial,” Flask explained quietly. He tapped a video control key on the side of the screen, a still image of Sassi now looking at them. It was taken from the most recent broadcast, where she had introduced herself.

“So that, plus hearing her talk about Astral in this clip…she cares a lot for him. I think Sassi has a lot more feelings for Astral than she realizes.”

“What makes you say that?”

He gestured to the screen.
“The concern in her voice, her demeanor. She’s confronted by something she’s never let herself understand to keep herself safe.”

“That being?”

Flask smiled, a trembling jaw betraying his emotions.
“That somepony would risk death to save her. That she’s worth everything Astral has done. She now doesn’t have just her father telling her that her life has value, more than the price to create her at least.”

The stallion’s eyes then abruptly widened, locking onto the screen.
“How did I never notice this before?” he whispered to himself. Tears began to fall from the pony’s eyes, his lips quivering.

“Flask?”

Pointing with a trembling hoof, Flask managed to compose himself briefly.
“She’s growing out her bangs, just how she always wanted,” he said softly. “Sassi stopped growing them like that after being made fun of in school, about the time she had to have a military cut in her teens.” The stallion smiled at the memory. “She always liked how Fluttershy styled her mane, the Elem-” Flask burst out laughing. “Sorry, I just realized you’re someone who definitely doesn’t need to be reminded who Fluttershy is,” he added.

“Sassi got the idea of bangs from her? I could tell Fluttershy next time we meet,” Twilight said with a genuinely happy smile. The mare paused, then let out a soft laugh. “As a matter of fact, I think Fluttershy would love to meet her.”

Flask’s lips trembled, the stallion managing to nod.
“I think she’d love that,” he whispered, then shook his head. “I don’t feel worthy of feeling this happy though. Not after what I’ve done.”

“You will pay your penance, Flask,” Twilight assured him, feeling rather odd that such a statement made the unicorn appear more at ease. “But I’m not about to punish Sassi for what you’ve done. I’d like her to be as comfortable as possible once they’re free of the Silos. If having another friend like Fluttershy can help, I’d be happy to introduce her.”

A few deep breaths later, and Flask was a bit more composed.
“Thank you. I wish I could do more than just say my thanks,” he admitted.

“I assume Fluttershy spends time with Discord. I imagine he would be amused, as she’s more like him in genetic ways. I did already ask if he could yank them to safety, but that’s not possible for several reasons,” Twilight explained. “That said, if he’s willing, I think once Sassi is on her own, she could use Discord’s help acclimating.

“Really? I’d be happy to! When’s the party?”

As Discord’s head popped out from the wall next to him, Flask promptly let out a high-pitched scream.

Twilight couldn’t hold back a chuckle. Annoying at times, yes. But she appreciated Discord’s friendship more and more as the years passed.

Especially at times like these.

Author's Note

Uh oh...someponies aren't too happy with things.

Bigger chapter this time! I originally had this split into two chapters, but I figured having a single chapter served the narrative better, our focus only drifting from our heroes for one chapter instead of two.

Chapter Seventy Three: Coasting the Rapids

Sassi let out a soft mumble, the mare struggling to open her eyes.

What…?

The medical room was gone. In its place was a crystal-clear stream of rushing water. Across it, a beautiful forested mountain rose, the mare at the base of the landscape. Bluish-green grass spread out in meadows that dotted its slopes, with various vegetation and flowers leading down to the water.

A dream?

The fact Sassi was able to recognize such a thing was new. Sassi had never lucid dreamed, but this felt so odd. Everything was muted despite feeling awake. An odd film like a television screen separated her from the river. The ground she stood on was like charcoal, black and without much form or texture as opposed to the other side.

A figure caught her gaze, abruptly visible within the blink of an eye.

“Astral!” Sassi immediately called out, finding her voice softened. The stallion didn’t hear her, calmly sitting on the edge of the river and looking around.

She cried out again, and this time his ears perked up. Astral stood up, waving back and saying something- but it was too soft.

He seemed to pick up on this, the stallion eventually sitting down and waving at her until Sassi waved back.

The object he held up made tears blur Sassi’s vision. A small pile of weaved grass circlets sat next to him, each sporting a different arrangement of flowers. That was the last thing Sassi saw before the world spun, a very different location now making her heart freeze.

A cold, sterile lab room greeted the mare. Her fur prickled, but Sassi couldn’t move. The violating sensation of the command spell permeated every aspect of her being.

A single blink and Astral was suddenly in the room with her. He looked around, frowning as Sassi stood completely still. His eyes radiated concern, the Thestral walking a bit closer.

The smell of his fur as Astral held her close, the physical security a hug could provide…Sassi wanted nothing more than those simple things. Yet she couldn’t move, the spell binding her body. She was still imprisoned, still at the mercy of whoever ordered her about.

Astral will think of something. He’ll get me out of this.

The shock of the thought made Sassi somehow move, the mare’s body jerking in shock. The scene fragmented as the mare woke up, the dream fading away. The last thing she saw was Astral’s confused expression before she woke up.

It didn’t feel like normal wakefulness though, her eyes simply opened as if she had blinked. An abrupt change of scenery and the dream was gone. Astral was still on the medical bed next to her, everything unchanged. Sassi had slept; a good six hours if the clock was correct.

A dream. Or nightmare.

Stretching, Sassi got up from the bed and wiggled her limbs into wakefulness.

The command spell. I’ll be having nightmares for a while. At least Astral was there.
He wouldn’t ever hurt me or use the spell to do anything. That’s a relief at least.

She promptly froze, thoughts continuing to climb out of the pit of denial the mare had unknowingly shoved them.

He wouldn’t ever do something like that.

Sassi abruptly sat down with a soft *thump*, the realizations now spilling over. A previously taut rope of expectations and knowledge was unraveling within her mind, every thread making complete sense. It had been easy to ignore until now.

I trust him.

The previously hidden weight of that statement rocked the mare to the core. When frozen by the spell, both back in Silo Two, and the dream, the idea that Astral would misuse it simply hadn’t crossed her mind. There had been a moment of horror, wondering what would happen. But never that Astral would order her to do anything harmful. Of course, she trusted him. They had fought for each other. But this was different, on a much deeper and visceral level that Sassi couldn’t find the words for. Being able to believe something without a cacophony of doubts was such a peaceful, beautiful thing. It froze her thought process for a moment.

He makes me feel safe.

Tears began to fall from Sassi’s eyes, the mare trotting over to the stallion. He slept peacefully, Sassi placing a hoof on his cheek.

Is it because you love me?

This incredible pony had thrown himself against an entire Silo of monsters just to save her. She couldn’t ignore it anymore. The safety she felt even when her body refused to respond made Sassi’s head hurt. There was never a positive memory when those times had occurred in the past. Not until now.

Not until Astral had fallen into her life and turned everything upside down.

She knew how she felt. It was silly to try and deny it. And yet there was so much baggage with a word that should be beautiful; Sassi couldn’t utter it just yet. And yet the four-letter word refused to go into the darkness of her mind. It burned, no longer embers but a roaring bonfire. The feeling of safety in the nightmare was the gasoline that had melted the last of the restraining chains and tipped the scale away from fear in Sassi’s heart.

Sassi was still afraid, more than she could express. Afraid of the future, afraid of confronting the trauma, of how it damaged her. Afraid of life outside of the Silos. Afraid of what would happen if she was wrong. But the fear was pushed aside. There was something else Sassi wanted far more, something that threw the scale aside. For her entire life, trusting someone else was a risk not worth taking. Opening up was just another way to get hurt.

Wanting someone was just asking for pain.

She reached over to hold Astral’s hoof, and tears fell from the mare’s eyes as he smiled, his hoof tightening around hers.

I love you, Astral. It’s just taken me this long to even be able to think about the word.

Four letters amidst a thought unlocked it all. Every hope and dream that had been hurriedly shoved down and out of conscious awareness now had a nexus point to revolve around. Even though Sassi’s head pounded under the strain of trying to comprehend it all, she didn’t try and dismiss it.

I just want to see you happy. To see you smile.
To see you look at me like you looked at the stars in the observatory.
I just want…you.

The last thought made the mare smile. That was the simple fact of it all. She just wanted to be close to this incredible pony who had turned her life upside down, showing her that the world outside the Silos was worth fighting for.

That she was worth fighting for.

I can only say that I love you in my mind for now. I hope you can wait long enough for me to tell you out loud.

Oddly, Astral’s mouth twitched into a smile again as Sassi pondered, his hoof still tightly clutching hers.

Sassi almost laughed at the situation, the mare wiping away her tears with a free hoof. She was having a borderline existential crisis because she loved someone. But, if her psychology degree was anything to go by, it was logical, as far as crises go.

But I’m still here. The Company didn’t break me completely.

The warmth in her chest had been largely absent since before meeting Astral. Sassi hadn’t dared entertain ideas, dreams, and hopes around finding somepony since her teens. And now they all came rushing back.

Excitement, eagerness, affection, and worry; all were a warm ball of something in Sassi’s chest. Then again, many an author had described love as just that.

“You fought for me, Astral,” Sassi said softly, “now it’s my turn. I’ll fight for you. For us. So you can show me your world. Because I want to be a part of it…in more w-ways than one.” Her last words hitched, the mare taking a shaky breath.

She hadn’t realized how much she wanted that. The idea of waking up without Astral at her side wasn’t just anxiety-inducing. It simply didn’t make sense. Why would she ever want to not have him be there?

Sassi wanted him to be there. That was the thought that made her eyes cloud again. For so long, she had prevented herself from wanting to be close to anyone, all to keep herself safe. It had been warranted, logical. But Sassi hadn’t realized how much she had missed letting herself explore that simple thought.

In the jungle, the thoughts had been so close. To realize that Astral wanted her, to simply see her happy had nearly made Sassi’s thoughts shatter into pieces. The woven circlet had started to crack them.

She felt safe with him, happy.

It’s ok to want someone. To want to feel safe around them.
Protected.

Protecting others had been her life’s work. To relinquish that responsibility to another pony was both terrifying and freeing on a level Sassi still wasn’t able to process, not yet at least.

Not yet, but she would. She’d fight everything in this Silo for a chance at that, just as Astral had for her.

“You promised to not leave me alone,” she said with a tearful smile. “Well, I’m promising to not let you go. As long as you want.”

There was a dull *bang* from the barricade, and the mare blew the bangs out of her vision, checking the minigun at her side.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Sassi snapped her hoof to the right, the neck of the Fony crunching under the impact. The creature flopped against the barricade, the mare then unlocking the small hatch and sliding through.

It had taken a while of waiting, but she had finally taken care of the scout their enemy had sent her way. It had been scratching around the barricade, finally poking its head through a hole it had been carefully enlarging.

Sassi had been waiting for it.

Dragging the body out, the mare scanned the hallway- the motion detectors coming up empty, for now.

The mare trotted down the hall, stopping at the offices. She slammed a piece of rebar down and impaled the corpse on it. A few short blasts of the cannons and the remaining ‘unhatched’ Fony’s in their fleshy wall prisons were turned to red mist.

Mental note. Never think of the words ‘fleshy wall prison’ ever again. ‘Incubating forms’ is much better.

Sassi then waited, drawing a new line of blood in front of the offices. Maybe the monster would realize that everybody it sent her way, she’d just move closer to them. If there was a fuel line anywhere around here, she’d gladly burn the entire floor to a crisp.

A quick look around the offices yielded nothing outside of some sealed water and simple office tools, Sassi heading back promptly. She trotted back, quickly welding a metal plate over the new hole in the barricade before settling down inside the medical center again. After cleaning off, the mare examined the helmet footage again. There were still a few timestamps she hadn’t watched.

The footage almost appeared paused, but Sassi realized Astral was in a side room of sorts, heavy breathes indicating a pause in the fighting.

‘Motivation?’ The stallion muttered, still trying to catch his breath.

‘I promised.’

Sassi blinked, and yet the warm glow in her chest should have been an answer enough. The determination and affection in his voice…

‘I promised to show you the forests. I promised that I wasn’t going anywhere.’

Tears brimmed in Sassi’s eyes as Astral spoke.

‘Just hang on. I’m not stopping.’

The helmet was carefully stowed, Sassi trotting over to hold Astral’s hoof again. There were no more doubts concerning Astral’s feelings. He had done all of this for her.

Sassi latched on to that thought. She didn’t feel worth all of this effort. But the mare trusted that Astral could see something she couldn’t.

“I’m not stopping either, Astral. Please, just hang on,” she whispered.
I can only think about it now. But eventually, I want to say it to you. As soon as I can. How much I care…How I-

The stallion’s eyes blinked open, green orbs cloudy and unfocused.
“Hullo?”

Author's Note

Warning: Just a heads up that in a few chapters (at least 3-4 away), there will be huge spoilers to Cure for a Toxin, the final installment of the trilogy starting with Timeless and Sunspots.

Ye be warned. Go read those first; but I'll give a week's warning before the specific chapter is posted.

Chapter Seventy Four: Awake?

“Astral?” she asked, the stallion looking in her general direction.

“Whose there?” he asked, trying to lift his head before flopping it back onto the ground. “Whoa. Heavy.”

“It’s Sassi.”

“Sassi?” Astral asked, a goofy grin then sliding onto his face. “Naaaaaaaaaaaaaah. You’re not Sassi.”

Oh dear.

It was clear that Astral was not himself- and that was when Sassi recalled his reactions to painkillers and other drugs. This could get interesting.

“Why can’t I be Sassi?” the mare asked, simply happy to hear her stallion’s voice again.

MY stallion? Wait, when did that-

The thought vanished on the winds of consciousness, Sassi making a point to address that later.

“Because she’s safe!” Astral crowed, a little too loudly. His voice dropped down after Sassi shushed him, however. “This is like… a really plain metal room. Or at least, I was. Sassi was there. But this is different. Nice view of the clouds above us though.”

Any thoughts about Astral being grounded in reality flew out the figurative window at that statement.

“Well, Sassi or not, I still need you to stay still. You’re hurt,” Sassi tried to explain. Astral shook his head slowly, the grin on his face still childishly goofy.

“I feel fiiiiiiiiiiiiine,” he said, raising a hoof and flopping it back down. “Heavy and tired. But not that ba-” he burped up some black tar, thankfully landing in one of the multiple small trash cans Sassi had set up next to the bed. “Ew. Ok, maybe not too good.”

He then frowned; lips pursed in thought.
“If you’re not Sassi. What should your name be…?” he mused.

Sassi was torn between finding the exchange highly amusing and rather worrying. But if he was talking, that was an improvement.

“Sassifrass!”

There was a soft *clop* as Sassi’s hoof met her face. Thankfully, Astral wasn’t lucid to see the bright blush on her cheeks. She shouldn’t like a name like that. And yet…it felt like Astral was giving her a nickname. A nice one.

His nickname for me. That thought alone described why the blush refused to leave her cheeks.

“Not Sassi, but your voice is like hers. Sooooo a kind-of-Sassi-name!” he proclaimed.

“Well, Sassifrass it is,” Sassi sighed. “Do you need anything, Astral?”

He grinned, head lolling back and forth on the table.

“Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah,” he replied, growing silent. Sassi waited patiently. This was, after all, the first time she had spoken with Astral in days, loopy or not.

She eventually busied herself with organizing supplies, as Astral remained quiet. Any requests for what he needed went unanswered as if the stallion couldn’t hear her. But he didn’t seem to be in pain, simply lost somewhere outside their current location. Sassi couldn’t help but be a tad jealous of that; an escape to anywhere else would be a lovely break.

After a time, an odd awareness flickered in the mare’s mind, as if a single string on a violin had been plucked. Looking over, she saw Astral watching, a simple, almost tender smile on his face.

“Astral?”

His still-cloudy eyes blinked, the stallion letting out a mumble.

“Mmm?”

“Do you need anything?”

A simple shake of his head made Sassi’s ears flick.
“Just watching me then?”

The smile on the Thestral’s face was different but still held an odd familiarity.
“Yeah.”

“Any reason why?”

He let out a soft chuckle at that.
“Not really. I guess…” Astral’s brow furrowed. “Huh.”

“Huh?”

The smile returned. Even though clouded, a spark of familiar affection broke through Astral’s gaze.

“I don’t know why,” he said as if thinking out loud. “Seeing you just makes me happy.”

The most coherent sentence Astral had said since waking up, and it as that. It was all Sassi could do to not cry. She walked over and squeezed his hoof.
“Well. I t-think that’s really sweet,” the mare managed to say.

He grinned again, letting out a sigh.
“I’d totally ask you on a date. I like your voice. You’re nice,” he mused.

“Well, why can’t you?” she countered.

“Because I’m already going on a date with Sassi!” Astral proclaimed. “Not sure when. Well, we already did. But eventually more! Lots and lots of dates. As soon as we…” his brow furrowed. “Get safe. She’s already safe. But where am I?”

“You’re safe too, Astral.”

His green eyes cleared for a split second, the stallion curling up slightly.
“Am I?” he muttered, “feel rather cold. Really tired. Maybe will take a nap.”

Sassi checked his vitals on the medical bed, and that reassured the mare that he was, in fact, just sleepy.

Not the ‘forever sleepy’ type of tired.

“Well, if you need to sleep, take a nap. See if you can roll over first though. You’ve been on that one side for a while,” she instructed, noting a reminder on the medical bed’s display that was flashing softly.

With a rather unceremonious heave and more becoming of a sack of potatoes, Astral flopped himself over onto his other side. The reactor and medical system followed, thankfully still connected under Sassi’s watchful gaze.

“Tada!” Astral proclaimed with a cheesy grin. “Flipped!”

“Good job,” Sassi snickered, snagging one of their emergency blankets. The thin foil wasn’t as weighty as wool or a typical fabric blanket, but it’d keep Astral warmer than nothing. “Let me drape this over you.”

“I’m gonna be cooked!” the stallion mumbled, “tin foil me up and then inside an oven.”

“Well, you’re a cute foil meal if anything,” the words simply flowed out of Sassi’s mouth before she could even think. She blushed brightly, especially as Astral grinned.

“I’m cute?”

She finally managed to glare at the smiling stallion, lips pursed in an embarrassed pout.

“Among a lot of other things, yes. So go to sleep.”

Astral was still grinning as his eyes closed, the Thestral yawning after spitting up a blob of black tar.

“She thinks I’m cuuuuuuuuuute.”

Then he was out, Sassi shaking her head in amused disbelief as she sat down next to the medical bed.
“Well, at least you’re somewhat back. Loopy, but not in pain,” she muttered to herself. “Maybe we’ll be able to talk more when you wake up again.”

‘Well, at least I can start off this journal with good news. Astral is awake. Sort of. He’s loopy from all the painkillers and drugs but at least talking.

The creatures sent a scout. After I killed it and made a bit of a mess of things, they haven’t sent any more. That was a few hours ago.

I’ve watched Astral’s combat footage. Looks like the modifications took, at least initially. He’s…

I just hope he wakes up soon. This Silo is wrong in so many ways. Too quiet. The power has flickered on and off. If it fails, I’m not sure what’s going to happen.

I scouted out near the offices and let the RASP armor systems scan. No power grids other than this one, not within scanning range. But this place is old, and we could be in a dead zone of equipment that wasn’t maintained. Or got destroyed by the creatures here. I never even heard of this section during my jobs in this Silo.

Going to try and sleep again. Not sure if that’s a good idea or not. Maybe these journals will keep me sane, assuming anyone is receiving them. Sassi signing off.’

Author's Note

I mean, he's at least talking? :yay:

Chapter Seventy Five: Loopy Pancakes

Sassi managed to get another chunk of sleep. Despite that, the mare woke up with a shudder, a few flashes of memory infiltrating as a nightmare just before she woke up.

Not exactly starting on a good note. She could already feel ‘off’. Then again, the past few days had been taxing, to say the least. A nice distraction was an interesting awareness as she woke up. A simple knowledge that Astral was too. It was the oddest sensation, but she shrugged it off, downing some rations and water.

The motion detector hadn’t gone off, so apparently, her message to the creature had been understood, at least for now.

The lights flickered, and that had Sassi’s eyes narrowing. If the grid failed, there weren’t any other options. She could try to run deeper into the Silo with Astral, but that was more of a death sentence than staying put and hoping the drugs could stave off the worst of it. Strapping Astral to her back with a time limit and charging into who-knows-what was simply not acceptable in terms of risk. The scans from the RASP suit indicated there wasn’t any other stable power source within range.

That was good enough for Sassi to stay put. Ultimately, she’d cross that bridge if it came up.

Putting the helmet on, the mare blinked at seeing the date. It had already been two days? Three? Well, almost.

Their food supplies weren’t exactly stellar. Compressed ration bars could only get them so far. Astral hadn’t eaten, but thankfully Sassi had found some IV fluids. Those were down to the last two bags, and even then, they weren’t exactly in date.

But it was that, or have Astral die of dehydration.

There was another tickling in Sassi’s mind, the mare looking over to Astral as he woke up. It was the oddest feeling to abruptly know he was up.

Then again, spending months with somepony would do that, so she assumed.

“Hellooooooooooo?” he called out, confirming that Sassi would be talking to loopy Astral for now.

“Hey, Astral. How’re you feeling?” the mare asked, trotting over and sitting down next to him.

“These weird things in my chest and sides itch. What are they?” he asked, a hoof flopping over to point at the crystals.

“They’re crystals. They’ll help you feel better, so don’t scratch at them.”

The answer seemed to satisfy Astral, the Thestral grinning.
“Soooooo I’m like a power pony? Part pony part crystal?”

Sassi resisted another facehoof.
“You could say that.”

Even though he wasn’t lucid, the genuine, almost innocent smile on Astral’s face as his cloudy eyes looked at her made the mare’s heart do a flip.

“I felt when you woke up,” he mused with a yawn. That comment made Sassi’s ears perk up.

“What?”

The grin widened goofily.
“Probably because you’re in my heaaaaaad. In my heaaaaaad. Zombpony, Zomponieeeee!” Astral sang.

Now Sassi did smack her hoof to her face with a groan. The fact he had perfect pitch was both a bit unsettling and impressive.

It was also rather adorable.

“Just no loud singing, Astral. We need to keep quiet, at least somewhat,” she explained.

The stallion nodded ever so slightly, coughing up some black tar.
“Okie dokie,” he said, blinking slowly. “I want pancakes. Do you want some?”

Loopy Astral was…interesting.

“I’d like any food that isn’t compressed ration bars,” Sassi admitted. “But why pancakes?”

“I can make amazing pancakes,” the stallion said with a grin. “Fruity and fluffy and buttery gooooooodness!”

As Astral began to hum to some unheard tune, Sassi felt an almost physical barb of pain in her chest. It was such a simple, stupid realization, yet it hurt all the same with the connotations.

I didn’t know he could do that, assuming Astral’s telling the truth.

Even if it was just the medications talking, it only highlighted the fact that Sassi didn’t know about Astral as much as he knew about her. That thought only twisted the blade of guilt more. She wanted to know, more than anything.

But now because of her, she may never get-

The mare cut off that thought immediately, tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn’t think like that. Astral is like this because of her. That he might die because she-

“Sad?”

Astral’s soft, cautionary voice carried a familiar, if the not faint tone of affection, the stallion looking at her curiously. His green eyes cleared ever so slightly.

Sassi shrugged, wiping away the moisture from her gaze.
“Just a bit.”

“I know,” Astral whispered. “Feel it. It’s nicer when you’re happy.”

“What?”

He didn’t say anything else, simply yawned and curled up underneath the emergency blanket. That only made Sassi more uncomfortable. How in the world could he feel that she was sad?!

Questions for another time.

“Should I put the armor back on him?” She asked the AI.

‘Optional. With healing crystals in place, the armor can both provide additional, physical protection and stabilization. However, it may prevent specific healing measures.’

“What do you mean, specific healing measures?”

‘Analyzing. Unable to ascertain at this time. More data required.’

“That’s helpful,” Sassi huffed, “I’ll leave the armor off for now.”

“Yay!”

Astral’s exclamation made Sassi stare at him, the stallion looking at her cheerfully.

“Yay?”

He nodded, a hoof flopping over to gesture at her.
“Uh-huh. You were talking about armor. Heavy stuff. Don’t want it right now. Get all sweaty and ick.”

Sassi made a mental note about that. Astral was still out of it, but not ‘that’ woozy.

“Well, armor can stay off then.”

“Yay! I get to stay fluffy!”

A soft groan left Sassi’s lips, and Astral turned to glance her way.
“What? I like being fluffy! Armor makes all the fur stick down.”

“I like you being fluffy too, Astral. So, no armor.”

Her cheeks were burning, but Sassi didn’t care. It was the truth, after all.
“Heh. And you’re fluffy too!” Astral said with a grin, a familiar affection sparking in his gaze. “I like it.”

She tried to pout; she really did. But the smile refused to leave Sassi’s face, her cheeks a bright pink. For better or worse, Astral looked away with a yawn. If he ever discovered how easily she blushed, Sassi would probably wear a helmet all day.

Or rather, when he discovered it.

With a sigh, Sassi busied herself looking through the supplies again, Astral falling back asleep (or unconscious.) There was another question for the AI that had prodded at her thoughts.

“Is it safe for me to touch Astral? Hold his hoof and stuff?” she asked softly. “He was all spongy before. I don’t want to hurt him.”

‘Physical touch is acceptable. Caution: refrain from rough or sudden movements. Sexual activity not advised unti-‘

“Wasn’t asking that!” Sassi hissed, the screen clearing of text. Yet despite the initial annoyance, it abruptly faded, leaving…something.

Not disgust. Not immediate recoiling in distaste or fear.
But something.

Sassi’s thoughts were abruptly put on hold as the lights shut off.

“Warning. Fuse box failure. R-r-r-rerouting power matrix unavailable. Complete systems failure. Unable to compensaaaaaate.” The voice warned before fading completely. The emergency lights flicked on, a dull, faint blue color.

‘Warning. RASP power systems in supplementary mode. Please restore main power. T-minus twenty-five minutes until healing spell failure.’

Chapter Seventy Six: Critical Failure

Sassi immediately galloped towards the door, checking before everything was clear. Swiftly locking it, the mare quickly made her way down the hall. The second helmet would alert her if any creatures tried to sneak in.

The infrared worked perfectly but Sassi made sure to have snagged a flare just in case the electronics fizzled out again. It was a quick but cautious trot to the fuse box, nothing impeding Sassi’s path. Nothing had changed. No motion alarms, not a single thing out of place.

Turning the corner, Sassi clicked the helmet lights on to get a better view of the fuse box.

Her heart stopped.

The fuse box was a blackened mess. There were new fuses that were burned and fried, tendrils of foul smoke wisping into the air. But across the entire machine, a massive gash had torn it nearly in half. There weren’t any switches to flick.

“Scan for available power grids. Anything we can hook the healing crystals up to.”

‘Scanning.’

The minute of scanning felt like an hour.

‘No active, sufficient power sources detected. The electric grid in this area has suffered catastrophic damage.’

Sassi dared to trot at the end of the hall, glancing this way and that but finding no change in status, nor anything new.

“Then how do we power the healing crystals?”

There was a pause, far too long for the advanced AI.

‘Unknown. Searching for alternatives.’

Sassi quickly made her way back to the hospital wing. Surely there had to be something! It was a simple matter to re-barricade everything, and the mare toyed with the idea of strapping Astral to her back and galloping as fast as she could.

And yet that could kill him. There was no guarantee she’d even find a medical bed, let alone a working one.

“Can he be healed with just the crystals in his body? Maybe not power the entire medical bed for a time?” She asked, pacing back and forth as the counter ticked down faster.

‘Negative. Supplemental healing spells are insufficient. Primary user needs additional, full-saturation spell treatment before relying solely on supplemental crystals and armor systems. Movement at this stage will increase user destabilization.’

Sassi felt the hot, painful tears of frustration welling up, but she forced them down. The timer ticked down methodically, Sassi's eyes frozen to the counter. She could hear her heartbeat thudding, her breath quickening.

What do I do!?

There was nothing in Sassi's training repertoire that could help. No improvising could bring power to the healing crystals. The power grid was well and truly dead.

And Astral would likely follow.

She refused to accept that thought even as the inevitable dread loomed, a tidal wave of painful acknowledgment that was edging closer. The mare galloped out, the RASP AI scanning from the destroyed entrance to Silo Two.

She ran past the fuse box again, venturing further down the hall as the AI continued its work.

Nothing.

Silo Three was enormous. There might not be a new power grid anywhere even close to them, let alone a functional medical bed. They might not even be near the main shaft of the facility for that matter, lost in a maze of side corridors and wings.

And the AI said I can't even move him.

Returning to Astral's side, the mare watched as the minutes counted down, her mind frantically spinning in circles. There were no options left.

Tears of frustration and fear finally broke past her defenses, moisture trickling down her cheeks. All her training, strength, and durability meant nothing. Sassi's limbs began to shake as the counter dropped into the final minute.

"Is there any way to power the medical systems?" she whispered.

'Negative. Continuing to search for alternatives with experimental subroutines.'

The counter hit zero, and the healing crystals surrounding Astral flickered, finally shutting down with a soft hum. The armor's reactor kept the crystals adhered to Astral’s skin powered, but it wasn't enough. All it did was prologue the inevitable.

Astral was mercifully asleep, but the stallion's breathing became slowly more labored. The vitals monitor in the helmet began to shift from blue to orange. A dangerous red tint then began to creep onto the screen. The display began to flash a warning.

The tears were flowing freely down Sassi's cheeks as she hopped up onto the medical bed. The helmet was set aside, projecting the vitals and other displays into the air. She wrapped her forelimbs around the unconscious stallion. His life was draining away and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

The one pony to make me feel like I’m more than just an experiment, and he’s going to die.

"Please...save him," Sassi whispered, her sides shaking with sobs as she hugged Astral close. "What more do you want from me?"

Her cries to the so-called Harmony of Equestria had never been answered. The tales of the Elements, a tree that grew a consciousness; it all was nothing more than foals-stories to her. A fantasy for ponies who grew up in a world far away from this one.

If this Harmony existed, it never had cared about her. Why would it now?

Never in Sassi's darkest moments had her prayers, her pleading been answered. She had stopped asking after years of tearful begging. She hadn’t expected anyone's help long ago. That included some mystical Harmony or any of the Princesses. They never had helped her. Even their influence was poisoned by the Silos.

And yet Sassi knew that if there was anyone that could hear her...

"H-how much more do I have to give?" Sassi whispered, rocking Astral back and forth. His breathing was slowing. "Just when I started to have hope, you're taking that away from me too."

A thought canceled out everything else. It was like someone had just yelled in Sassi's ear.

‘Hug him, as tightly as you can.’

Even knowing it was just her own, desperate wants, Sassi didn't care. The thought came again, and the mare didn't see a reason to do anything else but listen.

Sassi's limbs shook as she hugged Astral, wanting nothing more than for him to just open his eyes. There was nobody else to hear her cries. But she wished more than anything to be wrong about that.

"Whatever you want, just take it. Don't let him die. Don't take away the pony I love,” Sassi whispered. “I can’t do anything else for him.” Tears obstructed the mare’s vision, her lips trembling. “I heard the Princess say it once, even if I didn’t believe it; friendship is magic. Is that enough?”

She pulled Astral closer.
“Whatever I need to give to save him, take it. Please, just don't leave me alone again."

If not for her heightened abilities, Sassi would have missed it. A single flash of something in the room, an after-image that could have just been the reflecting emergency lights.

An ethereal mare had only looked at her briefly, a horrified, sorrowful expression on her face before bowing her head.

Sassi was then distracted by a soft *pop*. Two metal, pinecone-like objects emerged from the RASP reactor backpack as the AI's voice erupted from the discarded helmet, the displayed vitals starting to pulse.

'Alternate power source detected. Explicit consent registered. Experimental subroutines tested and online.

Changeling Dynamos activating.'

Chapter Seventy Seven:...Conquers All

Sassi stared, putting on the helmet with shaking hooves. The metal pinecone devices spun in place; white sparks being yanked into their interior. The vitals monitor pulsed, a blue tint briefly pushing back the red, dangerous warning color.

'Changeling dynamos at full power. Collection process active. All emotions available for power conversion and processing.'

Emotions?!

Sassi didn't know what these dynamos were, but she could put two and two together. The healing crystals above the bed began to spark and sputter, activating with a dull red glow.

'W-what emotions are best?" she whispered, still refusing to let Astral go.

'Positive emotions have superior energy conversion ratios. Love is cited as the most....'

Sassi hugged Astral tightly, burying her face into his mane, the rest of the recommendation fading away.

"Love?" Sassi said softly, the smell of Astral's fur making her heart twist.

Of course, I love him. How could I not?
He’s given everything for me to just be happy.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sassi saw the white sparks that appeared from thin air abruptly change into bright pink ones as they dove into the reactor.

"Will you wait for me, Astral?" Sassi asked, tears still running down her cheeks as she nuzzled into his fur. "I want to tell you everything. How I feel. What I want..."

The mare's words were choked off by emotion, the vitals monitor now beginning to glow a bright blue as the healing crystals above the bed glowed with a furious pink light.

"I can tell you that at least. I just want you. I want...." her shaking hoof reached up to gently stroke his ears, her other forelimb firmly wrapped around his barrel. "I want you to look at me like you did the stars, to be the reason you’re happy. I'd give anything for that. Please…."

Her eyes closed, and Sassi shook her head. Outside her field of view, the glow from the dynamos was nearly blinding, pink sparks no longer individually distinguishable. Two bright pink roaring flames chased away the shadows in the room.

"I don't know why somepony as amazing as you would ever fall in love with a mare like me..., but I want to find out. I trust you to see something in me that I don't. I don't care what I have to give."

The exhaustion crept up without warning, Sassi feeling herself drifting off into sleep. She still managed to force out a few words.
"I'm not letting go."

The Thestral then drifted off, the vitals display from the helmet now flashing a cheerful blue.
'Dynamos functioning at 110% capacity. Reactor synergy bridge stable. Limbo reactor output at 500% and stable. Power output now exceeds intake from supplemental healing crystals.

Primary user’s vitals stabilized.

Constant energy source signature locked in. Emotional draining monitoring subroutine, active.'

Sassi woke up with a jerk, the mare finding her limbs unable to move. She was back in the odd, metal room. It wasn't like the usual nightmares; this felt so real. Thankfully, Astral would walk through the door in front of her, and-

The door opened, and Split Tie trotted in.

The cold fingers of dread gripped Sassi’s heart. The mare wanted to scream, to do anything. But all she could do was stand there. A sinister smirk began to slide onto Split’s face as he trotted closer.

Sassi blinked, and a familiar Thestral was already flying through the air next to her. Astral’s hoof connected, ripping Split’s head clean from his body as the figure disintegrated into dust.

“How many times do I have to kill you?!” Astral growled, skidding to a stop as he stood in front of Sassi protectively.

The mare’s heart immediately melted into a puddle at hearing his voice. Even if it was just a dream, she could enjoy the non-loopy version of her stallion.

He turned around, eyes widening.
“Sassi?”

She wanted to cry. Hearing her name solidified it all. He was ok. His chest didn’t sport the crystal implants, and his green eyes were bright and alert. Was this what she was hoping for? A dream of the future?

The Thestral’s eyes drifted down, Astral frowning as he began to sink into a suddenly-appearing pool of black tar. Somehow, the stallion didn’t seem too concerned about it.

“You can’t move?” he asked, quickly sinking up to his chest. “Waiting for orders, right?”

She couldn’t even nod.

Astral smiled, even as the tar began to climb up towards his neck.
“Well, I order you to be free. That’s the only order you ever should have been given.”

Tears abruptly began to stream from her eyes. A weight she had never known even existed was now gone. It was the oddest sensation, but Sassi was already moving. Dashing over and reaching down to grip Astral’s hoof, the mare leveraged her entire weight. She flapped her wings, yanking the Thestral out of the tar.

“Don’t you dare leave me!” she growled, heaving with a final effort. “After everything you went through to save me? I’m not letting you go!”

The room shattered.

Somehow, Sassi’s head hurt even in the dream, the mare groaning. Looking around, any previous tension abruptly fled.

It’s beautiful.

The flower-strewn hill she sat on overlooked a peaceful, pine forest. A distant lake twinkled in the star-lit distance, the moon shining cheerfully down onto the outcropping. The grass appeared a soft blueish-green in the night’s light, moving in a gentle, warm breeze. Thousands of stars were spread out across the sky’s canvas.

“Sassi?”

The flowers around her ignited like fireflies, Sassi whipping around to see Astral sitting in front of her.

“Are you-”

His words were cut off as the mare tackled, him, Sassi crying into his fur as she hugged him close, lying next to him but hugging the stallion as she lay across his chest, rising and falling with his breath.

He’s ok.

Even with the knowledge that this wasn’t real, Sassi could pretend, if for but a moment. Her stallion was alive and well in this place. The usual fears and hesitation that accompanied being this close simply was mist in a wind, letting Sassi enjoy a brief moment of peace. She hadn’t even known feeling like this was possible. No preconceptions or doubts, just the familiar, welcome sensation of her stallion’s fur brushing against her own.

Astral hugged her back.

Heartfelt sobs now made Sassi’s sides shiver. For a dream, it felt so real. He held her close, the stallion’s gentle breath on her neck, a gentle caress against her neck and cheek. The stallion’s cheeks were abruptly wet with tears, a soft whisper making her heart ache.

“You’re ok.”

The realizations Sassi had come to terms with, or at least acknowledge, carried over into the dreamscape. Everything felt so much more important now, every touch actually meaning something. Even the familiar smell of Astral’s fur made everything somehow easier to process, problems losing their sharp edge.

It should have been more of a shock, but it was more of a gentle realization, one that should have been obvious from the start.

I’m not wearing any armor.

She didn’t want to ruin the feeling of peace, of knowing someone cared, so the mare shoved that thought down. Sassi pulled back slightly, gently pulling a hoof around to caress Astral’s chest. Looking down at him, she couldn’t help but smile amid slowing tears, the handsome stallion meeting her gaze curiously.

“Thank you, Astral,” she whispered, the tears slowing briefly. “Thank you for saving me.”

His eyes reflecting the stars, Astral smiled. His jaw trembled, and Sassi nearly started crying again. Was this how it felt?

To be looked at like I mean everything to someone?

Sassi would fight a thousand Skitters if this was even a fraction of the future she could have. That thought made her lean down for another hug, her hoof reaching over to trace across Astral’s furry chest.

“Even though it’s a dream, maybe I can tell you,” she whispered to herself. “I just hope I can say it to you face to face when you wake up.”

She heard him let out a soft, curious hum. Pulling back again, the mare brushed the bangs out of her eyes with a smile.

Why not? It was a dream, after all.

Wrapping Astral up in a hug again, Sassi gently brushed her lips against his. A simple kiss, even though-

Astral kissed her back, a bit longer of a gesture as warmth spread from the tip of Sassi’s nose to her hooves. There was no disgust, revulsion, or hesitation. There was only the simple want of more. More of just…this. A soft warmth on her lips that spread to every part of her body.

She slid her head underneath the Thestrals, sighing happily.

“I love you, Astral,” Sassi said with a peaceful smile. “I just hope the real-life you can wait long enough for me to say it.”

As the dream world fragmented, Sassi felt Astral shift.
“Real?” he paused, and his soft chuckle chased the mare into wakefulness. “But I…”

Sassi yawned, blinking as she took stock of her surroundings. She was still hugging Astral, the stallion’s sleeping face shifting.

“…love you too,” Astral whispered.

The mare blinked, scrubbing the sleep from her eyes. His lips had moved, but barely. The mare’s sensitive hearing had picked up a mumble, but the words hadn’t just been in her ears. They had echoed in her mind, which was a strange feeling in and of itself. Was she still half asleep?

The thoughts were chased away as two familiar green eyes slowly opened, Astral smiling as he looked up at her.

“Sassi?

Author's Note

Chapter Seventy Eight: Awake 2.0

It seemed almost surreal, Sassi hopping off the medical bed so she could sit in front of Astral. Her hoof was visibly shaking as she gently pressed it against his side.

He smiled, then let out a hacking cough and spit up some black tar.
“Still here, Sassi,” he said with a wince, “but I certainly don’t feel so great. What’s going on?”

His stunning green eyes met hers, unclouded by medications.

He’s ok. He’s here.

As the tears trickled down Sassi’s cheeks, Astral reached over and squeezed her hoof.
“Are you alright?”

That simple question nearly broke the mare, Sassi laying her head down next to Astral as she cried. He squeezed her hoof, scooting over to nuzzle her cheek with his.
“You saved me, didn’t you?”

Days of suppressed anxiety and fear overflowed, and Sassi was only able to sob. But this time, she wasn’t alone.

It took a while before the mare trusted her voice, wiping her eyes and taking a deep breath.
“You…it got bad, Astral,” she said, her smile nearly making the tears restart. “And welcome back.”

Astral’s eyes met hers, his cheek reaching over to nuzzle hers again.
“It’s good to be back,” he whispered. “You going to be ok?”

She nodded, happy to simply hear her stallion’s voice again.
“Much better now. You were out for days. Four, I think.” The playful smile that twitched onto her face seemed to perk Astral up immensely. “And since when did you get so cuddly?”

Blinking in surprise, Astral was about to reply. Sassi cut him off by nudging her head underneath his with a happy sigh. “I love it.”

He laughed softly, wincing at the gesture.
“Ow…no laughing,” he gasped, “but I’ll never complain.” The stallion paused, noting how Sassi hadn’t moved. “Speaking of which, you’re rather cuddly yourself.”

It was Sassi’s turn to giggle, the feeling of Astral’s fur against her cheek and his familiar scent almost intoxicating.

“You battle through hundreds of Skitters and other monsters, threaten a Queen, and modified yourself just to s-save me,” she whispered, voice hitching. “You’re getting hugs and cuddles for the next thousand years. I’ll find that rejuvenation spell just for that.”

Despite his playful tone, the affection in Astral’s eyes, along with the serious undertone in the stallion’s voice made Sassi’s heart do a flip-flop.

“That sounds like a pretty good plan to me.”

Astral winced, Sassi helping up into at least a somewhat-upright position.
“Thanks,” he said, spitting up some more black tar. “Have we got any water? Or food? Not too much, but my stomach feels ok for now even with that tar stuff. I’d like to know what in the world has gone on while I’ve been out.”

A simple bottle of water and ration bar was set close by, the stallion taking a few small, experimental bites. It was all incredibly hazy; a few moments standing out from when he had passed out.

One of such moments made his heart thud in his quickly-reddening ears, but Astral tried to not focus on that for now. The foul taste in his mouth was washed out by the water, the ration bar going down at least without much trouble.

“Well, I discovered new horrifying monsters in this Silo, built a barricade, scavenged supplies, and…well, that’s pretty much it,” Sassi said, sitting down next to him. “You can watch the helmet footage later.” The mare’s gaze was brimming with concern as if Astral was a glass figure that could shatter at any moment. If he was being honest, he felt like one. The stallion’s limbs responded sluggishly, and his bones ached.

“That sounds…well, horrible,” he mused, reaching down to gently poke the crystal in his chest. “And the fashion statement here?”

Despite the levity in his words, Astral saw a darkness flicker across Sassi’s expression.
“Your DNA was completely destabilizing,” she explained. “The RASP AI said that was the only way to save your life. They can be surgically removed, but now they can heal you internally, far better than the medical bed crystals. You’ve got some on your sides too.”

“Huh,” Astral said. “Well, at least I don’t really feel them. Not yet at least.”

Sassi was quiet, a lot quieter than Astral had expected. Her gaze occasionally flickered up to him, but it was obvious the mare was troubled. Oddly, the stallion simply knew that as a fact. Even if he closed his eyes, something was ringing a soft alarm bell that Sassi wasn't alright.

"It was bad, huh?" Astral asked quietly. "Sassi, I'm-"

"I almost lost you."

Her words were quiet, barely above a whisper. Sassi was only able to glance at Astral briefly before shaking her head, bangs falling to hide her eyes.

"Multiple times, you almost died. I don't...I..." Words failed her, the mare still not looking up. "I've never been so scared. The power cut out, and the healing crystals failed."

Astral heard a soft hum, and he looked over onto his back. Two pinecone-like protrusions spun gently above the reactor, pink sparks zipping into their frame.

"Are these why I’m still here?" he asked cautiously. "I thought the reactor could power it all. Vial said there were other experimental options, but nothing specific.”

"The reactor couldn’t power both sets of crystals, only keep you alive temporarily. But there was another way. Some experimental dynamos that use...emotion." Sassi's demeanor changed as she spoke, the trepidation fleeing. An embarrassed glance made Astral's curiosity pique.

"Huh. So, it's using my own emotions to power it?" he asked, still not understanding.

"Not yours. Mine."

Staring at Sassi, Astral tried to understand, his thoughts still feeling like they were being pushed through a dense fog bank.
"Does it hurt? I don't want you to-"

Sassi shushed him by walking over and placing a hoof on Astral's lips. Her jaw trembled, the mare's eyes shimmering with surprise and confusion.

"How is that your first concern?" she whispered, "you just went through Tartarus and back. How can you be concerned about me when you're a wreck?"

That was when Astral saw it. A familiar shard of hope, of longing behind Sassi's confused eyes.

"Because I care about you, Sassi," he said firmly. "I promised to never leave you alone, didn't I?"

The tears broke free from Sassi's restraint again, slowly trickling down her cheeks.

"I kept my promise. I wasn't going to let you go." An affectionate smile dawned on Astral’s face as he spoke. "But I get the feeling you weren't going to let me go either."

She shook her head, a single word exemplifying the confusion and denial that swam in her gaze.
"Why?" Sassi whispered. "I understand fighting for me, as a partner, as a friend. but not this. You were willing to die just to get to me. Why? What do you want from me?" her voice choked up. "I thought I knew the answer before. But now, I'm afraid of what it could still be. I know what I want it to be, more than anything. I'm just not strong enough to believe it. Not if I’m the one saying it."

The pieces fell into place for Astral, the stallion sighing. Of course, that was the issue; he was just being dense. Even after everything he went through, it couldn't combat an entire life of being treated as a tool to be used, your only worth being measured by what could be provided.

"I don't want anything from you," Astral said firmly, forcing a leaden hoof to flop over and gently rest against the mare's armored chest. "I just want you. To see you happy. I..."

I love you, Sassi. But I don't want to scare you with that. Not when you're struggling as it is.

He reached up to gently tug on Sassi's shoulder. She got the message, scooting forward to rest her head next to his on the bed. If she wanted to pull away, nothing was stopping her.

Astral reached forward and gave her a simple, chaste kiss on the lips. Nothing heated, but a simple affirmation that couldn't be mistaken. He certainly didn’t imagine that Sassi kissed him back ever so slightly.

He gently pulled away, an awkward but loving smile on his face.
"Please don't ever doubt how much I care about you, Sas. I'd go through it all again in a heartbeat."

The mare's expression trembled, confusion battling elation. A bright blush finally rose to her cheeks, a shy, hopeful demeanor settling over Sassi as she sat up in front of him, still hiding behind her bangs.

"There you are," Astral whispered. "I don't want to make things even more overwhelming, but I don't want you to doubt."

She leaned down to press her forehead against his, the mare letting out a tired sigh.
"Thank you, Astral," Sassi whispered. "I'll believe you until I can believe myself. That I'm worth all of this."

"You are. And I'll gladly give you reminders of that."

"Can you wait for me?"

The odd question made Astral's head tilt in curiosity.
"Hmm?"

The mare's eyes drifted down, brow furrowing.
"You can wear your heart so openly. I'm trying, but it's hard. I don't want you to doubt either. How much I care. It's just...scary for me to consider things."

"I guessed as much."

Sassi set her jaw firmly, eyes sparkling from behind her bangs. There was a fire in her gaze, a blaze that made Astral's heart thud in his chest. She was struggling to speak but reached a hoof up to hold his.

“The dynamos take in any emotion and boost the reactor,” she said, voice loosening as Sassi spoke. “Positive emotions are more efficient.”

A shy, sensitive smile managed to break past the battling fear, pushed on by the fire behind Sassi’s eyes.

“The AI said that love is the best,” she managed to say, her gaze dropping, only flicking up to meet Astral’s briefly.

Astral didn’t have any words. Considering how hard it was for Sassi to open up to him in the past, to say this was groundbreaking was an understatement. He could only nod, the warmth in his chest bubbling up to make his eyes water.

“So, you saved me too,” he finally whispered, squeezing her hoof tightly. The dynamos on the reactor brightened briefly, the pink light reflecting off the various glass objects in the room.

This amazing mare. I’m literally being kept alive by your love, Sassi. I’m never letting you go.

“Thank you, Sassi.”

The two didn’t say much else for a long time. Oddly, Astral could feel something else as Sassi reached over to rest her head against his. He simply knew she was happy. A lot of turmoil, but a simple, warm glow in his mind.

Curious, but Astral wasn’t about to give it too much thought.

The incredible mare who loved him was ok and still safe. He had kept his promise to her.

And she hadn’t let him go.

I’ll wait for you, Sassi.
And whenever you’re ready, maybe we can have a moment like that nice dream I had.

Author's Note

Please pick up your anti-fluff medications by the door...:yay:

Chapter Seventy Nine: Don't let the bedbugs...

Sassi finally pulled away, but Astral saw that the familiar, hopeful gleam in her eye was far more prominent than before.

“Your bangs are coming in nicely, by the way,” he said with a grin. “Looks good.” He winced as she glared at him. “What?”

She trotted over and very gently poked him in the chest.
“You are making it far too hard to not kiss you for the next hour,” she grumbled, snagging the RASP helmet and putting it on.

“Uh, that makes it sound like I’d object? I mean, maybe the reactor needs a boost?”

A soft giggle, and then a frustrated huff was Sassi’s reply.
“It’s good to have you back, Astral,” she said. “I’m just going to check the barricade. The freaky creatures are the ones who killed the power. Considering they nearly killed you too, we’ll burn this entire floor when we leave. Until then, we need to make sure they don’t try anything funny.”

Astral blinked.
“Ok. I’ll…uh, be here.”

Sassi vanished from view for a minute or two, but she quickly returned with a familiar, battered helmet.

“My helmet isn’t as new as the RASP, but it has a radio. I was using it for motion detection,” she explained. “Now that you’re up, we each should have a radio.”

“Sounds good to me. Especially since moving uh, isn’t really possible for me right now,” Astral admitted. His cheeks bulged, and the stallion abruptly vomited up a disturbing amount of black tar. “Urg. Ok…didn’t expect that. How is there so much of it?!”

Sasi was at his side immediately, visor flipped up as looked at him in concern.
“How are you feeling, Astral? I’m surprised you’re as lucid as you are.”

He stared at her, coughing up some more tar.
“That’s…not a comforting answer, Sas,” Astral muttered. His ears perked up on seeing Sassi’s face flush with a blush. “What?”

“You called me ‘Sas’.”

“Erm, sorry,” he said sheepishly. “Is that the first time I did that?”

“Second, or third I think.”

Astral wasn’t entirely sure whether Sassi was mad at him or not, but those thoughts vanished as she reached up and squeezed his hoof.

“No apologies needed. I like it. Just…may take some getting used to.”

“I can seriously just not call-”

“I’ve never had a nickname before, Astral. Not from somepony I care about.”

That shut the stallion up, and he laughed.
“Duly noted. So, is this permission to continually flirt with you?”

Sassi’s deadpan expression made Astral laugh again, especially as her eyes pointedly drifted to the two glowing dynamos on Astral’s backpack.

“Sooooo that’s yes?”

“It’s always been a yes,” Sassi sighed. “At least you’re not using the other name for me.”

His head tilted, the Thestral’s ears perking up adorably.
“Huh?”

“I’ll tell you later. But this is a new step for me. May take some getting used to, even if I like it.”

Another hacking cough, but Astral managed to smile as he wiped away the tar from his mouth.
“You’re, um, a bit more open about all of this. Is…that a good thing?” he asked, a bit cautious. Considering what Sassi had been through, and how reserved she had been prior, this was certainly a development.

She trotted over and gently placed a hoof on his chest.
“It’s a very good thing. I’ve had a lot of time to think, y’know,” Sassi admitted. “It’ll all come crashing down, more likely than not. So…just please be patient with me.”

“Some of the best things are worth waiting for. You included,” he said with a cheesy smile. It was ruined as he vomited up some more tar with a wince. “Urg. Mood killer. Starting to not feel so great. Really tired.”

“Then rest, Astral. I’m here.”

I don’t want to.

He could see the turmoil in Sassi’s eyes. It was hidden behind the affection, but there was a lot of fear.

“Will you be ok?” he asked softly, and she nodded.

“I’ll manage.”

Astral let his eyes drift closed with a cough, the stallion wincing and curling up. A foil blanket was draped over him, Sassi giving him a gentle touch on the shoulder.

“Welcome back, Astral. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

As he drifted off, he somehow knew Sassi was smiling, a hoof gently resting on his cheek.

Astral now being out cold again gave Sassi a few moments to think. Before anything else, there was one primary issue.

“When can Astral move?” she asked the AI.

‘Within 12 hours, suit-assisted movement is possible without compromising healing status. Limited to thirty minutes of slow walking. Movement not advised until then.’

“Suit assisted?”

‘RASP armor can function as an independent exoskeleton supporting the user, if normal motion is not possible, another mode requires needing only a fraction of normal input to engage motion.’

Well, that would be interesting.

With the lights out, it made Sassi’s nerve fray. The emergency bulbs occasionally flickered, and the entire location now felt more foreboding than even remotely safe. They’d have to move eventually. As to when, that depended on a few things. But more importantly, Astral was ok. She gave him the regular injection, carefully replacing the syringes. Her eyes drifted to the supplemental medical pack.

Fifteen percent?!

“Why are the foam and medications so low? The last report said it would last longer!” she growled into the helmet.

‘Unforeseen hemorrhaging required use of vita-foam. Additional antibiotics needed to stave off infection from fused crystals.’

“How long do we have until it’s all empty?!”

‘Unknown.’

“Are there any more of these refills within range?”
‘No. Data suggests potential supply locations are in medical bays or high-risk areas.’

Their moving schedule just got bumped to top priority.

“Well, scan for other supplemental cartridges and medical bays. And tell me what I need to do to make Astral ready to move.”

‘Acknowledged.’

The next few hours were a flurry of activity. Dismantling one of the other medical beds to attach the crystals to Astral’s armor, and then packing what few supplies Sassi deemed useful into their saddlebags. She also put the armor back on the stallion, sans helmet of course. It was fully active and ready to move if needs be. The shield systems were also fully charged, along with the miniguns.

Apparently love could be used to forge bullets. The mare briefly entertained the idea of putting that as a framed quote in her room…

Ok, more like seriously entertaining. ‘This bullet forged with love.’
….That sounds more like a threat.

There was also another project the mare embarked on, with the help of the AI. There had been some spare tanks used for oxy-acetylene welding in the storage locker, back near the main blast door.

As the mare slotted the makeshift flamethrower onto her side saddle, she grinned as the targeting reticle popped up on the RASP helmet. Trotting out past the barricade, Sassi sent a stream of flame towards one of the oddly-untouched Fony corpses.

The entire corridor lit up with a bright light, Sassi smirking behind the visor. There was a bonus of facing fleshy fungus monsters.

They were highly flammable.

Author's Note

Welp, time to go....

Also:
SPOILER WARNING AHEAD: As of chapter Eighty One, there will be massive spoilers for Timeless, Sunspots, and Cure for a Toxin from that point onward.
HUGE spoilers. I cannot emphasize that enough. So this is your 1-2 week warning to read those ahead of time.

Chapter Eighty: Moving day with extra “AAAH!”

Stowing her new weapon, Sassi sat down next to Astral’s bed. With an unwelcomed jolt, a cold sweat broke out across her body, Split’s leering face seared into the mare’s mind.

Ah. I was wondering when it’d come crashing down…

She had to hold on a little longer. They weren’t safe here. Even as Sassi’s skin crawled, the mare knew she couldn’t break down. Not yet.

Will he understand?

It was a silly question, especially with how much Astral cared about her, and vice versa. And yet such questions would continue to come. There was the fear of the unknown, the pitting of a known factor against a new one.

If anypony can prove my doubts wrong, it’s this fantastic stallion. He’s already shattered so many.

I just have to hold on a bit longer.

Her side shook with barely contained sobs. Sassi could feel the room closing in around her, the sensory overload that came with trying to work through…

Memories? Trauma? All the above?

She’d be out of action if the mare let things continue. A splash of cold water snapped Sassi out of it, at least temporarily. Replacing the helmet, she took a few deep breaths before double and triple-checking the next course of action. As soon as Astral was up and lucid, she’d get him set to move. A quick scout ahead, and then they’d be out to somewhere with working lights.

And find a new, replacement cartridge.

Sassi didn’t dare leave Astral alone to go scrounge further. The creatures were clearly counting on the lack of light to disrupt her actions. The mare wouldn’t tackle them until she was good and ready.

Her new, flaming friend would certainly help with that.

Astral’s a lot hotter though.

The mare nearly faceplanted as she tripped, a bright blush making her cheeks burn. Where did that come fr-

Interrupting her pleasant musing, a distant *BANG* followed by a soft hissing sound caught Sassi’s attention.

‘Warning. Contaminants detected.’

A soft growl left her throat as the Thestral trotted to the door.

What now?

The helmet’s scanning abilities activated, picking up on her curiosity. A mesh blueprint fanned out, a red portion highlighting in the darkness.

‘Warning. Toxic chemical line breached. Unknown composition. Potentially flammable. Avoid inhalation. Chemical analysis continuing. Parts per million rising.’

“Can Astral be moved even if he’s unconscious?”

‘Not recommended but possible in an emergency.

Thankfully, that question was able to go unanswered.

“Sassifraaaaaas!”

Mostly unanswered.

“Hey, Astral. How’re you feeling?” she asked cautiously, the stallion looking her way with a grin.

“Pretty awful!” he proclaimed, coughing up some sludge.

“You seem rather perky for feeling bad.”

“Well, I feel bad, but I also feel like I’m floating!”

‘Warning. Painkiller reserves at under 10%. Please replace.’

And that AI text immediately solved the question of what Astral was talking about. The poor stallion probably was pumped so full of painkillers, he’d be in and out of lucidity for a bit.

That thought made Sassi’s heart fall a bit more than she had anticipated. She missed him. Non-loopy Astral at least. It’d also make him harder to move.

She double-checked the non-RASP helmet, making sure the filters worked.

“Sorry, Astral. The air may be getting a bit funky. So, you’ll need to wear this,” she explained, putting the helmet on his head. She’d like to give him the RASP one, but Sassi needed the motion detection and AI the more advanced helmets offered.

The emergency lights flickered, and then went completely out.

The two helmets clicked on their lights, but Sassi’s heart abruptly rose in her throat. It was pitch black in the room. The motion detector pinged- a dozen contact, but at the edge of their range.

“New plan. We need to move now.”

If the creature attacked en-mass, Sassi couldn’t cover all angles. But with flammable gas starting to leak…

“Astral, can you stand?” Sassi asked, Astral then letting out a giggle.

“This songs gonna get stuck inside your heaaaaaad!” he sang. “Catchy, catchy, such a catchy song…”

Ponyfeathers.

“AI. Can you control the armor to have Astral walk at a non-damaging pace? Keep him close to me?”

‘Primary user consent needed. Movement not advised.’

“Astral, do you agree to this? Just say yes.”

“Sounds good to meeeee!”

‘Consent registered. Activating locomotive subroutines.’

Astral’s limbs moved slowly, the stallion’s head sagging slightly. The armor supported Astral’s weight, the pony’s movements robotic as he took a few steps.

‘Calibrating.’

A few more steps around the room, and the armor’s movements became much more fluid.

‘Calibration complete. Limited movement is available without damage to the user. Healing crystals fully active.’

The gems welded to the armor glowed a soft pink, Astral moving with the protective metal as he was manipulated like a puppet. Of course, he didn’t seem to care.

“Where we going?” he asked, managing to look at Sassi before yawning.

“Somewhere safe. Follow me,” she instructed, meager supplies packed into their saddlebags. The mare slotted on both of the miniguns with a nod.

Astral followed her out the door, head on a curious swivel. It was a bit of work to get him through the makeshift barricade, but soon they stood at the end of the dark hallway.

The fear was now only for Astral. But Sassi had training for this. Asset protection, VIP scenarios; it was almost too easy.

Moving carefully down the hall, Sassi did regular sweeps, eyes darting to the motion detector. The rising levels of flammable gas had her worried.

“Can you move him faster?” Sassi asked the AI.

‘Not without potential damage to fragile tissues.’
As they passed the ruined fuse box, Sassi took a glance to the left. Disturbing, fleshy webbing was spread all across the end of the short hallway.

That was new.

“How long until the flammable gas ignites? There’s plenty of sparks I imagine.”

‘Unknown.’

“Helpful,” she hissed, glancing over to Astral. “How are you holding up?”

“Wooooooooooooozy!” he proclaimed, head lolling from side to side. “We still going on a walk?”

“Yup. Hopefully not for too long. AI, can you scan any further for a layout of where to go? Medical centers or power grids in general.”

‘Scanning.’

They continued walking, Sassi was mindful of the vents to their left and right at the base of the tiled floor. Each air duct exit had smatterings of the fleshy webs, and it started to make her skin crawl.

It was only on the fifth vent they passed where Sassi saw an eyeless face staring back at them.

She let out a yell, turning and blasting the vent with the flamethrower. Other vents began to burst with fire, a series of piercing wails echoing as something fled the attack.

“Can you boost the healing to prevent damage? We need to run,” Sassi growled, her sensitive ears picking up movement that was confirmed by the motion detector. Dozens of contacts but just out of range.

‘Testing. Shunting power to supportive spells and systems.’

The armor began to hum, an affirmative ping chiming in Sassi’s helmet.

‘Success. Unable to sustain for more than five minutes. Requires a ten-minute break after each activation.’

The motion tracker abruptly lit up like a hearths-warming tree. The sound of claws on metal echoed through the hallway, and Sassi’s fur prickled.

“Initiate it. Full gallop. Follow me and make sure he dodges threats!” Sassi barked, the two Thestrals charging down the hallway.

A cacophony of warbling roars sounded after them, Sassi skidding to a halt as they reached a massive door. It appeared to be the first of two, the in-between space between them some sort of decontamination chamber. A keypad stood next to it- but there wasn’t time.

‘Warning. Gas at flammable levels. Ignition possible. Heavier-than-air mixture approaching current position. Ignite within the next six seconds to avoid burns.’

The guns spun up, and the mare couldn’t help but smirk as the flamethrower threw out a wall of fiery protection. The ignited gas roared back down the hallway, scorching everything in its path. Hundreds of rounds followed, ripping into the dozens of fonys that scrabbled along the floor, ceiling, and walls towards them.

The gas wave burned out quickly, only igniting the farther-away mutants. Sassi’s flamethrower, however, caught the closer ones. The mutated creatures immediately fell to the floor with satisfying ‘pops’, others being torn apart by the minigun’s fire. The cannons blew creatures to smithereens, Sassi unable to tear her attention away for a moment as Astral stood silently behind her.

“AI, type into the keypad zero, three, two, four, zero! Move inside if it’s clear!” Sassi ordered. There weren’t any threats beyond the door, at least that she could see. The thick plexiglass showed another door more clearly as dim lights started to flicker on.

‘Confirmed.’

The override code forced the door open. Sassi kept up a constant stream of magical bullets as the guns glowed a cherry red. More fonys still came, clambering over the dozens of bodies lining the floor, even while aflame.

Behind them all, a dark figure loomed at the end of the hallway. Yellow pupils locked onto the Thestrals, blue, unblinking eyes matching the gaze. Only amid the fire’s light and shadow did Sassi see how massive the creature was, even if the details remained hidden. It was like a combination between Joro, the common Skitter, and the cloned queen. The pitch-black carapace covered any detail outside of the general, spider-like outline. A triangular head looked her way, and Sassi caught a glimpse of a rectangular box bolted to the side of the creature’s face; the source of the unblinking blue eyes. Its limbs moved smoothly, methodically.

It was like watching a crisp shadow take life, eyes never leaving the ponies.

Sassi adjusted her aim with a snarl. A hundred magical rounds spattered against the creature’s torso, but the black carapace deflected the smaller projectiles.

As the door lowered, the mare sent two cannon blasts towards the shadowy mutant. One of them missed, the creature ducking. The second slammed into its side, black armor now crackling with orange, fiery patterns.

That’s for cutting our power. Just wait until you don’t have your minions with you!

The Fonys stopped on the other side of the door, parting to allow their master a view. The eyes narrowed as they met Sassi’s. The creature stopped halfway down the hallway, its bulk now hidden behind blown-out lights. A bit of reflected light from the still-burning fony corpses illuminated a brief flash of something recognizable. On a pale area of skin sandwiched between two black armor plates, a tattoo stood out in the firelight.

#28

The creature didn’t look away from her. A fang-filled mouth parted-

A soft tremor shook the floor. Whether caused by a sound or a physical movement, Sassi wasn’t sure. All she knew was that when she looked up, the creature and its minions were gone, a few fonys scrambling frantically down the hallway.

Good riddance. If they were that skittish, perhaps Sassi could use that against them.

The second door opened without issue after a gentle mist of decontamination spray. The hallway abruptly slanted upwards, the ramp having a single staircase on the side to accompany it. After a few minutes of walking upwards, the hall then branched off into simple offices on the left and right, the lights flickering on as they walked amidst the open cubicles.

‘Power grid detected and analyzed. Potential medical bay located. Partial Silo blueprint available. Plotting path.’

The glance Sassi saw of the map made her heart drop. It was massive. It was less of a single silo, and more of a fan-blade design. The central shaft was far larger than any of the others and had multiple spokes of branching hallways, rooms, and honeycombed passages all around each. They were in one small spoke, approaching the central shaft. A leaden ball settled into the mare’s stomach as Sassi realized her knowledge of this silo was utterly useless. She barely would have even scratched the surface of this place with her job!

Later. First things first.

The hallway could have easily been mistaken for one of other two Silos in terms of appearance. The same tile, lighting, and even the bloodstains in various offices. The occasional bright-red, biological webbing still made Sassi shudder. Whatever it was, it wasn’t limited to just their previous encounter.

The sign for a medical center proved the AI right, Sassi carefully scanning both the hallway and then the interior. While only having a single healing bed, the rest of the center was in remarkably decent condition, with various cupboards still having supplies. The single, L-shaped room was divided into a front treatment area, and a back storage location with multiple shelves and additional supplies, along with a patient care area with a large shower.

Most importantly there was a large, white box bolted into the wall at the back.

‘Replacement cartridges confirmed. Minimal degradation in effectiveness due to age. Adding exact schematics to scanning profile.’

Sassi helped Astral onto the healing bed, she pushed one of the only other two elevated cots closer. The mare then busied herself with double-checking any other entrances (including the vents,) and sealing them up tight. There was plenty to use, and Sassi soon had barricades on the main door and air vents that far surpassed the previous location. Another exterior barricade wasn’t possible, but at least the doors were far sturdier and had smaller (now covered) windows on them.

The mare took a few deep breaths as Astral hummed to himself on the healing table, crystals on the mechanical activating to give the ones on his armor a break.

Safe, for now.

Author's Note

Safe! Ish....

This is your final reminder. MASSIVE Spoilers for Timeless, Sunspots, and Cure for a Toxin from Chapter Eighty One (the next chapter) and onwards.

Chapter Eighty One: A Dash of Chaos

This is your final reminder. MASSIVE Spoilers for Timeless, Sunspots, and Cure for a Toxin from this chapter onwards.

“This could be easier, you know,” Twilight sighed, the Draconequus at her side letting out a soft laugh as they sat in the shielded conference room.

“Oh, but not nearly as fun!” he crowed. “I loathe memos.” On seeing her glare, Discord let out a huff. “Speaking of which, you’re no fun. You know why I can’t help.”

“I’ve sensed a bit of ‘won’t’ as well,” Twilight said with a knowing look. “Don’t think I didn’t notice your expression earlier.”

Discord had the decency to at least pout a bit. He waved a claw, and a picture of the various Silos was brought onto a crystal screen. The display floated on jets of chocolate milk, but Twilight wasn’t about to get distracted by that.

“And that ‘won’t’ is why we’re here,” he muttered, remarkably serious. That made Twilight’s alarm bells start ringing. When Discord got serious, that usually meant only two things.

One, he was trying to do something heartfelt and genuine for Fluttershy and didn’t want to mess it up. Or two, there was something in the world that was wrong.

She had a feeling it was the latter.

“You asked me to meet, Discord. I appreciated you explaining eternal perspective and such to Flask, but there’s obviously more. What is it?” Twilight asked. She had learned to have patience with the chaotic being, but there was only so much she could indulge him.

“I can’t intervene, not with upsetting the balance of things. But there is indeed another reason,” he admitted softly. Twilight abruptly realized that the Draconequus had shrunk physically, one of Discord’s many ways to convey a message in a non-chaotic fashion. He almost looked worried. “There’s something in that third Silo. I thought it was random, but it’s intentional.”

“What, Discord?”

“Chaos magic,” he said with a frown. “Not like in past instances. This isn’t some bumbling fool trying to get power from my realm. Everything is secure on my end, so we don’t need to worry about some evil shadow creature or warlord.” His claws now began to drum the table…literally with drumsticks. “No, this is chaos magic simply having found an outlet through somecreature. It does that now and again. The shields have weakened enough now for me to feel it. That Silo is odd, and that’s saying something coming from me. There’s never been a stable chaos field in your reality before.”

Twilight blinked, looking at him in surprise.
“So, what exactly does that mean?”

He stroked his beard, clearly in thought.
“In this case? I have no idea.”

There was a soft *thud* as Twilight’s head met the table with a groan sparking a laugh from Discord.

“Oh, I had to have a bit of fun! I don’t know what it means, exactly, but I can guess!”

“I have other things I need to get taken care of, Discord. I can’t play a guessing game with you.”

“I was going to tell you.”

The serious tone had returned, Discord pointing at the Silo picture with a claw.
“The shields around the facility are both meant to keep probing eyes out, and other things in. They probably have some of that nasty changeling throne ground up into the dust and scattered about to throw off any prying scans. My magic interacts with it in very odd ways. That means they knew the magic was inside and were experimenting with it in…well, I’ve no idea how. The point is, there’s a creature in there who can use chaos magic.”

Twilight blinked as the Draconequus paused. That was an ominous statement if she ever had heard one. That simply didn’t happen. Her ears were perked as Discord continued.

“On what level I have no idea. Usually, the magic just fizzles out within a day or two due to incompatibility when this crossover happens. Y’know, mortals liking order and all that,” The Draconequus gagged before continuing. “That’s why it’s not ever noticed. In this case, it seems to have stuck. Most likely, they’re a unicorn. Having some existing magic would boost things. It’s likely only a small part of them…but still there. A small part can become ‘all’ depending on the magic’s mood. Chaos and all that.”

His demeanor shifted again, Discord’s gaze focusing on the table.
“This magic isn’t being suppressed. That means whoever this creature is, they’re so out of whack with life that chaos loves them. That sort of magic is like an animal more than anything, and it seems to have picked a favorite based on potential.” Two eyes then flicked up to Twilight’s. “That should make both of us nervous. Harmony is the norm in your world, I don’t have to like that, but I can understand the danger chaos magic can cause when harnessed by mortals.” His next words were barely a whisper. “I’ve seen the damage before.”

“Are they a threat?”

That made Discord pause, the Draconequus returning to his usually casual demeanor. In this case, it involved pulling off his head and tossing it between his two forelimbs in thought. Finally plopping it back on his neck, Discord shrugged.

“I don’t know. Chaos isn’t good or bad. But it can be directed to support either cause, as you well know. In this case…it’s just chaos. I don’t even know if this creature knows what they’re capable of. I’ve not detected anything significant until now, so it either was suppressed or isn’t that big a part of them. Then again, I was hardly looking for the stuff. In all likelihood, they could live a normal life if given the chance. Or if they even want to. Honestly, I have no idea how my magic would interact with them, or with the shields if I forced my way through.” He paused, letting out a huff. “Which I could, by the way.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Twilight said, satiating Discord’s ego. “But can we do anything to help Sassi and Astral?”

Discord shook his head.
“Not until they’re out here. If this creature poses a threat, I’ll handle it. I’m the only licensed purveyor of chaos magic, after all!” the Draconequus said with a crow, pulling out a large wallet and matching certificate to back up his words. “Until then, I just wanted to let you know to be careful, and I’ll keep an eye on whoever this newcomer is.”

Twilight let out a tired breath, but a smile was on her face.
“Thank you, Discord. I could use all the help we can get.” The alicorn paused, a slight smirk now on her face. “You’ve come quite a long way, you know.”

The Draconequus rolled his eyes at that, despite letting out a rather proud huff.
“I obviously can care about others,” he muttered, “it just took a while for me to realize it feels good. And chaotic.”

“Regardless, thank you. Let me know if anything changes with this discovery.”

He saluted, vanishing with a soft *pop*, back to his home with Fluttershy no doubt. Twilight’s next meeting was rather short but applicable to Discord’s warning.

She made sure her mane was less frazzled, the mare taking another few deep breaths. In….and out. Occasionally recognizing how far Discord had come was always an amusing train of thought. Where he once only cared about a certain yellow Pegasus, Twilight was fairly certain he now had given himself a title akin to ‘protector of this realm.’

That’s what she understood from the O&O games Spike occasionally mentioned.

From a chaotic God to a protector. Amazing that being cared for, even as a friend, can change so much for someone. Even immortal beings can continue to grow and learn.

Some might find such a statement counterintuitive, but it was easy to become stuck in ways that worked, rather than trying something new.

A brief toss of her head and Twilight refocused. She could follow that train of thought later. The now-milkless conference room screen lit up. Two green eyes met hers, the blue unicorn nodding in greeting.

“Princess.”

“Director. I appreciate the status updates, and simply wanted to thank you for your offer,” Twilight said respectfully. She had always been a bit unnerved by the power the offshore peacekeeping organization held. But over the years, they had proved to be nothing but reliable and fair in keeping the peace.

But the fact a private multi-island country had a military that rivaled and outright exceeded that of almost all other nations was still a bit unsettling and were rumors that certain ageless magics had been developed and utilized. And yet they welcomed scrutiny from both Equestria and others with regular tours, checks, and agreements.

There was always something underneath the surface, however, when speaking with Toxic Shield. The unicorn was on friendly terms with Celestia, but it had taken years to re-establish a relationship to that level. Twilight always saw a guarded look in the unicorn’s eyes when speaking with her, even if he was perfectly amicable and diplomatic.

Uneasy feelings or not, the Last Light Organization had proven its value thousands of times over. The organization’s charitable program had the world’s largest nations as sponsors, and dozens of smaller provinces and rulers had joined as well. It had allowed diplomacy to succeed when in other times, it would have led to further conflict. It wasn’t an exaggeration that the organization had prevented dozens of large-scale wars. Their counsel encompassed multiple species, and while it handled the day-to-day affairs, their Director occasionally stepped in.

Ultimately, Twilight had begrudgingly acknowledged that both she and many naysayers, had been proven wrong over the two-plus centuries. She still didn’t think it was as formal a kingdom as Equestria, helpful or not. It was an organization that happened to own a bunch of islands, not a formally-ruled nation. Reliable or not, they simply didn’t have the history that other nations held, nor the same status…not that Twilight would openly voice such an opinion. Their nation status was less than two hundred years old, which, compared to the millenniums of Equestria, appeared rather childish, even with their noble intentions.

Celestia had tried to soften her view on the matter, but the facts spoke for themselves. Twilight still felt a stab of guilt at the thought, as her mentor had clearly been a bit disappointed at her refusal to budge on such a view over the past two centuries. The Director wasn’t on the same level of friendship as he was with Celestia, but Twilight did admit she hadn’t put as much effort into establishing such a relationship outside a business one. But they were on friendly terms.

Is that what Celestia meant? She said to not treat Toxic like just another pony, but it’s barely a formal kingdom. Does she want me to see him on an even playing field?

Maybe I should try harder at that.

To that end, she’d still keep the information regarding a new chaos magic user to herself for now, however.

Then again, that yak scientist of theirs probably already has sensors up and running that could detect it. I really need to meet with him again. Nobody else can hold their own on dark-matter arcane theory with me.

“I know you’ve always been hesitant to include us in any operations, Princess,” the Director said with a knowing smile as if echoing Twilight’s thoughts. “I just wanted to reassure you that we’re here to help if you need it. We won’t intrude unless asked as per our agreements.”

“I appreciate that. And you can’t blame me for being a tad cautious.”

“No, I certainly can’t, and won’t. Let us know if there’s anything you need from us. We have humanitarian supplies loaded for an emergency response if needed, along with containment measures.”

“I’ll certainly do so. Take care, Director.”

“You as well, Princess.”

There must have been a delayed shut-off for the feed on the other end, for Twilight heard the start of what must be an amusing exchange as someone entered the room.

“Toxic! Really? You ate the last muffins again?!”

“I left one or two!”

“There’s a third right next to you. Don’t. You. Dare.”

“I’m going to take a biiiite.”

“TOXIC!”

“Try and stop meeeee!”

The amused, loving tones between the two made Twilight shake her head in amusement. True, the Princess had suspicious views about the organization. But Twilight had far fewer qualms about their intentions, specifically the two never-aging creatures that led the ruling council. They had proven their noble intentions time and time again, and had the trust of both Celestia, and Luna, along with dozens of other rulers.

Twilight trusted them…to a point. But that was a start at least. She trusted their intentions and that they meant well; that much was without question.

I have to say they’re quite a pair. A unicorn and gryphoness…who would have thought?

The thought of a certain gryphon emperor brought a flush to Twilight’s cheeks, the mare shaking her head with a huff.

Some things just couldn’t be explained by science. And she had learned long ago that wasn’t necessarily bad.

It was often a rather good thing indeed.

Only after another half-hour of double-checking their supplies and barricades did Sassi feel comfortable sitting down. Astral had been snoring away on his medical bed, passing out soon after they arrived.

The brief sleep Sassi had gotten had been full of nightmares, the mare waking up with an uncomfortable grumble. As she tottered over to Astral, she blinked. The stallion was already awake, looking at her with a surprising amount of tenderness.

“Sad?” he asked softly.

“I...just bad dreams,” Sassi managed to say, Astral yawning.

“Thought so. Felt icky.”

She could only stare, finally reaching up to gently rest a hoof on Astral’s cheek, the Thestral quickly smiling.

“Happy?” he asked. Two familiar clouded, green eyes started to drift close.

“Happier than before,” Sassi said with a genuine, slight smile, her heart thudding in her ears.

He let out a soft hum of approval, and Astral was out again.

How did he know I was sad? That’s not the first time.

The mare yawned, deciding to chew both on that thought as well as a ration bar as she stretched. Exhaustion was staved off for a moment, and Sassi wanted to double-check to see what was next to this medical center.

Speaking of which, having two medical centers be so close was rather odd. True, Silo designs sometimes didn’t make sense due to repurposing rooms, but having two different medical facilities this close wasn’t logical, even if separated by heavy blast doors.

She carefully unbarricaded the doors, taking comfort in the fact these were far thicker than the previous medical center. On closer inspection, the doors looked to be carefully-cut slabs of heat-treated metal, a circular window taken out of each. They were about half as thick as Sassi’s hoof was wide.

That also begged the question as to why they were so reinforced.

Carefully monitoring the motion tracker, Sassi stepped out and looked around. The hallway to the right led back to the offices, glass walls lining a portion with cubicles visible beyond it. Now that she wasn’t so focused on getting to the medical center, the Thestral noticed a few strange rings of metal that spread from the floor to the ceiling, as if the hallway had a giant bracelet on.

Strange.

She took a left, carefully making her down the oddly-blank hall. A large security door greeted Sassi to both her left and right, the hall continuing down for a time until splitting.

The override code retracted the reinforced door (after a look at the motion tracker, of course.) The mare took a few steps inside to look around.

Sassi froze.

Her heartbeat thudded in her ears, eyes narrowing to pinpricks as she began to borderline hyperventilate. Four plexiglass rooms stood in front of her, each identical in nature. A metal operating table was placed in the center of each, and robotic arms were suspended above them with various operating equipment on the ends.

The restraints on the table, along with the walls were splattered with dried blood.

Scrabbling backward, the mare tried to keep her composure as the security door slid shut, but it was far too late. She had seen those rooms before or at least ones like them. The only difference was that she had been on the table looking up.

Walls closing in around her, Sassi forced her shaking hooves to move. The mare barely made it through the medical center doors. It was all she could do to barricade them, finally slumping down onto the ground. Wiggling out of the armor, Sassi tried to control the sobs that made her sides shake, tears running out of wide, horrified eyes.

She didn’t see anything other than memories. The room spun and faded into a constricting pressure on the mare’s temples. Sights and sensations that had been long since buried surged to the fore.

The time blurred together. Sassi managed to drag a few cushions from the medical beds onto the ground, but they were too soft. She wanted to feel the cold tile against her fur. It helped break through the shivering, horrific sense of being helpless. First the experimentation, the modifications.

And now the command spell.

The tears were a soft, steady trickle. Would she ever be truly free?

Sassi at one point forced herself onto the medical bed neighboring Astral’s. Even if she couldn’t stand his touch, simply knowing he was there made everything hurt just a bit less.

But it still hurt.

Author's Note

Look who's back! :yay: And some interesting developments from our Lord of Chaos...

Chapter Eighty Two: Roller Coaster of the Heart

Reality and nightmares twisted together. Needles stabbed into Sassi’s skin as she was unable to cry out. Workouts that refused to end until she collapsed from exhaustion.

Countless nights were spent crying in her room, wondering why the tests had to continue. Wondering why she was treated less and less like a pony. The countless looks, the lack of anyone caring…

And then one of Split Tie’s guards smirked as he traced a hoof down her flank.

“Sassi?”

A strongly familiar voice snapped her back to wakefulness, but a touch on the mare’s hoof made her scrabble backward. Sassi barely caught herself as she fell off the bed, a furious yell leaving her throat out of pure reflex.

“DON’T TOUCH ME!”

The words echoed off of the walls, the Thestral’s sides heaving as her limbs shook. Reality slowly broke through the barriers to Sassi’s woozy psyche, the mare blinking as her breathing slowed down. Despite that, the mare’s skin crawled as Sassi struggled to regain a sense of self.

Astral was staring at her from the medical bed. His clear, unclouded eyes struggled to stay open. Abruptly, tears welled up within their depths, regret pouring from his gaze.

“It’s the command spell. Isn’t it?” he whispered.

She nodded, and the brimming tears slid from Astral’s eyes. Why was he-

“I’m so sorry,” he said, voice shaking. “I couldn’t think of any other way to keep you safe. I never wanted to give you orders. I didn’t…” His voice drifted off, Astral unable to keep his eyes open any longer.

Sassi stared at the stallion in shock, her lips quivering as now her own eyes began to burn. She shut them, head shaking back in forth in self-loathing. In the few moments Astral had been lucid, the stallion thought he was the reason she didn’t want to be close.

Had he been waiting for me to wake up? And then I yell at him when he tries to comfort me?
Is this how it’s going to be?

More tears dripped from the mare’s eyes as she cried. Talk was cheap. Astral said he’d be ok if she was a wreck, but this was different. Now he thought that it was because of him. Nothing could be further from the truth.

She couldn’t even muster the strength to stand. Even though a part of Sassi wanted to embrace Astral and cry for hours, the part that recoiled in fear and disgust won out. Any touch was too much to process.

But I don’t have days or weeks to get over this.

Time was something Sassi had, however. Even if it wasn’t enough, it was something. She let herself think, working through the memories and feelings that sandblasted her mind and heart raw.

I’m not ok.

Somehow, that admittance made Sassi feel just the smallest bit better.

A few hours of dozing passed, curled up on the tile floor cleared Sassi’s head. She wasn’t ok, not by a long shot. But she was better.

All she wanted to do was talk to Astral, to reassure him that her trials weren’t because of him. To take a moment to let him know that he made her feel safe, nothing less than that.

To tell Astral I love him.

That made her jaw quiver slightly. In time. First, Sassi had to get her head on straight. But there was progress. The mare had walked over and gently inched her hoof over to hold Astral’s. Considering her prior methods of dealing with the trauma, this was leaps and bounds ahead. Usually, she couldn’t be close to anyone for days.

Yet within a few hours, she was holding Astral’s hoof.

How could you be the cause of all this, if you make it better?

To her joy, Astral’s eyes flickered open. But the green depths were clouded, even as a gentle smile slid across his tar-stained lips.

“Sassifrass?” he asked with a yawn.

“Hey, Astral.”

He frowned at her words, hoof tightening around hers.
“You’re sad.”

This can’t be a coincidence.

“How can you tell?” she asked.

“Just know.”

Not helpful.

She sighed, happy to just sit next to the immobile stallion and hold his hoof. Astral certainly didn’t seem to mind.

“Happier.”

The fact the stallion said it with such a simple conviction followed by that still-cute smile of his made Sassi’s spirits lift considerably.

“Thanks to you, yes,” she said before getting up.

She gave his hoof a squeeze, then busying herself with examining the rooms for supplies. The timer went off for Astral’s injection, and the mare frowned, only seeing a few more syringes left.

“How many more injections does Astral need?” she asked, discarding a syringe.

“To avoid permanent damage, two. Continued doses will facilitate faster healing time, however.”

That was new.

“Where do I find more doses?”

“Unknown.”

Sassi looked at the box where she had found his replacement medical cartridge, the current one in use thankfully still above ninety percent. There were a few slots for syringes, which the mare found rather odd. As to what they could have held, she didn’t know. The slots were empty after all.

But, good to know. If the company was trying to make the RASP treatments widespread, it made sense to incorporate the two aspects of it across a Silo. The small smattering of supplies grew into a decent pile, Sassi finding some more medical packages and kits. There was plenty of rubbing alcohol, so that could sterilize any wounds or equipment if needs be.

As she munched on a ration bar, the mare frowned on examining their food stores. Taking in thrice as much food and water meant their rations were almost gone. And that was without Astral having eaten much. She made sure to keep a good day or two stored for him.

What made matters nearly unbearable was that Sassi knew where there would be supplies. She couldn’t go there yet.

But within the next day, she’d have to face those rooms again.

The room was scoured again for supplies, but unlike the previous medical center, this one was neatly organized. There weren’t many areas for overlooked odds and ends to hide. Either way, at least there was some bottled water. Sassi certainly didn’t trust the tap as a source, especially with the fungus creatures about.

With the essentials taken care of, that, unfortunately, left time for Sassi to think. She wanted to sleep, she needed to catch up on some actual rest. But it was fleeting and refused to wrap the mare up in its comforting embrace.

She did doze though, and a memory broke through the cold sweat of a command-spell memory.

Sassi looked up at Flask, the stallion gently cradling the filly in his embrace. Bandages were wrapped around the mare, a few of them stained with blood.

“Why do I have to do this? It hurts. Why can’t I play with other kids more?” She asked.

Flask frowned, his gaze genuinely troubled.
“You have two purposes here, Sassi,” he explained, the Thestral’s ears perking up. “One of them is to protect the Silos, to go through with these trainings and treatments so you can do that job as best you can. It’s going to hurt, but I can’t change that. Neither can you. But you’re stronger than anyone else here, and you can push through what nopony else can. That’s why you have to keep doing the sessions, as painful as they are.”

The stallion took a deep breath, a brief swipe of his forelimb carrying away a few rebellious tears.
“I’m sorry, Sassi. I wish I could change that, to make it hurt less. I’m sorry, but I promise to be here for when it hurts, no matter what.”

The filly nodded, her father’s embrace a comforting relief. She finally looked up again, brow furrowing in thought.

“What about the second purpose? You said there were two.”

That made Flask smile, eyes lighting up in a way that made Sassi pay extra attention.
“That, Sassi, is a really special one. It’s one you can’t tell anyone about though, not for a long time,” he explained. “That purpose is for you, and only you to find out. It can be anything you want.”

“Anything?!”

“Anything,” he said with a grin. “You can be whoever you want, but the Silos have to come first, at least for now. Even if you have to do your job, don’t let that second purpose die out. Make sure you find out what’s right for you, and keep it alive in secret. Write a book, or read dozens of them. Learn about plants or how to build a cabinet! Whatever type of pony you want to be outside of the silo, that’s your second purpose, just for you.”

The filly smiled, that thought clearly cheering her up. Sassi’s demeanor then shrank slightly.
“Will I ever leave the silo?” she whispered, “I want to see outside more. To explore it. Can that be a purpose?”

“I think so,” Flask said slowly, “at least for some school. But after that, it’ll take a long, long time for that chance to come again. I’ll try to help, but I don’t know if I’ll be successful. Your dad isn’t the most popular down here.”

“I think he is.”

Flask hugged her with a soft laugh.
“Well, I appreciate it. I can promise that I’ll try to give you a chance to explore that idea. Until then, figure out who you want to be. Eventually, find creatures who like that part of you. Not just the silo part, but everything you are or want to be. When you find those creatures, don’t ever let them go.”

A kink in Sassi’s neck made her mumble, the mare shifting sleeping positions on the floor, curled up on the tile. Her eyes drifted over to Astral, her father’s words echoing in her mind.

I won’t let him go.

The mare woke up in a familiar moonlit meadow. To say the lucid dream had her a bit weirded out was an understatement. It didn’t feel like a dream. It was as if she closed her eyes, and woken up a million leagues away.

Then again, stress and trauma could do weird things. If this was some psychosomatic response, she’d take it.

She sat up, the long grass glowing a soft teal as the winds blew through it. The vegetation brushed against her sides, yet was easily flattened under her hoof. The air was warm but cool enough to enjoy without the worry of working up a sweat. There were trees all around the meadow, tall pines casting long shadows across the grass.

Oddly, it felt peaceful rather than foreboding. Sassi couldn’t remember the last time she wasn’t worried about something. Here, it was just the trees, the grass, and…

She blinked, a familiar figure trotting towards her. Now sporting medical crystals on his chest, sides, and barrel, Astral smiled at her.

“Hey, Sassi,” he said, green eyes shining in the moonlight.

Unable to speak, the mare shook her head, trotting forwards to wrap him up in a hug. The two of them scooted closer, Astral rocking her back and forth.

“I’m so glad you’re ok,” he whispered, muzzle nuzzling her cheek, tracing down her neck. “I wish I could thank you for saving me. But I need to apologize first…”

An odd thing for a dream to say, but Sassi didn’t mind. Clearly, she was still processing Astral’s-

“I hope you’ll hug me like this when I wake up,” Astral whispered, his sides shaking. “I never wanted to hurt you. But that evil spell. I didn’t know what else to do!”

The winds blew a bit colder at that, Sassi shivering. Maybe this could give her a chance to practice what to say.

“It wasn’t you,” the mare managed to whisper, still enjoying the sensation of Astral’s cheek rubbing her own, a warm connection amidst the cold wind. “It never was you.”

“Hmm?”

Sassi felt a few tears in her eyes, but the Thestral could only smile. It wasn’t from frustration or fear. She just felt happy. How could Astral ever think it was him?

The only way that’d be possible is if he didn’t know how much she cared. And Sassi wanted to fix that, dream or not.

Pulling back, Sassi made sure to catch dream-Astral’s gaze, gently reaching forward to give him a tender kiss. Even in a dream, she loved how he immediately returned the gesture. Not too fiercely, but giving her the chance to pull away.

If this is how it feels in a dream, I can’t wait until I can kiss you when awake. When it’s real.

She pulled back, reaching a hoof down to rest against a part of the stallion’s non-crystal chest.
“I had a nightmare about the command spell,” Sassi explained. “But it wasn’t about you. You’re the only creature I’ve ever felt safe with even with the spell. I knew you’d never do anything to hurt me.”

A smile slid onto Sassi’s face as she wiped away a few tears, now getting annoyed at them obscuring her vision. Why was she crying so much?

“I trust you. Spell or not.”

I just hope you wake up soon so I can tell you that.

Astral’s reply was to lean down and hug her, sides shaking with relief.
“I hope that’s the case. I’ll have to ask the real you when I wake up.”

Sassi stiffened, thoughts grinding to a halt.
“…What?”

Astral pulled back, a sad tint to his handsome features.
“This is just a dream, after all,” he explained, a hoof touching the crystal on his chest. “I’m still unconscious on that table. I don’t know when I’ll wake up and be lucid. I’m just happy I get to hug you, even in a dream. I certainly know the real Sassi wouldn’t kiss me that fast.” His expression dropped to an adorable pout. “Even though I’d like nothing more.”

The mare wasn’t sure whether to be shocked or offended. A fair part of her wanted to prove exactly how wrong Astral was. The surprise of everything won out.

“But this is my dream,” she explained slowly. “You’re the dream. Not me.”

The stallion looked at her, perplexed at the mare’s words.
“No, you’re in my dream,” he said slowly, looking around, eyes then settling on Sassi. “You’re not real.”

Sassi let out a frustrated huff, walking over and poking Astral in the chest.
“I’m real. You’re not!”

There was another solution, one that both Thestrals arrived at about the same time.
“Could we both be right?” Astral asked, looking at Sassi, a bit of excitement now breaking through his gaze. “But how do I know you’re not just some dream? Sassi wouldn’t have been so…”

“Cuddly?”

Astral stared, slowly nodding.
“Among other things.”

“Unless that’s how I want to be,” Sassi whispered, her voice quivering. “I can be anything in a dream. Even something I can’t do in the real world just yet. That carries over to a lot of stuff.” She poked him with a hoof again. “I’m real. And I don’t know when I’m going to wake up. But I don’t want to wake up! So let this dream just keep being happy and…and…”

Sassi had no more tears, her sides simply shaking. Why did even her dreams have to throw her such ridiculousness? Couldn’t she just enjoy things for a bit?

“Sas?” Astral asked, the mare’s head lifting. “I promised I’d never leave you alone. That applies here too. Assuming this is real?”

Her head pounded, the mare leaning into Astral’s hug.
“This is too much,” she whispered, “I just want to not think about everything for a bit.”

“Then don’t,” was the stallion’s reply. To Sassi’s surprise, she felt his sides shiver, a bit of dampness wetting her cheek. “But if this is real, I’m just so glad you’re ok.”

She pulled back; the mare’s troubles were forgotten. Two shimmering green eyes looked back at her, Astral’s lips quivering.

“I couldn’t think too much when I first woke up,” he said, voice shaking. “But I’m finally realizing you’re safe. That I got you out.”

A smile pushed away any of Sassi’s darker thoughts. How could she dwell on her troubles when this pony had thrown himself into the jaws of the Silo to rescue her?

She had her trauma to deal with. But this pony had stared death in the face for her. Sassi wasn’t about to ignore everything Astral had gone through. Not again. Not after everything he did for her.

That’s not what you do when you love someone.
I remember.

Refocusing, Sassi gently reached a hoof around to pull Astral a bit closer.

“You did so much for me, Astral. I still don’t know what to think. It doesn’t make sense to me. The modifications, all that for me?” she muttered, head shaking back and forth. It was a statement of partial truth. She hoped for a specific answer.

“You do crazy things for those you care about,” he said with a smile, shifting into a more comfortable position on his haunches with a sigh. “Not sure how I can be tired in a dream…”

“Then just rest. I can sit here focusing on happy things, and you can know I’m ok.”
She felt Astral smile, the stallion gently nuzzling her cheek with his.

Had he always been so cuddly?

Romantic?

“I like that plan,” he murmured, nestling his head on Sassi’s shoulder. The stallion sighed happily as the mare spread a wing over him, snuggling closer.

Sassi made a mental note to ask the real-world Astral if he was naturally this snuggly. Because she liked it.

…a lot.

But for now, the mare let her mind drift. There was no trauma, no flashbangs of evil thoughts. There was just a stallion she loved dozing on her shoulder, his sides rising and falling against hers.

Despite it all, she felt peaceful. Even if it was just a dream.

Sassi jerked awake, the mare blinking as she looked around. A few hours had passed, and the initial surprise quickly wore off.

Another one of those weird dreams. But assuming Astral would be lucid soon, she could ask. Of course, the mare assumed it was just her way of coping with the trauma and fear of losing the stallion. An elaborate way to stave off a total breakdown.

If those dreams had been shared, that was a totally different matter.

Especially since we kissed. Ohmygoshweactually-

Sassi’s brain spun into overdrive, the mare’s cheeks burning. She hadn’t thought about that.

“Sassi?” came a bleary mumble. “Uh, I can’t turn my head, so…not sure if you’re here.”

“Astral?”

Trotting over to him, Sassi was greeted by an clearly exhausted but lucid stallion.

“Heya, Sas,” he mumbled. “My body is really heavy. Probably should flip over. Starting to ache.”

“Well, let’s get that taken care of first.”

With a few heaves, Sassi rolled the armored stallion over, Astral letting out a sigh of relief.

“Much better. Thanks,” he yawned. “Anything different?”

“We’re deeper into the Silo. The armor moved you along when you weren’t lucid. I fought off a horde of those freaky Fonys and the giant spider creature,” Sassi explained.

“Fonys?”

“Fungus-pony, remember?”

He chuckled at that, a grin lifting Sassi’s spirits.
“Ah, right. Well, I like it. Obviously, we’re in a new medical center…”

“Yep. And this is our new base. Hopefully, until you heal more. I may have to go scavenge for supplies, but we’ve got a day or so until that. How are you doing?”

“Woozy, but present. Are there any ration bars or water left?”

She was about to help Astral eat, but the smirk on his face made the mare pause.

“I’m not that out of it, Sassi. But I appreciate it,” he chuckled. “Not that I’d complain. Being fed delectable ration bars by a gorgeous mare?”

The pout on her face lacked any venom, Sassi put the supplies in his grasp.
“Clearly you’re back to some semblance of normal.”

Eating and drinking slowly, Astral managed a shrug.
“Dunno about that. This is all pretty weird. I go to sleep, have weird dreams, and when I wake up, everything is different. Well, other than you.”

“Speaking of dreams, I’ve got an odd question for you,” Sassi said cautiously. “I’ve had some strange ones too.”

“Well, we’re both stressed. Dunno about you, but I’m so pumped full of chemicals that my body feels weird.”

“What do you remember about the dreams?”

The pointed question made Astral pause.
“It’s mostly clear, actually. I seem to remember these dreams. You were there,” he mused, “it was so odd, because you kept trying to convince me that I was the dream pony. So, we went back and forth…for…a bit…” his voice trailed off as Sassi’s cheeks lit up a bright pink, the mare unable to meet his gaze.

“That was a dream, right?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Sassi whispered. “All I know is that I remember the same thing.”

A matching blush flared up on Astral’s cheeks, the stallion blinking.
“Um, wow, ok,” he stammered. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Maybe we start from the beginning?” Sassi asked, walking over and laying her head down next to him. “I wanted to tell you that the command spell wasn’t about you.”

Astral’s green eyes widened.
“I remember that. That it wasn’t my fault?”

“Exactly. You make it all better, command spell included,” Sassi confirmed. “So, we did share dreams then. That’s-I don’t know what to think,” she huffed.

“Did we kiss in your dream too?”

Her face lit up in a bright pink, Sassi sputtering as Astral grinned at her. He pushed his head forward slightly, gently touching her nose with his.
“I take that as a yes. Well, I just look forward to that experience in the real world. Let’s just call those practice?” Astral suggested to the flustered mare. “Since we both thought it was a dream?”

A soft squeak was Sassi’s reply, the mare hiding behind her bangs. A soft nudge on her nose made her eyes drift over to Astral.

Her heart was already pounding in Sassi’s chest. The look in Astral’s eyes, however, made the warmth spill over from the bottom of her hoofs up to Sassi’s ears. There was nothing but love behind Astral’s gaze, a tenderness that she hadn’t seen in the stallion before.

“Whenever you’re ready, Sassi,” he whispered, “but not before. I’m not going anywhere. And I’d do it all again for you, kiss or not. Even if we thought it was a dream, I meant every word.”

Her eyes closed, enjoying the simple, chaste touch of her nose against his. Such a simple thing, and yet it meant volumes.

“You’re amazing, Astral,” she finally whispered, a soft huff of amusement from her stallion making the bangs move aside. “There’s just a lot to unpack from all of this.”

Especially since I was the one kissing you each time. You always waited before returning it, making sure it was ok.

“How about we start with how in the world we share dreams? That’s not normal.”

A nod was Sassi’s reply, but she let out a rebellious sigh.
“Yeah, but I want to stay like this for a bit.”

“No complaints.”

No more words were said for a time, but Astral’s next question made it clear what his thoughts were grinding away at.

“Skitters have a hive mind, right?” he asked, Sassi nodding. She rose from her position, hopping up onto the bed next to him and settling down next to him. Judging from the slight smile, Astral appreciated it.

“They do. A rudimentary form. I don’t know much outside of that,” Sassi mused.

“And the modification serum has Skitter genetic stuff in it, right?” he added, the mare letting out a soft huff.

“I see where you’re going with this, and I guess maybe?” Sassi mused, her eyes then widening. “Wait. I think you’re on to something.”

“I am?” he seemed genuinely surprised. “I was just trying to find any sort of connection…”

“No, like, when you were loopy.”

“Loopy?”

Oh yeah, I haven’t told him about that.

“Your uh, not-so-lucid moments were interesting,” Sassi explained, “you were rather interesting due to the painkillers and other drugs. It’s becoming less and less, but it’s rather funny.”

Astral let out a groan at that.

“Nothing bad!” Sassi explained, “but amusing. Multiple times though, you mentioned how you knew I was sad because you could feel it.”

A curious hum was Astral’s reply to that, the stallion thinking.
“I do feel something else rather weird,” he mused. The stallion’s cheeks then lit up. “In…an emotional sense.”

That clarification didn’t help the pink on Sassi’s cheeks. But at least Astral was able to joke. Her stallion was getting back to some semblance of normal.

Her stallion.

“W-what do you mean?” she asked. The mare admitted that there was another awareness tickling her mind. A simple happiness that didn’t feel normal. It wasn’t her being happy. Instead, it was similar to the glow one received at seeing a best friend being joyful. Not your own, but recognizable.

“I mean, maybe we have like, our own hive mind? Ish?” Astral suggested. “It’d explain the dreams and weird emotional connection.” A familiar, cheesy grin twitched at his tar-stained lips. “Other than the fact I’m head over hooves for you, that is.”

A soft chime interrupted the mood, which was probably a good thing considering how flushed Sassi’s face was.

I’ve missed this.

Yet through the affection in her stallion’s eyes, the mare could see the twinges of pain. He was putting up a front.

That’s not how I want things to be.

Reaching over to snag another dose; one of the final syringes, Sassi gently injected the dose into one of the armor’s ports.

“You’ve been doing that when I’ve been out?” he asked, wincing slightly.

“Like clockwork. Vial left some recorded instructions. You’ve only got a few more doses left, but apparently more could speed up the healing,” Sassi explained. “That’s what the AI said at least. How’re you feeling now?”

Astral didn’t reply immediately, instead curling up ever so slightly.
“A bit cold. Not feeling the best. It’s gotten worse since I woke up,” he murmured.

With a gentle movement, Sassi reached over to hold his hoof.
He’s shaking.

“Astral, I’m going to be a bit of a mess on and off for a long time. Both in and out of the Silos,” Sassi said softly. “But you already saved me, and I’ll be alright. It’s my turn to take care of you now, ok?”

Something darted into Astral’s gaze as he nodded ever so slightly. Sassi felt a twinge of anxiety and fear, but it wasn’t her…

He was hiding it. To protect me.

“Didn’t want you to worry,” he whispered.

“Well, I’ll worry more if you come off as all fine. You shouldn’t even be this lucid after what you went through,” Sassi said back, a bit of firmness entering her tone. “Don’t feel like you have to walk on eggshells around me. Will you let me take care of you?”

“Was I that obvious?”

“No. I…”

She blinked, the two of them staring at each other.
“I guess I felt it? Saw something in your eyes. And then anxiety and fear. I put two and two together after that. I think that hive mind theory has some weight to it.”

“Feels weird,” he added.

“A bit. But you never answered my question.”

Astral was quiet, and Sassi felt his hoof tighten around hers.

“It’s hard to let go,” he croaked, a dry cough making Astral wince. “I had to get you safe. Had to keep you safe.”

“And now I am, thanks to you. You’ve helped me,” she paused, leaning down to bump his nose with hers again. “Will you let me do the same?”

Two green eyes softened under her gaze, Astral nodding.
“When you put it like that, I feel like quite the idiot.”

“But you’re my idiot. And I do like how I feel safe with you. But your job is to get better right now.”

“I can handle being your idiot for a bit,” he murmured. “Everything is starting to ache.”

“AI? Reason for that?”

A projected hologram above the helmet (placed on another bed,) answered that question. A series of graphs, but the large text was simple enough to read.

‘Painkiller dosage limits reached. Continuing to maintain.’

“Well, if I’m already on pain meds, this is going to be awful,” Astral muttered, “and that’s assuming I don’t go loopy again.”

“Loopy you isn’t that bad. Just funny. You can sing really well.”

Astral let out a groan at that, Sassi smiling and spreading a surprisingly-clean blanket over him.
“Just rest, Astral,” she said, resting a hoof gently against his cheek. “You gave everything to keep me safe. Let me return the favor. I was made for that purpose, after all.”

The piercing gaze from Astral made her pause.
“Not your only purpose,” he muttered, “but I get it.”

‘When you find those creatures, don’t ever let them go.’

She brushed his mane back, tenderly tracing down Astral’s cheek with a hoof.

“You’ve helped me learn who I am again, outside of that purpose, Astral. Just focus on getting better, and I’ll handle everything else. Now it’s my turn.”

“Yes M’am,” was his soft reply, the stallion dozing off. Sassi watched over him for a few more moments, eyes occasionally flickering to the vitals displayed in the air above the helmet.

I’m a mess, but that’s not going to change for a while. You risked death, and everything up to that just to save me.

I don’t know if I believe I’m worth that, but I believe you. Just hang on. I’m not letting you go either.

Sassi stared at the barricaded door. She had been doing so for the past five minutes.

So much for psyching myself up.

With Astral having woken up again and eaten, their supplies were even lower. Her estimates had been off. There were now two ponies eating three times the average creature.

That means I need to get supplies today. Soon.

They had enough for today; but the sooner Sassi got the supplies, the better. Or rather, as soon as she found out if there even were supplies. If Astral didn’t get food into him, then things could get dicey. The modifications relied on a healthy individual, not one who was slowly starving. And the two of them would starve faster than a normal pony.

The supply closet is behind those rooms. Even if it’s empty…then I know we need to move. But that means I’ll be out of commission the rest of the day.

That wasn’t something Sassi was looking forward to. The memories already were so near the surface.
Is Astral worth it?

That mental statement made the mare move her hooves with an angry growl at herself. Of course, he was worth it.

A bit of trauma to save his life? No question that I’ll do it. Years of living in this nightmare, and if we get out of here and I can wake up each day knowing he’s there, it’d be worth it.

Her hoof froze on the barricade. The oddest sense of something humming through the mare’s frame. She’d never thought that before. Ever.

Having Astral…makes it all worth it.

The fear, anger, and helplessness were replaced by a sense of peace, a simple calming of Sassi’s thoughts. It felt rather lovely. Very strange, but good. Knowing that good could combat the bad in her life was freeing, in an odd way.

Even if it was a healthy part of a healing process, Sassi couldn’t dwell on it. She pushed through the doors; the second helmet providing motion-tracking while the mare was gone.

She moved quickly, hooves trotting over the tile until the Thestral arrived at the doors. Sassi didn’t let herself think about it- simply pushing into the hall after a scan. Up, down, left, right…clear.

Straight down the hall. Past the rooms, to the right.

Up, down, left, right…clear.

Her head still scanned the area for hostiles, but Sassi didn’t let herself dwell on the details of the place. The supply closet loomed.

The doors opened, and Sassi continued to scan. The emergency supplies should be right-

No.

Everything was in the closet, just like the dozens of copy-and-pasted layouts throughout the silo. Everything except for the emergency kit. There was even a dust-free area of the shelf where a box had been, but it was gone. All that was left in the closet was spare equipment parts and expired medications- none of which Sassi dared touch.

Her mental defenses failed, the mare staggering out of the closet. Flashbangs of memories mixed with reality as she passed by each modification room.

Sometimes she was looking in and seeing herself.

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. Sassi staggered out into the hallway, forcing one hoof in front of the other.

We’ll need to move again.

She made it back to the medical bay, the barricade quickly being replaced. The mare slumped to the floor, the cold tile dulling the memories and horror that began to surge, overwhelming her mental tidal barriers. Perhaps a cold shower would help, but the mare couldn’t muster the strength to do so. There was one thought that kept her at least somewhat present to reality, forcing herself to acknowledge what happened; one of the most painful parts of healing.

Astral is worth this, the pain of healing from it all.

There was another thought, a far more productive and healing one. It was a whisper, and Sassi wasn’t sure if she was even the one thinking it as she lay on the floor in a daze.

I’m worth this.

Astral yawned, immediately wincing at the dull ache that infested every muscle and bone. If not for the painkillers, he’d be in utter agony, or so he guessed. As it was, his stomach twisted into knots. No nausea, but an abrupt burp expelled a familiar, tar-like substance.

I’m so tired…

He blinked, trying to get his bearings…before realizing that all he could see was darkness. Panic started to set in- was this another dream?

“Sassi?” he asked, voice shaking. The stallion was unable to move his limbs, which now were starting to throb with an increasing pain as a cold sweat broke out across his body. “Sas?”

“I’m here, Astral.”

The voice was monotone, Astral’s heart spiking with worry. Something was up…

“Well, I can’t see.”

Sassi glanced at the vitals on the helmet’s projected display, the mare forcing her sludgy thought process into some semblance of logic.

“Delayed reaction to the huge doses of Spider venom if I had to guess. AI says temporary blindness may occur throughout your recovery.”

Astral sighed on the medical bed, curling up underneath the blanket, even though the armor itself was insulating.

“I’m not feeling so hot,” he muttered.

I’m sorry.

Guilt pricked at Sassi’s heart. All she had done, all she could do right now was lie on the tiled floor. Standing up made her head spin with flashes of a different tiled ceiling, syringes dumping chemicals into her veins as Sassi was unable to scr-

“You still there?” Astral asked, his voice shaking a bit more.

“Huh? Yeah?”

There was a long pause.

“It’s been a few minutes. Didn’t say anything.”

Another stab of guilt. The continued exhaustion didn’t help Sassi’s emotional or logical batteries at all.

“Sorry. A bit distracted, Astral.”

“I can tell.” The Thestral then coughed, drawing in a shaky breath. No more words were said for a time, the two of them dozing.

With a shiver, it was Astral who spoke again, this time his voice soft and shaky between chattering teeth.

“T-this…is pretty awful,” he whispered. “Don’t suppose I could borrow your hoof for a bit?”

The guilt made tears stream from Sassi’s eyes. He had been so quick to offer the same gesture to her.

But the thought of any physical contact made the mare’s skin crawl, stomach clenching in knots.

“I can’t. I’m sorry. I….” her words faded, the mare shaking her head. “I can’t right now, Astral.”

There was a pause, the only sound being the chattering of Astral’s teeth, which only drove the knife into Sassi’s heart further.

“Alright,” he finally said softly. “That’s ok.”

Sassi could only get out a few more whispered words.

“No, Astral. It’s not.”

Sassi jerked awake, the mare’s breath quickening with an anxious gasp before settling down.

No motion triggered alarms, and I slept for a few hours.

That was the only thought she was able to form before the guilt made her throat close with emotion.

Astral.

Trotting over to him, Sassi looked down at the sleeping Thestral, her hoof shaking as she held his.

But not when he needed it.

Astral had needed her, and she had failed.

Why does he even put up with this? With me?
What kind of partner doesn’t…

It wasn’t a simple answer. Logic and emotion clashed to a stalemate, Sassi forcing herself to organize the supplies to stay busy. But that didn’t take too long.

There was a simple shower area at the back of the medical center, and Sassi dragged herself there. She had avoided it at first, simply due to the hassle. But now as the cold (and thankfully clean) water drenched the mare’s fur, a bit of normality returned. Being cold was easy, the water a sensation to focus on rather than everything else. It had been too much of a hassle to consider previously; now she just didn’t care.

Being clean was a nice bonus. For now, the simple act of letting the water cascade over her shoulders and wings was enough to put Sassi a bit at ease.

I wonder if I’ll ever see the ocean?

Sassi had traveled a bit during her time above ground but never had been able to go enjoy the waves. It sounded blissful. If a shower could ground her, then what could the push and pull of waves do?

I wonder if Astral likes the ocean?

As Sassi turned off the water, her thoughts started to turn darker. The ‘if he wakes up’ thoughts began to form, but then they were abruptly shattered.

Why don’t I ask him?

The dark clouds in Sassi’s mind began to be Swiss-cheesed by brighter thoughts. Astral wasn’t dead, not yet. And she’d fight to keep him that way.

We’ve come this far.

A smile, small and tentative, but a smile nonetheless dawned on Sassi’s face. A glance at a mirror made that gesture grow even more. A mare looked back at her. Wet bangs fell in front of her eyes, and despite the exhaustion and contained fear, there was a brightness behind the Thestral’s gaze.

I’m not ok, but I’m still me. And that seems to be enough for Astral.
I can work with that.

The oddest sensation of pride flickered in Sassi’s chest as she trotted back over to Astral. She was smart enough to know that this was part of healing and part of growing.

I’m starting to be…me. Even if most of it can’t heal until I’m out of this place, I feel better.

An odd realization considering the nightmares from the previous day. And yet it was true. It was a conundrum Sassi couldn’t face alone. How could something so painful be good?

Could painful things result in good things? More and more thought about the matter indicated a very clear answer of ‘yes.’ One of those answers was currently on the medical table.

I guess those books were right. It’s hard to love someone when you don’t love yourself.
But I’m trying. And maybe Astral is right. I trust that he is.

“Sas?”

Speaking of…

Sassi trotted over to look at the sleepy stallion, gently nuzzling his cheek before she even registered what she was doing.

“Um. Hi? Can this be a new normal?” the cheeky Thestral asked, a tired smile immediately blossoming onto his face.

I make him smile.

Another positive ray punched through the gathering clouds, Sassi resting her head against his for a brief moment to collect her thoughts.

“I wouldn’t mind,” she finally said.

“You’re happy,” was Astral’s soft musing with a tired smile.

“Weird sensing it again?”

“Nah. Can see it in your eyes this time.”

Sassi let out a huff, still enjoying Astral’s cheek brushing against her one.
“You are a lot more romantic than I gave you credit for.”

“Never really had anyone to be romantic with. Not like this. I mean, a mare feeding me rations, keeping me safe from freaky fungus creatures,” Astral mused with a grin, the stallion looking up at the ceiling. “And finding five-star accommodations as well! I have a reason to be romantic.”
Despite the joking, Sassi picked up on the truthful tone of Astral’s words, mainly in the first part. She filed that away for the future.

“Well, how are you feeling currently? You’re on the last treatment dose, and then anything after that is a bonus.”

Astral paused, his ears flattening.
“Pretty cruddy, honestly,” he muttered. “Everything hurts, and the world is kinda fuzzy and wobbly.”

“AI? Is that all normal?” Sassi asked, eyes glancing over to the helmet on the bed next to Astral.

The helmet flashed, a rather lengthy message scrolling across the projected, mid-air screen.

‘Primary user’s vital signs are within expected range of the post-treatment side effects. White blood cell count is slightly elevated. Recommended action: Clean the user and inside of armor systems with antiseptic and water to reduce chance of exterior infection. If sufficient vita-foam reserves remain, RASP systems will encase the user in an aerosolized antiseptic layer. Reactor must remain near the user. Re-attach medical countermeasure dispensing system after the user is dried off.’

“I assume the AI is project something? I can’t really move to see it. Everything’s blurry,” Astral muttered.

“Well, it’s better than what it told me earlier. I could barely make heads or tails of it. This message basically told me to give you and the armor a more thorough shower. White blood cell count is a tad high. Then you get a foam body suit when back in the armor,” Sassi relayed, sitting up to stretch.

“Oh joy.”

“To the foam suit or the shower?”

Two green eyes flickered over to Sassi. Despite the pain in their depths, a familiar, determined and joyful light refused to be extinguished.

“These aftereffects are awful, Sassi. But I’d never refuse a shower with you.”

The mare’s face immediately lit up with a bright blush, Astral cackling with a pained wince.

“W-worth it!” he crowed, Sassi glaring at him.

“You…that is not fair,” she grumbled. Even her poor attempt at pouting was immediately washed away by the affection in Astral’s eyes as he looked at her. He clutched his chest, coughing up some familiar black tar.

“You said I get a flirting pass. So, I’m going to use it,” the stallion managed to say with a slight grin. “Probably can’t laugh more than once a day. Ow…”

“I’m just happy you’re back.”

Her soft and sincere tone made Astral’s expression soften. The mare queried the AI for a few specifics before scooting to sit next to the bed again.

“Well, the AI said it’d be good to get up and walk. Not a lot, but since your treatment is basically done, it can help keep everything in the right place.”

“That sounds ominous,” Astral muttered.

“It used a few more fancy terms that went a tad over my head earlier. Something about internal organ displacement. Having to run from those creatures earlier apparently shifted stuff around. So, the no-movement regiment changed to ‘a smidge of movement.’”

“I like my liver where it’s at. Ok, so walking it is.”

“You can get out the armor completely, but the reactor has to stay nearby,” Sassi instructed as she helped pull off the various pieces carefully. “It can still pump magic into the crystals on your chest. Not forever, but long enough to get everything clean.”

“Not sure if I can stand,” the stallion admitted, “everything feels like it’s full of metal. Heavy.”

“That’s why I’m here. Let’s get you up.”

The medical bed thankfully still lowered slightly, Astral carefully moving his limbs. They shook violently, the Thestral frowning.

“This isn’t going to work. Maybe we should have had the armor walk me over there first?”

He let out a yelp as Sassi slid underneath him, the mare heaving Astral onto her back.

“Urg. That works too,” Astral sighed. “Feeding me and now carrying me. What’s next? Not that I’m complaining.”

“I don’t know. We’ve got plenty of verbs to explore.”

Sassi partially regretted the words as soon as she said them. As the mare carefully walked over to the shower area, she heard Astral struggling to keep a soft laugh quiet.

“Don’t you say anything.”

“I have no idea what you’re t-talking about.”

The amused hitch in his tone was more than enough to reassure Sassi that her favorite pony had a familiar smirk on his face.

And, looking to her right…he most certainly did.

Lowering him down, Sassi carefully pulled back, Astral now standing on his four (quivering) hooves.

He hated feeling so weak. It was like his body was made of undercooked pasta.

“Well. Let’s try a step,” he muttered, lifting a hoof and putting some weight on it. The appendage almost buckled, but Sassi was at his side to bear some of the weight, Astral leaning against the mare heavily. “Thanks, Sas.”

Her reply was a gentle nuzzle on the cheek, and a loving warmth pushed the foul, uneasy feelings out of Astral’s chest for a moment. The reactor set off to the side glowed a cheerful pink, and a ball of emotions clogged up his throat.

A few more steps and Astral slumped down onto the shower. Thankfully there were no sharp edges, and a slightly elevated bench area was raised in the middle of the square enclosure. Sassi tested the warm water on a hoof first, making sure it was to his liking.

“I never liked cold showers anyhow,” Astral said, Sassi nodding in agreement.

“Same. Well, they’re nice when you need to distract yourself from unpleasant stuff. But I’ve gone without hot water before. Not fun.”

“Agreed,” Astral added, looking down as blood was washed from his fur. “Huh. I lost a lot of that stuff it looks like.”

“I tried to clean you as best I could earlier,” Sassi said softly, the mare’s voice quivering ever so slightly. “You were a mess underneath the armor.”

“Still was worth it.”

Astral’s affectionate tone abruptly ended with a burp, a ball of black sludge being spat into the drain.

“I don’t get how I even have that much to vomit up. I haven’t eaten or drank that amount.”

“It’s partially magic. Waste from both biological and arcane processes. So, yeah. It’s disproportionate,” Sassi explained, “I asked the AI a while ago when I was bored.”

“Well, nice to know I’m not burping up my bladder or anything.”

Sassi continued to rinse the Thestral off with an amused snort, locating a bit of mild soap as well.

“Ok, if you soap me down then I will make more jokes,” Astral teased, earning a glare from the mare. He then winced.

Sassi watched as Astral’s breathing quickened, the stallion looking around carefully.

“Hey, S-sas?” he asked, voice hitching. Without warning, Astral blinked, and everything was gone. There was nothing but complete darkness.

“Did your vision go out again?”

“Yes. I can’t…it’s all dark,” Astral said, voice trembling. Having his sight removed so suddenly and when his body was so weak; it was a new level of vulnerability, even more so than being on the medical table, oddly enough.

A gentle touch grounded the stallion immediately, Sassi giving his hoof a soft squeeze.
“I’m right here.”

What little strength the stallion had quickly faded, a cold sweat breaking out across Astral’s body despite the warm water. He shivered, Sassi turning up the temperature in response. Stomach twisting into knots, another blob of black tar was vomited up. Astral let out a hiss of pain, his entire body starting to ache.

“Astral?”

“This…” he couldn’t say any more. All the Thestral could do was hunch over and shiver. The helplessness was nearly overwhelming. It took everything to not give into the fear that dug into Astral’s mind.

“I can go ask the AI if there’s a way to up the paink-”

Her grip on his hoof lessened, and Astral immediately shook his head. The gesture made pain blossom across the stallion’s entire head. That, coupled with the encroaching fear forced a few hot tears from his eyes. The world didn’t exist outside of Sassi’s grip at that moment.

“Please don’t leave me,” he whispered, sides finally shaking with sobs. Everything just hurt, the discomfort having built until cresting over an imaginary dam to crash over his entire body and mind. A soft touch punched through Astral’s muddled mind; a caress against his cheek. Something that didn’t hurt.

“I’m never leaving you, Astral,” Sassi said softly, the mare gently resting her forehead against his as the water continued to cascade over the two of them.

Her touch pushed away the darker fears, and Astral’s breathing started to slow. Such a simple gesture that managed to yank him back to reality.

The gentle, soft touch of Sassi’s lips on his pushed any other thoughts aside. He couldn’t help but smile, pressing back as a warmth shoved aside the fear and terror. The simple, brief kiss wasn’t the same as the one in the dream, but the gesture carried far greater weight.

“I’m not leaving someone I love.”

Tears brimmed in Astral’s muddied gaze, the stallion still holding her hoof tightly. The pain in his body receded slightly. The areas where the healing crystals were located felt as if they were being warmed ever so slightly. Even though his gaze was black, a pink color crept in at the edges of the stallion’s vision.

“You pick now to tell me?” he asked, still unable to stop smiling despite his body aching, a few shivers returning. “I can’t even see you.”

“Well, I’ll tell you again when you can,” Sassi said firmly. “I just…I can’t not tell you.”

Her voice had an air of trepidation to it. Astral realized he hadn’t responded.

“I love you too, Sassi,” he said, enjoying the simple presence of her cheek against his. “Even though everything hurts, this feels so much better than that dream. More real.”

A soft squeak made him pause.

“Did-was that a shared dream? Did you tell me…?”

Another soft kiss on the lips, but this time Astral pushed back a bit firmer, deepening the gesture as much as he could. He finally broke the kiss, body betraying the stallion as his limbs continued to shake.

His vision began to return slightly, but that did nothing to stem the tears in the stallion’s eyes. The first thing he saw was a smiling face, two beautiful eyes looking into his. There wasn’t any fear, no suppressed pain in Sassi’s gaze, simply joy and genuine affection.

“Sassi.”

Half falling into her embrace, Astral hugged the mare as tightly as he could. She returned the gesture, gently rocking him back and forth.

“You told me that in that dream. I was so happy. Now…”

“It took me a bit to get here,” Sassi admitted, “it’s hard to freely love someone when you don’t love yourself.”

Astral pulled back ever so slightly, the mare shrugging honestly. She reached a hoof up to gently rest against the stallion’s chest. The turmoil in her eyes vanished, nothing but love now in their depths as she met Astral’s gaze again.

“But you see something in me that I don’t. And I trust you. I’ll try to be the mare you think I am if that makes sense. Until I can believe it myself. I’m getting there, but until then, I’m trusting in you.”

A simple nod was Astral’s reply.
“Happy to help.”

Her smile softened, Sassi now resting her cheek against his.
“I know. How could I not love the stallion who took on an entire Silo of creatures to save me? But now it’s my turn to help you.”

When Sassi looked back at Astral, there was a brief vulnerability in his eyes.
“You already have. There’re some things I’m working towards too.”

“Well, I guess we’ve got some time. When you’re feeling better at least,” Sassi said, snagging the soap, “but let’s get you clean.”

There weren’t any more jokes as Astral got cleaned off, resilient grime and blood finally leaving his fur and skin. Carefully dried off, the stallion found himself slung over Sassi’s back once again.

“Usually it’s the s-stallion who carried the mare over the threshold,” he joked, Sassi letting out a soft snort.

“Not just yet, lovercolt.”

As he was laid back onto the medical bed, Astral yawned, his ears then perking up.
“Wait, what do you mean ‘yet’?”

A kiss quieted the stallion, a soft, contented hum leaving his lips.
“I really don’t mind this way of shutting me up,” he murmured, exhaustion already creeping into his frame. “But you didn’t answer my question.”

“I love you, Astral. I’m not going anywhere. That’s my answer.”

Astral was all smiles, even though tar stained his lips again. An emergency blanket covered him up, and his green eyes flickered open again to look at Sassi, a determination breaking through the pain.

“I love you too, Sassi. And the same goes for me.”

Ignored by the two Thestrals, the reactor next to the stallion glowed a cheerful pink, a warmth radiating from the device that seemed to reach far deeper than skin level.

Sassi dozed next to her stallion, the beautiful four-letter word still swimming in her thoughts. For so long, it had been a toxic thing. Something to be manipulated and never taken seriously. But now, with Astral, it felt like it meant something.

Her mouth twitched up into a smile, noticing how the reactor only continued to brighten. It felt like something was starting, in an abstract sense. For her, for them. The soft hum in the back of Sassi’s mind were realizations that continued to shore up the new foundations in her heart. The first was realizing that she had made somepony happy.

And that it was all worth it.

With a rude crackle of static, the discarded helmet abruptly chimed, a disembodied voice softly being broadcast.

‘Attention. Unknown communication detected. Receive?’

“What? Yes, patch it through,” Sassi said, a fair part of her seething that cuddling next to Astral would have to wait.

To the mare’s shock, a deep voice sounded out from the helmet’s speakers.

“Hello? Is anyone down there?”

Author's Note

I decided to merge some of the 'slower' chapters together so we can move the adventure along a bit. So you get this 9k adorable monster!
So...
FINALLY YOU TWO! :heart: :yay:

Chapter Eighty Four: Drums in the deep

The two Thestrals carefully walked out of the medical bay, Astral struggling to focus.

“Let the suit do the work, Astral,” Sassi said encouragingly.

“Feels weird not walking on my own,” he muttered. “I barely lift a limb and it moves all the way.”

They had spent an hour securing what meager supplies remained, and then Astral had been forced to get acclimated to the RASP-assisted walking software. Thus far, he wasn’t pleased with it.

But at least he could walk on his own. That was a step up. Even if the RASP systems warned against anything doing anything above a slow walk for five minutes ten maximum, it was something. Past that slow pace, Astral’s condition would start to deteriorate until he got some rest.

But he was out of the danger zone, for the most part.

The motion detector pinged.

“Let’s go, Astral,” Sassi muttered, miniguns starting to spin up. “I think our friend might be back.”

“Remind me to go no contact with this jerk.”

She let out a snort, the two trotting down as fast as the RASP could move, their visors flipped up for the ease of communicating. No sense in risking the radio if whatever-it-was could track it.

“The next medical center is a big one. We’ll probably be able to stay there for a bit. It’s secured kind of like my apartment. Near a cafeteria and other supply areas. It’s just off the main silo shaft. We’re still in one of the offshoots,” Sassi said as they trotted down the halls. “Our other potential friend is holed up somewhat near there. So that’s a plus. At least we have a map.”

“You have a map with the fancy helmet,” Astral grumbled, “I get to play follow the leader.”

“Oh, like you’re going to complain about getting a chance to look at my flanks?”

The part of Astral’s face that was visible was a bright red, Sassi smirking as she trotted on ahead.

“I…erm…wha?”

Sassi considered that a success.
“You’re going to have to be able to endure a bit of teasing, Astral.”

He carefully walked after her, the stallion smiling.
“I just didn’t expect it. I know it’s a touchy subject. Not that I’m complaining about, um...”

“Touchy, yes. But it’s one of the few parts of my life I have control over. We’ll probably talk about all that later. But the fact I get to choose who I share it with, even with teasing makes it that much more important…huh,” Sassi mused, “never really put it to words.”

“Makes sense. I’m just happy you trust me that much,” Astral said, then pausing. Sassi could almost feel the smirk forming on his face.

With their weird hive-mind link, that may not be too far off, as intermittent as it was.

“Sooooo the more suggestive your flirting is with me, the more you trust me? I’m not going to disagree with your statement either.”

“Oh dear, what have I started?” Sassi sighed. The mare half hated and half loved the fact he was most likely right.

For better or worse, the helmet pinged out a warning in interruption.
“Flirting can wait, lovercolt. Visors down. There’s something in the air,” Sassi warned, Astral immediately nodding.

Another thing I love about him. Knows when we can relax, but there are times to buckle down and focus.

“Spores? That doesn’t seem good,” Astral muttered, his cracked helmet display flashing with a warning.

“Agreed. But that supports my theory that those freaky pony monsters are fungus-based. Or infected. Or something. They looked like they were growing on the walls,” Sassi explained. “Or maybe they were already dead.”

“I don’t like either option.”

Sassi huffed in agreement, the two carefully trotting as the warnings continued to flash in their helmet. Thankfully the filters held as they traversed the empty halls.

“This place isn’t as ruined as the others,” Astral whispered, “but even though it’s empty, it doesn’t feel empty.”

“I’ve felt like I’ve been watched more often than not. I don’t know how we’re tracked, but assume we’re being hunted. Do you want one of these miniguns?”

Astral shook his head slowly at that.

“I can barely walk. I’d like one of the guns, but I’d be useless with it.”

“I’ll keep us covered then. We’ve got just a few more halls, and then some large rooms.”

The trip was quiet, the soft sounds of their hoof-falls, muted as they were, still sounded like drums. The spores now were visible in the air, yellowish pollen-like particles that parted as they walked.

The dusty halls then opened into a larger, straight corridor. Massive doors branched off to the left and right, but their destination was straight ahead.

“Sassi?” Astral whispered, tossing his head to the right. The spores were far thicker at the nearest door, leaking out from the broken and cracked metal.

“AI? Can you scan in there? To see what it is?”

A brief wire-frame pulsed in Sassi’s vision, the mare’s stomach doing a flip-flop as a crude image projected itself into the room.

“Let’s go, Astral,” she whispered. “Now.”

The constructed picture of multiple pony bodies fused together was enough to set alarm bells off in every aspect of Sassi’s mind. Things like that shouldn’t exist down there. The simple scan from the RASP armor indicated the organic mass was a source of the spores.

At least she didn’t have to see it with her eyes. But the scan alone made the mare on edge.

“What was it?”

She shook her head.
“I don’t know. Some freaky blob of a bunch of…creatures just spewing out spores. This place, it’s infected with something. The spores, number twenty-eight, the fonies, they’re all a part of it, I think.”

A hoof held up into the air made Astral stop immediately. A motion blipped on their trackers, Sassi slowly turning her head. A massive air vent to their left moved. Nothing was visible, and yet something made the grate shift ever so slightly.

And then it was gone, the contact vanishing from their sensors.

“We’re being hunted, Astral. Stay close. We’re halfway there.”

“Was it the same creature?” he asked, voice shaking ever so slightly. Sassi wanted to hug him, but they had to keep moving.

“Maybe. Number Five mentioned something else. I don’t think his number is related to that twenty-eight thing. If he uses a RASP suit…”

“Yeah, you had mentioned that. Maybe he’s the guy they did testing on before me?”

“That’d make sense. These next rooms are clear. Then we’ve got another hall or two, and then a large room. Looks like some sort of refurbished office space. Then a few more halls until we get to our new friend’s home.”

Astral staggered, the reactor on his back letting out a soft hum as additional power flowed into the device, the RASP systems compensating for a sudden loss of input.

“Whoa. Woozy. I think the painkillers are wearing off too,” the stallion muttered.

A soft warning pulsed in the RASP helmet; Astral’s body reached its limits of movement.

“Hang in there, Astral.”

The next two halls began to clear up, the spores dispersing rapidly. Sassi was quickly reminded how much she disliked the Silo color scheme. Every hallway had the same, obnoxious cream tiling. Up a flight of stairs, and even then, the halls were the same as it continued straight ahead.

The hall took a left, and a massive door spanned the width of the passage. The metal was torn apart, with what appeared to be bullet holes and magical scorch marks ripping through the hoof-wide thick metal.

As they pushed into the large room, Sassi’s head was on a swivel. The room was a massive, four-way intersection with massive halls, easily twice the size of the previous ones. To their right, there was utter darkness in the hall. Straight ahead led into some sort of ruined cafeteria. To their left, an intact security door awaited them; their destination.

The motion detector pulsed.

Miniguns already spinning up, Sassi shifted to stand between Astral and the rightmost hallway. Only now in the flickering lights near the entrance could they see the security door. It was blackened and burned; something having forced its way through the center.

The metal was bent towards the two ponies.

“S-sassi?” Astral asked between chattering teeth, but not from fear. The warning about his condition flashed in Sassi’s helmet again. They were running out of time.

A familiar, armored limb reached out from the torn security door, Sassi’s mouth widening into an almost-eager snarl.

“Time for a rematch.”

With a blur of motion, the spider-like mutant jumped from the shadows. Its armored carapace still sported the scuffs and cracks from Sassi’s previous attack.

The roar of the miniguns echoed off the walls, Number 28 meeting a wall of magical bullets as it slammed into the floor halfway between the Thestrals and the door.

It scampered forwards, sharp, pointed limbs hooking onto every crater and bullet hole that decorated the floors and walls. The creature jumped to the side, Sassi shifting her aim. The mare ducked as it threw a piece of rubble at her, but a soft grunt drew her attention.

Scrambling upright, Astral let out a hiss of pain, the rubble having slammed into his side.

The creature laughed, a loud, warbling hiss as it tucked and rolled to try and avoid Sassi’s fire. The minigun bullets simply ricocheted off its armored carapace, but the slower-firing cannons had begun to crack the natural plating in multiple areas. For a brief moment, the hundreds of rounds seemed to be pushing the creature back toward the dark hallway.

It then lunged, the creature ignoring the minigun’s fire completely. A swipe at Sassi was barely dodged. While the bony claw barely missed the mare, it dug into the wall, providing leverage as the mutant gathered itself for another jump.

For a brief moment, the two parties paused. The miniguns and cannons continued to fire, but the magical rounds simply glanced off the creature’s armored limbs and torso, despite cracks beginning to form.

It wasn’t enough.

Even so, Sassi kept firing, the Thestral positioning herself between Astral and the mutant. One of the sections of carapace on the creature’s chest continued to crack and split, but whether it’d fracture enough for a shot to get through was anyone’s guess. She steadied herself to intercept the monster when it jumped.

Maybe if I can tackle it and get a point-blank-shot to-

A voice then reverberated through both Sassi’s ears, radio, and mind.

“Incoming fire. DUCK!”

Jumping backward, Sassi flattened herself to the floor along with Astral, the stallion more flopping to the ground than anything.

The visor abruptly was whited out, a high-pitched whine making Sassi’s mane stand on end. It was like being covered in static electricity, every hair vibrating. The mare ripped off the helmet, but even from behind her closed eyelids, there was nothing but blinding light.

And then it was over, Sassi blinking as she looked around.

There was a heavy *THUD*, and the smell of burned flesh. The miniguns slowly stopped rotating as Sassi took in the scene in front of them.

Number 28 was almost within reach, but the creature now had a smoking hole in its torso. The previously-cracked armor had been shattered, and a wound the size of a pony’s head punched through the creature and the walls beyond it.

Molten ceramic and metal dripped from the gaping entrance. It extended through another few walls before the fading glow from the cooling metal made it impossible to see.

“You alright?” a rough voice asked, a hoof entering her vision. Sassi immediately put the helmet on out of reflex. The miniguns sped up again, but the mare caught herself. The hoof was extended in aid, not threatening.

Despite that, a red warning pulsed in the corner of the helmet for a split second before vanishing.

“Thanks to you,” Sassi remarked, standing up and taking a glance at the newcomer. They were encased in what looked like an older version of RASP armor. Bulkier and with odd metal bulbs welded onto the plating. Her first thought was that it was a Kirin, for a passive flame seemed to be radiating from every portion of the creature’s body. They had a unicorn’s horn, so that could match up, especially if experimented on. The oddest part, however, was that the horn was encased in metal, armored bulbs matching the color in an angry red, the items almost seeming to sag with the heat.

“Erm, the visor is still whited out here. So, thank you, whoever you were,” Astral commented with a hiss of pain as he sat up. “I can’t see a thing.”

“That’s not a RASP helmet. It’s probably fried from the blast,” the newcomer mused. “We should probably…” their voice drifted off.

“Don’t move. Don’t make a sound,” they hissed. “It’s here.”

The no-nonsense tone left no room for argument, and Sassi wasn’t about to disobey, not this time. With Astral destabilizing and blinded, she had to trust this newcomer. Pony or Kirin, without them, Astral and herself would have been far worse off.

The armored Kirin’s head moved ever so slightly, gesturing towards a nearby air vent. The large metal grate moved.

What is THAT?!

A single, clawed appendage reached out from it. The skin was gaunt like the Skitters, and the dead mutant in front of them. But it was far bonier, and the serrated claws on the ends were coated in dried blood and unknown material.

Each digit was as long as Sassi’s forelimb.

It gripped the corpse of the mutant, steadily dragging it back into the air vent.

The fact that said vent was three times too small didn’t seem to faze the clawed creature. The room echoed with loud, obscene crunches as the carapace cracked and shattered, flesh being torn as the body was yanked into the air vent, piece by piece. More sounds then filled the air, far more akin to crunching a mint candy between teeth.

“Backwards. Slowly,” the Kirin hissed.

Sassi helped Astral stand, the two of them following their armored friend back into the intact security door. They didn’t stop even as it closed behind them, the Kirin not seeming to care that their back was fully exposed to both Sassi and Astral.

Either they had zero tactical skills, or there was more to this puzzle.

Down the hallway and through one, then two doors. The outer one was a heavy-duty security door, the inner door considerably thinner but still composed of thick metal, and rather sturdy. The Kirin paused after they locked, the three creatures taking a few deep breaths.

“We’re next to some supply rooms, where I’ve been surviving. To your right is the medical center. Does he need more injections?”

“How did you-” Sassi began, then let out a huff. “Yes. It’d help.”

“There’s a cabinet full of them in the medical center, along with reloads for the RASP armor medical systems. If you want to get yourself situated in the main room, I’ll get some supplies for you.”

“Hold on, what was that?” Sassi asked, Astral leaning against her side. “Thank you for your help, but what in the world caused that energy surge? And that creature?”

The armored Kirin paused, sitting down calmly.
“I suppose it’d be easier if you had some answers,” they mused.

Sassi noted that they didn’t say anything about deserving such.

“That energy surge was from me. I’ll elaborate on that later if you wish. That creature is simply known as ‘The Second.’ The second monster this company ever created, as far as the files can hint at. There’s no other designation I’ve found. It usually lives far below here. But it’s been slowly exploring. Does that satisfy you for now?”

“It does. Thank you. I’ll get Astral to the medical center then.”

The Kirin nodded, promptly trotting off down the hallway.

What kind of Kirin can cast that magic?!

A ‘Medical Center’ sign abruptly flashed with power to their right, likely motion activated.

Walking through the open door, Sassi glanced around, Astral still staying oddly quiet. The medical center had multiple rooms; the primary one having been cleared of everything but a few familiar beds and large supply cabinets. There was access to some patient showers and other basics, but it was clear the other rooms had been used as storage.

There was only one way in and out; the massive, open doors they had just wanted through. Sassi didn’t like having such a bottleneck, but trusting their new friend was the only logical option.

And by trust, Sassi meant keeping a weapon ready to fire at all times. Plenty of creatures could present goodwill to gain tactical or social favor. And she wasn’t about to risk Astral, or herself by letting her guard down.

A quick check to the HUD was at least a bit of comfort.
No air toxins or spores detected. No air purification or filtration required.

“Astral? You ok?” she asked, carefully taking the helmet off.

Black tar oozed from Astral’s mouth, the Thestral’s teeth now chattering.

“T-took everything I h-had to n-not make a n-noise,” he stammered, pain swimming in the stallion’s eyes. “Not f-feeling so good n-now.

She helped him onto one of the beds, quickly locating the RASP system supplies. At least the mare knew where the missing supply boxes had gone; there were easily half a dozen just in the main room alone.

The RASP medical reserves still had some life in them, but Sassi replaced them regardless. Examining the syringe, the Thestral was pleased to see the armor automatically scan and identify the compound. The last thing she’d want to do was inject Astral with who-knows-what.

“I don’t know how or why they have so much RASP gear, but it’s the same injection, if not a bit outdated. It should still speed up the healing,” Sassi explained, pushing the syringe into the armor’s port on Astral’s side.

He let out a wince, curling up on the bed with a cough.
“S-sounds g-good.”

She gently placed a hoof on his cheek.
“Hang in there, Astral. I’ll find out about our new friend, and let you know. Just rest.”

“Sounds good, Sas. At least we’re ok. They obviously don’t want us dead. Didn’t have to help us…”

And just like that, he drifted off. In many ways, Sassi envied him. She was exhausted, but they still needed answers.

The warning that had appeared earlier returned to her helmet’s display, blinking softly. It made Sassi’s stomach clench even now. She had only heard rumors of the experiments, but as far as the mare had known, nothing that ever had succeeded.

‘Warning. Chaos magic detected. No known countermeasures. Proceed with caution.’

Author's Note

Oh, wait. You thought that freaky spider thing was the worst things the silo's had to offer?

*Silo 3* "Allow me to introduce myself...." :trollestia:

And a new...friend? Enemy? Somebody new for sure. Our two Thestrals on the move again...

Chapter Eighty Five: Reboot

There was a soft sound near the door, the mare spinning to aim the miniguns-

A familiar armored figure sat still, head tilted to the side curiously. A blue magical glow surrounded a massive pallet of supplies behind them, the object carefully being set inside the room without seemingly much effort

Seeing Sassi stare, the individual removed their helmet slowly. The light violet unicorn brushed a messy, dark-blue mane out of their eyes and glanced up to Sassi. If she had to guess, they were around the same age.

“You’re a unicorn?” Sassi asked cautiously, the guns still not quite fully trained on the pony now. “Do you work for the company?”

The stallion looked up, and his curious eyes met Sassi’s. Her heart thudded in her ears. There was nothing but rage in their depths for a moment. What made the mare’s guns start to rise was the intensity of it all. There wasn’t any control in the unicorn’s gaze he looked almost through Sassi.

His eyes themselves made the mare pause for a split second. While the majority of the iris was pitch black, there was a kaleidoscope of colors within them. Striations of primary colors radiated out from their grey pupils like spokes on a wheel. The light-blue flames around the unicorn never ceased; and it was only then that Sassi realized that even with the helmet removed, there was still metal adorning the unicorn’s head. A massive magical lock was latched firmly around their horn.

“Work for them?” he growled, “No. I intend to burn them all,” the unicorn growled, last words warping with a deeper inflection as the magic restrictor started to glow a dull orange under the stress. “Same question for you.”

It wasn’t a request, and Sassi bristled at being talked to so abruptly. But their situation wasn’t exactly normal.

“I used to, but I never had a choice. Now that I’m free? I’ll happily lend you some fuel to burn it,” Sassi said firmly. “This company certainly deserves it,” the mare paused, “so, are we on the same side?”

The unicorn blinked, nodding once.
“I believe so,” he mused cautiously. “I imagine you have a few more questions.”

“How about names first? I’m Sassi Satin,” the mare said calmly, sitting down and lowering the guns.

A weak smile slid onto the unicorn’s face, the stallion mirroring the mare as he sat down.
“Yes, I thought so. I’ve heard about you. I had to be sure your goals weren’t with the company,” he explained, Sassi nodding in understanding. “My name…” he paused, brow furrowing. “Well, it’s not ‘Five’. My name used to be or is Arcane Flare. I guess I’d better get used to being called that again.”

“Used to be?”

The unicorn’s demeanor abruptly shifted for a moment. He seemed to shrink as if expecting to be struck. A deep breath and he looked up, struggling to keep his expression stable. The entire room seemed to flex as if a giant hand was squeezing it. But then it was gone.

“I didn’t grow up here. I was taken. After my RASP modifications stabilized, the company did what they always do to creatures they can’t control but don’t want to lose.”

A few more deep breaths and Sassi had the eerie feeling that she was looking into a mirror, a past reflection of herself.

“They locked me up and threw away the key. I think it’s been five years since I spoke with a friendly face,” Arcane said softly. His expression morphed rapidly, and Sassi saw some fangs lengthen, poking out from his upper lip as the unicorn snarled, eyes glowing a sinister maroon. The flames around the pony intensified as if someone was turning a camping stove up to maximum. The bulbs on the RASP armor glowed a blinding white, the metal starting to sag.

“I’ll kill every-” His words cut off, the unicorn’s eyes widening as he struggled to breathe. The air itself seemed to thicken as Sassi’s armor let out a warning chime. Arcane winced as he pressed a hoof to his temple, the atmosphere returning to normal.

“Sorry. I’m, look. You’re the first ponies I’ve talked to since everything happened. The first normal ones. Before that, I didn’t talk much for those years. I was called ‘Five’. I wasn’t treated…” the stallion ran out of words, his head shaking. Sassi’s sharp eyes picked out his limbs starting to tremble.

“It’s ok, Arcane. I get it.”

“Do you?” Arcane’s voice abruptly dropped a few octaves, a familiar snarl twitching onto his face. The unicorn shook his head, pulling his gaze away from Sassi as if held by invisible strings.

“No, you would know, wouldn’t you?” he muttered to himself. “Just, perhaps we’ll talk again later.” There was a brief pause, the blue flames flaring up again. “You haven’t seen the Director of this Silo, by any chance? I tried to locate him when it all went crazy. He’s the first who has to pay.”

Sassi shuddered, Arcane’s ears perking up.
“Oh, we met briefly.”

“He escaped, didn’t he?” Arcane growled in frustration.

“He’s dead. Very dead.”

The unicorn blinked, Sassi gesturing towards her special-somepony. Even thinking those words made her heart flutter.

“That’s Astral Sentinel. He killed Director Split Tie,” Sassi said softly.

A bit of doubt entered Arcane’s odd eyes, the unicorn shaking his head.
“Those guns couldn’t kill the Director.”

“Astral strapped two high-explosive and armor-piercing grenade belts around his neck and torso then threw him down an elevator shaft. That’s after emptying more than a dozen explosive shotgun slugs into him.” Sassi wasn’t able to suppress a grin at seeing the unicorn stare. “That was my reaction too. Even if the Director survived all of that, the silo reactor went critical that same day.”

The sensation of looking into a mirror hit Sassi again, this time much harder. Arcane’s eyes cleared for the briefest of moments. There wasn’t any rage, no anger, or desperation. A simple shock, and then a deep, buried vulnerability. A thankful relief.

You weren’t broken by this place either, were you?

“Then I owe your friend many thanks,” Arcane muttered. “That leaves only one pony left who escaped retribution. I’ll worry about that later.”

“Making sure someone’s dead?”

Arcane’s expression darkened, the teal unicorn nodding once.
“The director of this Silo. Split Tie was over the entire facility. There were secondary positions, underlings. This one happened to be my handler.”

“You don’t need to explain.”

Sassi’s words seemed to physically shock the unicorn. He stared as if not understanding. That’s when she realized it.

He’s not used to being given options. Of being treated like a pony.

“Do you have any spare RASP armor? I could use an upgrade,” Sassi asked, switching the topic.

“I have some other prototypes that were stored here, yes. I can get those to you later,” the unicorn said, clearly in thought. “I can also bring you some fresh food if you’re not afraid that I’d poison it.”

“Fresh food? Thank you, that’d be quite nice.”

Another look, this one making Sassi’s heart genuinely twinge in pity.

Creatures shouldn’t be so surprised when thanked.

“I don’t want to pester you. Just, thank you again for helping us.”

Another almost confused look, and then the breaking through of another emotion in the unicorn’s odd eyes.

Happiness.

“It was my pleasure,” he said slowly, standing back up. With a wince, the unicorn’s body pulsed with magic, the suppressor on his horn abruptly melting to slag that pooled onto the floor with a soft *plop*. The abruptness was startling as if the restrictor had been made of butter and placed next to a furnace. “Sorry, one moment.”

Smoothly opening one of the metal containers on his armor, Arcane retrieved another suppressor and promptly affixed it, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Plenty of time for questions later,” he muttered, nodding once before trotting off. “I’ll also deliver some additional weapons to you with the food.”

As the door closed, Sassi couldn’t help but smile. Odd, unbalanced, and troubled, their new friend at first glance, appeared to be something these Silos tried their hardest to kill.

A good pony.

Astral let out a murmur, yawning and immediately regretting the gesture as pain shot through his body. The world was dark, and he was more annoyed than scared. As long as Sassi was nearby, he knew he’d be safe.

That was a significant comfort. Speaking of…

“Sassi?” he called out softly. A beautiful, warm sensation on his lips confirmed that the mare was right at his side, the stallion kissing her back.

“I can’t see. Again. But I assume that’s you rather than our new friend. I doubt they’re that good of a kisser. I might need another example to make sure though.”

An amused, soft giggle was Sassi’s reply, along with a much longer kiss. The Thestral stretched a webbed wing over Astral’s side as she settled down next to him. His armor had been removed aside from the medical device, and it was surprisingly pleasant to feel something other than the padded suit against his fur. Feeling her sides rise and fall against his was just another bonus, and it nearly lulled Astral back into sleep.

“He’ll be back later. Learned a bit about him,” Sassi explained, nuzzling into Astral’s mane and working up towards his ears. Her touch made him sigh, the Thestral able to forget their horrifying situation for just a few moments. Sassi seemed to pick up on this, instead simply running a hoof through his ears for a few long moments before relaying what she had found out about Arcane Flare.

“He was stuck here too. And at least he’s on our side,” Astral mused.

“I’m still not sure what to make of him. The RASP armor shows he’s a magical powerhouse. It saturates all of the sensors. And that’s with him wearing a suppressor.”

“Modifications probably boosted that too.”

“Makes sense. But he blasted that thing?”

“I have no idea how a unicorn could utilize that much power, but I have an idea,” Sassi muttered, Astral letting out a curious huff. “The RASP armor warned me about chaos magic being detected. The warning cropped up a few more times since then.

“Chaos magic? So, a friend of Discord?”

“I don’t know. As far as I remember, no chaos experiments ever succeeded down here. But obviously, there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye. But as it stands, we can take new friends when we can get them.”

“Mmmhmmm.”

Between Sassi’s ear massage and her wing acting as a very effective blanket, Astral was getting heavily tempted by sleep, despite his interest.

“I just woke up, but this is really comfy,” he muttered. “Don’t want to leave you alone again though.”

“Well, Arcane said he’d bring us some fresh food.”

“Oh?”

Sassi nodded into his mane, Astral letting out a sigh.
“Well, I need to stay awake then. Fresh anything, even if frozen, sounds decent. It’d be nice to taste something other than black tar.” A smirk slid onto Astral’s face. “Well, I won’t complain about your lips though.”

A soft *eep* made the stallion chuckle, a frustrated grumble coming from the mare who was busy burying her muzzle into his mane.

“You gave me the green light to flirt.”

A muffled groan of agreement made Astral chuckle again, but the stallion winced in pain.
“Ow. Worth it,” he gasped.

A soft chime sounded from the main door, and Sassi sat up with an annoyed huff. Her immediate reaction was to aim the guns, but the mare relented and lowered the weapons.

Enemies usually didn’t announce their arrival.

Trotting in with another pallet of gear, Arcane paused, cheeks flushing as he saw the two Thestrals.

“Erm, is this a bad time?” he asked, Sassi shaking her head.

“Huh? No, you’re good.”

“I assume that’s our new friend?” Astral asked, head only loosely angled towards Arcane. “I can’t really see anything.”

Something in Astral’s words made the unicorn freeze, but Sassi felt no animosity, only a sudden shock as Arcane shook it off.

“After-effects of the modifications then. That’ll continue for a while,” Arcane murmured. “And yes. That’d be me.”

He levitated a dozen bags, containers, and other items off the pallet to neatly spread them across the other side of the room. The control the unicorn had, along with raw power was something that made both Sassi’s suspicions and the RASP monitoring systems flash with familiar alerts.

“There’s an older version of the RASP armor in there, along with a newer helmet and repair components. A few saddle cannons to supplement your miniguns, and various rations and medical supplies,” Arcane explained. “They were going to start acclimating creatures to the armor years ago. So, there was an unused supply. Dusty, but it all should be functional and cross-compatible.”

“Well, an enemy wouldn’t give us guns, so that’s nice to hear,” Astral mused. “Nice to sort of meet you, by the way.”

“Likewise. Astral, is it?”

“Yep. That’s me.”

A smile pulled at Arcane’s features, the unicorn then opened a simple container set off to the side. Sassi had to stop herself from letting out a very undignified sound as the most pleasant aroma met her nose.

“Holy stars above that smells good,” Astral sighed. Thankfully, his words covered her feelings too.

“It’s the best I could do with frozen foodstuffs. Fresh frozen, but fresh,” Arcane explained, setting a few plates out on a table to the side. “Fruit pastries, some baked bread, preserved and grilled fruits for snacks, and some juices. I recall Thestrals having a preference for fruits.”

“You baked the bread?” Astral asked as Sassi walked over, examining the food (with a RASP scan of course.)

“Yep. Not too many components left, but it gives me something to do. Haven’t cooked things like this in…a while.” The hesitation in Arcane’s voice was telling, but the unicorn bashfully scuffed the tile with a hoof, eyes not able to meet theirs.

Sassi could barely stop herself from laughing on taking a bite of a pastry.
“This. Is. Awesome,” she sighed. “Thank you, Arcane.”

Another slight freeze, as if the unicorn still was struggling with how to respond. He simply bowed his head, leaving them be. Pausing at the door, a glance at Astral showed confusion behind the stallion’s odd eyes.

“Sassi said you killed the Director. Is that true?” Arcane continued after Astral nodded. “May I ask why? I’m very grateful that you did,” the stallion asked softly.

“He threatened Sassi. I gave him a far quicker death than he deserved,” Astral replied immediately.

Arcane’s brow furrowed.
“This was before the modifications?”

Astral let out a mirthless chuckle, wincing at the action.
“Just before. I got the modifications after. There wasn’t a choice for those, but not in a bad way.”

“How so?”

How Arcane was conversing held Sassi’s interest. There was a yearning, an inquisitive desire in which the stallion seemed to be hanging on Astral’s every word. Why, she wasn’t sure.

“Sassi got captured by a clone of one of the Skitter Queens. The modifications were the only way to get her back, fighting through hundreds of monsters. So, one of the scientists fast-tracked me through the process. I barely got her out and made it to this Silo before the reactor blew.”

Arcane was very, very quiet at that. The unicorn’s gaze drifted to the floor, and then to his hooves. Subtle expressions twitched on his face, the stallion finally shaking his head.

“You did all that for her?” he finally asked.

“Yes. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat, as cruddy as this is.”

Astral couldn’t see the look on Arcane’s face when his gaze lifted, but Sassi felt a genuine stab of pity at the sight. There was complete confusion in the unicorn’s eyes, the pain of somepony desperately trying to understand, knowing logically what made sense. But there was something else. The flicker of something, a flame threatening to be extinguished. It was a look that Sassi had seen many times in a mirror.

Hope.

And then it was gone, Arcane making his way out. It was only then that Sassi got a good look at the unicorn’s cutie mark.

Eight dark-blue arrows radiated out from a single point, the center being a red heart.

The star of Chaos.

It was a symbol most creatures knew well. It represented Discord, after all. But the fact it held a heart in the center was quite odd indeed.

“I’ll leave you two be,” he murmured, letting out a hiss as a magical surge made the restrictor glow. “Don’t mind the foxes, by the way. They’re my friends, and harmless if they say hello.”

“Foxes?” Astral asked, the door then closing. “Well, that was interesting.”

“In a lot of ways. But let’s get some food in us, and look at this armor first.”

“At least I can feed myself this time if you can put the food in front of me.”

Despite the odd exchange previously, Sassi smiled, setting the fresh food out for them to sample.

“You sound a bit miffed even at the smell of fresh food.”

“Well, I don’t get a beautiful mare feeding me this timmmfff!”

Thankfully, a pastry was just the tool to cut off Astral’s statement. The cheeky look in his eyes made Sassi’s cheeks burn with a blush.

It was good to have him back.

Author's Note

Hmmmmm. Player Three has entered the game...:trixieshiftright:

Chapter Eighty Six: Temporal Tears

Sassi jerked awake, the mare blinking away the warm comfort a decent bed brought, even if it was just a medical cot.

And the RASP armor had been correct in its scans, with no poisons or any malicious intent with the food itself. Well, other than tasting so good as to have the Thestrals eat just a bit too much. Arcane had certainly gone all-out with the selection. Then again, the two Thestrals may be a bit biased having only eaten ration bars for ages.

sleepiness tickled at Sassi’s consciousness, but not her own. It was so odd, sensing something that wasn’t herself. And yet it was comforting, the simple fact of knowing Astral was sleeping peacefully.

What woke me then, I wonder?

That question was answered with a soft pulse. The air seemed to shiver, the RASP helmet chiming softly.

“What was that?”

The armor responded, projecting a graph into the air.
‘Magical disturbance nearby. Proceed with caution. Chaos magic levels rising.’

Her first reaction was to reach for the guns, but some movement made the mare pause.

Sitting calmly next to the open door, an ethereal fox looked at the mare curiously. The creature’s body was translucent, a light teal with bright green eyes.

“That’s not normal,” Sassi muttered, “can you scan them?”

‘Scan complete. Magical Familiars detected.’

Familiars?

Sassi had heard of the creatures but hadn’t assumed that’s what Arcane had meant by mentioning his fox friends. Familiars were an oddity, high-level mages either enticing or building a construct with magic. There were equal studies that proved that life was genuinely created, or that intelligence was out in some other realm and decided to inhabit the mage’s creation. Either way, the creatures could be passive, helpful, or outright aggressive. Their intelligence could vary from being programmed, to outright sapient.

Judging from how the fox was calmly watching her it wasn’t the aggressive type.

“Hi?” Sassi said softly.
The fox’s ears perked up, and the familiar let out a happy chirp. Four other heads poked around the corner; three of them much smaller kits. Sassi’s heart melted as they looked at her, clearly curious.

The lead fox familiar walked forward, then glanced back down the hall. It did this motion a few times.

“You want me to follow you?”

The fox nodded.

“You can understand me?” the mare asked, getting up and carefully walking towards it. Either this was Arcane controlling a golem of some sort, or this familiar was unlike anything she had seen before.

Then again, the unicorn matched that description too.

Another nod, the fox tossing its head with a frustrated sigh.

Sassi made sure to snag the RASP helmet, another spare helmet scanning Astral’s room just in case. A single minigun was slung on her side but the action made the fox roll its eyes as it waited, snorting in annoyance.

A sassy fox familiar indeed.

Following the familiar, Sassi watched as the other four hid farther down the hallway, clearly cautious. Her odd guide sped up, a soft huff leaving its mouth. They traversed the main hallway, taking a left, and then another right and through multiple security doors. The room appeared to have once been a lounge with various furniture and cooking equipment set off to the side.

The fox let out a worried cry, and Sassi immediately had many of her questions answered.

Arcane was collapsed near a door at the far end of the room, semi-visible magical waves making the metal floor ripple. The horn restrictor and armor were nowhere to be seen. But the puddle of molten metal on the floor gave the mare an idea of where the objects had gone. The stallion didn’t react to her calls, instead simply curling into a ball as his horn sparked with colors that made Sassi’s head hurt. They weren’t just colors, but had a weight to them, the air around each magical discharge seeming to bend. The ceiling began to now shift and twist as if being pulled by a cotton candy machine, the RASP armor highlighting the dangerous field in front of her.

It was magic that shouldn’t exist in this realm, Sassi’s mind unable to focus on a specific sight. Even a glance made her temples throb.

‘WARNING: Chaos magic field detected. User not advised to proceed past the yellow HUD markers. RASP anti-magic countermeasures insufficient.’

Confirming the readings, the fox blocked Sassi from going any further. It tossed its head toward two objects on the ground. The small, crescent-moon devices had deployable metal legs that let the objects stand up, and the two currently pulsed softly. The RASP helmet projected some sort of field emanating out from the devices, but the technical jargon went over Sassi’s head for what they actually did.

Some sort of magical field emitter?

Satisfied she had seen the objects, the fox then beckoned Sassi to a small storage area.

The mare’s heart sank at seeing the contents. There were shelves stuffed to the brim with metal bracelets, horn-locks, and every sort of magical restrictor.

What kind of life have you lived, Arcane?!

The fox seemed interested in one box, and Sassi dug into the contents and located more of the odd field emitters. The familiar wasn’t satisfied until Sassi had grabbed five more of them. She carefully navigated the chaos field, placing them all on the floor facing Arcane in a circle.

“I have no idea what this does,” Sassi muttered, the RASP scan not showing anything new. “So, I tap this?”

The fox nodded. That was going to take some getting used to.

Sassi activated the first device, and the air let out a soft *wump*. She wasn’t entirely sure what the magical readings in the helmet meant in a real-time sense, but they had stopped going up. She immediately regretted not brushing up on her magical physics class.

Sassi activated the others, each emitter projecting a shimmering, translucent field toward the prone stallion. The RASP armor let out a happy chime, the previously-red field now a cheerful green. More numbers scrolled across the screen with a few explanations. Some sort of dampener and shield?

A warm sensation drifted across the mare’s forelimb; the fox nuzzling it thankfully.

“You’re welcome,” Sassi said softly, the familiar smiling at her as it walked over to lie down on a nearby couch. The rest of its apparent family joined it, curling up in a giant magical ball of fur. A sad cry went up from the bundle of familiars; their heads turning to look towards Arcane.

The unicorn had scooted to the edge of the projection field, his sides shaking with sobs.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I’m sorry…”

The larger familiar hopped off the couch, trotting into the magical field without so much as a flinch, and gently began to prod the unicorn with its muzzle.

“No more.”

The darker memories of Sassi’s past began to beat at the doors. Was this what Astral had seen in her?

The room briefly wavered. The metal walls vanished, and cream, padded texture took over all sides. The outlines of two ponies stood near the curled-up stallion, unintelligible words being said.

A memory?

The stallion raised his head ever so slightly, his entire body shaking.

“Please, just let me go…” he whimpered, head falling back to the floor again.

“Increase the voltage.” A distorted voice stated with a huff. “That produced a…satisfactory response. But we need better. We know he can take it. So, increase it! And prepare another batch of inhibitors.”

Sassi’s heart twisted in her chest. What had this pony been through?

I have a vague idea. I know what the Company is capable of. I just hope I can reach him.

“Arcane?”

“Who are you?” the stallion snarled, eyes turning Sassi’s way. Their odd depths swirled with their usually-static colors, fangs protruding out of the pony’s mouth. The air pulsed with a physical ‘thump’, a malevolent shadow starting to snuff out the ambient light around the unicorn.

Not good.

“It’s Sassi. Remember? You were kind enough to let Astral and myself stay here for a bit.”

Her words seemed to reach the stallion. Arcane blinked, the magical pulse fading as his eyes stabilized, a hoof reaching up to wipe away a few stray tears. It took a few moments for the pony to seem present, his eyes scanning the room as his breathing returned to normal, along with the surroundings. The metal walls returned, and the fox let out a happy chirp. It returned to the couch to watch.

“Where…what?” Arcane muttered, eyes settling on the devices. “Right. Silo Three,” the pony said to himself, still staring at the odd devices. “The other field projectors. I wasn’t able to get to them in time,” he muttered. “Thank you, Sassi.”

“You’re welcome, but I’d appreciate a bit of an explanation about all of this,” she said cautiously. Sassi was careful not to aim the gun anywhere near Arcane, but her instincts screamed at her to do otherwise. This unicorn was obviously not normal, and that was beyond the modifications.

“You’ve certainly earned one. I didn’t do anything drastic did I?” Arcane asked. The stallion’s limbs abruptly buckled, the pony faceplanting onto the floor with a muffled “ow.”

“No, you didn’t. Other than turning a bit malevolent for a few moments. You, erm, alright there? Aside from the magic destabilization bit?” Sassi asked cautiously, the unicorn in front of her adjusting to glance her way with what appeared to be a fair bit of effort.

“More or less. Magic is-it’s difficult to explain. But you’ve earned an explanation. Both of you have.” He paused. “Malevolent is a good descriptor of me in that state. I apologize for not keeping that under control.”

His words were stilted and seemed off as if recited from a script.

I’d certainly feel better with Astral here. The mare mused. A soft hum in the back of Sassi’s mind made her blink. A curious, dull wakefulness poked at her consciousness.

Is that him?

“I can see if Astral could be here for that explanation,” Sassi mused. “Come to think of it, while we’ve appreciated the help, we really have no idea who you are...in many ways. And vice versa.”

The ghost of a smile slid onto Arcane’s face. It didn’t reach his eyes, but it was certainly an improvement.

“That’s a fair point. Well, I can’t move, and so this may be as good a time as any for introductions.”

“Astral, you’re up, right?” Sassi asked into the radio, a yawn being the immediate reply.

“More or less.”

“Can you walk?”

A few annoyed grunts later, and a defeated grumble came over the radio.
“Not exactly. But can’t the armor move me? What’s up?”

“Arcane had a magical burnout of sorts. We barely know the guy, and we’re staying in his shelter. So only fair to have a late introduction.”

“Ah. Well, let’s see if the armor can help with this.”

A few choice commands to the RASP system, and Astral eventually walked into the room, promptly plopping his hindquarters down on an empty cushion that was on the floor.

“Ooook. That’s enough walking for today. You, uh, alright there, Arcane?” Astral asked with a wince, the unicorn looking over at the Thestral with a huff.

“Relatively speaking,” he sighed. “I…” his words were cut off as a blue flame ignited around his body. “Oh. That took long enough.”

“Arcane, what is that, all of it? You’re clearly not just a modified unicorn,” Sassi stated rather bluntly but maintained at least a respectful tone. “Normal magic users don’t do all of this, let alone dabble in chaos magic. The RASP armor tipped me off to that.” Sassi didn’t feel it was her place to mention the previously projected memory. Astral had only done so when prompted in her case, after all.

Arcane’s shoulders slumped, messy blue mane drifting in front of his eyes. Sassi’s sharp eyes picked up a subtle shift in his demeanor. A quivering of his limbs, and a shaky intake of breath.

“Of course, the armor picked it up. And you’re right. Normal magical users most certainly don’t have any of this. Perhaps I should have mentioned it first. First off, the flame around me is harmless unless I want it to be otherwise.”

“It being?

“Excess magic,” Arcane explained. “There’re only four other recorded cases in the history of this disability. Concerning the flames at least. I lack the usual buffer unicorns have between casting a spell and their mana pool, therefore constantly venting the excess in the form of this flame. Literally burning off the surplus.”

“But unicorns have a limited pool of magic. If they run out, they get a migraine if they try to cast anything. So that doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Astral chimed in, Sassi appreciating having another individual at her side, especially this certain Thestral.

The stallion in front of them had shown them nothing but kindness, but there was a lot they didn’t know. And that was a just cause for caution.

A sad smile flickered onto Arcane’s face at Astral’s words.
“You’re right. That’s where this comes in,” he said, gesturing to his cutie mark. “I have the reverse of a pool.”

“Reverse?”

“The chaos magic.”

That made both Thestral’s eyes narrow as the pieces started to fit together a bit better. Sassi knew the Company had tried to tap into the limitless power source, but it simply couldn’t be contained. There was only one creature who could completely control such magic, and he didn’t even live in this dimension.

“Discord is the only one who can use that stuff. I heard of experiments where they tried to splice it into existing mages; is that what they did to you?” Sassi asked.

“I wish it was that recent,” Arcane chuckled darkly. It was not a pleasant or happy sound. “I’ve been like this since I was born. The flames. Unable to control casting power and constantly burning off the excess magic my link to the chaos realm provides. I managed to control my chaos-infused magic for low-level spells throughout my life with inhibitors. When I was adopted by the company, I posed far less of a risk to everyone.”

“Hence the bigger restrictors?”

“Precisely. They let me at least exercise a bit more control, but the devices dull everything to an extent. The various training I was enrolled in also helped me direct it, focus it. Some days, I can pass off as any other unicorn. Others…”

“You melt a hole in the floor and ceiling?”

Arcane raised an eyebrow, glancing up at the now-charred tiles above him at Astral’s remark.
“In a word, yes. Exerting myself with that blast earlier threw me off more than anticipated. Now I pay the price. To think I thought for so long that the Company had my best interests in mind, that keeping my magic under control was for my benefit…”

He let out a soft, pained hiss. The unicorn’s horn sparked, a bolt of magic lashing out towards the family of fox familiars. The creatures seemed entirely nonplussed, the bolt simply turning their bed into a large pink cupcake.

“I still don’t know why chaos occasionally focuses on food,” Arcane muttered, wobbling on his hooves before sitting back down.

“What of your fox friends? One of them led me here.”

The unicorn stared at her, his eyes then drifting over to the foxes, the larger of which smiled back. It let out a chirp, the sound seeming to put Arcane at ease.

“Did they now?” he asked. “Familiars are picky, not very trusting creatures. Chaos ones even more so.”

“Wait, what?”

Arcane let out a wince at Sassi’s raised voice.
“Too loud.”

“Sorry.”

“They’re my best friends. My magic can’t hurt them, never has. They serve as a conduit at times, keeping me grounded. They just took an interest in me. Nothing in this realm can hurt them, but they just appeared one day in my cell wanting to help. After…I….” the unicorn abruptly collapsed, his sides shaking. “Never mind.”

“Do you want us to leave?” Astral asked after a few moments. “We can give you a few-”

“NO!”

The unicorn’s abrupt cry made the two Thestrals jerk in surprise, the pony taking deep breaths.

“Sorry. I-please. Don’t.”

Arcane’s eyes looked up briefly, and all Sassi saw within them was raw fear. Despite wielding a power that could turn the RASP armor, or this entire Silo to molten slag…

He’s terrified.

She wished that there was a way to send the message to Astral. The shift in the unicorn’s demeanor now made complete sense.

It was all a front. Acting normal, trying to be normal.

I know how that feels.

“I’m good staying. I can go first if you want?” Astral asked, his gaze drifting over to Sassi. There was a brief, understanding nod.

Wait. Did he have the same thought?!

“First?” Arcane asked, not looking up. His shoulders were slumped as if the request to have the two Thestrals stay had cowed him.

“Get to know you stuff. You told us a bit about you, so fair’s fair.”

Raising his head, the unicorn looked over to Astral curiously, nodding once.

“I grew up in Fillydelphia. My family is in the Night Guard, and so I followed that path. I tried to help someone, and it cost me a lot more than I thought,” Astral said. “The attackers had powerful friends, so I agreed to drop out of the program, and the company scooped me up. I thought it was a pretty great gig until the facility AI tried to suffocate me. I made my way through and eventually met Sassi. That’s the past few months in a nutshell.”

Arcane’s gaze had lifted, the unicorn watching Astral with genuine curiosity.

“You were punished for helping? I wish I was surprised,” the unicorn muttered.

“Such is the way with creatures who have power and money,” Astral said with a shrug. “Two stallions and a mare in distress. Put two and two together, and I beat them into a bloody pulp. And that was before I got modified. I’d still do it over again though. Can’t resist it.”

“Huh?”

“Helping others,” Astral continued. “It’s why I was ok being in the guard. It’s not what I want to do forever; I love astronomy. But I’ve always wanted to help creatures. Maybe runs in the family being guards and all. But when I got stuck down here. I found someone else who needed some help too. One thing led to another, and here we are.”

Sassi trotted over, gently reaching down to hold Astral’s hoof briefly. It didn’t have the same impact, him being in the armor and all. But the look in his eyes let her know the meaning was what mattered.

Sitting down, Sassi turned back to Arcane. In the brief moment before he looked her way, Arcane’s eyes and demeanor had cracked, something else breaking through the fear and uncertainty.

Admiration.

Somehow, Sassi felt rather proud that someone was seeing Astral that way. A slice of how she felt about him.

“Mine’s a bit shorter of a tale,” she said. “I grew up in the Silo, was made here. I worked for the Company, doing whatever they needed me for. Mostly security work. Handling prisoners and rogue experiments. It wasn’t really a happy childhood. My dad tried to help me, but there was only so much he could do.”

“Dad?”

“Dad, creator, family, same thing. He raised me, so my dad,” Sassi shrugged. “He kept me sane and tried to raise me to have a somewhat normal life after sabotaging the original program. Without him, I’d have been a mindless creature at the whims of the Company. I did my security job until everything went up in flames months ago. Ran into Astral, and we’re still here.”

The reactor on Astral’s back decided to glow a rather bright pink at that, the color matching Sassi’s cheeks. Arcane’s eyes narrowed slightly, the colors in their depths glowing for a few moments. His gaze seemed to be looking through the two of them for a short time before refocusing.

“You made it through two Silos,” he muttered to himself, “it still seems impossible.”

“Couldn’t have done it alone,” Sassi said firmly. “And we’ll get through this one all the same.”

A warm hum in the back of her mind made Sassi’s chest glow, the mare seeing Astral glance her way affectionately out of the corner of her eye.

“Friends down here are rare. Anything more than that is nearly unheard of. You’re lucky to have each other,” Arcane said softly, levering himself up into a sitting position. “My turn.”

He raised a hoof as Sassi opened her mouth to object. There was an odd pleading in his eyes, so she stayed silent.

“I was born in Baltimare. I moved around a lot with the foster programs, hopping from family to family” Arcane began. “But there was a gryphoness who raised me for the vast majority of it. I thought of her as my mom and certainly wanted her to be. But the Company got their adoption paperwork approved before her somehow. They then poisoned my view of her with lies. By the time I learned the truth, I was stuck underground with no escape. So, I trained in security and general magic craft. Then the RASP program…” his voice drifted off with a shake of the unicorn’s head.

“What do you like to do?” Astral asked, the question making the unicorn refocus.

“Do?” Arcane muttered, “I hadn’t thought about it much until the security fields fell.” There was a short pause. “I do like to cook.”

“And you’re good at it,” Sassi added, the two Thestral’s rewarded by seeing the first bit of positive emotion flicker across Arcane’s face, a bashful flush of his cheeks.

“Thank you. I’d suppose I’d like to give it a shot. That, and sailing.”

“That’s an interesting one to accompany cooking,” Astral mused.

“My magic, it can be maddening,” Arcane explained. “When I have control of the chaos, rare as that may be, I can create things on a whim. Craft spells that are advanced beyond all measure in the blink of an eye. A single thought is manifest in an instance without learning the usual magic theories. It may sound like a perfect tradeoff, but it’s overwhelming. Painful. Trying to sort through possibilities and control the magic to get the exact outcome. Seeing everything and nothing at the same time,” he said, shrinking down slightly. “I know that might not make sense. But it’s the best I can do. As far as I can tell, normal minds aren’t meant to wield chaos magic. But the few times I’ve been close enough to the ocean, I realize I can’t sense anything.”

The unicorn’s expression became wistful. He almost looked happy, and peaceful. The flames around the stallion’s body subsided to a light flickering, like a campfire.

“Chaos is part of my magic set. But it hates order. Weather and waves are orderly, they obey rules. So, even if I try, I can’t sense what the weather or waves will be like. A storm could roll in, and I’m at its mercy. No ulterior motives, nothing except nature and myself. My magic wouldn’t have a use. And I’d like that…” his voice drifted off, another bashful expression poking through. “Sorry. Don’t mean to bore you. Nobody has asked me that. Not for a long time.”

“Boring isn’t a word I’d use to describe you, Arcane. Not in the time since we’ve met,” Astral chuckled. “And you’re not the only one adjusting. I’ve had to learn how to trust. I guess if you’re in these Silos, there’s always a learning curve.”

The look on Arcane’s face, however brief, finally clued Sassi into where she’d seen it before. On younger colts watching their older brother. Despite being their age, Arcane clearly saw something in Astral he admired.

It was rather sweet.

“I also want to help others. I always have,” Arcane added, the peaceful flames vanishing to return to their rapid flare once again. “My mom was part of an organization that helped creatures, even if it was unpopular to some. I appreciated that. They didn’t care what others thought of them, only wanted to help.” The unicorn’s eyes abruptly glared, fangs poking out from his mouth. “They would have helped me. Equestria certainly didn’t. So much for laws and protections for a citizen. Useless creatures leaving me to rot in-” he took a few deep breaths, eyes looking to the floor in clear shame.

“Sorry,” the stallion whispered.

“Don’t be. You’re talking to the two creatures who can come closest to understanding if I had to wager a guess,” Astral said. “The justice system failed me. I became a pariah over a crime I didn’t commit. Sassi, well, self-explanatory. I’m not saying I now totally support vigilante justice, but in some cases, it’s the only way. I certainly didn’t let Split Tie make it to a trial.”

The widening of Astral’s eyes at the end of his sentence clued Sassi in, especially as the stallion fell silent in thought.

It’s the first pony he’s ever killed.

Arcane was in the good company of ponies with baggage.

“Well said,” Arcane mused, his demeanor relaxing a bit more. “Back then, it was hard with my magic being so random. But it’s why I enrolled in the training program here. I still want to help. As a colt, I always liked the idea of those warriors with a code. Honor. So much for all of that,” he said with a frown. “I thought such a thing could exist here. In my naïveté, I trusted the company with it.”

“Evil likes taking advantage of those who want to help,” Sassi added with a sad sigh. “But that doesn’t mean it always has to win. It never does, not forever.”

There was another pause; not uncomfortable, but Arcane was unsure how to proceed. With Astral still clearly in thought, the mare took the initiative. The unicorn in front of them was in thought, his eyes staring at the floor.

“Do you need any more help? Getting to a couch or something?” Sassi asked, the odd feeling of seeing a version of herself, in a way, returning as Arcane shook his head.

The stallion shook his head, magic reaching out and tugging a couch cushion over to him. Arcane refused to look at her, but Sassi saw his multicolored eyes dampen at the simple question.

“Help? No. But…thank you. Both of you,” Arcane said, the words seeming to be thought over very carefully before speaking as if the simple sentence was utterly alien to the stallion.

“You’re welcome,” Sassi said calmly. “It’s nice to meet you officially.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Arcane. Formally,” Astral said, nodding before carefully walking away after a nod from Sassi.

As she turned away, the mare paused. Something pushed her to say something.

I know what it’s like to want some form of comfort. Even if it’s words.

“For what it’s worth, Arcane, I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I know what it’s like to be controlled, used. All while you’re helpless and trapped. Just know that now it can get better. It does get better. It just takes time, I promise.”

Confusion swam in Arcane’s eyes, realization then taking hold as his gaze pooled with unshed, and confused tears of thanks.

The doors closed behind her, Sassi walking back to the medical center.

Seeing Astral on his bed, she hopped up and flopped down next to him, leaning on an armored shoulder. It wasn’t as nice as his fur, but it was something.

“Poor guy,” Astral sighed.

“No kidding. He’s been through the wringer. But what about you? I noticed you got a bit pensive at the end there.”

Astral was quiet for a few moments before speaking.
“I realized that it was the first time I’d talked about the Case in such a casual manner. I realized that maybe I’m starting to work through it all,” he said deliberately. “Still coming to terms with the whole ‘killed a pony’ thing through.”

“I wouldn’t call the Director a pony in any way other than genetics,” Sassi huffed, earning a genuine smile from her special-somepony.

“That’s a fair point. But you know what I mean.”

“I do. But I think you’ve done amazingly well for being thrown into this mess,” the mare added, scooting up to rest her head against his. “It feels weird though. I see Arcane, and I see parts of myself. Is that how I was at first? When we met?”

“In more subtle ways, yes,” Astral said. “Not as open. But guarded, dealing with stuff, yeah.”

“And now I get to play a role as you did for me. We both do. A chance to help somepony.”

“It’s a nice feeling to help someone,” the stallion confirmed with a yawn. “But too much thinking.”

Sassi agreed. Between the revelations with Arcane, and realizing that she was, in a way, given the opportunity to be a mentor for a past version of herself was utterly overwhelming.

So, she settled on only thinking about one thing. In this case, the smell of Astral’s fur as she snuggled close, his sides rising and falling against hers. A soft whisper of “love you” made the mare’s heart melt. The fact Sassi could reply in kind and mean every ounce of it made any other worry inconsequential. It was just her, and Astral.

It was easy to focus on that.

Author's Note

A new...friend?
All aboard the baggage train. The Silos make their mark on everyone...

Chapter Eighty Seven: Bro Talk

For being stuck in a silo of nightmares, Astral felt surprisingly good.

It was a subjective term, of course, as the stallion woke up. Every bone in his body ached and every movement didn’t feel right. But his stomach wasn’t in knots and there was a comforting warmth that eased it all.

Another pleasant surprise was that he could see. They were in a supply room of sorts, a large security door closed in front of him.

The source of the warmth was the beautiful mare snuggled up against Astral’s side, her head resting on his shoulder.

Sassi.

There was so much he wanted to say, but Astral settled for carefully stretching a wing over her, something that made him wince. Not flying for weeks, months on end was definitely going to bite them in the haunches later.

Well. I guess we can add physical therapy along with mental one.

Judging from how the mare scooted closer, at least it was appreciated. There was the odd, pleasant hum in the back of the stallion’s mind. Their little hive mind, if Astral had to guess. It was a weird feeling, to say the least, but not unpleasant. The most comparable sensation was if he had looked over to the mare, and read an expression on her face. A simple realization of an overall emotion. In this case, it was peaceful sleep. Arcane seemed unaware of the link, and Astral could only suspect that the modification doses were different, or simply an anomaly in their case.

Regardless, it was a pleasant sensation that was more comforting than anything. It had certainly helped yesterday when he hadn’t been able to see anything. Astral had simply known Sassi was there, and ok.

Then again, maybe he was still (likely) loopy from the painkillers, at least a bit. Yet Astral couldn’t help but feel happy. Telling Sassi that he loved her hadn’t been on his ‘to-do’ list while underground. And yet it had just…happened. And that certainly didn’t mean it meant any less.

And she loves me too.

A simple phrase that made Astral’s aches and pains diminish ever so slightly. He blinked, realizing there was one thought that simply never materialized, only being noticed by its absence.

The case. That entire experience. The impact of it all is just…
It’s less.

Obviously being trapped down here was leagues worse, and perhaps oddly, that was a good thing. It made his prior struggles seem so minuscule.

His movements and wakefulness kick-started the actual aches into existence, the stallion letting out a soft, pained hiss. Even so, he’d go through it all again in a heartbeat. That hadn’t been a lie to Arcane.

‘Recommendation to user available. Display?’ the nearby RASP helmet projected the message into the air, the blue letters shining in the darkness.

“Display,” Astral whispered. Odd that it’d ask rather than just tell him.

‘Movement of muscles will now aid in recovery and purging of accumulated toxins. Current toxicity levels rising. Recommend light impact exercise such as a slow walk until symptoms subside.’

He hated those sorts of recommendations. Do something that felt horrible until it felt less horrible.

Then again, that’s pretty much the definition of physical therapy. I’ll be in that for a while…and normal therapy with Sassi.

Those two words at the end of the statement certainly blunted any trepidation. There wasn’t a ‘without Sassi’ anymore. Even the hive mind link aside, Astral couldn’t imagine feeling comfortable with anyone else. Not after everything they’d been through.

That was both a comforting and terrifying thought. But he shoved that down as he carefully stood up, the armor automatically compensating for the stallion’s wobbling legs.

Well, I can stand. As much as I’d prefer to snuggle next to Sassi for a few more hours.

He strode out of the medical bay, the simple act of moving clearing Astral’s mind.
How things have changed.

That thought wasn’t dwelt on too long. He’d crumble under the weight. One hoof in front of the other.

One more silo and we’re out of this mess. And then…
A smile immediately pushed aside any other expression.

And then, we get to live.

With Sassi at his side, the adjustment to normal life didn’t seem like a challenge at all. They’d make it.

Turning around at the end of a hall, he began a walk to the other end; the corridor perpendicular to the medical bay. It was a simple circuit, but enough.

The Thestral paused, blinking as a glowing figure trotted down the hall.

Clad in shimmering armor, Arcane turned to look at Astral in surprise. The adornments vanished in an instant, but it was enough to make Thestral smile ever so slightly. The armor had almost appeared ancient, but with a modern twist.

An honorable knight perhaps.
You’re similar to Sassi. You’re still in there, aren’t you, Arcane? This place didn’t tear everything from you.

“I didn’t expect you.” It was a simple, cautious statement. And Astral didn’t blame him.

“The RASP armor said toxins were building up, said to stretch my legs. So, here I am,” was Astral’s reply, not seeing any reason to lie. Honesty had gotten them a new, tentative friend after all. “If you can’t sleep, you’re welcome to join me. I’m just pacing. Not even sure what time it is.”

That hadn’t occurred to Astral in a while. The numbers had lost their meaning, not even being glanced at. They slept when tired, and moved when they could. It was just past midnight?

It was barely noticeable, but Arcane smiled ever so slightly at Astral’s words.
“Not sure I’ll be great company,” he admitted. “I’m still learning how to…” the unicorn’s words trailed off as Astral waved a hoof.

“I get it. Really,” Astral said seriously. “And don’t worry about it if you don’t feel like talking. Sometimes it’s just nice spending time with somecreature that doesn’t want to kill you. That’s how I became friends with Sassi. Well, her saving my flank at least.”

Another glimpse of a smile, the unicorn walking over to Astral as they paced.

True to his word, Astral didn’t try to nudge the unicorn into any conversation. Surprisingly, it was Arcane who spoke after a few minutes of walking.

“What do ponies talk about nowadays?” he asked, a mirthless huff leaving his fanged mouth. “It’s been a decade since I’ve been above ground. And before that, the whole ‘fanged chaos-pony’ didn’t spark many positive conversations.”

“Honestly, probably the same stuff,” Astral mused, “jobs, the weather, relationships, and when you get lucky, hobbies. I never liked small talk, but when the other creature is actually invested in a topic, even if it’s the weather, that makes it much more interesting.”

The unicorn seemed to muse over that for a few moments.
“I’m going to need to learn how to even do that again. Everything down here has a purpose, a point to conversing. Learning how to do things again. Not just talking for the sake of talking.”

Astral shrugged.
“It doesn’t always have to be talking for the sake of it. Sometimes if you chat about a topic that doesn’t have a lot of weight, you can get a feel for the other creature. Learn to be friends, or not. So, it can have a purpose. Not always though,” the Thestral chuckled a thought. “My best friend, Gabbro, is a hippogriff. His topic of conversation usually was his attempts at finding a lady. He knew it was the same thing over and over again, but he appreciated me listening, as it was a big part of his life. I love that guy. I hope he’s doing ok,” Astral’s words trailed off.

“A hippogriff? It’s nice that ponies can be friends with others. I know it’s common now, but down here, not so much.”

“Oh, yeah. From what Sassi said, down here was awful. Much more diverse above ground. Gryphons, hippogriffs, kirins, and even a few minotaurs! The Princess’ efforts to…” the Thestral saw Arcane’s shoulders stiffen.

Ah. Right.
Equestria’s laws failed him.

“The integration laws and views are something she’s doing well,” he worded carefully. Arcane’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he nodded, seeming to appreciate the unspoken understanding.

“I guess you can have different friends for different topics. Gabbro’s was the ladies and day-to-day banter. I lost my other friends after the debacle with defending the mare,” Astral explained.

“Lost them?”

“They believed the lies of the attackers, rather than me. There’re times in life you learn who your real friends are. It hurts, but is for the best,” Astral sighed, still surprised that the pain in his chest at the memory was significantly lighter. It was still there, but it had lost some of the sting.

“Sorry. Don’t mean to pry into painful topics. This is all new. Talking. Learning about the outside,” Arcane muttered. “Well, I suppose it’s ‘old’, but I’m having to re-learn how to talk to creatures again.”

“No reason to apologize. I guess one thing you should know is that we had contacted the outside, well, sort of,” Astral said, Arcane staring at him. “The scientist who modified me took a message to the outside. So Equestria and the other nations know we’re down here, and the company is being hunted down from what the scientist said. We should have told you earlier, but it’s been a bit crazy. Honestly just didn’t cross my mind.”

Arcane stood still, staring at the Thestral with a guarded gaze. Astral met it, his eyes not leaving the unicorn.

“I’m not lying,” the Thestral said firmly. “From what I understand, Equestria knows what’s going on, and they’re trying to monitor things down here as best I could. I told him, and the cameras that everyone was watching us from, that I’d come for the other Directors if I had to. I can get more grenades,” Astral couldn’t help but grin at the last sentence, a fair part of himself frightened at how easily the words flowed, and how he meant it.

“They know? They’re…” Arcane couldn’t form any more words.

“Everyone knows. Sassi’s dad leaked the entire company’s data. The experiments, murders, everything. He’s the one who also caused the systems to crash here, with the help of the scientist, Flask, who helped me,” Astral explained, putting a reassuring hoof on the other pony’s shoulder. “It’s all crashing down for them. I don’t know what everyone is doing, but they can’t hide.” he immediately retracted the hoof and winced; the unicorn flinching. “Sorry. I know physical boundaries are a touchy topic. I forgot for a moment.”

Arcane stared, the unicorn actually then smiling.
“Touchy topic? That was a horrible pun.”

Letting out a soft chuckle, Astral relaxed. He knew how sensitive Sassi had been.

“But I appreciate the thought. It is a sensitive subject. But I don’t want it to always be that way,” the unicorn said. “Wouldn’t be able to find a special somecreature if that was the case. Or a friend,” his brow furrowed. “Friend first. Much less complicated.”

“No kidding. I gave up on dating after the whole court case and all,” Astral sighed. “Totally lucked out with Sassi. She being a Thestral and pretty much amazing across the board.”

“From what little I know of you two, I’d have to agree. You’re a lucky pony to have found her. She’s quite the mare,” Arcane said, head tilting curiously as Astral shot him a look. “What? Art can be appreciated even if I have no stake in it.”

“Did you just call Sassi art?” Astral snickered, the unicorn blinking. “I think you’ll be a hit with the ladies whenever you’re ready for that. Or stallions. Whoever you prefer.”

Astral got treated to seeing Arcane’s face flush, another bit of genuine emotion from the troubled pony as they walked. The unicorn did seem more relaxed. The next topic Astral left up to Arcane.

Don’t push things.

“Ironically, neither,” Arcane said. “Well, not ponies at least.”

“Oh? So?” Astral asked. That was an interesting response.

“I mean, there’s plenty of pretty mares, sure. Just…” the unicorn now definitely looked embarrassed.

“Hey, I won’t laugh! I love a Thestral super-soldier,” Astral chuckled, silently enjoying how much it simply slid off his tongue.

“Well, I was raised by a gryphon, and she taught me about their culture and such. It also made meals easier, and I just felt safer,” Arcane explained.

“Meals easier?”

Arcane gestured to his fangs with a hoof.
“I’m an omnivore. I can eat pretty much anything. A bonus to chaos magic. So, gryphon cuisine was quite enjoyable. Ponies aren’t-it’s a barrier for them to understand and get used to. And the fangs make me look frightening. You probably know that.”

“That’s fair,” Astral mused. It had been a while since he had just shot the breeze with some ‘guy talk.’

Even though I usually loathe when the only thing on a creature’s mind 24/7 is who-dates-who. But Arcane…how long has it been since he’s even thought of having a future?

He’d ask about sailing at a later date.

“So. Gryphon or hippogriff?”

Arcane stumbled, clearly not having expected such a question.
“Wha?”

“Hey, just shooting the breeze with preferences. You know mine, after all,” Astral said with a grin. “You said not ponies, and already know gryphon culture. So, then perhaps a kirin?”

“Gryphoness.”

“Huh. That was fast.”

“Easy choice,” Arcane shrugged. “Gryphons are predators. Less likely to be scared of me. It’s a logical choice. I also appreciate their blunt nature. Less dancing around conversations and formalities, and as you said, I already know their culture and meals.” The pony’s ears then flattened. “I don’t think I can relate to Equestria anymore. That includes most ponies. They just don’t understand certain things,” the unicorn whispered.

“That makes sense,” Astral replied calmly, seeing an opportunity. “And the fact they’re graceful but also rather strong has nothing to do with it?” the Thestral grinned, prompting a grumble from the unicorn as the mood shifted. “And maybe a preference for muscles underneath that feather and fur? Liking that strong and not openly soft type?”

“Perhaps,” Arcane muttered, his violet face a bit deeper a shade of purple now as he tried to not smile. He paused in their walk, taking a deep breath. There was a slight blue glow to his gaze. Interestingly, the ever-present horn lock wasn’t heating the metal.

“I’ve missed this,” he finally said softly. “It’s been-Thank you, Astral.”

“You’re welcome, but what for?”

“Talking. I’ve missed being treated like…” More words trailed off, but Astral knew the general gist of it.

“A normal pony?”

Those words earned another soft smile.
“Essentially.”

“Well, we’re also now all part of a weird family, in a way,” Astral said, gesturing to the unicorn. “You’ve technically got a sister and a brother now. RASP siblings. For whatever that’s worth. I guess Sassi would be the oldest, then you, then me. If we’re going by the serum at least.”

Arcane abruptly began to laugh, a genuine, cheerful sound that echoed off the walls as he held his sides. Astral couldn’t help but chuckle; it was the first time he had seen the unicorn actually happy.

“That is a ridiculous thought,” the unicorn finally wheezed. “But also, the kindest thing somepony has said to me in a long, long time,” Arcane added with a sigh, wiping away a few tears. Whether they were from mirth or something else, Astral wasn’t sure. “I’ll consider it.”

“Just wanted to let you know regardless. Adjusting to the outside world is going to be an issue for myself and Sassi. So, feel free to give us a call.”

The unicorn nodded, but Astral noted his eyes were swimming with tears.

Just being kind. How much that can change for a creature.

Astral’s thoughts were interrupted rather rudely as his legs nearly gave out, the stallion swaying slightly.
“I…uh, might have overdone the walking,” he muttered, “I hate being so weak.”

Arcane shrugged, the two walking back towards the medical bay a bit slower.
“Quite frankly, I’m amazed you’re as coherent as you are given the RASP modifications. Give it time and you’ll be able to run for miles and still have energy.”

“That sounds possibly like a curse.”

The unicorn smirked at that.
“It’s a give and take. But I’d say the positives outweigh the negatives. I’d be dead if not for the modifications so I’m a tad biased.”

“That’s fair enough.”

As Astral tottered through the door, Arcane waved with a hoof. The smile was faint, but not fleeting like before.

“Take care, Astral. And thank you.”

“You too, Arcane. And happy to help.

It was all the Thestral could do to walk over to the medical bed and flop down next to Sassi. His limbs immediately turned to jelly, exhaustion seeping into Astral’s bones. Another day in this odd journey he was on.

Talking with a unicorn who can use Chaos magic while running from freaky creatures.
All this crazy stuff leading me to find the one I love?
No question that I’d do it again. I wonder what tomorrow will hold.

Author's Note

A bit of a lul, talking with this odd new pony.
...
...Oh don't get too comfortable. If y'all thought Silo's one and Two were horrifying... :trollestia:

Chapter Eighty Eight: The Ball is Rolling

“Thank you for hearing my proposal, Princess Sparkle,” Gold Mint said, the yellow stallion bowing.

“Of course. I was surprised that a mayor requested to see me. Your city has, to my knowledge, had a very peaceful history,” the Alicorn said with a smile. The stallion’s cutie mark, two silver bits each with an emblazoned pony’s head, spoke to Gold’s family legacy. Mainly, building a small, western Equestria town into an upcoming metropolis with forward-thinking policies and a thriving tourist income due to the coastal location.

His proposals had always been courteous and surprisingly thought out. For a politician, the stallion was certainly on the ‘pleasant’ side of the scale. A rarity indeed.

It was a nice break from the constant situation reports and dealing with the slime of the Stairway company.

“I’ve been following the journey of Astral and Sassi, and felt I had to do something,” the mayor said with a huff, stamping a hoof. “I’ve had contact with the company before. I’ve already given the information to the Guards. But I want to see them burn more than anyone.”

Seeing Twilight’s raised eyebrow, the mayor blushed with embarrassment.
“Sorry, Highness. The Company used my wife as ransom years ago to ensure certain locations within my city could act as safe houses. We managed to break free of that situation, but the safehouses remained a leverage point until now. I’m happy to aid the Guard in rooting out that filth. I’ve already given them the exact locations.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear it. Any information is, of course, greatly appreciated.”

“I did want to offer something else,” Gold explained. “Whenever those two escape from that dreadful Silo, there’s some unused property on the edge of the city. A few housing complexes, and an old, abandoned observatory. I heard Astral enjoyed the stars in one of the brief bios on the radio and would be honored if the location was considered for a recuperation site after renovation. Free of charge, of course,” the stallion’s green-tufted ears drooped. “After what they’ve been through, it’s the least I can do. I don’t expect them to offer tours or anything, but it could put the property to good use. That’s all I wanted to offer.”

Twilight bowed her head in thanks, the mayor’s ears perking up.
“I’ll certainly keep it under consideration as one of the many options I’ll present to them. I think a peaceful location such as your city outskirts would be greatly appreciated by them. Thank you, Mayor Mint.”

The pony smiled, trotting off as the next individual was brought it. As far as the first petitioners went, Gold Mint’s proposal set a cheery tune for the rest of the day.

Even with so much evil about, the good ponies still found ways to help.

Astral wasn’t sure how much longer he slept, but it was at least a few hours. The rise and fall of Sassi’s sides against his was strangely comforting. He was unable to get back to sleep, letting out a frustrated mumble.

I’d like to stay all night like this.

The mare yawned, sliding out from under his head. Two tired but affectionate eyes glanced his way, a rare, shy smile on her face.

All night and all day. Even if we can just talk. Away from all of this.

There were a hundred topics Astral wanted to broach. Some rather important ones, others simply out of curiosity. But they all revolved around one thing.

Us.

What would the future look like for them?

I don’t know, but I can’t wait.

A pleasant string was plucked in Astral’s mind; Sassi’s happiness bleeding over the odd hive mind as she scooted forward to give him a brief kiss.

“I wouldn’t mind waking up like this more often,” Astral whispered.

And by that, I mean every night.

“Same here,” was a soft, loving reply. “How are you feeling?”

He couldn’t hide a pained grimace, Sassi frowning at seeing the stallion’s limbs shiver.
“Been better. Took a walk earlier. RASP suggested it.”

“You up for some food? We’ve got some more fresh stuff from Arcane.”

Managing to turn his head, Astral saw the plates of delectable foodstuffs off to the side.
“I wish we could take more of it,” he sighed, “but we can enjoy it while we can. Seems like a lot for just us.”

“I think he just likes making it,” Sassi mused. She briefly explained the project-memory encounter with Arcane. Astral got the distinct sense that it was unsettling to the mare more than she let on.

“Do we even know what he went through?” the stallion mused.

“I have no idea what experiments the Company conducted with chaos magic, but Silo three was a black hole. Very little information and that was saying something,” Sassi replied with a frustrated huff. “I was only here very early in my life, and then dealing with the prisoner blocks most recently.

Astral sighed, briefly filling in Sassi on the general topics he had spoken with Arcane on his walk.
“He seemed more at ease, and I feel like we can trust him,” he concluded. “Your thoughts?”

Sassi paused for a few moments at that question but nodded.
“I agree. I feel he’s on our side. I’ve seen no ill will from him. But he’s erratic.”

“With chaos magic, that’s understandable.”

“And I don’t know how much that is a part of him. So guarded friendship,” she then grinned, “or a guarded siblinghood, as you put it. RASP siblings. I never would have thought of that, but a good way of putting it.” Scrunching up her face, Sassi tried to hold back a laugh. “Maybe could use work on the phrasing since I love to kiss you. Siblings….ew.”

Astral let out a pained laugh at her words, munching on some fruit that Sassi brought over.
“Hey, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing! And the overall point still stands. What’s in the supply crates, by the way?”

“Things that you need to try on if you can stand.”

A frustrated grunt was Astral’s answer, Sassi helping him off the medical bed. Surprisingly, the stallion was able to stand despite his shaking limbs.

“Well, this is progress!” he said rather proudly. “Minimal assistance from the suit!”

A nuzzle on the cheek was the stallion’s reward, Astral not able to resist uttering a soft, happy hum.

“I like cuddly Sassi,” he mused, A gentle poke on the shoulder was her reply.

“And I like cuddly Astral. But let’s see if some of this gear fits you,” she replied, pulling out various items. “We’ve got a new helmet for you since I need to use the one matching your armor for the miniguns.”

“Makes sense.”

“There’re some cut-down shotguns for you, that’d probably be best since it doesn’t require as much aiming. Explosive shotshells.”

“Mmm. That sounds like a good idea. Wish I could aim though,” Astral mused, catching a glimpse of some of the ammo. “Whoaaaaaa. Those are some sizeable cartridges!”

“You’re drooling.”

“I am not.”

Astral’s pout was too adorable for Sassi to contain a giggle.

“Well, you can have one of the shotguns, the other side of your armor can be some storage, and my flamethrower. It still has almost all of its fuel left. We can throw in your meds and medical supplies, along with some rations. I’ll take some extra too, along with the two miniguns that your reactor can recharge.”

“The reactor powered by your love?”

Astral was treated to Sassi’s face turning bright pink, her eyes not meeting his briefly.
“Have I ever mentioned how absolutely romantic that is? We should write a book about all of this. Best. Romance. Novel. Ever,” he added.

“I-you…” All Sassi could do was glare for a few moments before scrunching up her muzzle with a frustrated “Hmmmf.”

“Am I wrong?”

“No.”

Her pout softened on getting a brief kiss on the nose from Astral.
“You do realize I love the fact we can bond looking over weapons, right?”

The playful glint in Sassi’s eye returned, the mare giving his shoulder a light shove.
“Well, likewise. But let’s get through this gear lovercolt.”

“Faaaair enough.”

Sassi withdrew four items, slotting two of them on her wings and then his.
“Huh. Only heard about these once from Flask.”

“Wing covers?”

Extending an appendage, Sassi grinned as energy filled between the metal, the covers mirroring her wing’s anatomy.
“Armored wing covers with energy shields to cover the webbing areas. Basically, deployable shelter. Not so great for flying, but we could use the protection.”

“Neat!”

It was a bit of a hassle to put them on Astral’s wings, but he finally managed, making sure they fit before removing them. He was lying down most of the time, after all.

“So, shotgun and flame-thrower for me, armor, older helmet, and then you’ll have the miniguns? Both of us stock up on supplies, and we should be good?”

“That about covers it.”

Astral looked back at the reactor, a familiar smirk dawning on his face.
“And of course, the reactor needs to be refueled now and again.”

The mare couldn’t help but smile, grumbling as Astral leaned over to kiss Sassi on the nose.
“You being a romantic is going to take some getting used to,” she added, eyes widening as his ears drooped ever so slightly. “In a very, very good way.”

His ears perked up again. Come to think of it, Astral hadn’t really elaborated on all of that. Having to suppress and ignore ideas, and activities he enjoyed, all because of a future he never thought would happen. Yet now…

The door chimed, Sassi giving him a final nuzzle before turning to look. Arcane paused, an odd, shimmering armor covering his frame before vanishing.

“We may have a problem,” the unicorn stated gravely, eyes looking over the two Thestrals. “You’ll have to move by the end of tomorrow. It’s not safe anymore.”

“What changed?” Sassi asked, putting on the extra minigun and her helmet as Arcane shook his head.

“That won’t do you any good right now. I can show you if you want. The security doors are being compromised by Number Two,” the unicorn said flatly.

Sassi frowned, taking a few steps-

The mare barely caught herself before falling flat on her face.

“Sassi?” Astral asked, voice tinged with worry.

“I’m fine. Just, my legs didn’t want to work. Feel rather heavy. Must have slept wrong,” the mare muttered, Arcane watching the pair with a furrowed brow.

Sassi’s helmet flashed with a disturbingly lengthy explanation and alert in her HUD.

‘Warning. Changeling dynamo temperature seals compromised. Increase in temperature detected with sensitive components. Significant emotional drain monitoring subroutine delay detected. Stand by…delay corrected.

Attention, immediate action required. Emotional buffer systems decreasing in efficiency at a linear rate. Continued draw of emotion will negatively affect emotion source.

Recommendation: Confirm primary user medical status and evaluate removal of additional healing crystals to slow temperature increase. Caution; this may be a temporary measure.

Essential course of action (Maximum delay, 24 hr): Shut down changeling dynamos to allow stabilization of temperature. Permanent damage to energy source and reactor components will ensue if dynamos are not shut down to stabilize temperatures within twenty-four hours.’

“What is it?” Astral asked, Sassi frowning. While she trusted Arcane to a point, there were some things she’d prefer not to explain unless she had to.

“Something with the reactor. I’ll check this out and then work on it,” Sassi explained. She felt a hum of worry in the back of her mind; Astral wasn’t buying it.

“This won’t take long,” Arcane interjected, tossing his head.

“I’ll be here,” Astral sighed.

Sassi followed Arcane out the door, the unicorn clad in both a horn restrictor and odd bracelets on his limbs made from the same material.

As they walked down the hallway towards the security doors, it was Arcane who broke the silence.

“You’re being drained, aren’t you?” he asked calmly, Sassi’s eyes narrowing.

“How did you…?”

The unicorn tapped his metal-encased horn with a sad smile.

“It’s easy enough to sense. Access to chaos magic broadens my senses even with restrictors. It’s simple to see energy flowing from you into the reactor; I saw it when we first met. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what kind of energy, especially considering how much you care for each other.”

Turning a corner, Arcane then stopped, his brow furrowed in thought.
“Being drained like that can leave you an emotionless husk if you let it go too far. I assume the RASP systems will shut down before that. But is Astral worth that to you?”

“Always,” was Sassi’s immediate answer without even thinking. Her response seemed to spark a bit of amusement in the other pony, but there was some genuine confusion behind his gaze.

They continued walking to the doors. The first opened, and Arcane gestured to some stressed points on the second door.

“The metal is being worn away here. These are the locking mechanisms. I doubt this is Two’s direct work, but rather his minions.”

“Fony’s?”

“Fo-what?”

Sassi snorted, shaking her head.
“Sorry. Short for fungus pony. Freaky creations I saw before meeting up with you.”

“Ah. Those,” Arcane said softly. “In a word? Yes. You must have passed by the spores. They’re all connected.”

“How so?”

“It’s a modified pathogen. I don’t know what it is, but my chaos magic can keep it at bay. It infects organic tissue, and Two can control the creations. Create organic matter into something else, spread the spores, and so forth. But mainly it shapes them into mutants.”

“Twenty-Eight could too.”

“I’m not surprised. I think the pathogen was once used as a binding agent in early experiments. So they have a rudimentary hive mind. Two is the oldest, and has the most control. Twenty-Eight stuck to its territory until Silo Two detonated.”

Sassi sat down with a frown, the second security door sealing shut.
“So, what do we do?”

Arcane didn’t answer immediately.

“I’m leaving, or at least, I hope to,” he explained. “I’ve created a dozen capacitor crystals farther down the hall and saturated them with my magic. I’ve had to teach myself teleportation, as chaos magic usually messes up the spell. If all goes well, I’ll be transported out of here.”

“Can you take us with you?”

A sad smile was Arcane’s only reply for a few moments, the unicorn shaking his head.
“No. I don’t even know if I’ll survive. With anything above low-level spells, my control is fleeting at best. You’d be torn apart by chaos magic. And I can’t make a path for you to the surface or exit either. I might end up just vaporizing this entire Silo, you included.” his ears flattened.
“I want to help, but anything I try will make it harder for you to escape at best. At worse, you’d be killed. I won’t have mor-” he stopped, taking a few deep breaths. “I can’t help you that way. You all must leave before I try my spell. The capacitors will likely detonate and destroy this entire area; I’ve set them up to at least. That’ll slow down Two. But you can get a head start before it gets to the prisoner block.”

Sassi shivered at that thought. It wasn’t a pleasant plan to venture near there.

“If Two gets to the convicts, even if they’re dead bodies, it’ll have all the raw organic material it needs to create even more minions. You need to get well ahead of it before that happens. There are a few out-of-control floors and testing areas between us and the prison block,” Arcane continued.

She was a bit thrown off by how forward and open the unicorn was being, but he didn’t seem to be lying.

May as well phrase that.

“You’re being awfully open and helpful, Arcane. You’ll have to forgive my skepticism,” Sassi admitted.

A shrug was his reply, the unicorn not meeting her gaze.

“So, I guess, why help us so much?”

Her question prompted an instinctual response from Arcane, his mouth setting into a firm line, the unicorn seeming to draw into himself ever so slightly.

“I’ve no reason not to,” he said slowly. “You’re the first kind ponies I’ve talked to in years,” the stallion continued in a soft, almost whisper. “And it feels nice to help someone. It’s why I agreed to be trained by the Company originally. I just never realized I was signing my soul away.”

“Well, know it’s appreciated. Maybe we can show you some good places to eat once we’re all out of here,” Sassi mused.

That promoted a look of utter confusion from Arcane as if Sassi had just suggested the sky was actually an ocean held aloft by the breaths of apple trees. Yet there was that flicker, that fire of hope deep in his eyes.

“I’d like that,” he finally said. “Both of you being so kind is off-putting. I never expected it.”

“You’ve done nothing to deserve anything but our kindness, oddities and all,” Sassi said gently. “Besides, Astral’s offer still stands. RASP siblings. Even if it makes me dating Astral sounds…weird.”

That joke earned a tentative smile from Arcane.

“Well, first things first. We only have another day or two. I wouldn’t rely on the inner door for long. It’s thinner than the main one,” the Unicorn explained.

“Then we’ll get things sorted soon.”

As they walked back, Arcane piped up again. Sassi got the feeling that before everything, he was a rather approachable pony. But that feature had been long since beaten down. Astral seemed to have unlocked a bit more of the unicorn’s personality, as it were.

Or simply gained his trust. Arcane came off as a bit more guarded around her regardless.

“The RASP reactor is heating up. You may want to shut it down. Being drained of emotions is likely not going to cause permanent damage if you monitor things, but it’ll impact your combat efficiency, and future efforts to fuel the reactor,” he advised. “If you keep draining past the safeguards, it could permanently damage you. I only read a bit about the dynamos when I was being fitted for a prototype suit years ago.”

“RASP told me as much. I’ll shut it off today, and then on one of those haywire floors up ahead. The capacitors blowing will give us a brief reprieve.”

Arcane nodded, seeming content with the plan. He then stopped on their way back, eyes drifting to the floor.

“Sassi? Was it worth it?” he asked slowly, almost childishly. It was as if he was expecting Sassi to lash out at his words. The stallion’s demeanor was confused as if struggling to stay present.

“Was what worth it?”

He waved towards the medical center.
“Waiting for someone like Astral. I know what you went through, at least what the files say. Was going through all of that…does having him make it worth it?” The unicorn’s eyes met Sassi’s for the briefest moment, and the mare felt her chest clench.

He’s afraid.

Sassi had seen the look many times in a mirror. A terror that couldn’t be explained to anyone unless they had been there. Overwhelming fear that the life you lived was all the world had to offer.

That a life of pain is all you have.
All that you deserve.

A warmth bubbled up in Sassi’s chest, the mare unable to keep a smile from her face.
“I didn’t know for a while. I never thought anything would be worth it. But now I can say yes. Absolutely.”

An emotion tried to claw its way out of the depths of Arcane’s gaze, the unicorn staying quiet as he thought over her words.

“He’s lucky to have you,” he finally said.

“We’re lucky to have each other. We wouldn’t have gotten this far otherwise.”

The ghost of a smile dawned on Arcane’s face, the stallion nodding as the two began walking again. Sassi peeled off towards the medical bay, Arcane waving a hoof.

“I should have said this earlier, but you’re free to explore around. I have my private quarters and there are storage rooms across the hall from that. You already found the lounge outside my room,” he explained. The unicorn’s face darkened briefly. “The halls farthest from here, to the east on your compass, are along the path you’ll take to exit. I wouldn’t recommend going there just yet. The area is damaged. If you must, just be careful.”

He then trotted off, Sassi making a mental note to definitely check out the exit path. Arcane clearly was not mentioning everything; it was like he was purposefully making it a mystery.

But first, Astral.

Author's Note

More developments indeed :moustache:

Chaptery Eighty Nine: Discoveries

Her stallion was dozing but slowly waking up. Sassi busied herself with both snacking on some still somewhat-fresh food and organizing their supplies. If they had to leave within a day, she wanted as much ammunition and life-sustaining material shoved into their saddlebags.

Her attention was diverted after the mare heard a grumble, Astral shifting this way and that. Apparently, he was now awake.

“Stupid. Leg,” he growled. “Move!”

“Astral?”

He managed to lift his head, the stallion letting out a huff.
“Hey, Sassi. That’s you moving around there? I figured. I was just trying to move. My body still isn’t responding. I’m sick of lying down.”

“Then let’s go for a walk,” Sassi proclaimed, “just lean on me then.”

Flopping off the bed, Astral almost managed to stand up. Thankfully, Sassi was there to catch him as he leaned over.

“Thanks, Sas,” he sighed. “So, what’s the situation? And also, what’s with the reactor?”

For a split second, Sassi had the thought to not tell Astral everything.

But he doesn’t deserve that. That’s not how we are.

“Let’s find out. AI? Scan Astral for how stable he is. Can the extra healing crystals be removed?”

A few moments passed before the helmet chimed; Sassi having clipped the item to hang from her armor. The text projected itself above the device.

‘Scan complete. Primary user vitals have been stabilized. Permanent removal of external healing crystals is possible within 48 hours. Set timer?’

“Do it. Let me know when we can take them off.”

As a small counter appeared before being hidden, Sassi caught herself as a leg refused to lift for a few moments.

I never noticed the creeping exhaustion…

“We’ll need to shut off the reactor. Once tonight, and then again in a day or so. The emotional drain on me is constant. I just never noticed it until I stumbled,” she explained. “There’s an issue with an internal seal. The temperature is rising and making it so it keeps draining me. Basically, it’s overheating from constant use. The AI says we can remove the external crystals on your armor within two days. That’ll reduce the drain and increase the time between shutdowns. The healing crystals that are attached to you can take over.”

“Then we shut it off right now,” Astral growled. “Not worth hurting you.”

She smiled, pausing to give Astral a kiss.
“That’s sweet, but that brings us to the other issue,” the mare explained, trying not to get distracted by the happy grin on her stallion’s face. “We need to leave within a day. Another creature is starting to breach the doors. Number Two. Whatever it is. I’ve never heard of it, but Arcane said it’s some sort of mastermind of all the fonies, the spores; it’s all connected.”

Sassi elaborated on the other topics Arcane had covered, and Astral stayed quiet as they meandered slowly down the hall. The poor guy sounded like he had been through Tartarus and back. And yet there was a lot they still didn’t know.

But I know enough to trust him. He’s unstable, but I don’t blame him.
Maybe I’m too trusting, but after the Case, I’m tired of not trusting. He doesn’t give off any red flags.

…well, none that normally I’d look for.

“Pity he can’t take us with him, but from what I know about chaos magic, that’s probably for the better,” Astral mused, “maybe he could tag along with us?”

“I’ll ask. It’s not a bad idea. He’s a powerhouse, and we could use his help. Probably a better chance than his teleporting idea,” she agreed. “He mentioned the exit path that was dangerous and didn’t recommend us exploring, but to be careful if we had to.”

“I assume we’re going there?”

His special somepony smirked, nodding as they walked.
“You know me well. We’ll just peek to see how bad it is. We won’t get too close if you can’t walk well. If it’s something we need to prepare for; best know about it now.”

“I think I can walk if I have to. And Arcane wouldn’t let there be any active dangers here. Maybe it’s a big gap in the floor or something.”

“That was my thought. It sounded like he was hiding something, but didn’t want to hide it. Hard to explain.”

Astral nodded, a previous thought abruptly catching up to him. The stallion’s movements slowed, fluffy ears perking up as a smile refused to leave his face.

My special-somepony.

“Astral?” Sassi asked, a concerned gaze drifting his way.

I love those eyes.

“Sorry. Just, it’s sappy.”

“I like sappy. I especially like when you’re sappy.”

The stallion grumbled, feeling a bit of heat on his cheeks. He wanted to tell her why this was so difficult.

I can’t just unlearn years of forcibly ignoring things. But I can try.

“I just was thinking. It’s silly.”

“I also like it when you’re silly.”

“I’m not going to win on that, am I?”

A cheerful smile was the mare’s response.
“Nope!”

Astral leaned his head over, resting against Sassi’s.
“I just haven’t mentally referred to you as my special somepony until now,” he explained, ears then drooping. “Told you it was silly…”

A soft sniffle caught his attention. Evidently, Sassi didn’t think it was silly in the slightest, the mare’s eyes damp as she smiled.

“I think it’s s-sweet,” she managed to say. “I’ve had a few moments like that too.”

“Then here’s to many more?” Astral suggested, the warmth welling up in the stallion’s chest making his throat start to close with emotion. This fantastic mare had risked her life for him a dozen times over.

And I for her.
We’re still here, thanks to each other.

“I could cheers to that,” she giggled, bumping his shoulder with hers. “Let’s check out this exit though. Random hallways aren’t the most romantic destination, after all.”

“Eh. I’d make it work.”

The grin Sassi sent his way made Astral laugh softly. How he loved that smile.

The two traversed the halls, finding out they were rather extensive. It was a basic layout with a few branches here and there leading to supply rooms and general maintenance areas.

The large hallway in front of them, however, was obviously the exit. A massive security door was at the far end. The rooms on their left appeared to be heavily damaged, and an odd glass-type wall was on their right. The hall itself had the appearance of a gymnasium, strangely enough.

“This is an odd set up,” Astral muttered, now able to stand on all four limbs. The walking had done him some good, and he’d take the chance to walk if the reactor was going to shut down temporarily later.

“Agreed. But I think I know what this is.”

The trepidation in Sassi’s voice immediately clued Astral in, especially since the mare reached over to tap the glass on the right gently.

“Observation room,” she explained. “And those rooms are cells.”

Astral’s heart sank.

“This is a testing area?”

“Holding area, testing, and observation. They had variations of this for high-risk experiments.”

The two ventured down the hall; Sassi putting on the RASP helmet and having it scan for any traps. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary in that respect, only the draw of power to the light.

There were five rooms. The first four held nothing; empty. The interiors were lined with odd, cream-colored padding. There was a bed, desk, toilet area, and small entertainment center. Ultimately, a small apartment within. Yet cameras were in every corner of the room, and there were exposed electronics from some torn-out sections of the ceiling and walls.

“High-security cells? Monitoring the experiments every hour of the day?” Astral asked, Sassi nodding.

“I even didn’t have it this bad. I could at least have my privacy. This sort of setup would be for the worst prisoners or unstable experiments, and that’d be temporary. It’d take a lot of personnel to monitor someone like this, let alone multiple around the clock”

Nodding in agreement, Astral’s nerves kicked into overdrive as Sassi rounded the final corner for the fifth cell. The edges around the door were blackened and burned. The strangest thing, however, was that embers still smoldered on the metal.

“Astral.”

The stallion took a peek inside, and more dots immediately connected themselves into a web. The fifth cell was burned to a crisp. More than that, however, was that every part of the room was constantly moving. It was always being destroyed by being pulled apart, smashed together, or simply burned silently.

The AI let out a warning chime; Sassi making sure the two of them didn’t step over the threshold.

‘Warning. Chaos field detected.’

There was another sight the two Thestrals couldn’t ignore. To their right, were the remnants of two ponies.

There wasn’t anything left of the unicorns but blackened bones. The individuals had been impaled onto rebar, and their horns cut from their skulls and rammed through the center of their chests.

A voice then drew their attention, the deep tones making the air itself vibrate.

“I warned you to not come here yet.”

Author's Note

Some lovely moments, and then some...not-so-lovely discoveries.

Chapter Ninety: Chaos Storm

The minigun was already spinning at Sassi’s side, but both of them knew it wouldn’t do much good. It was more of a reflex than anything. The two Thestrals turned to confront the voice. It could only be one pony, after all.

Arcane stood at the end of the hallway, the unicorn’s magic restrictors glowing white hot.

Sassi forced herself to breathe normally. Every instinct at her screamed to get away. It wasn’t like the freakish monsters. This was something more primal, a more guttural survival. Everything about the unicorn was wrong. The sense to run, to put as much distance between herself and the creature in front of her was nearly suffocating.

Astral’s limbs began to shake, the stallion slumping against Sassi.
“What…” He whispered, not able to form words.

The space around Arcane was warping. Their depth perception failed, the unicorn seeming close, and then far away at the same time. Colors shifted and cracked, the RASP armor struggling to compensate.

The unicorn’s form morphed as well. As Arcane took a few steps forwards, his body flashed to something else. Multicolored drops fell from his now-black fur like rain. A mouth that was far too big for his head was filled with innumerable teeth. White, bone-like spikes jutted from his fur and limbs and then vanished just as quickly. The pony’s form wasn’t stable, and it made one’s head hurt the longer you looked at it.

The RASP systems were abruptly awash with errors, and the two Thestrals were forced to remove their helmets as the HUD became utterly useless from the interference.

“You said to be careful, and we are,” Sassi said calmly. The gun powered down. The mare took a few steps back with Astral as the floor cracked, molten lightning bolts eating their way through the tile toward them. Mirror-like spears crackled in the air, aiming toward the Thestrals before refocusing on another invisible threat.

“Arcane? We’re not your enemy here,” Astral called out, the stallion’s voice quivering ever so slightly. Considering the tiles on the floor were beginning to float up in front of them, Sassi didn’t blame the Thestral at all. The lava-like rivers were within a few paces of them. “No threats. We just want to know what happened.”

The air moved, a physical *WHUMP* as the floor returned to its previous state. Arcane still looked at them, but his form had stabilized into a familiar unicorn.

“Arcane, what happened here? What happened to you?” Sassi asked calmly. “I know what this place is.”

The unicorn stopped, slowly nodding.
“You would…” he muttered. “This is where they kept me,” Arcane added, voice initially making the Thestral’s ears hurt before stabilizing into a normal pitch and range.

“After I was taken from Equestria in my late teens. I trained to be a guard, specializing in containment, along with some general schooling. Living underground mostly. They tried the RASP program on me a little over five years ago and it worked. That’s when I was moved here.” A shaky hoof pointed to the burned cell. “They didn’t leave me alone! I didn’t want to-they made me…”

“We’re not blaming you for anything,” the mare continued cautiously. “I assume the two creatures inside were guards?”

The walls and ceiling stopped warping, Arcane’s body further stabilizing.
“I wouldn’t use that word to describe them. But yes. Guards. Assistants. They ran the tests on me.” The stallion’s voice abruptly dropped to a near whisper, the surroundings folding in on itself briefly. “It hurt. They hurt…”

“They experimented on you? Even after the RASP modifications?” Astral asked, more to himself than Arcane.

“Because of the modifications,” the unicorn growled. “That unlocked everything. I used to be able to at least somewhat reign in my magic, and have chaotic ebbs and flows. The RASP program removed any sense of control I had. Just a raw magical burnout every day. It destroyed everything, and the company loved it!”

The floor underneath the unstable pony began to heat up again, blue flames a nearly invisible specter against the stallion’s lighter fur. There was a flash of particles; as if a million fireflies came together to form a picture. A rectangular room, a slumped-over figure.

“Test eight complete. Shifting to Test Nine with Restrictor Model Five-Seven. Maximum voltage increased, arcane dissipation decreased,” a distorted voice echoed. It was followed by a tortured scream, the scene then fragmenting.

“Anti-magic, anti-chaos devices; I was the perfect test. Suppression measures. Anything they could think of,” Arcane said, his eyes looking to Astral and Sassi, but also around the room as if he could see other listeners. “And then on days when I couldn’t control it, they just used me as a disposal. Documents. Equipment. Anything they didn’t want to expend money on incinerating, they threw into my cell. They even threw…they…” his words trailed off, and black tears began to drip from Arcane’s eyes.

“That’s not happening now though,” Sassi said cautiously, Astral looking at her in surprise. “No tests, none of that. You’re free.”

“Well, it doesn’t feel like it!” Arcane growled, his head shaking. The floor was now molten metal sludge, the unicorn still somehow not falling through.

Sassi’s eyes narrowed, her demeanor shifting. Astral looked at her curiously but stayed silent.
“Then fight until it does!” The mare growled, the unicorn at the end of the hall looking at her in shock. “You’re still alive. Are you just going to accept that you feel trapped, or fight until you can be free of this nightmarish place? Horrific things may have been a part of your life, but are you going to let it be everything you are? You get to choose!”

Arcane’s eyes cleared for a few moments, the unicorn’s brow furrowing. The magic around the unicorn wavered.

“What’s your purpose in life, Arcane?” Sassi asked, the unicorn looking at her in surprise. “I want to see the world. What about you? What do you want?”

There wasn’t a response immediately.

“I want to live,” Arcane whispered, his eyes clearing further. “I want to see the ocean. I want to be free to explore. To help creatures. To live. To find…”

His words drifted off, but the unicorn’s eyes gained a sadness, drifting to both Sassi and Astral, and then the floor.

“Don’t stop looking, Arcane,” Sassi said, her throat closing up briefly. “My dad told me that when I was young. To keep one of my goals secret and always work for it. But I couldn’t be weak when I worked here. It took this long for me to find someone who cared about me, even when I could finally be weak, be myself.”

A gentle nudge from Astral made the mare’s heart soar. A quick glance showed nothing but adoration in Astral’s gaze.

“So, Arcane. You’re free. And I’m asking again. We all have battles to fight. You might have one I can’t fully understand yet, but are you going to just stay in your cell? And I don’t mean that room.”

“No,” Arcane growled, his head shaking with a wince, “it just hurts. I just don’t want to hurt anymore.” His gaze slowly lifted, resting on Astral, and then Sassi. “Does it stop?”

The mare nodded.
“Remember how I said it gets better?” she asked calmly, the other pony nodding. “I wasn’t lying. The same thing to how much it hurts. It’ll hurt for a long time. But from what little I’ve learned it slowly starts to go away. It just takes time. So, are you willing to fight for that?”

Her words prompted a snarl from the unicorn, a reply echoing on magical winds before fading. Sassi’s question seemed to have snapped Arcane back to reality, the chaos magic diving into the unicorn’s body until the surroundings appeared normal once again.

“Wh-wha? I…Sassi? Astral?” Arcane whispered, his eyes clearing completely as if recognizing the two Thestrals for the first time. The unicorn’s head abruptly hung in shame, messy mane covering his face as he staggered, barely able to stand. “I can’t- I didn’t think you’d be here so soon. I’m sorry.” The unicorn’s form seemed to shrink in on itself, expecting a strike or a furious rebuke.

“It’s alright,” Astral piped up, the Thestral then shaking his head. “No, it’s not. None of this is ok. How they treated you, Sassi, and so many other creatures. It’s horrific. But they won’t escape their fate. We first have to get out of here. That means you too.”

Arcane raised his head, Astral’s words seeming to get through.

“Why not come with us?” Sassi asked, Arcane’s form stiffening. “If the teleportation might kill you, wouldn’t coming with us be a decent alternative?”

The suggestion seemed to genuinely shock the unicorn, the pony’s mouth hanging open as he stared with wide eyes.

“I…”

There was confusion in the unicorn’s gaze, but then Sassi saw a flicker of hope.

“We’re getting out of here, Arcane. You’re welcome to join us,” Astral added.

The floor abruptly shook, a distant roar echoing through metal and glass. A shrill klaxon began to blare, Arcane’s eyes widening.

“The first door is breached! The second isn’t as sturdy and won’t survive whatever they threw at the other. You need to leave. NOW!” he yelled, already turning around. “Get the supplies and then get back here. We don’t have long, fifteen minutes at most!”

The unicorn was then gone, galloping down the hallway. Sassi supported Astral as they trotted after him, the Thestral already panting as he finally leaned against the medical bed.

“Well. That was…” Words failed Astral, the stallion shook his head. “Poor guy. But you knew what to say. I’m rather impressed.”

“It’s what you said to me,” Sassi said softly, pausing for a brief moment. “Not in words, but how it made me feel. It’s too easy to give up hope down here. So, I wanted to remind him of that. That now he has a choice.”

“That’s really sweet, Sas,” Astral whispered, his throat clogging up briefly. “I didn’t know.”

“You’ve made a huge impact on me, Astral. I’ve just failed miserably at letting you know how much. I’d kiss you if we didn’t have to run from another monster,” the mare grumbled, slotting on the various guns and saddlebags onto their respective armor slots.

“Plenty of time for that later. I’ll be out of commission when we shut the reactor down later today,” Astral said, then pausing as they double-checked their supplies

The two miniguns and other items were latched onto Sassi’s armor, each of the Thestral’s saddlebags stuffed to the brim with food, water, ammunition, medical supplies, and about six grenades each. Astral sported a drum-fed automatic shotgun, Sassi’s makeshift flamethrower strapped to his other side. Both items required less aiming. With every buckle and strap now checked, Astral let out a soft sigh.

“Arcane said he was a test subject. But why would the company just have used him as a garbage disposal?”

“I don’t think garbage was the only thing they threw into his magical field, Astral,” the mare replied softly. “If a creature didn’t have any more use down here, the Company would want to get rid of them the cheapest and most untraceable way possible. Prisoners, employees, anyone.”

“Oh no.”

“The RASP armor couldn’t even tell me how strong his magic was. It only warned of a chaos field. It’d have destroyed anything within range if I had to guess. Solids, liquids, it’d be just incinerated to a magical nether.”

Astral didn’t say anything to that, shaking his head.
“All he wants to do is be free. Reminds me of somepony I know.”

Sassi nudged his shoulder with hers, gently placing the RASP helmet onto his head as it began to calibrate.

“And he wants to help. That reminds me of somepony too. Nice to know some goals aren’t so crazy after all.”

A simple squeeze of her hoof was Astral’s reply.

“We should ask him to come with us again, though,” Astral added. “He shouldn’t have to die to try and escape. He’s been through enough, I think.”

“I agree. Unstable, and far from harmless. But he deserves an alternative. I like your idea of our little RASP family. Feels weird to think someone else went through a similar process, but it’s a commonality that links all of us regardless. He doesn’t have our hive-mind link, as far as I can tell. But we’re all modified. I do wonder why he hasn’t left yet?”

“If I had to guess, the doses used on you were different than mine,” Arcane chimed in as the unicorn walked into the room. “I sensed something else between you two but wasn’t sure what. I was alone for my modifications. Astral wasn’t. And I assume they perfected the dose to mimic Sassi’s treatment with Astral’s,” he explained, the unicorn shaking his head. “And I haven’t left because the crystals have taken this long to charge,” the stallion added, leaning against the wall next to the door. “And because I didn’t know how to.”

“You taught yourself teleportation? That sounds difficult,” Sassi asked, Arcane nodding in reply.

“Long-range at least, in a rudimentary form. And extremely difficult, even though I was taught extremely short-range spells. But I should get out above ground. Once I’m out of the shields, I can move around easily enough without it. The crystals will help me punch through.”

“So, you joining us?”

Astral’s question made Arcane pause, the unicorn finally shaking his head.
“If I did, I’d be dooming both of you. Nobody else will suffer because of me. Not again.”

“The RASP systems-”

“Will get disrupted by my magic,” Arcane interrupted. “I’ve been relatively in control with both of you. And that includes my lapses. You’ve not seen what I can do if completely lost to the chaos. Your armor systems already got disrupted. My magic would fry them in a true surge, and the guns would seize or outright melt. I can’t make up the difference. Not in my current state, and that’s assuming I can even tell friend from foe,” the unicorn’s ears flattened Arcane not meeting their gaze. “You saw a fraction of what I’m like. I can’t tell what’s real when it’s bad. It’s not worth it.”

The two Thestrals couldn’t argue that point.

“So, you’ll teleport when we get through that exit?” Sassi asked.

“Yes. There are a few more security doors, and then you’re near the hub of the Silo. A few maintenance floors, and then you’ll go through some various testing floors before hitting the prisoner block,” Arcane explained. “The faster you move, the better. I don’t know the layout past that, but the armor should be able to scan. I also don’t know what kinds of tests they ran, but likely nothing good.”

“Will you be alright?”

Arcane’s fanged mouth parted into a slight smile.
“Maybe. And thanks to you two, that’s a far better answer than I’ve been able to consider.”

Author's Note

Never a moment to breathe...

And a bit more insight into Arcane's character.

Chapter Ninety-One: Arrow Released

The two armored Thestrals walked out of the medical bay doors, Astral grumbling as the armor made up the difference with his lethargic muscles. Arcane’s gaze never left the hall behind them, clearly on edge with the distant sounds of grinding metal.

“Is it just Number Two at the door?” Astral asked, wincing as a tremor made his neck tense up.

“No. Just a hundred of the fungus minions. Number Two is lurking behind them, hiding as usual.”

Sassi nearly tripped over her hooves at that.

“What?!” she hissed, “you may have wanted to tell us that first!”

“No reason to. The door still takes time to claw down, another five or ten minutes at least. You’ll be long gone by then. Even if they did breach it, I could hold them off for a time.”

The two Thestrals shared a look at Arcane’s nonchalant reply. Unstable or not, the stallion wasn’t lying.

A distant thud made Arcane frown.
“And that time may come sooner than I’d like,” he sighed. “You all set?”

Astral nodded, then perked up his ears as the RASP system chimed.

‘Incoming file, download?’

“Those are the maps. Everything I have for this Silo I sent in a package to both your suits. It’s the best I can do.”

“That’s amazing. Thank you,” Astral said, watching as the suit downloaded and backup the file. He then raised a shaky hoof.

“Can you do us another favor, Arcane? Deliver a message?”

The unicorn tilted his head in curiosity, then nodded.
“I’ll do my best.”

“Can you just find an Equestria embassy, anywhere with a line to the Princess? I’m not asking you to talk to her. But can you let them know we’re ok, and making our way through Silo Three? If they can send help from the other end, maybe we could meet in the middle. Just fill them in on our progress.”

“I can do that,” Arcane said firmly. “Assuming I arrive above ground in one piece.”

“You’d better,” Sassi said with a sincere smile. “I think we’ve all lost enough in this place. I don’t want to lose a new friend. If you’d like to be friends that is.”

Arcane stared at her, the unicorn’s odd eyes brimming with tears as he nodded again.
“I…I’d like that,” he whispered.

Another thud interrupted them, Arcane waving a hoof.
“Go! I’ll buy you some time. I can give you at least five minutes. That’ll be enough to get to a hub near the central shaft. A few floors of unstable experiments, and then the prison block. From there, I don’t know. That part of the Silo is condemned, and who knows what stuff has been festering there. But after that section, it leads to a massive exit at the end. It was used to bring construction equipment in, decades ago from what I could find. It’s probably filled in, but the guns could cut through.” He saw them pause and waved a hoof again. “Go!”

They began to trot off, Astral pausing.
“It was nice to meet you, Arcane. Don’t be a stranger after this, yeah?” he said, the other pony stiffening. His demeanor softened, the unicorn meeting Astral’s gaze.

“Likewise. And thank you. Thank you both,” Arcane said, eyes drifting to Sassi, where they abruptly welled up with tears again. “It’s nice to make some new friends. Take care, both of you.”

“Cya later Arcane!” Sassi called out, “burn a few of those monsters for us!”

The two Thestrals trotted off, Sassi having set the positive tone for the good-byes. Astral smiled, nudging his special somepony with a shoulder.

“That look he gave us, and to you. What do you make of it?” he asked as they made their way towards the exit of the area.

“I just remembered what you said. How Joro was so happy to have just made a friend,” she admitted softly. “I think Arcane needs some friends. And what I learned from you, is that just being a friend can make a huge difference to somepony. It doesn’t have to be a huge thing, but someone nice can make the world not seem so horrible. It certainly did for me.”

The loving look Astral sent her way made the mare smile, eyes dampening as they reached the large doors.

“I’d kiss you if I wasn’t afraid of burping up black sludge,” Astral admitted. “Let’s get to a safe floor to then shut off this reactor.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll lead. It should just be some offices, storage rooms, and hallways until we get to a small hub.”

The two Thestrals picked up the pace, hooves rapping against the tile as they trotted. A few minutes later, the two RASP suits sent out a warning.

‘Attention. Chaos field detected. Recommend continued avoidance. Magical energy levels rising beyond detectable limits. Minimum safe distance reached within five minutes.’

Astral grinned as they sped up.
“Go get ‘em, Arcane.”

The unicorn’s eyes were narrowed, a hundred fleshy skeletons leering at him with jagged fangs. They all kept their distance, a magical barrier refusing to yield in front of the pony. Their claws occasionally glanced it, but the Fonies waited.

The chaos magic begged the unicorn to be released. It was like an itch. Only when doing something out of the norm would it subside.

I’d say teleporting out of this place is pretty abnormal. I just have to give Astral and Sassi a few more minutes.

The Thestrals reached the minimum safe distance; his magical senses keeping tabs on them as best he could. One of the few times the unicorn was grateful for the limitless reach and power of chaos magic.

Two new friends.

The thought brought fresh tears to Arcane’s eyes. For years his life had been nothing but physical, mental, and emotional pain. It was hard to comprehend anything else. It hurt to think about the future, about having his own choices again even if he wanted nothing more.

Now two Thestrals offered to be his friend, given him a taste of what his life could be like out of this place as a somewhat normal pony. And Arcane wasn’t about to let that feeling go.

He saw the clawed arm of Number Two reach out from a distant vent, a growl reverberating around the entire packed hallway.

“You want to get past me? You’ll have to go through me,” the pony called back, the infused crystals in the adjacent room activating with a loud hum. The spell would take a few minutes to fully complete. It was safer that way. More time to make sure every aspect of the arcane amalgamation was correct.

Teleport to anywhere above ground. Not inside a wall or mountain. On flat ground.
Then deliver a message.
And then…

For the first time in more than a decade, there was an ‘after.’ A chance at something more. It would have scared Arcane, it certainly had before. The teleportation goal was a means to an uncertain end. But now two kind creatures had offered at least a sense of familiarity when this mess was sorted out.

He had viewed Sassi with suspicion at first, especially since she had been under the company’s hoof for so long. But the mare clearly had broken free.

If she can be her own pony, then maybe I have a chance too. This place didn’t break her, and she grew up here. She endured a lifetime in this wretched place. At least I had a somewhat normal life until a few years before the RASP project.

A life.

Her words echoed in his mind, the Fonies in front of him now starting to tear at the magical wall, but only because the unicorn allowed it.

“So, are you willing to fight for that?”

The pony’s limbs began to shake, the blue flames lashing out. His black eyes began to glow crimson, fangs lengthening from underneath the unicorn’s lips. He had an answer.

“Yes!” The unicorn growled; serrated teeth bared at the creatures that now lunged at the pony.

What would I give to live my life again? To make sure this never happens to any other creature?

A dangerous smirk slid onto Arcane’s face. The nearest dozen creatures were burned to a crisp, the blue flames around the unicorn’s body lashing out like an angry snake as the creatures surged forward. Another dozen were shredded by an invisible cheese grater, five others exploding into fleshy chunks with but a glance.

A rogue unicorn doing what’s necessary to keep creatures safe?
Now that sounds chaotic indeed.

The thoughts could have turned darker, they certainly had at many points in his life. Dreams of slaughtering every evil creature who dared harm any innocent passerby. Plans and visions of ripping them to shreds. It had been a beautiful solace in the times of having no control of his life. Outside the shields and restraints, he had the power to change things. Laws and morals meant nothing, just like down here. Chaos magic could bypass any barrier, even if he could only direct it in a general sense. There were no limits. He could inflict pain on evil creatures beyond measure. The magical possibilities were endless.

The chaos magic that hummed through the unicorn’s frame was intoxicating. If creatures didn’t want to do good in this world, he could make them.

Yet Sassi had given him a counterbalance to thoughts she couldn’t have known Arcane had.
“Horrific things may have been a part of your life, but are you going to let it be everything you are?”

Despite the dreams, the yearning to push the pain onto those who he felt deserved it…there was a soft refusal. A voice buried under years of pain and agony. A voice that refused to do unto others what this place had done to him.

Is that who I am?
Is that my voice?

Arcane didn’t have the answer to that. But he was fairly certain of who he wanted to be. Ever since he had read comics as a colt, seen that small good things could change the world. Even if it was fiction, there were enough examples in the real world that showed such a thing was true, chaos magic or not.

That’s what he wanted to believe at least. The past decade of his life worked against such a dream though.

But I just met two Thestrals who still are good, even after everything this place has done to them. One of them grew up in this nightmare from day one.
So maybe there’s hope for me.

The blue flames around his body condensed, the fire forming armored plates that spread across the unicorn’s body. The inferno still raged but within an external barrier of plated armor that covered the unicorn from top to bottom. A sword hung in the air in front of the unicorn, its depths ever-shifting with colors. The Fonies didn’t approach, only watching the unstable unicorn with empty eye sockets.

There was one other pony who had shown Arcane that before the depths of the Silo, there was still good out there beyond the rock and metal. There had been one pony who reminded the unicorn of Astral, in a way. It was a memory that had prevented Arcane from giving up during the past few years, even when he wanted to.

He had been a young colt in the middle of his younger schooling years. Mally, his gryphon foster mom, had met been meeting with her boss. Arcane had been allowed to tag along. That was the first time he had seen how big the ocean was, traveling to the island where Mally worked via a boat instead of portals. It was the first time he had felt his magic be at peace, the vast ocean letting the pent-up energy dissipate on the salt-laden mist.

As the pony had met them at the airship docking station, Arcane remembered the exchange well. It had been burned into his memory, the realization that maybe the loudest voices in his life were wrong.

The first thing Arcane remembered were his eyes. Piercing green amidst blue fur. They somehow looked much older than the pony did but were filled with genuine interest and kindness. There was also a fire, a strength that made Arcane think of a comic-book hero.

He hadn’t known the pony’s name, but that wouldn’t have mattered. What had made an impression on the young colt was of how the blue pony had acted. He had crouching down to talk with the young stallion. To ask his name, what Arcane wanted to do, and what his interests were. The stallion had been kind, looking genuinely saddened when Mally had explained one of many bullying incidents at the school; hence the bruise on Arcane’s shoulder.

That was how it had to go. Better to take a punch than turn a pony’s lungs into cabbage purée on accident.

But Arcane had asked a simple question after listening for a time.
“What do you do here?”

The pony smiled, gesturing to the entire island.

“I lead a country. But unlike others, our entire goal is to help creatures. To make sure the bullies in the world don’t win, even if it makes us unpopular.”

“So, you’re like…a Princess?”

“Prince,” Mally had interjected with a smile.

“I suppose so, but I certainly think my wife is more of a princess than I. But I just go by the title of ‘Director.’ I direct things, guide the country where it needs to go.”

“So Mally is a part of it?”

The pony nodded.
“Indeed. She joined years ago. She helps manage a lot of important projects that keep things running smoothly. Without her, there’d be a lot of creatures in trouble.”

“I just manage material processing projects, Director.”

Arcane still remembered how Mally had been so embarrassed, but in a good way. The pony had simply smiled. He had seen that look in other parents, or teachers. A kind, reassuring glance.
“And without your guidance, our exports and internal organic processing would be in utter disarray. We wouldn’t have met, let alone exceed our annual goals without you.”

The colt hadn’t understood almost any of that, but he knew that it must have been important because Mally was happy at the pony’s words.

“Can I join?” Arcane asked, the Director grinning.

“When you’re older, and if that’s what you want to do, absolutely. But for now, just continue your studies, and to help creatures. That’s the biggest thing. You don’t join to get rich or powerful, but to help. Can you do that?”

Arcane nodded. He then had remembered something strange. The pony now looked familiar…
“I think I’ve seen you before. You were in my history book.”

The Director smiled, nodding once.
“I’m honored. And that’d be likely. I’m over two hundred years old.”

“Whoaaaaaa.”

“Director!” A hippogriff had landed, handing over a crystal pad. “We need you at the summit. There’s an issue with some of the Badlands tribes. They only will answer to you. The Ambassador suggested your armor to make a point.”

“Time for a bit of theatrics then? Alright. I’m on my way.”

The Director had grinned, waving goodbye to both Mally and Arcane. As he trotted off, Arcane’s eyes widened. Glowing metal armor blew in on an invisible wind, clamping around the pony’s frame as they walked towards a strange tower.

Arcane didn’t understand what so much of the exchange meant. It was so different from Equestria with its Princess. But he knew this pony was important and old. Invisible armor? Leading a country? Helping others even when others didn’t care? He also knew the pony made him feel important. Grown-ups usually didn’t care about his troubles. But this one did.

The young colt could understand those things. Maybe the bullies were wrong. Maybe he wasn’t a useless freak.

After all, this Director was a unicorn like him.

As he grew, Arcane learned more about the Last Light Organization. The Company had almost succeeded in poisoning his views with lies and carefully-crafted misinformation. But they had failed. And the reality of what Last Light did had cemented itself stronger than ever. The Company had been afraid of them, and still was. Afraid of what the other Organization could do.

If they could have, they’d have rescued me. Equestria forgot about me. But did they?
Did Mally?

Perhaps they’d still let him join. Maybe they could offer him some peace in his current state. The darker side of Arcane’s magical use now reared its head. The realization of how Chaos Magic had altered his body once led to a dark place from which Arcane had barely crawled out of. It had kept him alive, yes, adapting to a constantly hostile environment. But he couldn’t reverse the effects, the years of being forced to adapt to an ever-increasingly hostile atmosphere.

Was it worth it? I still don’t know.

The chaos magic around his body had shredded any Fony stupid enough to get close while the memories had surged to the fore. That day, he had met Toxic Shield, a pony who had been through Tartarus and back. A pony who had been betrayed by a Princess and mocked by innumerable parties as he built up a dream. And Last Light still answered their calls for help when they asked. And they wielded the power necessary to demand respect from those who cared for nothing else.

Those were things Arcane had come to understand, to admire. Toxic had rallied tens of thousands of creatures around him who felt the same and found a creature who loved him and his dream. And now with Astral and Sassi, there were two more creatures who were good, even amidst the heinous evils of this place. They offered their help, and their friendship to a creature they barely knew. To a monster in many definitions of the word.

The conflict was maddening. Arcane couldn’t muster the willpower to think if he was as good as those three. To offer friendship so willingly as Sassi and Astral, to help those who mocked in the same breath as Toxic did. He just didn’t know. It all hurt to think about. In the Silo, right was wrong, and wrong was always right. For more than ten years, he had been forgotten. Pain was all Arcane had known for half a decade, and constant lies for the years before that. Only now in the past few months had he begun to remember what life had to offer. But when nearly half of his life was nothing but torment and falsehoods…

Who does that make me?

Arcane didn’t have an answer, the magic fields around him aligning into the beginnings of the teleportation spell.

I don’t know who I am anymore. But Astral, Sassi…you gave me hope in finding out. You let me know that I’m not alone in all this.

I wonder if you know how much that means to me?

I hope I can tell you, someday.

The crystals detonated, their arcane energies punching through the solid metal walls as if paper mâché. Blue lightning bolts fried every Fony within range, the walls collapsing into molten slag. The sword suspended in front of the unicorn darted forwards, burying itself up to the hilt in its target. Arcane’s body was then wrapped up within a teleportation field, the Unicorn smiling as the chaotic magic yanked him through lengths of rock and metal.

The entire ceiling on the floor collapsed. A hundred Fonies were sandwiched between metal and magical fire. Number Two let out a rebellious roar as the rubble closed off every entrance, another roar of pure rage following as a blade was yanked out from its nearly severed limb, the weapon vanishing into smoke.

Arcane barely heard it, the unicorn guiding the magical fields as best he could. But it was chaos. All he could do was hope to appear above ground and away from the shields. His course was upward through rock, metal, and stone. The Silo’s shields wavered, Arcane's path punching through before it re-solidified. Nothing was coherent as the world spun around him.

I hope to see you again. My new friends.

The world went black.

Author's Note

Chapter Ninety-Two: Silo Three Bids Thee Welcome

The explosion made the floor rumble, Sassi and Astral pausing for a few moments.

‘Chaos magic fields dissipated. Situation nominal.’ Their helmets reported simultaneously.

“I hope he got out,” Astral sighed. “He really wasn’t that bad. Hurt, but not a bad pony at all.”

“Considering it’s chaos magic, I’d say he got out,” the mare said rather confidently. “After all, that’d be pretty on-point for chaos. We did get a nice boost in supplies and armaments thanks to him.”

The mare glanced over to Astral, gently nudging his shoulder as they walked.
“He looked up to you, I think.”

“Huh?”

“Arcane. Especially when you talked about wanting to help.”

Astral didn’t have a response, kicking a bit of rubble as they passed in thought.
“I suppose? He seemed a bit more relaxed when I talked to him.”

“I think he saw some of the things that made me fall in love with you. He reminded me of a little sibling when he looked at you at times. Learning from an older brother.”

Even from behind the helmet, Sassi was tickled to see Astral’s demeanor shift to being bashful. She could imagine his ears flushing at that.

“I guess,” he mumbled.

“Don’t sell yourself short, Astral. I love you for a lot of reasons. I’m just happy that someone else can see a few of them.”

There was some more indistinct mumbling from Astral’s end, Sassi playfully nudging his shoulder again. The stallion stopped, resting his head against hers.

“Thank you, Sas,” he whispered, Astral’s voice hitching.

Sassi made a mental note to compliment her special somepony more often. If anypony deserved to know how special they were…

She abruptly stumbled as they took a step forwards, Astral catching the mare with an outstretched hoof.

“We need to turn this thing off,” he said, Sassi taking a few deep breaths.

“Whoa. That caught up quickly. Sorry for the mood killer. Just a wave of dizziness.”

“AI. Where’s a safe location to shut down the reactor?”

‘Plotting.’

Sassi glanced over to the stallion with an appreciative smile, standing back up with a shake of her legs.

“Probably not immediately safe. But if we can hunker down somewhere we can give it and you a rest,” Astral mused. “I’d prefer to shut it down now. But I don’t know if I’d be able to walk.”

‘Course to Silo 3 sub-levels plotted. Potential exit to surface identified. Warning. Unable to calculate distance due to unknown Silo layout. Potential safe locations identified.

Warning: Route hazards detected. Complete failure of interior sensors.
Warning: Multiple security door containment failures.
Warning: Containment breached.
Warning: Pressurized vessels breached; contamination detected. Unable to identify biohazard.
Warning: Increased spore count detected.
Warning: Power grid failure. Emergency lighting operating at minimum levels.
Warning: Extreme temperature differential detected near a safe location.
Warning: Last motion sensor reading before failure indicated multiple signatures- unable to distinguish individual signatures due to density.

Proceed with caution.’

“That’s a lot of warnings,” Astral added, Sassi letting out a huff.

“At least it’s informative. We know how big of a pile of manure we’re walking into.”

“…It’s a big pile.”

Nearing the end of their current hallway, the Thestrals kept an eye on their motion detection, still finding it clear. Unfortunately, the air wasn’t as immaculate.

“Yuck. Looks like pea soup,” Astral muttered as they trotted along toward a set of large stairs. The spores were emanating from underneath various doors. Neither Thestral wanted to know what was behind them.

“Nasty stuff. Shame we can’t burn it all, but best we get through here quickly and quietly. Most of the Fonies are behind us, but who knows what else there is.”

Sassi’s words were sobering but accurate. They traversed the office-like halls without issue, neatly-placed signs on the wall leading them to an atrium adjacent to the main Silo shaft.

“Looks like we take a left at the atrium, and that leads us through a few floors, and then to that safe zone,” Sassi muttered as she examined the RASP scan. Even as an older model, it was able to link with the more modern helmet and survey the surrounding area and project it via the HUD in a wire-frame model. The filters thankfully had remained compatible, and they had a hefty amount of spares.

“Sas?” Astral whispered, the stallion having stopped. The gun at his side was already humming, the automatic shotgun aimed down the dark hallway.

The mare’s miniguns sped up, but there wasn’t anything living ahead of them. The air had cleared slightly, but visible spores still lingered.

A large barricade of furniture and office equipment barred the entrance to the atrium. A hole had been ripped through the left side. Dried blood and gore drenched the floor.

“Watch our backs,” Sassi whispered as they walked slowly forwards through the barricade. Blood was everywhere. The dim emergency lights gave it a black, oil-like appearance.

Their backs to the barricade, the two Thestrals looked across the atrium, helmet lights illuminating a scene of destruction. Most prominent, however, was a table set off to their right with various radio equipment.

Scrawled on the walls were two words, the letters written in blood. The final letter trailed off, the line of fluid pooling on the floor as if a paintbrush had been dragged off into the darkness.

‘SAVE US’

As if mocking the two Thestrals, a sign on the opposite end of the atrium flickered, the light illuminating blood splattered across every wall of the room.

‘Welcome to Silo 3, Atrium 13’

The two Thestrals scanned the room, top to bottom. The other two entrances to the atrium were barricaded, but each had large, matching holes in them. There must have been survivors here at one point, for there was a small eating and sleeping area, as well as a pile of spent supplies.

“Clear, for now,” Sassi whispered, “how are you holding up?”

“Been better.”

The fact Astral’s heartbeat was elevated significantly backed up his words. Even though he could walk on his own he still was far from being in fighting condition, and Astral knew it.

“Let’s not linger.”

There were radio frequencies scrawled on the wall near the table with the bloody message. Dozens of them and all were crossed out. Bloody hoofprints and indistinguishable tracks on the ground led away from another message scrawled across a smattering of notes.

‘NOBODY IS COMING’

“They couldn’t get past the shielding, huh?” Astral whispered as they slowly walked to the left-most exit.

“Nope. And this far underground, they’d have to have much more powerful radios even without the shields to reach. They never had a chance, especially with the spores.” Sassi replied. “Let me know if you need a break.”

“Will do.”

The previous atmosphere of safety had utterly evaporated. A dark, pervasive evil now pervaded every sense. Despite a clear motion sensor, it felt like eyes were boring into the back of Sassi’s head.

This was different. It wasn’t like before with the modified Skitters. This felt intentional as if the moment they entered the atrium the Thestrals were on an alien planet. Every hoof step felt like an alarm bell of trespassing, and yet all they could do was venture further.

No words were said as they walked down a ramp, an airlock in front of them bisecting the hallway. At least, it had used to be an airlock. The metal and glass were utterly shredded, blood splattered everywhere.

A burnt-out sign was plastered above the entryway.

‘Lab 7: Mutagenic Compound Synthesis and Splicing’

“We have to go through here, another floor or so of what looks like various lab and testing rooms. Then we’re safe at least for a bit,” Sassi whispered. “Just like before. Watch our backs, and I’ll-”

Blip.

The Thestral’s froze, guns spinning up. They didn’t move a muscle, the RASP suit picking up the sound of something skittering across metal. And then it stopped.

For a fraction of a second, their motion tracker had been completely saturated with movement, hundreds of dots swirling around them.

And then it was gone.

Author's Note

If Silo 3 had a face (click here) LoTR fans will get it.

Oh, wait. You thought Silo 1 & 2 were the worst things here? :trollestia:

Chapter Ninety-Three: Run

The two Thestrals didn’t move, waiting to see if the motion tracker lit up again. Sassi was the first to shift, slowly reaching over and activating the backup pilot light for Astral’s flamethrower.

The stallion’s breathing was borderline hyperventilating, his eyes darting over every corner of the dark checkpoint.

There’s nothing here!

“Astral, take a few deep breaths,” Sassi whispered. “We aren’t moving until you do.”

He tried, eventually slowing his breathing. But the fear now ate at the Thestral’s mind like an acid. It would have been different if the stallion was at fighting strength. But if the RASP armor had a glitch or was disrupted, Astral wouldn’t even be able to struggle. Even as they took a few slow steps through the destroyed security doors, his stomach turned. The Thestral spat up some more black tar into the helmet’s waste system. Even with the armor’s assistance and active reactor, his limbs were clammy and weak as if in the bouts of the feather flu.

It was a living nightmare and there was nowhere else to go.

“I watch ahead, you watch our backs. If you see something and it doesn’t notice us…leave it be. Let’s try not to be seen.”

“G-got it.”

There wasn’t any room for weakness, not now. But it was all Astral could do to keep himself together.

Sassi led first, the two of them stepping through the checkpoint. The desk, metal detector, and security glass were utterly shredded. Bits of dried blood caked every sharp edge.

The next hallway nearly made Astral freeze.

There were rooms on either side of the hall, three on either side of the two ponies, leading to a four-way intersection. The first room’s windows were at chest height, but all of the others were full floor-to-ceiling. While the glass was clear, the rooms were completely hidden with a dense, white fog. The emergency lights flickered haphazardly, shapes and shadows moving here and there. Distant, odd groans echoed around the area.

Carefully walking around shattered glass and metal, Sassi paused, the two ponies freezing as the motion tracker blipped again. There wasn’t any space to discern one contact from the other.
A sound made the two Thestrals look over to the room on their right, a simultaneous flicker of the lights illuminating the bloodied imprints across every glass wall.

A wet ‘slap’ now echoed louder, a single shape hitting the glass. The impact spray of blood matched dozens of other imprints. The shredded hoof slowly dragged down the glass leaving a bloody trail before going silent. A soft chittering reverberated off the walls and ceiling, like a sped-up and deeper version of a cricket’s song.

Another impact, this one to the room on their left.

“Don’t look, Astral,” Sassi whispered. While their helmets muted their voices to inaudible levels with the visors down, Astral could only nod, not trusting his voice. “Just follow me.”

The two crept past the bloodied glass, the fog shifting this way and that. Another impact, another wet, dragging sound of torn, bloodied flesh being forced across the window like a psychotic painter’s brush.

They reached the intersection, the RASP layout pointing them to take a right. They continued to move forward again; the sounds of whatever creatures lurked in the room still reverberated at every impact.

Sassi paused, the mare shaking her head.
“I recognize this intersection, I think,” she muttered, then seeming to dismiss the thought. She seemed fairly at ease with the horrors behind them. Then again, she had seen what the Silo had to offer. Their current situation only showed the gap still existed between them in that regard.

Astral forced himself to take a few deep breaths as they pushed through another destroyed checkpoint, a set of elevators and stairs visible ahead of them past a ruined decontamination entrance.

Almost out.

The area beyond the decontamination doors was almost comforting, a familiar office layout with a few scientific instruments here and there. Despite the signs of a battle and blood sprayed across tables and walls, it was a respite from the nightmare behind-

Something moved on the stairwell.

Sassi froze, the miniguns spinning up. The creature moved on six limbs; two small ones sprouting from its back. It wasn’t terribly large, about half the size of a pony. Pale, rough chitin covered its head and back, four spindly limbs carrying it smoothly across the floor, wall, or ceiling as it looked around.

Astral thought for a moment it didn’t have any eyes. But that thought vanished as it turned to look at them, four jet-black pupils locking onto him as the triangular head opened up to reveal a hundred needle-like teeth.

That’s when the creature screamed.

The chittering shriek echoed off the walls and ceiling, and likely would have been painful to the Thestral’s ears if not for the muffling of the helmet’s protection. It jumped off of the ceiling, moving erratically as it launched itself towards Sassi.

With a wet *splat*, the creature met a messy end at the end of a piece of metal Sassi swung at it, not daring to risk a gunshot. It certainly wasn’t quiet, but the impact sounded like swatting a large fly with a rolled-up newspaper. The green slime that coated the floor, however, immediately began to bubble and steam.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Astral whispered. “What in the world are those things?!”

“I vote we call them ‘Chitters’. And looks like some sort of spider mutant.”

“With acid guts?”

“Not acid, thankfully. But whatever that steam is that’s coming off of it would kill you in a single breath. Let’s go around it. Apparently, its friends didn’t hear it.”

If not for still the tendrils of fear digging into Astral’s mind, he would have groaned at Sassi’s words. Dozens of the Chitters abruptly spilled from the stairway, clambering from the stairwell and two open elevator shafts as they bounded towards the two Thestrals.

The miniguns opened up, sweeping across all angles as Astral let loose a wall of flame.

Burn you nasty, evil, little-

A chitter launched itself through the flames, trying to bite Astral’s face before he punched it. If not for the armor, the stallion would have fractured his hoof. The beetle-like armor on the top of the creature was as hard as metal, and it took another blow to the creature’s less-armored face to put it down with a nasty *squish*.

There was a surge of sound, Sassi backing up.
“Astral, there’s too many!”

The dozens of Chitters were now in the hundreds, swarming out of the hall and pushing through the remnants of their brethren. It was only now that Astral could see the shots of the miniguns bouncing off of their top armor. Without being able to aim at their underbellies or heads, the rounds didn’t have enough power. The canons roared, but they only killed a few at a time.

It wasn’t enough.
“We need to move, let’s go!” he called out, “to the intersection!”

Sassi nodded, the mare firing a few final shots before the two Thestrals turned and bolted back towards the fog-filled rooms.

Skidding to a stop, the RASP suit indicated an alternate path.

“We take a right!” Astral called, Sassi abruptly shaking her head.

“No, we…I…” the mare stumbled over her words as the Chitter horde now skirted the ruined decontamination chamber.

“Sassi! Let’s go!” Astral called, the mare’s movements sluggish.

“Not…we can’t go that way. This is-we- other routes?”

The RASP system flashed red, another swarm of Chitters now pouring out of the hallway ahead of them. Yanking Sassi by the hoof towards the hall seemed to snap her out of it, the two of them galloping towards the ruined security doors.

Astral managed to yank the pin on a grenade, tossing it behind them as they pushed the broken metal aside. The device let out a satisfying *BANG*, and the shrieks of the Chitters were a comforting thing indeed.

The shattering of the glass afterward, however, was not.

No Chitters pursued them, a familiar white fog now starting to filter down the hall. There were another few sets of intact security doors. these opened and closed with a comforting hiss of electronics and heavy locks. They couldn’t hear anything trying to break through.

“Sassi? What’s going on? Is it the reactor?” Astral asked, the mare worryingly quiet.

The next large room was clear, the end of the massive chamber showing two familiar glass enclosures. The contents were very easy to see, and nothing moved on the motion tracker. Yet the mare was starting to hyperventilate.

“T-this,” the mare stammered, abruptly collapsing onto her rump. “I can’t…”

“Sassi, talk to me. What’s going on?” Astral asked, the only emotion coming through their special link being that of absolute terror.

She raised a shivering hoof, pointing to the leftmost chamber. A metal table with restraining straps sat in the center of a circular light, robotic arms hanging from the ceiling with all manner of implements strapped to them.

“T-this is where they did it,” she whispered. “Right here is where it started. Where I was first made.”

Author's Note

OHBOY!

If you're wondering what these lovely new creatures look like...
Similar to these guys, but tiny.

Chapter Ninety-Four: Fracture

“Are you sure? These look like other rooms. Let’s just keep going,” Astral said calmly, hoping to snap Sassi out of her stupor. There was a distant thud from behind them. The Chitters, or something else, apparently were trying to follow them.

“Look, Sas, we need to move!” The stallion said again. His words went unheard, the mare staring at the glass enclosure as she took a few wobbly steps forwards.

“No, this was it. I was right here,” she whispered. “I can still hear the saws. The doctors watched me on that side.”

The mare’s left forelimb rubbed her right, Sassi’s limbs shaking, the mare abruptly hyperventilating.

“I can still feel it. The injections. The blades. It was every week. Sometimes every day.”

“Sassi, we need to go!” Astral said again, the louder noise of metal screeching reaching their ears.

Sassi turned to look at him, and the visor cleared momentarily. There was nothing but all-encompassing terror in the mare’s gaze.

“I remember all of it,” she whispered, her entire body starting to shake. “It hurt so much. I screamed.” Tears ran from her wide, horrified eyes. “They never stopped!” Her limbs shook violently, Sassi’s eyes darting this way and that as if the memories were in the present. “I can’t…”

As another crash echoed through the halls, Astral let out a growl.
He was so sick of this place.

This silo. The creatures that worked and operated it. The evil that infected everything even after they were gone. And now this place dared to drag out memories to cause the mare he loved nothing but more pain?

The flamethrower snapped on.

“Then I’ll burn it all!” Astral hissed.

The flamethrower roared, the jet of fuel coating the room from top to bottom and leaving nothing untouched, his face a raging snarl behind the visor.

This whole place deserves to be burned!

He sent another stream at the experimentation table, the flames roaring. With a twist of his body, Astral adjusted his aim to the other room, coating the entire area in a wall of fire. Another jet was sent towards the security door before he shut it off, shoving Sassi forwards.

“Let’s go, Sas!”

The mare stared at the flames for a few seconds, and then she galloped after him.

“AI! Safe location route!”

‘Medium-level hazard testing floor indicates closest potential safe area. Warning. Extreme temperatures detected. Interface to doors established…success. Entrance accessible. Confirm to plot route?’

“Confirm!”

They galloped through the halls, these being more office space. The distant thud of metal reached their sensitive ears, followed by hundreds of chittering cries.

The long hallway ahead split into three forks. Behind them, a familiar, horde of nightmares tumbled over each other in their desperate attempts to get a new meal. The fire Astral sent back their way only delayed them for a few moments, the Chitter horde pushing onwards.

“Left! We go left!” Astral called, the two of them skidding as they aimed toward a massivesecurity door. “AI! Open it!”

‘Confirmed.’

The barn-sized door slid open- and the wind nearly blew the Thestrals over. A wall of white cascaded out, the snow billowing about them. Not having any other choice, they pushed forwards, the door closing behind them with a dull *thud*.

The Chitters attacks on the door didn’t even make it shake. Then again, it was nearly as thick as a carriage. While that was comforting, it didn’t bode well as to what was inside with them.

Pushing above the snowbank, the two Thestrals looked out to a scene of white, distant domed walls looming above them in an otherwise barren landscape. Random ice pillars and shapes dotted the area, and the artificial wind made the constant snow blast this way and that. A dim red light shone above them in the rough center of the domed ceiling.

“What is this p-place?” Astral asked, a chill entering the suit as it hummed.

‘Environmental and adaptive testing area 2-1. Warning. Seek shelter. The wind-chill temperature will exceed limits of RASP suit compensation within two minutes.’

“Shelter?! Where?!” he hissed, looking over to his marefriend. “Sassi? You with me?”

Confusion was the only thing present in their link, but she nodded.

“Down. Snow cave,” she whispered.

“Right. That’d do it…wait.”

Abruptly, a green light flashed above them like a small sun. The wind abruptly stopped. Yet the ice began to move.

The two Thestrals stood as still as the snow on the ground as one of the ice formations, easily twice the size of an Alicorn began to move. Two legs propelled the bipedal creatures, a rough, hexagonal head swaying this way and that. Two arms tipped with massive claws hung at its side as it walked this way and that, surveying the scene.

Its view passed right over the two Thestrals and continued. Its blocky feet somehow stayed on top of the snow as it lumbered this way and that.

With a flash, the green light switched to red. The creature stopped moving as the winds picked up again, and Astral nearly screamed in frustration.

Red light, green light?!

Of the things he needed, a sick sense of humor from this place wasn’t one of them.

“Let’s dig. Quickly!” he whispered, thankful that the creature was looking away from them. “Wait. Hold on, let me get it started.”

A blast from the flamethrower at first didn’t do anything, but eventually, it created a nice, hardened depression they could start digging from. The snow continued to fall, but the icy entrance provided a bit of structure as the Thestrals pushed deeper underneath the drifts.

“How deep is this?!” Astral muttered.

‘Scanning. The floor is approximately five standard Equestrian stories beneath this location.’

That was a lot of snow.

The two kept digging, the fact Sassi was staying quiet eating away at Astral. He just hoped she was ok.

The room flashed green.

The two Thestrals heard the crunching footsteps but didn’t dare poke their heads up to see where the creature was. Unfortunately, that question was answered as it lumbered just past their location.

It turned away and the red light flashed again. They dug with renewed speed, the suits allowing a great deal of snow to be shoveled out. A few blasts from the flamethrower allowed the entrance to harden, and it was a simple blessing the snow was a decent consistency. Within a rather short time, they had dug down nearly halfway to the floor, then dug upwards to scoop out the actual ‘cave’ portion of their shelter. Two air holes were made and blasted with the flamethrower to harden them, a few blocks of snow being placed in front of the entrance.

By the time the next red light flashed, the two Thestrals were curled up in their cave, the two of them not saying anything for a bit.

“Sassi? Are you ok?” Astral whispered, reaching out a hoof towards her. He didn’t want to initiate anything, not if she was still battling her demons.

She gripped his hoof with a squeeze, slowly nodding.
“I’m doing a bit better,” she finally said. “But I guess we’re stuck here for a bit.”

“Not a great place to shut off the reactor. AI, what are the heating options when the reactor is powered down?”

‘Calculating. Recommendation: Snow shelter temperatures appear adequate for complete armor removal, which is recommended for full-reactor shutdown and calibration. Utilizing emergency blankets, radiant-heat generators from secondary armor batteries, and body heat, ambient temperature projected to be within a comfortable range.’

Astral blinked at that.

Get out of the armor? Completely?

Sassi spread out a simple expandable foam mat, an item that took up very little room but had been snagged ‘just in case’.

At least their fur wouldn’t freeze to the icy ground.

“Let’s get the reactor shut off,” Astral finally said. “AI, power it all down and do whatever you need to do to get the armor off me.”

‘Confirmed. Bodysuit will be removed with armor segments for comfort. Self-diagnostic and repair systems initiated. Recommend the second user remove armor for the radiant heat panels.’

The reactor powered down, and Sassi visibly relaxed.

“Wow, that’s weird,” she muttered. “I feel lighter somehow. I don’t like having to be out of the armor with that thing around, but it’s that or freeze to death.”

The mare didn’t say much more as she helped Astral out of the suit. Thankfully, whatever they put inside the body suit was a remarkable odor-reducer.

Or, more likely, Astral’s nose was too frozen to pick it up.

Sassi kept one of the guns within reach, shrugging out of her armor. Placing a few of the inner panels around them, the batteries activated the heating elements with a soft hum.

While the temperature remained around freezing, it was a far cry from the triple-digit negative wind chill numbers above ground.

Curling up on the foam mat, Astral fished out one of the foil emergency blankets, Sassi settling down next to him. His teeth abruptly began to chatter, and the stallion vomited up a ball of black tar.

“W-well, here we go,” he hissed, turning to look at Sassi. “Sas, are you really ok? I-”

The stallion’s words were cut off as she pushed forwards, wrapping the stallion up in a tight, fierce hug.

He forgot how incredible it had felt to have a simple hug outside of the armor, Sassi’s chest rising and falling against his own. He could feel her heartbeat against his, the mare’s breath on his nose. A soft, fuzzy warmth pushed aside the biting cold as she reached over to nuzzle his cheek, the mare giving Astral a long gentle kiss before meeting his gaze.

“Thanks to you, Astral. I’m ok,” she said with a tentative smile. “I was…” the mare paused, sniffling softly as tears welled up in her eyes. “You saved me again.”

Author's Note

Chapter Ninety-Five: Sunlight

The first thing he heard was his heartbeat. Blackness, only the thudding in his ears.

Slowly, Arcane’s senses returned.

First was the sensation of touch. Something soft pressed against his back. Then his smell. The air was so fresh, so clean. And then his sight. All he could see was the sky. Fluffy white clouds skittered across the blue ocean. A crisp air filled his lungs. Actual air, not the heavily purified and sterilized stuff from the Silo.

I’m alive.

He didn’t know where or even when he had ended up. Chaos magic could certainly warp time and space. For all he knew, he had enacted an extremely slow teleporting spell.

Slowly sitting up, the stallion looked around.

I’m free.

He didn’t move from his sitting position. It was too much to think, to take in. The simple sight of the meadow was overwhelming. A small waterfall cascaded over across a small pond while green grass waved in the slight breeze.

The sight blurred, tears falling from Arcane’s eyes. The touch of grass against his hoof, the wind against his fur…

What do I do now?
Do I even know who I am anymore?

Arcane’s lips trembled as tears trickled down his cheeks. He reached up and gently felt his horn with a hoof. No suppressor, no armor. It was just him.

It was first a laugh, the stallion rolling around and feeling the grass against his fur. But the tears kept falling.

As he sat back up, he felt the familiar touch of his fox friends, the only family he had for so many years. There was so much pain, anger, joy, sorrow…

It all hurt. Arcane had thought of exactly what he’d do at this moment a thousand times over. And yet abruptly, none of it mattered.

The landscape shimmered, changing into a sight Arcane had always wanted to see. A freezing wind dug into his fur, the night sky painting a beautiful scene of stars as the pony sat on the edge of a glacier, black waves far below him.

The northern lights peacefully flowed across the sky. Blues, greens, oranges, yellows amidst the darkness.

It was beautiful. Indescribably more amazing than the videos.

The blue flames around the pony didn’t stop the tears from freezing on Arcane’s cheeks. He had dreamed of this moment for so long. To be able to feel something other than pain and fear.

The times he had worried that such emotions and sensations were all he’d ever feel were incalculable. Being proven wrong was a relief beyond words.

The beauty and peace surrounding the stallion was intoxicating. The blue ice of the glacier, the small snowflakes that blew hither and thither. The entire landscape was illuminated by the dancing colors above. He wanted nothing more than to revel in it. And yet in that serenity, there was a horrific realization.

He didn’t belong in this world of order and peace. Everything about him was wrong. His eyes, his body, his magic. From the moment he was born, all most creatures had wanted to do was get away from him. Parents, friends…

Everyone.

The stallion wanted to run until his legs gave out, until he reached the edges of the earth. But he couldn’t move. There was too much in his mind to even consider using his limbs.

Should he get his revenge? Seek out his handler and end it once and for all?
Disappear into a remote village to quietly try and find out who he was?
Or perhaps stay here on this glacier?

And yet he had promised to deliver a message for his two friends. Arcane could do that at least. But that thought was the one that overflowed his mind, a dam breaking beyond any sense of control.

There was only one thing he could do.

The Chaotic God had a dozen spells on standby, and that was on top of a thousand ways to confine the individual in his sight. When dealing with chaos magic, you couldn’t afford to be slow. A mere thought could end a city, or worse.

But so far all the pony had done was transport himself to a remote glacier. Fascinating.

Discord adjusted his view from on top of a nearby icy outcropping. He had been studying Arcane Flare for the past hour as they lay unconscious, and that was after being well-acquainted with his file. It was chaos magic, that much was a certainty. Yet how much seemed to fluctuate by the second. The pony’s cutie mark linked him to the chaos realm without question.

That said, it peeved the Chaotic God that he hadn’t picked up on the unicorn’s abilities before now. The shields and suppression spells had been surprisingly effective, not that he’d let Sparkles know of course. Most likely, there hadn’t been that much chaos magic to even detect in Arcane’s youth. Then once within the shields of the company, it was all but indecipherable. Discord didn’t visit this realm regularly. Perhaps he should have paid-

The stallion screamed.

Discord snapped his claws as a beam of white light punched up into the sky. A hurricane of black clouds danced around the beam as they were pulled into the heavens, northern lights wrapping around the phenomenon like small threads of yarn. The beam had required a nudge out of this plane ever so slightly. But there wasn’t any impact so far. The chaos beam appeared to have no direction or control. Yet Discord saw the true pattern.

It swirled around Arcane in a rhythmic pulse, the multicolored energy coursing over the stallion’s body. Every vein and muscle were permeated with the magic as he screamed to the heavens, nothing but an empty glacier to hear his cries.

Arcane couldn’t see it, but the chaos magic had begun to weave a crown across the unicorn’s head. The Draconequus stared, his eyes narrowing into a fearsome snarl. But it wasn’t directed at Arcane.

I’m not letting this happen again. I doubt you know who you are, Arcane. But I do.
Fluttershy. I know what you’d do. You’d break the cycle. You did for me.
And now so can I.

She was the only one who knew, of course, the only pony Discord had dared entrust his darkest and most sacred fears and memories. The true stories of his past and upbringing beyond myth and legend that had taken him decades to tell her.

She was the only one he’d ever trust to dry his tears when he unlocked that box of memories, of a time before he was a monster.

Before he thought of himself as one.

I can stop it all before it starts again.

Arcane’s throat was raw from his cries, the stallion taking heaving breaths of beautifully cold air. His horn sparked, returning the scene to the meadow and waterfall. Sweat mixed with melting snow across his fur, the pony struggling to catch his breath.

There’s someone here.

“Don’t come any closer. I don’t want to hurt you,” Arcane croaked.

Nobody else. Not one more! I won’t hurt any innocent creatures ever again!

“You can’t hurt me.”

Arcane lifted his head, eyes widening as the Lord of Chaos looked at him.

Is this real?

“Discord?”

“Indeed. You, my little pony, are an interesting creature, to say the least.”

He was ashamed of crying, but the sensory overload was still too much. Arcane tried to wipe away the tears which now restarted their journey from his eyes, but they just kept flowing. There had been a thousand questions he had once wanted to ask the God of the Chaos Realm.

Yet now there was only one he needed answered.

“Can you take it away?” Arcane whispered. “I don’t care how. Can you take the chaos out of me? Please? Even if it’s all my magic.”

His request seemed to deflate the Draconequus, Discord shaking his head.
“That’s not how it works,” he said softly, “it’d kill you.”

Arcane had known that was a likely answer, yet it was a gut punch all the same.

“I don’t know what to do,” the stallion whispered. “I planned for this moment every moment of every day for more than five years. But now that it’s here, I don’t know what to do.”

Discord stayed silent, watching the pony curiously.

“I know that I need to find a pony. One last creature who escaped,” the unicorn growled, the tears starting to slow. “I can at least focus on that.”

“Are you sure?”

“Am I sure? They tortured me! Stole my life away. Of course I’m sure!” Arcane snarled, eyes flashing crimson.

“Oh, by all means, take your revenge or justice or whatever. That’s not what I’m asking,” Discord said dismissively, floating on his side as he continued to watch Arcane out of the corner of his eye.

“I’m asking if you want your first act as a free pony is to find a creature and kill them. Or do whatever you have imagined doing to them.”

The stallion was genuinely speechless, the rage guttering out.
“W-what?”

Discord shrugged, inspecting his claws.
“I won’t stop you if that’s what you’re wondering. Well, depending what you want to do. Can’t have you destroying a city or anything. That’s a no-no. But that’s what I’m curious about. You’re free. So, what’s the first thing you want to do? What do you want to be remembered as doing?” Two yellow eyes now locked onto Arcane. “Because you’ll be remembered for a long, long time. And you’ll be around to reap the consequences, whatever they may be.”

The Draconequus’ voice then softened, becoming almost caring in a fatherly way.
“Because you’ll be around, won’t you?” Discord repeated softly.

Arcane’s lip trembled, the pony only able to nod once.

“I didn’t mean to. It just happened! I was just trying to survive down there, and the Chaos kept me alive,” he whispered. “But how can I do that now when I don’t belong here? I don’t belong in this world anymore. I thought I could fit in if I escaped. But now that I’m free, everything feels so wrong up here! I’m what’s wrong with the world now!”

The stallion’s vision was blurry with tears, but he could have sworn Discord’s eyes widened in shock, in understanding.

“I can offer you an alternative, Arcane,” Discord said, his voice still uncharacteristically soft. “But first you need to decide what type of pony you’re going to be.”

“I don’t know what I am, who I am!” the stallion whispered. “How can I decide that right now?”

“By answering a simple question. Your answer, right now, will set you on a path to be truly free, to be happy. Or it will drive you to be consumed by chaos. A false sense of joy.”

Discord now stood on the ground, walking over to the pony. A red orb was conjured up in one of his claws, a blue orb in the other.

“If you latch onto that thought, that you’re what’s wrong with the world, I know where that path ends. I know what happens when you give yourself into Chaos, when it’s the only force that feels like it cares. It took the love of a creature far better than myself to break me out of that path.”

Arcane could only stare. This wasn’t the Discord mentioned in books and legends.
“Why are you being so nice? This isn’t a trick, some sick joke?” the stallion asked, head hanging in shame. If it was, he had already fallen for it.

“No jokes. Not yet. You don’t need jokes right now. The fact that I’m so serious should clue you in to listen,” Discord said, casually popping a massive pill labeled ‘chaos supplement’ into his mouth.

“There, much better. My question to you, Arcane, is if you will choose to be better than the creatures who tortured you.”

“You don’t know what they did to me!”

Discord didn’t answer immediately, only nodding slowly after a moment.
“No, I don’t. But I know they hurt you. From what I can tell, you think they might have done damage beyond repair. So, you want them to face justice, to feel just as much pain as you. And you have the power to make them pay.” The yellow eyes now looked up, locking onto Arcane with an intensity that swept aside the waves of emotion in his mind.

“But I know where that path would lead. That would be the truly chaotic path. Throwing aside all morals and right and wrong, doing what just feels right at the moment.” Discord raised the blue orb. “This path will be satisfying at first, pleasurable even. But it will gut you in the end. You’ll get everything you want, and more. And yet it’ll be worthless.”

Discord now raised the red orb, a beautiful, sun-like object. “This other path, however, is difficult from the start. But I can promise you that even though it will be painful, you’ll get something else out of it that the other choice could never offer.”

“What, do I just let him go? Forgive and forget to choose that path?” Arcane growled, shaking his head. “I can’t forget what they did to me!”

“I never said you had to,” Discord replied with a huff. “I’m saying the choice is between giving into Chaos and getting your revenge…or showing that you want to try and be a different pony. I don’t know who that pony is. Maybe they would take the stereotypical revenge path. Or maybe they wouldn’t. But doing the same evil to another, even if deserved, just creates a cycle.”

“Are you lecturing me on revenge after what I have gone through?” the stallion asked, head shaking back and forth. “I can barely think.”

“That’s why I’m here. No thinking, only going with what truly feels right underneath it all. Right now, you’re at a crossroads. You could take your revenge. Kill, torture, and make your bullies suffer beyond imagination. Or you could spare their life and deliver them to the flawed ponies that run this nation, and let them sort it out with legal justice. Their life is ruined either way. What you have to ask, is which path do you feel will let you heal?”

“Why did you call my torturers bullies?”

Arcane’s question made Discord stiffen as if he’d been shocked.

“It was a…guess. Torturers, bullies, close enough.”

The stallion’s eyes narrowed at that, the Draconequus not meeting his gaze anymore. Discord finally let out a huff, crossing his arms.

“I’ve walked both paths, Arcane. Only one of them has led me to be happy for all eternity,” he finally said, the Chaotic God actually blushing slightly before letting out a frustrated sigh of admittance.

“Look. You’re the only other creature here who can use chaos magic other than myself. I feel…a bit of responsibility to help you not make the same mistakes I did. My mistakes cost me thousands of years, and a lot more. If giving some words of warning can prevent more pain on your part, I feel obligated to do so.”

“So, what, I just don’t kill him?” Arcane asked, his head starting to pound.

“More or less. The question is, will you treat him better than he treated you? I don’t mean just removing his limbs instead of granting a swift death. I mean going above and beyond. To treat a scum of this world so much better than they deserve. That after everything they did to you, you still spared them and delivered them to the authorities.” Discord turned away, looking at his claws. “Because if you can somehow treat the creature who has betrayed you, hurt you, and tossed your life aside better than they deserve, the consequences can be unimaginable. And not just for them, but for you. My question is if you’ll be better. That takes a lot more strength than the alternative.”

Arcane stared, fully grasping that it didn’t sound like Discord was talking to him for the last two sentences. He just didn’t understand it.

“I…” the words didn’t come at first. “I don’t want to be a bad pony,” Arcane finally whispered. “I once dreamed of helping others, of doing good. But when the world is so poisoned with evil, now can I even consider that? How much of me is lost to that?”

“And you’ll just give up then? Oh no, evil is here, what can I do?” Discord replied with a bit of snark and a dramatic flair of a paw to his forehead. On seeing Arcane growl, the Draconequus pointed a claw at him with a knowing smirk. “Hah! That’s what I thought! So, Arcane Flare. I’ll leave you to choose. What will you do now? When you make your choice, we’ll meet again.” He set both of the floating orbs onto the ground.

“Both orbs are the same. They’ll take you to the pony you focus on in your mind. But each one represents intent. What happens after you find them, is up to you. Red orb, or blue orb?”

Arcane was abruptly left alone, staring at the two magical objects.

The talk with Discord had oddly cleared the stallion’s mind. He would still find his handler, and there would be justice. But now there was another priority. Something that he had promised to do first.

He wasn’t about to let down his friends.

The stallion’s form compressed, the pony launching himself into the air on a beam of light. Discord then returned to the meadow with a loud chortle.

“Well, well, well! Neither the red pill or the blue pill! Oh, how very chaotic! And that exit too, how very theatrical. I think we’ll get along just fine,” he chuckled, leaving the magic balls in their place. The Chaotic God abruptly frowned, Arcane’s words coming back to mind. He wasn’t the ruminating type, but this entire interaction had felt so familiar. It also stirred a lot of emotions the Draconequus had buried.

“I didn’t mean to. It just happened. Trying to survive,” he whispered. “But how can I do that when I don’t belong here? I don’t belong in this world anymore…I’m what’s wrong with the world now!”

Discord stared at his claws, a version of Arcane’s words having been repeated by the Draconequus thousands of years ago. A time when he too had cried next to a waterfall as a youngster, barely able to understand why the world loathed his existence. It was a memory only Fluttershy knew of. Contrary to what legend and myth told, Discord didn’t start off as a monster. But he had chosen the whims of chaos when given the choice. He had walked both offered paths to their completion.

Perhaps it was fate that they had met again, that Arcane even existed. That thought made Discord snarl.

Fate. How he hated that term. He knew some of the creatures who governed a thread or two of the tapestry of life. A certain organization was in regular contact with two of them at least. Just the idea of fate; it was so orderly and just bleh! A lovely tapestry that was all perfect and non-chaotic.

No, this required a touch of chaos.

Fate can go hang itself by those threads! I’m not letting this happen again.
You don’t know who you are, Arcane. But I do.

Conjuring a crown in his claws, Discord looked it over. He had never considered such a thing could exist for another creature. They only existed for creatures like himself, those who had utter and complete control over Chaos. This unicorn certainly didn’t meet those criteria.

Yet.

The magic had clearly shown a crown above Arcane’s head. That pony had far more leverage and power than he knew. There was a reason Discord hadn’t said anything about it. Chaos magic was like an animal, and it had made a choice. You couldn’t use chaos magic in the sense of commanding it. You had to work with it, and align the way you saw the world to how it functioned. Only then would you have complete control over it, rather than vice versa.

And now I have a chance to change things. To break the cycle that nearly destroyed me.

What infuriated the God of Chaos even more was the sense that such ‘Fates’ were in whole approval of the idea forming within his mind. He loathed it when they focused on him. They had enough work weaving the threads of life; let him be!

Just go back to your little islands and make it rain ice cream or something.

In this case, Discord knew exactly what would happen if Arcane chose to be the better pony. He’d have to ask Fluttershy first though.

Another hum of approval, and Discord growled to the invisible entities.

I told you to go hang yourselves with your threads. This is my choice, NOT yours! Try and stop me! Do you really think life will be peaceful with two chaotic entries to deal with? Arcane isn’t as removed from this world as I am. I doubt he’ll play by your rules.

There was no reply from the invisible entities, and that made Discord smirk. The smile faded quickly when he felt a general approval again, however.

He loathed the overly-sweet guidance such creatures gave. Even if they were sincere, it reeked of over-the-top compensation.

Arcane can make his choice, and I’m making mine. If nothing else, it’s an offer of something I never had.

A chance at peace.

It was a simple matter to teleport back home. Fluttershy was there, tending to a growing garden of sword apples (a new creation that required both herbalist cultivation and a blacksmith’s touch!) She looked over at him, her mouth turning into a pensive line.

“You’re troubled,” she said softly, trotting over to give him a hug, a gesture Discord had long since learned was best enjoyed when fully reciprocated. Her hugs still felt as amazing as they did two hundred years ago.

“Flutters, there’s…I want to help somepony, but only if they help themselves. I wanted to know if you’re ok with it. I’d need your help with this, a lot of help as a matter of fact.”

Considering he got a long kiss after explaining his idea to Fluttershy, Discord knew the idea was a good one indeed.

The question was if Arcane would choose on his own.

Twilight sifted through the papers in the break of the conference call. The reports had flooded in; a unicorn teleporting into Equestrian Embassies and dropping off an identical note.

The good news was that they had an update on Astral and Sassi. The bad news was that she had no idea who this individual was, other than an extremely outdated reference in the Equestrian database.

She had called Toxic Shield, as their sensors had picked up massive amounts of chaos magic across Equestria as a result of the new unicorn. They had taken a short break as the other unicorn had needed to confirm various readings and attend a prior greeting session with an ambassador.

The break ended, and the crystal screen snapped back on.

“I appreciate the flexibility, Highness,” Director Shield said as he sat back down, glancing through a few forms.

“Of course, it’s no trouble at all,” Twilight said in an even tone. “I also wanted to also share that in addition to the update on Astral and Sassi’s progress, we found a match in our files to the video footage of the messenger,” Twilight said, her suspicions confirmed as Director Shield’s eyes betrayed very little surprise. “I assume you already found one too.”

“We did. But it’s a touchy subject. Arcane Flare?”

“Same here. Age is mid-thirties, unicorn.”

“So, the same,” Twilight sighed. “What do we know about him? So far, he appeared in about five different embassies, dropped a few parchments off, and then left. Our files show the basics. Minor magical disturbances, some foster care, nothing terribly out of the ordinary.”

“Really? We know quite a bit about him. We’ve been monitoring him since he was a young colt,” Toxic explained, and alarm bells immediately began to ring in Twilight’s mind. There was something else behind Toxic’s eyes, something Twilight had seen before when sitting in on a conversation between the unicorn and Celestia, centuries ago. It set off immediate warning bells in her mind.

Betrayal.

“As an additional note, we have his current location and are actively tracking Arcane’s whereabouts. I’d be happy to share his position.”

Twilight stared at Toxic, the director meeting her gaze with a cool, steely glint in his eye.
“On Equestrian soil?! Why weren’t we informed?” Twilight couldn’t help but growl. There was a rebellious bit of satisfaction at knowing her suspicions about the Organization were correct. However, this had happened before.

It had ended with Twilight having to make an apology, more often than not, so she held her tongue after her initial query.

“The last time we entrusted Arcane’s safety to Equestria, he was kidnapped by what we now know was the Stairway Company,” Toxic said bluntly, a fire igniting behind the unicorn’s green eyes. “Your incomplete files alone justify our actions. As stated in section ninety-three, sub-section two, appendix five, following an asset on Equestrian soil is permitted as long as they present an imminent threat to the well-being of the nation. We are within the twenty-four-hour requirement to inform you of our actions. Unless you take over the monitoring, we are cleared to continue as long as we keep you informed. I’d say the second creature to ever harness chaos magic is a threat indeed. We also are the only nation capable of containing a minor form of chaos thanks to our leyline reactors. That gives us methods of containment if it came down to it.”

And there it is.

Once again, the iron-clad agreements were there to back up their actions. But there was clearly more to this.

“Very well. But why? You said he was taken before?”

Toxic nodded, the unicorn looking more tired than anything.
“Yes. Your records clearly have either been tampered with or were neglected, as much of this information should be there.

Arcane began to show odd magical fluctuations ever since childhood. He relied on a concealment and suppression spell to mask it. They worked perfectly at first, but after a few years rapidly deteriorated in effectiveness as he aged. He got taken in his later teens, the Company getting to him first. In those days, they operated under various false fronts and aliases. His primary foster parent since early childhood works here. She was in the process of adopting him. The Company’s request somehow got moved to the front of the line without anyone knowing. He was simply gone one day, and nobody knew where. By the time we realized the Company’s true threat and Arcane’s location, it was too late.”

A thin dagger slid into Twilight’s heart at that. There had been another flash in the unicorn’s green eyes. There was a barely-held-back resentment, even a sliver of pure rage, but Toxic hid it well.

“I want to talk to her.”

Toxic winced, the unicorn shaking his head.
“That would be a bad idea. She can be…blunt. The paperwork was held up in Equestria for many years. She holds certain parties at fault for Arcane’s disappearance.”

It was a diplomatic way of saying she blamed Twilight. But that didn’t faze the Princess, even though the look in Toxic’s eyes said ‘so do I.’

“Regardless. If she knows him, I need to know what we can expect. That type of information can’t be conveyed over a profile. Let her say what she wants.”

Toxic sighed, nodding once.
“Very well. I’ll ask her and transfer the call to a room in that office. Stand by.”

The view switched, and a simple, small office room now dominated the viewscreen. To Twilight’s annoyance yet reluctant thanks, she saw a familiar, Draconequus-like outline grin on the screen. The ‘muted’ icon abruptly vanished.

Twilight didn’t approve of such methods, but she could hardly discipline the God of Chaos. The Discord outline cracked the door-

“SHE WHAT?”

The speakers nearly blew out, a trill, furious voice vibrating through them.

“She just wants to know about-” Toxic was explaining calmly, but the other individual was having none of it.

“Oh, NOW she wants to know? Took her long enough. Tell that pony to pound sand or lick a book. I’m busy.”

“She’s trying to help, Mally.”

“Is she now? How very friendly of her! Don’t give me that, Toxic! She’s more than fifteen years too late for that! You don’t even know what I went through!”

“I have a pretty good idea.”

“No, you don’t,” Mally hissed, and a white, feathery side was visible outside the cracked door. “Your mother does. That’s another reason we have lunch every week. Ok, you have some idea, fine, I’ll give you that. But you. Don’t. Know! We could have saved him!”

“Not without starting a legal nightmare, or an all-out war if poorly handled!”

“Oh, so now legality concerns you? That’s not the Toxic Shield I know! Why do we have all this hardware if we can’t save-”

“Do you really want to go there, Mally?” Toxic growled, Twilight’s eyes widening in surprise. It was the first time in ages she had heard the unicorn get genuinely angry. From his tone, it was a touchy subject. “Then let’s go there. It’s taken me two centuries to build our relationships to their current state. You have no idea the amount of work we do off the books to keep creatures safe without a trace! The nonstop grind that goes into upkeeping the military that no nation thinks is necessary, all so they can live in their bubble of peace and harmony withoutknowing, is immense. Don’t you dare hold a creature’s life over my head like that. I think you’re forgetting who you’re talking to. You know I wouldn’t hesitate to save the one pony everyone else forgot about!”

There was a long pause, a silence that made Twilight’s chest ache. That ‘one pony’ had been Toxic Shield early in his life. His words encompassed a century of viewpoints Twilight had gleaned about the secretive aspects of the organization. Toxic was right, after all. As much as the alicorn loathed to admit it. Equestria wasn’t a nation built for war, and the Organization had certainly been the subject of regular mocking parties.

Said parties had, almost without fail, then called upon Last Light for aid even though in their previous breaths they had mocked the Organization. And yet they received help all the same.

That included Equestria.

“Sorry, Toxic,” Mally sighed. “That was insensitive. I suppose I did forget.”

“I couldn’t risk the entire organization for a single individual, not with what we knew. What could we have done? Kidnap an Equestrian citizen?”

“You know I’d say yes. Clearly our enemies have no such limitations. Fat lot of good the protections of being a citizen of Equestria did him.”

“You know I’m right on this, Mally,” Toxic said in a more subdued tone, “we’ve hashed this out over and over. They didn’t know, and we only had rumors at best. We didn’t even have a specific entity to monitor. The teams I sent followed three leads until they dead-ended into false trails; the Company was too far ahead. We couldn’t dig further without causing a huge stir; those teams alone would have put us in hot water. By the time we knew the truth, it’d have been a full-blown war with multiple nations considering how embedded the Company was. If we had more than a rumor and guesses when Arcane was with you, I’d have acted without hesitation and dealt with the fallout later. You know that. I’d have gone myself if it came down to it. But we didn’t even have a location until now.”

“I’m still not talking to her.”

“I won’t make it an order, I never would, not for this. But please?”

“NO!” Mally growled. “No, Toxic! I respect you and everything you’ve built, but for all intents and purposes, Arcane was my son. I had the paperwork for years and fostered Arcane for almost his entire life outside of that Company! I’m not going to just kiss and make up with the Princess that robbed him of a normal life! Let me know when there are no more spies in the Equestrian Government, then we’ll talk. How many requests did we send? How long did we try to go through the ‘correct’ process? Ten? Twenty? How many sleepless nights did I have?!”

“They couldn’t have known.”

“Oh, don’t give me that,” the gryphoness snarled. “For having fostered world-destroying creatures and ageless rulers at their beck and call, Equestria has long been in denial to the idea that ponies can do bad things. We’re the ones picking up their mess even now! This Princess is apparently so smart with her dozens of Ph.D.’s? Well, why didn’t she do some digging before asking to talk to me today? Look into the adoption records!

Mine was pending for years, and that slimy company got theirs pushed through in weeks without anyone knowing! And then having Arcane simply vanish without a trace for years? Look into the requests from Last Light, from ME! For a genius, that mare seems perfectly happy delegating her smarts too! What did she do before this call? Look at a single piece of paper and decide that was good enough? Tell her to go read a book. Or maybe she’s neglecting those too?”

“The records may have been tampered with. That’s not fair.”

“Isn’t it? I don’t buy that for a second. She could have looked for two minutes and seen the red flags in his file if she had bothered even cross-referencing his name outside of the main database. I know; I’ve tried! Why didn’t she lead with that information, hmm?

How about opening with ‘I’m sorry’ after seeing the attempted paperwork time after time, and then asking for my input? Surely, the mighty Princess can spare two minutes if it’s so important to call us, especially after almost twenty years of silence! Now it’s suddenly important enough to call and ask me what happened? That just shows they don’t care about a life until it could hurt them. I don’t even know where Arcane is right now or if he even remembers me! You can’t earn that back with ‘I’m sorry.’”

Toxic had no response to that.

“So, the Princess wants to talk about Arcane? About how her corrupt, inefficient system prevented us from saving him, how they stopped me from giving him a normal life as my son? Ok. First, you can tell that insulated, incompetent, blind, out of touch, pointy-horned, PIECE OF-”

The feed abruptly snapped off, a simple smiley face rocking back and forth as a ‘technical difficulties’ logo flashed on the screen. Soft elevator music played, Twilight’s wings sagging.

Spies, incompetence…

It was obvious, of course. A company as large as Stairway would have agents in many localities. They had already begun scanning Canterlot staff for any agents, but it was a slow process. From what Twilight had heard, this was a failure that should never have happened. And the worse part, Mally was right.

She hadn’t done any digging. She had taken the information, the file that was given, and operated on that. The Princess hadn’t even cross-referenced, as surely that’d have been pointless. There shouldn’t have been any extra information, as surely it was all listed.

But it wasn’t.

Twilight didn’t have unlimited time during the day, but this individual was right. She hadn’t looked any further, and that felt like a betrayal to both herself and Mally, on a level that made the mare’s chest physically ache.

Is this what it’s like, Celestia?

Twilight had failed many times during her rule, as was natural. But this was the first time she had heard such raw, unequivocal loathing directed directly at her. Various tabloids and anonymous reviewers didn’t count. Sure, there had been criticism, anger, and hatred directed Twilight’s way. That was the price of ruling. But not like this.

This was the rage of a parent, and it was completely justified.

Near two centuries ago, Celestia had confided in Twilight the exact details of her failure concerning Toxic Shield. How her perception of an untouchable, infallible ruler had been internalized and then promptly shattered.

In such a failure, Celestia’s views had changed, and she had grown and changed for the better. But that didn’t mean Toxic, and his organization would ever trust the then-Princess, or Equestria, with their wellbeing. For some time, his organization had been far ahead of Equestria in more ways than one. Such examples had quickly piled up since the Last Light’s founding. The fact they were already tracking Arcane without Twilight even knowing was a testament to that.

The Last Light Organization was, in many ways, the product of a stallion who had been betrayed by someone he had once trusted with his life. Toxic had forgiven Celestia long ago, but the lesson remained. Equestria would always look out for their bests interests. The ‘one pony’ would be forgotten if the stakes were high enough.

Toxic just happened to be the ‘one’, so many years ago. I don’t blame him for refusing to view things through the same lenses at almost any cost, even if it’s not as mature a thought process. You can’t always save everyone. And yet they take unnecessary risks to try.

Mally, and Arcane even more so, had been betrayed by a process that Twilight had personally overseen, re-designed, and ensured was working flawlessly. And knowing how Last Light operated, Twilight guessed hadn’t sent just one request, but dozens. The militant but charitable organization was fully capable of acting on its own, yet it was Equestria that had hamstrung their efforts. To not be aware of such a request from them was a failure on multiple, extremely-high levels. That meant either multiple individuals had been maliciously concealing things, or creatures had gotten lazy and careless.

Most likely, a combination of both. Considering the power the Last Light Organization held, the Stairway company would have had to focus a significant amount of effort to subvert them.

“My apologies, Princess,” Toxic said, the screen snapping back to him. “But Mally is…busy. Perhaps a different time?”

“Completely understandable, Director. We’ll stay in touch,” Twilight managed to say, emotion starting to clog her throat. There was a glistening of understanding in the other unicorn’s eyes as if he had a feeling of what had transpired.

“Take care.”

The screen snapped off, and Twilight sat, very quietly, for a long time.

The thoughts trailed off, and Twilight finally let a few tears slip down her cheeks. She wasn’t entirely sure why.

Have I been wrong?

Author's Note

Arcane's alive! :yay: And we get an inside look to some failures...

This is a longer chapter, as I aim to combine 'slower' moments together to avoid the pacing issues from earlier.

Also, there's some areas of Silo 3 that are unspecified. If there's any freaky floors you want our two favorite Thestrals to encounter...list 'em below!

Chapter Ninety-Six: Spicy Cotton Candy

Astral didn’t even realize he dozed off.

Sassi’s loving embrace had made the pain easier to deal with. With the reactor shut down, the stallion’s limbs shook. A dull ache now permeated every part of his body.

But with Sassi’s forelimbs wrapped around him…it somehow didn’t feel so bad.

The last thing he remembered was Sassi saying that he saved her again. She had snuggled up next to him, and the stallion had fallen asleep listening to her heartbeat in his ear.

Unfortunately, Astral’s waking up was far less pleasant than his drift off to sleep. He had watched, frozen as Chitters began to tear at his flesh, the RASP suit having been peeled off a piece at the time.

The last thing he saw was a thousand teeth reaching to rip out his eyes.

He jerked awake with a choked gasp, Sassi letting out a startled squeak as he tried to breathe. There was no more pleasant, peaceful joy, only terror. Astral looked around for the imminent threat, even if his body refused to move.

“Astral?” she asked cautiously, the mare looking at him in worry. “You’re alright.”

As the nightmare faded and reality set in, Astral couldn’t help but shake his head.
“I don’t think I am, Sas,” he whispered.

The stallion wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. To doze off to Sassi’s heartbeat again. But his mind was racing as fast as his heart. Terror and anxiety threatened to tear down the door in his mind.

It had been ignored for so long, everything that had happened. And now it all wanted out, to flood through the Thestral’s entire being and paralyze him. The only defense was to not think about it.

“I h-haven’t dwelled on it,” he whispered, limbs not able to move. “Everything that’s happened. That I’m helpless. I can’t move, I can’t fight without that reactor. I’m a single step from being torn apart and there’s nothing that I can do! Entering this Silo… it all feels so wrong and evil, and I can barely even walk! I take a wrong step and I’ll get ripped to pieces from who-knows-what and all I’ll be able to do is wa-”

A gentle touch on his lips from Sassi’s hoof quieted the stallion as he started to ramble. A few black tears squeezed out of his eyes as a rumbling crackle echoed all around them; ice warping and moving as a familiar creature plodded its way nearby.

As he trembled Sassi didn’t say anything, only scooted closer to wrap him up in a gentle, loving hug, to nuzzle his ears gently. Hearing that familiar heartbeat unlocked more tears, the Thestral shaking his head as the sounds of the creature faded.

“I’m scared, Sassi,” he whispered.

The hug around his barrel tightened, Sassi nodding ever so slightly.
“I am too,” she admitted. “But we can be scared together. You’ve been there for me when I wasn’t doing well, and I promised to do the same. And we’ll be there for each other when we’re out of this place. So, let’s just not be ok together.”

He nodded, trying to just focus on breathing.
“I’m really going to need your help when we get out of here,” he whispered. “I think it’s going to be bad. I can ignore it for now, but when I have time to process it, it’ll all come crashing down.” Astral felt his voice cracking, his next words barely being audible.

“Will you be there for me, Sas? When it’s really bad?”

“I promise.”

The immediate response made his expression twitch into a slight smile. The incredible mare at his side never left room for doubt.

“Feels almost silly though,” he admitted, “you’ve been through so much, and I just have to deal with-”

“Astral, don’t even start with that,” the mare said with a firm tone, “it’s not a competition of suffering. We both have stuff to work through. The only difference is that I’ve lived it from the start. You at least had a normal background. If anything, I think your background makes it so you have the worse end of our current situation.”

“…ok, maybe we can just call it even,” he admitted, a soft giggle making his heart skip a beat.

“That’s more like it.”

The simple safety a hug provided certainly helped things, but Astral’s mind continued to try and wander.

“Can we talk about, well, anything except our current situation?” he asked, Sassi nodding as she snuggled up against him.

“I think that’s a great idea,” she mused, “are you ok talking about your family? I really don’t know much about them.”

“It’s only fair,” he said, “I know a lot about you, and I guess we haven’t talked much about my family and stuff. Especially since I’ll be introducing you when we get out.”

That prompted an adorable squeak, two wide eyes meeting his.
“Will-do you think they’ll like me?” she asked softly.

Astral let out a soft, slightly frustrated hum.
“I don’t know,” he admitted, and saw Sassi’s ears droop. “But let me explain. First, I don’t see their approval as entirely good thing.”

“Oh?” The ears went back up.

“So, my older brother and sister are a few years senior. They’re both Guards. Sister being a soldier, brother being more intelligence-operations. Then there’s me, my younger sister, and then two younger brothers.”

“I know you told me before, but that’s a lot of siblings.”

Sassi’s eyes narrowed as Astral’s ears drooped.
“Yeah, I’m getting to that,” he said almost reluctantly.

“So, my older siblings followed my parent’s hoofsteps. The younger ones are still figuring out what they want to do,” he said, then sighed. “Sas, my parents really do mean well. They do. They want what’s best for their children. But there’s a lot of tradition and culture that has been passed down to them. I don’t know if they’re the ones to break the cycle.”

“What do you mean?”

“Tradition and culture, to them, and for Guard families, are more important than what you want,” Astral explained. “I don’t think they fell in love until after being married and having a kid or two. It was just what you did. If you’re in the guard, you’re expected to have kids to carry on the tradition and honor of serving. Whether you want to or not isn’t something that’s part of the equation. My parents were raised that way and raised my older siblings like that. I was the one who started to break the mold, and they didn’t even know the entire story. Then the Case just turned it all upside down.”

Sassi frowned, reaching down to hold Astral’s hoof.

“That sounds rough,” she admitted. “But I can understand it a bit, me being raised to be a soldier and all.”

“It was kind of similar. Everything was about the Guard, serving, and making sure your family’s name was held with honor. Marriage wasn’t ‘arranged,’ but expected to take place between two loyal families. All you had to agree on was the Guard because that’s what took priority. Love was a nice bonus.”

“Arranged? Did they…”

He shook his head or tried to. It was more of a flopping from side to side.
“Not really. They tried to push me in a few directions for ‘suitable’ partners. But none of them were even close to who I’d want to be with. Then the Case happened, and all of that stopped. They wanted to pretend I didn’t exist. So, I don’t know how they’ll react. It could be good, you being a solider and all. Or they might just think I’ve gone crazy.”

Sassi’s eyes widened as Astral looked away, his lips trembling.
“Sas, they don’t know much about me at all,” he whispered. “I don’t think they really wanted to. Anything I did that was contrary to the ‘Guard first’ idea was seen as a phase, something that could be changed or rejected. My love of the stars, teaching, wanting to explore, all of it.”

He looked back at her, the words catching in his throat. “They didn’t even know I didn’t ever want kids. I mentioned it once or twice, but it was always ‘oh you’ll change your mind when you meet a decent mare,’ or ‘you need to change your mind.’ Worse was the talking down of ‘that’s not what our family does.’ So, I just…stopped talking about it. They probably still expect me to follow their model. Even after all of this. They don’t seem to understand that wouldn’t make me happy.”

Astral abruptly felt hot tears well up in his eyes.
“They didn’t even come to my graduation for my lower degree,” he whispered. “They thought it was just a hobby, as it wasn’t related to Guard stuff. Anything that didn’t fit in their view was a passing interest, and they never took it seriously. Guard-related activities were the only thing they gave their approval and admiration about.” He looked over at her, shaking the tears away. “So, when you talk about not being valued outside of being a soldier…I have an idea of what you mean. Not totally, but I get it.”

Sassi didn’t say anything, only scooting closer to tighten her hug around him. She reached up to nuzzle her stallion’s ears as he shivered.

He hadn’t known how close to the surface that realization had been. It had been so easy to ignore.

After Astral had taken a few deep breaths, Sassi shook her head slowly.
“That’s…wow, Astral,” she admitted, “that’s a doozy. I had no idea.”

“To be fair, we’ve been dealing with monsters and who knows what else down here. It’s been easy to ignore. And before that, it was just how things were.”

She nodded in agreement.
“Fair. But, yeah. I’m sorry you’ve had to go through that.”

“T-thanks, Sassi,” he whispered, voice hitching. “So that’s the not-so-good. But there is good. Most of all, they tried to do what worked for them and made them happy, because they wanted their kids to have a good life. They loved us, and wanted us to be happy; that’s more than many can say. They also taught me some things that clicked with how I view the world.”

“Oh?”

“Honor. Being there to help creatures even when nobody else wants to. That was something that led me here.”

She squeezed his hoof at that.

“Having that honor, standing up for what’s right, and erm,” His voice trailed off, and Sassi’s eyes narrowed almost eagerly as a slight flush came to his cheeks.

“And?” she asked, Astral letting out a huff.

“Well. Their view on when and how to settle down with someone was something I took to heart. Not for the reasons they’d want though.”

Seeing his special-somepony’s head tilt in curiosity, Astral continued.

“Their view, and most of the traditional families, is seen as old fashioned. Very outdated by modern standards. You court someone with the ‘Guard’ view, don’t sleep around before getting married, but then have a bunch of kids. The middle part of that fit with me.”

There was a slight nod of understanding on Sassi’s part, but oddly, Astral could see an almost excited gleam in her eyes.

“With my view of the stars, how small we actually are, that makes moments we share all the more special,” he explained. “Well, saving something to share with someone seemed really important. So, I appreciated them for not tolerating sleeping around,” he waggled a hoof as if to raise it. “Which isn’t to say I look down on anyone who does. My best friend, Gabbro, has enough, erm, ‘experience’ to cover both me and him, and I still love the guy. He actually defended me when the other guys were being a bit too snarky about my views.”

Astral’s tar-stained lips cracked into a genuine smile.
“I’m still thankful my parents guided me toward a more limited viewpoint in a way, even if their reasons weren’t the same. Theirs was for honor, culture, and tradition. Mine is a bit more personal.”

“So, you’ve never…?”

Sassi’s tone was even, but the emotion swirling in her eyes gave Astral a clue that somehow, this was a rather important question.

“Slept with anyone? Nope,” he said with a shrug, wincing at the gesture. “Had chances to, but I never thought it was the right thing to do, for one reason or another. It took a while until I formed my own views about it, as opposed to my parents directing what was right and wrong,” the stallion said, looking over to Sassi who had a flush on her cheeks. “If I can make a guess, that’s a big deal for you?”

She looked away, the mare seeming halfway between utterly relieved and unsure of herself.
“I don’t want to sound judgmental,” Sassi whispered. “But yes.”

“I’m all ears. But I don’t think it’s judgmental,” the stallion mused, “well, unless you look down on creatures for doing so. It’s just different preferences for what partner you want. I happen to prefer warrior-princess Thestrals over Pegasi. I have nothing against them, just not my type. It’s just a preference.”

His words did nothing to make the flush on Sassi’s cheeks subside, but she seemed a bit more at ease.

“Just, give me a moment, Astral.”

The Thestral burped up some black sludge, wincing at the sour taste as he spat it off to the side. Sassi sat up, a forelimb rubbing the other. The fact she was distancing herself from their previously-comfortable position was a rather large indicator for Astral that this wasn’t just a passing personal preference.

“Let me get it all out first, ok?” Sassi asked, her voice remarkably soft and almost pleading. “I haven’t told anyone this before.”

“I won’t interrupt,” Astral said, then settling back to wait.

“Living down here took almost everything from me,” Sassi whispered. “My childhood, my innocent view of anything, my chance at a normal life, friends, family, all of it. The Company corrupted and stole that away. I can’t get it back. It’s gone.”

The mare glanced down at her hooves, taking a few deep breaths.
“It’s not just about sex, Astral,” she finally said. “I mean, ok, there’s the usual wants and needs and that stuff, and the Silo was overflowing with the subject. Humor, viewpoints, it being just a thing that you did to have fun. But for me, it was the one thing never controlled by this place. Flask made sure to shield me from it, at least on a more personal level. Just…it’s about having one thing that’s mine to share with somecreature. Something good.”

She looked up at him, her lips trembling as a few tears brimmed in the mare’s eyes.
“I don’t have much I can share with someone anymore. Something untouched by this place,” she said, almost whimpering. “I’ve been able to ignore it, but when you’ll be dealing with stuff when we’re out of here? So will I. Sometimes my body doesn’t even feel like mine! I wake up and it feels all meshed together and wrong. I don’t feel like a pony, a mare, anything. I just feel out of place.”

Sassi wiped away a few tears that now fell.
“Until now, I’ve only been valued for what I can offer. Be it security, or literally parts of my body having a financial amount assigned to them. I’m a mess, Astral. I know it. Yes, we’ll work to get better, but up until this point, I wasn’t ever wanted aside from what I can offer. Sex was basically a currency down here. It almost corrupted my view of the entire thing. It was tempting, to actually be valued for something else other than what I was created to be. Even if it was a complete lie.”

She now managed a slight, weak but genuine smile.
“That’s where my dad came in and saved me in a lot of ways. He offered another view of it all that helped me separate it. I realized that I got to choose. That even if my body and mind was scarred and didn’t feel like mine, there was something that was. And I get to choose to share that with someone as an equal for once; a first-time thing. Even if it’s one thing, it’s one of the few things I have left to share. To be mine. Something actually good and normal. So that’s why it’s important.”

Her ears flattened briefly.
“I’d still love you, of course, if you had slept with someone else. But I’d have a lot to work through. I really-I don’t know if…” she shook her head, Astral reaching over to bump her hoof with his.

“I think that’s a beautiful view to have,” he said slowly, after making sure he wasn’t interrupting. “I can’t imagine what you’ve been through. But I can understand that view. I’ve had a similar mindset, and I certainly wouldn’t ever mock you for it.”

She sniffled, scooting a bit closer as she gently rest a hoof on his head, brushing through the stallion’s ears.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “All of this is so new to me. I want to be closer, and I don’t mean the serious stuff. Just times like this,” she explained, gently stroking his ears.

“I think I’m getting a good idea of how to, but it’s all new. There wasn’t a progression in the Silos, only what Flask said was normal in a relationship. And you being a gentlecolt has just shown me that my dreams weren’t silly, impossible things. That’s really overwhelming. Add in the fact you’ve been so concerned about boundaries…” she sniffled, a tearful smile on her face. “I just feel so lucky.”

“I’d hug you if I could move. I’m just happy I can keep proving those doubts wrong,” he said, smiling. “I did promise to do that, remember?”

Wiping her eyes, Sassi settled down next to him again, resting on his shoulder.
“You did. But, thank you. I just- with my view of everything, it’s hard to ask and have someone understand.”

“Yeah, asking if you’ve slept with anyone else isn’t exactly a first-date question. But, if it’s an important thing, it’s one to ask. I’m just happy to find someone on the same page.”

Sassi wiped away a few more tears, looking down as Astral managed to pull back ever so slightly to look into her eyes.

“There is one thing though, Sassi, that I think you’re wrong about though.”

“Huh?”

His hoof was trembling, but Astral managed to grip Sassi’s.
“You have a lot of good things to share that’s just your own. Not just one thing. And I won’t stop trying to prove it.”

The tears started again, Sassi glaring at him as she sniffled.
“N-not helping, Astral.”

“The tears stopping, or you feeling better?”

She had to stifle a laugh. Life and hope return to Sassi’s gaze, and that made their current situation fade away. Just seeing the mare he loved happy again made everything a bit less painful.

“You’re amazing, Astral,” she finally said, snuggling up next to him again. “Thank you,” her voice was much softer, nearly a whisper.

“You’re welcome, Sas. Let me know if there are any other big questions we need to talk about.”

“Well, we already touched on the no kids. That was the other big one. No other dealbreakers here.”

“Well, that just means we need to escape the Silos,” Astral mused. He then let out a dismissive huff. “Eh. That’ll be a piece of cake.”

Sassi stared at him, the two of them stifling a bit of stressed, utterly-exhausted laughter.

“What kind of stuff did tradition dictate for the Guard? Other Thestrals and stuff?” Sassi asked after the two had composed themselves.

“A lot, actually. Kind of similar to Canterlot nobles. Who to associate with, where to live, and even certain foods that weren’t deemed ‘suitable’ for a Guard to eat. But there was a spectrum of strictness in general,” he said. “But yeah. Marriage, who to marry, when to have kids based on….” His voice drifted off, and Sassi couldn’t help but grin at seeing a blush flare on Astral’s cheeks.

“Ok, now you have to finish that thought. We’ve already crossed that topic, so it can’t be that awkward,” Sassi said with a grin.

“It, erm, without context, it is.”

“Oh really?”

Astral let out a groan.
“Unfortunately. Let’s just say there’s some superstitious stuff about when your kid would be born, that they’d be strong, healthy, and all that. Some families take it really seriously, and the whole ‘bloodline’ stuff can be a bit extreme.”

“Huh.”

“I just-look. There’s an entire book with the stuff of lunar cycles and stuff. Details of when, where and how to…erm…start having kids.”

“Wait. How?”

Despite having killed hundreds of mutant creatures, apparently, this was a topic that made Astral squirm. But his discomfort was more out of embarrassment than anything, and Sassi had to stifle a laugh he sought to avoid her gaze. The mare had to admit, making her stallion blush was now one of her favorite things to do.

“My brother showed me a single page of it, and that was enough for me. You don’t need diagrams for everything.”

It started off as a giggle, but the Sassi had to stop herself from laughing even louder, Astral grumbling at his misfortune.

“I never realized how ridiculous it was until recently. I’m never buying that book,” he muttered, Sassi wiping away tears of mirth.

“It’s like a total opposite from here! The Silo was saturated with it, and you were at the totally other end!”

“That’s fairly accurate,” he sighed. “And here I am being scandalous by holding hooves with a mare I’m not yet wed to.”

Sassi’s abrupt deadpan made Astral snort.

“Wait. Seriously?” she said, seeing that the stallion wasn’t joking.

“Seriously. Some of the extreme families basically think you should be in a bubble before being married. Usually tolerant of minor stuff, but the really down-the-liners frowned on even a kiss, let alone any prolonged stuff.”

“Then we’re being very scandalous, aren’t we?”

Astral smiled as Sassi snuggled up to rest her head on top of his.
“By their standards, yes. But I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he sighed happily. “You make me feel safe. And right now, that’s a really, really important thing.”

A soft sniffle was Sassi’s response at first.
“Dangit Astral, stop making me tear up.”

“Not trying to.”

“But I’m happy to do so. We make each other safe,” she said, nuzzling her cheek against his. “Thank you for waiting for me to be comfortable with this.”

“Happy to do so. Totally worth it.”

She snorted, a cheeky smile making her fangs show as she pulled back to meet his gaze.

“Y’know, I think we should buy the book.”

“….what!?”

The utter shock on Astral’s face nearly sent Sassi into another fit of giggles.
“Well, I mean, it could give some fun ideas?”

The bright blush on Astral’s face made her words worth it, the stallion calmly shifting over to plant his face against the icy floor.

“It’s a good thing I’ve felt like absolute garbage and am very stressed,” he said once his face had cooled off. “Because if I wasn’t, it’d make times like this a lot more awkward and frustrating.”

Sassi let out a soft huff.
“At least I know it’s not me.”

“Oh, it is definitely not you.”

The sly grin on Astral’s face made Sassi’s wings flare, a blush burning on her cheeks. Apparently, when the teasing was a two-way street, she wasn’t nearly as prepared for it. Not that the mare was going to complain. The playful look in Astral’s eyes made her heart flip in her chest and promptly melt into her hooves. There wasn’t any of the lecherous intentions like from others in the Silo. Only a soft, genuine love and playful affection. To say it was attractive was an understatement.

“W-well gotta find those silver linings. And there’s plenty of time to be awkward together later,’ she added with a smile of her own. “Like when we buy that book.”

“I’m just happy you trust me enough to mention jokes like that.”

The mare giggled happily, but she couldn’t resist a final remark as she dug into their pack for some rations.

“Who says I’m joking? One of the side effects of RASP modifications are crazy libido fluctuations.”

“WHA?”

Sassi held her aching side as she laughed, Astral staring at her in shock.

“I’m joking, Astral,” she said with a wheeze.

“You are having way too much fun at my expense,” he grumbled, trying his best to pout.

“Can you blame me? I’ve never been comfortable enough to tease someone before! It’s so much fun!” She said with a cheerful grin. “But I’ll stop for now. Well, I mean, I was serious about buying that book though.”

With how fast Astral’s ears shot up Sassi was worried they’d break the sound barrier as the mare cackled to herself.

After eating a decent meal (to which Astral was happy to keep down and not convert to more sludge,) he managed to settle upright for a change of pace. Sassi, of course, was leaning on his shoulder, her sides rising and falling against Astral’s.

She had taken a moment to retrieve the medical attachment to the RASP armor, pressing it to Astral’s side so he could get another dose of painkillers and medications. Another follow-up injection was added to the mix. They only had about a dozen of the doses left, and that would ideally be spaced out as long as possible.

All through the process, their ever-present friend was still stomping around outside. But after that, at least the RASP armor had an update on the repairs and calibration.

“Eight or more hours? Really?” Astral sighed, “well, if it keeps you healthy, worth it. Maybe have it take extra time for a full diagnostic check. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Her concerned coltfriend got another kiss for that remark, Sassi thoroughly enjoying how simple gestures of affection could bring an adorably dorky smile to Astral’s face.

“We can do that. At least we get a bit of a breather. Even if it’s not totally safe here,” she added.

“Who knows when we’ll stop again? May as well enjoy it while we can.” He then raised a weak hoof to point at Sassi. “And that doesn’t mean teasing me continuously!”

“Hey, I said I wouldn’t! At least for a bit. I’m getting used to it too!”

“Oh, you’re getting used to it!”

The pout returned, Sassi giggling.

“Let’s just try and get some sleep then. We can then eat again before we head out, and have RASP scan for what’s next,” she said, making sure weapons were within reach and all their gear was piled around them like a protective next.

“No complaints there.”

Without much fanfare, Sassi snuggled up next to Astral underneath the foil blanket, the two drifting off to sleep.

At least, they thought so.

With a jerk, Astral looked around, the smell of fresh flowers meeting his nose. A familiar moon shone above him; millions of stars spread out in the sky.

“This again,” he sighed. “This is weird.”

“Yup.”

Astral jumped as Sassi appeared next to him, the mare grinning.
“So, this is like, our hive mind world, I guess? Our own dream realm?” she suggested, Astral shrugging as he stretched his legs.

Well, dream legs.

“Maybe. I don’t know why Luna or anyone else can’t sense it though. But I’m not complaining.”

He paced back and forth, enjoying the feeling of having a functioning body, even though there were still crystals embedded in his chest and sides.

“Maybe we can explore? There are the grassy hills, that forest over there, and a lake?”

Sassi trotted alongside him, taking deep breaths of the clean air.

“I know this all isn’t real, but I don’t care. It’s beautiful,” she said softly.

“I figure it’s real, just in a different way. If there’s any food here and I take a chunk of it, I apologize if I bite you in the real world.”

“Oh, don’t apologize for that.”

Astral paused and glared at Sassi, a cheeky smirk on her face.

“Don’t you start that again,” he sighed. The stallion shook his head with an amused smile as the mare at his side giggled, the two of them trotting along. They eventually sat down on a familiar hill that overlooked the blueish-green grass that waved in a warm wind.

“Sorry. Just, this is all so new,” Sassi said, leaning against her stallion. “Being comfortable and trusting someone enough where it doesn’t feel wrong, let alone have someone see me that way without all the nasty intentions. It’s just new, exciting, and overwhelming.”

He leaned over to nuzzle her ears with a smile.
“I’m just happy that you trust me that much. Just space it out a bit, please? It’s…a lot to take in at once.”

*Snrk*

Sassi backed up to look at him, her eye twitching as she scrunched up her face, the mare trying her hardest not to laugh.

Astral let out a loud groan, waving a hoof as he walked off down a small trail.
“NOPE! Not fair! Not saying a thing! You naughty, dirty-minded mare!”

Sassi’s giggle chased him as she trotted up back to his side, the two making their way into a conifer forest. She reached over to give his shoulder a bump, her eyes then darting around at the nighttime scenery.

“Thank you, Astral,” she said as they walked through some small saplings.

“For?”

“Just…tolerating that,” she said, a blush burning on her cheeks. “I’m just- usually there’s a ton of assumptions that would come with me saying anything remotely suggestive. I’ve never had the chance to think about, well, anything intimate due to how it was in the Silos- and I don’t just mean sex. There weren’t any boundaries, no natural progression of a relationship. It was just creatures sleeping with whoever, or having a make-out session between shifts. So, not having to worry about all that baggage with you is freeing. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable though. Sorry if I did.”

He looked over to the mare, Sassi partially hiding behind her bangs. It was an adorable look.

“You’re welcome, Sas. You didn’t though. It’s just surprising, but it makes sense,” he mused. And no need to apologize. It’s rather nice knowing you care enough about me to trust me like that. It…” Astral’s voice trailed off, a surprising amount of emotion abruptly clogging his throat. “That trust means a lot because I have a glimpse of what it was like down here. So, I don’t blame you at all.”

The stallion averted his gaze, scuffing at the ground bashfully.
“It’s…erm, rather fun actually,” he admitted with a cheeky grin. “I’ve never been in a position like this, to be that comfortable with someone. It just takes some getting used to but in a good way. Knowing I’m the subject of thoughts like that is like, the biggest compliment ever.”

Sassi’s face turned a bright pink at that, the mare mumbling something under her breath as Astral continued.

“Besides. If there’s a time to explore your cheekiness at my expense, it’d be now. Outside of this dream place, I don’t feel good enough to focus on that stuff. It’s fun, but…well, yeah.” The stallion couldn’t help but grin. “Honestly, that’s probably for the best though, that it’s not a focus for me yet. Realizing you have a playful side like that? It’s um, very appealing. It’d be a lot more frustrating if I did feel decent.”

She giggled, giving him another thankful nudge with her shoulder.
“Well, I’m glad. I just wanted to make sure. I’ll work on trying not to overload you with that,” Sassi said, then pausing to reach over and nuzzle Astral’s ears. “I also want to make sure you know how much I love and appreciate you,” the mare whispered. “When we get out of here, let’s throw a belated graduation party. I want you to know how happy I am that you’re happy, and to celebrate things like that with you. For you.”

The stallion’s lips quivered, Astral hanging his head with a sniffle.
“T-thank you, Sas,” he said softly. “I like that idea a lot.”

He pulled himself together after a few moments, the two continuing their walk together, shoulder to shoulder.

“Also, thank you for at least checking in on how I view stuff. Knowing you’re concerned about me like that is really comforting. I’ve had some of Gabbro’s friends be a bit too…erm…explicit at times.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I’m not worried about that with you. But it was just how they were. I don’t drink, but when they got tipsy, eh. I’m just glad we can talk about, well, anything. Without it being too awkward.”

“We’ll find something. Just give me a few hours,” Sassi said with a grin.

He laughed at that, nodding as they trotted off again as the trees began to tower over them.

Astral slowed down after a few moments, Sassi watching as he brushed against some dandelions, their seeds floating off in the breeze to be lost in the night sky. Her head was on a swivel as they walked deeper into the forest. The stallion seemed utterly at home amidst the towering trunks. The mare abruptly stopped, taking a deep breath as her eyes widened.

“I haven’t- is this what it always smells like?” she asked, completely enthralled by the trees that towered above them.

“Yep. Maybe this world is pulling from memories. I have memories of places like this, but you don’t. The forests have a great smell, well, usually,” Astral explained as they walked among the tree trunks, piles of moss growing here and there across the loamy ground.

They came to a break in the trees, now looking at the lake from a different angle. The stars reflected off the mirror-like surface

Astral sat down, Sassi scooting next to him as they watched the peaceful scene. He had seen places like this, but never all together.

“I wonder if somewhere exists like this in the real world?” he asked.

“Maybe we can try to find it?”

Leaning over to rest his head against Sassi’s, Astral couldn’t help but smile.
“I’d like that.”

They didn’t say anything for a long time, Sassi finally speaking up, voice barely above a whisper.

“Astral?”

“Hmm?”

She reached over and held his hoof, and the Stallion felt her trembling ever so slightly.

“I just…can we just stay like this? I don’t want it to end.”

A fire ignited in Astral’s chest, the Thestral gripping Sassi’s hoof tightly.

“Neither do I. But it won’t end. I promise. It’ll just shift from the dream world to the real one. That’s all.” He felt a few tears on his shoulder, a thankful smile on the mare’s face.

They stayed and watched the stars in their dream bubble, the terrors of the Silo forgotten for a few, precious moments.

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked, a familiar, dark-blue Alicorn nodding her head on the other side of the communications portal.

“Unfortunately. I’ve never been able to sense a thing in that Silo, or anywhere near it. Dreams or otherwise,” Luna sighed, a bit of frustration making the mare’s ear twitch. “It’s infuriating. The shielding must be powerful indeed. If that changes, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you, Luna. How are things otherwise?”

The other mare perked up immediately at that.
“Fantastic! I’m currently racing my sister to find the best beach to relax on. Of course, I prefer to just look for seashells, while Celly likes to windsurf,” Luna had at least the self-awareness to wince at that. “Sorry, Twilight. I don’t mean to make light of your situation. We’re here if you need us, but neither Celestia or I don’t have anything to offer in this situation outside of counsel.”

“That’s more than enough, Luna,” Twilight said, the former ruler smiling.

“I’m glad. Please let us know if there’s anything you need from us. And don’t let my cavalier attitude dissuade you. Both I and my sister are available if things take a turn for the worse. I think Shifting would enjoy a bit of mutant slaying, if I’m being honest.”

“Luna? Did someone mention mutants!? OUR BATTLE WILL BE LEGENDARY!”

Twilight stifled a laugh as the stallion’s booming voice carried over from the next room, Luna smacking a hoof to her face with an amused groan.”

“Duly noted. Thank you again, Luna.”

“You’re welcome. Please let us know of any further developments.”

The portal snapped off, and Twilight let out a sigh. The two other Alicorns certainly deserved a few hundred-years vacation. The fact they were willing to jump back into action was comforting knowledge, to say the least.

Twilight just hoped it wouldn’t come to that. To that end, it was time to make a call to a certain Organization. Specifically, a blue-furred unicorn.

She couldn’t stay silent over what she had overheard during their last conversation.

Author's Note

Lots of fluff and history in this one!
And...well, some amusing spice mixed in there. :rainbowlaugh: Sassi's coming out of her shell (at Astral's expense)! But even with that though, there's some significant baggage. Poor gal has been through the wringer.

And, as we've learned, Astral has some stuff he's been bottling up too.

Chapter Ninety-Seven: Reality

Twilight composed herself. There were some questions to Last Light that needed answering. She had a bit of time, and then a meeting with the Gryphon Emperor. Tanzil had been invited to Canterlot for a day or two so the two nations could be on the same page concerning the Silo incident.

First, however, she needed to come clean.

“Princess? What can I do for you?” Director Shield said, clearly surprised by the call.

“Is this line secure?”

With a few taps of the keypad, the video connection shimmered.
“It always is, but I’ve just activated our highest levels of encryption. What’s going on?”

“How have you avoided having spies in your midst?” Twilight asked pointedly. “There was…a glitch with the previous communication. I heard what Mally said. Is it all true?”

Toxic let out a tired breath, his shoulders sagging for a moment. He looked away as if collecting his thoughts. The pony that looked back at Twilight was a very different individual than a few seconds ago. There was a fierceness, a fire and drive within the eyes that had drawn tens of thousands to the organization. There was also the ever-present restraint, the feeling that many words were held back.

“I already sent a message to Discord for that stunt. I wasn’t pleased, but I was grateful in a way,” Toxic admitted. “Yes. Everything she said was true. However, I won’t apologize for it.”

That made Twilight stare, and Toxic met her gaze without so much as a waver. There were many times the mare forgot that Toxic Shield, and his nation, had the blessing and protection of beings on the same level as the Tree of Harmony. That wasn’t without reason.

The leader of the Last Light Organization had faced things far more terrifying than a Princess, and it showed. She suspected that the Organization’s counsel led day-to-day formalities because Toxic refused to put up with the diplomatic games.

Considering the occasional rumors of theatrics that occurred around the stallion, such a thought wasn’t out of the question. A few instances involving Toxic and rude diplomats gave credence to that.

“Then my question is certainly valid,” Twilight muttered. She wanted to apologize but it didn’t fit. She wouldn’t, not to Toxic at least. Mally deserved to hear those words. But first, business. “Have you had any spies? You say Equestria is rife with them.”

“Yes, to both that question and statement,” Toxic rumbled.

“How have you ferreted them out? I would request that you share your methods so I can push efforts in Equestria to do so.”

There was the slightest wince on Toxic’s face.

“Our methods are incompatible with yours, Highness.”

“How so?”

“They were promptly executed.”

Twilight stared, her thoughts grinding to a halt.
“What?”

Toxic tapped a few keys, bringing up a few reports to glance over.
“We had spies in our midst about five years ago. That was a few years after we fully realized the threat that was out there was a singular entity, the Stairway Company. We used similar but more thorough magical scans and tracking than you are likely comfortable with. But it was a time of war, for all intents and purposes. It was when we learned they were embedded in the highest levels of government across multiple nations, and they were trying to do the same with us. After extensive investigation and confession, the agents were de-horned and executed within our court system discreetly. We haven’t had any issues since.”

“That that’s not right,” Twilight said before she could stop herself. Equestria’s requirements for the death penalty were the strictest in the world, if not utterly abolished at this point. To know this Organization was operating on such a level, to create an artificial wartime environment to root out a few creatures…

How could they?

“You’ve always seen yourself as better than us,” Toxic said sadly. Despite the disappointment in his eyes, then was a non-negotiable strength. “It’s been obvious for a while. But that’s why you’ve failed. You recognize the lesson of the world but haven’t internalized it.”

“Don’t lecture me, Toxic Shield,” Twilight growled, “I know how to run a nation!”

“To a point,” the unicorn snipped back with a glare, not about to be intimidated. “You think I don’t?”

His brazen response nearly made the mare snarl, but Twilight held her tongue.

You own a large militia and a bunch of islands with good but childish intentions. There’s a difference.

“You know how to run a nation with certain rules. The world doesn’t always obey those rules, Highness. There’s one lesson I worry you haven’t understood,” the stallion said.

“And what would that be?”

Toxic’s eyes narrowed, his respectful demeanor hanging on by a threat. Twilight knew she was being prideful, but she didn’t care. She hadn’t dedicated years of studying politics and learning from Celestia to be lectured by just some-

“Some creatures in this world only respect the gun and sword. Power. They only answer to it. They will respect nothing else,” Toxic sighed, expression softening to that of concern. “I worry you won’t learn that lesson until too late. Such creatures would gladly take advantage of your friendship and hospitality. We’d be there to help if you were in trouble, however.”

Twilight’s previous thoughts fragmented. Guilt stabbed her in the heart. Had she written off this pony just because of her own prowess?

More than that, have I never taken this organization seriously?
Have I never taken Toxic seriously?

“And that’s why you killed them? To what, send a message?” she asked, stowing her other thoughts.

“And because of their crimes. We sent their severed horns to the executives of the Company. We warned them that if they sent so much as a single creature to our island again, we’d use maximum force to destroy the organization down to the last creature, across every nation,” Toxic said. “We received a single word in response. ‘Understood.’ We haven’t had any issues since.”

Twilight was quiet for a few moments as she collected her thoughts.
“Why didn’t you warn us?” she finally asked.

Toxic’s sad smile told her all she needed to know even before he spoke.
“We did. Multiple times. The messages were clearly lost in the bureaucratic winds, intercepted, or not taken seriously. We tried to warn you for years. I believe you said that I was reading too much into things during our final exchange, one of many. I took that as a sign that further warnings wouldn’t be taken seriously. The subsequent attempts proved me right.”

Did I say that? Dismissing his warnings over and over again?
Have I been wrong for so many years?

The thought hit Twilight harder than she thought possible. Was her system truly so inefficient, so corrupt that not only could one fall through the cracks, but it allowed evil to fester and grow? Cracks began to form in her mind. Had she been too trusting, too removed?

“My organization walks a dangerous line, Highness. I acknowledge that. The process so many creatures believe in doesn’t always work. We are here for when it doesn’t,” Toxic said.

“You would have taken on the Company if they hadn’t stopped?”

Toxic was quiet for a moment, his brow furrowed.

“I don’t know. It would have been a war across all fronts. But we’d have won. The threat wasn’t made idly if that’s what you’re asking.”

That statement alone was telling. Twilight knew they were powerful, but such a statement spoke to a far greater strength publicly known.

“If you knew they presented a danger, why didn’t you? The war across all fronts?”

He shrugged at that, the fire in his eyes fading to general tiredness.
“Ultimately, because we abide by the laws of Equestria and other nations so you all can live in peace,” Toxic said, “We value our relationships, and such a conflict would have destroyed our relations with every nation influenced by the company and done more harm than good. I question that last statement, however, with the new information. Perhaps we should have acted with the evil we now are discovering. We’re certainly preparing if the worst should happen.”

“You mentioned covert operations in that previous call and some investigation teams. I assume these preparations have to do with that?”

Twilight’s question immediately made the guarded look come back into Toxic’s eyes.
“I’m not going to answer that question, Highness. My previous statement stands. We take the brunt of public perception so the majority of creatures in your nation, and others can live in blissful ignorance of the evil that exists whether the rest of the world wants to acknowledge it or not.”

It was an insult, advice, or both. Twilight chose not to comment on it. She made a mental note to talk to Celestia about this.

“If anything, please take my words as warning,” he said. “The operatives we executed weren’t some harmless creatures. They were responsible for more than fifty murders in our nation, ten of them being children. They didn’t deserve the painless death that was given to them. Many voices certainly wanted the opposite of such a merciful sentence.”

That made Twilight’s eyes widen.

“We’re prepared to meet this evil head-on. If Equestria or other nations aren’t, that’s why we’re here. I mean to try and show points of improvement, not blithely condemn your nation.”

“And yet you do.”

Toxic didn’t disagree, the unicorn shrugging in acknowledgment.
“I started this organization in part because Equestria failed me. Specifically, Celestia did, in a similar way Equestria has failed Arcane. Nobody is perfect, but it’s clear to me now that there are failures systemic within Equestria, not bound to an individual, and therefore my stance has to be bolder. I know our actions can be antagonistic. But if the end result is for the better, then so be it.”

Twilight couldn’t hold her tongue at that. She had tried to be civil with this organization. Celestia had given her lessons and pointers specifically concerning Last Light, yes, and maybe the Princess should have put more effort. But this was not the cordial conversations you have with diplomats! She didn’t have the patience of Celestia, and she had tried to be friendly with both Toxic and his rag-tag group of islands.

“You’re a bit antagonistic yourself, Director. You haven’t been like this in past talks. Another ruler condemning another isn’t how friends act to one another.”

“Friends?”

A dangerous glint showed in the unicorn’s green eyes at that, and with that single word, the mare abruptly realized she’d pushed Toxic too far. The diplomatic mask on the unicorn’s face shattered, and there was no more respect in his gaze, only a general, unmasked distaste. It was as if a light switch had been flipped, an invisible line crossed from where there was no retreat.

“We’re not friends, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Toxic growled. “Why would we be? You certainly haven’t extended a hoof in friendship. You’ve clearly never taken me or this nation seriously.” There was a brief flash of pain in Toxic’s gaze as he spoke those words, the unicorn continuing. “I’ve been patient with your rule, but I don’t play politics like other creatures. This situation has pushed me to my limit of tolerating your, and Equestria’s ineptitude. I’ve left the pleasantries to the council, but this event has required my personal attention due to the failures of multiple nations, mainly Equestria’s!”

I truly did fail. I really haven’t learned.
Celestia, you tried to tell me. You tried to warn me for years. Over two hundred years to learn and I’m still a student in so many ways.
I’ve been a fool.

“That’s hardly-” Twilight began, wanting to backtrack now more than anything, but the unicorn wasn’t having it. The mare realized that the reserved pony she had been conversing with over the years was very much a forced, professional pleasantry. Celestia had warned Twilight multiple times that Toxic’s relationship, while at least somewhat mended with herself, it was brand-new with the younger Alicorn. But Toxic had always seemed friendly.

Yet the pony speaking to her now was far more genuine than any friendly interaction in the past. There was no mask, no buffering of respect. Twilight hadn’t realized how fragile their relationship was. Toxic’s friendliness hadn’t been out of trusting Twilight, but Celestia’s choice of a successor.

I didn’t try hard enough to be a friend. I assumed you’d accept me as you accepted Celestia. And you did, for your part. You gave me the benefit of the doubt, but did I do the same?
Did I give you a chance?

I was wrong.

Toxic wasn’t done, not even close. All Twilight could do was listen. Speaking her mind had gotten her into this mess, after all.

“I doubt you’ve ever listened to a mother cry herself to sleep because you failed to rescue her son. Have her beg you to intervene. Had to tell her no because laws have to be followed, public perception and politics meant more than a life,” Toxic spat in disgust.

“I have to live with the knowledge that we could have saved Arcane if we dug deeper into the rumors. But we trusted in Equestria’s process and investigating further would have damaged our relationships. So, the perception of Equestria was deemed higher value. The same nation who continually lambasts our ‘cult-like, military structure’ yet throws a temper tantrum if we’re a few minutes late to any crisis across the globe!” he snarled. “I’ve heard nothing but silence from you when these criticisms come to light. No defense or even acknowledgment that Equestria’s complaints might be negatively impacting us!”

The unicorn’s green eyes were narrowed with barely-contained anger, the beginnings of a snarl forming on Toxic’s lips.

“I think it’s time Equestria had a reality check of what the real world is like. Of how our blood and tears are shed in silence so your subjects can have a life of harmony and peace which lets them voice their grievances against my nation!” It was only then that Twilight saw him shaking with frustration and rage as the stallion slammed a hoof onto the metal floor, a loud clang echoing around the room. None of his words surprised her, however.

The fact he was only now berating Twilight spoke to the unicorn’s self-control. Last Light had only given measured responses to any criticisms, and Twilight had been foolish enough to think nothing had been internalized for over a century. This had been festering for some time.

And I ignored it because I partially agreed.

“As time has passed, I’ve only grown to loathe even more the political games that seem to be as ageless as myself. Perception meaning more than someone’s life. The first time I saw it happening I put on a suit and rescued Varti’s daughter. I’ve borne the brunt of failed promises of rescue and safety before. Because of Equestria’s inadequacies, I now am burdened with the same failure as Celestia because of you.” His last word was a condemning, almost hateful growl, the word hanging on the air. The furious glare of the unicorn’s eyes didn’t leave Twilight. There was no fear in his eyes, no sense of respect for a crown. If anything, the unicorn was talking down to Twilight, and it threw her off guard.

“But this time it wasn’t because I overestimated myself, but both you and your nation’s capabilities. I won’t have that happen again, and it’s clear our agreements need to be revisited and modified immediately to reduce any potential weaknesses Equestria may impose on our operations. If I must put on my armor to save the ponies Equestria is unable, or unwilling to, then so be it. You may be perfectly content to put the needs of the many over the one without a second thought, but my nation was built to save that one creature! “

The shimmering of a breastplate began to adorn the unicorn’s frame, tears welling up in his eyes. “They might be just a pony to you, Highness. But we’re all willing to sacrifice at the chance of saving one voice crying out for help. Can you say the same?” the stallion’s voice was stern, his eyes locked onto Twilight. Ancient metal pauldrons weaved onto his shoulders, a fire burning in the stallion’s eyes as he stared down the ruler of Equestria. The mare could only realize one of her many failures was treating this pony as a typical diplomat.

But he’s not. Toxic’s a warrior.

“You’ve saved the world before, Princess. But if there was just one voice in the darkness begging to be saved, would you go against everything to try? What would you risk to save the one creature nobody else cares about? What would you do to save the single innocent voice begging against all hope for help?” His eyes narrowed, the armor across the unicorn’s chest glowing a soft blue.

“Would you even try?”

Twilight’s mouth hung slightly open. She didn’t have an immediate response as Toxic stared at her. The hesitation made shame tear at the mare’s heart. Toxic believed every word as the armored stallion glared at the ruler of Equestria with an unshakeable strength.

I haven’t learned the lesson you tried to teach me, Celestia. I treated him like just another pony, the leader of some local charity club. I never took him seriously, deep down, because he didn’t have the training or the study. He wasn’t chosen to rule.

I let my status go to my head.

I made the same mistake. I thought everything I did was right.

I never thought I was wrong.

“I thought not,” Toxic said softly, a thread of disappointment underlying his words. The stallion’s steely gaze still didn’t leave Twilight’s.

“Director, can we-”

“Consider this a professional courtesy,” Toxic interrupted with a dismissive wave of his hoof, “that as a fellow ruler, I’m informing you that at least one of our fleets will be patrolling near the facility in the Badlands to handle any breaches. We’ll offer Arcane Flare a place here in our nation, as we’re the only organization with anti-chaos measures to give him a comfortable life. If he accepts, I’ll inform you of such. Any further communications will be sent through the Counsel’s delegation to Equestria. They have a team specifically focused on this matter. As an additional courtesy, we’ll share relevant data concerning the Company and appropriate operations and deployments within Equestria on a need-to-know basis.” The unicorn paused, and the rage cooled for a moment.

There was a genuine softness in his green eyes now, a tender pity as he looked at the Princess. With what felt like an electric shock, Twilight realized Toxic’s expression was sincere, even though anger tried to push it aside.

He still wants to help.
Not just Equestria, but me.

“I truly want you to succeed, Princess, even if my words are condemning,” Toxic said softly. “But I cannot have your or Equestria’s growing pains affect those who trust me with their wellbeing and safety. I have creatures to care for too, you know. They may not be as numerous as Equestria’s, but their lives are worth more to me than your nation ever will be. That’s a lesson I was forced to learn long ago. That’s the only time I can let myself think of many needs outweighing one of anything. I don’t think you’ve ever realized that we have similar worries. That we’re more alike than different.”

The stallion took a deep breath, shaking his head before looking up. “When your rule began, I had hoped that you’d continue to treat me and my nation with the same respect Celestia did during her reign.” The stallion smiled sadly, genuine grief and disappointment radiating from his green eyes. “I’d even hoped we could be friends. I’ve tried to reach out as best I could, but…”

Twilight’s heart dropped out of her chest and into her hooves as the stallion’s eyes dampened, the pony shaking his head and looking away.

“I was wrong. Take care, Princess Twilight Sparkle. No matter what, we’re here if you need us.”

The connection was terminated, and Twilight was left staring at a blank screen with both a million words she wanted to say…and none of them being fitting.

His last words had been soft and utterly without anger or condemnation. Only regret. And they drove a knife into Twilight’s heart all the same. A cold ball of horror stood where Twilight’s heart once was.

Even after all he went through, I looked down on him. I looked down on somepony who could have been a friend even when time passes for everyone else.

Celestia even tried to guide me. All I had to do was continue what she had started. To give the bare minimum of respect to a fellow nation as I’ve done countless times before and see them as an equal.

I failed.

The tears flowed freely, Twilight angrily slamming a hoof down on the table and causing the wood to shatter into dust. A stray magical spark punched a hole in the television screen, the mare gritting her teeth. Toxic’s outburst had been hurtful, rash, and utterly condemning of both Twilight’s actions and Equestria as a whole.

And he was completely right.

I took his respect for granted, took his friendship for granted.

“You certainly haven’t extended a hoof in friendship.”

Toxic’s recalled statement made the mare’s eyes widen, her jaw quivering.

‘I had even hoped we could be friends.’

This pony had hoped to be friends with the Princess of Friendship, and what had she done?

I never tried to be his friend. I always thought he was just a pony.

The words hit her with the force of a physical punch to the gut. The thought couldn’t be taken back and they screamed inside Twilight’s mind. Toxic had uttered them first, but now the true meaning of them tore into the mare’s heart and mind like a serrated axe, laying bare all of Twilight’s failures.

‘They might be just a pony to you.’

Her sides began to shake with horrified, self-loathing sobs, Twilight covering her face with a hoof as she leaned against the couch at her side. The regalia was tossed off her head almost spitefully, the mare’s heart wracked with guilt that couldn’t be explained in words.

The one pony who needed to know that I was on their side and the Princess of Friendship didn’t even try to befriend them. I looked down on him.

Because I thought I was better. That I wasn’t…

Twilight didn’t even register how much time passed. All she could think about were the systematic failures. Everything was categized in her mind. There were so many. Hundreds, thousands of missed chances to treat Toxic Shield as an equal, to hold his nation at the same status others had. To show that Twilight wanted to help, that she wanted to be a friend. The organization and Toxic had reached out regularly over the years, inviting her to some function or another. And while she had attended a few out of courtesy, there hadn’t been much else of an effort on her part.

Or any effort, for that matter.

Twilight had been friendly, but that was very different. She had been a ruler trying to talk down to a foal, especially with their ‘one versus many’ viewpoint. The burden was on her to extend friendship, not Toxic. He had done so with Celestia and likewise trusted her successor. But why would he try and befriend her, a ruler who clearly had been radiating nothing but prideful superiority in every conversation? Even with Twilight’s suspicions and looking down on Toxic’s nation, he had been friendly and courteous despite his personal feelings. The invitations to Twilight still were sent despite her views along with Equestria’s unchallenged and childish criticisms. That showed more of his character than hers.

But the Princess of Friendship had not only ignored somepony who could have been a friend but simply brushed them aside. Of the few creatures in the world who could have been a friendly face as time passed, she hadn’t even extended a genuine hoof in friendship. She had been naïve in thinking her silence concerning Equestria’s critics against Toxic’s nation had been unnoticed.

I’ve only ruled barely a decade or two more than Toxic. But I never even gave him or his life’s work a chance. A warrior who has built a nation dedicated to helping others, and I looked down on him. Despite having the blessings of creatures I trust and other rulers like Emperor Thunderwing and his Order, I still didn’t see him as my equal. All because I was chosen to rule and I had the studies to back it up.

All because I thought Equestria was better.
Because I thought I was better.

I thought.

A chime went off, signifying her next meeting, but it only pulled Twilight slightly back to reality. She really should go to her personal chambers and cancel the meeting. The Emperor would-

“Princess? Are…”

Tanzil’s voice trailed off. Twilight couldn’t see him through the tears. The makeup spell on her face was useless at this point. She was hardly the picture of a mare who had her affairs in order, let alone royalty.

She didn’t care.

Tanzil easily put the two and two together. He was a smart gryphon, and far more empathetic than most. The shattered table and hole in the television were signs enough for him. A feathery wing tentatively draped itself over her shoulders. No words were said, but Twilight appreciated the comfort a friend could offer. No judgment, simply a caring presence as he sat next to her. The Emperor carefully removed his crown, placing it off to the side. The gesture was symbolic enough. This wasn’t a moment between two rulers, but friends.

At least I didn’t ignore Tanzil.

Why couldn’t I have been so open with Toxic?

Why couldn’t I have tried to be his friend? To take seriously his life’s work? Haven’t I wanted the same respect?

When did I start to think I was above all of that?

When did I think I was different?

Twilight knew her own failings were the answer. She wasn’t better than the unicorn, not even close. Even with his stern words, Toxic promised to help her, and Equestria if they needed it. That spoke to the integrity and determination of the unicorn’s character, along with his nation. And what had Equestria ever offered them in return? What had Twilight offered to a fellow creature untouched by time other than prideful conversation?

Can I still fix this?

She didn’t have an answer to that.

Author's Note

Well. That's a gut punch. The hammer finally drops. This was a heavy chapter to say the least.

This is a final large chapter at what's going on outside of the Silos before we return to our two favorite Thestrals in the next chapter.

*Edit* I've really appreciated everyone's comments about this chapter. While it seems I portrayed what I wanted to happen correctly, the way and manner in which I did it 100% missed the mark, and I should have fleshed out things long, long before this to have a smoother narrative.

Again, thank you for your comments of both praise, and, in this case, calling out when a chapter fails in its narrative. It's how I can improve as a writer, and I greatly appreciate it!

Chapter Ninety-Eight: Onwards and Downwards

Astral let out a yawn, slowly waking up from a dreamless sleep.

I would have liked to spend some time in our dream world.

His stomach turned in knots, but an abrupt pressure made the pain diffuse slightly. The stallion opened his eyes, and Astral abruptly felt tears well up in his eyes. While his body could move, there wasn’t any reason he wanted to.

Underneath their emergency blanket, Sassi was settled next to him. Her chest was pressed against his, providing far more comfort than any weighted blanket. Her forelimbs wrapped around the stallion in a hug, the mare’s head nestled underneath Astral’s. Her chest rose and fell slowly, bangs drifting in front of Sassi’s closed eyes.

With a significant bit of effort, Astral managed to get a forelimb lifted up and around her barrel, the mare mumbling in her sleep and cuddling closer as he did so.

If this is what I get to wake up to every morning…then everything is worth it. All of it.

The thought was brief and unbidden, but oddly peaceful. The simple safety Sassi’s embrace provided was intoxicating. Sure, it had been amusing and rather fun to see Sassi tease and then get flustered about heated topics prior, but this moment was a completely different feeling.

Oddly, it was far more intimate. There was no awkwardness, nothing that would make Astral want to move from holding the mare he loved close.

He suspected the RASP modifications had also increased his sensations to touch because he could feel every bit of warmth from Sassi’s chest against his own. A warm cheek was pressed up against his neck, the mare’s soft breath ticking his fur.

I’d fight the entire Silo again for you, Sas.

To see her so peaceful was a blessing in and of itself. He didn’t realize how much stress the mare carried in her demeanor and expression day to day until it was gone.

That peace was broken as Sassi muttered, her grip around Astral tightening. The mare’s limbs twitched and Sassi abruptly woke up with a gasp. She blinked, looking around in confusion before meeting Astral’s eyes.

“A-astral?” She asked, her eyes filling with tears. Her limbs shaking clued the stallion in that something was wrong, especially as she flopped back down and hugged him close.

“I’m here, Sas. Bad dreams?”

She nodded, a shaky breath leaving her frame. Even if he was a mess, Astral reveled in the fact that he could at least make things a bit better for her.

“Bad dreams, but not so much anymore,” she said, pulling back and giving Astral a kiss. The stallion let out a happy hum, her warm lips making the pain run from his body.

“Remember when I said you saved me again?” she asked, breaking the kiss to return to her comfy position nestled under his head.

“I do.”

“When you burned that room, I can’t tell you how I felt. Not in a bad way. In such a good way I can’t describe,” she said, sniffling. “That room has-it had so many painful memories. It was the source of so many nightmares. And you burned it all and turned it to ash.”

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I don’t like seeing you hurt, Sas.”

She giggled, wiping away her tears.
“How did I manage to find a stallion as amazing as you?” Sassi said, more to herself than anything.

“By saving my rear from Skitters who wanted to munch on them.”

Another laugh, the mare hugging him again, clearly enjoying the closeness as much as Astral.

“Your rear is far too lovely to be munched.”

“Other than by you of course? You did mention biting.”

Her face went beet red, Astral laughing softly.
“Ow! Laughing hurts, but worth it!” he gasped, reaching over to press his forehead against hers. “Feel better?”

A soft grumble was a clear enough sign of an answer.

“Hey, Sas?”

“Mmm?”

His one forelimb pulled her close a final time, a rather abrupt brick of emotion making the stallion’s voice catch.

“Just, these moments. They mean a lot,” he said softly as the mare hugged him back. “That you trust me enough for this.” The stallion then paused, his next words a bit softer. “I’ve never trusted someone like this before. Having moments where it’s just us. Nothing else…and I’m not worried about anything.”

“Then let’s have a lot more,” she said firmly, nuzzling his cheek with hers. “Love you, Astral.”

Sassi’s eyes softened as Astral sniffled, barely able to wipe his eyes with a leaden limb. She reached up and gently rest a hoof against his cheek at that, brushing away a few stray tears.

“And I’m going to make sure you hear that more often,” she added.

“Love you too, Sassi,” he managed to say. “I’d do anything for more times like this.”

“Just be you. That’s all it takes.”
Another sniffle and he leaned into Sassi’s gentle touch.

“How much longer can we stay like this?”

The mare glanced over to the helmet, the AI projecting a timer.

“Not long. The repairs will be done within a few minutes. Then we power on the reactor and get out of this freezing dome. AI, as soon as you’re finished, power up and run diagnostics.”

The timer adjusted, and Sassi nodded.
“We’ve got a bit longer. Ten minutes or so until full operation. We can get some food and stay warm.”

“I’m not going anywhere. And not complaining.”

Munching on some rather bland food bars, Sassi let out a sigh as she leaned against Astral’s shoulder, the two sitting up from their prior position.

“At least we’ve got food, even if it’s not five stars,” she muttered.

“I miss the blender,” Astral agreed, and the mare tapped her hoof in thought.

“Could we have two?” she suggested. “Different blenders to make different smoothies?”

He hummed in thought at that.
“Why not three big ones? We’ll be eating more than three meals a day due to the whole RASP diet. Make a big batch in the morning, middle of the day, and evening.”

“That’d be a big kitchen.”

“Eh. So, we have a big kitchen,” Astral said with a huff. “Big fridge too. And a lot of backup power.”

“Maybe a basement and shed with that stuff?”

“Sas, we are totally gonna have an armory.”

Astral didn’t know that Thestral mares could purr. Apparently, they could.

It was an adorable sound.

“I could kiss you. OH! What about a pool?”

“Hmmmmm. Maybe? Never been a huge fan of swimming. Waves are fine, but deep water gives me the creeps,” Astral said.

“Maybe a small pool and a big hot tub?”

“Oh stars above yes,” Astral gushed with a grin. “They make salt-water ones too! Ponies say it feels really good.”

“Deeeefinitely going to get that one.”

“How many rooms though? Big kitchen, armory room-”

“Or two.” the stallion added with a smirk, Sassi giggling as she kissed her stallion, backing up her prior words with a grin.

“Two or more armory rooms. A lot of other rooms. Bedrooms, hobby room…”

“Movie room?” Astral suggested with a grin.

“Movie room for sure. What about a greenhouse?” The mare added on.

“Definitely. We could grow our own fresh fruits!”

“We’ll need a lot of land for that. Lots of fruit trees,” Sassi hummed in thought. “Well, that means plenty of land. What about a shooting range?”

“Sas, we’ll have multiple armories. Of course we need a shooting range. What about a competition one too? I always wanted to try that.”

“The ones with magical golems and enchanted targets? They had a version of it down here, tons of fun!”

“Then definitely one of those!”

As they finished their meal, Astral’s ears flicked as a rather obvious thought made itself known. It hit his consciousness with the grace of a brick hitting a bowl of pudding.

“Hey, um, Sassi?” the stallion asked. “Did we just plan our house when we live together?”

She blinked, turning to look at him with a pink blush on her cheeks.
“I think so?” Sassi said quietly, her ears flattening. “Is that a bad thing?”

Immediately wanting to quash that idea, Astral reached over to kiss her on the cheek.
“Nope. Very much a good thing. Just a bit surprising. Maybe we’ll have two separate bedrooms to start out though? Until after, well, a very important question and all that?”

Apparently, the pink blush could reach all the way up to Sassi’s ears. Coupled with how the mare tried to hide behind her bangs, Astral felt a wide, stupid grin plastering itself across his face at how absolutely cute the mare looked.

“P-probably a good idea,” she squeaked, the Thestral shaking her head. “How are we talking about this so normally?”

“Probably because the idea of getting married is a lot less scary than anything we’ve faced so far?”

Sassi raised a hoof and then put it down, nodding.
“That makes a lot of sense,” she admitted. “Let’s maybe focus on the part before that? That’s too big to think about.”

“Agreed. Buuuut you did mention it first. Us living together.”

“I did?” the mare squeaked; a sound Astral was quickly starting to enjoy.

“Uh-huh. Well, technically. You mentioned if we could have more than one blender. And we went from there.” Her blush only deepened, Astral leaning over to nuzzle the Thestral’s ears. “There’s another reason that isn’t so scary to talk about.”

“Oh?”

He nodded, the mare sighing happily as Astral continued to nuzzle her ears.
“Not having you in my life just doesn’t make sense. There isn’t a ‘no Sassi’ option. You’re it. I can’t imagine trusting anyone else like I do you.”

“Same here,” Sassi said with a whisper. “I can’t imagine a life without you, Astral.”

Her words were soft but genuine, and they made Astral’s chest glow with a warmth far greater than any blanket.

“Then let’s just get out of here. I’m just looking forward to having normal dates. Well, normal for us. And then everything after that.”

“I like that plan.”

The RASP system let out a soft chime.

‘Reactor seals repaired. Calibration complete. Compensation algorithms active. Recommended time until next shutdown: 48+ hours. Impact to second user anticipated to be minimal.’

The text shone in the air, Sassi letting out a sigh.
“Well. Time to suit up again.”

“Just in time. I think now that I’ve warmed up, I can smell myself. Eurk…” Astral grumbled as Sassi giggled.

“It’s not that bad.”

He stared at her, the mare shrugging as her own nose wrinkled.
“Ok, maybe I smell that bad too. Maybe there will be a decontamination area further on? I know there’s one at least before the prisoner block.”

She helped him into the body suit and armor first, the reactor humming as it powered up. Astral let out a sigh of relief as the healing crystal on his chest glowed before the breastplate was placed over it.

“Wow. That feels better,” he sighed.

“Glad to help.” The mare grinned as she spoke, putting on her suit before then helping Astral double-check the armor and supplies.

“There are some experimental floors of who-knows-what, an office level, and then a massive security station before we hit the prison block. That’s going to be a whole new level of messed up. Hopefully, they’re already dead,” Sassi continued.

“Hopefully?”

Sassi’s eyes hardened before the visor slid down.
“These are the worst of the worst, Astral. Death penalty from all nations. Well, most of them. There may be some minor offenders in there, and we could probably help them if we confirm it. But treat everyone as a danger. Almost every creature there would slit your throat, paint a canvas with your blood, and then eat lunch like anyone else. And that’s if they’re having a good day.”

The stallion was visibly taken aback, Sassi gently resting a hoof on his shoulder.
“We’ll figure that out when we get closer. Let’s get out of this frozen wasteland first.”

“Freaky the snowman, was a horrid nasty soul…” Astral sang under his breath, his words making Sassi wheeze over the radio.

“I’m so glad I have you here with me, Astral. Now, let’s get moving.”

The stallion nodded, the pain in his limbs having subsided to a dull ache. How long that’d last, he didn’t know.

They crawled out of their snow cave when the light was red, looking around at the snowy dome interior.

“There’s the door at the far end. AI, can you open it?” Sassi asked, the pair trotting towards the location.

‘Processing…confirmed. Warning: Delay detected. Door mechanisms require additional torque to open. Stand by.’

Far too slowly, the door began to slide open. The Thestrals paused as the light turned green; a familiar figure lumbering their way. As the door continued to open, the creature turned its attention to it, slowly striding towards the sound. Now that they had a moment to look around, Astral felt his stomach turn in knots at seeing a distant ice pillar. It was colored differently than the others.

Even in the red right, it was a dark maroon, pieces of something sticking out from the pillar like a sadistic popsicle.

“Let’s get there and close the door. The last thing we need is that thing loose,” Sassi whispered, seeing his gaze.

“Agreed.”

The light turned red, and the Thestrals bolted. The door was fully open, but only the top was barely visible above the snow. Shoving the piles of powder aside, the two ponies tumbled down the snowbank, the door then slowly closing at Sassi’s command.

Just as the light turned green again the door sealed with a dull *thud*.

“Well, that was pleasantly straightforward,” Astral murmured, looking around as the helmet’s lights lit up the area. “And I’ve never been happier to see an empty hallway.”

“The map shows another security station, a small office area, and then…huh.”

“What?”

“AI? Broadcast the map to Astral’s HUD too,” the mare requested, Astral blinking as the image popped up.

“…Huh.”

His utterance made Sassi snort, the mare letting out a huff. The map was complete, but just past the office area were areas of static.

“We have no idea what’s in there, do we?” he sighed, Sassi giving his shoulder a friendly shove.

“Not really. But look at the temperatures.”

“Huh. That’s warm.”

“So, if I had to guess, some sort of hydroponics area. I did hear rumors about that in this silo,” Sassi mused.

“Well, the air isn’t pea soup yet, so that’s a plus.”

They trotted carefully through the abandoned office spaces. Both of the Thestrals shared a look behind their visors at the eerie appearance of it all. There was very little to distinguish this office space from one in other Silos, or even downtown Canterlot.

A small comfort was that their small hive-mind link made it uniquely easy to ensure the other was ok. Even that thought made Astral smile.

Of course, that gesture was wiped away as they came to a destroyed decontamination chamber, the hallway branching off into three directions.

“We have to go through the big door, don’t we?” Astral sighed.

“Yep.”

The chamber was a ruined mess of glass and metal, and the massive door ahead of them didn’t even appear to be functioning at first glance.

The AI proved its worth once again, a loud grinding echoing about as heavy latches were drawn back. The door slowly raised into the ceiling-

Astral let out a hiss, the visor automatically darkening as bright light blasted out from the entrance.

“What the…?” he muttered, Sassi sweeping the area with her guns before nodding.

“It’s clear. Let’s go.”

Taking a tentative step forward, Astral followed the mare into the massive new enclosure. Previously orderly hydroponics bays were overgrown with massive vines as yellowish-green grass reached up nearly to their joints as the Thestrals cautiously moved. There was even a squishy sort of soil under hoof, bright grow lights bathing everywhere in a harsh mimicry of the sun.

The first chamber must have been a minor one because Astral had to pause in shock as they turned a corner.

A literal jungle was spread out in front of him. Trees were embedded into the solid metal of the walls, and vines hung down from the tropical plants. Large bugs buzzed this way and that, and there was even a small stream winding through the opposite side of the immediate area. If Astral had to guess, it was the size of a hoof ball stadium at least. The crude path wound ahead and to the right, then out of view into trees that punched upwards from the floor and spread across the ceiling with leafy boughs. The artificial sunlight still managed to stream through the leaves, the yellow light making the scene somewhat stifling even behind the shaded visors.

“What is this, Sas?” he whispered, the mare shaking her head.

“Not sure. This should just be hydroponics experiments. But the soil, the stream…I wonder if they were experimenting with environment alterations or spontaneous generation?”

Astral cautiously followed her, a soft crunch then making him pause. He looked down and had to bite his cheek to stop himself from yelling out in shock.

Looking up at him as if offended by their presence, one of a dozen pony skulls stared back at the Thestral from the grassy floor.

Author's Note

On the road again with some adorable fluff!
And...
Oh my.
Well, they talked about that now didn't they? :yay:

I also have greatly appreciated everyone's feedback on the chapters (especially if they miss the mark- it helps me improve the narrative and writing for the future!)

Chapter Ninety-Nine: Green Tartarus

“Astral?” Sassi asked, feeling a spike of fear at the edge of her awareness. It was taking some getting used to, but being able to monitor how her stallion was feeling kept Sassi’s own fears in check in an odd way.

“Skulls,” he muttered, stepping aside. “Pretty sure I know where some of this organic matter came from.”

The mare sighed, shaking her head.
“Waste not,” she said with a huff, then tossed her head. “Over there. There’s a commuter terminal nestled in that tree. Totally overgrown, but maybe it could tell us something. We had to play red light green light before. If these plants suddenly turn carnivorous every hour, I’d like to know.”

“Sounds good.”

They made their way to the chest-high console, the AI in their helmets unable to access the system remotely.

Sassi carefully moved some vines out of the way, tapping the keypad.

“Hydroponics…project list…” the mare said to herself as she read through some of the displayed information. “Oh. Well, that’s fantastic.”

“I assume that’s sarcasm?”

She let out a frustrated sigh, turning around.
“Oh, very much so. These idiots were….” The mare paused, her guns slowly rising to point above Astral.

“Astral. Don’t. Move.”

He froze, Sassi continuing to angle the guns upwards slowly.

As the chaingun abruptly roared, the stallion couldn’t help but flinch, something heavy splatting down next to him.

“Ok. That was close. You ok?”

Astral turned to look over at the fallen object, then turned to Sassi.
“Physically fine. But what was that?!” he growled, backing away from the dead creature.

Once attached to the ceiling in a green pod-like cocoon, the venus flytrap would have looked, at first glance, rather innocuous.

The rows of razor-sharp teeth, however, indicated this plant had a diet a bit larger than flies. It was also about half the size of Astral’s body.

“That is a result of what I found,” Sassi said, walking over and pressing her side against Astral’s. Even though they were in a full suit of armor, the simple pressure and acknowledgment of someone being there did wonders for the stallion’s nerves.

“They were making carnivorous plants?”

“Not intentionally. They were trying to test an all-in-one terraforming device. Plop it down, and it generates vegetation out of a barren wasteland. Looks like it literally took on a life of its own…and used some of the sad souls here for biological fuel.”

“Anything else we have to be worried about?” he asked, the two now walking more cautiously and scanning the vine-covered ceiling.

“Not sure. There shouldn’t be any spores in this immediate area, thankfully. Just watch out for those barky cocoons. It says they were also investigating potential symbiosis between plant and mammalian life forms.”

“I don’t like how that sounds.”

“Neither do I. It’d certainly explain where the Fonies came from, however. Or maybe a version of them.”

Astral shuddered, the two carefully continuing onwards. They didn’t make it more than a minute before Sassi paused.

“Vent. Left side,” she whispered. “Can you flame it?”

The pilot light was already lit, Astral bracing himself to turn. He could see the vent out of the corner of his eye, and something was slowly moving in it.

“Now!”

Astral whipped his body around, planting his hooves in the soil as he unleashed a wall of flame into the metal grid.

A four-limbed creature screeched, launching itself out of the vent and missing the stallion by a hair. It writhed on the ground, abruptly dissolving into a boiling sludge as the fire self-extinguished.

“Sassi, what is going on?” Astral whispered, looking at the mess as the mare shook her head.

“I don’t know. The suit says it was made of plant matter, hence why it burned out so fast. All that’s left is…organic plastics.”

“Plastics?!”

“It sort of makes sense,” the mare continued as they cautiously crept through the indoor jungle. “A plant-based plastic would be more durable than just raw material. Looks like whatever experiments they were running created…those.”

“They’re Fonies, aren’t they?”

“From what the RASP scan said, yep. Non-fungus Fonies.”

Astral couldn’t hold in the sigh that echoed over their radio.
“I hate this place.”

The two Thestrals made their way through the jungle step by step. It wound this way and that, large trees forcing them through a maze to cross what would otherwise be a short walk.

“Don’t struggle,” Sassi sighed, slicing off a few more vines that had wrapped themselves around her hapless stallion.

“I’m not!”

“Interesting. The AI says the movement causes them to constrict.”

Astral groaned, still staying motionless as the vines pulled him against a tree.
“Fascinating. Can you just…cut them?”

“These things are nasty. Glad we have the armor. Those thorns do not look pretty.”

With a few more hacks of the blade, Astral stumbled free.

“Thanks, Sas.”

She nodded, giving his shoulder a bump with her own.
“No prob. Hey, at least-”

He held up a hoof, the stallion shaking his head in defeat. Even though they had only been slogging through the jungle for half an hour, it had clearly worn the Thestral down.

“Don’t…don’t say any at-least statements. Something always happens,” he pleaded, Sassi snickering softly.

“Ok, that’s true.”

As if timed by a Discord himself, Astral ran face-first into an orange, sponge-like protrusion on a tree as they turned a corner.

The watermelon-sized orb let out a wheeze, and the air was abruptly saturated with greenish-tan spores as a dozen more of the protrusions erupted up the trunk of the tree.

As if adding insult to injury, one of the spore bumps fell off a branch and onto Astral’s armored head. It spilled open with an almost jelly-like consistency that utterly coated the stallion in a lime-green goo.

Sassi could feel the glare from behind his visor.

“I didn’t say anything!” she protested, trying not to laugh. The mare saw a blip on her motion detection, and she promptly caved in a lurking plant’s mouth with an armored punch as it snaked closer. “And I vote we call these toothies!”

“I need a shower,” Astral muttered, shaking off as much of the goo as he could. “Ew. I swear it’s in the suit!”

“Hold on,” Sassi groaned, another plant slowly snaking towards her. Thankfully, the creatures seemed to rely purely on instinct. They detected motion, and slowly went towards it.

They were also very easy to kill.

A burst from the chaingun turned the ‘toothie’ to paste, Sassi then inspecting the miserable Thestral at her side.

“Seriously, you ok?” she asked in a softer tone, picking up on nothing but misery in their emotional link.

“Remember my um…feelings about goo? Jello and that type of texture?” he said with almost a whimper. “The armor helps. But it’s still really uncomfortable.”

Despite Astral walking forwards, Sassi could see his demeanor shifting. The stallion was constantly trying to shake off the remnants of the spore-pods. The pea-soup air gave away every subtle movement as the spore blew this way and that. The anxiety in their link only increased, and that made worry prick at Sassi’s heart.

The last thing Astral needed was something else to weigh him down.

Luckily…

“Y’know, Astral. Eventually, you’ll have to confront that fear,” Sassi said, the stallion’s shoulders slumping.

“Yeah, I know. I’ve tried. But it’s just-I don’t know.”

“I’m just saying. Considering how kissable you are, we’ll have to deal with that fear together quite a few times.”

Sassi couldn’t help but burst out laughing as Astral froze, shock radiating from their emotional link as he stared. That much was clear even from behind the visor as amused embarrassment abruptly flooded their link.

“What? I’m talking about more kisses,” Sassi said innocently, her eyes then widening. “Wait, wow. Wooooooow. Astral, really? I don’t know where your mind went,” the mare said with another laugh. “Sheesh. I was actually not going there this time! But I mean, you’re right, if your mind went where I think it did!”

Astral grumbled under his breath, shaking off a bit more of the goo. The visor on his helmet cleared briefly. Through the spore-laden air, Sassi could see a grateful smile on her special-somepony’s face.

“Thanks, Sas,” he whispered.

She reached over to squeeze his hoof, the two of them pressing onwards.

“Anytime. Let’s get out of this jungle.”

“And find a shower.”

Sassi giggled, a pleasant, amused hum blooming over their emotional link from Astral.

“Yes, and find a shower. Eventually.”

Author's Note

Oh boy, a lovey jungle...

Chapter 100: High Clarity

The vines, at last, began to recede as the Thestrals weaved their way through the forest. Unfortunately, it was replaced by something else.

“Sas…something’s wrong about all of this,” Astral muttered, “and I mean more than normal.”

“No, I agree,” the other Thestral replied, walking over and poking the odd wall growth with a knife. “It’s organic, but not entirely a plant, I think. The AI says it has traces of proteins.”

“It’s flesh, isn’t it?”

“Do you want the answer to that?” Sassi’s glance back as she spoke made Astral realize that no, he didn’t want an answer yet.

The greenish-tan material now carpeted the walls, tendrils of the spongy, spiderweb-like substance radiating from the large hallway they had to go. The color shifted to a more maroon tint the farther they went.

Astral stumbled, spitting up some tar as Sassi steadied him.
“A jungle into this place?” he muttered. “Okay, Sas. What does the AI say it is?”

“There are traces of DNA from all sorts of creatures,” she said calmly. “The proteins and organic matter were basically torn apart to create…that.”

“Similar to the Skitters and that hive?”

“Exactly. But this is different. Simpler. It’s like basic building blocks of mush.”

Astral sighed, plodding forward with Sassi at his side.
“Then in we go. Simpler maybe is better. No hive mind, just a similar experiment gone wrong?”

“That’s not a bad guess.”

They hadn’t taken more than five steps in when Sassi stopped.
“There’s no power in this area. Pitch black. Switch to infrared,” she said. “I’ll have the AI set our armor to whatever stealth mode is. Looks like it cuts off exterior lights. Best not attract attention.”

“Sounds good.”

Following her lead, Astral trod carefully over the sponge-like material. Spores wheezed out with every step, and the air quickly became thick with them.

“Do we have to worry about filters?” Astral whispered, the mare at his side shaking her head.

“Thankfully no. We have plenty of spares, and the particles are big enough that the system can backflush a good percentage, even with your older helmet. That’s what the display is telling me at least.”

“Any idea what the spores…” Astral started to ask, but a shape on the wall caught his attention.
Sassi let out a hiss, the mare backing up to scan the long hallway, miniguns spinning.
“The fact it’s empty isn’t a good thing,” she muttered.

Plastered on the wall was a familiar, fungus-like cocoon. The shape of a misshapen pony body was markedly absent from the center.

“This one is different,” Sassi growled, examining the empty cocoon. “The others were all fleshy. This is like, solid fungus.”

“I would say burn it, but since we’re standing on…”

“Yeah, let’s not ignite it,” she agreed, walking back to Astral and nudging his shoulder. “You holding up okay?”

He managed a weak smile behind the visor, the infrared casting everything in a sickly-green glow.

“Barely. Still covered in who knows what. I feel better with the reactor…but not totally.”

“Maybe that break didn’t do you much good,” Sassi said with a frown, “let’s get through this section, and then I can give you another dose.”

“Not sure it’d help. The last one only made me feel a bit better.”

The worry twanged at Astral’s mind from their link, and the stallion felt a bit of guilt prick at his heart. He didn’t want her to worry, but he wasn’t about to lie.

“If I had to guess, I just have a baseline of not-so-great that gets progressively lower,” he said.

“Hold on,” Sassi said, directing a question toward the AI. It only took a moment for the mare to then read off the information.

“Well, within another day or so, we can detach the healing crystals from the armor, so you’re definitely still healing. Even once those crystals are off, you’re…yeah. It’s basically telling me a fancy way of what you said,” the mare continued. “Until we can strap you into a healing bed with a relaxed lifestyle for an extended period, you’re going to just get worse. But the healing crystals and reactor can keep you at a baseline of somewhat combat-effective, even if you don’t feel good.”

“G-great.”

Another pang of worry and Sassi slid up to nudge his shoulder with hers. He couldn’t hide his teeth chattering over the radio. There wasn’t a chill, just an abrupt shiver.

“Hang in there, Astral. Let’s get out of this pitch black first.”

He nodded, a tired chuckle leaving his mouth.
“I guess t-there’s a rebound,” the stallion said with a weak smile. “Felt pretty good the past day with you. Best I’ve felt. Now comes the cruddy flip side.”

“Just wait until there isn’t a cruddy flip side. Smoothies and cuddling every day. I promise there’ll be plenty of that.”

“I’d like that,” Astral said softly, the tenderness in his voice making Sassi glance his way.

“You certainly deserve it. I’d be attached at your hip if not for our current situation.”

“Munching it or hugging it?”

“Both.”

Her immediate reply made Astral laugh softly, his spirits buoyed a bit as they walked. While they didn’t meet any living creatures, the air began to become thicker with spores.

“Yuck. Should have expected it with all this organic matter,” Sassi muttered. “The stuff on the floor is getting squishier, thicker.”

Astral pulled his hoof out of the fleshy, sponge-like material to take another step. It was like a lasagna in the worse possible way.

“Contact.”

He froze, Sassi’s guns slowly spinning. The dot on their motion detection steadily marched towards them, growing larger as the sensors adjusted. Sassi backed up, pushing Astral into what must have been a supply closet before being overgrown. The ceiling had been shredded by something; opening up into a large air duct.

The two waited, their guns trained on the opening. The remnants of the door were currently piled against a wall. Whatever was in here had ripped the metal slab off its hinges.

There was barely any sound, only the soft squishing of a creature making its way down the hall.

Astral promptly bit his cheek to stop himself from taking a surprised breath as two gangly limbs entered their view. One of them gripped the doorframe with blood-stained claws. The boney, ghost-white appendages shone with a menacing light in the infrared.

The long limbs were joined to a thicker torso; similar to that of the Skitters. Instead of emaciated flesh, however, armored, fungus-like plates covered the barrel-like segment. The neck was squat, a bumpy oval head looking this way and that. Strange fungus sprouted from its entire body and face; no eyes were visible.

An ear-piercing clicking made Astral wince, the two Thestrals remaining frozen in place as the creature looked this way and that.

Echo-location. Or something like it.

It turned to look directly at the ponies. It let out another series of clicks, head tilting to the side. Apparently satisfied, it pulled back and began its journey down the fleshy hallway again.

It was only after the contact faded from their motion detection screen that Astral let himself breathe audibly.

“What?” he whispered, abruptly sitting on his hind limbs to catch his breath. Between the freaky plants, the goo, and now this pitch-black horror, the stallion was quickly burning up his mental reserves.

“The armor must have disguised us. It may have thought we were just metal rubble,” Sassi mussed, reaching over to lay a hoof on Astral’s shoulder. “We need to go.”

“I know, just give me a second.”

As the motion detection let out a blip, Sassi pulled him to the side, the two of them pressing next to the pile of debris.

“Just breath, Astral.”

Astral realized why his nerves were fraying. He had fought hundreds of monsters. But in this pitch-black area, where there wasn’t anywhere to go…

It’s like the ocean. A black abyss. But this time something is waiting for me.

He tried not to think about it- but that wasn’t terribly effective.

The creature moseyed on by again, clicking this way and that. It barely even glanced at the supply room, casually climbing onto the ceiling as it sent out more pulses of sound.

It faded, and the two Thestrals breathed again.

“We can try killing it, but we should probably sneak by,” Sassi said. “The guns would be loud. And considering the traces of organic plastic around us, I’d say that armor around its torso will be problematic.”

“I’ll follow your lead, Sassi.”

It was all the Thestral could muster, and he was rather grateful Sassi simply nodded. She was in soldier mode- it helped keep him focused.

“Alright. When it passes by again, whenever that is, we’ll slip past it. Assuming there aren’t two. If there’s two, we’ll blast ‘em and run, then hide. If they use sound to find us, if we stay still and throw something, we could lead them off.”

“Sounds good. So, we wait?”

“We wait. We’ll want to make sure there’s only one.”

Sassi’s question was abruptly answered in the worst way possible. Their motion detectors lit up as a fungus-encrusted head poked itself out of the air duct above them, looking down at the Thestrals with an ear-piercing series of clicks.

Author's Note

Ohboy

Chapter 101: Lovely Liminal Location

“Don’t. Move. Astral!”

Astral would have nodded as Sassi’s voice echoed in his ears.

No, not his ears.

It didn’t matter at that moment. The creature above them clicked again, slowly reaching down to examine the supply room. It was only when it stared at Sassi and opened a fang-filled mouth that she let loose with the cannons.

Astral didn’t even have time to react.

The creature jerked, but it was more out of surprise than anything. The two cannon shots shattered the ceramic-like armor on its chest, but otherwise, the creature didn’t appear harmed.

As the miniguns sprayed it with ineffective projectiles, the creature’s mouth opened in what could only logically be a smirk.

Astral was only able to send a single burst of flame at it before a second creature yanked him off his hooves. He heard Sassi scream his name as he was dragged into the destroyed air duct. It was a wonder the guns weren’t shorn from the mounts as the creature sped along.

It hadn’t been more than a second, but Astral finally snapped out of his shock and fired. The flames coated the air vent, whiting out the HUD. At first, the creature didn’t pause, continuing to yank him through the air vent at a blistering pace.

After a few seconds of fire, the creature finally let out a screech and flailed, the two of them punching through the thin metal and slamming into the floor. Light abruptly washed over them.

Astral rolled over, jumping to his hooves to bring the guns to bear-

The creature was faster.

It pinned him with a set of serrated claws, blackened armor bubbling and crackling as a fungus-filled face loomed over the pony. The guns were locked to Astral’s side and aimed away- but one of his hooves was still free.

As the monstrosity leered over him and opened a fang-filled mouth, Astral shoved his hoof into it. The creature let out a gurgling choke, Astral yanking the pin out of the grenade he had rammed into the throat of the mutant as it tried to snap down.

The monster exploded with a wet splatter, Astral coughing up tar as he laughed.
“I didn’t t-think that’d work!” he gasped, forcing himself upright.

Taking a few moments to collect himself, Astral looked around at the oddly-barren area.
“Sassi? You there?” He asked, the radio replying with a burst of static.

What was an even harsher realization was that he couldn’t sense her over their mental link. Astral hadn’t realized how comforting the soft hum of her presence had been until it was gone. An invisible, gentle warmth in the back of his mind had abruptly been removed.

“AI? How about you? Online?”

‘Confirmed. Duplicate backup program running. Suppression field detected- unable to connect to primary program with secondary user.’

Looking around, Astral could only frown. While the night vision wasn’t at all necessary, a sickly, fluorescent-like light permeated the area. If not for the helmet’s filter, it would have made his eyes immediately hurt.

Metal walls immediately rose around him to the ceiling, and a sickly, tannish-green wallpaper was plastered over them. Judging from how they were arranged, it was a maze. No doors, just openings in front and behind the stallion.

Great.

What was more disturbing, however, was the floor. It wasn’t fleshy, but of an ugly tile that was more suited for an old dentist’s office.

As the AI scanned the area, Astral examined the dead creature. He didn’t learn much else, other than the fungus was intertwined with every part of the mutant.

“Sassi named the other one. So, I get to name you. Clickers? Eh, that’s cliché.” He then grinned, kicking the dead creature’s mouth.

“We have Skitter, Chitters…you get to be Chatters.”

He liked that.

Unfortunately, the AI scan only revealed worse news that was supported as Astral took a few steps. As soon as he passed through the first door, there was a whisper of movement behind him. On turning around, the entrance was gone.

The walls can move. An ever-shifting maze.

And judging from the AI’s scans, he couldn’t blast through the steel. A map wasn’t available either- the suppression field and composition of the walls limited everything to line of sight.

He was alone.

Astral took another moment, steadying his shaking hooves. His limbs ached, and every muscle felt out of place as shivers randomly shot through them. The medication station on his side thankfully was mostly full, trickling in the necessary substances. The reactor was operating at minimal capacity, likely due to the suppression field.

He started walking, marking each wall with a scrape of his hoof as he entered, and then an angled mark as he left.

Maybe it’d work, maybe it wouldn’t. But the emptiness of the maze gave off an unsettling vibe. There were random, homey objects set up. An entrance table with flowers, a dining room table, and chairs…

Things were just wrong.

What was the purpose of this place?

“Who’s there?”

Astral’s head snapped over, eyes narrowing as a distorted voice rang out from somewhere nearby. To his left?

The motion tracker was useless, so the stallion crept forward with the flamethrower and shotgun at a ready. Despite the clear voice, there was nothing. Twists, turns, and a dozen halls later…nothing.

“Maybe speakers?” Astral muttered, then spying something even odder. A vase had been smashed from one of the random tables that popped up. Underneath it, however, recording lenses peered out from the wood.

“A camera. So, this is a testing location,” he said to himself.

He wasn’t sure if that made things better or worse.

I just hope you’re ok, Sassi.

“Who’s there?”

The voice echoed around again; but Astral realized a single, crucial detail. It was the exact same tone and inflection from before.

So, it has to be a recording.

As he continued to walk, the stallion noticed the walls had stopped shifting rather abruptly, locking into a set format. The AI helped plot it on the HUD, at least for areas he had been. A new addition to the home-centric paraphernalia abruptly cropped up, dotting some of the random halls and rooms.

It was a large storage locker but made for something twice Astral’s size with angled slits on some of the metal plating. Some sort of equipment or another object from the looks of it. On a careful inspection, Astral found he could fit easily inside even with the armor.

Thankfully, it had no signs of freaky-flesh goo.

A spark of anger made the Thestral snark, the abrupt turn of emotions making the pony grind his teeth. Considering what he had been through Astral was surprised his emotions had been ‘somewhat’ stable.

But he was just sick of it. His body failing him, this place wanting to trap any life underneath rock and metal, it had worn him down to where anger and spite were some of the best tools. That, and the desire to keep Sassi safe.

One hoof in front of the other. To escape. To have a future with Sassi.

He could do that.

A few deep breaths quelled the anger, yet as soon as it had fled, Astral wished for it to return.

The lights in the next section began to flicker, and fear took the place of anger.

“Who’s there?”

The voice sounded again- this time nearly on top of Astral. Yet the maze yielded nothing but silence and the soft whine of the ceiling lights. He carefully crept forwards, peeking around the corner.

Somehow, he must have come full circle. Either by chance or, more likely, led by the maze. The body of the Chatter lay on the floor.

Crouching above it, however, a similar creature tore bits off of the dead creature with crackling that was more suited to eating a bag of chips.

The monster was oddly dark, the pigment of the armored skin seeming to draw in all light. It had the same fungal growths as the Chatter, but its movements were more fluid and powerful.

It was focused on eating for another moment, but then it stopped. An almost perfectly circular head on a disturbingly-long neck abruptly turned. Two red, pinprick-pupils locked onto Astral.

As pearly-white fangs widened into an eager grin, the stallion bolted.

Author's Note

Thank you to UglyPotato, Dakuookami ,and Changeling404 for the idea for this lovely area.

Seems familiar. Rooms of the back? The room back behind the main area? The place of back in a room?
Nah. Must not be important. :trollestia:

Chapter 102: Libraries

Sassi stomped the head of the fungus mutant angrily, the fourth creature to have attacked after Astral had been snatched. She took a few deep breaths, watching the motion detection pop up in her HUD for any more attackers.

She was then off, trotting through the fleshy material as the mare followed the air duct system, or tried her best to. The delay had already cost her precious minutes.

The first two creatures had clearly been trying to stall her, opting to try and strike with non-lethal blows before getting serious. Their ceramic-like armor might have just made them cocky, however.

After that though, the two creatures that had torn down the hall towards Sassi had shown no such hesitation, trying to rip the mare apart before being met with a hail of gunfire.

Even so, it took hundreds of rounds just to kill four of them. They were remarkably resilient.

And I can’t make any more ammo without the reactor.

Astral was still alive; that much Sassi knew. She tried not to think past that. The idea that he could be ripped away so abruptly, that she’d never see-

She stopped, shaking her head and shoving the thoughts down.

We’ve gotten this far. I’m not losing him now!

It was so easy to take Astral for granted. Having the stallion at her side was grounding in a sense Sassi hadn’t realized until it was gone. Their mental link, while still an unknown oddity, had been comforting. The AI had immediately blared a warning that a suppression field had been activated. Previously confined to the blacked-out area of the map, it now encompassed beyond the hallway. If Sassi had to guess, some testing area had been activated and the equipment had gone into overdrive.

The motion tracker pulsed, and the mare suppressed a growl as another contact moved into range as she crept along the hallway. The guns were already spinning, ready to turn whatever this new creature was into a fine paste.

The dot stopped.

Huh.

Sassi carefully followed the wall, stopping at the corner which hid the new enemy. If it could leave on its own, that’d be ideal. Even though she had thousands of rounds left, that could get burned up fast in a fight.

The dot abruptly moved, and Sassi froze as two spider-like limbs popped around the corner. The appendages hefted a sizeable body, more like an inflated water balloon. The head was a mass of fungus, and the oval torso was oddly smooth. Two more spidery limbs propelled it along, the creature utterly oblivious to Sassi’s presence.

It stopped just behind her, lowering to the ground. Sassi’s stomach abruptly did a flip as she realized the back of the creature was squirming. Dozens of small protrusions abruptly grew in size.

Thin black tentacles erupted from underneath each of the fleshy bulbs, pushing a skull-like shape out from the back of the larger creature. The smaller, coconut-sized objects slithered off, a dozen of them fanning out to examine the hallway in front of their carrier creature.

The pulsating holes in the back of the larger creature made Sassi’s stomach clench. She could add another ‘nope’ to the ‘new nope’ list.

She carefully crept along, thankfully leaving the creature behind her.

Some kind of host that transports the smaller creatures? Uses them to scout for food perhaps?

Such questions were ones the mare would happily leave unanswered.

The previously-rectangular walls were now a circular tunnel, the squishy material carpeting every surface as she trudged onwards, trying to follow the air duct. It kept twisting and turning, eventually vanishing behind a sturdy wall. The RASP suit wasn’t able to scan beyond it. Apparently, it was a complete black hole of information beyond the leftmost wall of the tunnel. Something was blocking the scans, and that was in addition to the metal being far too thick to even consider blasting through.

That left following the tunnel to find an entrance. Sassi didn’t like that option, but there wasn’t anything else she could do. Retracing her steps to try and climb in the air vent was out of the question, especially with those things around.

So, the mare continued onwards. Aside from two more of the carrier creatures (dubbed ‘squirmies’), the area was disturbingly quiet.

She hated it.

The soft squishing of the fleshy mat underhoof was a constant reminder of how wrong this entire place was. Her training didn’t encompass this, and the usual mental zone she could go into during battle was only partially effective here. There was just…nothing. All she could do was listen for threats and move along. And try not to think about Astral. Even a brief thought about the stallion made her heart seize at the possibility that-

For once, Sassi was grateful for the motion detection to send out an alert. She moved to push herself against some rubble; the remnants of what appeared to be a kiosk.

Another dot appeared, and then another. They zeroed in on a room directly ahead of Sassi, the Chatters flooding into it. Two of the creatures appeared from behind the mare, utterly ignoring her as they ran into the room. A series of shrieks and cracks abruptly began to echo around the hall.

Sassi’s eyes widened as the shredded body of one of the Chatters was thrown out from the room, slamming into the tunnel wall and falling limp. Another body was thrown, and the remaining four Chatters abruptly fled further down the tunnel. A soft clicking reverberated out from the room, but it wasn’t echo-location. It was like bones bouncing off each other…

The shape that loomed out from the destroyed doorway made Sassi’s breath freeze in her lungs. Pulling the two bodies into the room, the unmistakable claws of Number Two retreated back into the blackness.

The mare waited until the motion tracker cleared, and she then pushed against the opposite wall and moved as fast as she could.

I have to find Astral. That thing already is here!

As if spurring her onwards, a soft hiss echoed through the tunnels. The fleshy floor abruptly began to wheeze, a greenish cloud filling the tunnel.

‘WARNING: Unknown airborne toxin detected. Filter effectiveness unknown.’

Astral stared at the warning in his helmet about the airborne toxic, barely daring to breathe.

The creature was still about. It had passed by him twice since Astral had hidden in one of the large lockers. Five minutes ago. He had also found out the source of the voices. The creature was able to mimic, at least partially, a normal voice.

Not a bad way to lure in prey.

The fact the motion detection didn’t work outside of the line of sight was maddening. Astral could hear the creature at times, but then silence would take over.

I have to move eventually. I need to get out of here!

Add in the unknown toxin, and this place was a death trap. He didn’t even know what this place was supposed to be testing for!

He waited another few minutes, finally creeping out of the hidey-hole. The AI had charted his previous path, and while it wasn’t terribly accurate (with walls changing at random now,) it at least gave him an idea of the overall outline of the room.

At this point, if he could find an air duct against the wall, he’d climb back in if he had to.

Astral continued to creep forwards, an odd fuzziness permeating his thoughts. It was like his brain was saturated in a fog. He had grown accustomed to the lightning-fast reflexes, both mental and physical due to the augmentation. Now it felt like he was saturated in jello. Every step felt delayed, and there was an odd fog in his mind as the Thestral struggled to think.

The toxin.

Despite the constant warning, the filters were working at full capacity, for whatever that was worth. Maybe this place was just getting to him? If-

A loud siren made the stallion freeze, his skin crawling. A cold sweat immediately broke out across the Thestral’s body as he darted over to a corner, hunkering down with his weapons aimed and ready.

I know that sound.

The text on Astral’s HUD faded away as he was sucked into a memory. It was like watching a movie, his body becoming sluggish as he at least managed to move and hide underneath a nearby table. Everything then faded, the stallion trying to not hyperventilate. The siren drew out the memories and fears without even a hint of resistance. Astral’s vision fuzzed over even further, memories being wallpapered over his current situation with odd ease.

He hadn’t told anyone about that day. A single hour that had stretched on for what felt like forever. His parents hadn’t bothered to care, and Gabbro…he loved the Hippogriff too much to scar him with the details. The Case had then occupied so much of Astral’s life, the Thestral had been almost able to forget.

The emergency siren continued to blare, a slow wind up to a piercing tone that repeated. Astral had heard it plenty of times for tests, but there had been one incident where it had been for real.

A chemical plant near one of the Guard training grounds had suffered an accident. A nasty fog that had melted organic matter in seconds. They had sheltered in place with their suits, masks, and emergency gear; waiting for it to pass.

The squad had been safe. But the gas had crept into the building despite their best efforts. The blue mist had pooled around their hooves; the only thing between them being a thick seal of treated rubber and absorbent material.

There had only been twenty deaths, incredibly. There had been a brisk wind and it had blown the cloud into an uninhabited area.

Four of those deaths had been just outside the building Astral had been sheltering in.

I can still see their faces.

The ponies were dead the minute the fog rolled in; there wasn’t anything anyone could have done. But the sight of barely-living creatures literally melting into a pile of gore outside the window, choked screams abruptly fading…

All while the siren screamed its warning.

Astral finally came to his senses, the vitals portion of the HUD flashing in warning as his heart rate skyrocketed.

Maybe Sassi would understand. She wouldn’t laugh or judge.

“Where did that siren come from?” he asked, the AI circle flashing.

‘No sounds detected outside of fluorescent lights operating.’

“Wait. Nothing? What about the past few minutes?”

‘Stand by.’

It only took a moment as the Stallion continued to move.

‘Analyzing complete. Detection of distant movement. Unknown enemy movement matches to 32.62% of distant sounds. Lighting operation accounts for 97.32% of audible sound in the immediate area. Unchanged for the past five minutes. No other sounds detected.’

That made Astral’s heart sink. Auditory hallucinations? That fast?

“Astral?”

He whirled, a sigh of relief leaving his mouth at the sound of Sassi’s voice.

“Sas? Are you-”

The words trailed off into a horrified choke as the mare looked at him. Her armor was missing, as was half of her face.

“Why did you leave me to die?” she asked, flesh beginning to drip off from her skeletal frame.

Astral tore his eyes away and ran. A distant, malicious laugh echoed off the faded walls as claws tore across the carpet behind him.

Author's Note

"Your environment suit should serve you well when the Flood begins to alter the atmosphere. You are a good planner."

Chapter 104: Reality

Sassi scanned the walls, biting back a frustrated hiss. Her search was taking far too long. And it was all the same area!

Hours of looking over the same circular hallways and fleshy growths. It blended together, and it didn’t help that the mutated creatures occasionally tried to attack her. Yet they still never sent more than a few at a time.

The mare’s worries were now solely focused on Astral. She was fine; the whispers over the hours of searching hadn’t gotten worse. Her body was built for far worse toxins than the air now held.

But Astral…

The stallion had clearly been struggling after their break. Without time to heal, the strengths of the modification weren’t in full effect. For all she knew the gas had put him to sleep.

He’d have found a place to hide first. He’s a smart guy.

In the end though, Astral was still a pony. A modified pony who would eventually be on her physical level, but he didn’t have the brutal training, mentally or physically. There was only so much that raw willpower could do when your own body refused to respond.

Sassi’s training had been nearly all-encompassing. Dealing with a decreased mental state including hallucinations had actually been part of it. There were plenty of ways such a thing could happen- so you had to learn to ignore it and focus on the mission. They had been given mild hallucinogens and then told to complete various tasks.

Aside from feeling higher than a kite, Sassi had performed above and beyond everyone else.

Ignore and focus. That’s a great thing in some situations. Horrible in others.

Her special somepony, however, had no such training. He was just a pony, but at the same time, so much more.

He had fought a Silo of creatures just to get to her. Even that thought made Sassi’s chest glow with warmth. Astral was so much more than he gave himself credit for. But in that same vein, Sassi had to recognize the poor stallion had limits, both physical and mental. She wasn’t sure where his breaking point was.

I just want to be there to help you when you can’t give anymore.

The map changed, and Sassi showed her fangs with a grin.

Bingo.

The body of a bloated squirmy sagged against a wall, Sassi pushing it aside. Behind it, a door was visible.

Pure, dumb luck. She had killed the mutant during one of her first passes of the hallway, needing to backtrack after another one showed up, and completely missed the door. Completely flush against the wall, it was, oddly, devoid of the fleshy material, but covered in mutant blood that made it blend into the fleshy hive walls with the corpse covering it. The door slid open with a rather disgusting squish, however, indicating that perhaps the growths would make their way inside sooner rather than later.

It was a standard monitoring room for a testing location. Various monitors, controls, and consoles were set up across one wall. Some filing cabinets and desks occupied the opposite wall, doors opening to both the right and the left of the viewing area.

“Mental Resiliency and Liminal Space evaluation. Status: Condemned,” Sassi muttered. “Oh, and of course, they’d add a monster into there. Whoever designed this was watching too many horror films. No wonder it was shut down.”

Officially condemned and put offline. But unofficially kept clean for occasional use. I hate this company.

Sassi examined the various readouts. Apparently the ‘testing incentive’ was loose, and the restraining collars were inactive.

Naturally.

“So, how do I shut you off? There’s no control for the dampening field.”

There wasn’t any sign of Astral on the monitors, but almost all of them were offline, so that wasn’t terribly surprising.

“Hang on, Astral,” Sassi muttered as she delved into the controls. “Let’s shut down the random maze garbage and get you out of there. Just give me a bit.”

She managed to navigate through a few of the subsystems, and the mare almost let out a groan at seeing a warning flash on the monitor.

“So, you were experimenting with hallucinogens here? But there’s not nearly enough to have done anything,” she muttered. “Wait...oh. Naturally, there’s a biohazard alert.”

If the mare had to guess, the fleshy hive structure had gotten a sample of the gas somehow.

Use that as a template to develop a defense mechanism. Or maybe it just tapped into a larger reserve of the existing stuff. Who knows.

Finding the correct set of commands, Sassi typed them into the console, letting out a frustrated groan as a text scrolled across the screen.

‘Command accepted. Warning. Time-delay commands are active due to insufficient processing power. Processing shut-off command and exit protocol. T-minus ten minutes.’

“I hate this place.”

Astral leaned against the wall, shutting his eyes as Gabbro’s gory face leered at him. It was a constant battle to move just a few steps. His limbs were leaden, and the stallion’s mind was clouded and utterly spent.

He wasn’t sure if there were any more tears to shed. There certainly were no more spikes of adrenaline, despite the horrific sights. There was just a slog through the nightmares that refused to let him be.

After another two turns on shaking limbs, Astral was faced with an oddly square section of the wall that protruded like a sealed-off room. That was new.

Was it?

A door opened, and a familiar, armored mare hopped out, dashing over to the stallion and looking him over.

“Astral! Let’s go!” she said, voice crackling over the radio. “We need to move. You okay?”

Wait. Was it over the radio? The HUD registered audio, oddly matching up with what he was seeing.

“Are you real?” Astral muttered, his eyelids and thoughts heavy.

The yank on his armor seemed a bit firmer than the other hallucinations, Sassi actually managing to drag him into the room, then sealing the door behind them.

“Stars, Astral, your vitals are…what’s going on?! Are you okay?” Sassi asked, tapping the exterior control on the helmet to raise the visor.

This is different.

On seeing his bleary eyes and tear-stained face, Sassi simply reached over and wrapped him up into a tight hug.

“Astral, come on. Talk to me. The suppression field is still active. I can’t tell what’s going on.”

“N-not sure if this is real,” Astral managed to say, his voice cracking every few words. “Are you really here?”

“I’m very real. The gas is making you see things, right?”

He nodded, leaning into Sassi’s embrace. The mare tightened her hold on him as she felt the stallion’s limbs trembling, even with the armor.

“Lots of stuff. Horrid. I can’t…”

“Just focus on me. I’m here. The gas isn’t affecting me as much. That said, we’ve got to get to clean air,” she explained. “I don’t know the long-term impacts of this stuff and…Astral?”

The stallion stared, his legs giving out. Astral then let himself cry, tears burning from his eyes as he held onto Sassi tightly.

She’s real.

Yet the bloodied face of the mare refused to leave as the emergency alarm sounded once again in Astral’s mind.

Author's Note

Back to the desert of the real.

Chapter 105: Sanctuary

Sassi’s heart felt like it was encased in ice.

After crying for a short time, Astral had recovered enough for them to keep moving. He only answered in a few words, the stallion completely out of it and barely able to walk in a straight line. It took a few reassurances to convince him that everything was real.

“Do you see anything odd now?” Sassi asked, the stallion making a soft grunt.

“You look horrible,” he said, then looking away. “Skeletal. No flesh.”

“That’s…wow. Ok, let’s just get to clean air,” the mare said. “Just remember I’m real. I’ll let you know if there are any hazards you need to watch out for. Everything else you can blame on the gas.”

“Got it. Everything is fuzzy. Can’t focus. Tired.”

His voice was almost monotone, but a solid undercurrent of fear was ever-present. The stallion looked at her constantly, as if reassuring himself that she was present.

What did you go through in there, Astral?

She wanted nothing more than to hug him, but the dark tunnels were hardly the time or place for it.

“Contact coming along the opposite wall. Just stay still and let it pass,” she said.

The two waited, a Squirmy clambering past without a pause.

“That was real? Weird blob creature?” Astral asked as they continued onwards.

“Yep. Looks like a fleshy water balloon. I called it a Squirmy. It has some smaller scout forms embedded in its back. Nasty coconut-shaped things but easy to kill.”

Astral nodded, the stallion tottering on his hooves. An alert popped up in Sassi’s HUD, and the mare frowned.

‘Warning. Blood toxicity levels rising in primary user. Toxins match air contaminants. Recommend immediate action. Clean environment needed before additional medical countermeasures can be utilized. Secondary user maintaining nominal levels of blood toxicity.’

“We’ve got to get out of here,” Sassi whispered, Astral simply letting out another grunt as he followed her. Informing him of the danger was a double-edged sword. The mare wanted to make sure he was up to date with things, but at the same time, he was barely hanging on to lucidity as it was.

At least her own body was able to purge the toxins. The two of them hallucinating would not be a good thing indeed.

Sassi led them back to what she had hoped was an exit. It was one of four doors that branched out from the main tunnel that encircled the testing area.

“Is that a pool of acid?” Astral asked, staring at a portion of the floor in front of them.

“Nope. Just fleshy nastiness,” Sassi proclaimed, walking in front of him. “See?”

“You’re melting.”

The mare bit her lip as Astral looked away, armor shifting as he shuddered.

“Well, I can safely say I’m not melting right now. Just walk towards me,” she reassured him. The stallion nodded, cautiously walking forwards and hissing.

“Feels cold.”

“The gas is a partial nerve agent if I had to guess. Hallucinations can be perceptions too.”

“Ok.”

The monotone response made Sassi’s skin crawl with anxiety. The stallion she loved was utterly buried underneath whatever had occurred in the testing chamber.

Just around the next corner…

She froze, a shadow moving in front of them. It was like one of the first mutants they had faced. Even with the infrared, the creature’s body soaked up all methods of illumination. Gangly limbs gripped the hive tunnels, claws ripping into the fleshy material.

A long neck turned to look at Sassi, and she heard Astral whimper behind her as two eyes locked onto her, then focusing on him.

“Real?” the stallion asked, swaying on his hooves.

Sassi snarled as the miniguns sped up.

“Real. And that means it can die.”

The cannons roared, the projectiles smacking the new creature in the face. It reeled backward, gathering on an opposite wall. It dodged another burst of fire from Sassi, angling to try and attack Astral.

The hundreds of magical bullets Sassi sent its way seemed to cut off that idea. Even if they mostly bounced off the creature’s armored torso, the mare saw a few shots dig into the joints with a meaty spurt of flesh. Angling the guns, Sassi tried to track the creature’s head as it scrambled, darting forward before then retreating repeatedly.

It jumped again, focused on the compromised stallion behind the mare. Astral didn’t fire, but considering how much his weapons wavered back and forth, that was a good thing.

As it jumped again, the miniguns roared at Sassi’s side. The ammo counter ticked ever-lower, and the mare made a split-second decision.

“You can’t have him!” she snarled, the mare’s hoof snapping through the air.

The creature paused as the dual cannon shots smacked it in the neck, letting out a hiss as it looked at the knife buried up to the hilt in its shoulder.

It gathered itself for another leap, but Sassi could only smirk as she threw the pin from a grenade at it, turning to cover Astral.

The detonation shook the tunnel, the creature letting out a pained shriek as it sped away. Black blood coated the walls along with a fair bit of shadowy flesh and fungal armor. Yet even as the long-necked mutant retreated, a distant, almost demonic laugh echoed behind it.

Time to go.

“You faced that before?” Sassi asked as they crept forwards towards the door.

“In the maze. Hunted me.”

“Well, glad I could give it an explosive present; glad I grabbed extra knives and grenades. Let’s get out of here.”

Sassi took a look at the massive hive growths in front of the doors and frowned. Burning might set the entire thing on fire, and she didn’t want to attract any more attention. Oddly, the gunfire hadn’t drawn any more creatures. Whether that was a good sign or a bad one, she didn’t know.

Well, knife it is.

It took a few moments of hacking, but Sassi finally ripped the bulbous fibers and growths aside. Forcing open the door, she glanced down the hall and allowed herself a soft sigh of relief.

Clear.

The hive tunnel didn’t release its occupants without a fight, however. Just as they stepped forwards, a piece of the fleshy ceiling gave way, apparently having been held up by the growths Sassi had torn down.

Sassi let out a displeased hiss, the two of them covered in a pile of gooey something. The matter dissolved fairly quickly into a green sludge, thankfully, but it still dripped off them in buckets.

“You alright, Astral?”

The stallion shrugged, barely reacting to the slime that coated his armor.
“No. But still here.”

His response was an even bigger red flag for the mare. The HUD pulsed; a wireframe map slowly being formed. It led deeper into the Silo, quite a bit of unknown space still being present. But the path wrapped towards some plainer labs, and then eventually to the prisoner block.

More importantly, there was a clear decontamination area a few halls away.

She was about to joke with Astral about that shower, but seeing him barely manage to put one hoof in front of the other made the words turn to ash on her tongue. The mare hadn’t seen her stallion so beaten down. All she wanted to do was wrap her stallion up in a hug and never let him go…

But the Silos denies her even that.

“We’re getting close, Astral. There’s a decon area up ahead. That means an airlock. Even if it’s destroyed, there are a few other smaller ones nearby.”

“Sounds good.”

The monotone reply tore at Sassi’s heart.

Hang in there, Astral!

She locked the doors behind them, lodging a few pieces of debris in the joints to further seal it. Hardly perfect, but it’d take a lot more effort to get through those doors now.

The tiled hall was lined with glass windows overlooking rooms to their left and right. Thankfully, it just showed empty office areas with barely any of the hive matter. There were a few patches, but it clearly had stayed mostly confined to the prior area.

“Almost there. You still with me, Astral?” Sassi asked, her head on a swivel. As unsettling as Astral’s condition was, this was familiar. Escorting a high-value target through the Silo.

She could do that.

“Yup.”

I’d keep him talking, but not sure if that’d do more harm than good.

A warmth blossomed in Sassi’s chest as they rounded the corner. A beautifully-intact decontamination chamber dominated the hall ahead of them. There were bright lights beyond it, and the massive door slid open as they got close.

“Almost there. We’ll need to run a few cycles. One with the armor on, then armor off,” Sassi explained. “We definitely want to get all this gunk off of us.”

The decontamination chamber must have been shielded or marked a boundary point because Sassi felt their hive link re-establish as soon as the door slid shut. A screen to their left snapped on, displaying the decontamination status.

‘Stage 1. Replacing toxic atmosphere. Remove contaminated filters when prompted.’

“Sas?” Astral whispered, his tone terrified but carrying the slightest bit of hope. Nauseating levels of fear and anxiety saturated their renewed link, but it faded ever so slightly as he wobbled to her side.”

“I’m here, Astral. I can sense you now too,” Sassi said, adjusting her visor so she could see out of it. The stallion did the same. Even though he looked awful, there was a bit more life starting to return to his eyes.

He nodded, Sassi then gesturing to the helmet as the screen flashed.
“Dump the filters in your suit. We’ll replace them when we’re out of here. Air is clean.”

They took the items out, setting them into a negative-pressure container as fresh air filled their lungs.

“I feel weird,” Astral muttered.

“You’ve been drugged for hours. You’re probably going to crash, so just hang in there. Hallucinogens can really mess with you,” Sassi explained, the stallion nodding.

“That long?”

“Yes, that long. You don’t need to talk, Astral. We’ll decon and then use some meds to get the toxins out of us. There should be a secure place we can crash for a bit, and then actually get a shower with decent-smelling soap.”

Astral locked his legs, swaying on his hooves as jets of mist coursed over the pair.
“Can barely stand. But feel clearer.”

“It’s still in your blood, but it likely wasn’t made to linger. Just be present for an experiment and then get out of your system.”

“Huh.”

The decontamination ran for multiple cycles. It was a good ten minutes before the system deemed then clean enough to proceed. Apparently, whatever they had been covered in had tripped every hazardous sensor the apparatus had. After the first cycle, they had been told to remove all armor and put it in a separate container.

Thankfully, the RASP AI confirmed that it would survive and not be damaged. That’d have been bad indeed.

Their fur sticking out at all angles from the repeated rinsing, soaping, and blow-drying, the two Thestral walked out of the chamber. Sassi immediately retrieved a cleaned chaingun, strapping it on with her helmet.

It was a sealed area that was supposed to be safe. But she still wanted to sweep it, AI confirmation or not.

“Stay here, Astral. I’m just checking the rooms,” Sassi said, the other Thestral nodding. Thankfully, the hallway was a straight shot; each room directly branching off. She could see the entirety of each room by just opening the door. A second decontamination chamber was at the end of the hall; this must be a small stopping point between hazardous areas.

Thankfully due to the layout, the mare could keep an eye on Astral after each room was cleared. She did detect a bit of happy amusement as he watched her, already swaying on his hooves. Their link was still a bit odd. Fear, confusion, but now genuine happiness. It was a small spark, but very much there.

The poor stallion was still a mess, even if feeling better. Sassi didn’t miss how the Thestral glanced over her with the hint of a nervous smile.

Well, he was definitely feeling good enough to appreciate her not having any armor on.

The small mess area, showers, sleeping facility, supply room, and security station were completely clear. Not even a speck of blood was visible. A RASP scan indicated the water filters for this section were intact, so that was a bonus.

“It’s clear; this way Astral. Some cots are over on your right,” Sassi called. “AI, can you lock this place down? Seal it and alert us if anything even touches the doors?”

‘Interfacing with wireless systems…error. Require direct access to security station. Insert data storage device into the nearest console.’

A small, recessed chip popped out of the helmet, Sassi letting out a surprised huff.

“…didn’t know it could do that,” she muttered. The security room was small with only a single weapons locker, two desks, and a large console with multiple monitors. It was easy enough to find where to put the data chip.

‘Access confirmed. Locking decontamination chambers. Other systems available for interface. Proceed with collection for potential control of systems?’

“Do it. Anything that can be controlled, put backdoor access in. Doors, decontamination, weapons, security, and even a coffee machine. Make sure you can control everything in our path if possible.”

‘Confirmed.’

“Let us know if anything tries to break in.”

The HUD chimed, Sassi ferrying their armor and weapons into the simple sleeping area. Astral was already flopped onto a military cot. There were three other beds, and a few lockers for supplies along with a table and a simple eating area.

“Astral? Are you…” her voice drifted off, the stallion’s sides rising and falling slowly as he mumbled.

Wow. Not even a pillow or blanket? He’s out cold.

Sassi only now felt the tension start to ease from her heart as the mare looked down at the sleeping stallion. She gently reached a hoof to rest against his cheek, taking a few slow, deep breaths to reassure herself.

He’s ok.

She went back to the decontamination chamber and located two syringes. They were part of the standard kit to take after being exposed to something nasty. It’d bind with the toxin and then carry it out of your system. Unfortunately, it usually carried nutrients as well, so eating afterward was highly recommended.

Unpleasant, but effective.

Astral didn’t even flinch as the mare gave him a shot in the shoulder, then did the same for herself. She doubted there’d be any side effects on her end. Even if there were, she’d been through it before.

Now taking some time to set their gear into two piles, Sassi located some necessities for sleep. Putting a pillow under Astral’s head and covering him with a blanket, the mare dragged a cot over to be next to his. Another sweep of the area, and she had the AI kill the lights outside of the room. The less attention, the better.

Double-checking the RASP reactor settings, Sassi shoved some metal into the guns to start processing more ammunition. The drawers from various cabinets would have to do.

She then flopped onto the cot, taking a few deep breaths. It took a while, but the mare finally let herself relax as her stallion slept peacefully at her side.

Safe.

“Thank you for extending your stay, Tanzil,” Twilight sighed as they walked the halls of the castle. “Obviously, there have been a few developments.”

“Indeed. But it’s no trouble at all. I enjoy the change Equestria offers,” the gryphon Emperor said, “and the pleasant company.”

The slight glance out of the corner of his eye with a grin made Twilight smile, a bit of heat rising to her cheeks. It wasn’t an overtly flirty gesture. But considering their agreed-on date, it was enough. She just wasn’t used to being the target. Not in a genuine way like this.

After comforting Twilight on his first day here, Tanzil had simply dropped the matter. He didn’t need to know the details, only that his friend was in trouble. That alone was worth its weight in gold for Twilight and showed that there was a lot more social tact underneath the gryphon’s feathers than many would expect.

“So, there’s someone here you wanted me to meet?” she asked.

“Yes. She’s…well, I would say she’s my adopted niece, but that’s not accurate,” the Emperor admitted. “She’s one of the most capable mages I’ve ever seen. She had a difficult family situation, so I helped coach her through her studies. I treat her like family at least.”

“That’s rather sweet of you,” the Princess said with a smile. “I’ve thought of doing something like that. Like Celestia did with me.”

“It gives a good learning experience for sure…ah! There she is,” Tanzil said.

Not seeing them, the gryphoness stifled a yawn, ruffling her feathers. She was of fairly average build, the lithe muscle showing the gryphoness wasn’t averse to working out or staying in shape. Considering Tanzil had a similar body type (at least as far as males go, lacking the usual bulk other gryphons had,) there could certainly be an assumption of family resemblance.

The gryphoness’s colorations were that of a mountain variety (at least as far as Twilight’s research had indicated.) Fairly standard white chest leading into a grey gradient on her midsection, and dark-grey hindquarters. Black and red highlights streaked across her face, and a light blue coloration surrounded the gryphoness’s eyes and wrists, speckles of the coloration also visible among the grey spackles in her midsection.

Her eyes, a dark forest green, were focused on the stained-glass window on the opposite side of the hall. As far as Twilight could tell by gryphon standards, she was a rather attractive individual,

Then again, she wasn’t entirely sure what male gryphons looked for. Twilight only knew what to look for in gryphons in terms of what she found incredibly attractive. Tanzil fulfilled pretty much all…

Aaaaaaand we’ll just shelve that for later. Twilight thought as heat rose to her cheeks.

Oddly, the gryphoness had visible bags under her eyes, another yawn leaving her light-yellow beak.

“Nilliana! You have a moment?” Tanzil called as they approached, the gryphoness waving tiredly.

“Huh? Tanzil? ‘Sup?”

The gryphoness finally caught their gaze, and her eyes widened on seeing Twilight.

“Sup’, Highness?” Nilliana said, blinking slowly.

There was an audible *smack* as Tanzil slapped a set of claws to his face with a groan. A wing reached out and lightly gave the gryphoness’s head a firm pat.

“Really?” he sighed, rolling his eyes. “Sorry, Princess. So much for first impressions.”

“Highness, Princess? Oh, OH!” The gryphoness abruptly bowed with a shake of her head. “I’m sorry. I’m just a bit out of it. It’s really nice to meet you, Princess Twilight.”

Twilight, on the other hoof, was trying to hold in her giggles.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Nilliana is it?”

The gryphoness nodded, shaking the outstretched hoof in greeting.

“Sorry about that again. Just…” her eyes drifted over to Tanzil, “I warned you this wasn’t a good week!”

“I know, I know,” the other gryphon sighed.

“Insomnia is an ever-present beast. So yeah. I’m sorry for not immediately registering, well, y’know,” Nilliana said, blue-tufted ears flattening against her skull.

“It’s no problem at all. I know a few spells that would help, if I may suggest,” Twilight added.

Oddly, her words seemed to make Nilliana frustrated, the gryphoness shaking her head. A set of claws conjured up a floating blue rune, the magic spinning around her talons before vanishing.

“I appreciate it, Princess. I do. But I know plenty of spells and have tried them all. The problem is that they all work, but I’d rather not have a good sleep here,” she explained. “And caffeine just makes it all worse.”

Twilight’s brow furrowed at that. That was a contradicting statement, to say the least.

Picking up on her confusion, Nilliana sighed, pinching her brow with a set of claws.
“Ok, that was confusing. I meant nightmares, Highness. It doesn’t make waking up pleasant. Not all of us grew up in a nice environment like you ponies.”

“Nily!” Tanzil hissed, the emperor both shocked and appearing to want to sink into the floor.

The gryphoness let out a groan, wincing.
“Wow, that was a lot blunter and ruder than I meant it to be,” she sighed, shaking her head. “I’m sorry. I’m just going to stop talking now.”

“That would probably be best, Nily. Go get some rest, alright?” Tanzil sighed, clearly exasperated but concerned. “We don’t have anything else, so you can be out for the day.”

The gryphoness nodded, her ears abruptly perking up.
“Something’s off,” she muttered, her figure tensing up like a cat. Arcane runes blossomed along the gryphoness’s wrists and forelimbs; Twilight inwardly being impressed at the neatness of the spellcraft.

Furthermore, Nilliana was right.

“There’s indeed a magical disturbance. In the main hall and stopping just outside the throne room. That’s most intriguing,” Twilight muttered.

A royal guard abruptly appeared with a *pop* next to them; one of Twilight’s more elite units.

“I assume this has to do with the magical disturbance?” she asked, the unicorn nodding firmly.

“We have a hostage situation. He’s asking to see you.”

“Who?”

“Arcane Flare.”

Arcane’s sides heaved, the unicorn’s magic holding no less than five different types of firearms constantly aimed at the other pony in front of him. The forms of the weapons constantly shifted. Belt-fed machine guns, a grenade launcher, old-fashioned single-shot rifles, and an airship’s cannon; they never stayed still. Dozens of other shapes also accompanied the two creatures. Strange, mirror-like spears rotated this way and that, their needle-sharp points always tracking a creature in the room.

The hornless unicorn in the middle of all of this was shackled with irons and didn’t say a word. A torn business suit adorned his frame but was otherwise devoid of any clothing or items in general.

You don’t deserve to be alive.

Staple Punch. Such an innocuous, business-like name. Yet he had been one of the cruelest creatures Arcane had ever had the misfortune of meeting.

The royal guards kept their distance. Then again, a unicorn wreathed in blue flames would be enough to make them cautious. It was all Arcane could do to keep his magic in check. The guards had both enchanted spears and side-saddle firearms aimed at him. Maybe they’d be able to kill him.

Probably not.

The Company had certainly tried once or twice with far more deadly measures. But he just had to focus on not being chaotic. That was the key. Just simple levitation.

The rage was nearly overwhelming though. After dropping off the message to a few of the Equestrian Embassies, Arcane had found his target after touching the red orb in the meadow. And he had arrived just in time.

I hope those ponies are ok.

He could have killed Staple. By all rights Arcane should have, considering the evil the other unicorn had done.

But I want to be better. I don’t know if I am right now. But I want to be.
I hope that’s enough.

On seeing one of the three creatures enter the room, Arcane couldn’t keep a snarl off his face.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” he growled. “I would say thank you for meeting with me, but you clearly were content with letting me rot in that silo for more than a decade. So much for the rights and protections of being an Equestrian citizen. Do you abandon all of your inconvenient subjects that way?”

It was hardly the way to speak to the ruler of a nation but he didn’t care. Not even the slightest. There were only a few ponies that held his respect, and this mare wasn’t one of them.

Despite the outward mask, Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly not having expected such words.

“To say mistakes were made would be an understatement of the century, Arcane,” Twilight admitted, “and for that I’m sorry. What you went through shouldn’t have happened.”

“Empty words,” Arcane said with a huff, but his rage dampened ever so slightly. “I’m here to bring this creature to face whatever trials you have planned. He was the leader of Silo Three, and my personal handler and torturer. I doubt Equestria has an appropriate death penalty, but I’m choosing to leave him with you.”

“We’ll get him into a cell. But was the de-horning entirely necessary, Arcane?” Twilight asked, the mare immediately regretting her words with a visible wince.

Arcane let out a mirthless chuckle, looking over to the Princess.
“Necessary? Well, I could always have just let him continue to beat his assumed wife. Maybe I should have just watched as he raised a hoof towards the two foals watching? Would that have been a preferable outcome, Highness? I didn’t know Equestria now tolerated abuse.”

A dozen pairs of eyes now focused on the shackled unicorn, Arcane letting out a huff. His words were crass and disrespectful, but nobody in the room had done anything to make him think they deserved otherwise.

“I figured that’d get your attention. This was the easiest way to get him to be subdued without killing him. And he deserved far worse.”

“He’ll be dealt with,” Twilight said, and at that, Staple’s ears perked up. “He’ll be processed with the other company leadership we have in custody.”

“Oh, thank the stars,” Staple sighed, looking over to Twilight. “Thank you Highn-!”

*BANG!*

The stallion let out a terrified scream, cowering to the floor as the five firearms discharged with a deafening cacophony of blasts. The bullets, however, spun in the air. They barely touched the prone unicorn’s skin as a magical grip encompassed them.

Staple was spun around to face Arcane, the chaotic pony’s multicolored eyes wide with rage as the bullets aimed themselves at the horrified unicorn’s eyes and heart.

“You don’t thank her,” Arcane growled, “you thank me for not ripping off more than your horn! She isn’t in control here,” the unicorn hissed. “I could kill you right now. Maybe I should.” The bullets pressed into Staple’s skin. Not enough to break it, but to make a very clear point. “Each one of these are armor-piercing rounds. Explosive too. I don’t know what sick modifications you have to your body like the Director did, but it wouldn’t save you. I doubt they’re chaos-proof. Or maybe I’ll just remove all of your limbs so all you can do is beg? Roll around like a cockroach and-”

“Arcane, that’s enough. He’ll face justice soon enough,” Twilight said, still managing to stay calm.

“Justice?”

The room flexed, magical alarms starting to blare before they were silenced. The needle-like spears shifted, their movements becoming sharp and angular as they spun on their axis to point at every creature in the room.

“What do you, Princess, know about justice? About what happens outside of your pretty little box here in Canterlot? About being tortured for years on end and wondering why your supposed friends and family left you to die?” Arcane snorted, no respect in his tone or demeanor.
“What do you know about that type of pain, Princess? Can you even give me a moral reason not to kill him right here? Any reason at all?”

“Any reason? You’ve come this far without killing him. But what about because you’re a better pony than that.”

Her reply actually made Arcane pause.

“No. I really don’t think I am,” the unicorn muttered, his captured Handler starting to shiver in fear as two chaos-filled eyes looked his way, an almost unhinged eagerness glinting in their depths. The whisperings of a cruel smile twitched at the pony’s lips, fangs starting to show.

Arcane then shook his head and dropped his gaze, the guns lowering. The bullets clattered to the floor. Something about Arcane’s demeanor shifted. The magic surrounding the pony became more refined as he looked up at Twilight.

“I’m not a better pony. A good pony wouldn’t have been tortured for years and left to rot.”

Twilight’s eyes widened, a bit of horror creeping into her expression as Arcane spoke. The stallion then shook his head.

“But I want to be.”

A sigh of relief immediately left Staple’s mouth.
“Can you please get me away from this crazy creature? He’s not even a pony anymore. You think I’m dangerous?! You should have a dozen shields up and kill this unicorn while you can!” he yelled, looking at the guards and Twilight. Tanzil and Nelliana watched quietly from the side.

“Really? You get a chance to say a few words, and that’s what you ask them to do?” Arcane asked, red flames starting to lick from his eyes as his demeanor flipped. “To kill me? To dare to call me crazy? What makes you think they can kill me? You tried and failed!”

“Arcane, he’s beaten. We’ll take it from here. You can be free to do whatever you want. We’d just appreciate you answering some questions,” Twilight said. But her words were only half the picture. Arcane could sense the magical spells already gathering, many of them on standby. The castle had defenses that were waiting to be active, and the Princess alone had dozens of magical countermeasures aimed at him.

She thought he didn’t see them. She thought they’d help.

“Free?” Arcane whispered, “I’m not free. I don’t get to be free up here.”

“No charges are going to be filed. You’re the victim here and would be our guest.”

Twilight was scrambling for an appropriate response. Arcane could sense it, the nervousness starting to creep in. The magic around Staple dropped, the stallion being allowed to walk a few paces before being cemented to the ground with a pulse of energy as Arcane snagged him in one last grip.

“Oh, not yet,” Arcane snarled, the mere sight of the pony making his blood boil away any feelings other than furious anger.

“Arcane, don’t you think it’s been enough? We’ll deal with him.”

Twilight’s repeated words only were met with a snort from the unicorn. Arcane’s eyes glowed. Purple and green magic flashed, and Staple’s own eyes were filled with a maroon mist. The unicorn collapsed to the ground with a thud, Arcane nodding once.

“Now it’s enough. He’s all yours,” Arcane muttered. “Five days of nightmares for five years of daily torture. I’d consider that a merciful reaction on my part of wanting to be a better pony. Don’t bother trying to cleanse the spell. It’ll add a day every time you do.”

“Alright then,” Twilight said softly. “Thank you for your restraint, Arcane. You’re welcome to relax here if you’d like, to take a break while we sort this out,” Twilight said, the room relaxing slightly.

“You all have no idea, do you?” Arcane asked softly. Abruptly, he felt tears starting to trickle from his eyes. He wasn’t sure why. He felt so out of place. The stallion couldn’t be normal if he tried. The walls of the massive room seemed to constrict, the unicorn struggling to draw breath.

“You have no idea what it’s like. Just ‘take a break?’ Who do you think I am!? What do you think I am?! I don’t get to ‘take a break’ from any of this!”

The mare’s eyes widened in surprise as the stallion looked up at her. The was no rage in his eyes, only grief and fear.

“I know your story, Princess. You have no idea what it’s like to be wrong. To know you shouldn’t exist. And don’t say I don’t!” he said, voice shivering. His voice filled the room, but the angry tone was only on the surface. Beneath it, there was nothing but fear and horror that made Arcane’s limbs tremble.

“You have friends. Family. A kingdom! What do you know about not being wanted? When in your life were you left alone because your very presence was offensive to every creature in the room just because you happened to exist? I didn’t ask for any of this! I didn’t ask to be born like this! I didn’t ask to be abandoned by everyone!”

Twilight didn’t say anything, instead simply lowering her eyes.

Arcane hadn’t wanted to be right. He had hoped that some voice would speak up to counter his words, the thoughts present in his mind ever since the unicorn was old enough to comprehend them.

Looking around the room, he only saw fear. Fear that the unstable unicorn in the room would shred them and the castle to pieces. It wasn’t unjustified. There were a few glances of pity, but it was all superficial. Arcane hadn’t expected anything more.

His eyes landed on the gryphons. Oddly, they seemed the most interested in him. They didn’t have the professional demeanor of the guards or the baggage of the Princess. The larger one held himself at ease, similar to Twilight. He didn’t seem scared, only curious. Arcane’s gaze drifted to the gryphoness at his side, the unicorn’s gaze locking onto two forest-green eyes-

And a gaze that was filled with unshed tears.

Arcane’s heart pounded in his chest. There wasn’t any malice in the gryphoness’s eyes. There was something he hadn’t expected to see from anyone but Discord. And even that had been fleeting.

Understanding. Tender, genuine sympathy.

His breath caught in his chest, those two beautiful eyes sucking him in. He didn’t know how to process this, a creature who radiated nothing but empathy. Nothing about her body language indicated it, only two eyes filled with empathetic tears. The unicorn finally broke his eyes away and slumped to the floor, catching himself.

“I assume then you don’t want to stay here?” Twilight finally asked, Arcane not able to stop a laugh from leaving his fanged mouth.

“Why would I want to stay? I’ve had more than enough of your, and Equestria’s hospitality. I don’t want anything to do with you or this nation.”

His word seemed to hit Twilight harder than any other prior statement, the alicorn staring at him, shock and sadness in her gaze.

“I don’t see why you’re so surprised. Nothing good has come from your kingdom into my life. I was a citizen and was abandoned by you and your ‘perfect’ systems. I want nothing to do with you, Equestria, anything. I just want to go. I want to go to…”

I don’t know where to go. Discord said he’d help me.
Was that a lie too?

“Oh, come now. I really wouldn’t say our purple princess or Equestria is that bad,” A familiar voice drawled. With a snap of his claws, the room brightened up, a Draconequus floating next to Twilight as the atmosphere gained a sense of normality.

“Equestria’s lovely inhabitants may be short-sighted, flawed, and remarkably boring more often than not, but the nation has a certain charm to it. It may take a while for you to see it though,” he mused. “And I’m glad you chose to be the better pony, Arcane. I see my words weren’t wasted.”

Twilight shot him a glance, and that made Arcane rather happy. She hadn’t known. There wasn’t a plan, just whatever Discord had wanted to offer.

But the spells in the room told a different story.

Arcane’s heart was caught in his throat. With a seamless transition, he wasn’t in Canterlot anymore. Instead, suppression spells surrounded his entire body leagues underground. He felt adrenaline dump into his system. Arcane knew all too well the spells that surrounded him. He knew what came next.

Then the pain began.

With a terrified scream, Arcane abruptly curled into a ball, magic flashing to encase his body in an ever-shifting shield that hurt to look at, a thousand colors warping across the domed, spiked surface.

“DON’T HURT ME!”

Every creature in the room stared, Discord frowning.
“What prompted that?” he muttered; the stallion’s muttering only now became audible between sobs.

“No more. Please. No more. No more spells. No more tests. Please….NO!”

Discord’s eyes widened, and he snapped his claws. In an instant, every defensive spell Twilight had on standby was muffled by a pile of pillows; both literal and figurative.

Arcane shivered, his breathing no longer hyperventilating underneath the shield.

“He could sense your spells, Twilight,” Discord muttered. “But there’s something else.”

The Draconequus floated down towards the pony, standing on the floor cautiously. With a flash of crimson light, an impenetrable mist burst out from Arcane, angry flecks of blue magic coloring the barrier.

Glaring at Discord, a large, fox-like face snarled as a few others joined it. The creatures surrounded Arcane protectively, growling at Discord.

“Nobody move,” Discord barked, “this is from my realm.” He then turned to the fox, holding out a set of claws.

“Nobody here is going to hurt you,” he said in a remarkably soft tone, one reminiscent of a certain yellow Pegasus. “I’m a friend. I just want to help. You don’t need to protect Arcane from me. Test me, if you want.”

The fox snarled at him, an angry blast of the red mist enveloping Discord. It then abruptly dissipated, a single blue arcane fox sitting in front of the Draconequus with a happy chirp.

“See? Told you,” Discord said with a smirk as he folded his arms. “Now what is all of this about?”

The fox was joined by a few others, all of them chattering non-stop as the room looked on in amazement.

“Slow down! I can’t- wait. You. What did you say,” Discord asked, his voice becoming deadly calm.

The largest fox chattered, jumping up and down and hissing. The entire family of familiars growled at the still-prone Staple Punch, angry magic sparking from their frames. They continued to squeak and growl for a solid minute until Discord interrupted.

“They did what?!”

It was only for a split second, but Twilight saw Discord’s demeanor waver. For a moment, the entire throne room shifted realms, floating amidst cosmic bodies that had no business being this close. The Draconequus was larger than it all, a mouth full of fangs bearing down on Staple Punch as his oddly-colored eyes were filled with nothing but an unhinged rage.

The spell around the prone stallion cleared for a moment, and Twilight heard him scream as the lucid pony saw the God of Chaos looming above him, a sound lost on the magical winds.

And then they were back, Discord coughing in what appeared to be embarrassment as he adjusted a newly-created bowtie.

“Twilight. Make sure you guard Staple Punch well,” he said, a now-serious tone making the mare shift unpleasantly.

“Is he at risk for being broken out by the Company?” Twilight asked, the Draconequus shaking his head.

“No. But if he does escape, his fate will be in my claws. And that’s not something you want,” Discord whispered.

Twilight’s eyes widened as she saw the Draconequus’ claws shaking with anger. There was an unhinged demeanor about the God of Chaos reminiscent of his old ways. An ancient power begging to be unleashed.

With a wave of her hoof, Twilight sent the guards to drag Staple away.

“Five days of nightmares. Twilight, you must understand that Arcane is a saint for only casting that,” Discord said, his voice still trembling. “I don’t understand how Arcane is still lucid,” he added, only Twilight able to hear the whisper.

The foxes seemed to be rather pleased with themselves, sitting at Discord’s feet. Arcane was still curled up in a ball, one of the kits nudging him with a soft chirp.

“Arcane, you back with us?” Discord called.

The pony let out a groan, levering himself up with a hiss as he clutched his head.

“What?” he muttered. “I lost it, didn’t I?”

“Nobody was hurt. Your foxy friends came to your aid. There was a misunderstanding. Nobody here is wanting to hurt you,” Discord said cautiously.

Twilight was now certain that the Draconequus had taken instructor-level de-escalation classes with Fluttershy. She had never seen him this calm, this…

Kind.

“Arcane, where will you go now?” Discord asked. “Back to the glaciers or that lovely meadow perhaps?”

“I don’t have a home,” he whispered. “I don’t have anything. I can barely think.” A fox nudged his leg comfortingly at that.

“And that’s where I can help,” Discord said kindly, holding up a claw as Twilight opened her mouth. “Twilight, not now. This isn’t your concern, not anymore.”

Discord conjured up a portal, showing his and Fluttershy’s home in the chaos realm.
“I’m offering you somewhere to heal, Arcane. I can teach you to control your magic. You could even learn to live a relatively normal life if you wanted. I wouldn’t recommend it, because yuck,” he stuck out his tongue at that. “But I could teach you how.”

“Why would you offer me that?” the unicorn whispered, barely able to stand on his hooves.

“Because I know what it’s like to want to be a better creature,” Discord said in a remarkably soft tone. “Both our home, and the position as my apprentice are open to you if you’d like it. Until you have a home, you’re welcome in ours.”

Arcane sat down with a bump, the unicorn’s mind too full to even process such an offer. He didn’t even know what the tears were from. Happiness? Fear? The remnants of the chaotic outburst still clouded his mind, hyper-aware senses searching for anything to protect against. There was always something trying to hurt him.

“I don’t-I don’t know what to do,” he said, eyes closing. “I have nothing.”

“Then how about we get you somewhere safe first? Not ‘this realm’ safe, but somewhere you can’t hurt anycreature. And I mean anyone.”

The foxes piped up again, Discord leaning down.

“Slow down! I can’t understand a word of what you’re- yes, ok, I can understand that. Fluttershy is there,” he said, gesturing with his claws.

Without hesitation, the foxes hopped through the portal. The last one looked back at Arcane and let out a happy chirp before vanishing.

“Quite the chatterboxes you have as friends. They came to your protection during your outburst. Apparently, they’ve already talked with Fluttershy,” Discord mused. “So, Arcane, what do you say?”

“I’m just so tired,” he whispered, swaying on his hooves. “I can’t…”

“Then let’s get you a bed and take it from there. Can you walk into the portal?”

He stumbled forwards, only catching a few words from Discord as he spoke to Twilight.

“This is no longer your matter, Princess,” the Chaos God had said almost kindly. “We’ll be in touch.”

Arcane took a few more steps through the portal. He then collapsed into a heap, sides heaving as the unicorn struggled to draw breath. The blue flames around his body sputtered and vanished. More tears streamed from his eyes, and a pressure in Arcane’s mind finally released.

The chaos magic. It’s all quiet. I almost forgot what it felt like.

He managed to look around. Chaos magic ebbed and flowed all around him. Odd creatures and shapes flitting here and there. Stars and sunsets bled together, slowly rotating around the cobblestone path he had fallen on. The stones and the large cottage in the distance were floating on a large island, a simple mailbox next to a white picket fence and gate.

“Ah, very good. You’re acclimating quickly,” Discord said, offering a set of claws to help the pony up, the two walking down the path carefully.

“What’s happening to me?” Arcane asked, stumbling slightly. He noticed how Discord seemed genuinely concerned, a claw ready to lend aid.

“This is the chaos realm. The part of you imbued with that magic is home,” Discord explained, a hint of sadness in his voice. “There’s no reason to burn off excess magic here, and I doubt you’ll have too many intrusive chaotic impulses. That’s what I’d have to guess for a mortal mind. Chaos is normal here, so why would it want to deviate from naturally manifesting?”

It made sense to Arcane, but a looming headache made processing it all too difficult.

“I want to learn, but I can’t right now. It all hurts,” he managed to say, stumbling through the gate. His hooves wouldn’t move anymore after that.

The door to the light-red cottage opened, and Arcane knew the pony that carefully walked over to look at him. He had seen her in books and videos but never face to face. He never thought he ever would.

Fluttershy. The Element of Kindness.
A hero a dozen times over and married to one of the most powerful creatures in existence.

He felt so pathetic. All the stallion could do was hang his head and cry, tears dripping onto the cobblestones. He had no home, no money, and no knowledge if anyone even remembered him from before. Yet Discord and Fluttershy had opened their home to him? These two heroes deserved far more than the broken pony now trembling on their doorstep.

It was ludicrous.
Chaotic even.

That last thought made him chuckle, a horribly sad sound as the stallion tried to wipe away his tears. He wasn’t worth the effort these two creatures were willing to go through.

Why would they put so much effort toward a broken pony?
Why do I matter to them?
I don’t deserve this.

“We can do more introductions later if you’d like,” a soft voice said, Fluttershy sitting in front of him. “What would make things better right now, Arcane?”

He looked up, and he heard the mare gasp in surprise at seeing his eyes. But there was no fear in the sound, in her demeanor. Only fascination.

Only kindness.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what to think,” Arcane admitted. “It hurts. Everything makes sense but none at all. I don’t know what to do, to feel, anything.”

“Would you like a hug? Discord said that might be a bit much, and that’s ok. We can just sit here for a while.”

“I’d…” Arcane started, not able to finish his words. He only looked up and nodded. Usually, he’d refuse, this soon after everything. Physical touch just meant pain. It always did.

But if he couldn’t dwell on how much baggage such a gesture held, maybe Arcane could enjoy it for just a few-

His entire body stiffened, Fluttershy wrapping her arms carefully around him. The unicorn’s lips trembled before finally collapsing into her embrace. Arcane bawled into the Pegasus’s shoulder, more than a decade of lies and pain tearing out of his throat.

But as Fluttershy rocked him back and forth, the smallest voice in Arcane’s mind had to admit that it felt good, that he felt just a bit better. That maybe, just maybe, things would be better tomorrow.

That was too much to think about, so Arcane let himself enjoy the hug. The first gesture of affection he had felt outside of the Silos, and it was from the Element of Kindness. There was an intoxicating feeling, a safety that he hadn’t felt for nearly half of his life.

Kindness. Such a simple word that hadn’t been present in his life underground until two Thestrals had shown it to him. And now Fluttershy and Discord.

Maybe tomorrow will be better.

“Your apprentice?!” Twilight exclaimed in the conference room, Discord casually floating above the table.

“Yes, I was quite clear on that I believe,” he said with a grin, “If Arcane wants to, that is. I take it you object?”

“Object? No. I just don’t know what to think about it. I never considered it a possibility.”

Discord had at least the mindfulness to appear dramatically shocked, placing a paw over his heart in mock pain.

“You wound me! You don’t think I’d be a good teacher?” he asked. Seeing Twilight raise an eyebrow and open her mouth, he held up a claw. “Past shenanigans at a certain school of friendship don’t count. I’m teaching chaos here. That’s different.”

She let out a huff, waving a hoof.
“If anyone can teach him to have control of chaos, it’s you. I’ll admit to that. How is he?”

The fact Discord didn’t answer immediately was a clue enough, the Draconequus, finally sighing. He settled onto the table with a soft *whump*, doodling in the wood as if it were sand.

“After hugging Fluttershy while crying his eyes out, Arcane didn’t say much. He’s resting in the guest room. Flutters says he’ll probably sleep for most of the day. He’s exhausted,” Discord said quietly. “It’s the other reason I asked Fluttershy for help. She’s a licensed therapist a dozen times over. Our home is the ideal environment for Arcane to figure out what to do next, and that’s outside of making sure his chaos magic doesn’t hurt anyone including himself.”

“And if he doesn’t want to be your apprentice?”

A simple shrug was Discord’s answer.
“Then so be it. I’ll still teach him as much as he’d like to know. Enough to function in your lovely, normal society if he desires to return.”

Twilight sighed, nodding slowly. There was a final question she had. Well, one of many.

“Discord, what did those foxes say to you?” she asked carefully. “I’ve never seen you that angry.”

A visible twitch pulsed on the Chaotic God’s face as he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
“They told me some of the things the Company did to him. Ways they manipulated the chaos and treated Arcane like a lab rat,” he said, claw then curling into a fist. “Arcane has more self-control than I thought possible in a pony. The entire leadership of that place, not just Staple, should be dead for those crimes. But I don’t make those decisions. I shouldn’t. Fluttershy has taught me that. It’s too easy to start, too hard to stop.”

Discord’s last sentence made Twilight stare. To say it carried a weighty implication was an understatement. It wasn’t often that the mare was reminded that the chaotic god in front of her could, quite literally, end life with the snap of his claws.

“I know they experimented on him, and Staple’s fate is sealed.”

“Not just experiments. They used him. Tortured him for the pure fun of it to see what would happen!” Discord growled. “Do you have any idea how painful, how wrong it would feel to have your magic scrambled while still inside you? Ripped out and shoved back in with suppression spells that only partially work?! I’m amazed he even recognizes reality at this point, let alone can-”

He took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose with a paw.
“Let’s not talk about that. I didn’t realize I had undiscovered sore spots. Apparently I do. Flutters will be overjoyed.”

“You care about him.”

Twilight’s words made Discord pause, the Draconequus appearing not to do anything.

But she saw the barely-perceptible nod.

“I feel responsible for him. He’s suffered enough because of the magic I can so freely use,” the Draconequus whispered. “That feels wrong, somehow. That pony has been denied a life due to magic out of his control. As someone who can control chaos, it’s his right to have a better life than that.”

Discord took a few deep breaths, his demeanor returning to the familiar, jovial expressions Twilight was familiar with.

“We’ll talk later, Sparkles. There are some things I need to make sure Arcane knows when he’s ready. He has his own Chaosville dimension, after all. I have to at least teach him how to access that. I’m amazed he’s held it together this long without utilizing it.”

“Wait, he has a what?”

All Twilight got was a cheeky wave, Discord looking at the dozen watches having materialized on his arm.

“Oh, would you look at the time? We’ll be in touch, Princess.”

Twilight could only sigh, nodding.
“Very well,” she said, not able to resist a slight smile. “And Discord?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

The Draconequus stared for a few moments, finally saluting and vanishing with a pop of bubbles. Twilight sat down, head shaking slowly.

The day had just gotten a lot more interesting.

Author's Note

Moment of reprieve for our two Thestrals! And we get to check in with a certain unicorn... :yay:

I'm going to switch to an every-other-week upload schedule for a time, to make sure I can have a steady stream of chapters and such. So, this is a nice big chapter to tide you over!

Chapter 107: Simply Sublime Suburb.

The airlock cycled them through a shorter decontamination cycle, and the two were greeted by another hallway. Well-lit, but ruined offices and isolated lab rooms spread out on either side of them as they walked.

It was only when the two Thestrals turned the corner that Astral couldn’t hold back an annoyed hiss. A familiar fleshy paste was plastered all over one of the double doors ahead of them.

“Not a fan of the décor?” Sassi remarked, concern twinging over their link. He appreciated it, knowing that he didn’t have to pretend to be strong.

“To put it mildly.”

She reached over and gave his shoulder a nudge.
“Just hang in there, Astral. Let me know if I can help, but we have to keep moving.”

“I know,” he whispered, hating how there was a slight tremble. “Just…I’ll do my best.”

“That’s all I ask. I know you’re hurting. Let’s get out of here so we can heal. Together.”

Somehow, that made a smile twitch onto Astral’s face, Sassi brightening up as she sensed a bit more stability over their increasingly-prevalent hive mind.

“I’d like that.”

They trotted forwards, Astral managing to feel a semblance of normality. He had been through worse.

Sort of.

They forced the double door with an obnoxious squishing noise. Thankfully, the offices beyond were mostly untouched. A closet and ventilation duct to their left was filled with the fleshy material, indicating that it was spreading even past the decontamination areas.

The office lights were working, for better or for worse. The low hum immediately made Astral’s nerves fray. It wasn’t as bad as in the room, but it was enough to remind him, to nearly put him back in that-

A nudge to his shoulder snapped the stallion back, Astral glancing over to the concerned mare at his side. He nodded, taking a few deep breaths.

Have to focus.

Their hoofsteps echoed through the office. It was barely audible, but it may as well have been hammer falls in the unnaturally quiet area. There weren’t any signs of a struggle, only strewn papers and chairs next to the desks.

If he had to guess, this was one of the areas that had been successfully evacuated.

Feels like a lifetime ago.

The offices blended into some low-level labs, nothing but thin plexiglass separating the desks from microscopes and more computers inside the clear rooms. There were a few chemical hoods for examining nasty substances, their ventilation ducts leading up to larger channels that ran the length of the hall.

Astral’s eyes followed the ducting. The vents were intact. That was a good thing. A few were open but empty. Nothing was present, but there was one-

Pearly-white teeth gleamed in the open vent’s depths. Two red eyes locked onto Astral’s as the stallion’s heart rate skyrocketed, shotgun swinging to-

Then it was gone.

“Astral. What is it?” Sassi asked, guns following to track where the stallion had aimed.

“In the vent,” he said, a slight quiver in the Thestral’s voice. “The open one. I saw that creature again.”

“The thing that hunted you in the rooms”

“I think so. Teeth. Red eyes.”

“…which vent?”

Astral blinked, the previously-open vent now closed flush with the massive ducting. His stomach dropped into his hooves.

Did I see it?

“It was open,” he whispered. The stallion’s confidence abruptly crumbled. “I swear, it was there. I-”

“Astral,” Sassi asked, reaching over to gently rest a hoof on his shoulder. “If you say you saw something, I believe you, alright?”

A bit of warmth crept back into Astral’s chest at that.

“Let’s keep going. It’s not out of the question that it could have followed us. The residual toxin will make you feel cruddy, but nothing more, so it’s not a hallucination,” Sassi explained. “Usually there’d be a heavy barrier with the decontamination areas. That nasty stuff already breached it, so we know there’s a hole somewhere.”

Astral nodded, the two continuing through the nondescript offices. There were no more sightings, and two massive double doors loomed in front of them. As they swung open, Sassi let out a soft hum of surprise.

“Huh. Well, I didn’t know about this testing area.”

It was a massive testing room, easily four times the size of a hoofball field. Mock suburban homes dotted the landscape, a fake sun looking in the sky. Astroturf was on every lawn, and there were even scattered toys to simulate if kids had been playing.

“They wouldn’t test a bomb here, right?” Astral asked cautiously. Sassi let out a soft laugh at first.

“No, not like that,” she said, clearly happy to be out of the enclosed office. The mare then paused, a frustrated grunt sounding over the radio. “Ok, I don’t think they would. That’s a good guess though. If we were above ground, it does look like a testing area for blast radius and damage. Good catch.”

“Well, there was a ridiculous movie where the stallion survived a bomb by hiding in a fridge. Hopefully, these homes are furnished.”

Making Sassi giggle, even a bit, made the dark tendrils in Astral’s mind flee.

The levity vanished as they moved from home to home. There wasn’t anything to scavenge; the canned food and items were decades old despite the exterior structure looking new.

There wasn’t an ounce of movement outside of the two Thestrals, and yet Astral felt eyes boring into the back of his head. Sassi didn’t seem to be as concerned, but her worry for him hummed through their link, a warm comfort in the back of his mind.

They carefully moved from behind one house, making sure not to be out in the open. There was a smaller street on the left between the rows of homes. They slid along the rear of the house, the windows shining without a speck of dust. There wasn’t any movement as Astral glanced over.

Bright red eyes stared back at him, a mouth widening into a fearsome grin with pearly-white teeth. The lights in the room behind the face flickered as it stared at the horrified Thestral.

The stallion swung his guns around, a muffled yell echoing over the radio as he back peddled, tripping over his own hooves. The flamethrower flicked on-

And it was gone.

“Astral! What is it?” Sassi asked, chain guns spinning as their motion tracker showed zero movements.

“The window! That creature. It...” His words trailed off, Sassi cautiously looking inside.

“Same creature from before? The homes are probably connected, but it’d be a tight squeeze,” the mare mused.

“Same one. Just stared at me,” he panted. The stallion’s limbs shook, gears grinding in his mind.

It was there. I saw it!
It was real!
…right?

Sassi led them down another two houses, stopping as Astral abruptly sat down. The turmoil in his mind was palpable even without their link.

It made the mare’s heart ache to see Astral’s confidence shatter so quickly. He had tried to shake it off, but it was clear that it was getting to him.

It doesn’t make sense.

The gas was purged from his system; barely any residual toxins remained, and the RASP system confirmed as much. That left only a few options.

Hologram? Maybe a tuned spell for someone’s mind to make them hallucinate outside of the gas?

Or….

The stallion let out a yelp, hindquarters giving out as he scooted away from another window. The motion tracker was clear, and an investigation revealed the same thing.

Empty.

“Sassi, I swear,” Astral said, his voice soft and quivery. “It…” Any final shred of confidence abruptly shattered. The stallion hung his head as he struggled to catch his breath.

She sat down next to Astral, leaning a head over to rest her helmet against his.

“Just breathe, Astral,” she whispered. Sassi’s heart abruptly clenched as she held his shaking hoof.

The only other option outside of a projection or hallucination is that it’s real.

The motion tracker continued to show all clear, so Sassi decided to spare a moment for some very-necessary comfort. Wrapping her stallion up in a tight hug, the mare didn’t let go until he had stopped shaking.

All we have down here is each other. We’ve only gotten this far by trusting the other.

“Next time you see it, blast it, if you can,” Sassi whispered.

“You believe me?”

The sad, almost whimpering tone made the mare hug him even tighter, eventually letting him go. The fear and doubt made her stomach clench as it bled over from his mind.

“We’re only alive because we trusted each other,” Sassi said, resting a hoof on his shoulder. “I trust you with my life. So, of course, I believe you. I just worry.”

His shoulders relaxed, the relief nearly palpable.
“If it’s not real, Sas, that means I’m even worse off than I thought,” he added softly. “I recognize that. But something is here.”

“Then let’s kill it.”

The two set off again, but now Sassi could feel an odd prickle on the back of her neck. She knew what it meant, and even though Astral had been the only one seeing a creature, the mare’s gut began to acknowledge another fact about this empty testing area. It wasn’t an alien feeling, but never a welcome one.

They were being hunted.

Author's Note

Ah, such a lovely neighborhood.
...oh wait. They're still in a Silo :trollestia:

Chapter 109: Warning: Hitchhikers may be escaped convicts.

The two Thestrals took a few moments to compose themselves.

“So, prisoner block? Maybe fully of zeeps?” Astral asked, Sassi tilting her head adorably in curiosity.

“Zeeps?”

“Zombie Ponies. Zeeps.”

The mare giggled, not able to help herself.
“That’s perfect. Zeeps it is. But yes. It’d be easier if they’re all dead, honestly.”

The dark statement made Astral frown, and Sassi unbuckled three times from one of their supply satchels; two armor-piercing grenades, and duct tape.

“Astral, I need you to understand something,” she said seriously, flipping up the visor to meet his gaze. “If they’re alive, I will have to say a lot of stuff to get through this. So, don’t take it seriously at all, no matter how vile or nasty I might have to get.”

“I figured that might be the case,” he admitted softly. “But thank you, Sas.”

“I’ll need you to play along. Hopefully, I can reason with them, or lie enough to get us through. If it fails though, that’s what these are for.” She gestured to the grenades, taping it to her shoulder securely.

“Two grenades against…oh,” his words trailed off, the full severity of what Sassi was doing hitting full force.

“They’re not for the prisoners, Astral. They’re for us.” Sassi then paused, looking up at Astral. His heart clenched at seeing fear flicker across her eyes.

“If things get bad, really bad, I need you to promise that if I can’t pull the pin, you will. I promise to do the same for you. Tape it to your armor so you can yank the pin with your teeth if you can get your helmet off. We should be able to have enough ammo to cut our way through. But if you’re going to get captured…”

Astral’s eyes widened, the stallion taking a few deep breaths.
“It’s-they’re that bad?”

“Yes.”

Her immediate response made him nod, the stallion taping the grenade to his shoulder.
“Then I promise. But if we do get to that point, betcha I’ll take out more of them than you.”

Sassi’s jaw dropped to the floor, the stallion staring at her in shock at his own words.

“Wow, that was dark,” he admitted, “I have no idea where that came from.”

“We cope in our own ways.”

Astral could only nod in agreement, taking a shaky breath.
“I think that’s a good assessment. Realizing I’m at that point is jarring. But logical.”

“Thank you for promising though, Astral,” she said softly. “I’ve dealt with them before. And make no mistake, these criminals won’t kill you quickly. They want you to suffer in every way possible. I wouldn’t ask this otherwise.”

“I get it, Sas. I’ve seen what evil is down here, and I’m with you. I’ll just play along and try to not take anything personally.”

She smiled, but Astral could still sense the nervousness over their link. This wasn’t a light conversation in many meanings of the word.

“We just need to pass through. If I can convince them fighting us is more trouble than it’s worth, they might have bigger fish to fry.”

“And if they’re Zeeps, that makes our life a bit easier.” Astral then snorted in disbelief. “Fighting zombies instead of convicts, and that’s an easier situation. This place is so messed up.”

“Agreed.”

The two carefully edged down the hallway. The first security checkpoint was torn to shreds. What once had been a booth and security gate was nothing but mangled steel and glass. There were plenty of bullet holes and shell casings. Unfortunately, bodies were absent despite significant blood sprays across the wall.

“Just stay behind me and watch our backs,” Sassi said as they navigated a second, similarly-destroyed checkpoint. Security cameras had once been dotted all over the hallway, but now were only shredded bits of metal and wire.

“Can do.”

The third security checkpoint was mostly intact. A series of metal grating and bulletproof glass covered a large, open door. It appeared to be crudely chained shut. There were two security cameras embedded in the ceiling, but the RASP suit couldn’t tell them more. The prison systems were independently isolated, making their task a bit more difficult.

“Motion tracker clear,” Sassi muttered, casually swiping the chain apart with her hoof. “Stay close to me.”

“Always.”

She smiled, the two of them pushing through the double doors. The hallway beyond was dark, a second door barring their way. It had been reinforced with rebar and even a second door welded to each of the original panels, only opening inwards. More importantly, there were four motion blips on their tracker. Evenly spaced, the signatures were clearly covering the door. Two on either side of the hallway.

“They’re not moving,” Sassi said. “AI, any radio chatter you can pick up?”

“Confirmed. Short-range radio communications utilizing local two-way radios have been detected. Localized jamming prevents interception.”

“So. Not zeeps?”

“Not zeeps.”

Astral sighed at that, a frustrated huff leaving his mouth.
“So, what, we just knock?”

Sassi’s head tilted, the mare trotting up to the door.

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

She grinned from behind the visor, smacking the door twice and turning on the exterior speakers.

“Hey. Anyone there? Two non-freak ponies here. I’d rather not blast the doors.”

Cutting the external speakers, Sassi sighed.
“Follow my lead. This is about to get interesting.”

The doors unlocked, the motion tracker filling up with a dozen more signatures as bright lights blasted the hallway.

“Don’t move!”

Another voice then chimed in, a low chuckle reverberating around the hall.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the Terror of the Silos, Sassi Satin.”

The two Thestrals were led down the tunnel, dozens of convicts bearing an assortment of cobbled-together firearms and blades watching their every move. The ten-story cell blocks were nothing but metal bars, gates, and concrete. There were security checkpoints on the bottom floor, roughly dividing a hundred cells apart. The massive area was still lit, armed creatures holding more official firearms and side-saddles posted on the upper stories.

Apparently, Sassi knew the orange pony leading them, his cutie-mark cut off and replaced with a jagged scar.

“I can’t believe you’re second in command, Raz,” Sassi huffed. “And you say Block is the leader? I’m both surprised, but at the same time, not. He always did have the brains. I’m just surprised he was able to take command with all the other creatures here.”

“Same. But he did. I thought he was just some useless egghead till now,” the convict said, “well, until he bashed the brains of the other two guys in with a rock. That was after he hung the third from the top floor. He’s one cold creature.”

Sassi let out an impressed whistle, looking around as they stopped. A full fifty convicts surrounded them; forty on the ground, and ten aiming weapons from above.

“So. You didn’t shoot us first, which means Block is willing to talk. Yeah?”

Raz nodded slowly at that, waving the large revolver on his forelimb from side to side.
“Yep. But he wants to get the story first before he bothers to head down. So. Why are you here, and who is this?” the stallion asked, leveling the revolver at Astral. “Or better yet, why shouldn’t we kill them?”

Sassi’s visor cleared, the mare rolling her eyes as she reached over to smack the minigun at her side with a hoof.

“Oh, come on, Raz,” she sighed. “While your boss is the smart one here, but you’re not that stupid. Do you want a story? Lower the gun. I really don’t want to have to explain to the Boss why I killed all of you. It’d be awkward.”

To Astral’s surprise, the gun was lowered with a smirk.

“Fine. Still waiting on that story. Boss is listening,” Raz said, a more dangerous tone now entering his voice. It made Astral’s hair stand on end, an abrupt reminder that the creature in front of them could try and kill them without even a second thought. The prison so far had been clean, strangely clean. Sure, there was trash. But Astral had expected corpses and blood everywhere.

It was almost orderly, the convicts clearly having direction and purpose to their movements. Somehow that made it worse.

“Story is this. Silo went to crap after the systems were fried from some do-gooder hack job. All the experiments got loose, multiplied, and have been tearing the place apart ever since,” Sassi said firmly. “The homicidal AI dropped the first Silo on our heads, and the other reactor we blew sky high to fry as many of the freaks as we could.” She waved a hoof to Astral. “Picked him up in the first silo. Doesn’t talk much, just some security pencil-pusher at the front desk.”

“And you kept him around? I’m surprised he could keep up,” Raz said with a cautious glance at Astral. “He’s not a VIP? He can be in that fancy armor you wear.”

“He got an experimental boost for the armor. It took. That’s the only reason he survived this long,” Sassi explained. “Nice having someone watch your back. Somewhat. Still can’t get on my level though. So, he’s with me.”

“Uh huh,” Raz said, clearly not convinced. His head tilted to the side, and Astral saw the glint of an earpiece. “Boss is still wondering why we shouldn’t kill you both and take your stuff?”

“Because you all know that the chance of you doing that isn’t very high, even with those anti-material rifles up on the top floor,” Sassi said, then increasing her voice. “Yes, I saw those. You all know how fast I can move!”

She rolled her eyes waving a hoof at the still-on-edge group of prisoners.
“Second and third reasons? The armor is useless to you. It’d tear you apart if you tried to move. And finally, you want us alive because we’re heading out of here. You let us pass through, and we’ll clear all the freaks out of the way. Give us a six-hour lead, and you can follow. Should be a straight shot through the other Silo to the surface. You let us do the dirty work in exchange for letting us through.”

That got the convict’s attention, Raz frowning as he listened to the reply in his ear.
“Boss is thinking it over. Not totally convinced,” he muttered.

“Why not?” Sassi said with a frustrated huff. “Come on. Block is smarter than this. He knows we can help each other. So let me talk to him face to face. Or does he like letting his lackeys do the work for him?” Sassi asked, Raz laughing.

“Oh, he’ll come down to say hello. You’ll have to trade something to get through. Maybe the armor. Or the guns. Or something else.”

The chuckles from the group didn’t even phase the mare.

“Whatever the trade is, it’ll be with only Block. Certainly not with you or anyone else,” Sassi said flatly.

“Right you are. So, let us talk.”

A massive, brown earth stallion trotted up, two large gryphons flanking him. Welded metal barding covered the stallion’s frame, knives strapped to his hooves as a makeshift saddle held a crude shotgun.

“Sassi Satin. Quite a strange predicament we find ourselves in,” Block said, the stallion taking an exaggerated bow with a grin. “And the Terror of the Silos finally snagged a stallion? These are strange times indeed. Last I checked, you snapped the arm of anyone who even glanced your way wrong. You certainly did that to a few of my friends.”

“I worked for the company. They put a chip in my head. You think I was any freer than you?” Sassi spat back. “I did what I had to do to survive. I know you can appreciate that. But now I make my own choices. So. You all want to get out of here? That’s a lot more valuable than anything else I’ve got.”

Block hummed, gesturing to Astral.
“What does the strong and silent type have to say?” the pony asked. “You just along for the ride?”

Astral took a few deep breaths, hoping the armor could hide the shaking of his limbs.

“More or less,” he said, “she leads, I follow. Worked out so far.”

“Hmm. A smart response,” Block mused, “not a leader then?”

“Trust me. I’m trying to get him to lead on a few more things,” Sassi grumbled. Even with the joke being rather flat, it managed to make Block snort in amusement. “So. You let us pass, we clear out the freaks ahead, and you follow.”

“And then when we get to this so-called exit of yours, there’s a platoon of soldiers waiting? I don’t think so,” Block shot back. “How about we hold your buddy here until we set up a secure escape route?”

“That isn’t happening either.” The mare replied, frustration and worry humming over their mental link. “We can even leave a few grenades behind to sweeten the deal. Or are you just too focused on my flanks to want to leave here?”

Block chuckled at that, shaking his head.
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. That’s a fine reason to stay here for a little while. But you’ve caused plenty of us a great deal of pain over the years. Well, those who haven’t been chewed up by the Silos. There are lots of creatures who want some payback. Letting you go without so much as a scratch would be…unfortunate.” He then waved a hoof. “However, unlike them, I can understand you were in a similar position to us. At the whims of a company as it were. So, let’s walk through towards the exit and discuss terms. There’s only one other exit after all.”

Something about the stallion changed, and it made Astral’s stomach do a flip-flop as the other pony looked back at them. The prisoners also took half a step back, as if a physical force was pushing them away from Block.

“I promise you will not be harmed as we move through. We may be the trash of nations, but even we must have order. Civility,” Block said, raising his voice. “So. These two are not to be harmed as we move. Are we clear?”

Dozens of voices answered in unison.
“Yes, Boss.”

Block smiled, nodding to the two Thestrals. There was nothing behind the grin, however. It was empty, and there was a cold, calculating look in his eyes.

“Let us walk and talk then. We can discuss a fair deal, and then you can go. You won’t be harmed here unless you do something rash. On that, you have my word.”

Sassi nodded in approval, the group now starting to slowly walk deeper into the prison. All Astral could do was trust her.

That hadn’t led him wrong yet.

Author's Note

Oh. They seem...nice.

Chapter 110: The Maw

Their walk was slow, and the atmosphere was thick with an underlying tension. Four gryphons followed on the upper levels; large rifles held in their claws. Another five ponies, including Block, accompanied the Thestrals. A larger group of a few dozen assorted creatures followed just barely out of sight.

Astral forced himself to put one hoof in front of the other, focusing on very little else. After the experience with the Zeeps and the creature hunting them, his nerves were fried.

He just had to trust Sassi to get through this.

As they turned the corner, however, Astral’s stomach clenched. Hung from ropes, a gutted pony was draped between the fifth story of the prison blocks. It was only now that blood was visible, various cells absolutely coated in the stuff.

“From a less civilized time,” Block said calmly as they walked. “One of the former leaders. He killed a few of the survivors from one of the Silos. I, therefore, made an example of him. Such a waste of resources. Killing first got us this far, yes. But to get us out, it must come after speaking. Instead of being second nature, we have to work together if needed. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“I would,” Sassi replied. Her tone was curt but oddly respectful. There was a strength to it, an edge that calmed Astral’s nerves. “I have to say, I’m rather impressed, Block. I knew you were one of the smarter ones here, if not at the top. I’m pleased to see I wasn’t wrong. Even with the ugliness of survival, you have order. That’s no small accomplishment. I thought everyone would have torn each other apart by now.”

The stallion clearly was pleased with the mare’s words, a bit of a confident strut adding to his gait.

“So, Block. Let’s discuss a deal. We have some things to offer.” Sassi said. “Perhaps some of our weapons? Supplies? Or are you really going to suggest hopping into bed with me as a payment?”

“Well, the thought had crossed my mind a few times,” Block smirked, eyes glancing over to her, “but I assume your friend here would take issue with that?”

“Eh, he’d get over it. But without some testing, I think you or anyone else would be a disappointment in comparison,” Sassi said with a smirk, “I don’t just keep him around for the conversation. Nice to have a good roll in the hay once in a while.”

“Well, Raz. Fair is fair,” Block sighed, fishing out a piece of gold metal and flicking it back towards the other pony. “I was wrong.”

“Wait. I was right?” Raz asked, genuinely surprised. “The Terror of the Silos finally cracked? OI! Rest of you, pay up. My cell- drop off the bets.”

There were more than a few grumbles at that, Block chuckling.
“I would not have guessed things went that far. You admit your fondness for him; such things get you killed down here. Did such weakness leave you vulnerable, I wonder?”

They paused, and it was only then that Astral caught sight of what was around the corner in a few more cells.

Sassi?

He didn’t know if there was a way for her to hear him, but the mare’s ears twitched. Weakness returned to Astral’s limbs. The Silos had thrown things so far out of reality at them, it had been easy to distance one’s self from it. Well, compared to this.

The bloodied cells were full of flesh. Dried and hanging from hooks, an entire wall of the prison was converted to drying the meat.

In one of the cells, the skinned and gutted bodies of innumerable creatures were piled high, the concrete chamber sealed off with refrigeration units, plastic, and metal to create a makeshift freezer.

Cannibals.

“And here we arrive at the unpleasant truth. Sacrifices needed to be made for the strong to survive,” Block stated gravely. “Have you let weakness infect you, Sassi Satin? Do not mistake my pleasantries for incompetence. I’ve been civil. As you said, order is now here. But to get to that point, things had to get ugly for a time.”

He waved a hoof, the guns mostly, but not entirely, trained on the group.
“You want passage, but you have very little to offer. Oh, I wouldn’t mind exploring the mare under that armor, but that’s hardly enough to cover letting such a valuable resource walk through our midst.”

He raised his forelimb, training the shotgun on Astral.
“We have plenty of weapons and supplies for many more weeks. But the path ahead is unknown. Therefore, your offer to clear a path is acceptable. However, only you can go. We will keep this one. Unharmed of course. But until we have confirmation of a clear path, he stays with us. How else can we guarantee your return?”

“No deal. You’ve seen those creatures. I need someone to watch my back. One or two of your creatures can’t keep up,” Sassi said with an air of frustration. “Don’t play stupid. I’ve known you far too long for that to work. You know even your best crew can’t keep up with me, and I need someone close to my level to fight off the monsters here. I need him to fight.”

Astral felt a moment of worry and almost panic inject itself into the mental link. It nearly kicked off his own nerves. That is, until an ice-cold calm took over.

There you go, Sas.

The scarred stallion sighed, brow furrowing in disappointment.
“The alternative is we kill you both, peel the armor off of you, and use whatever we can. I guarantee I, and my crew will be resourceful,” Block said, a malevolent smirk sliding onto his scarred features. But that quickly faded, the almost-believable mask of a gentlestallion returning. “I would very much like to avoid that, as you’re far more pleasant and useful alive.”

“Uh-huh. Look, first, you drop the guns, or we kill each other, right here, right now.” Sassi replied. “What else do you have to make this deal work? Or do we need to start shooting?”

“Oh? A flicker of the Terror now shows her face! No, I don’t think you’d be able to. Not without hurting your precious bed toy. These are significantly better terms than my predecessors would have offered,” Block said, nodding to somepony behind them.

A series of impacts slammed into Astral, the stallion crumping to the floor as electricity coursed across the armor. The HUD whited out, systems shutting down to reboot. Block raised a hoof as Sassi’s miniguns sped up.

“Hold your fire, he’s alive. I’m not about to kill such a resource. Funny thing about those shock rounds they used on us. Enough of them can crash electrical systems,” Block said, not seeming to mind the miniguns pointed at him. “If you need backup, then how about this.? You will take two dozen of my crew as confirmation. If none of them come back with you, I’ll assume the deal is off. They may not be able to keep up with you, but they can at least aid in splitting the attention of monsters. And you have an incentive to keep them alive. Is that acceptable?”

Sassi frowned, the miniguns stopping their rotation. For a moment, Astral felt fear start to take over. Yet somehow, it remained at bay. There was a cool, calming sensation in his mind.

Sassi?

“Two dozen? Hmm. Deal,” Sassi said with a firm nod. “That’s actually doable. I can escort them and at least keep the majority alive. She then smiled, taking her helmet off. “I underestimated you, Block. I can respect that. I do respect that.”

The pony grinned, the two dozen creatures behind them moving a bit closer. Three of them had large, shotgun-like side saddles aimed at Astral as they encircled him. The shock rounds, if he had to guess.

Not that the Thestral could move his head much. He had such a limited range of movement.

“Let’s go then,” Sassi remarked, taking a few steps forward, “but are we stopping by your quarters first?”

The stallion blinked in surprise, then let out a laugh.
“I threaten to kill you and your friend, and that’s what you say? You’re a lot colder of a mare than I originally thought.”

She shrugged, casually waving a hoof at the group.
“Well sure, but that’s just business, Block. You know that,” Sassi explained. “This is a transaction. A logical deal. I know how things work down here, as do you. I threaten you, you threaten me, go back and forth a bit, and then we sort things out. Just like how it was before. Those shock rounds aren’t fun, but hardly lethal. I appreciate you not harming him.”

The smile on the mare’s face might have easily been mistaken as seductive. And more than a few eyes in the group were lecherously focused on Sassi as she walked a bit closer to Block.

“And you said clearing a path wouldn’t cover allof the cost for passage, just some. And you’re hardly the worst pony to…trade with.”

She then grinned, casually reaching up to trace a hoof across Block’s chest- a gesture he was too surprised to stop.

“If I’m being frank, I’m glad it’s you I’m making a deal with. You’ve managed to build something here, and that takes a lot of guts and brains to get done right. And you can call it flattery, but facts are facts. At least I can be appreciated by someone who understands the full gravity of the situation.”

She then took a few steps, Block following as her voice lowered to almost a whisper, “I know the others wouldn’t get it. My friend over there is a great lay, but he’s not the brightest. It gets…exhausting. So, I’m glad it’s you at the very least. I’d rather trade with someone on my level than these other idiots. It’s a nice change, even if it’s for business.”

Block made a sweeping gesture with his hoof as they paused, bowing slightly before waving to his lackeys.

“You do indeed flatter me. And yet you’re as cold and calculating as always.”

“Cold? I think I can change that perception shortly,” Sassi replied with a grin. “Now then, how much more talking do you want to do? Hopefully not too much. I’m eager to leave here, but not that quickly. If that’s acceptable?”

“Ah, one moment…”

Even if he didn’t act as if Sassi’s words had phased him, the stallion was clearly quite pleased with himself.

Letting out a huff, Block gestured again to his crew.
“Now, you all; stay here for now. I want twenty-four of the best fighters to be selected when I get back,” he growled, looking at Raz and a few other creatures. “Whoever goes and returns gets first looting rights on whatever they find, and as much food and booze as they can handle for three days. I know which ones of you have the skills, so I trust you to sort it out amongst yourselves in a civilized manner.”

The creatures nodded in acknowledgment, then turned to discuss amongst themselves.

“Oh, and if I happen to die in my quarters under strange circumstances, kill them both,” Block added with a chuckle.

“But what fun would that be?” Sassi sighed. “Really, Block? If it was one of these other brutes, that’d be a concern. But you’re at least pleasant. I want you alive for the next…well, however long we have.”

“Just covering my back, as I always do,” the convict remarked, reaching up to drape a hoof across Sassi’s back. “And I promise I’m just as pleasant in private.”

“Well hopefully not too pleasant,” Sassi said, reaching over to bump Block’s side with her own as they began to walk. “I’ve had enough of being coddled by this stupid company. They controlled me and I couldn’t just let loose! I just hope you’re up for it. Does this place have hot water? A nice shower full of steam to start off? It’s been ages since I’ve had a shower.”

The stallion grinned, a hoof reaching to trace down Sassi’s back.
“Oh, I think we can arrange a bit of-”

It was a whisper of movement, a flick of a wrist.

With an abrupt, fierce snarl, Sassi lashed out with her gauntlet. The extended blade nearly cut Block’s head clean off. With a kick, she sent the body flying back towards the dozen creatures behind Astral, severed arteries filling the air with blood.

As the red liquid blinded the nearest creatures the mare tumbled backwards. She grabbed and seated her helmet, the cannons firing at the four creatures on the balcony. Three of them flopped down with massive holes in their chest, the fourth managing to fire a single shot from the anti-material rifle before meeting a similar fate. The round slammed into Sassi’s side, the armor buckling but not completely. It made her stagger, but the mare easily rolled with the blow and brought her weapons to bear.

Then the miniguns went loud.

The nearest dozen ponies and gryphons went down in a spray of blood and gore. Magical bullets chewed through the lightly-armored targets with ease. It was only after more than the nearest twenty of the creatures were piled on the floor in a bloody pile that bullets began to rain their way.

Jumping forwards, Sassi crouched over Astral. Her wings snapped out, a shield of energy deflecting hundreds of rounds that now were pouring down at them.

A red-hot fire burned in Astral’s mind from his link with Sassi. Raw, unfiltered rage and disgust flared up as the mare pulled him off into a cell. She yanked off the attached gel-encased stun rounds from the armor, checking the miniguns before stepping out to send a hail of bullets back at the convicts.

“Astral, can you move?” she called, glancing back at the stunned stallion. “Astral!”

“Not yet. Armor says it’s in lockup?” he relayed, reading the display. “Radio and guns operational, but it’s rebooting in thirty seconds for limited movement. Another two minutes before systems are fully back up.”

She sent another stream of rounds down the hall, coating every floor of the prison block with magical bullets and blasts from the cannons. As the return fire increased, the mare slid back into the cell.

“As soon as you can move, get ready to run. It’s just a long hallway, a left, and then a right until we’re at the exit. It’ll be locked, but we can blow it open,” she explained. “I’ll try and cover us. They’ll be in disarray with Block dead, but they’ll quickly work together to try and take us out. Got it?”

He tried to nod. It was a foolish gesture considering the armor was completely immobilized.
“Got it. I’ll stand as soon as I can.”

Sassi paused, double-checking the guns as the return fire slackened.
“Idiots. They all fire until they need to reload instead of staggering,” she muttered to herself.

After sending another stream of bullets their way, Sassi immediately trotted to Astral’s side as he stood, the armor audibly whining as the motors struggled to compensate.

“Not sure if I can run flat out,” the Thestral said, taking a few experimental steps. “But I can manage a fast trot.”

“It’ll have to do. When they reload again, we move.”

It was oddly comforting to be on the receiving end of Sassi’s militaristic communications again. No fluff, just orders to get them out and safe.

The incoming bullets slowed.

“Move, Astral!” Sassi yelled, covering his mad scramble with a haul of fire.

He forced the leaden limbs to move, half-tripping over himself. Dodging around the corpses, Astral nearly fell over as he skidded to turn, Sassi following right behind him.

There weren’t many creatures ahead of them; the majority apparently following. Sassi paused for a split second, kicking the head of Block as they passed.

“Moron. It wasn’t your back you needed to cover,” she spat. “Astral. Straight ahead, keep going!”

He tried; he really did. The Thestral stumbled, nearly falling before Sassi caught him. She shoved him upright. The cannons abruptly blew two gryphons into wet chunks, the creatures lunging at them from ground-level cells. Their brandished machetes had barely hit the floor before three ponies got chewed into Swiss cheese by the machine guns, apparently desperate for a piece of the action.

They had only been armed with crude shivs. Sassi killed them without hesitation all the same.

Passing by a dozen cells covered in blood, gore, and plastic wrap, the two finally managed to turn another corner.

“Ok. That door up there on our right. A short hall which leads to the exit. Then a simple security station and heavy doors. It wasn’t ever used outside of testing to make sure it worked,” Sassi instructed, still pinning down the dozens of convicts chasing them. A stray bullet smacked into her shoulder, the mare hissing in pain as it dug into the softer but still bullet-proof body suit.

Two earth ponies were between them and the doors. Astral’s first shot went wide- the RASP targeting was still down. The nearest pony had a crude pistol on his forearm- it punched Astral in the chest with two shots before the Thestral fired again. The second pony abruptly ran off, dropping the knife he had been holding.

The only smart move Astral had seen from them so far.

Turning into the exit hallway, Astral nearly fell again as the armor rebooted. His movements abruptly became lighter. He sighed in relief.

“Right side! Control panel!”

Astral dashed over to the indicated area, yanking a massive red lever. There was a hiss of hydraulics, and the door opened.

It stopped after a few seconds, the grinding of metal audible. Astral forced himself into the gap, shoving it open. It barely was enough to allow the two of them to squeeze through with the guns.

On the other side, Astral yanked a matching lever. The door closed but didn’t seal all the way. He joined with Sassi to shove the two sides of the door until it latched, then blew the lever and controls to pieces with a blast from the shotgun.

“Let’s go. Can’t stop yet. One more security door, and then it’s a large meeting room. After that, another few security doors and then the main entrance to the Silo. Then we’re in the dark,” Sassi barked.

The hallway was a crude tunnel bored into the rock, leading to a second door. This one was much older, and a great deal thicker than the first. The grey metal was easily as thick as a door was wide, and opened at a snail’s pace. The sound of gears grinding indicated some form of powered hydraulics, but Astral wasn’t about to question it.

It sealed behind them. Dim, white lights flickered on automatically to show a simple tiled hallway leading to a circular employee-lounge-like room. There were papers scattered everywhere, along with a small kitchen, relaxation area, and rather large bathrooms.

But more importantly, the hall beyond it was sealed, the area without a spec of blood.

It was only then that Astral let himself breathe, flopping down onto his haunches.

That could have gone worse.

Author's Note

Safe (ish) again!

We're back to weekly chapters! :yay:
Also, as we're in the final arc of this story, I'll be putting up a poll in the final chapters as to what project you all would like to see as a priority (thank you for HarpyYoshi for the idea.)

There's 2 stories for the future that will be written regardless. One is the Sequel to SL-5 with our two favorite Thestrels (and a new chaotic friend). Can't give more info than that just yet.

The other is titled "The Frost", an apocalyptic story that's independent of the "Radverse". Adventure, survival, and of course lots of fluff- very little horror. Already have about 4-5 chapters written.
Click here for the story description

So, until the survey is posted, feel free to sound off in the comments!

Chapter 111: Mouthwash

The two Thestrals just breathed for a few moments, Sassi yanking off her helmet. The air was stale and musty, but safe. The RASP AI confirmed the area was clear. All ventilation grates were intact, there were no spores, and the system had disinfected water. This was the main stopping point before the condemned silo, a rallying point for any construction or containment crews if the mare had to guess.

That was good. Sassi needed a minute. Or twenty.

She couldn’t shake the disgust that coated her like slime. Astral was safe, and that made everything so much easier. He was ok.

The mare shrugged out of her suit.

“Showers are in here. AI says the water is ok too. So, let’s rinse off and get things refilled. I doubt the food is any good, but even a sugar packet could be nice to snag.” Her voice was in a monotone, but any emotion was too much work.

“Sas, you ok?”

She shook her head, barely holding it together. Emotion made her neck tense up; words clogged her throat.

Astral managed to get out of his armor without too much trouble, the AI running a full set of diagnostics on both of the suits after the fight. He stumbled slightly, Sassi catching him. They didn’t need to stop. Ideally, they’d keep going.

But she couldn’t. She had to stop.

Not leaving her side, Astral slumped onto the shower floor, still taking a few deep breaths. Anxious, almost desperate concern hummed through their link. It should have helped; it did help. But not completely.

He let out a hiss as the first blast of water was freezing, the stallion backing up out of the stream.
“Eh. I’ll wait. Never liked cold showers,” he muttered, eyes then narrowing as his gaze drifted to his special-somepony. “Sas?”

She couldn’t help it. Even though the water was freezing, the mare scrubbed at her fur with the available soap. Despite shivering, Sassi continued. It helped at least a little bit. Every inch of her body aggressively went over twice and rinsed. It wasn’t a physically taxing activity, but her sides heaved regardless, hoof trembling as the now-warm water cascaded over her.

Despite his own body shaking with the strain, Astral staggered forward to sit at her side. The simple gesture made tears trickle from Sassi’s eyes.

“I need you, Astral.”

Just the thought made Sassi’s sides shake, the mare trying not to completely break down. It was a futile effort though, her mental barriers fragmenting. Seeing those gazes again, scanning over every part of her body as unsaid thoughts and desires leered behind their faces.

Being seen as just a thing…

“I’m here for you Sas, always.”

She didn’t know if she imagined it, but Astral’s loving voice echoed in her mind. A warm hum in the back of her consciousness shoved aside the toxic thoughts as the stallion scooted closer.

It was too much. She leaned over, wrapping him up in the offered hug. Burying her head into his chest, Sassi let herself cry. There wasn’t even a concrete reason, not yet. But her mind was quickly starting to put words to it all.

But for now, she just needed him. Knowing the stallion she loved was there for her, even if he didn’t understand why, was enough. Astral’s fur against her cheek and his tight embrace made everything else fade away.

“I can be weak. And that’s ok.”

She felt him nod, but there was too much going on in Sassi’s mind to even put two and two together. Astral held her tightly, his head laying across hers protectively. No words were said, but the concern radiating from their link was more than enough. Her sensitive ears just focused on the stallion’s heartbeat, a steady thudding that drowned out everything else. Even her thoughts.

Sassi didn’t keep track of time. She simply enjoyed relaxing in Astral’s embrace until she felt somewhat herself again. He didn’t say anything, only listening as the mare finally spoke.

“Having to act with Block. I had to go back to that place. To that mindset in the Silo,” Sassi whispered. “To be seen as just a thing. To realize I was just something to be used. I wasn’t someone. I was just something. To them, to the Company, to everyone. Nothing I wanted mattered. I couldn’t think of anything else, and I-it just went on and on and on and I couldn’t-”

Realizing that she was rambling, Sassi shook her head as her words trailed off. She didn’t have anything left to say. Thankfully, Astral did. He reached down and gave her a kiss. A simple, but long and chaste gesture that ended with him resting a cheek against hers. She was about to speak again, but Astral occupied her with another kiss. The look in his eyes made Sassi’s vision blur with tears again. A simple, but loving depth radiated from Astral’s gaze.

He just wants me to be happy, to be close.
To me.

“Of course I do.”

A few more tears trickled from Sassi’s eyes, the mare hiccupping as she stifled a laugh.
“How can you be so perfect?”

He blinked, laughing softly.
“I’m far from it. I’m just getting the hang of how to make you feel better. Kisses, hugs, and reminding you that you’re an amazing mare.”

The stallion paused as if cutting himself off. Sassi couldn’t help but smile, wiping away a few tears. She had a feeling she knew what words were unsaid.

“I don’t mind being your amazing mare,” she admitted, Astral grinning sheepishly.

“I didn’t want to say something possessive like that, after what you had to do,” the stallion added softly.

“And I appreciate it. But I love you. So, that’s something I want very much.”

He grinned, leaning into her hug again with a satisfied sigh.
“Well, I want to be your amazing stallion. So, we’re even.”

The tears had been replaced with smiles, Sassi taking a few relieved breaths.
“Thank you, Astral. Just, I knew it’d be bad getting through there. I didn’t realize that even just acting like that would be so disgusting,” she explained. “Before all of this happened, I could easily flip in and out of different roles.”

“You don’t have to expl-”

“But I want to,” she interrupted. “So just shush. Right now, you’re my mental and physical mouthwash from all that.”

Astral nearly choked on water from laughing, Sassi stifling her own giggles as he struggled to speak.

“I…that’s…one way of putting it!” He gasped from mirth, “but mouthwash? I think I’ll need to use more tongue. Duly noted!”

Her jaw dropped at his words, Astral cackling as Sassi slugged him in the chest. She wanted to fire back a snappy comeback, but her mind was utterly blanketed by a happy, warm glow.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist,” Astral finally gasped. “I’m just happy I can make you feel better. Sorry for interrupting.”

“I’m going to use that mouthwash analogy again when you least expect it,” Sassi grumbled. “But it’s accurate. You…” her words drifted off, the mare collecting her thoughts. “You’ve shown me what it’s like to be loved for me. A contrast to everything I grew up around and thought was true. You don’t push anything onto me, and you’re just so dang concerned about how I feel. To have to actively go against everything you’ve shown me, even to survive, it hurt.”

“But you did it, and we’re both alive for it. So, thank you.”

“You don’t get to thank me,” she replied, hugging him tighter. “I owe you so much more.”

“Are we keeping score now?”

She snorted, kissing him before separating.
“If you want.”

“Ooooh this’ll be fun!” He then paused. “Eh. That doesn’t feel right. I liked it better when we were even. Never mind,” the stallion added with a loving grin.

They rinsed off, then got back into the armor after drying off. Sassi kept her eye on Astral, the stallion’s limbs still quivering.

“Are you ok to talk about stuff back there?” he asked, slowly buckling on the armor. “I’ll drop it if you want.”

“I’m good now. I promise.” The mare was sure to nod as a cautious look entered Astral’s gaze. “First though, did you hear me in your head?”

He stared, a smile starting to form on Astral’s face.
“Yep. It was rather nice. Did you hear me?”

“Yuuuup.”

The shocked stallion blinked, Sassi giggling.
“So did we just have our first official telepathic conversation?” she asked, reaching over to help snap on a stubborn bit of his armor.

“I think so? But now it seems to have faded,” he muttered. “The only other times it happened before; maybe it’s tied to emotions?”

“Makes sense,” the mare mused. “Extreme emotional stress could trigger it.”

“Well, I meant what I said. Erm, thought.” Astral’s face scrunched up adorably. “Ok, it’s going to take some getting used to.”

“Ditto. Still, thank you.”

She gave him a brief kiss, then gestured back towards the direction of the prison.
“I can explain stuff though, really. I know you probably have questions.”

“That’s true,” Astral said. “I mean, how did you know Block could be played like that? It was impressive. I honestly didn’t think he’d fall for it.”

Sassi let out a hum, sticking by Astral’s side as they looked over the room for anything of use.

“It helped that I knew him from before. He was one of the smarter prisoners, and so the Company kept him alive. He helped control the convicts from the inside. In exchange for staying alive, he’d identify certain groups for the Company that they needed, and turn groups against each other to keep the peace,” she began. “He’s always been the smart one, and being stuck around a bunch of room-temp IQ convicts gave him a bit of a superiority complex. He got beaten down by the muscleheads with followers but ran things far above their heads with his networking. He was just as cruel and horrific as them with murders and killings. But he did it in the shadows, and the Company saw him as valuable. He always put on a polite front, but could shed it in an instant.”

She shrugged, stuffing a few candy bars from a drawer into the armor’s container.
“So, I knew to play off of that, him seeing me as an equal and my own view of admiring his work. It’s why I immediately started saying that he was smarter than the rest since he was likely listening. I just gave him the validation he never got in here. It also helped that there are very few pretty faces down here. Of course, it’s a low bar for them, so what that says about me -”

“Noooooope.”

Astral’s interjection made Sassi blink.

“Nope?”

He shook his head, a smirk forming on the stallion’s lips.
“You were starting to put yourself down. Not on my watch.”

She trotted over to nuzzle under his chin, then returned to their looting spree.
“Thanks,” she whispered. The AI flagged a few locations of interest, a few items of canned food drawing their attention.

“But yeah. It was basically just validating him. After that, the usual feminine charm.”

“And you have pleeeeeeeenty of that, I might add. An overwhelming amount at times.”

Sassi’s pink face made Astral cackle, the Thestral thoroughly enjoying making his marefriend a blushing mess.

“I also appreciated the…erm, positive comments about me in bed. Even if it’s just speculation,” Astral said with a cheeky but slightly embarrassed grin.

“Oh, once we get out of here feel free to prove me right as much as you’d like. Y’know, Sassi Sentinel has a rather nice ring to it.”

Astral’s mouth dropped open, it being Sassi’s turn to cackle at the stunned stallion. Of course, her face was as red as his, but it wasn’t like either of those topics was a new thought to her.

Sassi Sentinel. I like how that sounds.
…I really like how that sounds!

She hadn’t thought in-depth about it, not like this. It made her heart flutter.

“You don’t get to make me blush without getting anything in return!” she said with a grin, still trying to control her giggles as her face continued to burn bright pink.

He tried to pout, but it was rather ineffective.
“Fair enough,” he said with an amused shake of his head. “But now I can’t even take a cold shower now when I’m in this armor!”

“Just have the AI turn down the heating elements.”

“Oh? AI. Freeze me in the armor for a few seconds.”

He let out a yelp, Sassi laughing as Astral glared at her.

“Hey, it works!” he stated, then began to sift through another drawer. “If I may ask, was anything you said about me true? I don’t want to come off as insecure. I know you said stuff to get us through it all.”

“But it still doesn’t feel good, from someone you love?”

The stallion paused at Sassi’s words, Astral finally nodding.
“Yeah. That little voice,” he admitted. “It’s stupid.”

“No, it’s not. You didn’t let me think it was stupid when I had similar thoughts. So don’t you start. I didn’t mean any of the negative stuff about you that I said.” The mare’s response was firm and left no room for negotiation. “But in a general sense, there were things that were true.” She then smirked, reaching over to give his side a bump with hers. “Including the part about being great in bed. Well, I assume that’ll be true, even if it takes us both a lot of practice to get there.”

“AI? Freeze me again please.”

Sassi giggled, the cheeky and affectionate look in Astral’s eyes making her heart flutter.

“The part about it being exhausting with someone not being on my level? That’s true, but not the whole truth,” the mare elaborated. “It’s not just smarts. It’s in so many ways. We complement each other and are on equal levels in a lot of stuff. That m-means so much, I can’t put words to it.”

Sniffling, the mare wiped her eyes, unable to keep a smile off her expression.
“You’re my equal in everything. Sure, I can beat you in a fight. But you can tell me stuff about the stars that I have no clue about, or destroy me in some board games. I don’t feel less or more than you, even though we have separate strengths and weaknesses. It’s not about being on the same level or something. We just aren’t competing.” She paused, eyes widening.

“I think that’s it,” Sassi whispered, sitting down abruptly. “I never put words to it. It’s not a competition.”

“And it always was in the Silos?”

“Always. In everything. But with you, I can just be me. And I get to be supported in w-whatever I do.”

Astral trotted over, nuzzling his marefriend’s cheek. He only responded with a single word, one that made Sassi smile.

“Always.”

She let herself enjoy his touch, nothing else mattering in that brief, beautiful moment. Unknowns lay ahead of them, and horrors behind.

But for now, they were ok and had each other.

Author's Note

Ah, some adorable fluff where our two Thestrals can take a moment to breathe...:yay:

Chapter 112: Condemned

The two Thestrals parted after a few moments, Astral not saying anything for a bit. The gentle smile on his face made Sassi’s heart flutter. For a brief moment, the stallion didn’t look like he was hurting, just enjoying her company.

I promise to give you so many more of those moments.

“Let me check the doors behind us before we go on. Rather not be surprised if we slow down,” Sassi remarked, Astral nodding.

“I’ll keep watch here.”

As Sassi navigated back to the massive door, the RASP suit began to pull up multiple, short-range communication broadcasts.

Even through the interference caused by the security door, the sounds were unmistakable.

Gunshots. Screaming. Explosions.

‘Warning. Electrical anomaly detected.’

“The creature that was hunting us in the suburb?” Sassi asked.

‘Negative. Electrical signature matches informal designation of ‘Number Two’.
Warning. Prison reactor complex shows fluctuating readings. Anticipated detonation: t-minus approximately twenty minutes.
Warning: Primary users are inside main blast radius. Evacuate to the adjacent silo.’

Sassi’s blood chilled to ice, the mare backing up. She punched the door controls, making sure it was sealed before bolting back to Astral.

“Sas?”

“We need to go, now!”

He immediately followed her, the two of them dashing to the next security checkpoint. The smaller door cycled them through, Sassi taking a moment to calm her nerves.

“Number Two just breached the prison. I heard screams over the radio. Gunshots,” she explained. “It’s following us, and fast. That prison just gave it hundreds of fresh bodies to work with. It must have come through the reactor room because it’s going critical. We’ve got less than twenty minutes to get into the Silo.”

The stallion’s limbs began to shake, his hoof quivering as Sassi held it tight.

“We’ll make it.”

Her reassurance seemed to help slightly. The moment was instantly shattered as the security door opened, a dozen bloodied faces abruptly charging the two Thestarls.

The shotgun and miniguns tore the pony Zeeps into fleshy powder. The two Thestrals stood still, scanning the area.

“Clear,” Astral muttered.

A chittering shriek made the two Thestrals swing their weapons around the room. There wasn’t anything on the motion tracker, but something tore past them. Whatever it was, it moved behind the walls and vanished into the area ahead of them.

“Ok, what was that?”

Sassi snorted at Astral’s question.
“AI?”

‘Unknown. Entity was able to jam motion detection equipment. Unknown signature.’

“Great, another friend,” Sassi muttered. “Let’s be careful. Move quickly, but just watch out.”

Astral nodded, checking their ammunition levels as the reactor countdown ticked off in their HUD.

“So, a new creep, and Zeeps? How did they get past the doors?” he asked, Sassi stuffing metal scrap into the miniguns for ammunition conversion. She then gestured to a large, open-air vent.

“From there. I guess the new creature moved in the ducting. While the grating held for that room, it must have failed elsewhere. These are convicts,” she explained, the corpses wearing signature prisoner clothing. “Infected and then driven to explore wherever they can. Not sure what they ate. Maybe I don’t want to know.”

“Agreed.”

The next security door let them through without incident. The ongoing map displayed in the HUD barely expanded beyond the line of sight.

“How is the shielding still up in the Silo? I assume that’s why the suit can’t map things?” Astral asked, Sassi huffing in annoyance.

“I have no idea. There must be an older reactor, an ancient failsafe powering it all. If we can get a clear shot to the surface, we should be able to signal for help. The shielding is only powerful because we’re so deep underground. Once the prison reactor detonates, we might be able to get a signal out. But we’re pretty far underground.”

“I hope there’s a big elevator waiting for us at the end.”

“Ditto.”

They continued to trot along, the signs for the older silo growing more and more decayed with rust.

“So, a few of these ramshackle tunnels, and we hit the condemned part?” Astral asked, his marefriend nodding in affirmation.

“Yep. The Silo wasn’t maintained much past the prisoner block. So, things will be run-down and dangerous. We’re in the weird in-between area now. One more massive door to the old silo, and we’re in. We should be ok now to be safe from the detonation, but I’d feel better with the actual Silo door closed behind us. But beyond that, we get through whatever weirdness the next Silo has to offer, and we’re home free with that exit tunnel. That part should have some newer equipment, but I’m not sure how new. Flask had mentioned they repurposed RASP suits for this area, so who knows?” the mare mused.

Astral’s heart lifted at seeing Sassi smile from behind the visor. They were so close. Mutants, prisoners, homicide AI…they could handle whatever this next Silo threw at them.

Besides. They had already survived two reactor meltdowns.

The tiled hallway angled to the right ahead of them, massive air ducts about halfway down the degrading tile. If not for the filters, the air would likely be foul and musty.

Something made Astral’s fur prickle as they neared the vent, the Thestral pausing. Was that movement?

“Astral, what-”

The metal vent shattered; the brittle metal being torn aside. A dark appendage punched out, sending Sassi slamming against the opposite wall and shattering the tile as sparks sprayed from the power armor.

Astral’s display lit up with warning lights, Sassi’s suit now highlighted in red.

“Warning. Complete failure of RASP locomotive systems detected. Attempting to repair. Vital readings fluctuating.”

“SASSI!?” Astral cried, but there was no answer.

The familiar foe slunk out of the vent; red eyes focused on Astral. Pointed teeth widened in a smile. As it laughed, the Thestral was yanked back to the room. Soggy carpet and fluorescent lights. The unending hum and screams of his loved ones as they dissolved into gory puddles.

The fear.
The terror.
Helpless.

He couldn’t move. Even as the creature crept forwards, jagged claws extended toward him.

What can I do but run?

The mutant slashed at him, Astral barely managing to dodge. He was then easily thrown against a wall, body crying out in protest.

His eyes drifted down to the other armored figure; the mare was motionless as the creature grinned.

Sassi?

A set of claws reached out to grasp her. It looked at him, seeming to relish in the fact Astral was frozen in fear.

The terror peaked, reaching a point where it was all-encompassing. Yet there was something else that ignited in Astral’s heart. He spoke before realizing what words left his mouth.

“AI. Inject whatever you need to. Make me a hundred percent. Override, whatever. NOW!”

Strength returned to Astral’s limbs as medications were dumped into his system. With his body back under control, the terror’s grip on Astral’s mind lessened. Something else began to burn, and it made his entire body shake.

You can’t have her!

The shotgun blast tore into the fungal armor around the creature’s head, Astral’s hooves shattering the tile as he launched himself at the mutant.

I’m so tired of being scared!

The fear was burned away even as Astral buried a blade in the creature’s face. The roar that ripped from his mouth the Thestral’s throat ache.

The mutant shrieked, struggling to tear the Thestral off of it. One strike, then another, and another. Astral shredded the creature’s face and neck with the blade. Blood splattered his visor and armor, the stallion hacking off chunks of black flesh until he was torn off with a desperate swipe.

He knew this feeling. In an instant, he was back in the other Silo, charging through mutant hordes to save Sassi. There wasn’t any fear; only rage. An all-encompassing hatred of this creature fueled every motion.

And he loved it!

Flaring his wings, Astral recovered and charged again, hooves digging into the tiles. The flamethrower consumed the creature in a wall of fire as the pony forced it back. The mutant scampered away, desperate to return to the air vent as the enraged Thestral followed.

“You’re not going anywhere! You’re mine!”

Astral’s ferocious voice was alien to his ears as the shotgun rang out, blowing off one of the creature’s hind limbs. He charged, blood on fire as anger consumed every thought and action. There wasn’t any room for terror, for fear.

This creature had hunted him. It had hurt Sassi.
It had to die.

He jumped again, slamming a combat knife down on the creature’s other limb and pinning it to the floor. It whirled around, desperately lashing out with its claws. The shotgun blew the appendages to splinters. Astral ducked under a set of snapping teeth. The blade eviscerated the mutant’s neck as the Thestral rolled underneath it, jumping onto its shoulder blades.

I’ve killed hundreds to save her. You’re no different!

Hacking and stabbing at its armored back, Astral finally managed to rip off one of the fungal, ceramic-like plates. Putting his entire weight into the punch, the stallion shoved his hoof into the creature’s back as deep as it could go, then jumped off and stood in front of Sassi protectively.

“You don’t scare me anymore!” Astral growled, the shotgun roaring as the creature lunged forwards in a last-ditch attack.

“Now DIE!”

The hallway abruptly shook, the creature exploding into gory chunks. The high-explosive grenade Astral had shoved into the mutant’s shoulder blades separated the creature’s neck from its body. The steaming pieces of the creature littered the hallway, Astral’s sides heaving.

That felt so good!

MORE!

The shotgun fired again, blowing the decapitated creature’s head into smithereens. A malevolent grin began to work its way across Astral’s face as he fired again, this time shredding one of the limbs. Then another. Then the torso. Then the leg. Then-

Then…

He took a few deep breaths, the rage fading slowly. It was dead. Sassi was safe.

Sassi.
SASSI!

He turned to look over the mare. The armor didn’t look too worse for wear, but the RASP system still was flashing warnings. The fear turned his anger to ice, the Thestral’s sole focus on the prone mare. Only now did he notice they had less than fifteen minutes before the reactor blew. He hadn’t even noticed the timer…

“Sassi? Is she ok? AI? What’s going on?!”

“Ow. Still here, Astral.”

“Sas?”

Astral reached down and hugged her tightly, the readings now flashing green as the mare returned the gesture.

“Systems repair. Stand by.”

“I’m here, Astral,” the mare said, slowly standing up. “They can put as much padding in helmets, but your brain still gets rattled. The armor wouldn’t let me move, but I’m alright.” She then flipped her visor up, eyes looking over her stallion carefully. “Are you ok?”

He sat down, eyes wide as his visor retracted.
“I…uh, don’t know,” the Thestral whispered. “AI? What are the side effects of that?”

“Expect elevated strain on all bodily functions and muscle groups. Unable to perform emergency injection measures for at least twelve hours due to risk of cardiac arrest. Non-strenuous activity recommended to help the processing of medications. Likelihood has increased for increased RASP modification side-effects, fatigue, and overall malaise for the next twenty-four hours.”

“So, you need to take it easy,” Sassi muttered, reading the same message on her display. “But that wasn’t what I was asking entirely about. You went a bit overboard there.” Gesturing at the dead mutant, the mare let out a huff. “Not saying it’s a totally bad thing. You were awesome in that fight! But…”

Alarm bells went off in Sassi’s head as Astral stayed quiet, his eyes on the floor. Double-checking the motion detection systems, Sassi then sat next to him. Confusion and fear began to creep back into their link once again as he pulled off his helmet. His eyes were wide, a horrified look starting to cover the stallion’s expression.

“Astral?”

He shook his head, sides shivering ever so slightly against hers. The Thestral didn’t say anything for a few moments, Sassi taking off her helmet as well. The simple act of being able to physically touch each other was an oddly grounding exercise. His hoof shook as she held it. The timer continued to tick down, but the fear was nearly all-encompassing.

“This place is changing me, Sassi,” Astral finally said, voice quavering. “Or, it’s changing parts of me. I’ve never been so angry, not like that. And it feels so good. I don’t have room to be afraid. Just point me at the fight and I can lose myself. It’s so freeing but scary. I couldn’t stop, even after that thing was dead. I wanted more.”

The mare let out a long breath, slowly nodding.
“Trauma changes you,” she finally said. “We’re both going to have more baggage. Maybe yours is going to be trying to wrestle with anger? I know you’re scared, and it’s ok.”

“I just don’t want to hurt you.” Astral’s voice was a soft, terrified whisper. “I wasn’t in control of myself.”

“Astral.”

Sassi’s soft, loving tone snapped his gaze over to her. An armored hoof reached up to rest against his cheek, tears welling up in her eyes. The fear in her love’s eyes fled at her touch.

“This happened before though. You told me about that time,” she said. “When you beat those monsters in the training center to a pulp, it was in defense of someone who needed it most. Your anger has never been towards those you love, who you protect. You stand up for those who needed saving.”

His shocked gaze softened. Astral felt emotion clog his throat.

“Those who need saving, like me,” Sassi whispered. “I trust you with my life. With everything I am. I always will.”

The tender, vulnerable demeanor he had grown to love so much shone for but a moment. But it was enough to push the darkness in Astral’s mind aside, tears trickling from his eyes as utter relief saturated his frame.

“You’re still you, Astral. Just like I’m still me. Trauma is a part of you. But how you manage it shows you who you really are. The fact you recognize the danger of it…that’s a good thing,” Sassi explained. “You’re an amazing stallion. I know you’ll be ok. It’ll be rough, but we’ll get through it together.”

He turned, giving her a gentle kiss that Sassi gladly returned, more than a little proud of herself that she was able to make her stallion’s ears perk up.

“I admit that I might have been inspired for part of that, owing to a fortune cookie,” Sassi said with a cheeky grin after they broke the kiss, Astral now smiling fully.

“Well, you are far sweeter than any cookie. So, I’ll take it.”

How her stallion was able to make Sassi melt into a puddle, she had no idea. Yet her gaze definitely had a pink tint to it.

She looked around, starting to laugh.
“O-only you could make this moment so darn romantic!” she said, holding her sides as Astral joined in.”

“You’re the one who made me cry! You’re the romantic one!”

After a few moments, he reached forward to rest his forehead against hers.
“Thank you for pulling me back, Sas,” he whispered. “When the dark thoughts are all I can see…”

“I’ll be there.”

Her firm declaration made Astral smile as they locked their helmets on again. As they trotted ahead, a sign that once would have made nothing but apprehension fill their hearts only now made angry, defiant determination burn all the brighter.

“Access to Silo 4 Restricted. Warning: Area condemned. All containment measures offline. Lethal force authorized for all trespassers.”

And in the corner of their HUD.

“T-minus ten minutes until prison block reactor detonation.”

For background music, Click Here

Twilight sat in her study in silence. Only the soft hum of a crystal disturbed her, but even that was eventually shut off. The mare stared at a bookcase, or rather, what lay beyond it. Hidden behind the books was a door, one she had simply forgotten about.

It was a door that nobody else knew existed. Twilight’s study was one of the most shielded locations in Canterlot, and she hadn’t told a soul. Not Celestia, Luna, or Fluttershy. Even Discord would have trouble locating it.

Her exchange with Toxic Shield hadn’t left the alicorn’s mind. Her analytical thought process continued to identify failure after failure. But it wasn’t just about Last Light. Yes, she had failed to both take them seriously and show the organization and leader the respect they deserved. But there was a bigger problem.

She still went about her daily duties of course, yet the Princess couldn’t help but continue to think. All of her failures; Toxic, Arcane, Sassi, Astral, and the Company, ultimately centered on a single point. The confrontation with Arcane, a pony who had fallen through every safety net, had only solidified her findings and the result. The failures were, on a cursory examination, even present in her own life. Twilight’s dealings with the castle staff, and her subjects…it all connected to a singular point.

The failure is me.

Instead of dragging her to a dark pit of despair as some revelations in the past had, the days of musing had finally prompted a single thought. Twilight had nearly burst into tears during a slow session of court an hour ago when she realized it, driving her here.

When was the last time I made friends?

It had been a chilling moment, the mare’s mind completely freezing and almost making her stutter during an exchange with a noble. Sure, Tanzil was just a friend for now, but what about outside of royal duties?

Celestia had warned her of how ruling could change a pony. How literally looking down on creatures shifted your thought process to see their problems as insignificant. The mindset crept in that you naturally knew better. It had taken Celestia centuries to realize and understand it all, and even then, she had fallen prey to it. Twilight had known the dangers of assuming she’d be immune to every similar failing of her predecessor.

It was why Twilight had created this hidden door, and the room beyond.

How long has it been since I remembered what really mattered?

Her hoof pulled down on a book. A simple, physical action somehow meant so much more than a tug of magic.

The bookcase slid aside, revealing the door beyond.

The room beyond it was a library and small study but with far different proportions than the rest of Twilight’s room. It was smaller, cozier. A small hidden home of wooden walls and floors that would appear like a large cottage if it was set alone. It was, in many ways, reminiscent of a library that once was built into a tree.

It was from a time when things were somehow more complicated, and yet Twilight had remembered what mattered most.

Books lined a third of the wooden walls, a small kitchen, and bathroom lying straight ahead, and then a tidy study and mirror to the left. There was another door to her right, but the mare paid that one no mind for now. In the center of the entry room was a hoof-sized, blue crystal, barely active with purple sparks fizzling from it as it waited on a wooden table.

Twilight felt tears trickling down her cheeks, but she couldn’t put words to why. There was such a different atmosphere in this place. Yet there wasn’t a way to describe it. Not yet at least. It was so familiar and warm. There was a happiness that pervaded the air itself. A feeling from a time long ago, when her world was a tree-bound library and the visitors were her constant friends…

It was a feeling that should never have been forgotten. Three words had shaken Twilight out of a stupor she had sworn would never overtake her.

“How long has it been?” she managed to croak out.

“Welcome, Twilight. It has been eighty-three years, fifty-two days, ten hours, five minutes, and seven seconds since your last visit.” A soft, computerized voice said.

That only made the tears fall faster.

Eighty-three years!? Nearly a century? How has it been so long?

“Shall I initiate the conversion process?”

Her throat was dry. The mare was nervous for some reason, despite having crafted the spell herself and tested it dozens of times. Used it hundreds, thousands of times flawlessly.

That is until she forgot. Like many things, it was shunted into a ‘nonessential’ category and never touched again.

“Run a complete self-diagnostic first. If functioning at one hundred percent after six passes, initiate.”

The crystal construct hummed as it worked. Twilight walked over to the desk on her left, ducking under the entryway.

There wasn’t any dust, of course, the cleaning spell had preserved the room perfectly. A few pictures stood on the desk. Twilight sat down and stared.

I wish you all had been here to remind me.

She made a mental note to schedule a visit with Fluttershy. That pony was the only one of her friends that still remembered her other than Spike.

Remembers me. As Twilight.

The first picture was only a few months after arriving in Ponyville. A unicorn mare with her friends. The second was in the same location. They all looked more grown up, but still had the love for each other despite their trials. The only other difference was the wings on Twilight’s back. A few other pictures dotted the desk; candid photos of their various outings and adventures.

I miss you guys.

I really did forget the one thing that started it all.

Tears welled up in Twilight’s eyes at that.

“All systems at one hundred percent. No errors detected. Process ready to initiate. Please proceed to spell chamber.”

Twilight walked to the door, just to the right of the entryway. It opened into an impossibly large room; the beauty of space-warping spellcraft.

She sat down in the center, the mare looking at the impeccable stone carvings placed in front of her as the sunlight beamed through the stained-glass windows on every side. They were taller than Twilight could reach on her hind hooves. The statues were of a likeness that made the mare’s heart ache as they shone in the sun, the cutie-mark gemstones of her friends depicted on each podium. Every window bore a matching, colorful depiction of the memorials.

All of her friends had lived full, long, and joy-filled lives. Twilight had come to terms with their passing. While inevitably gut-wrenching, each of their deaths had been a peaceful journey to a new adventure.

A brief conversation with Discord when the realization of her friends’ mortality forever changed her view of the Draconequus. Oh, he was annoying and obnoxious, yes. But Twilight had never doubted his genuine kindness after that.

It had been a bad day; the mare had them now and again. When the crushing weight of a new rule had been too much. Sometimes her neurotic nature came to a head all at once, and she just shut off the world to recover. Nobody knew, of course. Celestia suspected, but that was about it. In that case, it had been the realization that her friends were growing old, while she didn’t.

She never would.

‘They’ll be gone, Discord. All of them. Sure, there are spells, but they don’t want that. They’ll be gone in the next decade, if not sooner. And then I’ll be left-”

‘Gone? What makes you think they’ll be gone?’ Discord had interrupted with an annoyed huff. ‘I can make my body vanish on a whim, decomposition and all! That doesn’t mean I’m gone! Goodness, you ponies are so narrow-minded.’ His words made Twilight stare, the fear and panic fading.

‘Death is just another path, one we all must take. Well, almost all of us. I would have thought you’d realize the obvious result by now.’

‘What result?’ Twilight had asked, the worry fading for a moment. Discord’s eyes had softened, his demeanor was genuine and actually comforting.

‘Come now, Sparkles. With a world connected to so many realms, Tartarus, Limbo, Chaos; what makes you so sure there’s not another layer?’ He had paused, and an odd warmth had abruptly filled Twilight’s chest. It was rare when Discord was serious, and in this case, a tender kindness shone through his usually jovial gaze.

‘What makes you think there isn’t a place of endless sandy shores, beautiful forests, meadows, rolling plains, apple orchards, and everything you’d want to be happy, including your friends?’

Twilight’s eyes had been swimming with tears, her lips trembling. The Chaotic god then had let out a crooked smile.

‘Of course, that’s just my…opinion. I haven’t seen such a place before, oh no.’ He had then smirked with a wink. ‘That’d be cheating, after all.’

‘O-of course.’

After that had been one of the few times Discord had let Twilight hug him. A genuine, comforting hug.

How she had needed it that day, when Twilight hadn’t been sure about anything, let alone ruling.

I hope you all are happy, wherever you are. Waiting on those sandy shores…

The likenesses of the Elements of Harmony didn’t answer, but it comforted Twilight knowing that she could speak to Fluttershy, not just her stone statue.

But first…

“Initiating conversion.”

The floor of the spell chamber bore the likeness of Twilight’s cutie mark. It now pulsed with power, hidden crystals sending pink and purple waves of energy into the air around the mare. As the spell wrapped around Twilight, she couldn’t help but cry. There was a familiarity, a warmth of approval that she couldn’t place. The purpose of this entire home, of this spell, she had forgotten it. And the fallout was now evident. Nearly a hundred years of a mindset she never should have had.

The spell concluded, and the mare took a few deep breaths. Everything abruptly felt right. An odd feeling that had become normal was gone as she trotted out of the room. The spell had been crafted more than two hundred years ago. Specifically, after Celestia had told her how being an Alicorn would affect her physically. Back then, the idea of being taller than everyone just sounded wrong. She liked who she was, being able to talk to ponies at head height and not be a huge skyscraper over them.

She had never felt beautiful. That was the silent secret Twilight had never told a soul. Nerdy introverted bookworms weren’t pretty. At least, that’s what she had grown up thinking. It certainly was a difficult cycle to break. When all other affections then focused on her being a Princess, it simply reinforced that mindset. Outside of being royalty, she wasn’t attractive in ways that others were. Princess Twilight was beautiful. The pony who was an Alicorn. The mare who grew up to look like Celestia. That pony was gorgeous.

But Twilight wasn’t. That’s how it felt for so many years.

However, back then, with her friends and after becoming an Alicorn, it had been the closest Twilight had ever been to feeling like a mare, to feeling normal. The outings with ponies like Rarity were among equals rather than ‘everyone else’ and ‘the Princess.’

She hadn’t wanted that to change, the mindset of being normal and relatable. There had been a lot she hadn’t wanted to change, and not just physical aspects. So, Twilight had prepared countermeasures. It wasn’t just about her own insecurities though; she was smart enough to make sure of that. The spell had a much bigger purpose. It was a reminder to herself of a time when her friends could take on the world. A time when things were simpler. It was a physical memory that no matter her stature or status, she would always remember, even if it hurt at times.

And yet somehow, she had forgotten.

Twilight returned to her desk, and the tears were now those of happiness. Her eyes looked to the mirror, a hesitant smile on her face. The mare that looked back at her looked real. No tall stature or magically-enhanced completion complete with flowing mane. Instead, there was a pony who was genuine and full of the flaws that made every creature an enigma to unravel. A slight slump of Twilight’s shoulders, tired bags under her eyes…

In fact, there was very little to distinguish the mare from the one in the picture. Wings and a horn, but otherwise a normal-sized pony. But eyes that had previously been dulled now sparkled with life, with hope. Despite the mane not having an ethereal flow to it, there was something about it that felt right. Everything felt better, less burdensome and frightening. Somehow this point of view felt so much better.

When had she changed? When had she stopped being the Princess of Friendship, the pony who reached out to those who didn’t have a friend? When did she become ‘above’ all of that?

When did Twilight forget one of the most important lessons of all, one that she learned far before her ascension? It was a lesson that had been reinforced every time she and her friends had tackled a challenge and succeeded, or even failed, then getting up and tring again.

But now her friends were gone.

No. Not gone.

She had to keep reminding herself that, but it was so difficult at times. To rule was to be alone, so painfully alone. This room was an important reminder that such an existence didn’t have to be the case, however.

And Celestia had drilled it into her head that to be alone during ruling was a choice. She had begged Twilight to reach out, to make sure she had someone at her side, be it a friend or otherwise.

That thought made an amused smile twitch at Twilight’s features. Even now she had to be reminded of that important decree and lesson she had been told so long ago.

“Go to Ponyville, and make some friends.”

When had she stopped thinking that lesson applied to her? After her friends had passed away, it had been too painful to consider. And then it was just easier to not reach out.

To realize they were…

A simple note was scrawled and sent. Twilight never contacted Discord for anything other than business. There were plenty of chances to do so, she just…hadn’t. The mare was now realizing that was one of many mistakes, another instance of her not being a friend. There were only five words, but he would know. At least they had ended on a pleasant note after the incident with Arcane.

‘Endless sandy shores? You promise?’

There was a knot in Twilight’s chest. Had she shunned the Draconequus too? Would he even care after she had shown so little interest in him and plenty of outright annoyance?

The letter that popped back answered all of those questions and made Twilight’s lips tremble, the mare sniffling.

‘Promise is a strong word, Sparkles. Those things are so un-chaotic. I don’t make promises willy-nilly. You should know that by now.

To answer your question, I promise.

Do you want me to send Flutters your way? She’s always got hugs to spare.’

The Chaotic God had a heart of gold. It had just taken a mare far better than Twilight to unlock it for all to see. She sent a brief reply and got an immediate response.

‘No. I’ll reach out to her. Thank you, Discord.’

‘Anytime, Sparkles.’

Endless white shores.

The image of her friends relaxing on a beach was too much. More moisture gathered in her eyes as Twilight reached over a hoof, gently touching the frame of the largest photo. A small note was stuck on the back, and it made tears trickle down her cheeks.

“We love you, Twilight! You’ll do great! Just don’t forget about us normal ponies!”

The picture frame was hugged to her chest, the mare crying quietly. It had been a joke, of course. But the overall message now hit her as hard as a physical blow. How could she have forgotten so much about friendship? About being herself?

Just a pony.

Those three words said during the call with Toxic had rattled Twilight to the core. In an instant, the entire model built up around her rule had fragmented.

When had she stopped caring about them? Those who would be described as ‘just a pony?’

When did I stop thinking I was anything but that? I’ve always just been an introverted unicorn, a normal pony who happened to make some amazing friends. Who would I be without them?

I’m not above mistakes. Above failing.

I’m just…me.

“Thank you for reminding me,” Twilight whispered, placing the picture back gingerly. Her voice was different. More genuine, more her. Changing your physical size tended to do that.

“Set a reminder. One week if I haven’t initiated the spell again by then. Repeat until I return here.”

“Confirmed.”

Twilight took a few steps to go back to the spell chamber and stopped.

No.

An almost physical pulse made Twilight turn around. She didn’t know what it was, but something stopped her. As if a friendly hug was pulling her back. It made her smile.

If that was you guys, I get it.
I won’t forget.

“Cancel that.”

She had regularly visited this enclave and reminded herself of what was most important. Those times were usually monthly and had been for the first hundred years or so of her rule. A few hours here and there spent in a form that made Twilight feel more normal. Never in public of course, but just a time to remember what really mattered. But over time, it somehow had just seemed silly to continue it all. Things were fine, after all.

One of the many matters Twilight had been wrong about. So incredibly wrong.

No more reminders. This isn’t just going to be a deviation from the ‘norm’. Some secret hideaway where I can be myself away from the public eye.

She walked back towards the door. It was uncomfortably tall.

What I’ve been doing hasn’t been working. It’s time for a change.

A quick drafting of a memo, and she sent the note on its way to the head of Castle staff. No doubt the public would be shocked, but Twilight found herself not caring in the slightest. She’d have the other spell on standby for dignitaries and any ponies who found it to be too much of a shock. But the old normal had done more harm than good.

Time to go back to the basics.

A note was also sent to Fluttershy, Twilight wanting nothing more than to hug the yellow Pegasus. She’d understand. She always did.

The guards outside her private chambers did a literal double take as the mare trotted out. The regalia still fit, thanks to a spell. But not having done this in generations…

There definitely needs to be a change.

“Erm, Highness?” One of the guards asked, Twilight nodding as she looked at him. Looked up at him.

It was such a weird feeling, and yet it made the mare’s chest glow. It was a normal feeling. She wasn’t towering over everycreature, looking down on them and their ‘little’ problems. She was right here, as just another pony. One with authority, but one who wanted to help and understand.

“Yup. It’s been a while since I’ve done this. There’s already a memo being processed,” Twilight explained, the two stallions blinking. “Speaking of which, Anvil, is it? How are Daisy and the shop?”

When did I stop trying to at least get to know creatures who help me every day? Even a few words in passing?

The guard stared, clearly trying to process things before speaking.

“Huh? I-Oh! Well, she’s…we’re doing ok,” he stammered, and Twilight frowned. It was a lie and a bad one. Almost all of her guards were horrible liars; they always had been.

Anvil was no exception. Twilight had personally married him and Daisy a few years ago. The mare’s flower shop had been hit by hard times. Daisy was consistently falling ill a few times due to a magnetic attraction to the feather flu, and things had been rough for the pair. She knew enough about Anvil that most of requested time off was spent taking care of his wife during such bouts.

“Can I ask you to please tell me the truth?” Twilight asked softly and was shocked to see a few tears well up in Anvil’s eyes.

When did I stop being a pony that cared?

“She’s been sick again, but doing better. But the shop is still closed, and…”

The mare waited. Didn’t rush or walk off, but waited to hear what this pony had to say.

Because he’s worth a few moments of my time, at the very, absolute least.

“I don’t know if we can keep the shop. I can’t-there’s not enough bits to keep it open.”

And you’re here at work while your wife is at home feeling sick.
My ponies deserve to have a Princess of Friendship. A pony who cares.

They deserve better than who I’ve been.

Twilight continued to frown, summoning a brief form and filling it out briefly before giving it to the stallion.

“That sounds like there’s been a mistake,” she said softly. “Castle guards and their families have emergency coverage for expenses like this.”

He shook his head.
“We tried. Because she can still work at times, it doesn’t count. And-”

Twilight pulled the form up again with her magic, smiling at her guard as the document waved in front of him.

“Anvil, you have coverage. Send this form with only a few bits for the next mortgage payment.”

The stallion’s eyes drifted to the note, and the well-trained guard barely held his composure as he read. It was a royal decree and held a simple message.

‘To whom it may concern,
This is a notice to direct all mortgage, utilities, and the average of all day-to-day operation deficit payments for ‘Vases and Sprouts’ to Sparke.Inc directly. Please do so for the next year. If there are any issues, contact me directly.
-Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle.’

His lip trembling, Anvil managed a soft “thank you.” He clearly didn’t trust himself to speak as he tried not to cry. The pony then asked a question that made Twilight’s heart ache. And yet it cemented her resolve even further.

“But why?”

Twilight managed a smile and hoped the guards wouldn’t see her own eyes dampen.
“Because I care about ponies. And that means my subjects and my friends. So, that means you, Anvil. I think I haven’t done a great job of showing it day-to-day. There are going to be some changes around here, and I’d say this is a good place to start. Go home to Daisy and take the next week off, full pay of course.”

Anvil didn’t say anything, simply staring.

“I can make that an order.”

He snapped out of it, saluting and stammering his thanks again before trotting off. His partner, having stayed silent now spoke up.

“I don’t get it.”

“Spear, is it?”

“Yes, Highness.’

Twilight gestured to the retreating form of Anvil.
“I’m the Princess of Friendship. And quite frankly, I think I’ve been doing a lousy part of fulfilling that last word of my title. I haven’t been a good friend to many creatures, my guards included. I can be your superior, your ruler, all of that. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care. I’m not some creature who is removed from everything outside the castle,” she paused. “At least, I don’t want to be. I think I started to forget some things, and so I want to change that. You all deserve more than I’ve been. Equestria deserves more.”

She promptly sat down in front of the shocked guard.
“I figure this is a good place to start. So, how are you?”

Twilight took the rest of the day touring the castle. The reactions were shocked, naturally. But once the memo got around, there was a new energy in the castle the mare hadn’t felt in centuries. A buzz that the Princess was being oddly friendly to everypony, and rather generous in both time and if necessary, bits.

And wait until they find out I’m not expecting anything back.

Her private company, Sparkle.Inc had enough funds for such charitable donations for centuries. It was where all of the mare’s patents were registered, after all. Over two hundred years of stock growth, selling patents, and so forth. It was a slush fund the mare hadn’t touched because…
…
She didn’t know why. Savings? Some other reason that had gotten lost as the digits concerning profit went beyond what a reasonable creature could spend in a hundred lifetimes?

I think I can learn something from Toxic. That helping others sometimes is worth the pushback.
That the one creature is worth fighting for. Perhaps not always achievable, but a goal worth remembering and seeking after.

Oh, there’d be a few disgruntled creatures saying she was showing favorites. But that was manageable. Just the feeling Twilight had as she sat in the throne room as her old self was overwhelming. Everything felt bigger, more imposing.

It felt like a challenge, that she had to be more careful and not take things for granted. And somehow that was comforting.

Her horn ignited, changing the throne and surroundings. She was still the ruler of Equestria. A Princess who needed to lead. There would be enough fuss about her appearance as it was.

But it was about time to remind everyone that she was the Princess of Friendship. That while she would be cracking down on the corruption that still festered, she wanted to help ponies. To be a friend to those who others thought not worth giving the time of day.

She also wanted to remind herself of that.

I used to be the pony that didn’t think friends were worthwhile. And I almost slipped back into that mindset of when I first started out. Despite everything I’ve learned and everyone that helped me get to where I am now, I started to forget when they were gone.

I’ve got a lot of work to do.

A portal opened, chaotic magic meaning a certain pony would be stepping out shortly. The throne room was cleared and sealed, Twilight waiting patiently.

“Twilight? I got a note. If it’s about Arcane, we can…” Fluttershy’s voice trailed off, the Pegasus staring at her friend who was now at eye level. The Alicorn put down the furniture and items in her grasp, sitting in front of the Pegasus with an awkward smile.

“Hi, Fluttershy. It’s-I wanted a change,” Twilight said softly. “I needed to change.”

The tight hug that Fluttershy yanked Twilight into only solidified the mare’s decision. The Pegasus cried softly into Twilight’s shoulder, and all she could do was hug the mare back, her own eyes running with tears. It had been two hundred years since Twilight had gotten a hug like this, in a form that didn’t loom over all others.

That was one of many mistakes now being remedied.

“Welcome back,” Fluttershy whispered.

That only made Twilight’s tears flow faster, the mare’s sides shaking with sobs as the Pegasus rocked her back and forth, now somehow comforting her.

“I s-shouldn’t have forgotten. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

She remembers when I first came to Ponyville. When I was just…me.

“What for?”

Twilight wiped her eyes, taking a few deep breaths. An unsure smile spread across her face, Fluttershy watching her friend curiously.

She stammered her way through the tearful explanation, Twilight hanging her head in shame at some points. She wasn’t even sure it made sense. Forgetting that she wasn’t better than others, that she wasn’t always right. That somehow friendship had gotten lost amid an automatic, political machine.

"I forgot about you guys," the Princess said, head leaning into Fluttershy's should. "I thought I'd be better. That my systems would work perfectly. But I failed the ponies who needed me most. And I forgot w-who I was. Until I remembered that I'm just..." her voice drifted off, Fluttershy chiming in with that soft, caring tone she always carried.

"a pony?"

Twilight nodded, taking a few deep breaths. The simple sentence she spoke after Twilight was done made the mare bawl into the Pegasus’s shoulder once again.

“As I said, welcome back,” Fluttershy whispered with a kind smile.

How did I ever think I’d be ok without my friends? They’re probably laughing at me. I wonder if Rainbow took a bet for how long it’d take me to come to my senses?

She probably did. Applejack would have won the bet though.

I need to visit Ponyville again.

I need to check up on the Apple and Cheese families.

I need to visit Spike and Gabby.

I need to make sure Tanzil knows I won’t back out of our date if he still wants that.

I need…

A single thought cut through the ever-growing list in Twilight’s mind, and it made everything abruptly feel right once again as Fluttershy continued to hug her. Through the tears, Twilight could have sworn that an ethereal outline of a mare smiled at her, nodding in approval from the corner of the room before vanishing. Twilight almost expected to have her cutie-mark start glowing again. The thought refused to leave Twilight’s mind, burning into her memory.

I need my friends, I always have. That never changed, even if I did.

Because after all,

I’m just a pony.

‘Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I re-learned a few lessons I really shouldn’t have ever forgotten. But I did. You warned me, but I simply…forgot.

I learned I’m just a pony. I’m a pony who has made some severe mistakes, who let ruling make me into someone I never wanted to be. I started to forget the things I learned with friends once they weren’t at my side.

I learned that I have to work at being a good friend, and that’s hard when your job is isolating. I learned that I have a long way to go, but I’m at least starting to be better.

I learned that being a friend is something you can forget how to do, and that I need to practice it again.

Your (always) student,

Twilight Sparkle.’

Author's Note

Go Astral! But a darkness looms....

This was an interesting chapter to write for Twilight. One of my failures with this book was not fleshing out her as a character earlier/the relationship with Toxic Shield. That said, this chapter intends to give insight to the challenges our purple alicorn is facing. Nobody is perfect...and the mask of a Princess is a heavy one indeed.

As always, feedback is appreciated!

Chapter 113: Belly of the Beast

Twilight had been oddly nervous when meeting Celestia again. But her long-time mentor and friend had been the one who was speechless at first, Celestia's eyes watering as the older mare looked down at her pupil. She had gotten the younger alicorn’s note, after all. After Twilight’s longer explanation, all of the young Princess’s worries fragmented with a few words and a subsequent hug from her mentor.

“I’m so, so proud of you, Twilight.”

When asked if she could still fix things, Celestia’s response had been a bit more measured.

“Two hundred years of choices can’t be undone in an instant,” the former ruler had said. “But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. All you can do is try.”

After another hug, Twilight had returned to the castle. There had been a few important matters to take care of.

I’ve made mistakes. But at least I’m trying to do better.

In front of the mare was a series of documents along those lines. She didn’t expect thanks, let alone forgiveness. This was simply one check box in the very long list of mistakes that had been made.

The first document was a letter to Director Shield. Twilight knew it wouldn’t fix things, not even close. But maybe it’d be enough to give her a chance to start.

“Director Shield,

In the past few weeks, I’ve come to realize I’ve failed in many ways. I’m ashamed to say my relationship with you as a fellow ruler and friend is one of those.

I wanted to say I’m sorry. I also want to say thank you.
Thank you for reminding me that I’ve failed ponies, including you, because now I can try to be better. You were right to criticize me in the way you did, and I don’t deny any of your words. Quite frankly, as I’ve grown to understand my shortcomings, you have been kind and reserved in your criticisms- all of it.

Before we spoke, I did view your Nation’s goals as childish. I did think Equestria was ‘better’ in many ways, beyond it being my kingdom. I now realize that such a view is, in many ways, reversed. I would have been a better pony and ruler if I had followed some of the ideals you and your nation hold so dear.

I’m still ashamed that I couldn’t answer your question about saving someone in need. Yet at some point in my life, I would have. And that’s a failure I’m still coming to terms with, and want to change.

But presently, I’m not the ruler Equestria deserves, nor the creature you deserve as a friend. I’d like to change that, as best I can. I was wrong about you. About your nation, about so many things.

I’m just a pony. And that’s something you reminded me of, something I should never have forgotten as the Princess of Friendship.

So, thank you.

I’d like to apologize face to face if you’d meet with me over lunch in the coming weeks or months at your earliest convenience. If not, I understand, but hope to revisit the request at a later date.

I’ve attached a note to Mally. I don’t expect her forgiveness, or yours for that matter. She was right about me, after all. All I can do is try to be better, even if I have a long way to go.

-Twilight Sparkle.”

The next document was a note. It was briefer.

“Ms. Flarefeather,

I am so, so sorry.

You were right about me. Every word. I only hope that I can change to eventually prove you wrong and earn your forgiveness. As I’ve understood the depth of my failures, I’ve also come to realize that may take a long, long time. I understand that I might never succeed in that effort.

Enclosed are the adoption forms that should have been approved long ago. They’ve been verified and accepted as legal documents in all of the major kingdoms including Equestria.

For however little my words are likely worth, I hope you and Arcane can be happy. If there’s any way I can help make that happen, let me know, and I will.

That includes if you never want to hear from me again. My actions, or the lack thereof, caused you and Arcane untold amounts of pain. I don’t expect your forgiveness for that, nor would I ask for it.

All I can do is try to fix what never should have been broken.

-Twilight Sparkle

“Adoption Form 106-6: General Statement and Degree with Royal Authorization. Certifications from Equestrian, Gryphon, Kirin, Hippogriff, and other applicable territories are detailed in Appendix 1

As entered into Record:
Adoptive Parent: Mally Flarefeather
Adoptee: Arcane Flare”

-

The letters were sent, and Twilight then teleported to the main throne room. There was another project she wanted to complete.

After summoning the required materials, Twilight weaved the molten threads of glass and metal easily, humming to herself as the creation cooled. Rarity had certainly taught her the finer points of crafting something beautiful.

Twilight still remembered the thousands of examples that she had first created when beginning to learn under Rarity’s guidance.

Of course, those creations were, in the alabaster unicorn’s own words, “affronts to my soul as an artistic creator of beauty, and to everything good on this earth. Burn them.”

They hadn’t been that bad. Well, most of them.
…
Ok, maybe some of them.

The throne room had been redesigned over the past few hours, and now was time to give it the final touches. A simple and elegant glass sculpture of the Tree of Harmony was now present behind the throne. The comfortable and now-simpler throne had been lowered quite a few steps, and the empty space in the area behind also occupied a few additional stained-glass windows of the world. The tree sculpture in front of it had branches that appeared to reach up and touch each of the nations. At least, that’s what it looked like if you stood in the center of the room.

She had asked the guards to remain outside, the mare just enjoying letting her thoughts wander.

“The trunk needs to be a bit thicker.”

Twilight nearly let out a yelp, a shimmering mare appearing at her side.

“I…”

Words failed her. She hadn’t talked to the Tree of Harmony in decades at least. Twilight had just assumed the entity had been around, one way or another. As far as she understood it, Harmony had joined the other benevolent forces that tried to nudge Equestria and its inhabitants in good, positive directions.

“I apologize that I haven’t been around more,” Harmony admitted, the mare’s form shifting to a soft, sparkling teal. “But my role is that of gentle guidance, when necessary. And for the most part, just within Equestria.”

“I could have used some,” Twilight said softly, a lump forming in her throat. “I…haven’t been the best friend. And definitely not the best Element, or Princess.”

“I know,” Harmony said, gently reaching out a hoof to rest on Twilight’s shoulder. “But you were doing your best.”

“It certainly wasn’t good enough,” Twilight retorted, shaking her head and still unable to meet Harmony’s gaze. “I almost forgot everything I learned! I looked down on creatures who were at least trying to do the right thing. Just because I didn’t agree with some of it, I wrote off all of the good! I didn’t even try to consider other points of view! That’s-that’s not who I am. That’s not who I want to be.”

Her wings then slumped, Twilight sniffling.
“But that’s who I became,” she whispered. “The lows became darker and lonelier, and the good days were just…days. I didn’t realize how much I needed my friends to balance me and pull me out of my own head. I should have put myself out there and been more proactive. My friends certainly wouldn’t have wanted me to just waste away on a throne. But I didn’t. I’m not the pony who stayed worthy of these,” Twilight punctuated her final words with a flare of her wings. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes.”

Harmony stayed quiet, Twilight’s side shivering.
“Can I still fix all of this?” the Princess finally asked, and her ears perked up as she saw a genuine smile blossom across Harmony’s face.

“That’s why I’m here,” the ethereal mare said. “You want to fix things and do better. You want to learn from this and rise above it all. To help ponies and reach out to those who need friends. That’s the Element of Magic I remember.”

Twilight managed a sad laugh, wiping away a few tears.
“T-thank you. Is-was I the reason you haven’t been around?”

An immediate shake of Harmony’s head put Twilight at ease.
“No. I have just been observing and nudging things where needed. But I couldn’t push you to come to this realization. Before I help anycreature, including you, it has to come from yourself first. That makes the biggest difference. And I knew you’d get there eventually. You’re a smart mare.”

“I hate lessons like that,” Twilight replied, shaking her head. “I really could have used some nudges.”

“They’re not the most pleasant of lessons, no,” Harmony admitted. “But you had to get there yourself. That’s how a lot of entities like myself can help the most. We can be there for when you realize that you need to be better, and offer encouragement.”

“Like now?”

Harmony smiled, waving a hoof at the Tree sculpture.
“Like now.”

Twilight widened the trunk, the other mare nodding in approval.

“You’re still a pony, Twilight,” Harmony finally said. “And ponies make mistakes. I certainly have made a few.” The mare’s countenance then saddened. “For example. I had no idea about Sassi’s tribulations and the heinous activities of the Company. If I had known, I’d have intervened, at least to let the world know of the suffering in that place. I was wrong to be as removed as I was. Only when Sassi cried out, begging for help at the start of this, was I able to realize the depth of my failure.”

Harmony looked away, the mare’s expression cracking into that of utter grief before being composed. “I can’t explain more than that. But many of us were wrong. There are rules with our power and understanding, but evil thrives when we bind ourselves to them. I was wrong to do so. And you’re not the only one who seeks forgiveness and desires to be better.”

She then smiled, looking up at the Princess.
“But all we can do is try and be better. The fact your mistakes pain you shows far more character about yourself than I think you realize.”

The Princess managed a smile at that.
“Well, I’ll keep trying. That’s all I can do at this point.”

“And you need to make some more friends.”

The Alicorn couldn’t help but burst out laughing, Harmony’s inflections almost identical to when Celestia had asked her to do a similar task.
“Yes, and make some more friends.”

“Can I start that with you? Again? I don’t think I’ve been a good friend at all, not for a while.”

Twilight held out a hoof, and Harmony smiled, bumping it.

“Well, nice to meet you, Twilight.”

“Nice to meet you too, Harmony.”

The two mares stifled a series of giggles, the ethereal pony then looking around happily.
“It’s good to have you back, Twilight. I have to go, but I’ll be back within a week.”

“Maybe we could have lunch?”

The entity blinked, clearly surprised.
“I…don’t eat, but yes. I’d like that.”

As Harmony waved goodbye before vanishing, leaving Twilight standing in the middle of the room.

Her horn ignited, and the small likenesses of her friends started to form on one of the stained-glass windows.

I think you guys need to be here.
For me.

Twilight’s eyes immediately welled up in tears as a bright light ignited in the room. In the depths of the glass tree, a magical glow abruptly began to pulse softly. A magical ember that refused to die.

“I think the room could use a touch of magic,” Harmony’s voice echoed around, her outline visible near the tree before vanishing.

Twilight sniffled, nodding in agreement.
“I think you’re right.”

A familiar tingle sparked across the mare’s flank, and Twilight felt a few tears fall.

My cutie-mark. It’s brighter.
Had it dulled over the two centuries? Slowly enough so that I never realized?

She took a deep breath at that thought.

And one of the things I need to fix is me.

It all begins with a single step. That’s how I met my friends, after all. Just a normal, introverted unicorn taking a step into Ponyville.

Fluttershy hummed as she dusted the kitchen countertop. For the horrible life Arcane had been subjected to, he had been a picture-perfect guest. He hadn’t said much, but Fluttershy could see he had wanted to. The pony had only told them some of his interests, and a general picture of how he grew up.

But neither she nor Discord had pushed him.

Her husband had been remarkably reserved the past week. Time passed differently in Chaosville, so the mare wasn’t sure how it related to Equestria’s. It was sometimes the same, give or take. If Fluttershy had to guess, time was likely being stretched a bit to give Arcane some more recovery time in the day or two that had likely passed in Equestria.

But Discord’s mood had made much more sense considering he had told her who Arcane was before he had arrived. Her husband had been on edge, wanting to tell the pony the truth. But there hadn’t been a good time. Arcane had, one night, woken up screaming.

Fluttershy had held him tight until he fell back asleep, the mare having no idea what haunted his nightmares. Discord seemed to, though. He had seemed especially disturbed that night; the realization that he was utterly powerless.

The discussion where Fluttershy learned that Arcane felt like he had deserved the torture was a horrific, twisted moment. Discord hadn’t met Fluttershy’s gaze when he had explained what Arcane had said in the Canterlot throne room.

Perhaps it was the only way the stallion had been able to cope, to rationalize what was being done to him. If he deserved it, then there was a reason for his suffering outside of horrific luck. Therefore, he wasn’t a good creature. He should have suffered. That gave a reason.

Fluttershy wasn’t about to accept that. She’d do everything in her power to get Arcane to realize that he was worth more than that. Apparently, the mare had gotten a bit heated, Discord having waved a white flag when Fluttershy had snarled in frustration.

It had been rather embarrassing. But she couldn’t help it! To see a pony so broken down…

But today was a bit different. Arcane somehow seemed a bit more at ease. As he usually did in the mornings, Arcane sat at the edge of the path of the cottage, staring out at the chaos swirling around.

His fox family was a constant joy. They accompanied Fluttershy about her cabin, and they constantly voiced their concern for their unicorn friend. They didn’t tell her much, only that he was hurt. The father of the group said the truth would make Fluttershy feel bad, and Arcane would tell her when he was ready. They had explained that they had watched over him for years, and he was a part of their family. He had asked for help, and they had taken him in.

They also said daily that she and Discord were helping, so, Fluttershy trusted them.

Fluttershy let out a soft gasp, a bit of magic surrounding Arcane in the distance. It was the first she had seen him even light up his horn since arriving.

It was a simple glow, but the unicorn was staring at a piece of metal. A breastplate?

That gave Fluttershy an idea, the mare nodding to Discord as he strode out to meet the pony.

Therapy could come in all shapes and sizes.

Arcane looked at the piece of metal, shaping it this way and that. It was the oddest feeling to have control. The chaos simply flowed, every thought in the pony’s mind being manifest in an instant.

It felt right. And that was a sensation that had been missing most of Arcane’s life. There wasn’t a mental pressure that would build until a debilitating migraine; simply a free-flowing river of power that he that the option to tap into.

For the first time in Arcane’s life, he had the choice of whether to use Chaos magic. Somehow, this place had granted him that.

“Embarking on some metallurgy?” Discord asked, the Draconequus floating next to the unicorn.

“You could say that.”

The God of Chaos grinned, settling down next to Arcane.
“If you’re up to it, I could show you how to access your own chaos dimension.” He then held up a claw. “Only if it would help. I don’t want to rush you. You’ve only been here a week. But it could give you a place to safely explore with your magic. I’d be watching to make sure everything stays safe, of course.”

Arcane thought for a few moments.
“I have my own dimension?” he muttered, then shrugging. “I suppose that makes sense. And yes, I think that’d be best. I don’t want to disrupt your home with my magic.”

His words made the Draconequus chortle.
“Oh, my little pony, you couldn’t disrupt anything here. Don’t worry about that.” His tone then softened, Discord nodding to Arcane slightly. “But I appreciate the sentiment. As to accessing your chaos dimension, it’s very easy. I’ll guide you to it. All you need to do is think about going there.”

“That’s it?”

Discord rolled his eyes comically, and literally. The orbs spun in their sockets before stabilizing.
“Well, it’s a bit more complicated on a magical level. But for you, it’s best to keep things simple. You’re not used to accessing Chaos naturally. So, I can link it to more ‘normal’ thought processes for you.”

“Huh. Ok. So, I just think?”

With a snap, a portal opened in front of Arcane, making him jump.

“And there you go. A blank slate next to mine. I’ll make a simple platform for us to start,” Discord said.

Arcane stared through the portal, the area beyond looking similar to Discord’s dimension, but lacking any coherent shapes.

There was an odd pressure, and the stallion shook his head.

“Interesting. You felt that?”

“It felt weird.”

Discord let out a hum, hopping through the portal and waving Arcane onto a large, stone platform.

“That was the magic informing you that I was making changes in your realm. I’m surprised you’re that sensitive.”

Arcane sat down on the stone platform, his mind oddly blank.

There was just nothing.

“This feels strange,” he muttered. “I can just think about nothing. I can just…be. I don’t feel like a wreck. I can think clearly, in a weird way.” He turned to look at Discord, the chaotic god looking around at the ethereal scene. “Why do I feel like this?”

“Because you’re home, Arcane,” Discord said, a genuine smile on his face. “This is your Chaosville, or whatever you want to call it. This is where a part of you feels at peace, where the Chaos magic can simply exist on a level outside of your own mortal perception. If you choose to live in the normal realm, it’s easy enough to link so you can pop back every now and again to make sure there are no flare-ups.”

“Let’s not think about that yet,” Arcane muttered, Discord waving a set of claws.

“Consider it dropped.”

Arcane looked at the odd magic flowing around, taking a few deep breaths.

I want to be among the stars. That’s chaotic, right?

With a dizzying spin, the stone platform warped and flexed. With a flash, thousands of stars coated the area around them, Discord letting out an impressed whistle.

“Changing of the scenery. Not bad, not bad at all. Not as chaotic as I’d prefer, but still decent. Seems like you’re getting the hang of it.”

“I just thought it,” Arcane admitted, Discord nodding.

“Well, that’s how it works. You think it, and it appears. Well, that’s how it is for me. I assume your way of using Chaos will be different.”

Discord took another look around, then landed next to Arcane.

“Can I tell you a secret?” he asked, the pony looking up at him in surprise.

“Huh?”

“You have to promise to never tell Twilight. She’d never let me live it down.”

Arcane huffed at that, Discord wincing.
“Ah, right. Sore subject.”

The pony managed a weak smile regardless.
“Well, I promise.”

Discord grinned, gesturing to the area around them.
“The secret is that there’s an order to chaos.”

“Oh?”

The God nodded, pointing at the pony.

“Indeed. Order is things that make logical sense. Chaos is the opposite. By that definition, there’s an order to it. So, if I may guess, your use of Chaos will be more ‘orderly’ in a way. You have a mortal perception of all of this. I doubt you’ll fade into nothingness by forcing yourself to be normal.”

Seeing the bemused look Arcane sent his way, Discord waved a paw.
“Long story. Ish. The point is, this place can be used to experiment in learning how to properly wield your chaos magic. Control it to whatever end you may want. For now, just a place to think.” The Draconequus’ voice softened. “Nothing more than that. This is just a place that I think will help you feel better. It always has for me.”

“Thank you, Discord,” Arcane said, taking a few deep breaths. Oddly, the air smelled nice. How that was possible, he didn’t know. “I do feel better here. So, this is a place for me to do anything?”

“Anything. Whatever feels right. Just don’t bring creatures here yet,” Discord added. “Just only focus on inanimate objects for now. When you add life to the mix, things get messy with chaos.”

“Sounds good.”

Arcane stood still for a time, then glanced at Discord.
“Thank you again,” he whispered. “I’ll just be here, I think. Maybe try a few things.”

“Ah. Would you like me to leave you be?”

“I mean no offense,” the unicorn said, ears drooping. “You and Fluttershy have been so kind.”

“None taken!” Discord said cheerfully. “We opened our home to you so you can feel better. And if being alone for a bit helps that, then that’s all you need to say!” The Chaotic god floated back towards the portal. “That said, until I teach you how to maintain the dimension, I’ll make sure nothing affects the realms outside of it. Like you accidentally bringing a living thing here or creating life of any sort. Just to be safe.”

“I appreciate it.”

Discord tossed a simple salute, vanishing through the portal and leaving Arcane alone. The portal surface became glossy as Arcane looked at it, giving the stallion some privacy.

“Anything?” he whispered.

He sent a bit of magic from his horn, a familiar island spinning into view as if seen from a seabird.

“I’ll visit soon. I want to know. Did you let me go, Mom?” he whispered. “But for now, I’ll try and get better.”

I’m not a good pony.

A good pony wouldn’t have gone through the torture, the nightmarish existence he had. There had to be a reason for it all.

Right?

That’s what Arcane had told himself, the only way to rationalize the pain. The only reason why everycreature had forgotten him.

Yet now more voices joined against that viewpoint.

A large blacksmith’s forge conjured itself from sparkling, golden dust in front of the unicorn. The bellows breathed with a life of their own, heated metal already inside the forge.

He didn’t know how to forge a breastplate. But here, he didn’t need to.

Mom. Toxic Shield, Astral, Sassi, and now two heroes. Fluttershy and Discord. They wouldn’t be friends with me if I was a bad creature.

Sure, Fluttershy helped reform villains in the past. But I know I’m not a villain. Then what am I?

Grabbing a hammer with his hoof, Arcane withdrew a large ball of metal, placed it on the anvil, and swung.

Maybe I’m not a bad pony.

The impact made sparks explode into a thousand colors, the small orbs of light spinning out to create new stars that swirled around him.

But I’m not a good pony either. Not in the way I want to be.

With another hammer strike, the metal twisted into a slight curve, the plate taking shape as chaos magic shaped the red-hot material. Silver threats pulled the heated alloy downwards, the animalistic force of chaos seeming to enjoy making thought into reality.

Not a good pony…but I want to be.

The unicorn’s fangs shone in a snarl as he swung the hammer again, star-like sparks exploding around his frame.

I will be!

“How long has he been there?” Fluttershy asked her husband, the two of them relaxing on a bench that floated around their cabin.

“A while. Nearly all day. He’s created a little home for himself. A simple creation or two, and then he goes back to the workshop. Well, that and looking at various locations in Equestria,” Discord replied, the two of them enjoying some cucumber sandwiches. “He has remarkable control if I do say so myself. His mortal view lends to a more orderly manifestation of chaos magic, but it’s still chaos nonetheless. It seems to have a definite affinity for him. Very different from how I use it.”

“I take it you didn’t tell him?”

Discord shook his head with a sigh.
“Oh, about the doozy? Not yet. He’s not ready,” the Draconequus replied. “That pony has enough on his mind. The fact he’s been smacking a piece of metal for hours on end shows that at the very least.”

“Maybe within the next week, we can suggest that therapy option? I can help him process things. The sooner we start it the better.”

Discord conjured up some fireflies, their rear ends being composed of small lanterns.
“Is this that new thing you were gushing about when you got certified last year or so? Ember? It sounded interesting. Rather chaotic even!”

Fluttershy giggled, leaning over to give her husband a long, loving kiss.
“E.M.D.R,” she said with a happy smile. “Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.”

“I was close.”

“You were.”

“So, basically stare at the moving object, with occasional touch, and it makes the memories hurt less?”

Another giggle and Fluttershy nodded.
“More or less. It’s not totally understood why it works in terms of biology, but it’s proven to help in the vast majority of cases. If it can lessen Arcane’s pain, it’s worth a shot.”

“In addition to him using that forge more?”

Fluttershy nodded with a smile.
“His first real creation is armor. A method of protection. But you don’t make that unless you’re expecting trouble.”

Discord’s eyes widened at that.
“You think he’s going to go back?”

The mare shook her head immediately.
“Not immediately. But Arcane is hurting. Some of the best ways to work through your own pain is to help someone else with theirs. I think Arcane knows this. He’s a helper, Discord. The times when you’ve left to tend to the distant parts of the dimension, he always asks if I need help making dinner or feeding the animals at the sanctuary for a break. I told him to just take it easy, but it’s clear he’s got a big heart.”

“You mentioned that he had offered. I didn’t know it was such a regular thing.”

She reached in and showed Discord a small metal object.
“He made this in the morning and left it on the cobblestones. I think it was a rough draft.”

Discord turned over the object in his claws, a toothy grin dawning on his face.
“Did he now?”

Levitating in the Draconequus claws, a miniaturized breastplate turned this way and that.

Emblazoned on the bright silver metal was a black star of Chaos, the center being a red heart; Arcane’s cutie mark. Streaks of black material ran through the breastplate, their depths shining with a rainbow of colors that mirrored Arcane’s eyes.

"We just need to make sure he’s ok. That he won’t do anything drastic,” Fluttershy said softly.

“I agree, but I don’t think he will.”

“Oh?”

Discord gestured to the still-active portal to Arcane’s dimension.
“That pony was tortured daily for more than five years. He had the chance to kill his tormentor. Instead, he turned them over to Equestria, a nation that completely failed him in every way. I don’t think he’ll lash out. Not in the way we are thinking. As you said, the first thing he’s creating is armor rather than a weapon.”

Fluttershy leaned against her husband with an affirming nod.
“I agree. He’s a good pony, even if he doesn’t realize it yet.”

“I’m very curious what this good pony will do. I think it’ll be quite chaotic,” Discord chuckled as they finished up their lunch.

The Thestrals carefully crept down the halls of the abandoned Silo. The area was silent aside from their hoof falls on the tile.

The final security checkpoint was easily navigated; a simple kiosk and metal door. Papers were strewn across the entire hall, hoofprints marring a few of the daily reports. Whoever had left ages ago, had done so in a hurry.

They had another eight minutes until the reactor blew, and they were currently on the edge of the minimum safe distance.

The hall abruptly turned, the two Thestrals now confronted with a room that, for all intents and purposes, appeared to have been copied and pasted from somewhere else in the facility. The metal shone in the dim light, and modern electronics hummed away from server racks. It also wasn’t on their maps, and the RASP armor seemed to be struggling to map even the small space.

“Well. And I thought I’d seen everything,” Astral muttered.

It was a simple room. A large control console rose from the center, and a massive, circular ring was embedded into the wall next to the server racks. The systems were clean, and brand-new in many cases. There were signs of some damage, but nothing that would indicate a fight. It was more like someone had wandered in and accidentally bumped various bits of equipment over.

The room was lit up by the ring, a strange, magical energy pulsing in its depths. It bore a few technological similarities to the devices encountered with Queen Joro, according to the RASP suit.

“Wild guess, a portal?” Astral asked, Sassi nodding.

“Not a bad guess. AI? Can you interface with the system?”

‘Attempting. Current scans indicate magical energy matches with known teleportation spells. Unknown destination. Stability unknown. Power levels are beyond sensor range.’

The text paused.

‘Interface successful. Project details unknown. The device is a transportation hub to unknown destinations. Multiple logs indicate past use may be for accessing additional Company sites. Current stability: Unknown.
Power grid is in flux.
Downloading and processing additional data.
Error message in primary system reads: Warning- Critical portal misalignment detected. Recommend permanent system shutdown. Failsafes inoperative.’

“Yeah, I vote we don’t step into the portal of death,” Astral said with a huff. “Even if it could lead out of here.”

“Agreed. AI? Shut it down.”

The room darkened, the portal flickering out of existence. It was only then that Astral gestured to their side.

An air vent was torn open, and Sassi felt her fur prickle at the thought. The desks underneath it were crumpled, a few gashes visible in the metal.

“You think that thing earlier…?”

She shook her head at Astral’s words.
“I don’t know. But if whatever it was got through, it probably got fried or was sent to another company site. We’ll worry about that later.”

“Sounds good.”

The two Thestrals continued onward. The hallway took a few more twists and turns but then opened into a massive, stadium-sized room. The ceiling was barely visible even with their lights.

Dominating the wall ahead of them, a titanic, circular door loomed over the two small creatures. Yellow emergency lights slowly flickered on, illuminating the area in a sickly glow. The round aperture was sealed shut; yellow caution tape draped over it multiple times. There was a thick layer of dust coating every surface; ancient hoofprints were still visible leading to the entrance.

Biohazard symbols covered the door and a massive lock was clamped around an emergency release lever. A prominent tag was stamped on the control panel, and a few places across the door.

‘Warning: Preventative toxin checkpoint active beyond this point to prevent unauthorized access. Do not enter without protective equipment.’

“Doesn’t inspire confidence, huh?” Astral muttered, Sassi nodding in agreement as she ripped the lock off.

“Nope. But this is the way to the surface. We’ll be navigating only a few levels. Just the top and middle floors. There should be a tunnel somewhere around there. We then follow that up and out.”

Astral swayed on his hooves, still woozy from his raging fight a few minutes ago.
“We don’t know what’s in there, do we?”

Sassi’s hesitation didn’t inspire confidence, and neither did the shake of her head.
“No. But that’s been the case before,” she admitted. “But I’ve got you, and you’ve got me. That’s enough.”

Her words drew out a weak smile, Astral nodding as he placed his hoof on hers, the two of them yanking the pony-sized lever down.

With only a slight squeak of hydraulics, the massive door was slowly pulled back into the Silo. It locked into a recessed area in the ceiling above the walkway, looming above the Thestrals as they walked across the rough metal floor.

A few lights flickered on, but the usual illumination in the ceiling was off. Crude construction lights mixed with emergency bulbs provided a dim atmosphere in the partially-deconstructed hall. The raw stone was mixed with torn-down tile as they walked, doors having been taken off hinges. Dust rather than fungal spores floated through the air, only disturbed by the Thestrals walking through it. Old piles of tools were scattered here and there, some areas appearing to have been in the middle of a project when abandoned.

“Looks like they were decommissioning it and stripping it for resources. I guess it wasn’t worth it halfway through,” Sassi said softly. “Hold on.

‘T-minus two minutes until reactor detonation.’

She walked back and yanked a matching lever from the entrance console, and the massive door swung back down with a soft grinding of metal.

It sealed behind them; the door at least as thick as two carriages lengthwise. Large locks moved with a soft grinding of metal as they engaged.

“Well, at least that’ll keep us safe for a bit,” Astral muttered. He took a few steps as Sassi trotted back next to him, abruptly letting out a yelp as his legs buckled. His marefriend caught him, the stallion leaning against her side.

“Thanks, Sas,” he said, unable to mask his embarrassment. “Guess the drugs wearing off is going to be fun.”

“Don’t worry about it. You walk, I’ll shoot.”

“Deal.”

The tunnel rumbled as the reactor behind them detonated. The only other sign was a few of the lights flickering, Astral letting out a happy hum.

“I’d rate that reactor explosion a solid three stars out of five. Only minor shaking, and no homicidal AI. Overall, a pleasant experience due to my current company. Minus one star for dealing with scummy employees, and minus one star because this place is awful.”

Sassi barely held in her giggles as Astral spoke in a fair imitation of a tourist, the two of them making their way down the hall.

Their mirth ended as abruptly as the walkway. There was a newer room installed; solid stone encasing the metal security door and everything around it. It was as if the room had been placed inside the rock to allow only one way in, and one way out.

“Huh. Another security feature I guess?” Sassi muttered. “Scans look clean. Something is odd about the air though, so let’s check our filters.”

The suit tests came back in the green, and the positive-pressure test ensured that there were no leaks. Despite the buckled armor on Sassi’s side, the airtight measures were intact.

With a nod to Astral, Sassi slid the heavy latch on the door open.

“Huh.”

She walked inside, looking around. The walkway they were on sloped down to the left. A strange, meandering arrangement of head-high barricades was barely visible on the floor below them, at the entrance to the ramp. It was like some sort of strange, miniature straw maze of metal.

The oddest part, however, was that a thick, bluish-green fog covered everything up to the tops of the barricades. The walls were completely smooth; the only path forward was through the small maze and fog. It would only take five, maybe ten minutes to navigate.

The mare let out a huff, eying a large, worn placard hanging ahead of them.

‘Warning. Security measures are active. All staff must have at least level-4 rated suits to pass through the gas checkpoint. Reminder: All organic matter will be destroyed if in contact with the security vapor barrier.’

“Oh, great, flesh-eating gas,” the mare muttered, eying a pile of bones near the entrance. What creature it belonged to; she wasn’t sure. But the number indicated a lot of individuals had a bad day.

“S-sassi?” Astral whispered.

Red lights immediately began to flash in Sassi’s HUD, his vitals screaming to dangerous levels. She turned around, barely able to catch him as the stallion’s limbs gave out.

His eyes were wide in horror, looking through the mare as if she wasn’t there. The stallion appeared unable to focus on anything outside of the gas ahead. Terror saturated their mental link, blotting out everything else.

“I can still hear the siren,” he whispered. “I can still hear it…”

“Astral, talk to me,” Sassi said, closing the door behind her and locking it. The stallion was almost hyperventilating, visibly shaking as he continued to stare at the closed door. “AI? Status?!”

‘Elevated heart rate and additional indicators suggest Primary User is suffering an extreme anxiety attack. Unable to dispense additional medications due to update saturation from previous use.’

For a split second, Astral’s eyes cleared. The fear in his gaze was all-encompassing. Abruptly, and as clear as day, his voice echoed in her mind.

‘Sassi…please. Help me.’

With a double confirmation that the air was safe, Sassi yanked off her helmet, and then Astral’s. She leaned forwards to hug him. At first, it was like holding a statue. Ever so slowly, however, the stallion relaxed. Eventually, he averted his eyes, Astral bowing his head slightly as he tried to control his breathing.

“Breathe, Astral. Ok? I’m right here,” she whispered. “You’re ok.”

“I’m really not, Sas.”

His voice was a whimper, the prior confidence in Astral’s frame having completely evaporated. An invisible weight pressed down onto the Thestral’s shoulders, and Sassi could feel him trembling against her fur.

“How can I help?”

As if mocking them, something shook the hallway. The AI displayed a warning from the holographic projector, and it made Sassi’s heart drop even further.

‘Warning. Impacts detected on primary Silo door. Electrical signature matches ‘Number Two’ designated entity. Multiple, additional contacts are also present. Status of door integrity: 99.2% Correction: 97.7%. Anticipated breach: Unknown.’

They had to move.

Astral didn’t give any indication he had seen the warning flashing in front of them, the stallion still struggling to breathe.

“Astral, I’m not leaving you, ok?” Sassi said, managing to get a very slight nod in reply. “But we have to go.”

The fear returned in force, and Sassi could only hug her stallion tighter. How much she just wanted to stay like this, to make things better for him.

It was an almost physical pain that darted into her chest as the Thestral snagged their helmets.
“How about you talk to me?” Sassi said, “it doesn’t have to be about anything specific. You could even close your eyes and the armor can move on its own. But we need to get through this room.”

“I don’t-ok,” was a muttered reply, the stallion managing to take his helmet and put it on. Sassi double-checked it, running the suit positive-pressure tests three times.

“If you can’t walk, you need to tell me, and the suit can take over.”

“I…I don’t know. I can do one hoof. Then another. Suit help for more?” his speech was broken, slurring a few words as Astral tried to steady his breathing even further.

“That’ll work. AI, confirm?”

‘Movement assistance subroutines active.’

“Do you want to close your eyes?”

To her surprise, Astral shook his head.
“I need to do this.”

“Whatever it is, no, you-”

“Yes, I do!”

Astral’s abrupt yell snapped him back to reality, the Thestral’s eyes immediately brimming with tears.

“I’m sorry, Sas. I didn’t mean to-I…” Raw shame now pulsed through their link, Astral’s ears flattening. “I never wanted to yell. I-”

“Astral, it’s ok. You might not be ok, but I still love you. Just follow me. You don’t need to tell me what this is about. Just focus on me. Anything,” Sassi said. His abrupt yelling had rattled the mare, but it had been easy to compartmentalize.

Considering the encounter not thirty minutes ago with the freaky creature, something had to give. And now this gas…

He managed to follow her, a soft sniffle echoing over the radio.
“I never want to yell at someone I love. Never,” Astral whispered. “I’m so sorry. I’m not myself. I can feel it. I’m back in that room.”

“The room where that very dead thing was?”

He nodded, stopping at the edge of the ramp as the gas licked at their hooves.

“The suits are sealed, Astral. We’re good,” Sassi said, stepping in and out repeatedly. “See? Do you want to close your eyes?”

With a shake of his head, the Thestral took a few steps forward. His hoof was trembling even with the armor’s assistance. Eventually, they both were immersed in the fog, Astral following right on Sassi’s tail as he took a scared breath.

“I’ve seen a fog like this before,” Astral whispered. “That room-I was hallucinating for so long. It’s a bad memory.”

“You don’t have to explain it now. It can wait.”

There was a sigh over the radio, Astral’s reply shaky.
“If it’s ok, I’m so tired of dealing with it alone. With everything.”

“I’m right here, Astral. If you want to deal with it, I’ll be right at your side. Always.”

Another soft sniffle made Sassi’s heart break. She wanted so much to stop, her training battling with the need to comfort the one she loved.

Yet at the same time, Astral seemed dead-set on pushing forward, on explaining things.

“It was when I was in training. There was an accident.”

He spoke in almost a monotone as they moved through the maze. Only stopping for a few moments to catch his breath, Astral elaborated on the entire, horrific experience. The gas. Hiding inside the room and watching innocent ponies melt away. The helplessness, all of it returning into that cursed room from before as he was hunted, haunted by the screams of those he couldn’t save.

And of her. The stallion had to take a few brief moments to pause. Hearing how Sassi, his friends, and his family had all been persistent visions of horror was a nightmare she couldn’t imagine.

And he pushed through hours of it.

Sassi listened quietly. She dared not interrupt. Sometimes his words were a rush, as if desperate to not be the only one who knew of the experience. Other times, his speech was slow and methodical, as if processing through the memory again.

When he finished, they were almost through the maze. His hooves trembled, and his breathing was still elevated. Yet the Thestral seemed to be a bit more himself.

“I’m sorry, Astral. I know there’s nothing I can say will make it better, but I’m sorry you went through that,” Sassi admitted.

“You’re wrong.”

She turned back, her heart starting to lift on seeing more life in Astral’s eyes.

“Everything you say makes it better. You’ve seen worse. You don’t judge or think I’m weak. Even if I am.”

Sassi felt something in her heart snap, a fire of anger igniting. How could he even think-

“Why in the world would I- You’re not weak!” Sassi exclaimed in a furious huff, the two of them walking up and out of the fog to the elevated catwalk. “You’ve survived horrors few others have experienced outside the Silos, and you’re still here. You’re still loving, fun, and courageous. You’re still you. I’ve seen creatures lose it after a single day of working in the Silos. But you? You’ve been through so much outside the Silos and now stuff in here? Don’t you dare say you’re weak! How-”

With a start, Sassi realized she nose to nose with her stallion, glaring at him defiantly as the mare cut off her words. Thankful tears brimmed in the other Thestral’s eyes, a ghost of a smile on his face.

“Thanks, Sas.”

Affection now hummed through their link, the fear fragmenting into the background.

“And I’ll fight anyone who says differently,” Sassi added with a determined grin. Grabbing his hoof, she pulled him along. The two of them pushed through the door, the mare looking at the array of consoles that greeted them. Crudely bolted to the other side of the wall, the controls appeared to be rather basic. Gas intensity, levels, fans, and so forth.

There was even a remote option to open the opposite door. That gave Sassi an idea.

“That monster wants to follow us so badly? Hope it enjoys some gas!”

The mare flipped a few switches, gas dumping into the sealed room. The levels skyrocketed, pouring out of the opposite door that now swung open.

“If it breaches that main door, that’ll slow it down for a bit,” Sassi added, Astral still staying quiet. The hallway beyond was empty, so she took a moment to check on him.

The affection in their link had dulled to a more pensive, almost melancholy sensation.

“It’s a good idea,” Astral finally said, seeming to gather himself together briefly. “Hey, Sas?”

“Hmm?”

He looked up at her, turmoil shining behind the Thestral’s eyes. She lay a hoof on his shoulder in comfort, but Astral then looked away.

“The whole being weak thing?” he said softly. “My parents were the first ones to give me that idea.”

The stallion took a step back as Sassi’s head snapped up, an enraged fire burning behind her eyes. Her jaw trembled, the mare biting back a surge of words. She took a few deep breaths before shaking her head.

“That…” she began, stopping to take another breath. The protective rage had caught Sassi off guard.

How dare they say that?!

A nudge against her helmet snapped Sassi out of it.
“Thanks, Sas,” Astral whispered. “It’s nice having someone be angry for me. I couldn’t be. I was too shocked, at least at first.”

“But why?”

He shrugged, the two of them walking down the clear hallway slowly. Even with the gas countermeasures, they had to move.

“I came to them asking for help. Nightmares, not being able to get the images out of my head. I was wondering how they dealt with it,” he explained. “They said it was part of guard life. If you were strong, you didn’t need help. You’d get through it on your own.”

His ears flattened to his skull at that.
“I couldn’t get past it,” the stallion whispered. “When I brought it up again, I can’t remember what they said exactly. Something about not being the weak link in our family’s guard tradition. I left before I said anything I regretted.”

Astral paused, shaking his head before walking again.
“I guess I never realized how much that hurt, until now. The Case happened a few months after that. So, I never really dealt with it. Now that I can think about it, the realization that my parents wouldn’t support me like that, it h-hurt. It still does.”

The pained hitch in Astral’s voice made Sassi stretch an armored wing over him, covering the stallion as they walked.

“I’m sorry, Astral. You shouldn’t have had to be alone for that.”

Sniffling over the radio, Astral blinked the tears away from his eyes.
“I couldn’t tell anyone else. I loved Gabbro too much to hurt him. I couldn’t burden him with the nightmares, what I saw. He’s just a normal hippogriff. Nobody else could understand, not even close.” He leaned over, resting his helmet against Sassi’s. “Not until now. So, thank you.”

“Always.”

Sassi’s reply made him laugh, Astral nudging her head as they approached an intact security door.

“Communications? What’s the likelihood we find something of use in here?” Astral asked, Sassi sighing.

“Not high. But hey, let’s give it a shot.”

They pushed the door open. A wall of servers greeted them on the right, humming away softly. On the left, various desks, radios, and other communication equipment were crudely arrayed. The crystal screens were long shattered, but various speakers and microphones appeared to be intact. There still was power at least.

With a sigh, Sassi turned on the receivers, plugging in various microphones.
“May as well,” she sighed. “I mean, we’re here.”

Astral did the same, flicking the power switch before leaning against a wall.
“We have to try. Whoa…room spinning.”

“Take a few. Catch your breath. If you need to take five to doze, do it.”

“Probably a good idea. Feel weird,” the stallion muttered.

He sat down, resting against the wall as Sassi flicked on another switch. With a screech of static, a robotic voice abruptly filled the room.

“This is Hazard Command in Canterlot. This automated broadcast is directed to the Stairway Company incident site in the Badlands on a tight-beam transmission. If anyone is receiving this, please respond. This message will now repeat.”

Author's Note

Monster chapter revisiting some old friends!
Some future chapters will likely be combined to alleviate some pacing issues; this arc is also much, much shorter than the other Silo's (which perhaps should have been the case with prior ones.)

As always, I greatly appreciate the feedback- including the harsh criticism. I can't learn to do better otherwise!

Chapter 114: Two Tin Cans and a String

Twilight frowned, sifting through the papers in front of her as she surveyed the control room. With the detonation of the Silo’s prison reactor, things had rapidly unraveled.

Whatever poison is in that place, it’s moving. That final detonation unlocked a waterfall of nightmares.

The options presented were rather grim. The Silo complex sat near a massive, underground aquifer that fed the majority of the Badlands. It was a logical location to use the water as cooling for their reactors and other necessary uses. Unfortunately, the main reservoir also fed to other waterways in multiple provinces and kingdoms.

And the contamination in the Silo’s was moving toward it.

Celestia can’t vaporize the site even if Astral and Sassi are clear. Sure, it’d take care of most of it, but the steam explosion would contaminate a massive area. Most of the badlands would be poisoned, and that’s even assuming the toxins didn’t aerosolize and spread.

The shields are holding for now, but we need more and more power. That leaves freezing the aquifer or manually cutting off the groundwater supplies near the Silos until it can be contained.

Unfortunately, none of those options had an even close-to-acceptable success rate. They were preparing to try multiple options, but none had above a ten percent partial success rate. Considering how nasty preliminary samples of the poisonous sludge were, even a little bit could contaminate a vast area.

In short, Equestria didn’t have any good options to contain the leak. While the bad news was, well, bad, there was at least a small spark of hope.

After weeks of research, they finally had the location of the original Silo’s excavation tunnel. It was buried underneath a significant amount of rock and sand, but the old maintenance tunnel to the original silo appeared intact and even powered. It’d take time to dig it out, but at least there was more than a guess in that regard.

The shielding of the Silos had weakened significantly, but it was variable. Maybe it was enough for a transmission, but it was still powerful enough to scramble any magical scans, let alone teleporting.

So, they waited.

Twilight organized the papers a second time. Perhaps she-

“Princess!”

The communications officer looked up, a shocked expression on her face as she tapped a few keys.

“We-there’s a response!”

“Hello? Can anyone hear us?” the static-ridden voice of Sassi echoed around the control room. Fuzzy, but clear.

Additional staff was immediately called into the room, the control center kicking into high gear.

“Is this Sassi Satin? We hear you. This is Princess Twilight,” the mare said, taking the lead with the microphone.

There was a soft laugh on the other end.

“Princess? I’ll be. Well, it’s nice to hear from someone. Anyone.” Her tone then shifted, becoming more businesslike. “I don’t know how long we have. We’re in the original Silo. The condemned one. There’s a giant creature on our tail with an unknown number of zee-erm, infected ponies, and stars-knows what else. We’re making our way to the original construction tunnels to the surface. We’re hoping to meet you all there. ETA a couple of hours.”

The communications officer waved a hoof, frowning at the display.
“You’ll have a few minutes. After that, not sure,” she relayed.

“We copy that, Sassi,” Twilight said, wishing they had enough time to get her father into the room. But if they only had minutes…

“We have the location of the exit as well. We’re currently excavating the sand and will try our best to have it clear. Before that though, there’s a new problem that we need your help solving.”

“What? I mean, we can try, sure. What is it?”

“We’re sending a coded message packet to you. It outlines what we can at least see for the exit blueprints, and a crude location of the Silo’s reactor,” Twilight said, waving to another communications technician. “In short, the remnants of the Silo facility are poisoning the area. It’s heading to the groundwater, and we don’t have any good options to stop it.”

“I assume that’s a bad thing?” Sassi said, her professional tone breaking with an underlying current of absolute exhaustion.

“Very. We don’t even know what kind of poison it is, only that it contaminates everything. It mutates organic matter and binds to nonorganic substances something fierce. It’s likely from the Limbo realm if I had to guess. If it gets into the water supply, it could render the Badlands sterile and spread from there.”

A long sigh echoed over the static-filled speaker.

“Bad is an understatement. This place is a toxic nightmare. Can’t you just melt the area around it? We get out and you burn it to glass?”

Smart mare.

“Unfortunately, no. The poison is already underneath the facility and dispersed through water channels in and under the bedrock. The primary underground river is underneath you. A standard magical strike wouldn’t be big enough even if we tried it. If we used a powerful enough spell, it’d cause a massive steam explosion when it hit the aquifer. The shields and magical nature of the toxin further complicate any containment efforts. Even if we had another month to prepare, we couldn’t do it. We have less than two days.”

“Oh.”

“Which brings me to the best option,” Twilight continued, “the reactor in that Silo is still active. Very old and in standby, but powerful even by modern standards. That means it can be overloaded in a gradual manner that should progressively melt the area around it,” she explained. “We’ve discovered that it actually was meant to do so as a failsafe in this exact scenario.

We can transmit the instructions on how to do just that. With the location of the condemned silo being on top of the main underground river leading to the aquifer, it gives us a much better option. You can melt down that reactor in a controlled manner, and it’ll seal off almost the entirety of the poison’s route. Once you’re safe, we could then handle the remainder.”

There was silence on the other end, long enough to make Twilight nervous.

“Sassi?”

“I heard you. Put me on a private channel, please. Just you, Princess.”

With a nod, it was done. Twilight teleported to one of the shielded side rooms in an instant.

“It’s just you and me,” the Princess said. “What is it?”

“The reactor controls are very out of the way. They’re usually on the deeper levels, the opposite of where we need to go. That’s hours of getting through who-knows-what. This place is a mess, and the nightmares inside…I don’t know what we’d be walking into,” Sassi muttered, partially to herself. “It’d be nice to not get vaporized, but we’ve got mutants still chasing us, and this is a huge risk. I want to know how we’ll be compensated. Or is this a “we do it for the good of Equestria” deal?”

Twilight found herself caught off guard, at least partially.
“You’re asking if you’ll be paid?”

“We’ve been through Tartarus already. Astral…” her voice hitched, the mare taking a breath before the steely tone returned. “Astral can barely walk and is hanging on by a thread. He’s resting now, and I’m not exactly doing so great either. If not for our RASP suits, being modified, and being pumped full of medications, we’d be dead multiple times. The risk for us is huge. So yeah, I’m asking if we’ll be paid. Compensated, whatever. Just somehow make it worth it,” the mare let out a soft, tired sigh. “Astral would help without hesitation. That’s who he is,” her tone then took on an edge. Not disrespectful, but not gentle either. “But I’m not him. If we’re actively avoiding being rescued for a bit, I want to make sure it’s worth it.”

Catching herself, Twilight bit her cheek before speaking. The immediate, impulsive response was about thousands of lives being worth it…

Sassi beat her to the punch.

“Astral would say that the lives saved from the poison would be worth it. And he’d be right,” Sassi admitted, more tiredness creeping back into her voice. “I know that, logically at least. I should do it out of the goodness of my heart. For the betterment of the world.” The edge to her voice returned, a bit of anger bleeding through.

“But my entire life I’ve been serving others for the betterment of someone else. The Company’s projects, their whims, and demands. I don’t have enough in me to care about anyone else other than Astral. He’s who matters most to me. Not anyone outside this Silo. Equestria, the Gryphon Empire, whatever. It doesn’t make an ounce of difference to me. Just him. If he’s being put in danger, then it’d better have a hefty price tag attached to make his life easier once we’re out. If not, we’re heading to the surface, and we’ll be out within a few hours. That’ll leave time for you to try and burn this place to glass. Or will we be charged with treason for not helping?”

Twilight had to stifle a snort. Charging these two Thestrals with anything hadn’t even been on her mind. She couldn’t help but smile. The Princess could appreciate Sassi’s logic, even if it ran counter to what Twilight grew up with.

“Charged? Goodness no. As for payment, I can absolutely make that happen. Had this topic come up six months ago, my answer would have likely been different.” Twilight let her wings droop at that. “I’m ashamed to admit that. But not now. I can’t fault you in the slightest for having your views and looking out for yourself and Astral. The world hasn’t exactly done you any favors.” There was a pause, and Twilight couldn’t keep the hitch out of her voice. “I, and Equestria certainly haven’t done anything to help you. You don’t owe us anything. So, I get it. You and Astral will be taken care of. I promise.”

“That’s a very general answer. Convince me, Highness,” Sassi replied, “please.” Her tone was, interestingly, respectful. But the mare sounded tired, exhausted.

Twilight didn’t blame her.

The ruler grinned adding in another order to send along the communications beam. She had drawn up the documents days before, keeping track of various requests and potential opportunities.

“First, as a baseline, I’m offering the best medical and mental health services Equestria has to offer along with financial help for, at minimum, the next decade as you recover from this. No limitations or bills for helping you recover. Second, I have a list of potential housing options already paid for by multiple benefactors. And third, I have a list of written contracts with companies willing to purchase a memoir from you and Astral. I doubt you’ll ever have to need to work the rest of your life after you write it. Just doing one-off interviews and writing some literary works alone could fund your own private island,” Twilight said.

“You’re heroes. The world is following your journey and rooting for you. I’ve confirmed multiple military licenses and contracts for both you and Astral as well. That means you keep the suits, the guns, and have the option to help develop and acquire more hardware. I also intend on making sure your father has a reduced sentence, at least as much as is feasible. I’m happy to discuss that too, but know that’s in the works. I w-wish I had been this thoughtful…” her voice drifted off, the mare taking a deep breath and composing herself. “What you all have been through is beyond what I can fathom. If there’s anything else you need after this, there’s very little off the table. Will that suffice for payment to make a detour?

Twilight rather enjoyed the stunned silence from Sassi.

I forgot how good it feels to focus on just helping someone. No politics. Just caring for a creature.

“That’s more than enough, Princess. We’ll take a look at the data stream for the specifics. I just want to make sure Astral…” her voice drifted, the business-like tone softening into a gentle affection. “I just want him to be ok. I can handle things. But he’s-” Another deep breath sounded over the radio, static starting to make it unintelligible. “We’ll get it done, Princess. Looks like the signal is fading.”

Teleporting back to the room, Twilight frowned at seeing the communications officer shake her head. At least the data stream got through.

“Tell my dad I love him. Keep the lights on for us. Sassi Satin out.”
The signal then dropped, Twilight blowing out a breath in relief.

You’re a good mare, Sassi.

“I want a summary of these events sent to their parents. And redouble our efforts at the excavation site,” Twilight ordered, drawing up a list of immediate changes. “We need the exit clear and accessible by the time they get out. Transmit updates to the Gryphon Empire as well.”

She then paused, taking a deep breath.

Small steps.

“Also transmit the updates to the Last Light Organization. If they have any excavation equipment or ways to get that passage open that we don’t know about, I’d like their help and for them to remain on standby near the shield perimeter.”

One day. Seal the reactor, and then get out of there.

Sassi stared at the inoperative radio set, her shoulders slumping as Astral waited in the corner. He had listened in on the conversation as he half-dozed, not trusting his own voice. He was hurting. That much Sassi could easily see.

“So. Reactor mission?” he asked, wobbling over to sit down next to his special somepony. “Stop the reactor from poisoning the world? I caught that much at least.”

“Something like that.”

Looking over at him, Sassi’s ears flattened, guilt pricking at her heart.
“Do you think less of me?” she asked. “For not just doing it because it’s the right thing?”

He shook his head firmly at her words.
“What? No. It’s not what I would have done, but I don’t think less of you for it,” Astral explained. “You put it best. You’ve done what everyone else thinks are the ‘right’ things to do your whole life. Always being used for something without a second thought to your well-being. You haven’t had a choice until now, no chance to take control. You just voiced what I wish I could.”

“I did?”

He smiled. Even though the Thestral’s eyes were still clouded with memories and pain, Astral couldn’t help but look at her in admiration. With a scoot, he leaned against Sassi’s shoulder. She could feel him shaking, even in the armor.

“I’d have wanted to get paid. But my upbringing, being in a Guard family, the sense of duty, and my need to help someone even if it hurts…I’d have felt bad asking. I would have tried to help even in my condition. But that doesn’t mean it’s the smart thing to do. I’d say in my current state, it certainly isn’t. So, it definitely isn’t wrong to ask. Thank you for looking out for me.” Astral’s voice then choked up, the stallion taking a few shaky breaths. “Because I can’t take care of myself right now. So, thank you. I thought it was rather sweet. I care about you too.” He punctuated his words by leaning over and nuzzling underneath her head.

Not saying anything for a few moments, Sassi felt a few tears welling up in her eyes.
“You’re welcome. And thank you for making me feel better about it. I didn’t lie about anything else I said. I just want you to be ok. I know I can handle stuff, but you’re…”

A surge of worry made Sassi’s chest tighten. She had been continually stuffing down such thoughts for days, weeks out of necessity. But seeing Astral continually degrade both mentally and physically, made it harder to ignore. He was running on borrowed time, and the clock was ticking faster and faster.

“I’ll-” Astral then laughed tiredly. “I was about to say I’ll be ok. But that’s a lie. I’m not doing so great, Sas. I know it, and I know you know it. I guess the better thing to say is that I’ll hold on.”

“You’d better. I’ll carry you out of here if I have to,” the mare growled, double-checking the medication levels. It was low, so she swapped it out for the final refill. She tried to not worry about it; the AI projected that it’d last at least 24 hours due to the low injection rate. He didn’t need any of the foam, and the medications had slowed to a steady trickle. A full day gave them plenty of buffer time, even if they ran into trouble.

Or rather, when they ran into trouble.

“Carry me? I don’t doubt it,” Astral chuckled tiredly, “Now, what’s in that communications buffer? The payment the Princess was saying sounded incredible. I guess we’re celebrities?”

Sassi examined it as they began to walk. The next area was simple tiled hallways again, branching off into ruined supply closets.

“Apparently. That’s going to take some getting used to,” she admitted. “Looks like she was telling the truth. Multiple potential contracts with companies, and royalties, some of which is already in an account waiting for us due to broadcasting the video footage, thanks to my dad and Vial. Stars, we’re going to be filthy rich. She wasn’t joking about writing a memoir. Multiple publishers want one. Just an account of what we went through. And they’ll pay mountains of gold to be the first to publish it. Or second, or…twentieth.”

“So, big kitchen, lots of blenders, and our own firing range?”

She giggled, the sound making Astral perk up.
“Astral, we literally will be able to buy an island. Or three.”

After a few moments’ pause, the other Thestral nodded with a grin.
“Sas, I want an island.”

With another laugh, Sassi sent over the payment information to Astral’s HUD.
“You’ll get your island. We can have a house, bunker, and definitely keep the RASP suits. Looks like we can test out upgrades and have more built for us from a combined project with the Gryphon Empire. That said, I’d only trust Flask and Vial to take a look at it and make sure there are no bugs or control software in our suits.”

“Wow. This-Sas, I don’t know what to think. This is a lot of bits. Hundreds of thousands per option? Wait, there are more zeros? Pre-written contracts with multiple kingdoms for one-off consulting about hazardous threats? What will we do with all of the money?”

“Donate a decent amount?”

“One of the many reasons I love you,” Astral sighed. “Donate it is. After we get a house. And maybe the island. Hey, can we make the house and property a fortress?”

“Um, duh? I don’t want to be two steps from a gun for the rest of my life. Seeing what this place has done? It’ll happen again, somehow, some way. I vote we make our home the most dangerous place in the continent for when it does,” Sassi said firmly. “Automated defense systems, shields, and underground food and water production. Oh, and guns. Lots of guns. If Equestria won’t grant us the military contracts, we learn how to build them ourselves. One fortified base on land, and then on our island we make even nastier!”

“Did I mention I love you? AI, can you freeze me again please?”

Sassi cackled as Astral let out a yelp.
“So, talking about building an armored fortress with me is what makes you need a cold shower?”

“Among many, many, many other things,” Astral grumbled with a good-natured grin. “Sounds like a perfect date to me. Designing an armory, high-defense fortress, playing board games, and then cuddling with a movie. Take that, door-to-door sales ponies.”

“AI? My turn. Blast of cold air please.”

Astral laughed as Sassi shivered, the mare enjoying seeing her stallion more himself.

“That does sound like a fun date,” he admitted. “We’ll add that one to the list. But seriously. That’s more money than I’ve ever even considered owning. Like, wow.”

“Well, we also could build your own observatory. Hey, we could start our own satellite program and send rockets into space! Get some really good pictures of the stars!”

Astral stopped, staring at her. She saw tears well up in his eyes, a few spilling over and down his cheeks. Walking over to the stallion, she nudged her armored head against his.

“I love you, Astral. All of you. Even if I don’t know much about some of your passions yet, I know it’s important to you. And that means it’s important to me.”

The stallion struggled to hold back more tears, only managing to get out a few words.
“Thank you, Sas,’ he whispered. “Love you too.”

“But I get dibs on naming at least one of the rockets.”

He laughed, flipping the visor up to wipe his tears away. A loving hum vibrated through their mental link, the stallion following at her side as they paused at an intersection.

“Well. At least we know where to come back to,” he remarked.

A massive, hanging sign indicated two potential routes.

‘Areas ahead: Low-security labs, mess hall, barracks, maintenance, surface-level access via construction tram system’
And to the right.
‘High-security labs, reactor control, primary reactor chamber.’

The two Thestrals trotted down the hall branching to the right, Astral pointing a hoof back at the sign.

“We’ll be back. I want my house fortress,” he grumbled, then wobbled over to give Sassi a nudge. “And I also want to spend the eternities with you. But that’s already a given I guess.”

Now it was Sassi’s turn to wipe away a surge of tears, the mare taking a deep breath.
“Love you too, Astral. And ditto. Let’s melt this place into slag, and then get out of here.”

“I like that plan.”

It was a short walk down the hallway, the Thestrals stopping at the elevator shaft. It wasn’t powered, and the two shared a look.

“Stairs?”

“Stairs I can do.” Astral agreed, following the mare off to the left towards the designated area. “Dark tunnel of death? Pass.”

Sassi giggled, but Astral had overestimated his abilities by a fair margin. The stallion stumbled a few times. The mare at his side caught him, but the other Thestral clearly was concerned as she didn’t stray more than a few steps away. The stairs wrapped around the exterior of the square shaft. A central, open area guarded by large railings on their right.

They paused at the next floor down, Astral glancing at the barely-visible sign on the wall. Their infrared vision was muddied by the dim emergency lights, making their natural night vision more of a hindrance than a help.

“Fifteen levels straight down?” he muttered, Sassi shaking her head.

“No. That’s to the very bottom core of the reactor. From the schematics we got, we just need to go to about five. Maybe seven at most. The top of the chamber should be visible from there if we absolutely need to. These older reactors had backup controls in two different places, and the primary controls are only a few floors below us. The problem is, they might have moved floors since the original install, so we need to pay attention to the signs.”

“So…”

Sassi let out a groan as they walked, Astral not able to resist a tired smile.
“Yeah. You’re probably right. We’ll likely have to head further down after we find the primary controls fried or covered in acidic slime. Or something like that.”

“We’re way too calm about this.”

“Plenty of time to freak out after this. When we can bury ourselves with bits.”

“I do like the fact we’re technically mercenaries now.”

A soft giggle left the mare’s mouth as they paused at another level.
“Didn’t think about that.”

“Whoa.”

The two Thestral’s were abruptly distracted by soft blue lights that began to float up from the levels below, soaring between the central shaft of the spiraling staircase. They appeared to originate from simple fireflies, but these were a lot…furrier?

“AI? Are they hazardous?” Sassi asked, Astral looking around cautiously.

“I’m not moving. Let’s not anger the swarm.”

“Not a bad idea,” she agreed.

‘Analysis indicates a mutated version of the common firefly. Magical radiation matches 97.45% to the Limbo realm.

Conclusion: Harmless at a distance, but do not ingest.’

“Yeah, no worries about that,” Astral muttered. “But hey, at least they’re pretty.”

Some of the fireflies periodically vanished into self-created portals, reappearing either above or below the pair as they ventured down. Curious creatures indeed.

The next floor was passed by without incident. Unfortunately, the stairs abruptly ended after that, the supports being far too worn out to continue. There were massive gaps in the metal. Considering the added weight of the RASP suits, it wasn’t a viable option.

“Well, at least we got halfway there,” Sassi said with a huff as she read the signage. “Four floors of mystery until the primary controls. I was close on my guess.”

Astral nodded, finding that his fears were suppressed oddly. The fireflies reminded him of the outside. Looking up at the night sky.

He wasn’t alone in that.

“Can we have a date like this?” Sassi asked softly, standing at his side for a few brief moments.

“Under the stars with fireflies?”

“Yeah.”

He nodded, stallion enjoying the peaceful moment, even if it was fleeting. As was on par with the ever-present danger, both of his right limbs abruptly buckled. Sassi was, of course, there to catch him, Astral shaking his head.

“Ugh. Sorry.”

“What did I say about apologizing?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle, looking up at the star-like scene with the fireflies.

“And about that date, we’ll make it happen. I think it’d be a lovely honeymoon idea too. Middle of nowhere has amazing views of the stars.”

“You have got to stop m-making me tear up,” Sassi whispered, her voice trembling.

“I’m not trying!”

“I know. I love it. Still a crazy idea to me though. Us getting to that stage after this.”

“Pretty sure ‘crazy’ encompasses most of our time together. So, that tracks.”

Sassi couldn’t help but laugh, giving him a nudge as they walked to the doors. Thankfully the hallway was empty, an odd, blue-green tile covering the floor and ceiling.

It was a nice departure from the ugly cream color of the other Silos.
Sassi gave him a nudge, the stallion leaning on her as they walked through the doors to the new floor. The hallway was empty, thankfully.

The next section of doors was chained shut. That was solved with an easy punch from Sassi’s hoof, and a run-down office was exposed. Old computers and dusty desks dotted the open workspace.

‘Crystal data storage devices detected. Download and play?’

“Huh,” Sassi muttered at seeing the AI notification, “download it all, sure. But display the titles before playing.”

‘Confirmed.’

Sassi selected one of the files, this one being an audio recordings.

“Looks like an abandoned office for a bit. Everything is clear other than a few more fireflies,” she relayed, playing the audio file over their suits.

“Daily Journal: Playing…. ‘Test twenty-six. There’s actually some success here!’” A disembodied voice played, the date being decades prior.

“The experiment wasn’t a total failure. We got some enzymes from product 72-X. Not a complete set, but enough to isolate and begin manufacturing the next tests.”

“Do I even want to know what they were making?” Astral muttered.

“With a bit of luck, we’ll be able to cure magical-resistant cancers within the decade! After that, auto-immune diseases should be easy to target! Perhaps I’m just being optimistic, but the goals of this company are noble. The owner and his wife are…I’ve never seen such passion for helping others before. They’re visiting hospitals and reading to children as I speak. I hope we can bring their dreams into reality. I’ll try and do my part. End recording.”

The two Thestrals paused, looking over at each other as a lead weight settled in their stomachs.

“The Company started out with noble intentions then? I didn’t know,” Sassi sighed. “I mean, that’s what they always said publicly. But even back when this Silo was used, the staff had the wool pulled over their eyes.”

“Sas, I don’t think that was the case here,” Astral said, a bit of regret creeping into his voice. “I don’t think this company was always evil.”

Arrayed on the wall, dusty and corroded frames were haphazardly hanging. Many of them were destroyed, but the glass had preserved most of the newspapers from destruction.

“What…?”

Sassi’s tone was that of utter disbelief. The articles all held a theme, arrayed as if proudly displayed to office staff when walking into their workspace.

“-New biotech company successfully tests anti-cancer serum, further trials pending.

-New drug from start-up Bio-Tech company, Stairway, reverses kidney damage for thousands.

-Owner and wife of award-winning biotech company read to foals in a 10-hospital sprint across the nation, raising bits for charity.

-Stairway Company upholds its promise, donating millions of bits from donation efforts to hospital-based charities.

-Owner of award-winning company credits his wife for success. “The one I love was suffering. I created this company to ease it, and that for anyone else. I’m honored at the generous publicity.””

The two ponies stared at the last article, Astral finally shaking his head.

“Well. Either this was a fantastic ruse, but why display it? Why lose money? All to sow the seeds of misdirection? I mean, that’s plausible,” he said to himself.

“The owner of the company? Not a board? I don’t even know who that is,” Sassi admitted. “It could be lies. Or it could be that this place maybe did start out with good intentions. So much for that.”

Astral sighed at that. While there were other intact recordings for listening, the physical office abruptly began to decay as they neared a sharp turn. The tile crumbled under their hooves, and more of the blue fireflies began to dance and float around the corner.

“Well. You know the saying. The road to Tartarus is paved with good intentions,” Astral added.

As the new area of the office opened up, it was Sassi’s turn to sigh. Thick, greyish-black growths covered the walls and floor. They looked more like tree roots than anything. Blue, fruit-like blue orbs hung from protruding vines, the blue fireflies dancing around the matching objects.

If not for being in a Silo, it’d have been rather pretty. Unfortunately, the remainder of the office was pitch black, and the fireflies wreaked havoc on the night vision.

“Another creepy forest?”

Sassi nodded in agreement, lights igniting on their helmets as they ventured forwards.

“Another creepy forest. Hmm. Well, we’ve got a few office sections, then the stairs down to the next level. Looks like this growth covers it. There are no electrical signatures until the next floor down.”

“I like forests as a date idea. Not so much this one,” Astral muttered.

“Ditto.”

The Thestrals slowly crept through the root-covered office, the two of them sharing a look as the motion tracker blipped.

Despite the decay and neglect, this Silo was certainly not dead.

Author's Note

Communication with the outside world! And a fair reward to boot!
But one more mission remains...

Chapter 115: Out Of Service

“I have to admit, this isn’t as creepy as I thought,” Astral said.

“Aside from things following us?”

“Ok, aside from that.”

The strange, root-like maze had directed them off the usual path. Meandering through the remains of the office, a few supply rooms, and now finally back towards the stairwell towards a lower level. Whatever was following the Thestrals hadn’t shown itself, but there were at least three. They stayed out of sight, simply keeping pace with them.

The glowing blue fruits illuminated their way, the roots occasionally showcasing nests of the small fireflies as white leaves sprouted off of smaller vines. It was a rather ethereal place if Astral was being honest. The overgrowth was complete; the only signs of prior business-related activities were the top of a desk occasionally poking out of the grass or roots.

“Astral. Don’t move,” Sassi said, the other Thestral freezing. “Our new friends are checking us out. Eleven-o-clock and one-o-clock.”

Astral angled his eyes upwards to try and spot the new creatures. Odd, triangular faces peered through the roots on the ceiling, bright blue eyes examining them.

The creatures that emerged were oddly normal. They maintained the same, similar appearance to the horror that had appeared before the Zeeps; long limbs and torso, and knotted muscle under their skin. Yet unlike that mutant, their faces were rounder, similar to a Minotaur, and the eyes held genuine curiosity. Instead of mutated, exposed muscles and teeth from a clearly-modified pony corpse, these creatures looked almost natural. Their skin was smooth, only marked with a few bumpy protrusions that were wood-like in appearance.

“Warning. Electromagnetic fields detected. Radiation matches Limbo realm probe recordings and portals. Long-term exposure not advised.”

“Limbo?” Astral whispered. “Hey, Sas? Maybe is that where these things are from? Joro’s realm? Like, a non-freaky mutant version?”

The three creatures continued to examine them. Their stubby, claw-less fingers held tightly to the roots, the newcomers not venturing too close to the Thestrals. Their heads tilted from side to side, the creatures looking them over.

“Not a bad thought. Maybe they came through that portal we shut down?”

One of the larger creatures let out a strange, sing-song-like hum. The smaller one abruptly walked into the roots, a blue portal snapping into existence in front of it, and then vanishing.

“Or…maybe they can create their own,” the mare added. “Huh.”

The creatures sang to themselves, but something made them pause. The larger one looked back at the hall behind Astral and Sassi, and then looked at the pair.

It made a hum, a specific set of tones as it backed away. It looked at them again, as if trying to tell them something. It repeated the hum, waving its hands at them repeatedly as if urging them onwards. It then franticly dashed into the ceiling roots, a portal igniting as it dove in.

“It doesn’t like something behind us. I don’t have to speak their language to understand that,” Astral growled, the flamethrower pilot light snapping on.

“And I think they were speaking to us. They were actually intelligent. That’s…a bit odd. After so many mutants, finding a creature that appears smart feels off,” Sassi said.

“Off in a good way, at least for me.”

Sassi nodded in agreement, the two of them slowly backing deeper into the hallway. The roots grew bigger, spreading out along the walls. The plant-like material was easily as thick as a table was wide, arching over and appearing like a scaled-up mangrove.

A series of harsh, scratching impacts began to echo around the tunnel. They paused, a familiar scream filling the darkness of the tunnel.

Zeeps.

“The roots. Astral! Here!”

The two of them dove into a large space under the nearest tree, Astral killing the flamethrower light. The wood material blocked almost all of their view of the hallway, hiding the Thestrals even with their armor and weapons.

The motion tracker abruptly lit up, four contacts moving together. The scratching grew louder, the enemies slowing down as they got closer.

Ragged breathing filled the tunnel, the newcomers slowly spreading out and meandering down the hall. One of them passed by their hiding place, and Sassi got a glimpse of part of them.

The scratching sound wasn’t claws, but the broken parts of the pony’s hooves dragging across the tiled floor. From the brief look she got, the creature looked like a Zeep-

She carefully moved her head back as it turned to look at her, the mare carefully controlling her breathing. It almost had looked at her, but thankfully had simply passed on by.

The former ponies looked like their zombie-like cousins, but their eyes glowed a malevolent crimson. Their faces were more streamlined, a familiar, dark bark-like substance starting to plate over their cheeks and forehead.

Their teeth, unfortunately, were still needle-like and exposed. Constantly bared and parted, the mutated Zeeps filled the tunnel with their breathing as they looked around.

How did they know we were here? Did they even know?

Sassi felt movement next to her, and the mare’s heart immediately was hit with a pang of worry. Astral was trying his best to stay still, but his vitals were quickly climbing into the warning zones. His breathing alone was borderline hyperventilating.

With a careful shift of her forelimb, Sassi wrapped his hoof up in hers, scooting over to let him lean on her shoulder as well.

If not for the relief flooding over their link, the mare would have found it rather amusing at how quickly his vitals stabilized. It did make her rather proud that a simple touch was able to have such a positive effect. Even if they were being stalked by mutant zomponies.

Astral’s shaking forelimb pulled against hers a bit tighter as the mutants slowly moved past them. The creatures found nothing, then retreated the way they came. The mare wasn’t too worried; the miniguns alone could handle this group. But firing them and alerting who-knows-what could lead to an avalanche of problems.

So, they waited.

As the mutated Zeeps moves away, a rustle of movement behind Sassi nearly made her jump. Carefully turning her head, a previously-overgrown air vent was pushed open. A familiar, curious face carefully poked its head out. The creature looked at the two Thestrals, and then at the retreating Zeeps and bared its teeth in a snarl. Its eyes then looked back to Sassi…

Wait, was it smiling?

The air vent was replaced, and the two ponies stared in shock.

“Did we just make a new friend?” Astral whispered, the motion tracker now reading clear.

“Maybe. The enemy of my enemy and all that,” Sassi agreed, the two of them venturing out of their hiding spot. Reluctantly letting go of Sassi’s hoof, Astral sat down and took a few deep breaths.

“I hope they can escape when we blow this place then. They seem interested in us.”

“What should we call them?”

Her question caused Astral to let out a thoughtful hum, the two slowly moving forward.

“Well, they’re curious, right? What about Curies?”

“That’s kind of cute. Curies it is.”

After a few minutes, they came to the stairway. Where the metal was corroded and worn away, roots had overgrown it and provided a sturdy, if not slightly slippery, path down to the next floor.

“One down, three to go,” Astral muttered, carefully stepping off the roots. The door to the floor was missing, and a bright, blue light illuminated the entrance.

“Whoa.”

Astral could only nod in agreement as they took a few steps into the doorway, blue grass shimmering under their armored hooves.

A large, stadium-like area spread out in front of them. Massive trees loomed over them like willows, dark-grey leaves contrasting with the glowing teal bulbs, vines, and fireflies that zipped this way and that.

“Is this what Joro’s realm is like? A portion of Limbo?” Sassi wondered.

“Warning. Unknown radiation levels with Limbo signature are increasing beyond the armor’s shielding capacity. Recommended action: activate armor shielding systems.
If shields remain inactive, unsafe expose levels will be reached within three minutes.”

“Activate it.”

Their armor hummed, a magical shield wrapping around their forms as the AI chimed.
“Shielding systems activated. Warning: Energy distribution network reaching saturation. Shields must be deactivated within thirty minutes to avoid damage to the reactor.”

“Well. It’s better than nothing,” Astral said as they walked. The fireflies around them didn’t seem to mind the shields, thankfully.

“Half an hour. Astral, the shields on this suit are powerful, as are the anti-radiation measures. If it’s getting saturated, this place is glowing. And I don’t mean just visually.”

“Yeah, I picked up on that. Let’s not dilly-dally.”

The new forest was, in a word, beautiful. Unfortunately, the constant radiation was a bit of a buzzkill.

“The trees are hot. Pity they’re so dangerous,” Sassi remarked as if echoing Astral’s thoughts. “Heads up. Big roots here.”

Even with her warning, Astral nearly tripped over the grassy bumps. Sassi caught him, as she always did.

There was an unspoken thanks; a warm hum in the back of his mind that was acknowledged by the mare. A new, if not pleasant way of conversing in their little hive mind.

“Sas, look up there. New friends.”

What could only be described as light blue jellyfish were “swimming” in the air above the pair. For all intents and purposes, the head-sized creatures were acting as if the air was a liquid, slowly meandering across the ceiling.

“Wow,” his special somepony whispered, watching as they swam by a large pink flower. “They’re-”

As soon as the flower was touched, it abruptly ejected a cupful of clear liquid. Missing the Thestrals by a hair, it melted into the grass and burned a hole clear through the metal floor underneath.

“…beautiful,” the mare finished with a sour grunt.

“Acid flowers?”

“Acid flowers. Eyes up and avoid them. Look at the vines. Something is changing.”

Astral nodded in agreement as he looked around. Sassi was right. The previously healthy trees and vines now took on a darker hue. Instead of a blue, energetic glow, a dull grey color pulsed from the plants. Odd fungal growths began to jut from the wood, and the ambient light began to fade as they pushed onwards.

Even the fireflies seemed to change. They were larger, and their previously cheerful glow began to shift into a dull, malevolent maroon.

“Why does red have to be bad?” Astral whispered. “It’s a nice color.”

“You have a point. I guess we can add that to the list of things to bring up at therapy.”

They crept onwards, Astral then speaking up again.
“Shouldn’t be too hard,” he remarked. “You turn very red at the drop of a hat when I mention even implied saucy things. It’s a nice reminder that the color can be quite beautiful.”

“I do not!” Sassi hissed, Astral smirking from behind the visor.

“Oh, you very much do.”

“Do. Not.”

“We’re building our own shower. That means we can make sure it’s big enough for exercise. And we can install hoof holds. We’d put them to good use.”

Astral had to stop himself from cackling as a squeak echoed over the radio.

“AI? What’s the surface temperature of Sassi’s cheeks? Normal? Elevated?”

“Not fair!”

“Significantly elevated.”

“…betrayed by my own suit.”

Astral laughed to himself softly, then coughed as the stallion’s limbs refused to respond. He managed to catch himself from tripping, but barely.
“Worth it,” he gasped.

“Fine. You win this round. But eyes up, lover-colt. Those jellyfish don’t look so friendly.”

The creatures were now clearly following them, their hue changing with the fireflies to a more malevolent crimson. A soft buzz began to fill the room. They slowly circled above the pair-

And stopped.

“Astral…” Sassi began, the jellyfish abruptly jetting forwards and aiming at the pair. “RUN!”

The two Thestrals tore through the grass, ducking the creatures as they swarmed. The RASP armor sparked angrily as small bolts of energy licked across it, the jellyfish’s tentacles being repelled by the defensive systems.

“Warning. Unable to sustain countermeasures. T-minus one minute until forced shutdown of all RASP shielding systems.”

There wasn’t any exterior light now, only a red glow from the jellyfish as they chased the Thestrals into a dark tunnel. The wood covering the walls and ceiling was black, dead, and burned. The hallway seemed never-ending. An endless spiral of roots and branches. They rounded a sharp corner-

“There!”

Sassi nearly yanked Astral off his feet as the mare forced a door open with a crash. She barely had time to haphazardly place the metal across the ruined frame before the jellyfish sped past angrily.

Astral was gasping, sides heaving as he tried to catch his breath.
“That was abrupt,” he panted.

“Very. I’m not sure what provoked them. Maybe us going deeper into the forest?”

He shrugged, the armor’s systems running various diagnostic subroutines.
“Radiation levels now within acceptable limits. Time until unsafe exposure: 24 hours.”

“Well, that’s good,” Sassi sighed, then fell silent as their jellyfish friends returned, heading back to their forest home.

“At least they’re gone.” The stallion at her side took a tentative step, swaying on his feet.

Nodding in agreement, Sassi was at Astral’s side just in case. They pushed out into the hallway, creeping forwards as the mare spoke up softly.

“Not too much of a detour. We can still get to the stairs from here. Just two floors until the primary controls.”

They walked in silence, the roots fading to disturbingly familiar fleshy tendrils. They pulsed and jiggled every so often, starting to blanket the walls and ceiling. The floor was oddly clear.

“New recording crystal detected in an adjacent room. Download and play?”

“Only as long as there’s nothing on the motion tracker.”

Astral could only nod in agreement to that.

“….ording number…I don’t know anymore,” a tired voice said. “Something is wrong. Horribly wrong. I don’t have long. I don’t understand why we’re dabbling with Limbo energy. It’s corrupted here. Our magic-our world doesn’t interface with it!” The stallion on the other end took a few terrified breaths, the sound of keys tapping in the background. “But that’s the new direction we’re going. Still developing cures, but something changed with the leadership. The owner. Why are we building prison cells, more Silos, and reactors? This wasn’t what I signed up for. This isn’t what I-wait. No. NO!”

“Please come with us.”

The recording then ended. Sassi let out a long, sad sigh.
“Well. There’s that question answered,” she said sadly. “Something changed.”

“I don’t know why, but it’s nice to know at least the company didn’t start as a mass-murdering regime of psychopaths.”

Sassi couldn’t help but snort, reaching over to bump Astral’s shoulder with her own.
“Weirdly, it does make me feel a bit better.”

“Stop.”

Freezing at the sound of Astral’s voice, the mare saw her stallion’s vitals spiking into the red.

“To our right. The a-air vent. It’s looking at us.” the Thestral’s voice trembled, and Sassi began to edge her weapons over.

“Back up, Astral. Slowly,” she hissed.

The metal air vent let out a screech as a bulky figure tried to push through, but it was held fast by the reinforced plating and fleshy tendrils. The flesh was burned in coloration, but fresh, raw, muscle and bone protruded from the mass; the creature’s shoulders. A circular, squat head then surfaced again, the size of a conference table. Two red eyes glared at the Thestrals, brimming with hatred and insatiable hunger.

The pair continued to back up as a long, clawed appendage reached from the opposite air vent, digits scratching the tile floor angrily as the creature remained wedged.

It didn’t roar, but the creature staring at them abruptly smiled. Its white teeth drew back in a mouth far too large for its face as a tentacle-like tongue licked its lips. The flickering of an emergency light illuminated a carved, scar-like number on the creature’s forehead.

2

Author's Note

Thank you to both Mahazkei and Tempest_Flare for the recording/audio tape ideas!

And down we go...and meet a mutual fiend.

Chapter 116: Tethered

Number Two stared at them for a while longer before letting out a disinterested grunt and vanishing. Metal screeched and groaned as it forced its way out and downwards. It didn’t help matters that the motion tracker remained clear the entire time.

The Thestrals continued to stare. They had to cross in front of the grates regardless.

Astral casually reached up to pull the grenade off his shoulder, looking at Sassi.
“I vote we make sure that thing is gone, even though…” his words trailed off, the mare doing the same.

“Ditto. That thing has proven to be sneaky. If we heard it leaving, it wants us to hear it.”

They chucked the grenades into the vents after counting a second or two. With a burst of movement, the pair dashed past the open grates after the explosives detonated. There weren’t any other sounds other than the pitter-patter of metal from the fragmentation of the vents.

“Ok. So. That was terrifying,” Astral said, now wobbling on his hooves as they walked. “So that’s Number Two.”

“The AI couldn’t even get a scan of it. But that head and shoulders, it looked like some kind of giant sloth.”

“That doesn’t make it any better.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

The fleshy tendrils continued to cover the walls and ceiling as they pushed onwards. There weren’t any more signs of a natural-like forest, only the sickly, pulsating mass of something.

“Finally, some good news,” Sassi said, gesturing at the sign next to the staircase ahead. “Looks like they moved the backup reactor controls.”

“It’s right below us?”

She nodded happily, the two of them creeping into the stairwell. They could even see the entrance to the next floor!

“Bingo. Even if it’s not intact, there’s another backup on the same floor.

They trotted down the stairs, Sassi being the first to take a look.

“Well, let’s see where these controls…oh,”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Astral muttered, stumbling down to stand next to her. “Oh.”

The floor looked perfectly normal for about ten paces. Then, a multi-room-sized hole was eaten away by acid dripping down from above. Bits of tile rained down from above, a dark abyss looming over where only spotty metal could be seen. Holes from the acid pockmarked the surface.

Partially dissolved office equipment dotted the edges of the gaping hole, sparking wires flashing this way and that amid the surprisingly-bright emergency lighting. With the tile either dissolved or having fallen, a spiderweb of partially-intact steel girders spread out in front of the pair. A few of the supports groaned, others visibly sagging and cracked.

Far below them, after at least a drop of six floors, was the top of a massive reactor.

Astral sat down, blowing out a tired breath. The reactor below them hummed, three rods surrounding a central, larger vertical cylinder that glowed a cheerful yellow in the darkness.

“Well. Good news and bad news time,” Sassi said, having taken a few minutes to survey the few areas to the left and right.

At least the ones they could walk to.

“I could use some good news.”

“Well, the backup controls are in perfect condition and right over here across the room. They appear to be tuned specifically for reactor shutdown and energy flow. We lucked out on the console they used.” The mare pointed across the chasm, where a large, intact console was visible. There were multiple large levers, knobs, and thankfully non-digital instruments diligently humming away. “They perfectly match the instructions the Princess sent.”

“And the bad news?”

She raised an eyebrow, pointing to the massive hole.
“Acid from those stupid flowers is still trickling down. I don’t know if the suit shields can handle it. And we’ll both need to get to the console and operate it.”

“What?!”

Sitting down next to him, Sassi shook her head. Astral took the opportunity to lean against her, unease starting to gnaw away at him.

“The reactor controls are going to have both a magical and physical failsafe. One pony can’t shut it all down, or make it overload. You have to press the buttons or levers at the same time, and stand in specific spots,” the mare said with a frustrated sigh. “I just looked over the instructions again. I read through it once when the Princess first sent it; there are even three types of control consoles that might have been installed. All of them require two ponies. It’s a simple analog procedure, but it needs two creatures.”

“I really don’t like the number two, right now.”

Letting out a humorless chuckle, Sassi could only nod in agreement.

“Ditto. But let me go first to test things,” she said, then let out a frustrated sigh. “If not for the acid and the armor, I could just fly over. But trading the latter leaves you open to the former.”

“I vote we don’t fly through the acid,” her stallion grumbled. “And to be honest, Sas. I don’t know if I can even glide, let alone hover. Walking is possible due to gravity. Even if I didn’t have the armor, I don’t think I…”

“I know. Just hang in there.”

Giving her stallion a final nudge with her shoulder, the mare trotted over to the nearest intact section of the floor. She made a point of testing every step with a portion of her weight before committing, edging forwards slowly.

“Alright, Astral. Step where I step.”

Astral’s heightened heart rate pinged away in Sassi’s HUD. The stallion carefully followed, the two of them navigating across a mostly-intact section of the office.

Sassi then angled her path onto one of the massive support beams that spanned the floor. Some of them were already collapsed, so it was clear they hadn’t been spared the acid’s touch.

Astral let out a yelp, stopping himself from jumping away as a splash of acid glanced off of the RASP’s shielding systems. The magic sparked with an angry, white flash before settling down.

“Sas, that killed half of the shields. It’s regenerating but way too slowly,” the stallion said, his voice quivering. If not for the shields (and armor underneath), it would have likely turned his entire left side into sludge.

“Even if the shields fail, the suit and armor are resistant to acid. We can’t wait for it to recharge completely.”

“I k-know.”

Astral’s fearful reply pulled at Sassi’s heart, but she could only move forwards. They had to get across before the floor collapsed even further.

The first girder groaned underneath the mare’s weight. Thankfully, she crossed onto the second without issue, just after a connecting junction. It was at least wide enough to give one’s hooves some margin for error, but barely.

“Alright, Astral. You next.”

Sassi stayed near the connecting junction of the girder, watching the stallion wobble his way across. His heart rate was in the red.

Thankfully, he crossed without incident. Astral let out a sigh of relief as he took a final step-

The metal gave way.

The girder abruptly shattered, Astral following it down for a split second. With a lunge Sassi snagged his hoof, the metal groaning in protest. The stallion’s eyes were wide in horror as she yanked him up, the second girder starting to bend under their combined weight.

She took a few steps away to spread out the load, Astral barely managing to put one hoof in front of the other. A few more steps…

Sassi yanked him off the girder and onto an intact, secure section of flooring with a heave. The improvised catwalk let out another groan before it continued to bend and warp. With a rather pitiful squeak, it snapped off and plummeted to the reactor floor below.

The shaking of Astral’s limbs was visible, the stallion only being able to sit up with the assistance of the armor.

“Sas. I…” words failed him, any prior confidence having evaporated. Astral simply hung his head. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Reaching over to squeeze his hoof, Sassi nodded firmly.
“Anytime. Let’s go, Astral. We overload this and get back to solid ground. Can’t stop yet.”

She hated having to push him. The mare could feel terror threatening to overwhelm Astral over their link, and yet this was not the place to stop.

The next section was thankfully stable, with multiple girders intact as they carefully walked over to the controls.

“Ok. Astral, just do what I do, ok?” Sassi said. “Remember, these consoles have a magical lock as well, so we can’t move from these spots while we’re adjusting the settings, or it’ll reset.”

“That’s obnoxious,” he managed to say, the mare snorting in agreement.

“Very. So, we’ll set the settings the same, and then we press the final button at the same time. Each of these settings has either a knob or a switch with the settings. We need to not have too many pauses when doing this,” Sassi indicated, taking her position at the leftmost control panel and turning a knob. “Power to internal cycling.”

“Switched.”

“Energy pattern to recursive.”

“Recursive.”

“Auto-destruct, disable.”

“Disabled.”

“Safeties, disabled.”

“Done.”

The control panel began to beep steadily as Astral turned the switch.

“Alright. Last few steps. External lines disabled.”

“Done.”

“Buffers set to decreasing.”

“…Sas?”

Sassi’s mind was abruptly blasted by fear, Astral standing stock still.

“Everything is dark. I can’t see.”

Author's Note

...Acid. Why is it always acid?

Chapter 117: Step by Step

Sassi paused, keeping her heart rate steady. Astral was panicking enough for the two of them, the stallion’s vision abruptly having decided to black out.

Not the best situation when they were on a shaky, half-destroyed floor, and above a massive reactor.

“Take a few deep breaths, Astral. You weren’t contaminated by anything. Your body is just under an amazing amount of stress. You are probably just overloaded, for lack of a better term. Just give it a minute.”

“Do we have a minute?” The stallion asked with a waver in his voice.

“We have long enough for you to stand there and start taking slow, deep breaths. That’s an order. It shouldn’t last long.”

“Yes, M’am.”

Her strict tone punched through the fear, Astral managing to collect himself as he breathed.

Sassi was half-guessing it was temporary. She had experienced a few vision blackouts during her modifications when recovering, so it wasn’t a completely unknown symptom. As to the duration, she just had to hope.

“Ok. It’s starting to be better. Still fuzzy, but I can see shapes and stuff. Maybe some writing.”

Sassi bit her cheek. It’d have to do. They couldn’t pause the sequence for long, and she couldn’t even move to help him.

“Ok. The buffer knob is in front of you. Top right, underneath a large switch. Can you set it to decreasing? Two twists clockwise.”

“I think so…”

The beeping on the console changed- and then settled back to its prior tone.

“Ok. I think I’ve got it. Pushed it too far for a moment, but it’s set to decreasing.”

“Good. Two more steps to go. On your left, there’s a giant X-like switch. Toggle the upper left portion to be depressed. It should be labeled Disengage Secondary Safeties.”

“I think…ok.”

Sassi flipped her switch, the console now rhythmically beeping slowly.

“Now the easy part. On the count of three, press the giant red button in the center.”

“I can do that.”

“One, two, three!”

The two ponies punched the button, and the reactor below them shuddered. The light changed from a yellow to a bluish-white glow, like a welder’s flame. It also got significantly warmer.

“Done. Ok, so we’ve got a few hours before the reactor melts down. As long as we’re above it, we’re good. It’ll just melt everything below it and seal off whatever the Princess needs it to,” Sassi said. “Can you see enough to follow me?”

“I think so.” The stallion wobbled over to her, and Sassi could feel the tension humming away over their link.

“Alright. There’s an intact walkway over here, but we’ll then have to cross another girder. Let’s get to that point first.”

“I can do that. I think,” Astral said, “things are still fuzzy. I don’t f-feel so good, Sas.”

The tremor in the usually-steady stallion’s voice put Sassi even further on edge. Not only was Astral dealing with the fear of not having his body respond, but now his sight was failing. Sassi’s HUD gently blinked in warning, the monitoring of Astral’s suit indicating rapidly-increasing stress of all types; physical and mental.

I need to get him out of here. It’ll still take another hour or two before we can get back to the exit tunnel. If he’s fading this fast…

She didn’t let herself think beyond that.

They navigated the decaying section of floor safely, side-stepping a dripping mess of acid that abruptly ate through a metal desk. The reactor below them continued to hum, the temperature now reaching tropical levels.

At least it was a linear increase.

They came to the end of the intact walkway. The girders sprawled ahead. It was a longer route to get back with a few twists and turns. All the while, the path was suspended over the reactor far below.

If Sassi fell, at least she could (maybe) glide to a safe landing. Astral, however…

The warning about Astral’s vitals continued to escalate, Sassi biting her lip in worry. She couldn’t carry him, not without potentially buckling the metal. They didn’t even have any rope.

No, but we do have something else!

Sassi trotted over to an exposed section of wall, ripping out a slew of electrical cables.

“You’re better at braiding than me, but this’ll do!” she muttered, Astral sitting down to try and catch his breath.

He shouldn’t be winded; we’ve only gone a few steps.

After assembling the rope, Sassi tied a few knots into it and then wrapped the cord around Astral’s torso. It wasn’t terribly long; just enough to get across the entire chasm if laid out straight. As it was, it’d at least let Sassi belay him from the section of the girders that joined together.

Not to say those supportive sections were any more stable, but they were at least built with additional rivets and cabling that tied them to the rest of the intact floor.

“Ok, Astral. I’m going to go first. Then once I’m off the girder, you follow. And we just leapfrog across. Don’t focus on moving fast. Just get from one end to the other. Can you do that?”

He nodded, but Sassi saw genuine fear in the stallion’s eyes from behind the visor.

“I’ll do my best.”

“If you fall, I can haul you up. The AI estimates that the cable can hold three of us, based on the wire strength.”

Another nod and Sassi set off after tying the cable around her torso as well. The path was easy enough; a guard recruit would have done this same exercise hundreds of times in basic training.

Of course, the stakes were a bit different this time.

Astral could barely keep himself upright as he maneuvered across the girders. Sassi must have seen the suit’s warnings because his own HUD was glowing a bright red.

After all their running and fighting, the full side effects of the RASP modification were starting to hit. The systems could keep him alive, especially with the healing crystals embedded in his chest and sides. But there was a very big difference between “alive” and “able to fight.”

Or in this case, able to walk.

The medication case on his side was tapped out; there wasn’t more it could do. What he needed was to rest and let his body heal.

Instead, he was walking across a tightrope of death, and the stallion’s vision was barely passable.

But I’ve got Sassi.

The incredible mare on the other end of the tether gently urged Astral on, carefully dodging the dripping acid as she tightrope-walked ahead.

One hoof in front of the other…

Four out of five girders were navigated safely, and Astral had to take a few moments to breathe. Even walking was a struggle. The worse part was how fast it had hit. After his vision went black, his body seemed to be in some sort of shock. If Astral was being honest, he was barely holding it together. With the side effects of the treatment, his usual compartmentalizing of the stress had started to break down.

“Alright, Astral. Final girder and we can get out of here!”

Thank heavens for this amazing mare.

She carefully trotted over the final girder, tying the rope off to an intact support column further on.

“You’re tied in!” she called out, waiting at the edge. “When you’re ready.”

He carefully placed one shaking hoof on the girder, then another. It was wider than the balancing beams at the Night Guard training, so that was a plus.

Halfway there. Two thirds…

As if placed by an eviler version of Discord, a large blob of acid fell from the ceiling in slow motion. It would have been amusing if not for its impeccable aim. It splashed directly across the rope and girder, halfway between Astral and Sassi.

The metal under his hooves began to groan, the girder abruptly sagging.

“JUMP!”

Sassi’s voice roared in his ears, Astral not even hesitating as he took a few steps and leaped. There was no way he’d make it, but he trusted her.

As he fell, the stallion couldn’t help but let out a choked laugh. This was so familiar. Only, the last time Sassi had told him to jump, he hadn’t known her nearly as well.

Now, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that she knew what to do.

The sudden stop made every bone in Astral’s body ache in protest, Sassi having grabbed onto the armor itself. The excess rope was wrapped around him, the mare grinning.

“I said it once, and I’ll say it again,” she said, slowly starting to haul them up, wings flapping to add some upward thrust. “I’m not letting you go!”

“Never doubted it for a moment,” he said, coughing up some black tar as the stallion tried to laugh.

The rope abruptly spasmed, splashed acid having eaten away through one of the strands. It visibly began to stretch despite Sassi trying to compensate with her wings.

“Well. That’s not good,” she muttered. “So much for weight estimations. We might have to swing, but then it may snap.”

“Can we get rid of weight? You having guns is more important than me. And can’t we remove some of the armor plating?”

She let out a hiss, another piece of the rope snapping.
“I hate that idea, but it’s a good one. AI? Get rid of the primary user’s shotgun and flamethrower. Also, get rid of the armor plating on my sides.”

“Warning. Utilizing emergency-jettison bolts will require the reattachment of armor mounts. Confirm?”

“Confirm.”

The piece of the armor fell off, the rope abruptly sagging significantly less as Astral’s weapons were jettisoned.

“I can dodge easier than you,” Sassi stated bluntly, slowly trying to pull them up again. She let out a frustrated growl as another strand snapped. “Ok, get rid of all of my external armor plating. Leave medical and saddlebags.”

The rope strain lessened, but it still wasn’t enough. The braids continued to fray if Sassi tried to pull them up even a little, and that was with the mare flapping as hard as she could.

“My turn. You need those miniguns, both of them. AI? Get rid of my armor plating. Leave the reactor, medical stuff, and saddlebags.”

The two ponies actually bounced upwards as the large armor plates fell away, Sassi letting out a sad sigh. She easily pulled them up back onto the floor, the two ponies looking at each other. They looked more like gymnasts than soldiers. They wore matching black body suits, the only components now being the reactor, the saddle-bags, and a minimalistic bit of silver armored metal on their chests and sides.

“Funny how even this plating is better than what the Royal Guard has, but I still feel naked with it,” Sassi sighed. “At least the reactor can give us shields if needs be, and now we can fly.”

Astral nodded, abruptly having to focus more on breathing.

“Well, ok, maybe I can fly. Just take slow, deep breaths, Astral. Your body is trying to expel toxins. Part of the way it does that is through respiration. It can overload you. We’ll take it slow on our way back.”

That made him laugh, the stallion letting out a soft whine of pain at the effort.
“S-slow? We gotta get out of here before that reactor cooks,” he gasped, Sassi shaking her head. She helped him up, Astral leaning heavily on her as they walked.

“It won’t hurt us. The sequence is unique. This reactor was actually built with the side purpose of containing any catastrophic spills. I guess the company really did have ok intentions at the start. From what I read in the instructions, it was designed to melt down and seal off the site from the groundwater below in case of a catastrophic containment leak. It’ll leave most floors above it livable.”

“So, just a horde of evil jellyfish, and hopefully not running into Number Two again?”

“Basically.”

Astral let out a painful laugh again as they came to the stairwell.

“Piece of cake.”

Author's Note

Huzzah! Onwards and upwards! :yay:

Chapter 118: Mutual Fiend

To Astral’s eternal surprise, they made it past the jellyfish forest unscathed. The creatures seemed to be hovering far above the ground, actively avoiding coming down.

But the motion tracker was clear, for however much that was worth. If Number Two had been through this place, it was long gone.

His hooves were jelly by the time they climbed the stairs back up to the original intersection. On every flight, Astral had to stop and catch his breath.

“Uh, Sas? My hooves are a bit numb,” he said, Sassi letting out a disproving huff.

“Random numbness. Yeah, I remember that too. It’s worse when it’s your tongue or something. Your body basically is entering the shock stage, and is trying to acclimate to the new “you”. So, fun times ahead.”

“P-pretty sure it’ll be a while before any fun times with you can be had.”

Sassi let out a snort, not able to suppress a soft giggle as they walked down the hallway.

“Fair enough, lover-colt. Trust me, that’s going to be the last thing on your mind for the next few months, at least.”

“Well, we probably were going to have a long engagement anyway. Y’know. For cuddles and therapy.”

A happy hum echoed over the radio, Sassi leaning on Astral a bit more as they walked.

“True. That can be one of many things we talk about when you’re in the hospital. But now it’s time for me to be scary and kill everything in front of us,” she remarked, the two of them taking a right and following the tunnel to the cargo transport area.

“Scary? Eh. You’re hot either way.”

“How are you able to be even more flirty when you feel like crud?”

Astral chuckled, hacking up some black fluid.
“I don’t have the energy to filter things. Don’t get me started on the naughty jokes I could start unleashing.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Sassi fired back. “We-”

“-ome in. This is the Unified Extraction Squad, broadcasting to Sassi and Astral. Have you reached the cargo chamber?”

Astral abruptly felt tears welling up in his eyes. They were that close.

“This is Sassi Satin, and I’ve got Astral with me. Good to hear a friendly voice. We’re approaching the final hall now. After that, it’ll open into the cargo chamber. What does it look like from up top?” the mare said, giving Astral a nudge as they walked down the old, metal hallway.

“Miss Satin? This is Copper Spear, First Battalion of the Canterlot Royal Guard. I’m glad to hear you’re both ok,” the voice said with audible relief. “You’ve got two squads waiting for you at the extraction point; griffins and ponies. We’ve dug out the entrance and gotten the cargo-lift operational. It’s slow, but works…” the voice drifted off, a rather worried voice sounding off from the side.

“I’d hurry if possible. We’ve heard some weird noises, and the motion tracker keeps going crazy every now and again. Apologies, but we can’t leave the lift unguarded in case something tries to sneak through.”

“Understood. We should be there in a few min-”

The screech of metal drowned out everything, and Sassi felt something slice across her chest. Looking down, a familiar black claw had barely missed skewering her. The air vent to their left was barely big enough for the arm to have gotten through, a malevolent, grunting chuckle echoing up from below.

Her HUD abruptly lit up with red lights, Astral letting out a choked cough from her left.

No.

Sassi turned, the miniguns ripping out fleshy chunks from the arm as it snaked back. Astral fell to the floor with a thud. Healing foam and blood gushed from the puncture wound in his side. The puncture went completely through; cleaving through the armor and suit with ease. The claws had entered near the rear of his ribs and exited up near the opposite shoulder. The reactor had been torn to pieces by the other digits of the creature that had barely missed them.

“WARNING: PRIMARY USER VITALS CRITICAL
WARNING: MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES EXHAUSTED
WARNING: REACTOR INOPERATIVE, BATTERIES DESTROYED”

She froze. It was only for a half-second, but the terror nearly whited out everything else. Seeing Astral on the floor, covered in foam and blood…

MOVE!

She grabbed all of their bandages from the saddlebags. It took only a few moments to pack them into the wound and then tie them up. Astral let out a pained groan at the pressure, the stallion struggling to breathe.

The bandages were immediately soaked through with blood, but it was all she could do.

She couldn’t heal him- but there were creatures close who could.

The mare slung the stallion over her back, galloping down the hall. Blood slicked the floor behind them, the mare spotting the final security door. It was blown to smithereens by a shot from the cannons, Sassi nearly tripping as the metal floor gave way to a dirt one.

The cave was massive, the size of multiple hoofball stadiums carved from solid, dark, sandstone. Flickering construction lights lit up the edges, large rocky outcroppings dotting the entire area. There was some more recent construction to the left, next to a large oval tunnel that led upwards. Large rail tracks led down, ending at the large yellow platform that was docked close to ground level.

A group of creatures waved at them, a dozen running her way as the mare continued to sprint.

She would have normally been put off or at least overwhelmed by all of this. But none of it mattered. Not now.

“Astral. Puncture wounds to side. Internal bleeding,” she relayed mechanically as the group neared. Six ponies and six griffins fanned out, two of them coming forward with visible medic patches on their bulky armor.

The griffin muttered something in his own language, digging into their medical pack as his counterpart, a mare, lit up her horn as she looked over Astral.

Sassi took a few seconds to catch her breath. The last thing they needed was her panicking.
But she was. Silently. Her strength was utterly useless here.

“What happened?” A stallion asked, and only now Sassi noticed that they seemed to be wearing a prototype of powered armor. It was more of an exosuit than anything, but far above the standard metal plating. Side-saddle firearms adorned every one of the ponies, and the gryphons had massive rifles slung across their shoulders, held at ready.

“Number Two. It’s a massive experiment. Punched through a metal grating and nearly got both of us,” Sassi said, wincing as her chest stung. “You’re Copper Spear?”

“Yep. And we’re getting you out of here,” The stallion said, one of his counterparts opening their own first aid kit to bandage Sassi’s chest briefly. Copper turned to the medics, the mare surrounding the wound with magic as the griffin continued to work. “Can he be moved?”

“Not a question right now,” the mare muttered, “he’s already saturated to the brim with magic. I’m barely able to slow the bleeding. Galleon? Can we at least get him to the platform?”

“Shut up and let me work. I need a minute,” the griffin hissed, yanking out a syringe the size of Sassi’s forelimb. It produced a cream-colored foam, the substance spraying into Astral’s chest cavity. What made Sassi’s stomach turn was that it began to leak out of both puncture sites before hardening around the existing foam.

“He can move as soon as it fully sets. Two minutes,” Galleon reported, shaking his head. “He’s unconscious currently. I don’t know how he’s alive. That other foam must have sealed up his lungs. Not sure how it could stop an arterial bleed though. I’m guessing his heart got nicked, and at least one of lungs are definitely punctured. Maybe liver too. That foam is all that’s holding him together.”

“What do we need to prepare for, Sassi?” Copper asked, the firearm at the stallion’s side covering the lab entrance.

“Number Two. It’s basically a giant monster. And a bunch of infected ponies might come with it. Some sort of fungal virus turned them rabid. They’ll tear your throat out. Best way to describe them? Zombies. We punched a dozen holes in them, and they still kept coming until they bled out,” Sassi rattled off. It was easy to focus on that, her eyes threatening to drift over to Astral.

“Not likely, but possible. Fantastic,” one of the other stallions muttered.

“Can it,” Copper growled. “We need to get you two topside ASAP. That elevator is the only way up due to the shields. Well, there are stairs along the side of the shaft, but that’s a last resort. As soon as we’re clear, this place is going to get sealed. Celestia is going to turn the sand into glass. It’ll basically turn into a giant jar, and we’ll be covering the lid with a cannon. I hope they gas the place.”

“Did anything else get out?” Sassi asked, one of the griffins letting out a dark chuckle.

“A few of those Skitter things dug their way out. But the holes were sealed and they got a cannon shell to the face.”

“They dug?”

Copper’s uneasy face told Sassi all she needed to know. This wasn’t contained, not as much as she had hoped. Other members of the group were busy double-checking six devices; large automated turrets.

Sassi couldn’t help but smile slightly at that. Each one of the pony-sized, boxy, pop-up guns appeared to hold thousands of shots and was heavily armored.

“Ok, it’s set. Move him carefully. Keep him level,” Galleon instructed the mare, the unicorn levitating Astral along as they backtracked towards the elevator.

As if summoned, a chorus of nightmarish screams erupted from the depths of the cave.

Author's Note

The hammer falls.

Chapter 119: Pillar of Autumn

“That’s our cue. Load up and let’s get out of here!” Copper called, Sassi following the group onto the platform. Now that she had a moment to breathe, the gears began to turn in the mare’s mind.

Astral is being stabilized, now we just have to evac. We can defend the tram as it moves upwards and get supporting fire from above.

The mare saw the problem just as Copper punched the controls. She was already moving away as a torrent of curses erupted over the radio.

“No power?! It was just on a second ago!” one of the stallions growled.

“Generator is over here!” Sassi called, “could use your covering fire if you see any contacts! I’ll get it started!”

“Copy that!”

She had noticed the blocky building when the squad was retreating with Astral. Twilight’s notes had mentioned it, but Sassi also recalled the fact that some of the RASP suits were sent here.

That meant maybe more guns, ammo, and armor.

To be fair, the mare partially guessed about the generator considering there were massive power lines leading into the warehouse-like shed. The door was surprisingly unlocked and swung open easily. Considering how thick the metal was, the hinges must have been bathed in grease. Sassi scanned the room. Lockers and containers lined the walls, and, thankfully, a backup generator.

The device was encased in a surprisingly large amount of metal. It could probably take a cannon blast before buckling and was a simple pull-start. It took a few tries, but the old device chugged to life. All it had to do was operate for a few minutes…

Her gaze was then drawn to a pair of massive metal pallets, their contents not visible. The markings on the side, however, made the mare pause.

RASP High-Threat Variant V-2 Rapid Deployment Module

“Sassi! It’s running! Get back here!”

As much as she wanted to open the case up, that was time they didn’t have. The cries of the Zeeps now filled the cave, gunfire echoing off the walls.

Sassi sprinted back to the tram. As soon as she jumped on, it began to inch upwards.

This is too slow.

The Zeeps poured from the edges of the cave. Dozens, then hundreds. The fact they came from the tunnel Sassi had recently exited from made her chest tighten. She and Astral had really been just a step ahead of them.

The miniguns at her side drowned out the gunfire from the other creatures as they opened up. While their aim wasn’t the best from the distance, it still made the horde of Zeeps trip into a bloody pile.

The automated turrets were now activated, their triple-barreled miniguns matching Sassi’s own. The sound was as if the air was being shredded, and the turrets’ aim was impeccable. The ammo counter, however, quickly dwindled as the mutated creatures fell into a gory slurry…but they still kept coming.

As the platform continued to crawl upwards, Sassi’s heart began to sink. She could see Skitters at the rear of the horde of Zeeps, and they had a different focus.

The generator.

“Sas?” a gurgling voice asked, Galleon frowning as he forced Astral to lay still.

“I’m here, Astral. We’re on our way out,” she said, throat closing up as Astral tried to look her way before a heavy set of claws pinned him down. “Don’t move. You took a nasty stab.”

“F-feels like it. Really woozy. Chest hurts. All blurry. What’s going on?”

“Shush. Don’t talk, just focus on breathing, ok?”

“O-ok.”

“They’re going for the generator!” Copper called, shifting his aim. “Requesting backup with belt-feds! We might have to run up the side stairs in the shaft if the generator fails! Could use some covering fire!”

“Acknowledged. Stick to the right-side stairs if you have to run; your right. Confirm?” a new voice said over the radio.

“Copy.”

Magical and physical bullets began to rain down on either side of the elevator, the horde’s initial energy starting to be spent. Unfortunately, due to the angle of the elevator shaft, they were only able to hit the edge-most of the mutants that were starting to edge towards the running generator.

“If the power fails, we’ll have to run. This elevator has emergency brakes.” Copper said, Sassi taking a few deep breaths.

She could hear the tension in his voice. With Astral in tow, there wasn’t any way the group would reach the top of the elevator shaft without casualties even with covering fire. They were barely a tenth of the way up as it was, and they’d move too slowly.

If Astral moves too much, he dies.

“Sassi, what are you thinking?” Copper asked, reloading his side saddles. The mare noticed it was his last box magazine. The AI had given her a running counter of the automated turrets down below. While the Zeeps now backed away, the ammo numbers had been ticking down remarkably fast; less than a few hundred shots on each turret. Considering the Zeeps took multiple shots to put down, and the Skitters took more…

“I’m thinking I can buy you time. There was a RASP suit in that generator hut,” Sassi said calmly. “If you have to run, you’ll never reach the top. And you’re almost out of ammo. I still have a few thousand rounds left in my guns.”

“You know I can’t approve that,” Copper growled. “You’ll get torn apart.”

“Not if I move fast. Look. Their front ranks are already backing up with the turrets. The Skitters are heading toward the generator again, and only one of those automated guns can hit them. You’ve got less than thirty seconds of ammo left if that horde charges again. You need time. And I wasn’t asking your permission.”

“S-sas?” Astral asked.

“You’re going to do something. What are you doing?”

Tears sprang into Sassi’s eyes as the stallion’s tired voice echoed in her mind. She wanted nothing more than to stay at his side.

But there wasn’t any time.

She reached down, gently squeezing his hoof with hers.

“I’ve got to go, Astral,” Sassi whispered, tightening her grip. “You showed me the pony I can be, the pony I want to be.” She gave his hoof a final squeeze before stepping away. “But right now, I need to be the creature the company made me to be. I love you.”

Galleon offered two massive grenades, and Sassi grabbed them before jumping off of the platform. Sparks sprayed from her armored hooves as she sped towards the battlefield below. Astral’s voice echoed in both her ears and mind.

“SASSI!”

The mare hit the ground running. The Zeeps sensed fresh prey and they pressed forward again. Two Skitters shifted their focus away from the generator shack but the miniguns forced them back behind a pile of boulders.

Shifting her aim, Sassi shredded a group of a dozen Zeeps that charged her; and that was it.
She had a few seconds to breathe.

Pushing her way into the shed, the mare ratcheted a massive bolt on the door, the thick walls and door immediately shaking under the assault of the mutated creatures.

The mare galloped over to the RASP container, a punch shattering the lock. Underneath a metal shield, a large, red button glowed.

She depressed it, and her HUD was immediately awash with information. Sassi couldn’t help but grin as the crate opened up, hydraulic arms wrapping around her body.

“Updated RASP model detected. Transferring control of High Threat System to AI subroutines…complete. Deploying RASP Armor System to existing framework.

Adapting ammunition auto-feeders to existing chainguns…complete
Attaching armored exoskeleton…FAILURE.
Diagnosing…Missing base armor mounts…reconfiguring
Attaching backup armor mounting hardpoints…complete
Attaching armored exoskeleton…complete
Attaching primary, secondary, and tertiary armor plating…complete
Attaching micro-reactor to exoskeleton…complete
Attaching shield-projection modules…complete
Attaching short-range fragmentation missile pods…complete
Attaching medical stabilization suite…complete
Activating all subroutines and countermeasures…complete
Activating all RASP systems. Running diagnosis….
…
Complete. System running at 100% efficiency.
Warning: containment breaches detected. Hostile contact imminent. Activating all countermeasures.

Have a nice day.”

“Stay still!” Galleon growled, the gryphon struggling to hold Astral; and that was with two unicorns practically flattening the Thestral with their magic.

“Let me go!”

The gryphon had no idea how Astral was able to move, let alone struggle. He was strong, far more than a pony should be.

The entire platform was abruptly shaken, a bright light making them turn away. Fire burned down below, and Copper let out a rather hearty laugh.

“Astral, your marefriend is back!” he grinned, Astral’s struggles lessening. “I can see her down there in the scope…are those missiles?!”

“You’d better believe it. Now make sure those guys up top don’t shoot me!” Sassi’s voice crackled over the radio. “When you get to the top, send the tram back down. Until then, let me work!”

“I’m ok, Astral. Just hang in there for me. Be there when I get back!”

Sassi’s voice flowed over Astral’s mind like a soothing poultice. He stopped struggling, the sounds of battle down below actually making his blood-stained lips crack into a smile.

“Go get ‘em, Sas.”

Sassi ducked the swipe of a Skitter claw, the owner being met with a hail of gunfire. The squat missile pods on her shoulders fired another salvo of fragmentation rockets, the miniaturized devices shredding dozens of Zeeps as they ran pel-mel towards her.

Only one reload of those left. Need to save them.

The miniguns then spun up, the wall of bullets sweeping across the horde. The hydraulic arms in the generator hut were standing ready to reload at a moment’s notice. All she had to do was run inside, stand still for five seconds, and then get back to work.

This is familiar.

Sassi’s emotions took a back seat, and the mare welcomed it, reveled in it. It was just her, the guns at her side, and a horde of enemies.

She galloped to stand at the base of the elevator shaft, bullets hosing two Skitters trying to sneak past her left. The cannons blew another Skitter’s face to bloody shrapnel, a dozen Zeeps being chewed into a pulp.

How many exercises did I practice for times just like this?

How many times did my hooves bleed from all my sparring fights?

An armored hoof smashed the face of a sneaky Zeep who got too close, Sassi standing on the body and confronting a dozen Skitters now pouring from a distant hole in the wall. A burst of missiles turned them into gory chunks.

An excited, almost feral grin was cemented on Sassi’s face as she bobbed and weaved, mutant blood running in rivers amidst the rocks.

The moment a distant roar echoed around the cave, Sassi fired off a final salvo and ducked into the generator shed. The arms of the rapid-deployment case slotted in two more boxes of magical ammunition and the missile launchers were reloaded.

There was one other item included in the response kit; a grenade born from a modified, miniaturized Limbo reactor. It was likely meant to collapse the tunnel as a last resort.

She dashed back to the position at the end of the elevator shaft, miniguns spinning at her sides as another horde of Zeeps began to flood over the rocks. An odd warmth blossomed in her chest, and a thought punched through her mechanical movements and training.

It nearly made the mare start crying.

If everything I went through was for this, to be able to find Astral and keep him safe…

It was worth it.

A full grin cemented itself on her face as the mare fired the miniguns.

Time to go to work.

Astral’s view of the world was limited. Bright sunlight abruptly made the RASP helmet dim, the stallion’s breath a steady gurgle. Despite the medications pumped into the stallion’s system, he was at least alert, to an extent. A dull ache in his chest was obnoxious, but even more so was the lack of mobility. The world spun, and it felt like he was laying on a cloud. His body felt stiff- and there was a “wrongness” if he tried to move, as if things inside his torso weren’t where they should be.

Then again, I did get impaled. I think…that’s what happened, right?

The gryphon at his side, Galleon, met up with three pony unicorn medics; their magic focused on the crystals embedded into Astral’s body. That made a bit more relief flood through him, and Astral let himself relax ever so slightly.

Sassi’s mind was a happy, determined hum in the background. She was ok.

Twilight looked around the excavation, a frown on her lips. It had been hastily set up, and security wasn’t exactly up to her standards. A series of military tents and sandbagged hardpoints were spread around the excavation site, troops moving to and fro. It was somewhat defensible at best, and yet, it was the best they could do. There was a second perimeter being formed, so at worst, this could buy them time.

The alicorn had refused to wait behind in a safe location. Besides, her magic would be needed to strengthen the shielding spells around the Silo if Celestia was going to drop a sun on it. They had monitoring stations set up around the perimeter, and Twilight had been reassured that the prior breaches were sealed. That, of course, didn’t inspire too much confidence.

The Last Light Organization had also just installed their monitors, and Director Shield promised to immediately stream the feeds of any underground activity to Canterlot Command. They had a few light airships on the perimeter and were standing by with more resources if any backup was needed.

“What’s the current status of Astral and Sassi?” Twilight asked Copper, the Princess flanked by a dozen royal guards.

“Astral is in the medical tent. We can’t chance a teleportation spell out of here with him. Any more movement and we might lose him,” Copper said, catching his breath. “He should be dead. We just need to keep the magic already around him stable. More spells can’t help, even yours.”

The stallion had already correctly read Twilight’s intentions, the mare had just taken a few steps towards the medical tent.

“Sassi bought us time. Three squads are being sent down on the elevator shortly to help her out. She found another suit down there that’s holding them off. But there’s a lot of creatures down there, Princess.”

“I also have airships standing by, Princess Twilight,” a familiar voice said.

Turning around, Twilight couldn’t help but smile. The gryphon emperor was quite the sight, black, metal armor wrapping around his body, accentuated with gold. A large pistol and sword were slung on opposite holsters, Tanzil looking at Twilight for a moment and blinking.

“You mentioned a new look in your letter, Highness. It suits you,” he said kindly.

A flood of relief poured through Twilight’s frame. Had she really worried about what he’d think that much?

Wait. Did he just wink at me?!

She should have expected the gryphon to flirt with her during a crisis.

“Thank you, Tanzil. Quite frankly, it’s nice to get a different perspective on things. How are your soldiers holding up?”

“Eager for a fight. I’m sending down some of my best.” Tanzil gestured to a squad of heavily-armored gryphons making their way to the elevator. “How is Astral?”

The grim look on Copper’s face made the gryphon emperor’s ears flatten.
“Well. Let’s get this place sealed, and then…”

An alarm abruptly began to chime from a small radio on Tanzil’s belt, a similar alert nearly deafening Twilight in her earpiece.

“Highness! Incoming ship! No authorization!”

Soaring through a portal crackling with hastily-cast magic, a massive airship was making a beeline towards them. Its underbelly bristled with cannon barrels, and the low hum of magic filled the air.

Twilight was about to charge a spell to blast it out of the sky- but a familiar voice bellowed over the radio.

“Princess! Emperor! GET OUT OF THERE!” Director Shield yelled, the massive cannons on the airship’s belly starting to glow with magical fire.

For a split second, Twilight thought she had been wrong. This was, after all, the perfect moment to take out two key rulers. Had she been played for a fool? Was the radio communication nothing but a smokescreen?

Then the ground around the creatures abruptly began to boil, long, gangly limbs reaching out of the sand. In the distance, dozens of more mutants clawed their way into the sunlight, beelining towards the edge of the shield.

As five Skitters erupted from the sand immediately around them, Twilight’s mind kicked into overdrive as the world slowed. The heightened-reflex spell had been on a hair-trigger since entering this place, and now it came time to use that advantage. Time moved slower for the mare- but to everyone else, she’d be a blur of movement.

It was faster to send their flagship than tell Canterlot Command to warn us.

That assumption was confirmed as a powerful teleportation spell began to charge around the group, the airship above them trying to yank them to safety before opening fire.

Thank you, Toxic. But I’ll take it from here.

The spells at Twilight’s command danced across her horn, the Princess smirking as she canceled the teleportation magic. This was an easy fight; they were in the sand, after all. She could see every particle jumping into the air, every creature moving at a snail’s pace.

To her shock, Tanzil was already moving. He was fast- far faster than a normal creature could be. Even with the spell, his sword was already spearing the Skitter closest to him. Another set of claws aimed his pistol at the mutant trying to bite Twilight’s throat.

Thank you, Tanzil. But that won’t be necessary.

Twilight’s eyes widened as the gryphon emperor began to smirk, his eyes meeting hers. It shouldn’t be possible for him to see her move in her accelerated state, yet Tanzil clearly was grinning as he saw Twilight moving with ease.

With a flash of magic, the friendly creatures around Twilight were hefted into the air in a split second. The Princess sent a fierce wave of heat through the sand, a magical shield cutting it off around the Skitters.

The creatures barely were able to utter a pained shriek before perishing, the sand around them turning instantly into molten glass. With another blast of magic, the morbid sculptures were cooled to a safe temperature.

The guards stared at Twilight, Tanzil letting out an impressed whistle.

“I’ve heard of your magical abilities, Twilight. But count me impressed,” Tanzil said, sheathing his sword and examining the creatures.

We’ll talk about your abilities later…

Twilight shrugged with a smile, keying her earpiece. Another transmission beat her to it.

“Princess! The Last Light data just came through!” A frantic voice half-yelled. “There are tunnels out of the Silo, all headed for you!”

“We just dealt with them, Command. We’re clear here.”

“That was just the first wave. Highness. There’s more! Dozens!”

Twilight’s own ships began to fire, striking at the perimeter of the containment shield.

They’re surrounding us. Trying to probe for any weaknesses to escape. It’s a full-on route!

“Director Shield. I’m requesting that you reinforce the perimeter ships with your own. Don’t let a single creature leave this place!”

“Happy to help, Highness. Sorry for the scare,” Toxic’s relieved voice rumbled over the radio. The massive battleship turned and more of the Organization’s ships joined the fray. “We count upwards of a hundred hostiles still burrowing towards the camp and shield perimeter. Shock troops are on the way to reinforce your guard. They’re under your command for this operation.”

With a flash of magic, a dozen armored ponies stood at attention in front of Twilight and the Emperor.

The two rulers shared a look. The armor worn by the Last Light troops was far sleeker than the exoskeleton models of either Equestria or the Gryphon Empire. The guns at their side didn’t have rotating barrels, instead sporting some sort of magical crystal at the rear of them. The armored suits were all encompassing, blue light shining from between the dark-grey joints.

To say it put the other troops to shame was an understatement.

“Thank you for the help. Two of you, please guard the medical tent. The rest, head to the elevator to support the troops there as needed.”

“Princess,” the lead pony nodded, the troops trotting off.

Twilight took a deep breath, trotting off towards the medical tent, Tanzil and his guard following.

They were almost there when a heart-rending scream made the mare’s blood run cold.

“SASSI!”

Sassi’s breath came in rapid, fit pants. Her armored hooves tore a Zeep’s head clean off, the guns beheading a Skitter as she ducked the snapping jaws of another mutant pony.

The battlefield had changed in a split second.

The waves of Skitters and Zeeps had almost overwhelmed her, the creatures throwing themselves at the mare now without care or strategy. She had run out of missiles, leaving just the cannons and miniguns.

It should have been enough. And it was, barely.

There wasn’t any safe area anymore. Sassi couldn’t rely on her rear being clear, even with the bullets raining down from the squads up top. They may as well have been across the world.

Even if the backup took the stairs or even slid down, that minute or two was an eternity on the clock of war.

Another roar shook the stone around Sassi, the mare glaring at two red eyes in the rear of the cave. The Skitters and Zeeps abruptly vanished into side tunnels, only leaving a smattering of Skitters that sported odd, fungal-like infections across their body.

So. He’s got his own minions then?

“You’ve hunted us long enough, you freak,” Sassi hissed. “Number Two. I don’t know if you can understand me, or even are sentient. But you’re not leaving here!”

The creature pulled itself out of the tunnel. Their guess of a giant sloth had been fairly accurate. Black, burned skin was stretched across its face, but it only made up a minority of the creature’s figure. The mutant was the size of a house, with white tendons and bone glinting through tears in the skin, and red muscles bulging across the mutant’s shoulders and limbs.

Its lower torso was fairly thin, with powerful hind legs pushing it forward. Its arms were far too long, however, and were tipped with hands sporting dagger-like claws.

The same claws that almost took Astral away from me.

The miniguns fired. Even at this range, the bullets were able to bite into the creature’s unarmored body. Yet Two didn’t seem phased by it in the slightest. It meticulously crept across the tall rocks, swinging itself forward with its gangly arms, fungal Skitters running ahead.

Two’s eyes never left Sassi, its mouth opening in what could only be described as an eager grin.

The mutant grabbed a rock, and Sassi barely had time to dodge as it threw the boulder with surprising speed. It embedded itself near the generator shed. Sassi’s eyes widened in shock.

It hadn’t been aiming for her.

The smiling mutant let out a huffing chuckle as the generator slowly spun down into standby. The rock would have only dented the shed itself. But it had cleanly severed the power cables leading to the elevator still locked up top.

With a swipe of its claws, one of the fungal Skitters clipped Sassi’s shoulder as she dodged.

These are faster!

A second one pushed the mare off balance, a burst of cannon fire tearing into the chest of the nearest Skitter. Instead of dying, the creature pushed forwards even though its innards were dangling out of its side.

Instead of trying to strike at Sassi, the Skitter instead simply latched onto her. Claws dug into the miniguns and one of her legs. Even as she blew its head to smithereens, it had delayed her long enough for another Skitter to get close. It dodged the gunfire, another thrown rock making the mare stumble as the armor groaned in protest.

Sassi lashed out with one of the arm blades. It lodged in the Skitter’s throat, the dying creature flopping onto the mare and pinning her to the ground for a split second.

That was long enough for Number Two to lumber closer. More Skitters flooded forwards- but they didn’t attack her. Even as a few of her shots tore into them, Sassi could see they were looking to immobilize her for their master.

“I’m sorry, Astral.”

Twilight was nearly bowled out of the tent by a gryphon, the creature having been thrown off of Astral.

“LET ME GO!” the stallion bellowed. The visor had been ripped off exposing a crazed look in the Thestral’s eyes. Blood, tar, and foam sprayed from the wounded warrior’s mouth, Astral shoving off Galleon as he crawled towards the door.

The spells from two unicorns and the bulk of two gryphons could barely keep him pinned. Even so, the Thestral moved bit by bit.

“She’s going to die! LET ME GO!” he cried, tears streaming from Astral’s eyes.

“Copper? Status?” Twilight asked.

“No time! Get down there!” the stallion on the other end yelled. “Something has Sassi pinned!”

Twilight turned back to Astral- and the mare felt her breath catch in her chest.

The rage in the stallion’s eyes danced with hate. He crawled forward with a fierce snarl on his face.

“Give me a gun or I’ll take it from you!” Astral hissed, setting his eyes on one of Tanzil’s honor guards. “Give me a gun! Let me help her!”

“Get me a sedative!” Galleon yelled to one of the other medics, Astral rounding on him with bared fangs.

“Knock me out? I’ll kill you!” he bellowed, making Galleon pause. “Help me stand or get out of my way!”

Blood and foam flecked from Astral’s mouth as he struggled, desperately crawling towards the stunned guard ahead of him. His gaze then turned to Twilight, an almost hateful sneer flickering across his face.

“If you won’t save her, I will!”

Twilight found herself frozen, even though it was for a fraction of a second. Astral’s attention then turned back to the guard in clear disgust, hauling himself over the sand towards the gryphon.

Tanzil only stood still for a moment. He reached over, nodding to the guard and taking the rifle.

“Bring more ammunition for this,” he said, looking to the medics. “Work on him when he’s over at the elevator site!”

The two unicorns looked to Twilight- and all she could do was nod, her own guards escorting her a distance away.

Astral staggered out of the tent. Despite the unicorns having ceased their spells, the healing crystals embedded into his body glowed with such intensity that they singed his fur and skin. One of the unicorn medics helped with a partial levitation spell; even then, Astral nearly collapsed multiple times.

His sides heaving, Astral examined the rifle in his grasp. His chest ached, heart pounding in his ears as the stallion coughed up foam and blood.

I’m not losing her!

The weapon was longer than he was; a massive, magazine-fed sniper rifle. Even though it was made for gryphons Astral knew how to operate this gun. He had seen it dozens of times in firearm catalogs.

Specifically, in the section titled “Ground-Based Anti-Airship Countermeasures.”

“Just keep me from passing out!” Astral yelled to the medics, then turned his attention back to the rifle. The fear over his link to Sassi was reaching a crescendo.

The two unicorns now focused their magic into Astral’s wounds, Galleon partially immobilizing his torso as the stallion chambered the gun. The scope would have been useless with the other muzzle flashes and the extreme distance.

But Astral didn’t have the eyes of a normal pony.

“Get your creatures out of the way!” He yelled, taking aim. The Thestral could see Number Two, the creature looming over Sassi as half a dozen Skitters surrounded her. It drew back its claws, and Astral pulled the trigger.

“YOU CAN’T HAVE HER!”

Sassi looked up at Number Two, the mare bracing herself. If she torqued her body at the last moment, she might avoid a lethal strike, even with the Skitters immobilizing her.

A raging voice then cut through the radio, also searing itself in the mare’s mind as Astral roared. A concussive shockwave made Sassi’s chest constrict.

Number Two reeled backward, a pained growl leaving its mouth as another explosive round blew part of its shoulder to boney pieces. A third round smacked the creature right in the face; the mutant’s left cheek was shredded like rice paper.

“Move it, Sas!”

The Skitter to her left vanished into a bloody mist, Sassi jumping up. She backtracked to the elevator shaft entrance. Miniguns spinning up, she sent a thousand rounds towards the creatures, Astral’s shots joining hers.

The Skitters melted underneath the combined firepower, Number Two grabbing another stone to throw.

“Astral! Hit the shoulder!”

The shot blew into the creature’s joint, nearly severing it. Sassi ducked a strike from a Skitter, aiming with the cannons. The two shots flew into the wound, blowing the vulnerable joint to pieces, the arm hanging on by a thread.

Sassi’s miniguns were happy to finish the amputation job.

As the mutant sagged to the ground, it lunged forwards with its other arm. Black claws tore into the rock, one of them digging into the armor at Sassi’s side.

The last of the Skitters met their end. Sassi could see her motion detector starting to light up with hostiles once again; Zeeps and normal Skitters creeping out of hiding.

“Let’s kill this thing, Sas!”

Astral’s next shot hit Two in the forehead, rocking the creature back. It snarled, lashing out at Sassi again-

The mare was already moving.

Two lurched backward, a glint of fear shining in its red eyes as Sassi jumped towards it. A shot from Astral tore into its knee, putting it on the ground for a few brief moments.

The mare landed on the rock in front of the mutant’s face, cannons already aimed. There were a thousand things Sassi wanted to say to this creature, the embodiment of everything wrong with the Silos, this world. Yet the only reply that felt appropriate was to send two magical projectiles into Two’s face.

The cannon shots turned the creature’s eyes to jelly. Astral’s follow-up shot blew the creature’s teeth away. Sassi had never played hoofball. But she’d like to think she was a decent throw.

Depressing the red button on the grenade, Sassi hucked the item at Two. With a rather wet *smack*, the explosive darted between the creature’s absent teeth.

The resulting detonation whited out Sassi’s HUD even when sheltering behind a rock. Bloody chunks splattered against the opposite cave wall and high ceiling, gore and blood dripping down around her. The mare only caught a glimpse of the shredded corpse as she ran back towards the elevator entrance.

The mutant’s body was in tatters, a horde of Zeeps and Skitters running towards it hungrily. Three squads of creatures finally arrived to meet her, covering their retreat up the long tunnel. But the remaining mutants were far more focused on the fresh meal than the angry creatures pelting them with bullets.

That was when Sassi felt Astral’s voice go silent.

“Astral?!”

Author's Note

"Negative. I Have The Gun. Good Luck, Sir."

Chapter 120: Sunlight

Sassi didn’t know what to think, let alone what to do.

As soon as she had galloped up the Silo’s stairs with the backup squads, her heart had dropped into her hooves. Astral was lying next to a massive rifle, blood soaking into the sand as the unconscious Thestral was tended to by multiple medics.

The pair had immediately been whisked away to a safe distance, then transported to a specialty wing in Canterlot’s royal hospital. It was a flurry of procedures involving decontamination, isolation, evaluation, and the best surgeons and medical staff in Equestria tending to Astral.

Sassi would have been impressed, fully overwhelmed at any other time. She was free, out of the Silos and in Canterlot of all places. The mare was in the presence of a Princess no less, one who had already offered to give her whatever the mare needed or wanted. The best doctors, magic, and medical technology were all at her disposal.

And yet somehow none of it mattered.

The decontamination had wrapped up without issue. Considering no scans or bloodwork turned up anything nasty, she had then been led to where Astral’s room was. And there she sat, unable to move. The past few hours were a fuzzy mess of worry and fear. It was only her training that let Sassi move mechanically here and there.

She barely registered a purple figure sitting down next to her. The doctors had already told her about Astral’s condition. Twilight didn’t say anything at first.

“There’s nothing…?” Sassi asked, the Princess shaking her head.

“I’ve looked him over a dozen times. It’s now a waiting game. Astral’s been saturated with so much magic any healing spells would do more damage; it’s already breaking down his body,” Twilight explained. “That’s even truer after he moved around and powered the healing crystals himself. I even asked Director Shield if they had anything to help. But the saturation means it’s a waiting game. The outlook is…” her words drifted off at the sharp glare from Sassi to cut off any beating around the bush.

“Alright, it’s not good. I’m sorry, Sassi. But all we can do is wait. He’s got to heal on his own. Thankfully his body is stronger due to the RASP modifications, but now is fighting physical and magical wounds that…” her words drifted off, the Princess’s tone softening. “I promise I’m still looking into more options.”

Sassi hated how hot tears sprang to her eyes at that, the mare taking a few deep breaths. She appreciated the candor but at the same time…

I wish you had lied to at least give me that. Yet I wouldn’t have believed you. What is worse? I don’t know.

But thank you for at least being honest.

“Do you want me to send for your dad? He’s been asking about you.”

Twilight’s shoulders slumped as Sassi shook her head, bangs falling in front of her face.

“Not yet. But thank you, Princess,” the Thestral said softly. “Just please tell him that I’m ok. I just need to process all of this first.”

“I’ll do that. Your hospital room is right next to Astral’s. There’s food and drink if you want.”

Sassi nodded, standing up, but the mare could only take a step or two forwards. Part of her was consumed with embarrassment, fear flooding her frame.

But, like so many other things, she just didn’t care.

“Can you stay?” Sassi whispered. “Just for a bit?”

A kind smile and a nod were Twilight’s reply, the two of them walking into the room. Astral was situated on a plush hospital bed, tubes down his throat along with entering and exiting his torso and abdomen to drain the puncture wounds. A dozen sensors were hooked up across his body, multiple digital monitors displaying his vitals. The healing crystals still embedded in his body were cracked from their overload earlier, but magic still gently glowed in their depths.

Sassi had seen bodies stacked like logs, gore and blood sprayed across the floor as viscera decorated walls and ceilings. She hadn’t even flinched then. And yet the sight of the stallion she loved hooked up to so many machines…

She felt tears trickling down her cheeks. The Thestral sat down with a *thump*, trying to wipe the rebellious moisture away.

I can’t even sense him. It’s all quiet.

There was a bit of movement. Twilight offered a wing, but paused. Sassi could appreciate the thought. Touch was a sensitive subject after all. And yet now, all the Thestral could do was nod, enjoying at least a comforting touch over her shoulder as she cried.

What do I do?

The day was a blur. Twilight stayed with Sassi for a time, the Thestral eventually composing herself to thank the Princess. The food in her own room was delicious and yet the mare couldn’t bring herself to be excited about any of it. She had everything she wanted, and nothing at all.

It was a terrifying realization. What good was being free if she was alone? If the one pony who could understand her was…

The worst part of it was that Sassi couldn’t do anything. Nothing she could offer was of any use. Her mind, her strength, her knowledge; none of it held any value to help Astral. To say it was demoralizing and maddening was an understatement.

Thankfully, business helped distract her. Twilight had, in her kind way, told Sassi she didn’t have to, but writing or dictating a formal report would be immensely helpful. Both for record-keeping, research, and a potential memoir.

Twilight also made it clear that Sassi’s accounts would add to the mountain of evidence for criminal charges. Sassi could do that. Formal reports were something where the mare could just run on autopilot, so she did. Besides, talking about her life before meeting Astral was easier.

The interviewers were at least, tactful. No unnecessary questions, simply clarifying events as Sassi reported them. Growing up in the Silo, her training, all of it.

It was almost soothing, knowing that there was an official account of her life somewhere. The world would know the horrors of the Silos. It was a way to help show that, for whatever it was worth, the pretty and safe bubble of Equestria was, at best, an ignorant effort of normalcy.

That occupied her for the first day. Or was it two?

According to Twilight, Sassi was more out of it than she thought. For three days she followed a simple schedule. Wake up, and then alternate between medical checks and debriefing. Quite a few scientists wanted to talk about the RASP armor and other technology she had used; Sassi was happy to oblige.

It wasn’t about Astral. That made it easy to talk about. It also sped along the development of a promised RASP suit for her own use.

On the third night and after the usual medical check, the mare fell asleep next to Astral. She had tried briefly to sleep in her own room, but it just felt wrong.

Yet the checks showed that the mare was fine other than extreme stress and trauma-related after-affects, both physical and psychological. The healing regimen was a low-stress lifestyle and heavy-duty supplements. Well, that, rest, and future therapy.

Go figure.

On the fourth day, Sassi found her route back to the room temporarily blocked after a debriefing. The guard simply shrugged, saying Astral’s parents were visiting.

That raised a yellow flag in Sassi’s mind, but she meandered back to the cafeteria for an hour or two. It made sense they’d want to be alone with him. But why wait three days to see him?

She didn’t have the energy to think about it. Other than that, the rest of the day bled together like the others. On the fifth day, Sassi received a simple request, one that she granted. Flask wanted to see her.

It seemed like a lifetime ago that the mare had last spoke to him. The last communication between them directly had been a note where the stallion had prayed that Sassi didn’t hate him.

Maybe I did. Briefly, when he told me the truth about who I was and what role he played. But that was so many years ago.

But the stallion had tried to do the right thing in a world where evil thrived. That meant something.

Without him, I’d still be a prisoner, a slave to the Company. I’d never have met Astral. I’d never have been free.

I could never hate him. He’s my dad, and he tried to do the right thing.

The stallion was flanked by two guards, and he sat down in front of the table, clearly nervous. Despite that, a few tears trickled from Flask’s eyes as he looked at his daughter.

“I’m glad to s-see you’re ok, Sassi,” he whispered, clearly struggling to maintain his composure.

Even with the traumatic fog in her mind, Sassi knew exactly what to do. She promptly trotted forwards and wrapped her father up in a tight hug.

“It’s good to see you, Dad,” she whispered. Her words unlocked Flasks’ emotions, the stallion crying as he hugged his daughter back.

“I didn’t think you’d ever want to see me again,” he said, Sassi shaking her head as they separated.

“I never hated you,” she said firmly, confusion written across Flask’s face. “Well, ok, maybe briefly when you told me everything about your involvement. But once I understood the whole picture? No. It was just a giant ball of messed-up life. But that wasn’t on you.”

“It is though,” he said, not able to meet her gaze. “I’ve not been a good pony.”

“You can think that, but last I checked, I’m free because of you, and I also found the love of my life.”

That made Flask’s head lift.

“So as far as I’m concerned, you made some massive mistakes. Big ones. But you’ve done a pretty good job in trying to fix them. That includes raising me how you did. I don’t hold anything against you for doing your best. I’m certainly still glad that you’re my dad.”

A few more silent tears crept down Flask’s face at that, the stallion only able to nod ever so slightly. No doubt they’d have another, more in-depth conversation later.

For now, they simply were able to enjoy a light breakfast, in both food and talk. Sassi actually felt a genuine smile on her face at hearing her father’s current predicament; serving as a crucial witness and data source for dismantling the company, and helping with research concerning the Company’s technology. Said developments were shared with other nations, so there wouldn’t be a monopoly on them.

At least they’re trying to avoid mistakes, and my Dad is doing his best to fix past ones.

“Just let me know if you want to talk more, Sassi,” Flask said as they finished their meal. “You’ve got bigger priorities than me. I’ll be here. I’m just thankful you’re willing t-to…” his voice drifted off, the stallion snapping out of it as Sassi threw an ice cube at him.

“You’ve really got to start a daily mantra, Dad,” Sassi said, a smile twitching on her face. “Something like “my daughter doesn’t hate me, and I’m working on being a better pony.” I dunno, make something up.”

He managed to laugh, Flask nodding.
“I can do that. I’m just glad you’re ok.”

They parted with a hug, the mare managing to enjoy the comfort of someone she trusted. It meant a lot more right now, after all.

Walking back to the room, Sassi was temporarily stopped at the door, a doctor nearly throwing a clipboard at the earth pony nurse doing so.

“You’re really going to try and stop her? The Princess herself told you what to do. Shred it and be done,” the doctor growled, the meek nurse trotting out. “Sorry about that, Sassi. Bit of a communications mix-up.”

“Dare I ask what about?” the mare said, the doctor wincing.

“I don’t know much. Something about Astral’s parents not wanting you near him. We were told specifically to ignore such things. The Princess said to talk to her about it. It shouldn’t have even gotten this far.”

Sassi almost burst out laughing; the idea was ludicrous.

“Well, I guess I’ll give the Princess a call.”

After the doctor left, Sassi picked up a small radio from her saddlebags. Twilight had correctly assumed she’d be more comfortable with a military-style method of communication than the newfangled earpieces or phones they had now.

The Princess was a smart cookie; Sassi could appreciate that much.

“This is Sassi. I had a question for the Princess. There’s something about Astral’s parents not wanting me to be near him. The doctor said she could explain it.”

“Stand by,” an operator’s voice said.

Within a minute, an Alicorn appeared in the room with a flash of magic, a regretful expression on her face.

“I was worried something might happen,” Twilight sighed. “Flask and Astral’s parents met while you all were in the Silos. He’d be happy to explain further, but the exchange was…heated.”

“Do tell?”

It only took a few minutes, Sassi’s shoulders finally slumping as Twilight finished the brief explanation.

“I wish I could say that I was surprised,” she admitted. “But almost all the creatures in my life saw me as an “it”. Perhaps I was too hopeful about his parents. But from what he told me, it lines up with their way of thinking.”

“I’m doing everything I can to make sure their interference is nonexistent. They have rights as parents to be able to see him privately, of course. But not to keep you away. Not in this case.”

“Well, thank you for telling me. At least I know what to expect if I see them,” Sassi sighed.

The Princess nodded, vanishing in a flash.

Oddly, Sassi barely felt anything as she settled down to read the news for a bit before the evening briefings. She already didn’t have a good baseline for his parents. This just made it easier to classify whether they’d be friends. In this case, not at all.

That made things easy.

The next morning after breakfast, Sassi pit-stopped by Astral’s room, her chest constricting as she saw multiple doctors around him. They looked her way, and the mare could see the sorrow in their eyes even before she read the digital displays.

“He’s not doing well, is he?” she asked, one of the unicorns shaking their head.

“It’ll be hit or miss for a while though,” an earth pony mare piped up. “A few bad days don’t mean they’re all going to be bad.”

Sassi appreciated the optimism, but she could read the monitors well enough.

The various staff double-checked the medications, setting out Sassi’s pills to the side before leaving her be. Sassi waited a few moments, then took a look at Astral’s chart on the end of the bed. As she suspected, it wasn’t good, not at all. What was written came off as rather optimistic. True, it had barely been a week. But with every day indicating downward-trending vitals…

There was only one, unwritten conclusion to that. Sassi wasn’t stupid, especially when the nitty-gritty of Astral’s bodily functions were so dire.

This isn’t just a bad day. Astral’s body can’t keep up. The magic is breaking him down. He’s fading, and fast.

Astral won’t last more than a few more days if that.

He’s dying.

She downed her pills mechanically, the Thestral shaking her head. Feeling helpless had nearly paralyzed her the first day. But it had faded when there was literally nothing to be done but wait.

Maybe if we still had that reactor. But they said magic wouldn’t help anymore. It kept him alive this long. Then again, it wasn’t just normal Equestrian changeling magic. The reactor itself was only able to even work all thanks to-

Sassi’s heartbeat thudded in her ears. It was a long shot, and yet at the same time, stranger things had happened. Trotted speedily back to her room, she made a beeline towards one of the metal tables. The contents of their saddlebags had been emptied onto it (after being scanned and decontaminated, of course. A withered, braided vine made Sassi’s eyes tear up-

There!

Two crystals lay amidst the items, still glowing softly. The mare picked them up, reading the inscriptions.

‘Sassi
Deadly Primrose
Flower that blooms in the darkest of nights.
The strongest creature I’ve ever met.’

‘Astral Sentinel
Guardian of the Stars
My first pony friend.’

“Joro,” she whispered, tears brimming in her eyes. She picked up a small, military radio with shaking hooves.

“This is Sassi Satin. I need to speak to Princess Twilight. Please!”

There wasn’t even a reply. With a snap of magic, the alicorn appeared in the room. Her concerned expression faded, ears perking up at seeing the objects in Sassi’s grip.

“Princess, can you send a message to the Limbo realm?” Sassi asked, her voice shaking. “I don’t know about arcane theory like you do. But these came from Queen Joro. They have to have some sort of magical signature to get a message to her, right? Just in her general area?”

Twilight examined the object, a wide smile breaking across her face.
“I can most certainly do that. What do you want to say?” the mare summoned a pen and paper, levitating it over to Sassi.

The Thestral kept it brief.

“High Queen Joro,

This is Sassi Satin. We escaped. But Astral is dying. He was attacked. His body is failing, and healing spells can’t work; he’s saturated with magic. Not even the Princess can do anything.

Can you help him? Please, I’ll give you anything.

-Sassi.”

The message was sent with a rather fierce pop of magic, Sassi taking a few deep breaths. The allure of hope was intoxicating. But that just set her up for even a greater fall. It always did.

At least, until she had met Astral.

Twilight waited with her, the mare examining the Limbo objects with a keen eye. Sassi couldn’t help but smile ever so slightly. Try as the Princess might, she couldn’t keep the egghead disguised for long.

“It might be a while,” Sassi finally said. “Joro said time moves differently in Limbo.”

Setting the two gifts back onto the table, Twilight nodded in agreement.
“I’m happy to wait with you as long as I can. When I have to leave, I’m just a radio call-”

The mare stopped talking, her horn abruptly glowing.

A greenish-black portal formed in the center of the room and ejected two objects. The first was a neatly-wrapped paper. The second was a sturdy, cooler-sized, wooden box.

Sassi unwrapped the note with shaking hooves. Tears blurred her vision as she read.

“Sassi Satin,

Astral is the first pony who I was honored to call a friend. I have not forgotten him, nor you. I’m overjoyed to hear you escaped that place.

To your request; I’m sending a device that will help. I’ve enclosed instructions on how to use it. Unfortunately, I can’t personally use any of the magic from Limbo. I’m not strong enough to do that yet or travel to give my aid.

But the device I’ve sent converts energy into healing magic in a way that’s different from that in your world. It can save even the most gravely wounded creature in my realm from death, provided I focus on the bond I share with them. The Company used its designs to create some sort of healing system for the armor. Such a magic exists in your world in some form, but that’s all I know. I don’t know what they called it.

This device should surpass whatever device the company made and will operate independently of whatever magic already is trying to help Astral, as it’s from Limbo. As a side effect, it very well may neutralize the toxic levels of your realm’s magic within Astral’s body.

Concerning the last part of your letter, I must refuse. I will never accept something as payment from you or Astral. My kingdom is always open to you, as I owe both my life and that of my hive to you.

I’m honored I can repay a sliver of the debt I owe.

Please let me know when he wakes up and if I can be of any further help. This scroll will return to me after you sign your name and message. I look forward to hearing from you when he recovers.

Your friend,
High Queen Joro.”

With a firm push, Sassi opened the wooden box, and she couldn’t stop herself from crying. Twilight let out a surprised yelp as Sassi abruptly wrapped her up in a hug, the Alicorn happily returning the gesture before the Thestral stepped away, wiping her eyes.

Sassi didn’t know what the instructions were yet, but the shape of the device was easily recognizable. Large golden lettering was stenciled across the metal orb.

“Love Dynamo, Mk 72, Iteration 2.”

Author's Note

Chapter 121: Healing

Twilight stared at the odd, segmented device curiously. If anything, it looked more akin to a tall, dark-green, metal watermelon.

Well, a watermelon with multiple petals fanning out from the top, and a pink stone set in the center.

“Well. As far as I can tell, it takes in positive emotional energy and outputs…something,” the alicorn huffed. “You know Queen Joro better than me.”

“She liked Astral,” Sassi said, reading another paper attached to the device. “He was her first friend and convinced me not to kill her. He trusted her, sensing she was a genuine and good creature. So, I trust her to act in his best interests,” her throat abruptly closed up, the mare sniffling as she read the instructions. “I really do.”

She offered the paper to Twilight, the Thestral’s lips trembling. Twilight couldn’t help but smile at reading the instructions.

“Steps to initiate the healing process:

1. Make sure it’s placed at least in the same room as Astral- he must be the only wounded individual otherwise it will split the energy between patients. There can be other healing spells or medications active in your world; they won’t interfere.
2. Press the top of the device when ready. It absorbs magical energy from its surroundings to power the conversion process. It will glow a soft, green color when activated, and produce an illuminating ball of energy.
3. Hug him, or focus on how much you care for him. It will require an initial high intake of positive energy to fill a 24-hour reservoir. After that is filled, it’ll be a steady, slow intake. Just visit once every day to refill it.
4. Wait for the device to stop glowing (this may take minutes, hours, days, or weeks.) This signifies that it can’t heal anything else within the room.
5. Leave dynamo with Princess Twilight as a sign of positive future relations between our people.
6. Enjoy a long, happy life.

-Queen Joro”

“This is the best shot we have,” Sassi whispered, gesturing to the box. “Can you…?”

The Princess nodded, levitating the box and following Sassi back into Astral’s room. As the Thestral suspected, Astral’s vitals had continued to drop and a few more doctors were now present.

I’ve pulled you back before, Astral. Time for once more.
You saved me from something far worse than just physical pain. I’m not ever letting you go.

The doctors left, Twilight floating the dynamo out of the box as they closed the door. Sassi flipped the container over; a decent enough stand for it.

“Whenever you’re ready, Sassi.”

She stared at the device, Sassi’s hoof shaking as she reached out to press the top of the egg-shaped device.

I’m not losing you. Not now, not ever!

The dynamo immediately began to glow a cheerful green. The petals around the top began to rotate, beams of energy pulsing out to meet above it. A soft, yellow ball of arcane magic coalesced, filling the room with light; a miniature sun.

Sassi walked over to Astral, gently reaching over to hold his hoof.

I’d hug you if I could. Get better, so I can. There’s so much I want to share with you. An entire life.

Settling down next to the bed, Sassi managed to rest her cheek against his, tears streaming down her face.

Please work.

Off to the side, Twilight’s eyes dampened as she watched. A visible river of light-blue magic flowed out of Sassi’s body and into the device. The dynamo hummed, projecting a pleasant, pink field of arcane energy into Astral.

Nothing changed for a moment, but Twilight could barely suppress an excited “Yes!”

Sassi looked up, a grateful sob leaving her frame as the vitals visibly jumped, climbing higher and higher with every passing moment. They still were in the danger zones, but they continued to slowly rise.

Thank you, Joro.

She must have dozed off because Twilight was gone when the Thestral woke up. A simple note indicating that royal duties, unfortunately, took the mare away was understandable.

Wait. That was eleven hours ago? Did the device drain me that much?
…worth it.

A nurse poked her head in, waving to Sassi.
“The Princess said to check in on you every so often. That healing thing obviously wiped you out,” the unicorn explained cheerfully. “But he’s out of immediate danger.”

Looking up, Sassi’s eyes widened. The vitals were stable. Not good by any means, but Astral had been far worse at moments in the Silos. They weren’t rising or falling anymore, just maintaining so he could heal.

It worked.

“Do you want some food? I know there’s the stereotype of hospital meals, but the stuff here is really good. They even have smoothies for Thestrals specifically.”

Sassi had to stop herself from tearing up again, the mare nodding gratefully.
“I’m actually starving,” she admitted. “I’ll take one, and a pile of fresh fruit if you have it.”

“I’ll bring back your body weight in fruit if you’d like!”

The nurse then vanished, Sassi letting out a grateful sigh. For the first time since they had escaped the Silos, the mare felt like she could relax ever so slightly. She busied herself with reading up on current events for the rest of the day. The smoothie was good, but Astral’s was far superior. That said, Sassi demolished almost all of the food. RASP nutritional requirements didn’t vanish, and only eating the bare minimum for the past day or two of stress had made her famished.

But with Astral now safe, it felt like it was ok to relax and eat. It was like her mind was playing catch-up. Only now was the mare realizing how naked she felt without any armor or guns.

At least the news could distract her, at least a bit.

The Silo site had since been sealed off by Celestia; a miniature sun turning the area all around it to glass. It was being quarantined, the toxic site waiting for a multi-nation task force to figure out how best to destroy it.

And apparently Discord demands to be on the advising council? Huh.

Twilight hadn’t been joking about their celebrity status. The news was awash with their escape, well-meaning “get well” messages flooding in from all over.

It was nice to feel appreciated, even in that weird way.

The moon rose, and Sassi realized that their natural, nocturnal cycles were completely out of whack after being underground for so long. The hospital wasn’t terribly busy at this hour of course. Other than the occasional night nurse checking in on them, Sassi was left to her own devices.

Everyone else sleeps now. I can sleep during the day when I have Astral to talk to. Until then, I can adjust.

The device still hummed happily away; the glow having dimmed to a night-light intensity to accompany the outside levels.

Somehow, the current situation felt better. Just her, Astral, and a device from Joro. It was just the right type of weirdness for them. A few white sparkles began to form in the room, Sassi blinking. Her first reaction was to reach for the knife at her side- one that didn’t exist.

“I’m a friend,” a soft, feminine voice said. The door closed gently, and a spectral mare appeared. She sat down in front of Sassi. “My name is Harmony.”

Sassi rubbed her eyes, then looked back at the mare.

Wait.

“You? I saw you before, in the Silos when Astral was dying,” Sassi said, Harmony’s ears pinning back.

“That was the first time I was aware of you, of the Silos in general. The shields blocked more than magic. They also blocked my ability to sense how wrong everything was, just as they did Discord.”

“So, you’re the “Harmony of Equestria?” That magical force from a tree or something that looks out for everyone?”

The other mare smiled, shrugging at Sassi’s words.
“Something like that. I try to make sure nothing upsets the balance of good for Equestria. Nudging things here or there.” The mare now looked genuinely distraught. “And in terms of recent events, I’ve failed miserably. For that I’m s-sorry.”

“Wait. So that wasn’t you telling me to hug Astral? To lead me to activate the reactor dynamos?”

The grief on Harmony’s face was nearly frightening, the mare not able to meet Sassi’s eyes.
“N-no. That was…there are other forces besides me that nudge the balance to good. They stepped in to do the job I should have. I only was aware of it after the fact when I saw you. I think they wanted to help me learn to be better.” The mare’s features trembled, Harmony struggling to speak.

Sassi took a few deep breaths, shaking her head. What could she say to that?
“I don’t know whether to be angry at you or not,” she admitted, “I want to be, but I’m just frustrated. You, the Princess, everyone just didn’t know about the Silos? And those who did, they weren’t the good guys? Sounds like the whole “bad guys always lose” thing kicked in a bit late for us. And I still don’t know if they did lose, not yet.”

Harmony looked up at her, nodding once.
“You’re not wrong. I don’t blame you for being angry. Or not forgiving me. The pain you went through is not something I would have tolerated. I would have helped more.”

“It’s easy for everyone to say they would have helped. You, Twilight. Governments…it just sounds like you all want to feel better about it rather than be genuine,” Sassi said, rather surprised at the wave of bitterness in her heart. “That doesn’t make it ok. Tens of thousands of creatures died, and I grew up in a world of torture and pain because the world failed us.”

She took a step towards Harmony, the bitterness and anger fading into something that frustrated Sassi even further; emptiness.

“But I can’t forgive you, because there’s nothing to forgive. Just like Twilight. How could I hold something you never knew about against you? That’s not fair. You all didn’t know, and yet we suffered. I want to be angry. I want to have someone to hate for all this. But all those directly responsible are captured or dead. So, you’re just here, I guess. You don’t have a stake in this anymore.”

Sassi took a few deep breaths, shaking her head. “So, you can say you’re sorry and everything, but from my perspective, what do I say to that? “It’s ok?” That’s all just words at this point. The Company was built on the graves of good intentions. So, what you “wanted” to do is just words. It doesn’t really matter anymore. It may as well be one of those fan letters. I guess I appreciate the sentiment.”

Harmony actually smiled now, her left hoof glowing as she gestured toward Astral.
“As you said, it’s just words, isn’t it?” she asked. “Talk means so little unless there’s action. And it does matter, because it means those who weren’t able to help now want to help. And so, I plan to.”

“You can heal him?”

Harmony shook her head, walking over to look at Astral.

“Not in the way you’re thinking. Joro’s help will save his life, healing the wounds. But healing such severe damage leaves scars, even if aided by magic. He’ll never be fully free from that,” she said softly. “The scar tissue will impede his movement, and he’ll likely never feel himself or be completely pain-free.” Looking over and seeing Sassi’s horrified expression, Harmony bowed her head, raising a hoof to stop any words. “That’s why it matters that I failed. Because now I can have a chance to show that I do care. To show that we’re better creatures than the Silo. And I intend to prove it. We are better than this. Not perfect, but better than what you’ve seen in your life.”

A white glow surrounded Astral, and Sassi saw the monitors flicker as his vitals strengthened ever so slightly.

“I don’t get it. Why didn’t you step in when we escaped?” Sassi asked, now more confused than anything. “It’d have made all of this unnecessary.”

“Because it wasn’t time,” Harmony said, continuing to focus on Astral. “You got to this point because of your own strength and those of your friends. Only after you did everything you could, can I nudge things along. It doesn’t make as big of a ripple then,” her ears flattened. “At least, that’s when I should step in.”

The mare then waved a hoof over Astral. “Healing someone from near death is a much bigger nudge than making sure certain healing processes function a bit beyond their normal capacities. I don’t have as many restrictions. I’m powerful, but not omnipotent. I also don’t live without guidelines that could cause harm if I ignored them. I also simply didn’t know. It is humbling to acknowledge the limits to my powers. I’m still learning how to guide things along.”

She looked over Astral again, nodding in approval as the glow faded.
“There. He still has a long, long road to recovery,” Harmony said. “He’s going to hurt, physically and mentally. But he won’t be held back by the injuries, not permanently. If anything, he’ll be stronger from them. You both will.”

“But I’m not hurt?”

Harmony trotted back over, sitting in front of Sassi with a sad smile.
“Not physically. But then again, you’ve already healed so much.”

“How can you know that?” Sassi asked with a bit more snark than she intended. Instead of taking offense, Harmony only laughed softly.

“I can sense the energy feeding into that device, and I already read the reports about the reactor. You love him more than anything in the world. That love kept him alive in the Silos and even now is saving Astral’s life. You want a life with this stallion, and you’d do anything to preserve it. Can you tell me if you ever thought that’d be a possibility in that horrid place? Are you able to have dreams now? About yourself, about Astral? Because from what I know of the Silos…you couldn’t have any dreams in that place, only horrors. But what about now?”

Sassi couldn’t help but stare at the mare in shock. To say she had underestimated this individual was an understatement.

“Thought so,” Harmony giggled. “I think you two will be just fine.” Her expression then grew a bit more sober, the mare bowing her head. “I truly am sorry, Sassi. Think of me what you will, but I will always regret not being able to help you. I think Twilight feels the same.”

“You’re-it’s ok. I think. Sort of,” Sassi stammered, letting out a frustrated grunt. “Ugh. This is complicated. Now I should be thanking you. Astral will be ok? Like…”

“He will still have to physically heal which may take some time. But now, the injuries won’t be long-lasting. He’s not leaving you and can live life to the fullest. After healing, there won’t be aches, pains, or any sort of permanent damage or discomfort from the Silo. I made sure of that.”

The full realization now sank in, Sassi taking a shaking breath. Tears brimmed in her eyes as her mind ran with the possibilities.

He’s going to be ok.

“Then for that, thank you,” she whispered. “How about we call it even?”

Harmony laughed, shaking her head.
“No, I think I still owe you a fair bit. I…” her voice drifted off, a few tears welling up in her eyes. “I think I was meant to learn from all of this. From failing. So, we are most certainly not even. But I appreciate the sentiment. I do need to go now though. Take care, Sassi Satin.”

As the mare began to fade, Sassi couldn’t help but ask a final question.

“Y’know, maybe you could help some other stuff in the world? Maybe help some other creatures in the hospital and such? Having a kingdom-wide guardian angel isn’t the worst thing. Maybe spread those nudges around?”

Harmony giggled, waving to Sassi. The mare vanished with a rather sly wink, her voice floating around the room.

“Way ahead of you. Take care. Now, guide Astral back home. He’ll be dreaming soon.”
At the back of Sassi’s mind, she felt a familiar flicker, a drowsy awareness.

She snagged a spare set of pillows and blankets, making herself a comfy nest next to the stallion on a plush chair.

Surprisingly, it was easy to fall asleep.

Author's Note

Chapter 122: Waking

Sassi woke up with a jerk, long, bluish grass waving in the wind.

I’ve missed this place.

She looked over her frame, brow furrowing. There wasn’t any armor or guns on her body. The wind rustled through her fur; it was a nice but weird sensation. She wasn’t used to it.

The rolling hills were familiar, as were the distant forest and lake. The stars shone brightly above their dream world as Sassi meandered through the knee-high grass.

Usually, Astral was here. Where was he?

Something pulled her to the top of the hill. A strange urge. So, she followed it. Stranger things had happened, after all.

A familiar Thestral was sprawled amongst the grass, Sassi dashing up to him.

“Astral?!”

She looked him over; the stallion prone and apparently sleeping. It was only that oddity that prevented her from hugging him.

“Wash goin on?” he mumbled, eyes still closed. The world around them wavered, as if a stone had been cast in a pond and sent ripples everywhere.

In that instant, Sassi knew what Harmony had meant. She sat down next to him, propping the stallion up and hugging him.

“Wake up, Astral,” she said, the other Thestral’s form not feeling totally coherent. Her hooves phased through him ever so slightly before solidifying.

“Sas? Can’t see you,” he mumbled. “So tired. Can I sleep?”

“You technically are. We’re in a hospital, and safe. But you need to come back to me. Can you open your eyes?”

“Maybe? Why though?”

Sassi ran through a list of things she could say to snap him out of it.

Well…

“Astral, I’m pregnant.”

That didn’t even phase him, only a soft mumble leaving the stallion’s lips.

“Uh-huh. Right.”

Wow. Ok, shocking him is out.

Shaking the Thestral also didn’t seem to affect him in the slightest.

The mare sighed, scooting a bit closer. She snuggled her head next to his, hoping to get the stallion to think.

“Do you want to have a life with me?”

“Wha?” The stallion mumbled. “Yeah? Sounds nice…”

“Yes or no, Astral!” Sassi said, pulling back to look at him. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me? Are you saying you don’t?”

“What? Yes!” the reply was indignant and held a fair bit more energy than the others. “Of course, I do!”

“Then open your eyes. Prove it.”

His eyes flickered, the stallion letting out a frustrated groan.

“Heavy. Really hard to,” he muttered. “What’s-wait?” Two handsome green eyes managed to fully open, focusing on Sassi. “Sas?”

She felt his form solidify, and the mare had to stop herself from crying. Even so, her sides shook.
“Are you back?” she whispered.

As the stallion’s forelimbs wrapped around her, Astral let out a yawn, shaking his head and hugging her.

“I think so? I feel fuzzy. But you’re here. But…” his entire body jerked. “Wait! The Silo! The fight! Us! You!”

He pulled back, eyes refocusing and staring at the tearful mare. Sassi melted as he yanked her into a passionate, almost desperate kiss, the mare eagerly returning it. Dreamscape or not, his lips somehow were just as warm as reality. He was the one to break the kiss after a long while, the Thestral immediately pressing his forehead against Sassi’s as they hugged, as if she could vanish at any moment.

“You’re ok,” he said, eyes filling with tears. “Did we make it?”

“I did. You didn’t. Not totally. I’ve got a bit of a story to tell you.”

The two of them sat on the grassy hill, Sassi cuddled up to her stallion as she relayed everything that had happened the past days. It didn’t take too long, but Astral let out a rather long breath when she finished.

“So, to sum up; I’m hooked up to every machine imaginable, being healed by your love again with the help of a magical watermelon from Joro, and Harmony also stopped by?” he asked, Sassi sniffling, unable to resist a giggle at his lighthearted words.

“T-that’s about it.”

“Well, at least I don’t hurt here. I imagine waking up is going to be awful if I have tubes in me.”

“She said it’ll hurt. Recovery is going to be hard, but there won’t be lasting effects.”

“I hope you weren’t too mean to her.”

Sassi shook her head, simply enjoying being able to hug her stallion again.
“I was a bit snappy, but she understood. She mentioned Twilight probably felt bad. Maybe it’ll come up with her. But the Princess has been really helpful.”

With no more explanations left, Sassi felt her throat closing up as her mind raced. With nothing to report, her thoughts began to catch up to her. Astral’s gaze drifted over to the mare at his side. Concern shone in his eyes, a hoof reaching up to gently rest against her cheek.

“Sas?”

She turned, wrapping him up in a tight hug. Tears dampened Astral’s fur as she cried, the Thestral rocking her back and forth.

“I thought I was going to lose you,” she managed to whisper. “I’ve been in a daze. Just giving reports and waiting for you to wake up. And you weren’t going to. You were dying until Joro…”

A kiss flatlined her panicked thoughts, the mare melting into his hug.

“Thank you for saving me again,” he whispered, pulling his head back to look into her eyes. “Now, I want to wake up and see you for real. I have the rest of my life I want to spend with you, and I want to get started with that.”

That didn’t do anything to stem Sassi’s tears as she laughed, Astral chuckling as they held each other close.

“And hey, even if I’m a wreck during the days in the hospital, we have our own little hive mind to hug at night.”

Sassi couldn’t disagree with that.

“So, I guess we can just sleep here until you wake naturally? I don’t want you to fade away again,” she mused, the stallion shrugging.

“Sounds good to me. But I’m back. The weird fuzziness is gone. Next time I wake up, I’m thinking it’ll be in the hospital.”

He reached up to poke Sassi’s chest, a bit of unease shining in his green eyes.
“Please be there for me, when I do?” Astral asked, his voice now a bit shaky. “I’m going to be hurting, and I don’t mean just physically. You always make it better.”

“I promise.”

Astral nodded off first. Tears welled up in her eyes as he snuggled close. If they couldn’t be this close in the real world, the dream one would have to do.

Sassi woke up half expecting Astral to jump out of bed. Crazier things had certainly happened. But he instead was still there, sleeping and hooked up to the various monitors.

When Sassi came back from breakfast, two of the machines were being wheeled out. That could only mean good news.

“He’s breathing on his own now,” a doctor reported, looking at the vitals. “And the swelling has gone down drastically. The drainage sites also don’t seem to be needed anymore. I don’t know what that device runs on, but it’s potent. If I had to guess, he’ll likely wake up today or tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” she managed to say, flopping down in relief onto her “nest” next to the stallion. To hear it officially released an additional burden off her shoulders.

Astral looked more like a pony now with only a few dressings and a single IV. The healing crystals still glowed softly in his chest and sides. When they’d get removed, Sassi didn’t know.

She wanted to wait at his bed, but that would only cause the mare to stew. Standing up to leave, Sassi ran through the possibilities of what to do. More briefings? She didn’t want to regurgitate events again. A few days was enough for her.

Thankfully, her modified body provided the answer. Another trip to the cafeteria it was.

When she got back to Astral’s room, however, she heard a familiar voice arguing.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

“Hey, I don’t make the rules!”

“You’re the doc! Of course, you make the rules!”

“Do you want to eject your spleen? No! Liquid foods only!”

“Fiiiiiine.”

Sassi couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she walked in, Astral immediately grinning. He even managed a weak wave.

“Heya, Sas,” he said, the mare’s eyes immediately tearing up. “Just arguing with the doc here about being on a liquid diet for a few days. But now I’m tired again.”

It was all she could do to trot over to his bedside and plant her head gently next to him. A weak forelimb wrapped around her; the best the stallion could do for a hug.

“We have some specific, nutritional drinks on the way. I know you all have three times the calorific requirements,” the doctor relayed, looking at Astral’s chart. His eyes drifted over to the glowing device, the metal egg still humming softly. “You’re not out of the woods yet, so take it easy. You’re still doped up on pain medication, so no sudden movements. Just rest. Talking is ok, but if you feel tired, sleep. Have at least some liquid meals just to get things moving.”

Astral’s forelimb twitched, Sassi knowing he wanted to salute. The stallion settled with a tired nod.

“Aye aye, doc. And thanks.”

The unicorn chuckled, waving a hoof as he left.
“Don’t thank me. She’s the one who saved your life.”

The loving look Astral sent her way made Sassi sniffle.
“Welcome back,” she whispered, Astral running a hoof through her ears.

“Thanks to you. I’m glad we’re not keeping score.”

That made a genuine, soft giggle leave Sassi’s frame. For the first time in a week, she started to feel like herself again. The tension’s grip on her heart and body loosened, and the mare was able to take a deep breath and not feel tears welling up.

I don’t care if it’s a long road ahead. At least I’ve got him.

Author's Note

Huzzah!

Chapter 123: Realm of the Real

Astral woke up hurting.

It was dark outside, and his ruined sleep schedule was not exactly doing wonders. At least he could see for the most part. Despite wanting to sleep, the steady ache in his side and chest refused to let him drift back off.

And, naturally, the pain medication was maxed out.

Sassi let out a yawn, Astral looking at her as she woke up.

“Y’know, this hive mind thing is kinda fun,” she mused, scooting closer to lay her head on the hospital bed. “You wake up, and I can sense it. So, I do too.”

“That can be a good or bad thing, Sas.”

“Eh. Maybe. I’ve been pretty out of sorts these past few days,” she shrugged. “More time to talk with you, the better.”

“Are you d-doing ok now?” he asked, unable to stop a pained hiss from leaving his mouth. “Ok. Maybe not much talking.”

She immediately checked the drug system, frowning at seeing the timer.
“Less talking, more resting,” Sassi said firmly.

“Can I get a hoof?” Astral asked. The pain gnawed at his mind, and he could barely lift his forelimb. A turmoil of emotions abruptly cascaded over his mind and heart. He knew it was a side-effect of the surgery and trauma. And, well, everything. But the fact it hit so fast and heavy sent fear zipping through his being.

“P-please?” he whispered. There was an irrational fear that dug into his heart. Being helpless in a hospital bed, at the mercy of-

Sassi gripped his hoof, curling up on the chair next to him.
“Always. I still feel bad I couldn’t do this in that Silo. So, I’ll make up for lost time,” she said firmly. “A hoof you will always have. And so much more.”

His only audible response was the sniffle, the stallion closing his eyes and holding Sassi’s hoof tight.

“Thank you, Sas. I didn’t blame you back then. Still don’t. Never will.”

“Doesn’t mean I still don’t feel bad about it.”

The shocked look the two shared made the Thestrals immediately grin in unison.

“This…is going to take some getting used to.” Astral couldn’t help but let out a soft huff, then a hiss of pain as a headache threatened to emerge. “Ok. Peaceful thought-talky. Nothing crazy.”

“It’s us. How crazy could things get?”

Astral managed to control himself from laughing as Sassi’s voice echoed in his mind. The fear was gone, now only replaced by a warm glow of affection.

What would he do without this mare?

The stallion didn’t even know when he dozed off. Sassi had been telling him about the news, their celebrity status…

And the next thing he knew, it was bright outside. He really couldn’t wait to get back to his usual nocturnal schedule. It just felt wrong to be in the sun.

Sassi was curled up on the chair next to the bed, dozing peacefully. Apparently, they had missed breakfast, judging by the clock. Or rather, Sassi had missed it because a mound of meal-replacement shakes were piled next to the door.

Ugh.

The medications thankfully had kicked in, because his torso just ached in the background, far better than the gnawing pain from before. So, that was a plus.

There was a soft knock at the door, and a brightly-colored head poked its way in with a cheerful smile.

“You’re up!” the green and purple changeling nurse said, thankfully not too loudly. “Just need to check some things.”

She trotted over to the monitors and let out an approving hum. Pausing, the changeling then blinked in genuine confusion, staring at Astral.

“Uh, everything good?” he asked, the mare shaking her head.

“Sort of! I mean yes! Well, for you. But-” she stammered, looking at him a bit closer. “Whoaaaa. Weird.”

“I mean, no need to point it out,” Astral grumbled, the nurse giggling.

“Oh! Sorry. That was rude.” she waved a hoof, taking a step or two back. “My name is Sclairy. They said you had some sort of modifications done. I didn’t know you were part of a hive mind. As a pony that’s-well, that shouldn’t happen.”

“Well, getting put into a blender with the DNA from a creature in Limbo would do that,” Sassi said with a yawn. “So, you can sense it?”

“Mmhmm!” Sclairy said with a happy nod, then appeared to glare at someone outside the door. “Oh, just come in already! And introduce yourselves!”

Two more rather-embarrassed changelings filed in; a darker blue and green stallion, and another teal and pink mare.

“Sorry. Just, we could sense something all night and we had no idea what it was,” the stallion said with a meek smile. “Sorry again for intruding. Sensing another hive mind just makes us all jittery if we don’t know if they’re friends. My name is Jerti.”

“And we can’t sense anything about you,” the other nurse piped up. “It’s just a fuzzy “there” sort of thing. Oh, and I’m Imly!”

“We can’t sense you guys,” Astral admitted, “we’re still figuring things out on our end.”

“Speaking of which, that thing is like our hive healing balls!” Sclairy exclaimed, looking at the glowing metal egg. “Well. Sort of. We just have little crystals we use. This is like, a super-charged version of it-oooooh.”

“Oh?” Sassi said, stretching as she got up. “Is that a good “oh” or a bad “oh?”

“It’s an “oh, it’s absorbing love” type of “oh,”” Imly said with a smile. “Powerful stuff. I’m not surprised he’s bouncing back.”

“Sas is a giant ball of deadly love. Mostly deadly, but lots of love too,” Astral said cheerfully, making his marefriend abruptly turn a bright red. “What? It’s true!”

“Glad to see the painkillers are kicking in,” she muttered, Astral laughing.

“I mean, yeah. But remember what I said back in the Silos? Best. Romance. Novel. Everrrrr!”

The nurses were trying to suppress their laughter as Sassi pouted, the mare gesturing to the monitors.

“When can he stand up? Or even leave?”

Sclairy took another look, then examined his chart.
“While he’s improved a ton, he’s only been on the up and up for a single day. He’s got at least another two days in the hospital,” she mused, glancing at Astral. “You can probably stand up tomorrow. Considering that healing device is working around the clock, the usual recovery schedule doesn’t apply.”

“And that’s on top of being like, a super soldier,” Imly chimed in.

“I can stand up tomorrow. Well, gotta appreciate the little things,” Astral sighed. “In the meantime, I have to down a ton of those meal replacement shakes. Oh boy.”

Sassi trotted over, hauling over a few boxes of them and sampling one. After a swig, she stared at the cardboard container, and shrugged, testing the contents.

“Eh. Not bad. Vanilla, chocolate, and coconut flavored,” she said, finishing the shake as Astral sighed.

“Well. Could be worse.”

The changelings waved, Sclairy shaking her head as the other two left with a brief goodbye.
“Thanks for tolerating the intrusion,” she said, Sassi waving a hoof dismissively.

“Eh. Don’t worry about it. Honestly, we might come to you for some advice about hive mind stuff.”

“Anytime!”

They were then left alone, Sassi snagging a few of the shakes and settling back down next to Astral.

“Welp. Time to eat. So, bottoms up!” she said, smirking as Astral glared at her.

“I can feed myself,” he grumbled, the mare looking at him with a bit of mock incredulousness.

“Oh, can you?”

She placed the shake in his hoof, the stallion glaring at the offending item.

“Ok. Not fair. This thing weighs a ton!”

“Yeah, ok,” she sighed, taking it back. “Maybe another few days in the hospital. But, to be fair, you’ve barely had a day from being basically dead.”

“Hey, they can work with mostly dead!”

The mare couldn’t help but giggle at the reference, helping him drink down a shake.

“Ok, that actually tastes really good,” he admitted. “Maybe it’s the diet of military rations, but it’s not bad!”

“Another?”

“Yuuup!”

Astral looked over to his marefriend, a bit of a blush flaring up on his cheeks.
“Thanks for this,” he said softly. “I mean, this. Everything. I’d be very, very dead without you.”

“Yeah, well, ditto,” she said with a wave, “but you’re welcome.”

“I’ll make it up to you somehow? Maybe?”

Sassi snorted, shrugging as she helped him drink another shake.

“Eh. Once we get married, just lock yourself in the bedroom with me for a day, and we’ll call it even.”

Astral nearly choked on the shake, glaring at Sassi as she cackled.

“Not fair!”

“Totally fair. Now drink up!”

He did so, glaring at her the entire time.

“How about we do that anyways?”

Apparently his mental teasing got through, because Sassi’s face turned a rather adorable shade of pink to match his own. She was close enough that as soon as he was done drinking, he reached up to kiss her.

She pressed her lips back eagerly, the mare sniffling as she wiped her eyes.
“I’ve missed this,” she whispered, Astral’s ears perking up.

“Me, kissing, or the teasing?”

“Yes.”

She managed to find a way to carefully give him a half hug, the stallion nuzzling into her fur. Just her familiar smell, knowing she was there…

It relaxed him in a way that the drugs just couldn’t touch.

I’ll be ok.

Twilight trotted the halls of the hospital, checking in on the various patients. It was a new goal she was trying to hold to; visiting those that already were down on their luck.

Sure, Sassi and Astral were her primary objective, but the Princess already had plans for other hospital visits across Equestria.

All part of showing that I care, not just saying I do.

As for today, she had another meeting with Tanzil. He was supposed to be here at this hospital visiting a few wounded gryphons from the Silo containment encounter before finding her by wandering the old-fashioned way, visiting more creatures as he went. It was another gesture that only made Twilight’s view of the gryphon more favorable.

As if she wasn’t biased to begin with.

However, first things first.

She found Sassi meandering the halls, the Thestral waving to Twilight as she approached.

“Hey, Princess. Any big news I need to know about?” the mare asked, Twilight shaking her head.

“Nope. Just thought I’d check in the normal way, as opposed to teleporting into your room.”

Sassi giggled; a genuine sound that made tension bleed out of Twilight’s shoulders. The Thestral was happy. She hadn’t seen Sassi happy like this before. It was rather adorable.

“Well, Astral is awake, and already complaining constantly about a liquid diet. But that’s just for today, and maybe part of tomorrow,” Sassi said, rolling her eyes. “He’s going to be ok. No long-term damage either.”

“That’s fantastic! Did Joro’s device do that?”

Sassi blinked, her head tilting in confusion.
“She didn’t tell you? Harmony?”

Looking around awkwardly, Sassi scuffed the floor with a hoof as Twilight stared.
“I’ll…uh, take that as a no,” the Thestral muttered. “She visited me. Basically, she wanted to make things right for not being there. So, Astral won’t have any long-term physical damage.”

Twilight opened and closed her mouth a few times, sentences starting but then being redone halfway. The Alicorn motioned with a wing to a spare room, the two of them walking in for some privacy.

“I haven’t heard of Harmony visiting anyone outside of a few specialized moments. I mean, I’ve been out of touch with her for a while until recently. But she doesn’t just do that lightly.”

Sassi sat down with a shrug.
“I mean, I understood why she did it. Felt guilty and stuff, for not helping. It’s a unique thing for me, though. Apparently, someone else stepped in when she failed. Harmony looked pretty miserable about it all.”

“I certainly feel guilty about everything,” Twilight admitted, looking up at the mare as tension gripped her chest. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for failing you, for not helping. I hope you can forgive me someday, if such a thing is possible,” she shook her head. “I trusted that systems I made would work and keep ponies safe and make Equestria, and the world, better. I was wrong. I honestly didn’t know. But that’s on me.”

Sassi didn’t say anything for a few moments, her eyes drifting down to the floor. The mare finally sighed, shaking her head. When she looked up, there was a bit of confusion in her gaze, but also a fair deal of exhaustion.

“Harmony said something similar, that she just didn’t know. She said she was sorry and would have helped and all that stuff,” Sassi explained, her demeanor sagging. The mare just looked tired.

“Just like with Harmony, I don’t hold anything against you, Princess. There’s nothing to forgive. You didn’t know.”

The shock must have written itself across Twilight’s face because a slight smile twitched at Sassi’s features before fading.

“You didn’t know. Whether that’s due to some failed system or government, it didn’t really matter to me back then, and it’s irrelevant now. It’s just how it is. I never had any preconceptions that you could or would help me. I didn’t see you as evil or good. Nothing existed outside of the Silos. Nothing could. There wasn’t any existing bad blood, is what I’m trying to say.”

A vice began to constrict around Twilight’s heart at Sassi’s words. They weren’t spoken with malice, just a blunt honesty that was absent in most of the Princess’s conversations.

“I just assumed you didn’t know about me or didn’t care, just like the “Harmony of Equestria.” Whatever the reason, I was on my own. That turned out to be true until now. So, there’s really nothing to forgive. We’re good.”

The mare’s eyes then narrowed, Sassi blowing out a frustrated breath.
“Maybe I should be angry at you, about why you didn’t know and all of that. But I never trusted a government to care about me anyhow. I never really saw Equestria as different from any other nation. So, it doesn’t shock me. It just confirmed what I assumed. Even if I wanted to be angry, the creatures directly responsible are either dead, captured, or eventually will be one of the two,” Sassi looked up at Twilight, and it shocked the Alicorn to see peace behind her eyes.

“I’m just tired of it. I want to move on to a better life with Astral. That’s possible in part due to you. So, thank you,” she said, getting up. “I probably should get back to him.”

“That you should,” Twilight managed to say with a smile, nodding to the mare as she left.

When she was alone in the room, Twilight hung her head and let the tears fall.

I failed.

Sassi hadn’t been meaning to condemn; she could have said far worse. But her stating of how Equestria was just the same as all other governments, that they just were “there,” it punched Twilight in the gut. They should be better, or strive to be.

It meant my systems failed. And because of that, creatures suffered and died. And somehow Sassi doesn’t hold any ill will against me.

She thanked me. Tens of thousands of creatures died because of my misplaced trust. This mare grew up in an environment of pain and suffering…and she thanked me.

I don’t deserve it.

That spoke far more of Sassi than Twilight presumed the mare realized.

The tears continued to fall, Twilight trying to not spiral into a depressive echo chamber of her own analytical and overly-critical mind. Yet all the evidence pointed to such a thing being deserved. The room seemed to constrict, the light fading as darkness settled in. The mare’s chest tightened, Twilight forcing herself to breathe-

The soft sound of claws on tile made the mare’s ears perk up, the atmosphere snapping back to reality in an instant. She was about to turn around, but just from the weight and gait, she knew exactly who it was.

Of course, he overheard that.

A familiar wing gently spread over her shoulders, a comforting voice reaching her ears.

“The knowledge that you failed a voice you never knew existed is one of the many agonizing burdens a ruler must bear. All we can do is try to hear every voice, no matter how small, and no matter how deep it’s buried. All we can be is better than before.”

Twilight’s shoulders shook, the Princess letting herself cry for a bit longer. As she wiped her tears, the wing on her shoulder vanished, the gryphon making his way back to the halls to “officially” meet up with her.

Thank you, Tanzil.

Author's Note

:yay: x2

Chapter 124: Counterbalance

*Three days later*

“I have a surprise for youuuu!” Sassi sang, walking into the recovery room. Her voice immediately made Astral’s ears perk up from his position on the sofa.

It was a far cry from the surgical suite he had been confined to. It resembled more of a hotel than anything just with doctors a call away from the hospital next door. It was far too cream-colored for her and Astral’s taste, but it was clean and comfy. To stay it was a step up from the Silos was a bit of an understatement.

The healing device from Joro had deactivated yesterday, and Astral had continued to bounce back faster than doctors had anticipated. The severe damage was healed, but now it was up to Astral’s body to catch up to the magical repair. But that meant normal foods at last!

Sassi hadn’t been entirely sure what Astral had been more excited about at first; being able to hug her, or eat a hayburger. He had proudly stated it was a close race, and the laugh from Sassi had certainly made it worth it.

After a few days of bed rest, the stallion was standing for most of the day to get rid of the jitters in his legs. That, or he plugged away on a slow treadmill for a while. That was all in addition to eating constantly. The major, negative side effects of the RASP treatment had been mitigated by Joro’s help. But there were still anticipated aches and pains for months as his body healed both from the RASP modifications and magical repair.

So, no marathons.

“A surprise?” he asked, walking over to her.

“Yup! No, you still have to keep the healing crystals in your chest for a bit,” Sassi said, gently poking the objects as Astral stuck out his tongue. He looked over, seeing a rather large box having been dragged inside.

“That’s nearly the size of me. How big of a blender is it?”

“Hah! This is better than a blender,” she proclaimed. “Flask and Vial have been busy with the eggheads in the military.”

“Oh?”

She dropped over a weighty binder, Astral staring as it thudded onto the small wooden coffee table near the door.

“Those are the permits and certifications for us.”

“Permits?” His eyes lit up. The stallion had a general idea now of what was in the box.

She yanked one of the sides open, laughing as Astral stared.

“I think I’m in love,” he muttered, Sassi cackling off to the side as she looked at the shining pieces of metal.

“The first RASP prototype system for us,” she said proudly, taking the armor pieces out of their respective padded containers. The breastplate and barding were held together with sturdy straps; a small battery situated on the back.

“They’ve been busy reverse-engineering and improving on the armor set of the RASP armor I gave them. So, these are for testing, but they’re basically the framework for future systems. We get the AI with an optional helmet, basic protection, but most importantly, side-saddle mounts for guns.”

“Hence the permits?” he suggested, Sassi nodding, snagging another large box that had been hidden outside.

“Hence the permits. Oh, and this is for you. It’s from the Gryphon Emperor.”

“Oh really? That’s taller than me,” he muttered, laying it down. “What can it-oooooh.”

Sassi looked over his shoulder, letting out a frustrated whine.
“Seriously!? Lucky!”

Despite her words, the smile on Astral’s face was enough to make Sassi nearly cheer. Laying in the box, a massive rifle looked back at them.

“Is that the monster you used?” she asked, Astral already nose-deep in the manual.

“Nope. This is the newer model!” he said, actually giggling to himself. “The crazy gryphons actually tested the durability by landing an airship on it…repeatedly!”

“Seriously?”

Astral showed her an enclosed picture of a batch-tested rifle embedded into concrete and subsequently fired.

“Seriously.”

The mare looked over the weapon, shaking her head in amusement as her stallion gushed over the manual. She couldn’t blame him.

“Whoa.”

“What?”

He depressed a firm switch in the buttstock, and a large knife handle poked up from the rear of the gun.

“It has a hidden machete?!”

“I mean, they modified it for me to use as a pony, but usually it’d be a small dagger for a gryphon,” the stallion said, suppressing giggles. “You can also remove the barrel and use it as an emergency weapon; a giant metal staff!”

“I want one,” Sassi pouted, unable to keep a smile off her face as Astral casually walked over to her and nuzzled under her head.

“You’ll get some miniguns I assume. Besides, I love long-range shooting!”

“I still want to try it.”

“Well, of course!”

Sassi then sat up a bit straighter, pulling back and looking at him.
“You’re taller,” she muttered. “You’re at my eye level, or a bit above it. I was a smidge taller than you before.”

He blinked, sitting up straight and looking at her,
“Huh. I guess so. Yay RASP treatments? Is that, um, a good thing?”

Sassi continued to stare at him, but judging from the pink starting to color her cheeks, Astral had a fair idea about the answer. The affection humming through their link was a clue enough.

“Sooooo a very good thing?” he asked, leaning in for a cheeky kiss as she grumbled.

“I didn’t know it was attractive,” she muttered.

“Well, thank you RASP treatment! I’ll…ow…” he hissed, side spasming. “I’ll sit down now.”

Carefully lowering himself to the sofa, the stallion let out a happy sigh as Sassi plopped down next to him, immediately snuggling up under his wing.

“Y’know, it’s new to enjoy a hug with you when we’re not running for our lives,” Astral mused, Sassi cuddling closer. “And you’ve certainly seemed to enjoy it.”

“Um, duh?”

“Ok, fair,” he chuckled. “I certainly don’t mind you being snuggly.”

She reached up and poked his nose with a grin.
“Well, ditto. I’m just glad you have a soft side to enjoy.”

The mare melted as Astral snuggled closer, resting his head on top of hers.
“Only with you.”

“This is weird. Being able to be close to you and not having to keep moving. It feels…off. But in a good way.” Sassi’s voice echoed in Astral’s mind after they didn’t speak for a time.

“Well. It’s also weird we can talk like this. But I agree. Kind of makes it more meaningful. We’re free and can just do this anytime. Take an hour and just relax with each other. No mutants or Silos. Just us.”

A soft sniffle prompted Astral to wrap a forelimb around his special somepony, Sassi shaking her head.

“I didn’t cry almost at all before meeting you,” she muttered. “I blame you for making me play catch-up.”

“Guilty as charged.”

“You’re sentenced to more kisses and cuddles.”

“Woe is me!”

The two laughed, Astral’s ears then slowly flattening as a rather uncomfortable realization settled in. Mainly, that of their schedule the following day.

“Y’know, we need to be in the castle tomorrow,” he said softly, Sassi nodding.

“And apparently that’s when your parents want to meet you as well. Just got the memo before I came back.”

“Wait what? I thought that was next week?”

She shook her head, Astral forcing himself to take a few deep breaths.
“O-ok, tomorrow is going to be a doozy then?” he whispered. “After what you and Twilight told me about what they said…”

Sassi felt a white-hot poker of rage spike through their link, the stallion at her side still focusing on taking a few deep breaths.

“But that’s why I refused Twilight’s offer as a mediator. No tricks, no masks,” Astral said slowly. “I’m not sure what to make of it, them wanting to speak with both of us. Maybe they changed.”

The doubt in his voice caused Sassi to reach over and squeeze his hoof.

“We’ll get through it,” Sassi said quietly, Astral huffing.

“I guess. At least they visited me in the hospital after a few days. I half expected them not to.”

Sassi didn’t have a good response to that. There was a deeper throbbing in her mind at Astral’s words. Something was left unsaid about their delay in visiting him, but she wasn’t going to push.

“But first we get to get rid of a bug in your head, right?”

She nodded, the mare’s mood dampening.
“I’m trying not to think about it,” she admitted. “Like, it’s an amazingly good thing, but I have to be controlled by that spell again for a bit. The Princess said the sooner the better though. They have some of the Silo staff locked up there, so it’ll be much easier to isolate the command spell now and get it over with. I just want it gone.”

“Will you be ok?”

She nodded, nuzzling under his chin.
“You’ll be there, and I trust you. So, yeah. It’s a best-case scenario. One command from the Silo guy, and then one command from you. That’s all Twilight said was needed.”

Astral wrapped a hoof around Sassi’s, the two of them not saying anything for a few moments.
“I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you,” he whispered.

She smiled, yawning and adjusting her position to be more sleep-friendly.
“That’s why I’m not freaking out even more,” the mare admitted. “And we’ll have the experimental armor too. So that’ll make me feel better.”

“Y’know, you don’t have to sleep on my account,” Astral said. “I never took naps before this.”

“Yeah, but it’s a free excuse to snuggle my special somepony. So, you better believe that I’ll be right here even if I don’t sleep.”

“You’re going to read the armor and gun manuals, aren’t you?”

Sassi’s pout sent Astral into a fit of chuckles as he reached over and kissed her, then closing his eyes. Her whispered reply nearly made him start laughing again.

“…maaaaybe.”

Canterlot Castle used to be, in a word, intimidating. Not so much by the structure, but by how many dignitaries and politicians it housed.

Now though, as Astral and Sassi walked down the halls with Twilight and a few guards, it seemed almost normal. It was an odd feeling for Astral, to say the least. Before this, he would have been rather nervous. Now? It was just some building where important creatures worked.

The two of them wore the prototype armor; it oddly made the stallion feel more at ease. Well, that, and the combat knife he had strapped on the side. Apparently, Sassi had rated his pout “Ten out of ten” when Astral had learned about the wait to get firearms for the RASP suit. But he’d make do.

“So, Sassi, did all of that make sense?” Twilight asked kindly, having explained the procedure in detail as they walked to the spell chamber.

“I mean, it’s pretty simple. The Executive gives an order to raise my hoof up and down. Then Astral gives me an order for whatever. Then you purge the spell out of me forever.”

“That’s the long and short of it,” the Princess said happily. “You shouldn’t feel the effects until we’re in the spell room; it’s incredibly shielded.”

“Well, that’s assuming it’s not some freaky kind of-”

Raw panic shot through Astral’s link, Sassi abruptly freezing. The knife was halfway out of the holster before Astral paused, the guards staring at the pair.

To say he was a bit protective was an understatement, even if his current strength was marginal at best.

“The spell kicked in!?” Twilight exclaimed, horn igniting with a frown. “That shouldn’t be possible.”

“Well, it is. And Sassi is trying not to panic,” Astral said, walking over to rest his head against the other Thestral’s.

“Then no reason to dilly-dally.”

“Sas? Let’s go and get this thing over with. Follow us to the spell chamber please,” Astral said.

The mare nodded, mechanically walking as they resumed their course.

“Fascinating. I’m detecting traces of Limbo energy. If that is weaved into the spell, that would explain its capacities to bypass both horn locks and room shielding,” Twilight mused to herself.

“Can you still get rid of it?”

“Oh, absolutely. Let’s just get inside.”

The spell room was a simple affair; white granite and stained-glass windows around a hexagonal floor shape. A bit of fancy crystal was weaved into the floor in various arcane patterns, but it was otherwise fairly plain.

A brown unicorn stood on one end of the room, horn-locks and limb restraints preventing him from moving. That, and the two burly guards at his side.

“Alright, please have Sassi stand here,” Twilight directed, gesturing to the center of the room.

“You heard the Princess, Sas. Step to the center of the room, please,” Astral said softly. The panic had eased ever so slightly, but still was overriding every other emotion. It wasn’t all-encompassing anymore, but instead was a ball of anxiety, fear, and a nauseating sense of violation. There was a thread of affection breaking through occasionally, and that helped ease Astral’s worry ever so slightly.

She stood in the center of the room, the guards fanning out as Twilight’s horn brightened.

“Coin Cut,” the Princess barked, “order Sassi to lift her hoof up, and then place it back down. Do not speak any other words. Do so in ten seconds.”

The unicorn’s head lifted. If not for knowing how evil the Company was, the pony would have cut a rather sorry figure. However, Astral saw that behind the yellow eyes there was a fair amount of loathing. No self-pity or remorse, despite his stature suggesting it.

The thought of ramming his knife into the unicorn’s skull was, for a moment, tempting. If not to ease Sassi’s pain.

“Sassi. Raise your hoof, and then put it back down,” Coin said in a monotone, his eyes then drifting to Astral. For a split second, the unicorn seemed to be contemplating saying more, a dark intelligence flicking behind his eyes.

Astral felt a malevolent smirk slide onto his face. He found himself wanting Coin to say something else, meeting the unicorn’s gaze with an almost eager, desperate hatred. The anger abruptly surged, clouding Astral’s thoughts with a white-hot poker, begging to be unleashed.

Do it. Give me a reason to kill you.
Please…

His hoof casually reached over to the knife at his side, Astral still staring at the unicorn as his muscles tensed.

It’d be so easy.
Nobody would even have a chance to react.
Do it!

To the Thestral’s satisfaction, fear began to cloud Coin’s gaze, the pony finally looking away and staring at the floor. He actually shrank away from Astral slightly, their eyes not meeting again.

“Alright. I’ve isolated the primary command matrix,” Twilight muttered to herself. “I’ll need a few more commands from you, Astral. Just simple things. I’ll then need a minute to work, and then a final command which will act as the carrier for the dispelling magic.”

The anger and hatred abruptly faded, Astral shaking his head and refocusing. He took a few deep breaths, the abruptness of the emotional shift rattling the Thestral a bit.

“Ok. Just random commands then?” he asked, “Sassi, please sit down.”

The mare did so, Astral calmly going through a few other simple changes such as raising a wing or nodding once.

“Give me a moment,” the Princess said.

The group waited in relative silence, the only sound being the soft hum of magic around the Alicorn.

“Hang in there, Sas.”

“Got it! Astral, one final command if you please, and it’ll be done. Anything. Even a generalized phrase.”

We’re so close!

“Sassi?” Astral asked, the mare looking at him. Any remnants of rage or anger were abruptly replaced with love as he looked into her eyes. Anger hadn’t saved him in the Silos; this incredible mare had. And she was worth all of the trials that place had thrown at him. Emotion welled up in Astral’s throat. There was only one thing he could say.

“I order you to be free.”

The air in the room pulsed, a black ball of energy ejecting itself from Sassi into the air. It fragmented and danced around as if desperately trying to escape- and then faded into nothingness.

Astral caught Sassi as she collapsed to the floor, the mare’s breaths coming in frantic gasps.

“It’s gone,” Twilight reported, waving a hoof to the guards. “Get the prisoner out of here.”

Tears ran down Sassi’s cheeks as she looked up to Astral, wrapping him up in a desperate hug as she cried.

“I can’t feel it anymore,” she whispered. “Nothing. It’s just us.”

Turning to look at Twilight, Sassi could only bow her head in thanks, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes but utterly failing.

“T-thank you, Princess,” she whispered.

“You’re most welcome. And just Twilight is fine. I’ll leave you two be then. You’re welcome to stay here and grab lunch until your next meeting.”

Once alone, Sassi hugged Astral close, the mare burying her face into his fur.
“Thank you, Astral. For being here. For everything.”

“Always.”

His inaudible response made Sassi sniffle, the two of them content to relax in each other’s arms for as long as they needed.

“I’m completely free,” Sassi finally whispered, pulling back to look at Astral. “I’m…it’s over.”

The kiss she gave him made the stallion’s head spin, an excited giggle echoing around the room as Sassi sat up. Despite the smile on her face, tears still trickled from her eyes. She took a few deep breaths, leaning her forehead against Astral’s as her voice hitched.

“We’re free.”

Chapter 125: Lines in the Sand

After a lunch in the cafeteria and a long walk around the castle, Astral forced himself to start walking to the conference room. Sassi had shaken off the spell far faster than anticipated, and the mare was now fully focused on the nervous stallion at her side.

The dread in his heart made the Thestral’s chest ache, anxiety bubbling up. Sassi could sense it, of course. But no words were appropriate.

I want to be wrong.

He wanted to believe his parents had changed, that the words Twilight had relayed were nothing but fearful and impulsive responses.

Their late visit to the hospital, however…that didn’t bode well.

At least they’re consistent.

Tears abruptly welled up in his eyes, the stallion hanging his head as he took a few deep breaths. Sassi offered a comforting wing, but he shook his head. The emotional swings after surgery had been obnoxious, but doable. Easily fixed with a hug and an hour of rest.

This felt different. Deeper. There was a guttural fear, along with a bubbling, protective anger concerning Sassi.

We’re free of the Silos, but I’m still afraid.

He wiped his eyes, forcing himself to continue walking. The mare at his side watched in clear concern but didn’t prod. Twilight was at least there to greet them; Astral could appreciate that at least, the Princess having guided his parents here personally.

“Thank you, Princess.”

With a nod, the Alicorn trotted off, and Astral steeled himself.

“Sassi? Can you do something for me?”

“Anything.”

He turned to look at her, jaw tense with emotion as Astral struggled to speak.
“If I physically, mentally, or verbally stumble, let me fall. And please, just follow my lead.”

Sassi’s brow furrowed, not fully understanding. But she nodded nonetheless.

“There are a lot of things that may come up unrelated to you. This all just might have brought it to a head. So, even if it looks like I’m losing the battle, don’t fight it for me. Please. Even though I want you to, this needs to happen,” he explained. “Let me do the talking so what needs to be said, is said.”

Two forelimbs wrapped around him, Sassi hugging the stallion tightly.
“I get it. And I’ll try my best. But I c-care about you. I can only stay quiet for so long.”

He returned the hug, nodding as he took a few more deep breaths.

“Thanks, Sas.”

With a push, he walked into the conference room. A wave of emotions nearly made him physically trip as Astral saw his parents sitting off to the side.

He hadn’t seen his parents face to face in years. Spoken to them over a communications spell on occasion, sure, but not like this.

Sassi’s eyes widened off to the side, gaze flickering to her stallion. To say their link was likely a hodgepodge of emotions was an understatement.

“Mother. Father,” Astral said as calmly as he could, taking a few steps forward before sitting down.

What do I say?!

“You certainly have improved from a few days ago,” Edge Sentinel mused, the mare taking a step forward and looking over her son. “That’s good.”

“Good to see you, Son,” Halberd chimed in with a nod.

Astral saw a look in his father’s eyes. It was a worried one. He had always been the more receptive one to Astral’s odd interests. And, judging from Twilight’s report, he had been the most open towards Sassi and their situation. If Halberd was concerned, then this was not a typical meeting.

Then again, with his parents, it never was.

May as well be blunt.

“Thanks to a friend we made in the Silos, I’m alive,” Astral explained. “Without Queen Joro’s help, I’d be dead.”

“That is the Limbo creature, yes?”

Edge’s curt response was enough to make a surprisingly violent swell of annoyance crash against Astral’s mind.

“Yes. A Queen similar to the Changelings, at least in the sense of having a hive.”

There was an awkward pause, Edge walking over and looking at Sassi.
“I suppose we can get to the point,” she said, the older Thestral’s eyes slightly narrowed. “I was very curious as to the creature who changed my son.”

The worried look in Halberd’s eyes flared up again, and Astral took a deep breath. Perhaps he could flip things.

“Well, Mother, this is Sassi Satin. I’d certainly say I’ve changed for the better thanks to her. I heard a summary of what you and Flask discussed prior.”

“Then you’re up to speed. I know who she is. Or in this case, what. And I doubt such changes are all positive,” Edge growled, walking back to sit in front of Astral. “I stand by what I said to the Princess and Flask.”

Astral felt something inside him slip. A magnesium gear was grinding in his heart, and it cracked a tooth, metal shavings igniting into fire briefly before continuing to spin.

“Really? I owe Sassi my life a dozen times over. Did you want to try and convince me of something?” Astral asked. “I never assumed for a moment this meeting was to make sure I was ok.”

“The Princess’s reports were comprehensive on your health.”

Astral stared, and it was only shock that prevented tears from rising in his eyes. He had wanted to hope.

“Is that why you didn’t visit for days?” he asked softly, meeting his mother’s gaze with a bit of a snarl. “Or did you forget again?”

“Don’t be childish! That was an entirely different matter!” Edge huffed, waving a hoof. But a portion of her demeanor cracked ever so slightly.

“I got certified to run my own observatory. I was authorized to operate and maintain a telescope more expensive than our house. And you simply “forgot” about the graduating ceremony and free tour of the facility?” Astral said, a surprising emptiness filling up his chest. Sassi stared at him in shock.

“As I said, totally different.”

“How? There was a time when you being there would have mattered to me. And you weren’t. Same thing when I got my degree!”

Edge let out a huff, waving a hoof.
“Come now. You were unconscious, and the doctors needed to work. We weren’t even in Canterlot when you were brought here.”

Astral stared, the realization slowly hitting.
“Let me guess? Meetings? Training?” he asked slowly, Edge nodding.

“Yes. You were unconscious. You wouldn’t have known either way.”

Her words gave him nearly shattered Astral’s confidence. Another gear tooth snapped in his heart, emotions spinning freely before he got them under control.

“I see,” he whispered. A comforting touch eased the pain ever so slightly-

“Don’t you touch my son!” Edge hissed, flaring her wings and glaring at Sassi. To her credit, Sassi met the gaze without a flinch of hesitation.

“Nice to meet you too, Lieutenant Sentinel,” Sassi replied calmly. Despite her courteous tone, there was a clear edge to her words. Of the things that scared Sassi, this mare wasn’t even close to being on the list.

Halberd placed a hoof on his wife’s shoulder, but the other Thestral shrugged it off.

“What did you do to my son?” Edge hissed. “Astral killing ponies? Hundreds of mutants? How long did it take for you to wrap him around your hoof? A day or two to lure him into bed I suppose?”

“Watch your words, Lieutenant!” Astral growled, his mother’s eyes widening as the other Thestral glared at her.

“I rest my case! Astral wasn’t like this before!”

“Trauma does things to a pony,” Sassi replied. “And I haven’t slept with him, to clarify that line of discussion. We’ve been a bit busy running for our lives for months.”

“I’m not talking about just now! Astral, you killed that Director. He may have deserved it- but he was a pony. Do you mean to tell me that, and killing all of those creatures…” Edge gestured towards Sassi. “Was for this?”

The gears froze. The teeth started to crack. The rage bled through Astral’s barriers, barely contained as his eyes locked onto his mother.

“I’ve killed to save Sassi’s life. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat, yes,” Astral said with a firm nod. “That’s the rational response to save the ones you love.”

Edge let out a dismissive snort, rolling her eyes as Halberd winced.

“This is…just a lot to take in,” Halberd said, shaking his head. “We don’t see you for years, and now things are so different. You’re different.”

The rage cooled for a split second, lava turning to ice in Astral’s chest.
“Different? You made it quite clear that I wasn’t welcome after the Case. You know, the one where lies and slander forced me to move.” the Thestral said. “And now the Silos? Of course, I’m different after that place, after running for my life for months.”

“But we’re Night Guards!” Edge said. “Our family have been guards for generations. A battlefield changes you- but not like this!” Her eyes then flickered to Sassi. “It changed you.”

“Excuse me?” Astral asked with a slight growl, Sassi looking at him in alarm. Halberd picked up on the change as well, trying to get his wife’s attention.

“What? Am I wrong?” Edge asked. “You can’t make a soldier out of a tube. Nor a pony from nothing but science. Not a real pony. Who knows what else they put in there to help it manipulate others?”

Sassi tried to hide her reaction, but it still was a gut punch.

“Mother, you will apologize,” Astral said, taking a few steps forward and glaring at the Thestral. “Now.”

“For calling It what it is? Why?”

A gear shattered, a furious snarl snaking onto Astral’s face.
“Because the only other creature to have called Sassi an “it” is dead,” he said, meeting his shocked mother’s gaze with unblinking eyes. “I strapped a grenade belt to his throat. Sassi is not an “it!””

“Is that a threat?” Edge replied with a dismissive snort. “As I said. You weren’t like this before. Now you’re daring to talk back to me? What did she do to you?!” the Thestral asked, voice rising to a fevered pitch.

“Edge, enough!” Halberd said firmly, gripping his wife’s shoulder. She shook her head, glaring at Astral and then Sassi. The older stallion’s eyes drifted to Astral- and fear began to rise in his gaze. His son’s wings were flared protectively, unhinged, malevolent anger starting to write itself across Astral’s face. Yet Edge seemed oblivious to it all.

“Well?!”

“I’ve been through Tartarus and back,” Astral barked back, voice matching Edge’s. “The only reason I’m alive is because of Sassi! What happened down there, is that I fought horrors you have never seen! I hope you never will, but I did. I saw it all. I waded through rivers of blood and bodies for her! And I’d do it again in an instant.”

The Thestral was nose to nose with his mother, fangs bared and barely able to think. The anger was all-encompassing, a protective, white-hot fire searing through his mind.

“For the first time in my life, in the nightmare of those Silos, I found someone I could be myself with. Someone who supported me, no matter how weak, defenseless, or embarrassed I was. I’d defend her with my life! I’d kill to keep her safe.”

Astral’s voice then lowered to a low growl, pausing ever so slightly.
“Do you think I haven’t done that a hundred times over? And you dare call her an “it”? The mare who saved your son’s life? The one pony in this world I want to spend my life with?!”

“It. Changed. You!” Edge ground her teeth, snarling back.

The mother drew back, her son snarling as Astral glared at her. Confusion shifted to worry on Edge’s face as the stallion took another step closer, an unhinged rage flickering across his expression. The mare actually took the smallest step backward as her son glared at her without a hint of fear or regret.

Then it was gone, Astral’s face fading to a completely emotionless mask. The anger turned to ice. There was only one outcome to all of this.

“I will ask this only once, Mother. When you say “it”, do you mean the Silos changed me, or are you referring to Sassi?

Edge actually hesitated, finally shaking her head and glaring at Sassi.

“That!”

Astral forced himself to take a few deep breaths, nodding once.

“Then we’re done talking,” he said, trotting over to hold out his hoof to Halberd.

“Corporal Sentinel,” Astral said curtly.

His father shook his hoof, and a few tears welled up in the older stallion’s gaze. A bit of admiration, respect, and understanding flickered in his eyes. The stallion then hung his head as Astral offered the same to his mother.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Lieutenant Sentinel,” Astral said calmly, reaching down and shaking her partially-held-out hoof.

He then walked back and stood next to Sassi.
“Until you apologize to Sassi Satin for your words and behavior, we have nothing to talk about,” Astral said coldly. “You won’t get any communications from me until that happens, nor will I reply to any message other than an apology, however long that may be. If you want to force me to pick between the mare who saved my life, the who I love with all my heart, and you…” his jaw quivered, the Thestral forcing the words out. “Then I will,” he whispered. “So, goodbye, Mother. Father. I wish you well.”

He turned to walk away, Sassi silently following. The stallion stumbled. He nearly fell face-first onto the floor before catching himself. The pair left the conference room, leaving two stunned Thestrals behind.

Astral mechanically walked down the hall, smoothly turning into a smaller, side-hallway with an empty room.

“Astral, say something to me, please,” Sassi said as the two sat down opposite each other. “Please, look at me?”

The stallion lifted his gaze, and large tears began to trickle out of his green eyes.
“S-sas. I just…I…”

Astral’s demeanor crumbled. There was no anger, only untold grief in his eyes. He leaned forward, wrapping up Sassi into a hug as he bawled into her shoulder.

The mare could only rock him back and forth, trying to offer what comfort she could.

“I’d always choose you. How could I not?”

Astral’s desperate, grief-filled voice filled Sassi’s mind as she hugged him tighter. The pain over their link made her chest ache.

“Thank you for standing up for me,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry. I never wanted this, let alone for you to choose.”

“I know.”

Sassi wasn’t sure how long she held her stallion tightly, Astral crying into her fur for a long, long time.

Author's Note

Sometimes you have to pick your family.

Chapter 126: Elevator, going up!

“Twilight sent the new conditions for Flask’s sentence,” Astral said, passing a paper over to Sassi. “It’s pretty fair, all things considered.”

“Oh?”

The two Thestrals were perched on a green hill, a large tree shadowing the two during the sunset. In the distance off to their right, a bustling city began to shift into the night life. Hidden due to the distance, but to their left, cranes and scaffolding surrounded an observatory and adjacent buildings; their new home when it was completed.

“House arrest until further notice. But plenty of visiting rights, and he can go shopping and be out and around Canterlot with guards,” Astral said as Sassi read the report. “The Princess can’t pardon him yet, but it’s clear that’s the eventual goal.”

“I think my dad would demand a punishment,” Sassi admitted. “He has done a lot of bad stuff. A few months can’t make up for all of it. Not yet.”

“A few months? Is that how long it has been since all of this started?”

“Well, since it all started. We’ve only been out of the Silos for…a month,” Sassi added. “Barely any time to ourselves with all of the reports and making sure our experience is cataloged.

“You sound a bit bitter for a mare who just made six figures in a week.”

“Pfft. Upper six figures at that!” Sassi crowed. “And that was just the first volume of my reports!”

Astral grinned, leaning his head over onto her shoulder. Sassi responded by letting him fall onto the picnic mat with a yelp, wrapping her forelimbs around him and burying her face into his mane. She took a deep breath, nuzzling his ears contentedly.

“It still doesn’t feel real,” she whispered. “You feel real. And we’re on a grassy hill, on a date. And free. But it’s all muted.”

“Yeah. Same here,” he admitted, scooting a bit closer. “But that’s okay.”

“Hmmm.”

Hearing the not-so-convinced tone, Astral continued.
“It still hasn’t hit. I’m not having too many nightmares, but I can sense it all on the edge. Just waiting to pounce. We haven’t even processed what we went through. You have a lifetime of stuff to come to grips with I’ve just got the Silo-”

“Nuh-uh. Remember? No trauma competitions.”

He grinned, his marefriend nuzzling his ears affectionately.
“Fair. But yeah. It hasn’t sunk in. I think it will soon, but not yet. We’ve been so busy with debriefing, writing down the experiences while they’re fresh, I mean, it’s a good thing, and helps us cope in a way.”

“But now we can start to breathe?”

Torquing his neck, the stallion gave Sassi a kiss, the mare happily returning the gesture and hugging him tighter. A hoof reached down to brush his chest; a thin scar now having replaced the healing crystals.

Pulling back slightly, Astral gestured up to the tree.
“It doesn’t feel real, but let’s come back at least once a month until it does. Deal?”

Sassi sniffled, nodding with a trembling, but genuine smile.
“D-deal,” she whispered, almost angrily shaking off the tears. “I cry at the drop of a hat! It’s annoying!”

“Well, I nearly threw a jar of jelly at someone because they were chatting in the grocery store aisle. So, fair’s fair? We’re both on a hair trigger?”

With an understanding nod, Sassi scooted over, the two of them sitting up. Astral gestured to a well-lit building on the edge of the city in the distance.

“Ready for part two of this date?” he asked, looking over to a small pile of metal plates next to them. “I think the armor’s concealment spell has some time left on it.”

The two shrugged on their minimalist RASP suits; essentially webbing and metal plates across their chests, flanks, and back. It just felt wrong to be without them.

Hence the concealment spells.

“Sounds good to me!”

The dance club was fairly packed. The two Thestrals were largely unnoticed, the pair meandering towards the back. The DJ was a rather eccentric kirin, mainstream pop songs pumping over the speakers.

“Are you sure they’ll change?” Sassi grumbled, reaching up to adjust the hidden earpieces. “It’s a bit loud.”

“I promise. I checked the schedule. It’s a slower night,” Astral confirmed, “See?”

As if on cue, the lights shifted, various groups and pairs splitting up across the club as a song played.

Astral grinned, walking over and pressing his side against Sassi’s. She couldn’t help but smile, the stallion leading her in a simple back-and-forth dance.

“Y’know, I think we’re a pair of Super Troopers…” he mused with a sly smirk. “I might have made a request or two.”

Sassi’s eyes widened as the lyrics came over the speakers.

Song Link

“So imagine I was glad to hear you’re coming
Suddenly I feel all right
And it’s gonna be so different
When I’m on the stage tonight
Tonight the Super Trouper, lights are gonna find me
Shining like the sun Smiling, having fun
Feeling like a number one”

“Oh my g-gosh, Astral!” she laughed, gasping for breath as they danced back and forth.

“Arcane showed me this song; I think he likes Disco. It’s not the original meaning of the song, but I’d say it’s appropriate,” he chuckled, Sassi now taking over and leading the dance. The two Thestrals stepped back and forth, separating for a more semi-formal set of moves. Astral knew more moves, but Sassi could lead the basics just fine. And that was all they needed for tonight.

She wiped away happy tears from her eyes, Astral leaning down to press his forehead against hers.

“I’ll never get tired of that smile,” he whispered. His words abruptly made Sassi sniffle, the mare clenching her jaw.

“D-don’t make me cry in public,” she whispered. “Not fair. We’re both emotional wrecks!”

Astral’s knowing smile made the mare grumble, Sassi sensing there were more surprises on the way. The amusement over their link was confirmation enough for that.

The DJ ended the song, and the stage was yielded to another band. A bearded stallion took the mic, Sassi watching curiously.

Her eyes widened immediately after hearing the music start, her lips trembling.

“I know this one.”

Song Link

Her silent words made Astral nod, the stallion stepping back and offering a hoof. Nocreature was watching them at the back of the crowd. While the song wasn’t a typical one to dance to, Astral had a feeling it’d be more than appropriate.

“Only we would be dancing to a metal song,” Sassi sighed, pressing her neck against Astral’s as he led her in a more traditional, waltz-like set of steps. Her words abruptly cut off as the singer began. The stallion’s voice was rough but carried a strength and emotion that filled the club and spilled out into the streets.

“I have often dreamed of a far-off place
Where a hero's welcome would be waiting for me
Where the crowds would cheer, when they see my face
And a voice keeps saying this is where I'm meant to be”

Astral’s eyes met hers, and the stallion’s throat was already closing with emotion. He couldn’t even form mental words; simply danced with the one mare he loved with all his heart.

“I'll be there someday, I can go the distance
I will find my way if I can be strong
I know every mile would be worth my while
When I go the distance, I'll be right where I belong

Down an unknown road to embrace my fate
Though that road may wander, it will lead me to you
And a thousand years would be worth the wait
It might take a lifetime but somehow I'll see it through”

Tears streamed from Sassi’s eyes as Astral spun her into a twirl, pulling her close. The concealment spells on the armor failed with a soft crackle, but neither Thestral paid any mind.

As the singer continued, it took everything Sassi had to not bawl her eyes out. Even so, the tough mare couldn’t keep the tears from spilling down her face.

“Like a shooting star, I will go the distance
I will search the world, I will face its harms”

Mid-step, Astral gently took her hoof and placed it against the scar on his chest. Sassi nearly stumbled, having to pause to wipe her eyes. Sassi hopped forward, wrapping Astral up in her arms as she cried. Her thoughts from back in the Silo surged to the fore.

Despite Astral having picked the song, she couldn’t have said it any better to the stallion she loved.

“I don't care how far, I can go the distance
'Till I find my hero's welcome waiting in your arms”

She hugged him tight, and even if the mare couldn’t put all of the words to the emotions in her heart, she knew Astral at least understood a bit of it.

But Sassi wanted to be sure.

Pulling back, the two rocked back and forth in a simple set of steps as the song wound down. Sassi rest her cheek against Astral’s, barely managing a whisper with a shaking voice.

“Y-you make it worth it,” she said, having to clench her jaw briefly. “The Silos. If this is the result…I’d d-do it again.”

She buried her head into his shoulder, hugging the stallion tightly. Astral couldn’t help but cry as well, the pair sitting down as he looked into the mare’s tearful eyes.

“I just want you to be happy,” he whispered. “I’d fight the world for you, Sas. I’d do it all again for you. Every bit.”

The kiss she gave him made Astral’s head spin, the mare giggling as she wiped her eyes.
“You’re everything to me, Astral,” she whispered. “I still don’t know what you see in me. I can’t get there, not yet. But thank you for everything. For being you.”

“Ditto, but in reverse,” Astral huffed, then reached a hoof up to gently cradle her cheek. “Sas,” he whispered, not wanting to dismiss her words. “Never forget that you’re worth it. That you’re worth so much more than that place taught you.” His ears flattened, and it was the stallion’s turn to struggle to speak.

“I’m not a perfect pony, he said softly. “I’ve got a lot of stuff to work through. But I’ll try my best to be the stallion you deserve. Because you deserve someone more than I can be. But I’ll try.” He smiled, wiping away a few tears. “I guess we’ll both try?”

She laughed, giving him another hug.
“I like that plan,” she said, occupying her stallion with a long kiss.

Pulling back, she giggled as the mare waved a hoof. More than a few eyes were now drifting their way, the armored Thestrals standing out, even at the rear of the crowd.

“Time for a graceful exit? She asked, Astral laughing as they trotted away, leaving quite a few curious mutters in their wake.

“Graceful? I think I heard like, five creatures wondering if “that was Astral and Sassi?”” he cackled, breaking into a fast trot once they were in the streets.

“Well. How about a nighttime run? Last one to the Observatory and back to our hotel loses?” Sassi asked, immediately taking off at a sprint. “And go!”

“Not fair!”
Astral broke into a gallop, unable to resist a laugh.

Torture. Lies. Mutated creatures. The Silos. Everything that nightmarish place could throw at them.

And we made it.

Together.

The meeting room was buried underneath a mountain of rebar and concrete. Magical shields challenged even the most adept Princess to locate the area. Even then, the screens were tied in from across the entire world. Five shadowy figures looked at each other, one of the pony outlines finally speaking up.

“The capture of our ten subordinates is a significant setback,” the unicorn growled. “Our operations are nearly crippled! I think new leadership steps need to be-”

“Your concern is noted, Two,” another pony said with a sigh, the other individual bristling. “We will continue our work in a more subdued manner. This is simply a reset of how things began. Now, we must begin anew to use more covert tactics.” The screens then played a recording of Split Tie’s death. “We are monitoring the two individuals responsible for this. They are extremely close to an above-ground operations center. They won’t think to look in their backyard, especially with us lying low. There are no underground facilities near them to arouse any suspicion as well. Is that acceptable, Number One?”

The larger pony’s outline nodded once.
“It is.”

Three’s words seemed to infuriate Two, the pony letting out a hiss.
“Fine. Four and Five; you are also in agreement with this strategy? Comfortable with the current leadership still?”

A mare’s outline nodded, as did another unicorn’s.
“We are.”

Two let out a frustrated growl, waving a hoof.
“So be it. But you all know that this isn’t over.”

“Of course not. But we cannot contain what has already escaped. Now, we’re just the poor, beaten company with a bunch of innocent creatures caught in our nets,” Three said with a chuckle. “We cooperate as much as is feasible, laying the groundwork for deeper networks as we do so. This is a long game, Two. I know Split Tie was your friend, but that facility was, quite frankly, a ticking time bomb.”

Two’s eyes lifted, the screen only showing their dark brown depths.

“You would know about time bombs, Three. What about that thing still out there, right? What’s your plan for that?”

A pair of golden eyes now shone on the screen, the unicorn snorting.
“Our facilities and creatures can weather any figurative or literal explosion such a cascading event may produce, even one that could destroy nations. Whether or not weaker creatures can, is not our concern. Quite frankly, it’d be rather beneficial to have a blank slate to start with. Should there be a large-scale event, it would make nations ripe for us to help them rebuild their foundations and begin our work anew. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Seeing all the ponies nod, Two included, Three let out a huff. “Are there any other issues to be brought to the council at this time? No?”

The unicorn tapped twice, the screen fading.
“Then this meeting is adjourned.”

Author's Note

:yay: And thus this particular adventure comes to a close. Stay tuned for the Epilogues next week!

Epilogue 1: Arcane Tales

“How are you feeling, Arcane?” Fluttershy asked, the stallion’s ears perking up as they ate some snacks in the mid-afternoon.

“I’m…I’m doing better,” he admitted. “I know I haven’t been around much.”

“A few days smacking metal can do wonders for the soul,” Discord chuckled. The unicorn’s ears flattened at that, and the Draconequus waved a paw. “Nothing wrong with that! You needed space, and so we’re happy to keep our distance. Well, other than giving you the good news about Astral and Sassi.”

“And I appreciate it, really,” Arcane said cautiously as if trying to push through the illogical guilt of isolating himself. “It has been really good to just think without all of the bad stuff surrounding me.”

“To that end, Flutters here has been wondering if you’d be open to trying some more orderly therapy.”

Arcane surprised himself as a smile slid onto his face as Discord gagged. A simple smile was such a natural reaction that felt so alien.

“What kind?” he asked. “You all opened your home to me so I can get better. I’m-I want to be better. I feel a bit more stable. Not a lot. But as you said, smacking some metal did help.”

“It’s a form of sensory therapy,” Fluttershy explained. “We’re still learning how it works, but essentially, you focus on something I move in front of you while remembering something painful. After you do that a few times, the memory becomes softer and less hurtful. Some patients say they can barely recall what happened after a few sessions.”

The stallion didn’t say anything for a few moments but finally nodded.
“I think if you’re using a flashlight, we’ll need more batteries,” he finally said, Fluttershy smiling. It was a bad joke, but a joke nonetheless. That was progress.

“I have a lot of stuff to work through, Miss Fluttershy,” he added softly, ears flat against his skull. “I might-I don’t want to scare you.”

“I appreciate it, Arcane. But I’ve seen all kinds of trauma before. Maybe not as long-term as yours, but you won’t scare me,” Fluttershy said kindly. “And no lights are needed, not unless you want to.”

Arcane looked around, settling down on the cushion.
“Well, if we want to give it a shot whenever I don’t see why not. If I break down or something, I can just go hibernate in a room or my dimension until we try again.”

His willingness to try clearly perked Fluttershy up and Arcane couldn’t help but feel a flicker of hope. Maybe it could hurt less.

But it meant unlocking years of memories.

“Discord, if I have a surge of magic, can you…?” Arcane’s words trailed off as the chaotic god saluted.

“You won’t cause any damage here, my little pony. So don’t worry.”

His words made Arcane sigh in relief. It was odd how much of a burden was abruptly lifted from the unicorn’s shoulders.

I have to start somewhere. But Discord can keep me from hurting anyone, and Fluttershy knows how to make it less painful. If anywhere can give me a chance, it’s here.

Fluttershy briefly went through the process and it sounded fairly simple.

“So, think about the nasty stuff in terms of what I saw, what I felt both physically and emotionally, and a negative association about it with myself,” Arcane repeated back, “but also have a set positive thing?”

“Yup! And we just go through that process for each memory until you feel like the impact is lessening.”

Arcane shrugged, settling back on the cushion.

“That’s easy enough.”

“Since this is more of an early intervention than treating it years later, we can adjust things as needs be. So first, can you focus on something positive? Identify what it is?”

That was an easy one.

The first genuine hug I had in years.

“Got it.”

“Okay. Now, pick a single bad instance and focus on that while following my hoof with your eyes,” Fluttershy said, slowly moving her limb.

One of the thousands of tests. This was an early one.

He flinched instinctively but forced himself to push through it. The inhibitors made his body feel like it was being stung by a thousand bees. The increase in voltage to the restrictors around his horn and limbs to see what was going on.

This memory was fuzzier, older. Back when he thought someone could hear him scream.

“Can you describe what’s going on, Arcane? You don’t have to be too specific,” Fluttershy asked.

With a shaky breath, the pony nodded. He kept it simple. The tests, the pain, the helplessness.

“It was before I realized how useless it was,” Arcane whispered. “Screaming “someone help me” didn’t do me any good. Not down there. I lost count of the times I begged for help. For anyone to hear me. But nobody ever did. I eventually stopped asking.”

He saw empathy fill Fluttershy’s gaze. No judgment, only sorrow. This mare had a hidden nerve of steel to help others deal with severe trauma; Arcane’s experiences weren’t any different in that regard.

“Wait. That’s…I remember something else.”

Two forest-green eyes filled his mind. They were familiar.

I know those eyes.

“I think someone did hear me, just once. It gave me hope, if for but a moment. It never happened again,” Arcane said, an odd warmth blooming in his chest. “Two green eyes. They heard me.”

Tears abruptly began to pour from Arcane’s eyes, the hint of a smile managing to stay on his face.

“It was for less than a minute. But for a brief moment, I wasn’t alone,” the stallion whispered. “I don’t know what they saw or felt. But they saw me. And somehow, they understood. Being shunned for what you are. I still don’t know who it was. I probably never will.”

His shoulders then slumped, the warmth fading.
“But that was a decade ago. Hope doesn’t survive that long. It certainly didn’t with me.”

Fluttershy didn’t say anything for a time, at least until Arcane looked up at her and nodded; a gesture to continue.

“You’ve described what it felt like. Now, what’s a negative belief about all of it?”

His brow furrowed, still tracking Fluttershy’s hoof as it altered patterns.

“Not sure if it’s negative. But…those years made me realize I’m not a good creature.”

“Why?”

He let out a sad chuckle.

“Because if that was the case, I wouldn’t have been forgotten by everyone. Tortured for years. Why else would that have happened?” Arcane asked, his ears drooping. “At least, that’s what I’ve told myself to have it make sense. But now, I’m not sure. I’m not a villain to be reformed. So if I was a horrible creature, a pony that deserved all of that, I wouldn’t be in your home. You wouldn’t be helping me.”

Instead of directly contradicting the stallion, Fluttershy simply nodded.
“You’re right. You wouldn’t be.”

Somehow her words made Arcane’s chest warm far more than if she had tried to convince him by refuting him.

“The tests were painful,” Arcane whispered. “Back then, they had a clipboard with what would happen that day. I tried to look at it sometimes as if it’d help me prepare. It never did.”

As he spoke, still following Fluttershy’s hoof, the process seemed to oddly deaden the memory. It wasn’t major, but ever so slightly, Arcane found his breathing slowing. It all still hurt, but the memory simply was. The realization was freeing in a way the stallion couldn’t put into words.

Another run-through of the memory only increased the odd sensation. He still hurt, but parts of the specific memory had started to become fuzzy. Other parts had become clearer.

For example, on the next process, Arcane clearly remembered looking around. He saw the clipboard with the tests to be performed that day. It contained the testing location, results, and the date.

A cold sweat abruptly broke out across the pony’s frame.

The date.

“F-fluttershy?” he croaked, forgoing the formalities. “I t-think something’s wrong.”

“We can take a pause, that’s totally fine.”

“N-no. Something else. Do you have my file? I know I have one in Equestria,” Arcane asked, the sweat soaking the cushion as the Fluttershy nodded to Discord, the chaotic God conjuring up the folder.

“What’s wrong, Arcane?”

He took the offered folder with a shaky, magical grip. The stallion struggled to suppress the panic and bile rising to his throat.

“Whatever you were doing, it was working. But I remembered something. It didn’t register because I had no concept of time when I was there,” he explained. “The date was wrong. It was earlier.”

“Earlier?”

Arcane stared at the page of his file, a simple photo with a small biography.

My age.

“Is…is this correct?” he asked, tears abruptly welling up in his eyes. Fluttershy cautiously scooted closer, Discord clearly not understanding what was going on.

But Fluttershy did. Somehow, she picked up that something was horribly wrong.

“Is what correct?” she asked, looking at the file.

“This information. My age.”

Her brow furrowed, and the mare looked at Discord nodded.
“It is. Arcane, what is it?”

Tears began to pour from his eyes.
“It s-says I’m in my mid-thirties,” he whispered. “But I just turned twenty-nine. W-what happened to more than four years of my life? Why don’t I-”

Arcane’s spine stiffened, eyes abruptly shutting. He knew the answer.

“Arcane? Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“I remembered the date of one of the tests. It was earlier than it should have been,” he said, voice quivering. The unicorn finally looked up, barely holding together his composure.

“The date on that test. I wasn’t tortured for five years,” Arcane whispered, his entire body trembling. “I was in that room for nearly a decade. It just blurred together. One d-day after another…”

The pause in the room was deafening. Discord’s eyes widened in shock, and the mare next to Arcane drew a surprised breath.

She offered a hoof to hold, but Arcane shook his head.

“Discord. My dimension. Please!” he begged, magic beginning to crackle from his horn. In an instant, red and purple magic began to flood from the unicorn’s eyes.

With a flip of his claws, the three of them were yanked into Arcane’s Chaos dimension, the unicorn stumbling on his hooves to get some distance.

Discord reached a gentle set of claws to hold his wife’s shoulder.
“Give him some space,” he whispered. “Do you want us to leave, Arcane?”

The pony shook his head but stayed silent. His sides and limbs quaked, but Arcane still managed to stand.

A decade of being tortured in that place.
Half of my life torn away in that silo. Five years of lies, ten years of pain.

Discord snagged Fluttershy in a magical grip, levitating them off of the stone as it began to be eaten away by red and black bolts of lightning. Arcane’s form shivered, multicolored eyes snapping open as fangs jutted from the unicorn’s mouth.

What do I do now?

Just as he had started to feel better, this realization had ripped all of it away.

Fifteen years in the Silo. Half of my life in that evil place.
Who am I underneath all of that
Is there anything left?

It was too much for Arcane to handle. The more he thought about it, the more the pony felt crushed by the weight of it all.

How many times did I cry for help?
Did nobody try to save me all that time?
Not once?

The weight was almost a physical one. The pony’s limbs shook, Arcane crumbling to the floor in a distraught pile.

“Please, anyone!”

Tears squeezed from his eyes, a flickering television-like portal opening. Shown from an unknown view, the unicorn in view twitched as electricity shot through its body.

His body.

“Is anyone there?!”

Another portal, another view of Arcane shaking on the floor as magical fields twisted around his body, suppression devices hooked up to the walls with forelimb-thick cords.

“WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!?”

The cries for mercy, for peace, for a savior began to overlap. Dozens of portals, then hundreds, all drawn from Arcane’s memory.

Fluttershy’s jaw was clenched, a few tears trickling down her face. The mare turned to press into Discord’s chest. The God of Chaos’s maw was slightly parted, an angry, almost unhinged snarl on his face.

“ANYONE?!”

The chaos magic continued to spark around Arcane’s body, cobblestones being created and shredded in an instant. Any screams from his mouth were lost in a thunderous cacophony of noise. Jagged cracks zig-zagged across the dimension, every tear echoing like ice under stress.

Fifteen years and nobody came to save me.
What’s even left to save?
I barely even know. All I had was the chaos. That’s all I had then.
That’s the only reason I survived. But it didn’t save me. Not from everything.

He had spoken to the Chaos magic before, but it had never answered. Not in words at least. It was how his fox friends had originally found him. Arcane didn’t know if it even worked, but it had been the only entity that wasn’t actively trying to hurt him down there. He knew at least something was listening, and that had been a comfort.

A listening ear when everything else had been pain.

What do I do now?
Chaos…give me something. Anything. I don’t care what. I can’t think about it all.
Five more years of torture, of memories I didn’t realize I had.
I can’t take more pain.
There has to be more to life. I’ve seen a glimpse of it.
Chaos, please. Show me that there’s more.

Tears ran down his cheeks, the liquid turning to steam as the stallion’s limbs shook. Multicolored whips of power shredded the space around the pony, then soared up into parts unknown.

What’s left other than anger?
What’s left of me?
Is there even anything left?
All I can feel is-

“Help! Is anyone there?! PLEASE!?

Everything froze. The cracks pulsed softly with a red light.

That wasn’t my voice.

Arcane’s head snapped up, his eyes fixated on a single portal swirling in front of him; a writhing mass of water. A collection of five familiar foxes were curled around his forelimbs also looking at the new view curiously.

Everything froze and Arcane looked closer into the new view. It was almost like watching a movie, a bird’s-eye view of the scenery below. Looking at the churning water, Arcane somehow knew what this portal showed.

Equestria.

An out-of-control storm. Multiple weather magic failures. Cyclone with a massive storm surge. Rural village far north of Fillydelphia.

Show me more.

Additional portals opened, each showing houses almost completely underwater as Arcane’s eyes flickered from each scene to the next. The tears in the chaotic dimensional began to calm, fading into the background.

Last Light deployed. Rescue ships got the survivors.

Wait.

Two soaked figures clung to each other on a single rooftop, the distant lights of the rescue boats still searching- but they were too far away to see them. Another portal opened; three more creatures were on a neighboring roof. And another…

The water is still rising.

Arcane found that easy, focusing on this new situation. His own pain was still too raw, too terrifying to touch. If he dwelt on it for more than a second, the stallion would lose himself in it.

But he could focus on this.

“Please! Somebody!” another voice cried; a pony visible on a patch of dry roof barely larger than a dinner tray.

The agonizing cry over the wind made the magic around Arcane’s body still. The cobblestones knit neatly together, forming the previously-stable platform as the unicorn stared. Off to the side, Discord tapped his wife on the shoulder, the Draconequus smiling.

The stones continue to spread out as far as the eye could see, Arcane managing to take a few deep breaths.

Nobody came to save me. But…

“ANYONE?”

Another screen snapped into existence, a stallion screaming as the wind rushed by, their limbs flailing.

Off-course glider. Torn apart by the storm.

Arcane’s hooves began to move on their own. One step. Then two. Then three.

I don’t know what’s left of me.

“I DON’T WANT TO DIE!” a terrified voice screamed.

But I can be there when there’s nobody else.
I can give someone else hope.

He wasn’t sure when he started galloping, but the cobblestones shattered underneath his hoof falls, the stone melting as the stallion jumped. The first hop covered a dozen strides, the second, fifty. His hooves barely touched the ground on the third, the stone liquifying as a shockwave rippled out across the surface.

The fourth jump blew the cobblestones into powder, a sonic boom echoing through the chaotic dimension. As Arcane launched himself into the portal a thousand thoughts flew through his mind in an instant.

I can save someone.

Rocketing through the portal, Arcane wrapped the screaming stallion up in his hooves, barely a dozen paces from the flooded ground. The air was split with a deafening *CRACK*, the water beneath surging out from behind Arcane.

With barely a thought, the terrified pony was sent to a nearby aid center. Which one, Arcane wasn’t sure. The unicorn was just rather pleased the spell had worked flawlessly.

No more teleportation. Too risky.

That’s when he hit the water from his continued flight. The impact smacked the unicorn in the face, and he nearly panicked. Arcane’s limbs thrashed-

Up.

Popping up like a cork, Arcane hovered above the water, reveling for a split second in the power of the storm. He felt the weight of something clamp around his barrel, forelimbs, and flanks; the stallion wasn’t sure why. It was a comforting sensation, however. Grounding.

His mind worked in simple sentences. A few words here or there. Arcane couldn’t muster up the strength to think in much more complex terms than that.

Teleport. Save the nearest.

Appearing in the wind-lashed air, Arcane’s eyes widened as he looked down. A young earth pony colt stared up at him, barely into his teenage years. The water lapped at his hooves, the light-yellow colt shivering.

Sunlight. Warmth.

With a simple thought, the clouds were torn apart, the temperature ticking up a few degrees as sunbeams punched through the fading rain. Natural laws meant nothing to him, their constraints shoved aside with an angry huff.

Water is still rising.

With a toss of his head, Arcane snagged the colt in a magical grip, depositing him on a floating mattress that followed behind the unicorn.

“T-thank you.”

Arcane nearly tripped, even though he was walking through the air. A warm glow abruptly bloomed in his chest. No memories, no anger. Just a simple happiness at the words.

Even though I’m broken, I saved one.
I can’t give myself hope. But I can give it to others.

He jumped, another few hops until he managed a controlled glide on invisible wings.

Now one more.

Two more creatures were snagged from the rooftops, their jaws agape as Arcane flew by.

One more.

Another group of three, the Unicorn angling his flight upwards. As the clouds began to creep back in, Arcane let out a snarl. As if running in terror, the dark formations abruptly dissipated, a circular eye of the cyclone being formed.

One more.

A terrified Kirin hanging onto a light pole.

Just.

A family was trapped in their attic. Arcane tore the roof apart with a single bolt of magic. They stared at him in shock, clambering onto the offered mattress before the stallion continued on.

Save.

A mare clinging to a tree, neatly levitated up and added to the growing fleet of conjured mattresses floating behind the unicorn.

One.

A group of four creatures; two gryphons, a pony, and a small dragon.

More!

Arcane heard the soft muttering of the creatures behind them, but he didn’t care.

Are there others? I wish I had some sort of radar.

With a rather loud *PING*, a pulse of magic radiated out from the unicorn, a single red dot shining in the distance.

The final creature was a hippogriff, a wing broken as they hung onto the upper branches of a tree. Carefully setting her onto a mattress, Arcane examined the wing, frowning.

Multiple fractures. Painful. Don’t want to risk healing magic. Supportive brace and painkillers.

The wing was abruptly wrapped in a medical brace, marshmallow-like padding securing it to her side. Arcane looked down, the water now having risen to the tops of the trees, far beyond any house.

He spied a large rescue boat in the distance hovering just offshore. With a spark of his horn, the unicorn returned the clouds to their original locations, protecting the creatures in his grip with a large metal umbrella.

Zipping along, Arcane paused as two armored creatures looked up at him, a lighthouse emblazoned on their breastplates.

I know that symbol.

There were a dozen large tarps erected on the deck of the ship, each sheltering a group of creatures as they were tended to before being sent below.

On seeing the creatures floating behind Arcane, one of the gryphons spoke into their half-helmet.
With as much care as he could muster, Arcane carefully placed each individual down, a few curious creatures poking their heads out from under the tarps now.

More than a dozen.

An odd warmth flickered in Arcane’s chest. There wasn’t any pain. The memories-

“Thank you.”

The hippogriff with the broken wing smiled up at him, tears mixing with the rain as she spoke.

He didn’t trust himself to speak, only nodding. The unicorn then caught sight of himself in a glass window, and his breath hitched in Arcane’s chest.

The weight on his body wasn’t without reason. A simple helmet encased his head, reminiscent of ancient knights. The breastplate Arcane had been designing had weaved itself across his body, thin, sleek armor coating the unicorn’s limbs and barrel.

Emblazoned on the front, a golden star of Chaos and a red heart shone brightly amidst the glistening silver metal. Multicolored streaks spread across the surface, pulsing gently with his heartbeat.

Shafts of sunlight broke through the clouds, and the stallion glanced back. His eyes widened in surprise as the clouds shone with a rainbow of colors.

At that moment, Arcane let himself think, and his chest constricted.

I don’t want to remember.
All that’s inside of me is rage.
Fear.
Pain.
Hopelessness.
What do I do now? How can I-

The chaos magic answered again, a portal snapping open to the left of the pony.

“Mayday! Mayday!”

His limbs moved again, golden hoofprints being left midair as the stallion charged into the new portal. A league away, a ship foundered on the edge of the storm, ten creatures struggling to keep it afloat.

Landing on the prow, Arcane examined the vessel, a simple fishing trawler.

Large hole from wave impacts. Engines not working.

Fix.

The ship bounced upwards; the hole being patched by a network of hard-candied plates welded over the metal. The engines sputtered; a ball of tar being ejected from the exhaust before coming to life again.

With a spin of his hoof, Arcane sent the trawler zipping along the edge of the storm on a straight path for a port in the distance outside the worst of it.

As he breathed, floating in the storm, the unicorn’s shoulders slumped.

Now what? Every time I stop, all I can think of-

Save one more.

The thought punched through Arcane’s mind, another portal opening.

I can save just one more.

His hooves moved again, the stallion throwing himself in.

An avalanche approached a group of skiers; a dozen youngsters and three earth pony adults. They screamed, hugging each other close as the abrupt wall of snow blotted out the sun.

The stallion sent powder spraying everywhere as he landed, a massive maroon shield blossoming in front of him and around the group.

As the avalanche roared against Arcane’s magic, the unicorn reveled in the challenge as he bared his fangs in a snarl. The icy wall threatened to kill all in its path- but not this time.

With his power, it was nothing!

The shield pulsed, the energy blasting a hole through the incoming wall of snow and ice.

I can’t think. I can’t dwell on it. There’s too much pain.

But I can save just one more.

One more.

Just save one more.

Discord and Fluttershy watched a dozen screens floating in front of them as they sat in their Chaosville yard. Video cameras, and news reports; all showed the same thing. A strange stallion dashed across the view. Sometimes in the air splitting the clouds, other times galloping over the ground.

A flood. An avalanche. A train derailment. A hospital that abruptly lost power…

“It’s hard to think about the hurt when you help someone,” Fluttershy whispered, leaning on her husband’s shoulder. “But he can’t keep this up. I worry for him. And doesn’t this break a few rules? You had mentioned that briefly about why you don’t mess with some things.”

Discord chuckled, very much enjoying the vague awareness of a few Fates squirming over the recent developments.

“He’ll wear himself out, and I think that’s not a bad thing right now,” Discord said. “As for the rules, the reason I don’t meddle is, first off, it’s boring,” he said with a grin. “It’s not my world to interfere with. But it is Arcane’s. And yes, technically this breaks quite a few rules. But I don’t think Arcane will ever care about that.”

The God of Chaos paused, his brow narrowing ever so slightly.
“But that would break even bigger rules. And yet I can’t see Arcane ever caring about that. He’s more attached to your world than I am. If I had to guess, he’ll never stop trying to be better, to make your world better, even if it breaks rules I abide by…usually.”

Fluttershy let out a hum, glancing up at the Draconequus with a hesitant smile.
“Maybe in his case, that’s a good thing?”

Another good-spirited laugh left Discord’s muzzle, the chaotic being nodding eagerly.
“Oh, Flutters. I think it’s a glorious thing. It’s so very chaotic!”

Arcane’s sides heaved as he tottered through the portal, collapsing onto the cobblestones inside his dimension.

A few small cozy hunters’ cabins now dotted the landscape. He hauled himself to the nearest one, letting out a hiss as pain shot up the stallion’s forelimb.

The cabin was a quaint thing; a bed, kitchen area, television, and desk were all crammed under the roof. Flopping onto the plush mattress, Arcane conjured up a first aid kit and retrieved the gauze.

The gash on his limb ran from halfway down his forelimb up to the shoulder, spiraling slightly around the appendage. Multicolored fluid dripped from the wound, seeping into the bandage the stallion tightened around it.

His thoughts were beautifully quiet. He had lost count of how many crises had been diverted. Some big, some small.

But now there were smiling, thankful faces to replace the decade of painful memories that threatened to surge to the fore. A small smile was on the stallion’s face; a gesture that felt so alien, but very much welcoming. He had a feeling Discord would be back to check on him soon enough. But even as he stumbled to the desk with a wince, he wanted to help one more.

I can’t save everyone. I know that.
But I can divert the big stuff.

It was a surreal moment for him. Arcane could, at some level, recognize that averting all tragedies was both unrealistic and a dangerous mindset. So, there had to be a set of rules for him.

But I want to help in small ways too.

“One more. Give me one more. Something calmer,” he asked, voice hoarse and scratchy. “Who needs that type of help?”

A computer screen popped up, images beginning to cycle through as viewed from, what Arcane could guess, were security feeds. Or perhaps Chaos magic simply pulled out snapshots, he wasn’t sure, as the date stamps were over a couple of months.

A mare laughing with three children; a hippogriff, gryphon, and earth pony. A gryphon male came home and joined the giggling tickle-pile.

It showed what must have been security footage from the past. The two creatures filling out dozens of forms. Meeting with multiple creatures, court dates…

And then playing with three creatures. The hippogriff must have been only a year old. Then, in another scene, the young gryphon was only six months old. And then finally, an earth pony being a year and a half.

As the scenes progressed through additional court cases and paperwork, a genuine smile began to spread across Arcane’s face.

They adopted all of them. Endured the bigotry against a different-species couple, yet they persisted.

They’re happy.

Arcane remembered the first time he saw Mally. She had such a different energy when she had held him. For the first time in the youngster’s life, he had felt safe.

And this couple, they helped three children. Three lives saved from an uncertain future.

The screen changed; the Gryphon being laid off from his job. The following failed interviews flashed by in the dozens.

Savings depleted. The cost of living skyrocketing. All loans maxed out.

The image shifted. It didn’t show the inside of the home, but the faint outlines of the individuals as they moved around. The gryphon tucked the children into bed, then walked quietly to the kitchen to cry after another day of failed job hunting.

The mare heard him, wrapping the larger creature up in a hug as she sniffled.
“We’ll make it somehow. We always have.”

Her words made Arcane’s jaw clench. He could change everything if he wanted.

It’d just take a thought.

In an instant, the cabin fragmented into splinters, bolts of energy licking across the stallion with an intoxicating power. Energy flowed around the pony’s body like a river, every thought immediately linked with an action.

I could fix it all. Why set limits on what I can do?

It was only the beginning of a thought, but the pony abruptly realized how dangerous his situation was. It wasn’t a mere fantasy; Arcane could fix all of it. This family, Equestria, the entire world.

His thoughts from before had been wrong.

I have that power. ALL of it!

There wasn’t anything outside of his reach. All of the problems of the world could be solved in an instant. Governments ripped down and new nations created with a thought. Every financial and government system would yield to his control.

All the pain and suffering could be erased. He could do anything.

The stallion had certainly dreamed about such a chance when tortured in that nightmarish Silo. Even through the desperate desire, he knew it was a dangerous line of thinking.

But he wanted it, so much. And yet…

I couldn’t fix it all, not forever. Not unless I forced everyone to do the right thing. And that isn’t the right thing in and of itself. That’s not life. I could do anything. But I shouldn’t. That’s my burden. To help and not give in to the temptation.

To be better.

Is that what my voice says underneath it all? Is that who I am?

He took a shaky breath, a few tears welling up in his eyes. Was that who he was underneath the pain, fear, and anger?

Am I a good pony underneath it all?

Arcane didn’t know.

But it’s who I want to be.

Arcane couldn’t fix it all. He shouldn’t fix it all. The bolts of energy subsided, the cabin and computer reforming.

But I can’t stand by and do nothing.

I won’t!

A few of the tears now fell from his eyes, burning as they did so.

Fifteen years of my life is what happened when creatures did nothing. I’ll never stand by when creatures suffer. I don’t care what rules have to be broken.

Life isn’t made of happy endings. But I can try to change that. As many as I can.

I won’t let hope fade from those the world forgot. Not as long as I draw breath.

As he limped out of the cabin, he saw Discord watching him curiously. The chaotic God simply waved, Arcane nodding back. The pony took a deep breath, reaching out with his magic to his realm. To help, he had to lay a foundation.

I can’t do this alone. Not forever. Eventually, there’ll be others.
Others who have been forgotten.
Others who won’t stay silent.
Others who refuse to stand by.

Buildings began to spring up, arrayed out like spokes on a wagon wheel. In the center, a massive spire soared up towards the celestial sky, white marble, and glass reflecting the stars above. He trotted down the paved streets as they weaved together in front of the stallion. Hundreds, thousands of structures sprang up out of the corner of his eye. An entire city began to create itself from the cobblestones. Streets, lights, roads, and plumbing all formed like clay on a potter’s wheel as Arcane galloped down the main path.

He didn’t even know what everything was. All that he had was an idea. The spark of something that wasn’t anger or fear. A will, a general desire, and hope gave rise to an entire block of a city. Parks and trails weaved out into the distance and beyond his sight.

I was left alone. If anyone did care, they weren’t able to do anything.
This place…it can be somewhere for the forgotten. The forsaken.

Time blurred together, a new building near the central hub now commanding Arcane’s focus. He barely registered what was being created. It was only the emotion he knew, the Chaos magic weaving it into physical form.

A nudge here or there.
I’ll operate by the world’s rules, but only barely.
Enough nudges and I can change things for the better.
I will change things for the better!

The building wrapped itself in silver thread, the star of chaos sprouting from the roof with golden wings wrapped around the symbol.

With another spark of magic, a steady stream of silver and gold flowed into the bank. A digital counter popped into existence above the new, basement-level vault. The numbers flew up faster than the eye could follow.

Money is the reason I was left in that pit for half my life. Bribes to politicians. Payrolls for mercenaries. Money is a weapon. But unlike them, I don’t have limits. My arsenal is bottomless. Let them try and match me!

Arcane didn’t know how he did it, but with a thought, he tied the bank into Equestria’s monetary system. Then the gryphons, and then all other nations. Wire transfers, bank account numbers; it all abruptly linked up without a fuss.

For a split second, Arcane mulled over buying a few less-than-appropriate items and mailing them to the Princess of Equestria. It’d certainly convey how he felt about things. The anger surged again, the stallion gritting his teeth with a snarl.

Forget such a juvenile gesture; he could crash the financial system of Equestria if he wanted. He could hold the entire country hostage for what they did to-

As fast as the rage entered, it abruptly began to cool.

No.
Those ideas aren’t what would make me happy. I want to be a better pony. One who wouldn’t do those things.
One who won’t.
I have to be the one who won’t.
If I start down that path, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself.
I have the power to do anything, good or bad. I have to set limits.

He then returned to the cabin, staring at the screen. A single picture hovered on it; what must have been a family photo put on social media.

Arcane didn’t even know if Mally still had a picture of him. Aside from her, family wasn’t something the stallion ever had. Outside of childhood, there weren’t any friends, family, nothing. He didn’t know who even remembered him.

Is there even enough left of me for someone to love?

That thought crushed the stallion, and the pony steadied himself against the wall to catch his breath. His chest ached; the simple sentence having driven all breath from his body. It was hard to breathe, the realization that such a thought might be correct. If all that was left of Arcane was trauma and pain, was that enough for someone to love?

I’m broken.

Arcane’s lips trembled at that, the unicorn’s eyes narrowing in determination despite the tears that gathered in them.

“I can’t fix myself yet,” he whispered, “but I can fix this.”

He had to be careful. The last thing the unicorn wanted was to have Discord take the blame for any of his misdeeds. Not that he was terribly worried. This loving family had many problems, but almost all of them had a singular solution.

Magic pulsed from his horn, and Arcane nodded in approval at the picture. It was such a simple thing to send a box to the family in the photo.

One more. I saved one more.

As he trotted back out of the cabin, Discord’s eyes widened at seeing the colorful bandage.
“Are you alright?” he asked calmly, the pony shaking his head.

“I’m really not,” Arcane said with a surprisingly carefree laugh, a few tears trickling from his eyes. “But I’m doing a bit better than yesterday. And that’s a good thing.”

Discord snapped his fingers, teleporting them back to his realm.
“A good thing indeed. Now, let’s get Fluttershy to look at that wound. I know what caused it, after all. When you’re ready, I’ll teach you how to prevent it. A mortal body, even one like yours, can only withstand so much raw chaos at a time. And you have been busy indeed.”

Arcane sat down nodding slowly. He felt a smile on his face. It was an odd sensation.
“I’d like that.”

In downtown Baltimare, a gryphon and mare stared at the contents of the sizeable box which had abruptly appeared on their kitchen table, an oddly-shaped star emblazoned on one of the corners. Their tear-filled eyes were affixed to the note attached, and the two creatures could only hug each other after reading it.

“To Mr. and Mrs. Thistle,

The enclosed contents will pay off all of your debts and give you six months of rent, utilities, groceries, a gift-filled Hearthswarming, and any other bills that may arise in that time. I’ve also enclosed job offerings in the surrounding area that will meet your needs and qualifications.

A family that loves each other through thick and thin doesn’t have a price.

Take care of each other.

-From a friend”

“The chaos magic did this?” Fluttershy asked, re-wrapping Arcane’s limb for the third time that day. The stallion had vastly overestimated his ability to speak and had nearly passed out after initially arriving at their home, the day after going on his helping and creating spree in Equestria and his own dimension.

“It happened before,” he explained as Discord frowned. “When I had burnouts, the wounds opened all over my body. As best as the Company could tell, it’s the magic not having a conduit strong enough,” his ears flattened. “They…experimented on that a few times.”

“An accurate but crude description,” Discord added, his left eye twitching slightly at Arcane’s last words. “I can teach you to prevent it for the most part.”

“I’d appreciate it.”

“The news has been busy with you, by the way,” Fluttershy said with a soft giggle. “You’ve given them something to talk about for days.”

“I imagine,” Arcane mused, brow furrowed in thought. “It helped. Just being able to focus on something that wasn’t me.”

“Well, if it helps, keep doing it. Just maybe not as intensive as last time?” Fluttershy suggested, eyes flickering to his wounded forelimb. “Please?”

Arcane was about to object, but a gentle smile meandered onto his face, the stallion nodding.
“Okay. I’m taking a break from it too. There are probably some cosmic rules I broke. I need to learn those so I can ignore them.”

Discord couldn’t contain a snort, the Draconequus chortling as he tried to suppress his giggles.
“Totally called it!” he crowed with a grin, Fluttershy rolling her eyes good-naturedly.

“Called…?”

“There are rules. Basically, don’t interfere with mortals. I had a feeling you really wouldn’t care about such things.”

“You’d be right,” Arcane admitted. “I assume I’ll meet whoever makes those rules?”

“Probably not. But some of the other deities get their bridles in a knot if their threads of life aren’t weaved nice and orderly,” the Draconequus huffed.

“Well, I want to visit the Last Light’s Island. Don’t they have like, two creatures living there who are Fates?”

“Indeed. I think they’ll try to outline the rules for you then.”

“I promise to try and be polite,” Arcane sighed, rolling his eyes and prompting a giggle from Fluttershy.

“They’re just doing their best.”

“Miss Fluttershy, their ‘best’ was to leave me to rot in that Silo for fifteen years.”

The mare let out a soft squeak, hiding behind her bangs as Arcane dropped his head in shame.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to snap at you, I just-”

“It’s okay,” Fluttershy said, reaching up and placing a gentle hoof on his shoulder. “You’re not wrong though. The fact you said you’d try and be polite is a gesture in and of itself. It’s more than I expected.”

Arcane nodded with a slight smile, slowly standing and testing his weight on the bandaged limb.

“Do you mind if we tour your new city when you’re out?” Discord asked, clearly trying to hide his excitement. “I’ve never been one for creating such things, and you were a busy bee!”

“Huh? Sure. Tour away. I’m not sure about everything I created. So, if there’s anything insulting, I apologize,” the unicorn replied.

“Duly noted. Come on, Flutters! I think you’ll find this rather fun.”

“Be careful, Arcane,” Fluttershy said, the other stallion pausing. Her sincere, caring words made him physically have to stop and take a few deep breaths.

“I will. I’ll be back soon,” Arcane whispered, then trotting out the door.

It was a simple matter to conjure up a portal, Arcane taking a few more long, slow breaths.

I just want answers.

He jumped through, a smile immediately sliding onto the unicorn’s face as he soared through the clouds. The island was visible below. He’d aim towards-

The unicorn’s body abruptly froze, plopping onto a cloud.
“Huh,” he muttered, an ethereal earth pony appearing in front of him. “I assume you’re one of the Fates? Or Thread Weavers? Or whoever does that stuff?”

The mare actually giggled, nodding briefly.
“Yep! That’s one of my jobs. I just need to make sure…oh dear.” Her voice drifted off, another mare abruptly appearing at her side.

“What are your intentions, Chaos-Wielder?” the new mare asked. Her stature was taller, and even though see-through, clear armor adorned her frame.

“My intentions? I don’t want to hurt anyone,” Arcane said, sitting on the cloud. “I just want to talk. I want answers. Nothing more. I just want to talk to Toxic Shield, and then leave.”

The mares stared at him for a few moments, the taller one finally letting out a satisfied huff.
“Very well. Please keep to that. We’ll be watching.”

She vanished, the smaller pony wincing.
“Sorry. My sister can be blunt. But she has a point. We can’t let you harm creatures here. Not after what you…” her voice abruptly cut off, and that made Arcane’s eyes narrow.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone. Why did you think that was my first reaction?” Arcane asked, realization then settling in his mind. The unicorn couldn’t help but snarl now. “Wait. ‘After?’ You knew. You knew where I was, and you let it happen,” rage whited out every other emotion. “They tortured me! And you let it happen! You knew and you just watched!”

The mare’s ears pinned back, not meeting Arcane’s gaze.
“We couldn’t interfere.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Arcane growled back. “There’s a difference. I’ve heard about you all and the rules you abide by. How has that worked out for you with the Company? Tens of thousands dead and tortured?” the stallion snapped. That’s when he saw it; a sliver of hesitation.

They know their rules are flawed.

“More power than even the Princesses, and you don’t act to help those who need it. You are cowards,” he hissed, the mare’s eyes widening in surprise. “Play within your rules then, but they aren’t mine, and never will be. Now can I go? I just want to talk before I get any angrier. And you already have me on the edge.”

The mare nodded, releasing Arcane and letting him glide down to the island. He just wanted a few answers. Any dwelling on the ‘Fates’ and their lack of action would only tick off the stallion more.

He’d deal with them later. If they tried to stop him…

“Answers first,” he muttered, the anger cooling off as he took a few deep breaths.

I just want an answer. The Director might not have even known. Even if those entities did. No point in being angry at him. Not yet.

With a pop of magic, Arcane appeared in Director Shield’s office. Judging from how the unicorn was sitting calmly behind a desk, Arcane had been expected.

The amount of countermeasure and protective spells were impressive to say the least. They even surpassed the Company- but they were all reactive. Nothing reached out to Arcane, only waited to see if he tried to lash out.

“Arcane Flare,” Toxic Shield said, getting up and walking out from behind the desk, sitting down in front of the pony. “I was told you wanted to talk. Is that accurate?”

Arcane swallowed the lump in his throat. The last time he had spoken with the Director was when he was a colt. The other unicorn was surprisingly calm, but Arcane could pick out a fair bit of tension that Toxic was keeping under control.

“Y-yes,” he managed to say, the other unicorn still looking at him cautiously. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.. I just want answers. I want to know what happened.”

“I’ll gladly give them. But you’ll have to forgive the precautions. We didn’t know what the Company did to you,” Toxic said. “There’s plenty of spells and countermeasures you’re probably detecting. I can’t be too careful, even with your recent actions of helping creatures.” He paused, then raised a hoof. “I’d be happy to explain what did happen when you were taken, but may I say something before we continue?”

“Sure?”

The unicorn bowed his head, jaw clenched.
“I’m so, so sorry,” Toxic whispered. “I’m sorry that we failed you; that I failed you.”

Arcane sat down with a soft *thump*, blinking in shock.
“Wait. You didn’t forget about me?”

Toxic shook his head immediately, sitting back down and looking at Arcane.
“Of course not. Our inaction wasn’t because we forgot.”

“Then why?”

The other unicorn let out a tired breath, shaking his head slowly.
“We didn’t know. That’s the crux of it,” Toxic explained. “In short, the Company was far more ingrained in governments and nations than we could have imagined. By the time we realized the Company had illegally pushed their application ahead and taken you, we didn’t know where you were. There were false trails created, and the teams I sent ran into dead ends. Mally…I don’t know if she’s forgiven me. She says she has, but I don’t know if I deserve it. I could have pushed things, I should have, but it would have severely damaged our relationships with other nations. It may have even started a war.”

“Is she doing okay? Mally?”

Toxic nodded, a weak smile forming on his face.
“Yes. I could bring her here if you’d like. She certainly hasn’t forgotten you.”

Arcane immediately shook his head, surprising Toxic.
“No. I’m-I’m not okay right now,” he admitted. “I just wanted to know if you all had given up on me. If you had forgotten me. If she had forgotten me.”

“None of us did,” Toxic said immediately. “If I had known where you were and what that Company was doing, I would have tried to rescue you myself. I promise you that.” His ears then flattened. “But such promises aren’t worth much. You suffered because we failed. I failed. I don’t expect your forgiveness for that.”

Arcane didn’t say anything for a few moments, his brow furrowed in thought.
“I forgive you,” he whispered, the words making Toxic’s eyes widen in shock. The blue unicorn’s mouth dropped open slightly before he was finally able to say anything.

“What? Just like that?”

With a shrug, Arcane tossed his head. “I don’t know if I need to forgive you for anything,” the stallion said. “You all had to trust Equestria’s system. I get that. I wouldn’t have wanted others to suffer for my account, and that includes if an entire country’s relationship was damaged. The Company was an evil nobody had ever seen before. I didn’t even know you sent teams after me. Just the fact you looked for me means a l-lot.” The stallion’s voice cracked at the end.

“I sent as many as I could. But the Company knew we’d look for you. They spent a great deal of time and effort to make sure all we found were dead ends,” Toxic said tiredly. “I’ll always regret I didn’t push things further.”

“Let’s just call it even.”

“Even? How can we be ‘even’?”

Arcane smiled. A small, barely visible flicker, but it was there.
“You still gave me and my mom a place to stay and tried to help. That’s more than most. And you gave a young colt an ideal to strive for. You did your best to try and find me. That means more than I can explain. Equestria didn’t bother doing anything. Nobody did,” his voice then cracked. “But you did. You tried, and you never forgot about me.”

A few tears welled up in Toxic’s eyes, Arcane holding out a hoof.
“I can’t promise I’m just ‘fine’ with everything. But I want to be. Even with Equestria, in time. Well, in a long time. I just hurt. But I don’t want to hurt, and being angry just makes it all worse. I need time to work through that.”

Toxic reached out, gently shaking the offered hoof.
“I understand. There’s a place for you here if you ever want it.”

The chaos-pony nodded, horn lighting up with a teleportation spell. He then paused.
“Can you tell Mally I’m okay?” Arcane asked. “Just, let her know I still love her. I’ll see her, I promise. Could you tell her that I’m staying with Fluttershy and Discord? They’re helping me. I just don’t want to meet her when I’m like this. I know she’d be okay with it, but it’s too much for me.”

“I’ll let her know,” Toxic promised.

Arcane paused again, his brow furrowing in thought.
“When I was in that place, there were once two green eyes that saw me when I was in a magical stupor,” he whispered. “They saw me in that place and somehow understood. I don’t know how, or why. But someone did reach out to me. Was that you?”

Toxic shook his head, brow furrowed.
“No. That wasn’t me, or anyone on the island. I’m sorry.”

A hesitant smile flickered across Arcane’s lips.
“It’s okay, Director. It’d have been too easy to discover otherwise.” His demeanor then darkened, and the stallion struggled to keep himself from shaking with anger.

“And Director, while you may not have known about me, your “fates” did. They must not have told you.”

The betrayal and horror on Toxic’s face lifted Arcane’s heart, the unicorn staring in shock as Arcane vanished.

Toxic Shield drew a shaking breath, disgust crawling across his body.

“Gells, you can come in. We’re about to have visitors,” he whispered. For all they knew, Arcane could have been a sleeper agent from the Company. Having a civil, kind conversation had been a hope of Toxic’s. But with how painful Arcane’s life had been, Toxic hadn’t tried to bank on it.

Yet he had been completely courteous, all while dealing with a betrayal that made Toxic’s entire body shiver with rage.

Gelliana opened the door across the meeting room, snapping on a large safety before pushing a massive, bipod-supported rifle to the side as she walked into the room. The weapon would have easily punched through an airship, let alone the metal door she had been aiming through with the magical scope.

If Arcane had been a sleeper agent, the gryphoness wasn’t leaving it to chance.

“I heard what he said. Is it true?” the gryphoness whispered.

“We’re about to find out,” the unicorn said, nausea twisting his stomach. “Fide! Clari! Get in here. Now. I know you can hear me. If you don’t show up, then I’ll take Arcane’s words for truth without any more explanation.”

The two guardian Fates appeared in the office, Clari not meeting Toxic’s gaze. Fide at least had the composure to look at him.

“I don’t trust you two to be perfect. But this is…” Toxic took a few deep breaths to calm himself- it didn’t help. “Did you know about Arcane? Where he was?”

Clari began to cry, closing her eyes and not looking at Toxic. Fide set her jaw and nodded once.
“In a general sense, yes.”

“Your actions concerning “balance” have hurt me and those I love before. So, you should answer my next question very carefully,” Toxic said, his voice starting to quiver. “Why did you hide it? Why did you lie to me when I sought your help? You have to answer to both me and Mally for that!”

“Because we didn’t have a choice.”

Toxic glared at Fide, the mare’s usually stoic expression cracking into that of regret and helplessness.

“I’m not lying,” she said, “we didn’t have a choice!”

“There’s always a choice!”

“N-not this time,” Clari whispered, shaking her head. “He’d have been killed along with us. Tens of thousands of innocent creatures would have also died.”

“What?! How?”

“The consequences of helping would have led to a single eventuality. All we knew was where Arcane had been taken to, and what was likely going to happen to him. If we had told you, you would have acted,” Fide explained. “From a small response to a large one. You wouldn’t have let him stay a prisoner.”

“Of course.”

“And then the world would have gone to war against the Company. They’d have released their experiments and tried to seize countries by force to ensure their survival.”

Clari’s words made Toxic’s heart drop.
“If we told you where he was…he almost certainly would have been terminated the moment you set foot in the facility. He was still a teenager,” she explained, still unable to look at the shocked unicorn. “And we would have suffered the rebound effects from telling you. The consequence of having such war and death be due to us would have manifested on a raw, magical level. It would have destroyed us.”

“Of two evil options, we picked the one where he would be alive, tens of thousands more would not perish in war, and we would survive. If it was just our lives at stake, we would have tried to help,” Fide said firmly. “Of that, I promise. We had no idea about Sassi or what specifically would befall Arcane. Only the general situation he would be in.” Her eyes then narrowed in warning. “We aren’t the only Fates, Toxic. There are times we want to help, but can’t. I…shouldn’t say any more.”

The powerful being had mentioned other Fates before, and from what Toxic had gleaned, Clari and Fide were some of the more helpful and social bunch. If they wanted to help but were being restricted, that at was a foreboding thing indeed.

Perhaps having Arcane on the side of change is going to stir the pot even more than I imagined.

“I hate thinking the way you do,” Toxic growled, shaking his head. “But tell Arcane that. I don’t mean immediately, but no later than this week. Tell him exactly what you just told me. He’ll understand. Maybe. Whether he’ll forgive you or not is another matter.”

The two mares nodded, Toxic waving at them tiredly.
“Thank you for explaining. That is all.”

They vanished, and the unicorn slumped to the floor as Gelliana slid next to him.
“I know I’m still part of Nacreous’s Order, and with it, Clari and Fide’s dedication to balance. But I can’t think like them. I understand why they kept it from me, and I hate it.”

“You always want to help, to a fault,” Gelliana said softly, nuzzling her unicorn’s cheek. “It’s why I love you. Just-you can’t be everywhere at once.”

“But I can try,” Toxic whispered. “I’ll tell Mally about this, of course. She might understand too. No secrets, not about this. I just…” he pressed back against his wife’s touch, a wing wrapping around the unicorn’s shoulder in a hug. “I can’t believe Arcane doesn’t hold anything against me. In his position, I don’t think I’d be as kind. I don’t know what to think.”

“Then don’t think for a bit,” the gryphoness said back, holding his hoof. “You did your best. Arcane was just mature enough to realize that.”

Toxic nodded, enjoying the hug a bit longer.

I hope you can eventually forgive those involved in this, Arcane. Clari and Fide had their reasons, but Twilight was in a similar position to me. She deserves forgiveness just as much, if not more than I do.

In Arcane’s dimensions, Fluttershy’s eyes were wide as saucers as they flew around the hundreds, thousands of buildings.

“He made all of this?” she asked, the two hovering in front of the massive, central spire that reached towards the stars circling above.

“In a shockingly short time too,” Discord mused, flying the two of them over to a section of the massive city that seemed particularly green. “I thought you should see this. It’s what makes me not as apprehensive about Arcane’s future.”

“Oh?”

“This was all created from Arcane’s mind. His will, his desires. The minutia was smoothed over by the Chaos magic.”

“So, it just took his idea and ran with it?”

“Precisely! A very different method than I use. He has a much more companion-like relationship with the magic,” Discord said, setting them down next to a lovely tree, He gestured to the map posted on a marble half-pillar next to it. “Take a look.”

Fluttershy did so, reading the inscriptions. As she did so, a few tears welled up in her eyes.

‘Welcome to the Element of Kindness District of the city.
You’ll find the following services available nearby; please see the map for the following specifics.

1. Animal Parks
2. Animal Adoption
3. Substance Recovery
4. Mental Health Support
a. Individual Counseling
b. Couples Counseling
5. Specialty Medical Centers.

There were a few more, but Fluttershy looked up at Discord, the chaotic God smiling rather proudly. He waved his claws, and the two of them were at the entrance of the city.

Marble walls overgrown with beautiful, green vines surrounded the exterior of the city as far as the eye could see. The entrance walkway ended in the middle of nowhere, but Fluttershy spied a few stairs leading to portal platforms. Beautiful wood and golden arches spanned the paved road, magical walkways aiding the visitors towards the city center.

Hanging above the large entrance and walkway, a massive sign shone with an ethereal light.

“Welcome to Entropy.

For those forgotten and forsaken by the world, but never by us.

We strive so that hope will never become a memory.

Headquarters of the Chaos Corps”

Author's Note

Our chaotic boy is making some progress! :yay:

Epilogue 2: Containment Failure

“When did it come through?” Twilight asked as they trotted speedily through the castle.

“Five minutes ago. A portal opened above the device Queen Joro sent, and it popped out. It requested you and hasn’t moved since,” the guard reported.

“Thank you, Captain.”

A squadron of guards saluted outside of the door; the location where Twilight had sent the device to be studied in one of Canterlot’s secure labs. Evidently, that had been the correct call. She had sent the Queen the full report from Sassi on their journey through the Silos, but the mare hadn’t heard anything back until now.

Walking into the now-cleared room, Twilight couldn’t help but stare.

A bipedal, teal-skinned creature looked at her; the same Astral and Sassi had reported encountering in the final Silo. This one was slightly different, standing at the height of a normal pony with two sets of three eyes glancing the Princess’s way. The eyes angled towards the center of the face, arrayed in the creature’s upper cheekbones. The gangly-limbed individual bowed its head respectfully to her, lips parting to reveal a set of neat needle-like teeth.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the creature said, voice carrying an odd but pleasant, musical-like tone. “It is an honor and pleasure to meet you. I am Exo-dimensional Scout Three hundred and twenty-seven. I come on behalf of Queen Joro of the Seventh Layer. She will speak through me shortly.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Twilight managed to say, sitting down and waiting.

“I wish this could be under better circumstances.”

The voice that resonated from the creature was abruptly far more powerful and feminine. It carried with it a weight of both age and experience, and the creature’s expression changed into that of worry. The shimmering, magically-projected image of Queen Joro’s face superimposed itself over the Scout’s, the Queen nodding in greeting.

“I will make my points as clear as possible,” Joro said through her scout. “Your kingdom and world are in danger. Something moved in the portals before you all rescued Astral and Sassi.”

“What do you mean moved?” Twilight asked. Even though so little had been said, an odd sense of dread abruptly began to crawl into her heart.

“There was a single active portal in the Silo before the last reactor overloaded. It was shut down internally by Astral and Sassi, judging on the reports you sent me, but something went through it,” Joro explained. “I’m able to track the corrupted magic the Company uses for such travel. The individual entered my realm from the Silo and then returned to yours. But it didn’t go back through the original portal. It exited somewhere else in Equestria.”

“Where?!”

Joro shook her head, eyes drifting downwards in worry.
“I do not know. It also didn’t use a different Company portal. Likely, it was simply ejected somewhere in your world. I don’t even know if it’s still in your kingdom.”

“What is it? Do you know?”

“Not specifically. And Limbo magic will repel any of your world’s magic, including tracking spells. It’s a nullifying force that, even in minute quantities, will disrupt your world’s arcane mechanisms.”

Twilight’s mind was already spinning, the mare having to take a few deep breaths to refocus.

“Alright, so what would the next steps be? If it’s one of the Company’s creatures, it’d be easy to locate once it nears a populated area. We’ve dealt with such escaped creatures before.”

Joro’s pause was telling.

“Queen Joro, there’s more to this, isn’t there?” Twilight asked softly.

“I don’t think it was a creature like the ones Astral and Sassi encountered,” she admitted. “Its signature was…disturbing. A sick fusion of your world and mine. I only could sense it for a moment, but it was hungry. Eager. I sent scouts to the location it came through on my end. They all had to be killed.”

“What?!”

“The drones were driven mad and tried to attack the second group of scouts. The area has since been sanitized,” Joro explained.

“Whatever that creature brought through the portal with it, it began to infect all of the organic matter in my realm including the scout team. Drones, and plant life; it spread through the air and began to transform the realm into something else. The infected drones were killed as they made a run for one of the larger rivers here. I imagine it was to spread the disease further, compelled by some malevolent instinct.

I can tell you it’s spore based at least. I fear it’s a pathogen unlike anything comparable in your world. Limbo infections are…virulent. This creature carried one with it a new disease unlike anything I’ve ever seen. We have samples, but I will not release them unless it’s confirmed you can handle the specimen. I dare not take the risk of an accidental release. I will send a drone to personally inspect the labs before I consider sending it.”

With a pulse of magic, Twilight immediately sent out notes to meet with the highest levels of her advisors and department staff, then focused back on Joro.

“Ok, so a fungal-based, potentially magically-terraforming infection? I’ll start preparing a location immediately so we can study it. How do we treat it, if it starts to spread here? That’s likely how we’d find this creature if it’s hiding.”

Joro looked up, and Twilight’s heart constricted as she saw the genuine, motherly worry in the Queen’s eyes.

“Queen Joro, how serious is this?” Twilight whispered.

“In regards to treatment and containment? Princess, do you want my answer as a ruler, mother, and caretaker of thousands of subjects? Or do you want an answer driven by numbers and survival? They are two different things,” Joro finally said, her tone grave.

“Both.”

“As a Ruler and caretaker, I would try to save as many as I could, and I would fail. When the outbreak begins to spread, I’d quarantine the city, and treat the infected with whatever anti-fungal remedies you have. Also, restrict travel as you’d do with any airborne pathogen. I imagine there are protocols to deal with a hyper-infectious disease. That is what I would do as a Ruler. But it wouldn’t be enough,” Joro explained. “These efforts would fail.”

“And the other option?”

The Queen’s eyes then locked onto Twilight, a primal, terrified, and desperate fire in their depths.

“Not if, but when this infectious disease begins to spread anywhere in your world, you must immediately isolate and sterilize all affected and nearby population centers, be it barren land or populated city, within two days of flight from the outbreak site. Erect a shield around the perimeter and superheat the air to a plasma and turn the ground to glass. Anything less, and you will be forced to consider the survival of your species rather than just Equestria.”

“To all Advisors on the Joint Military and Civilian Catastrophic Quick Response committee. The following is considered Top Secret.

Action items to be implemented immediately regarding the now-designated “Black Cloud” scenario. These actions take priority over all other tasks not designated “immediate action.”

1. Prepare Biosecurity Lab 9 to receive a level 10 biohazard sample for analysis. Conduct independent checks of security measures and seals. Test primary, secondary, and tertiary containment, sterilization, and self-destruct mechanisms. Repair, reinforce, and upgrade all measures until no fewer than five consecutive stress tests of all containment functions are 100%.

2. Move all critical political, economic, and military functions into mountain shelters as per Continuity of Government Order 7. Establish primary, secondary, and tertiary backups for communication to exterior listening posts and outposts across Equestria. Reduce migration time to under 3 hours.

3. Inventory all infectious disease protective equipment. Begin procurement to allow town and city-based dispensing points to provide for their entire population and 15% overflow. Begin distribution of localized shielding fields to any population center at or above 250 creatures.

4. Begin immediate training and refresher courses for all soldiers and healthcare staff to operate in an air-hostile environment with positive-pressure spells & PPE.

5. Collaborate with infectious disease analysts and response specialists with the Gryphon Empire, Kirin provinces, Dragon Lands, and additional staff as needed. (They will be reaching out within the day.)

6. Collaborate with the Last Light Organization, specifically with medical staff, rapid-response teams, and sterilization procedures.

7. Bring all combat creatures to fully active status.

A public announcement regarding these changes will be made within 12 hours.

-Princess Twilight Sparkle”

Author's Note

Chapter One: Strawberry Jam

Astral yawned, reaching over to smack the alarm clock with a webbed wing. The sun had just set; which meant it was time for work. There was a bonus to being nocturnal. Better pay, and a bit more peace and quiet.

The Thestral moved on autopilot, downing a quick breakfast and brushing his teeth. A simple uniform was shrugged on, the half-shirt complete with the company’s insignia; a prominent staircase.

Running a comb through some rebellious midnight-black fluff on his head and mane, Astral then double-checked his essentials.

Company laptop?
Wallet?
Low-level Security Badge?
Snacks?

He snagged a small bag of glorious fruity pastries near the apartment door; he had almost forgotten those!

Looking back to his simple but cozy 3-bedroom dwelling, Astral then stepped out the door. Stopping at the top of the staircase for his floor, the Thestral carefully set down a hoof-sized crystal on the ground and gave it a nudge.

A portal sprang to life, the bat-pony stepping through as the crystal magically returned to the worn saddlebags at his side.

Looking around the cream-tiled locker room, Astral used his minimum-security badge to open his specific compartment, retrieving the real badge that let him perform the various duties. In went the wallet, and then off he went.

Despite being in the Badlands, the facility was just a portal away. The new technology (developed by Princess Sparkle, naturally,) cut down transit times to nearly nothing across the nation.

Of course, taxis weren’t happy with that.

Trotting down the spotless metal corridor, Astral stepped through the security booth door, surveying the workspace to make sure nothing was out of place.

Two large monitors were positioned in the front, the see-through booth lined with heavy glass and emergency metal shielding that could drop down at a moment’s notice. Other than the various sensor readouts, the booth had a few shelves, a small refrigerator, and a typical water fountain.

The fact it had private air conditioning was the Best. Thing. Ever. A bit fluffier than the average pony, Astral enjoyed the cooler atmosphere immensely, to say the least.

And the refrigerator was always restocked with fresh fruits every day.

This place is awesome.

Of course, it was almost too good to be true. But Astral had seen the contracts and various work orders. If there was a Sub-Level five (which obviously there was), they were at least doing relatively harmless work down there. He had even seen the various supply manifests and some work orders after being hired to satiate his initial curiosity.

Personally, the Thestral had a hunch that some up-tight noble groups were commissioning the lab to develop a new, intimate type of lube that was usable by all species. That would certainly explain the odd chemicals and hush-hush about everything, along with the visits of high-profile nobles of various races.

That was what Astral decided for himself at least. It wouldn’t be the oddest thing that happened on the Equestrian continent in the past decade or two, and it made more sense than other conspiracy theories surrounding the company.

Booting up the various systems, the Thestral opened up the laptop and scanned over his schoolwork. The device was incredible, using a combination of magic and sensors (thanks again to a certain tech-savvy Princess of Friendship), to track his hoof movements to use the cursor.

No new assignments, that’s good.

The fact the company was paying for him to go to school for a completely unrelated field was yet another perk of this job. How could Astral protest? They weren’t doing anything unethical (he had done his homework in researching them) and at the worst, Management just seemed a bit uptight and paranoid. With the tech sector booming along with the theft of ideas and patents, he couldn’t blame them.

So, here he sat sucking on a juicy pineapple as his shift started. No-pony was due for a good hour or two (when the night shift came in for their secret work) so he had a bit of relaxing time.

Not bad, not bad at all.

An hour into the shift, Astral yawned and did some stretches, jogging in place to keep his muscles warmed up. He wasn’t about to let a desk job get him too fat; even now he had a bit of a belly. Nothing major; he could still pass the Guard entrance exams, but definitely worth noting.

I refuse to be fat. The fur certainly doesn’t help that matter. He grumbled to himself silently.

A red warning flashed on the left-most monitor, Astral tapping a button beneath a large speaker.

“Front Security Desk, Officer Sentinel here,” he said calmly.

“Astral! Hmm. That’ll do,” Ledger’s voice crackled, “No-pony is near to do this. Can you reset the breakers on Sub-Level Three? Just lock the booth, this takes priority. The egg-heads say the air conditioning is out on Four and they’re riding my tail to get it taken care of. No pony is on Three, and all of Two is busy at some staff meeting.”

“Sure thing, Boss. I’ll do that right now.”

“Thanks, Astral.”

Huh. He seemed nicer and more talkative than usual. Astral mused, locking up the booth and trotting to the elevators after snagging his portable radio.

The layout was a ‘T’ format where he worked; the booth leading to a split in the halls. The left went to the locker rooms, supplies, and so forth. The right went to the elevator hall.

A simple scanning of his card, and down Astral went to Sub-Level Three (SL-3) This floor was primarily supplies and labs; large glass rooms with centrifuges, chalkboards, computer screens, and refrigerators.

Oh, and coffee. Lots of coffee. Astral often wondered what it’d taste like, but the fact his mouth couldn’t keep up with his thoughts when caffeine was involved kept him far away from that, alongwith alcohol.

He learned his lesson with one energy drink. The Thestral hadn’t even realized he knew the lyrics to all of the ‘Greatest Showmare’ songs by heart. Evidently, he did, and at a near-perfect pitch too…at least before passing out and being dropped off at his apartment by Flask.

And that was just an energy drink. If I tried coffee or something from the bar, I might accidentally cause a black hole.

Whistling softly to himself, Astral noted the floor was empty; not an uncommon thing at this hour. In a bit, however, it’d likely be packed as more ponies arrived to do…whatever they did here. As of now, however, the freshly-mopped floors sparkled and everything was set and ready for the workday (or in this case, night).

Basic maintenance was part of the job, at least as far as flipping large switches went. Astral had been trained on this early on, so he confidently entered the massive electrical room, the shelves buzzing with servers, red and green lights. Meandering through the equipment, he made his way to the massive wall of breakers.

Sure enough, the breakers for Sub-Level-Four (SL-4) were tripped.

“You guys really need to stop adding more coffee brewers to the grid,” Astral muttered, flipping the breakers and watching the cheery green lights flick back on.

“Hey, Ledger. Breakers are reset,” Astral reported, “I’m heading…”

With a dull *snap*, the breakers flipped back off again.

“Strike that. Breakers are being stubborn. Can you tell them to not overload it? I’m trying to reset it,” Astral reported, glaring at the offensive switches.

“Yeah, keep trying Astral. I’ll let them know,” Ledger reported, sounding oddly stressed.

Poor guy is probably getting yelled at. I know I should cut him some slack. Astral thought as he flipped the breakers again.

Another *snap*, and the switches flipped back off, this time accompanied by a distant screeching of metal.

“Something didn’t like that, Ledger. Sounded like a motor died,” Astral reported, trying the switches again. The third time seemed to be the charm, the system fully booting up and staying on.

“Alright, Ledger. We’re good here,” Astral reported, a genuine sigh of relief coming back over the radio. It was so odd to hear the emotion coming from Ledger that the Thestral actually looked at the radio in surprise.

“Perfect. Thanks, Astral.”

“Sure thing, Boss.”

Walking back down the hall, Astral felt his fur prickle. It was a sinking feeling, one that he had felt only once before. It had ended in being discharged from the Guard, but the Thestral wouldn’t change that outcome for the world.

However, this felt just wrong, as if eyes were watching the pony’s every move.

His stomach churned into knots, the Thestral cautiously traversing the empty labs. He was almost past the final row of glass rooms when a bright color caught his eye. He frantically called into the radio, Ledger’s cool voice telling him to remain put as the Thestral stared.

A large, jagged hole was cut out from the floor to his left. The bloody marks on the glass and floor were what made the stallion’s limbs start to quiver. It was as if someone had been dragged into the hole, and violently.

Astral barely registered seeing Ledger and six heavily armored ponies charging towards him and cordoning off the area, the Guard quickly shepherded back to his booth.

Author's Note

Welcome one and all to this....thing *vaguely gestures*
Cure for a Toxin is nearing completion on my end (for per-written chapters,) so I wanted to give this genre a try.

I meant what I said in the description. I've just got a vague outline, but it's turning out to be a doozy. So strap in boys, girls, werewolves and faeries...we're going somewhere crazy. No super-strict update schedule, only a rough outline, so buckle up!

I hope you brought your crowbar.

*Feedback is welcome and appreciated!

Chapter Fifteen: Tosses, Turns, and Plans

The following day was fairly normal, and that was what made Astral on edge. If he ignored some things, such as just staying in the apartment, then he could almost forget there were pony-eating Skitters outside or a thousand lengths of concrete and rock above his head.

With Sassi around it was almost like having a roommate. He was used to that, at least, back before he took his previous job.

After school and the Guard training, bunking with other stallions was not on his ‘to do’ list in the future ever again. Astral had mentioned to Gabbro that the next time he had a roommate, they’d be a lady, and it’d be a permanent situation.

I didn’t mean that in the sense of being stuck underground with an armored princess, but here we are.

The day passed fairly swiftly; the aches and pains Astral had accumulated now fading. He busied himself with exercises and continue to organize their supplies (with Sassi’s permission of course, since she had accumulated most of them.) The FRE challenge was postponed. Apparently, anyone not familiar with them could have some bad reactions as their digestive system adjusted.

And by ‘bad reactions,’ Astral assumed biochemical warfare, at least from the story Sassi had told him as she laughed hard enough to have tears streaming down her face.

The stallion hadn’t known it was even possible to cause plumbing to detonate. Evidently, it was.

The mare had spent quite a bit of time monitoring the cameras, occasionally showing Astral areas of the Silo they covered (mundane as it was) but he appreciated the time she spent helping him learn the layout. However, the troubled look on her face around dinner had Astral worried.

“Tomorrow we need to do some scouting, that means you too,” she said firmly with a shake of her head. “Maybe we can get some combat training while we’re out and about. But there are some weird readings I want to investigate in Silo One.”

“What kind of weird readings?”

“I don’t really know. Cameras offline, heat signatures that come and go, and electrical surges which indicate something is shorting out.”

Astral must be getting used to the idea of being on the run because his anxiety only spiked to a medium level. He had childishly hoped maybe they could just hole up and not ever go out again.

A foolish notion, but it had been easy to accept for a few days. He tossed and turned that night trying to get to sleep.

He couldn’t move.
It felt like Astral’s legs were encased in mud, a grey-colored Skitter creeping along the floor towards him. Red eyes locked onto his, fang-filled mouth opening-

And then it was abruptly gone, Astral blinking. As a familiar scene resolved itself, he briefly wished for the Skitter to return.

A familiar mare looked at him, the stallion’s forelimbs bound in bandages as he sat in a hospital room, guards outside the door. The mare didn’t say anything, but her look spoke volumes. There was a brief whisper of genuine thanks, but the expression on her face radiated one thing.

Fear.

Astral woke up with a gasp, a cold sweat dotting the Thestral’s frame. He had a feeling telling Sassi about the incident yesterday would churn things up, even if the details weren’t explicit.

He hated that memory.

Washing his face briefly, he briefly noted the clock indicated it was in the middle of the night (or day, in his case). Returning to his room, the bat-pony stood in the door and shook his head.

It just felt so cold. A room with nopony there. The thought of curling up in the bed simply ate at Astral’s mind. With a sigh, he snagged his pillow and softly trotted to the couch where he flopped down on the plush cushions.

I can still see her face.

That knowledge ate at Astral more than anything. He could logically explain away everything else that happened. Powerful ponies protecting their children, media loving a juicy story.

But that, how someone saw Astral after he tried to help, when all the stallion had wanted to do was help, to do some good in a world.

She had been afraid of him, genuinely terrified as he had beaten the two would-be assailants to a bloody pulp. The mare hadn’t looked him in the eyes after that aside from a brief thank you. But even at that moment, she had radiated nothing but fear. He hadn’t been seen as a good pony; just an unhinged one in the right place.

Helping others was something that came naturally, hence why joining the Guard had been logical on some level. It had felt right. The feeling in his heart when pulling the scared ponies from the rubble of the collapsed building had made him even more sure that the path of a Guard was the correct one.Lots of his family was like that, most of his family.

But in this case, he hadn’t been a hero.

It had happened in an odd shift that Astral still didn’t fully understand. A blur of action and willpower as he tore into the two stallions as a cold, calculated calm had taken over his thoughts. He hadn’t regretted a single blow, even as one of the stallion’s forelimbs had been snapped over a shoulder. Even as blood dripped from his fangs after sinking them into an arm that would have broken his jaw, Astral didn’t regret it at all.

Thatwas what made Astral’s stomach churn. The stallion didn’t even know such things had been inside him all this time, lurking so close to the surface. Aside from his interest in combat and sparring programs, the Thestral had never even been in a fight, never hit anyone or anything out of anger.

Yet every time he froze in the years after that, he could then feel it. A bubbling cauldron of something just beneath the surface that had previously been invisible. On that day, it had been laser-focused anger and a desire to be the one good pony on someone else’s bad day.

And yet it had gone so wrong.

Maybe it had always been there. Perhaps it was the reason why his family always went into the Guard profession with such zeal. But now it was nothing but a tormenting beast that was lying in wait. He certainly hadn’t dealt with the frustration and utter helplessness well, that much was quickly becoming apparent.

As a few tears welled up in Astral’s eyes, the stallion hugged the pillow close as he curled into a ball, begging his mind to shut up and let him sleep. The cruel facts refused to let him rest, however. Thestrals still had a somewhat malevolent image among many creatures, and his court case had proved every uneducated naysayer correct, even if he had been overwhelmingly exonerated. A single thought, even if he knew it was logically incorrect, still ate into him.

It was born from the dozens of articles calling him such, his parents refusing to look him in the eye as they slowly lessened their contact. From his siblings cutting off contact to his friends abruptly being busy for years on end.

I don’t blame her for seeing me as a monster.

The only comfort Astral had was Gabbro’s words. The cheerful hippogriff had been the only one of his friends to believe him, to say the words the Thestral had been begging silently to hear.

“Dude, you’re a lot of things, but that isn’t one of them. I’d have done the same thing. Monsters already exist in Equestria and everywhere else, that’s why we have the Elements of Harmony. And I don’t see any rainbows headed your way.”

Astral just wished he could believe the jovial hippogriff so easily. When thousands of voices told you one thing, how long could you deny the fact they might hold a shred of truth?

Sassi yawned, her clock reading the usual early numbers. It was rare she could sleep in, especially with a planned mission today.

Glancing over to a meshed-metal square area of her room, her eyes flickered over the various armaments stored there, the mare opting to wait to put on the restrictive armor suit. There would be enough of that today.

Her door’s security system disarming, Sassi then walked out, noting the cracked door across the hall. Astral was probably still asleep.

I still feel a bit bad about being so suspicious. I still am, but…

A thought had occurred to her, one that made the Thestral want to groan. If she didn’t give Astral a chance, she’d be a hypocrite of epic proportions, well, in a sense.

It all comes down to time. He still hasn’t given me any reason to not trust him.

She had to admit, Astral was rather likable. The stallion had livened up her usually-stale apartment in a rather comforting way the past few days, even if it was amid a crazy emergency. He provided an odd sense of normality when her past interactions with ponies had always been soiled. It was nicer still to have his words counterbalance the ‘nice pony act’, a thought lurking in the more paranoid parts of Sassi’s mind.

No, not paranoid. Realistic for down here. Being nice was a means to an end, nine times out of ten.

As she trotted out, some movement caught her eye. Her hoof nearly yanked out a blade before her ears twitched, a soft mumbling reaching Sassi’s ears. Curled up on the couch, Astral held a pillow tightly between his hooves, legs twitching occasionally as an almost pained expression was drawn across his face. He shivered occasionally, head burying into the pillow.

Sassi found herself staring; the mare managing to snap out of it fairly quickly. She wasn’t used to caring about ponies like this. There were co-workers, and then there was family. Friends were few and far between down here.

That didn’t mean she didn’t want to care. Things were just…different here.

Well, they had beendifferent, because Sassi found herself indeed caring about this curious stallion, her heart being pricked at seeing him clearly in discomfort. She reached out a hoof, then briefly drawing it back with a shake of her head, eyes narrowing in confusion.

Is that what it’s like to comfort someone? To want to?

Those questions went only partially answered, a tugging in her chest refusing to let Sassi be at ease. She had felt it before but only in times she knew she was unable to help. But now…

Trotting into her room, the Thestral tugged out a spare, blue-spotted blanket before returning, draping it over Astral briefly. Seeing him immediately relax, the mare nodded in approval. She couldn’t help but smile at see the other Thestral curl up, snuggling into the pillow contentedly. It was the oddest thing. At that moment, Sassi realized she hadn’t even remembered the tossed-out charges. Astral had simply been a friend in need.

And perhaps that’s how it should be.

She decided to operate on that thought, another one making her smirk as she meandered up to check the security feeds.

You are an odd pony, Astral. But I think that’s a good thing. Odd, but good.

And kind of cute.

The last thought made the Thestral’s wings flare, the mare shaking her head and letting out a rebellious huff.

Definitely not the time.

They had to go on a supply run today, and that was not a distraction she needed.

Of course, not that she could avoid it. He was a nice balance between the string-bean eggheads who mostly worked on the lower floors and the muscle-bound stallions who served as glorified bouncers. He even had a bit of extra fluff. Not a ton, but enough that would make hugs juuuuuuust perfe-

She shook her head at that, a tinge of regret eating at the mare’s thoughts. Thinking that way just wasn’t productive, not now.

That said, Sassi hadn’t missed how the stallion had first looked at her. She had to admit, it was nice to be noticed as a mare every now and again, even if she wasn’t the most attractive Thestral. Being noticed for something normal, something as simple as being noticed by the opposite sex in a non-creepy or invasive manner…

That thought made the Thestral’s ears pin back, but a bit of hope surged in her chest as she drew out the childhood picture of herself and Flask.

Normal. I’d have paid any price for more of that in my life over these years. I guess I still would. And I guess ‘normal’ found me, and now we get to help each other.

Flask really trusts him that much. I have to at least take that for something.

Sassi found herself checking in on Astral again the next hour or two, her gaze softening at seeing him still slumbering peacefully. One thought dug into her mind as she prepared things for the upcoming venture.

Is this what it’s like to just interact with somepony? Without all the history and background muddling things?

He just sees me.

The fact that such a thing was so new to Sassi was unsettling, but she didn’t mind it too much. If this was a general glimpse at what life could be like above ground, just talking with a friend and caring how they were doing, she’d fight all the Skitters in the world for it.

It felt right. And that was a feeling that had been absent for almost her entire life.

I want to believe you Astral, just give me a bit of time.

Letting out a yawn, Astral woke up with a grumble, only then realizing there was an additional blanket on his body.

I didn’t grab that, did I?

Judging how it smelled like a combination of gunpowder, fresh rain, and a bit of fruit, that was a definite no.

If this is Sassi’s, what in the world did she wash it with? I need to buy that soap.

Reluctantly setting it aside, Astral stretched, noting how the usual nightmares had faded after waking up in the middle of the night.

He was busy fixing a basic breakfast (with some preserved fruit of course) when Sassi trotted down from checking the cameras.

“Ah, good! You’re up,” she remarked. “We’ve got a fun day ahead of us. Nothing too crazy.”

He let out a huff at that, Sassi walking into the kitchen and snagging some of her own breakfast. She was close enough that Astral quickly realized where the blanket smell came from- and that caused his cheeks to heat up.

A mare that smells like gunpowder and fruit?

Even as a friend, it was nice knowing such mares existed.

“Hey, Sassi?” Astral asked, breaking free from his stupor, “for last night, thanks,” he said, voice a bit softer as he gestured towards the blanket.

The mare’s usually rather ramrod-straight posture relaxed, the Thestral smiling kindly in a way that seemed to genuinely reach her violet eyes.

“No problem. Looked like you were having a rough night,” she averted her gaze, left forelimb rubbing her right one in thought. “I’ve had my share of those. So, yeah. Blanket is yours if you need it.”

He nodded, returning to his breakfast as Sassi remembered something

“While you’re making that, I’ll get the ammo for your saddle-guns,” Sassi said, a confused look on Astral’s face. “Yeah. I unloaded them when you weren’t looking a few days ago. Sorry. Had to be safe until I cleared stuff up,” she admitted.

“You are a deadly mare,” Astral said, clearly a bit miffed but not about to argue against her actions. It made sense. “Uh, where are all the ammo and weapons stored by the way? They’re not in the supply room.”

Sassi trotted happily down the hall, calling back briefly.
“Oh. The armory with all that stuff is also in my room. Be right back.”

Astral stood and stared for a moment, the stallion swearing he saw hearts dance in his vision for a moment.

“That mare has an armory in her room? Somepony pinch me, I think I’m in love.”

“You say something?”

“Urp- um…nothing important!”

The odd look (and ever so slight blush) on Sassi’s face when she returned indicated that maybe she had heard him, but the mare didn’t mention anything.

“So, today is a simple one,” she explained, “we need to try that code of yours at a supply depot a floor or two down. That’s after we investigate the weird readings.” The mare then paused, looking at him with a surprisingly serious gaze. “Are you up for this? I could use the help, but not if it means you get killed.”

Astral swallowed nervously at that, his jaw clenching slightly.
“I can’t just stay here and let you do all the work,” he said slowly as if thinking it through out loud. “If we are getting out of there, it’s together. You said you needed my help, and Flask said that I could, should help you. He trusted me with that. I’ve gotten this far, and I have to learn how to survive sooner rather than later.”

Despite his confidence in flux, a rather roguish smirk slid onto his features, Astral glancing over to the surprised mare as he reloaded the revolver-like chambers.

“Besides, I’d be a sad excuse for a friend, gentle-colt, and an almost-Night Guard for making the pretty lady do all the heavy lifting.”

As he locked the chambers back into position, Astral almost had to stop himself from laughing. Out of the corner of his vision, Sassi looked almost flustered, her cheeks tinged a bright pink, genuine confusion swimming in her purple eyes.

It was a rather attractive look, but Astral wasn’t about to push his luck in any respects, especially not with a mare who could bench press him with her eyes closed.

“So, what’s the plan?”

His words snapped Sassi out of her daze, the mare grinning with genuine anticipation.
“We check a supply room, get you more familiar with combat when someone else is at your side, and maybe blow the heads off a few Skitters.”

When she put it like that, the night didn’t sound half bad.

Author's Note

Hmmm. Some more developments indeed. :trixieshiftright:

Chapter Twenty Eight: Curse of Knowledge

“Please specify a general search query.”

He hated that voice.

“Company projects begun within the last two years.”

“Restricted access. Please enter password.”

Sure enough, the code Flask had given him cleared the lockouts, hundreds of files now scrolling across the screen.

“Wait. What is ‘Facility Seven?’”

“Facility Seven is the Research Laboratory located on the southern border of the Dragon Lands.”

“There are more of these facilities?!”

“The Stairway company operates a total of fourteen silo-based research facilities.”

“Ok, narrow the search down. Projects that have been the highest priority within the past two years. Just this facility.”

Now there were only a few dozen. Better.

“Summary of this top project?” Astral asked.

“Project Venomsnap. Objective: Develop a neurotoxic available on delivery via water, aerosol, or injection. Subjects used: Twenty volunteers from Silo 3. Results: Complete expiration of all subjects. Stage Two Testing approved.”

The stallion felt his heart sink within his chest. He knew things were going to get worse.

“What about the project involving pregnant individuals?”

“Project Counter-Mutation Seven. Fifty pregnant volunteers were injected with a mutagenic substance as a control to determine the binding properties of the counter-agent. Stage Three testing authorized with wider subject pool, awaiting results.”

“Were there projects in the past two years involving foals?” Astral asked. He wasn’t going to search Sassi’s project, but he wanted to know to what depths this company had sunk to.

“No. Final Executive order banning all tests indefinitely after the murder of Dr. Centrifuge and Slide approximately five years ago. All testing for individuals under legal age had been temporarily suspended after incidents 526 and 262 respectively ten years ago.”

He breathed a slight sigh of relief at that. It was a silly thing, to think that he was somehow responsible for any projects started while working for the Company. But knowing he wasn’t associated at least during that period was a comfort.

“Why was testing banned after those murders?”

“The murders of Dr. Centrifuge and Slide annotated as Incident B932, eliminated the top scientist in infant experimentation and his apprentice. A suitable replacement was not available,” the computer described, “furthermore, it demonstrated past experiments could be unstable even after periods of compliance.”

“Explain that last part.”

“Experiment iteration ‘Sassi’, previously compliant with the company, murdered Dr. Centrifuge and Slide. While their deaths were deemed necessary by the Owners, and the incident closed, this broke the pattern of compliance demonstrated by ‘Sassi.’

“Sassi murdered those two? Why?” Astral said to himself. The fact she was simply designated as an ‘experiment’ made his skin crawl. An orphan modified against her will and stuck underground?

He didn’t want to dwell on it too much.

“Search program is not suitable to extrapolate.”

“I didn’t want to search- never mind,” the stallion muttered, “What was the specialty of Dr-no. Cancel search.”

“Canceling.”

Astral promised he wouldn’t delve. So, he’d ask Sassi directly. Turning to a generalized search, he delved into the higher-priority projects, each one making the bat-pony sick to his stomach.

Skin grafts to test chemicals.
Genetic manipulation on living creatures.
Weaponizing multiple viruses and using living hosts as time-bombs.
Starving and dehydrating creatures to test supplemental rations.
Replacing limbs without anesthetic to test active prosthetic grafting.
Testing nerve agents to induce violent rage in subjects.
Removing hair and feathers and testing regrowing agents.
Testing vision prosthetics after originals removed.

“How many creatures have died, to date, with all experiments run by the company? All facilities combined” Astral asked, voice a whisper.

“Exact count not available due to occasional record loss at the start of the company and mass-testing with multiple species. Mass graves did not allow for a proper headcount at times. Estimated total deaths are over one-hundred thousand over thirty-six years.”

The numbers made his head spin.

One hundred thousand. Prisoners? Innocents? He didn’t know, and it didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.

Another question rose in Astral’s mind. It would cement exactly who was responsible for all of this.

“What creatures were aware of these projects?” he asked, “The Board of Directors? The owners?”

“All projects are approved by a unanimous vote within the Board of Directors, many of whom own multiple facilities. While this slows down project creation, it ensures all individuals are responsible for the project’s success.”

“And other employees?”

“Other creatures not directly involved in a project are only informed on a need-to-know basis.”

So, they knew. It wasn’t some rogue facility, it was the entire leadership of the company.

“Print out the names and pictures of the Board of Directors and Owners,” Astral said. He wasn’t surewhat he’d do if he encountered one of these individuals.

A darker part of his mind knew that was a lie. The rage bubbled and boiled beneath the surface briefly before cooling.

“Printing complete. Next query?”

“Display file and notes for Astral Sentinel.”

He had to know.

“Astral Sentinel. Hired as a Stairways Basic-Clearance security guard, Top Secret Equestrian Security Clearance. Primary duties; ensure low-level entry point is secure and present a false front for the Stairway company. Employee threat level: low.”

The stallion paused at that.
Employees have threat level ratings?!

“Employee under supervision of Security Chief Ledger. Notes made:

Solid work ethic, low risk.

No anticipated trouble.

Understands the importance of his task (what little has been described), offered ideas for improving deflection of questions. Rewarded for the suggestions.

Recommend removing security failsafes in cubical. Termination at workspace a highly unlikely scenario and draws significant power.”

That note made Astral’s blood run cold. They had booby-trapped his workstation!?

“Further notes:
- Prior record indicates firm conscience- requires monitoring to ensure the employee does not discover Company experiments. Risk assessment on discovering morally-compromising experiments: Extremely High.
- Recommend for an increase in wages each year to reward lack of questioning. Employee provides perfect diversion for media and has deflected multiple rumors. Company Value: High.
- Recommend employee be deemed as ‘essential’ within the next business year.”

They liked him.
The company that tortured foals and killed over a hundred thousand creatures liked him.

His stomach clenched, the stallion shutting down the computer and making his way downstairs with the printouts. Somehow killing the Skitters was easier than internalizing the evils this company had done. Astral had never had the strongest constitution but he usually was able to power through things, hence still being alive.

But these projects were a new level of evil he couldn’t fathom. His stomach churned, a chill making his body shudder. The ponies on the Board and the Owners, all unicorns, were a type of evil the Thestral couldn’t process. They looked so normal, and yet underneath each creature lurked something so dark and alien. Astral felt ill.

He curled up on the sofa, eyes focused a million leagues away.

And I worked for these monsters. They liked me.

It was no surprise that Sassi didn’t want to tell him things. Even reading about it all made Astral’s stomach turn. To live it, to be a part of it for this long…

Bile rose in Astral’s throat, the stallion dashing over to a sink and vomiting up his breakfast as chills wracked his frame.

It was too much to think about. Freaky spiders were one thing. But this other stuff…

Returning to the couch, Astral curled into a ball, a lead weight in his chest. He had wanted to know, after all.

Author's Note

Well. Isn't that an 'Oof'.

As always, feedback is appreciated! Also, if you have an idea for a Silo floor these two might encounter...leave it in a comments. :trollestia: (If I use the idea, I'll certainly credit you.)

Chapter Forty Two: Inconceivable

Astral watched cautiously, but Sassi appeared to be alright. He wasn’t sure what was going through her mind, but it must have been a doozy. As she had looked into the mirror, the mare’s demeanor had completely shifted. The military posture faded, an almost serene, peaceful aura radiating from her.

She looked rather shy, a hoof reaching up to touch the woven circlet. A bit of pink shone on Sassi’s cheeks, and her eyes were partially obscured by the bangs that waved back and forth. Previously hidden freckles were visible on her upper cheeks, and the genuine, simple joy in Sassi’s eyes made Astral’s heart do a flip.

This is her.

It was a jolt to Astral’s mind as he realized the significance of it. Somehow, he was getting a full glance as to who Sassi was outside the Silos. Not just the military mare, but who she was underneath it all. The inner pony that had nearly been killed by the toxic environment of this place.

The more he thought about it, perhaps Sassi hadn’t known that part of her had existed either. In either case, Astral couldn’t help but smile as she looked his way. The shy, gentle expression and look in her eyes was such a contrast to her usually determined and driven demeanor. Yet it was a pleasant one, the mare’s eyes swimming with emotion.

“I think I get it,” he ventured to say, gesturing to her with a surprisingly tender smile. “This is you? All of you, I mean? You look different.”

Sassi’s eyes widened in shock, the tears threatening to start up again. She could only nod, hesitation and caution flickering across her face.

Astral knew he had to tread carefully, but the stallion could only go with his heart. A caring smile was on his face as Astral held out his hoof. Sassi tentatively put her own up against it.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Sassi,” he said, a lump in his throat making it surprisingly difficult to speak as he shook her hoof. “All of you, that is.”

Sassi looked torn between laughing and crying, simply shaking her head. Taking a few steps forward, she leaned into the offered hug with a soft laugh.

“What would I do without you, Astral,” she whispered.

Her words made him stiffen, the stallion then melting into her embrace. He must have done so rather obviously because Sassi was simply beaming as she hugged him.

After separating, Sassi looked at him curiously, the stallion’s ears twitching in thought.
“Bit for your thoughts?” he asked.

Sassi couldn’t stop herself. The warmth in her chest had overflowed. Nearly dousing the black flames of doubt that still threatened to overtake her mind. But for the moment she was happy.

She almost felt free.

“You never told me what changed. I’ll share if you will,” the mare said with a smile, one that lacked the usual curt, short length. This gesture spread across her whole face and made her cheeks hurt, the slight blush still making Sassi’s face warm. She loved it.

The stallion scuffed the ground, now clearly embarrassed. Sassi trotted over to sit next to him, half-facing Astral.

“I promise I won’t laugh,” she ventured to guess, Astral letting out a soft chuckle.

“I’d hope not, because it’s a good thing.”

“Oh?”

He gestured towards her, the stallion’s face now blushing more than Sassi’s. Adults or not, it was clear that more than a few feelings were bubbling close to the surface in both of their hearts. As tumultuous as it was, Sassi reveled in every second of it.

“It’s even more applicable now. Just…I’ve been too careful.”

Head tilting in curiosity, Sassi listened as Astral continued.

“When you said to be careful with physical gestures of any kind, I think I took that too far. I know I did,” he muttered. “What I mean is, I didn’t let myself think about you in certain ways, even if it logically made sense. Sure, I already had those feelings. I just shut it all down.”

“Feelings?” she squeaked, her voice hitching. The sound made Astral smile, the stallion nodding.

“We already know we want to go on dates. This being one. But I didn’t let myself think about things. How deep things run, I guess. Seeing that you care about me just pushed it all to the front.”

His eyes met hers, and Sassi felt her heart melt into her hooves. There was no fear, no uncertainty, or ill will in Astral’s gaze.

“I just never let myself realize how much I care about you, Sassi. That’s what changed. I finally let myself care, really think about it, and feel everything. You saving my life twice just made it so I can’t ignore it all. The hugs, wanting to be the close, I can’t ignore how that makes me feel.”

“Don’t ignore it.”

Sassi spoke even before the thought had fully formed, the mare not able to match Astral’s shocked gaze.

“But I just-I can’t change that quickly, Astral.”

“Which is why I-” he began before the mare cut him off.

“But I want to.”

He stayed quiet at that, only uttering a single, questioning word.
“So…?”

Sassi found burning, angry tears flare-up in her eyes. The doubt, the fear, and the pain threatened to tear away the precious feelings that were beginning to blossom.

It was so close, saying what she wanted. Seeing Astral’s gaze radiate concern and the stallion lift a hoof tentatively to comfort her, and then set it down made anger burn out the fear. In the end, she had to take the step.

One more step towards what I want.
And I want this.

“I want to know how you feel about me, Astral,” she finally said, “and I guess you don’t really know how I feel about you.”

He managed an awkward but adorable grin at that.
“Well, I have a general idea about your end. Hence why we’re having this discussion.”

Letting out a snort, Sassi turned to face Astral. Time slowed for a moment, the mare watching as his gaze darted to the tilted circlet on her forehead, and then to her eyes.

She nearly lost it again as Astral’s eyes visibly brightened. No glances to her flanks, nothing outside of looking at her and smiling. It was such a simple thing that had been missing from her life. Sassi just never realized how comforting such a gesture could be.

“If you could show me how you feel, what would you do?” she asked, a bit of caution in her gaze as she glanced at him. Astral promptly snorted, waving a hoof at her.

“I’m not about to sully our first kiss in a place like this if that’s what you’re wondering. Not that I’m opposed to such a thing in the slightest,” he added with a cheeky grin.

Stars above, Astral. This blush is going to never leave my face.

“Well, our previous idea of ‘see how things go’ seems to have taken a turn,” Sassi admitted. “So, I do want to know how you feel. If not now, then in the future.” The fear nearly choked her voice.

It’s been so long since I did something that I wanted. Even as simple as asking this.

“If it looks like I need a hug, or if you do, just give me one. Just as long as I see you first,” she said, shoulders and wings slumping. “Surprises are still not a good idea I think.”

Astral’s eyes widened, the stallion blinking in shock.
“Um…

Astral stared at Sassi, blinking dumbly for a few moments.

“Sorry. Did…just processing that,” he admitted. “That’s a big thing, right? Not asking before? A huge thing. You don’t have to do that Sassi, I get it.”

Nodding, Sassi couldn’t look at Astral, the blush on her cheeks flaring up.

“I want to try. That’s how much I care,” she nearly squeaked out the last sentence, a weight fleeing from her heart as she did so.

I’m just setting myself up for a bigger fall, one that I may not recover from.
I can’t keep letting myself feel-

“Alright,” Astral said softly, Sassi’s eyes leaving the grass and looking up to him. The stallion gently raised a hoof, resting it against her cheek.

She knew there was an initial twitch at his touch, her body simply reacting. Sassi saw the flicker of concern in Astral’s eyes, and it only made her feelings burn brighter. No judgment, only a caring look. He wasn’t concerned about what he wanted, only her.

His touch on her cheek made the mare almost start bawling. Nobody had ever done something like this. A simple, affectionate touch as she pressed against his forelimb, her own reaching up to pull it closer. No ulterior motives, no worries if there was a double meaning. The only experience she could draw on was when she was a filly and her dad gave her hugs, or read bedtime stories to her.

Astral’s forehead then gently bumped into her own, the stallion resting against the mare as he gently spread a wing over her shoulders.

“This is what I’d do,” he said softly.

No words were said for a time, Sassi simply enjoying the blissful warmth of Astral’s comforting touch. There wasn’t anything else except for him. No fear, no training, no orders.

Just Astral.

She didn’t want to say anything, simply enjoy this brief moment for as long as possible. A stray thought refused to be silent, and Sassi couldn’t help a soft chuckle.
“How did I not do this sooner,” she sighed.

“Well, your pool of prospects wasn’t the best,” Astral mused, Sassi then bursting out into laughter.

“I wasn’t talking about before I met you.”

The fact Sassi heard Astral audibly gulp nearly made her laugh again, the mare feeling the stallion heat up ever so slightly.

“We should do this more often,” she said firmly. The Thestral was a bit miffed as Astral pulled away, but the affection in his gaze made her pause. A shy blush flared up on Sassi’s cheeks even before he spoke. When he did so, the mare tried to hide behind what few bangs she had, the flutters in her chest making Sassi’s lips tremble. Astral said only three words, but they were enough. The meaning was rather similar after all.

“As you wish.”

Author's Note

Surprise! Adorable holiday (here in the US) chapter!

Please retrieve your anti-fluff injections by the door to prevent your heart from exploding.

Chapter Forty Three: Static

“First reviews are coming in,” the mare reported from the communications station.

Twilight grinned, her eyes darting over the dozen papers levitated in front of her before looking at one of the crystal displays.
“Perfect. Pull them up on the main screen as they come.”

The Princess already knew what they were going to say. Her research and more in-depth intelligence teams had already surveyed the population’s initial reactions. In short, Twilight’s plan was a slam dunk.

The carefully-crafted story of two ponies running for their lives had been drafted and re-drafted multiple times. A combination of audiobook-like narratives and re-created security footage from the silo. They had managed to extract bits and pieces from the cameras, but nothing concrete.

It’s enough to tell a story. Good versus evil, two heroes and a villain. And none of it is a lie. Omissions, of course. But the core events are as true as we can make them.

It was almost irrelevant that there wasn’t any video of Sassi or Astral, just still photos Flask had on file. There certainly wasn’t any footage inside the facility after the lockout due to the jamming signals. But the fact that it was all real and happening now was enough. No extra dramatization outside of a few things here and there; just raw events.

Creatures loved their drama, and Twilight had just given them the newest one on prime-time viewing across multiple channels for free.

The Company was backed into a shrinking corner, all assets being frantically shuttled from nation to nation as the populations and rulers turned against them. First Equestria, then the Gryphons, Dragons, Kirins, and then the Yaks.

With the episodes planned to track Sassi and Astral’s progress on a basic level, Twilight had a feeling this would swing the public favor to a landslide, regardless of politics or species.

Yet it was worrying that they couldn’t see how the two were doing. The jamming was still surrounding the silos, and any attempts to contact Vial and his group were met with silence. The latter bit of information had Flask rather worried.

As the reports began to file in, Twilight scanned over one of the documents with a critical eye. There was another matter she had to address sooner rather than later.

On decrypting the hard drive that Flask had created, there had been initial errors. That wouldn’t have been suspicious, not at first. But Twilight had spotted a pattern. She’d meet with Flask in the next few days to confirm it. But whenever Sassi was mentioned, there were a lot of corrupted files.

A suspicious number of corrupted files.

He had wanted to hide something, and while it looked little more than an advanced search-and-delete function, Flask had done so rather well. She sensed no ill will from the pony, however. He had been helpful beyond measure, so Twilight had a feeling it was all for a good reason.

At this point with no contact, all they could do was wait and hope.

After a few moments, Sassi was the first to pull away. It was with clear reluctance, and Astral took no offense.

“A bit much?” he asked softly, the mare replying with a nod.

“Just a bit. And…” she shook her head. “I’ll tell you later.”

Her words seemed a bit odd, a complete disconnect from the previously affectionate and shy tone.

“Ok. Well, I guess we need to go? I wish we could stay here longer.”

“We probably should get moving,” she agreed with a rather fierce pout, one that made Astral laugh.

“Wow. You’ll make the flowers wilt with that one!” he crowed, Sassi glaring at him and struggling not to smile.

The two cleaned up their meals, putting their helmets back on as well as their weapons. Astral noted how Sassi carefully removed the woven circlet and put it in one of her saddlebags.

“There should just be office floors after this,” she remarked, the two heading back to the elevators after resetting the switches. “Since we’re nocturnal, the Skitters may be asleep, or at least be a bit sluggish. I don’t know if they do sleep, but I recommend we stop for the day before visiting a certain Queen.”

“Oh, right. That,” Astral muttered, “Yeah, if it’s a trap I’d rather have it be after I have some sleep.”

“It’ll make our trip a bit longer, but I don’t want to chance it. We’ll get within a few floors and then lockdown for the day. I want to give your body a chance to recover from the detox as well,” Sassi explained as the elevator dropped another two floors.

“I appreciate it.”

As the doors opened, the two ponies nodded to each other. A destroyed office greeted them, but no sign of Skitters or Spiders.

Unfortunately, there were leftovers.

“Is that a good thing?” Astral asked, gesturing to the severed Skitter arm.

“Considering that it’s not a gunshot that did that, I’d say so,” Sassi muttered, looking at the limb. “Maybe there is a civil war among the Skitters. That would be a good thing for us.”

Astral’s eyes were drawn to the barcode on the arm, the stallion letting out a huff.
“Another original I guess? You said the barcodes mean it was grown here?”

Sassi nodded once at that.
“Exactly. Anything in the Silos with a barcode means it grew up in a vat of fluid. That code is old, so it’s definitely an original skitter. Or, was. I don’t really know how far back those experiments go, or how long they live. Everything was already long in motion when I got brought up to speed.”

“Well, if that’s all that we find of them, I’ll rest a bit easier,” the stallion muttered.

“Agreed. Now, let’s get this done,” Sassi said, her clipped tone returning.

“Lead on.”

The rest of the floor was uneventful, along with the next few stops that spanned the rest of the night. Most of them had only destroyed office partitions to greet the pair, no more body parts to be seen. One floor had once been a lab, but other than some blood-covered walls there hadn’t been signs of anything. The vents had clanked a few times on each of the floors they visited, and Astral had a feeling they were being followed.

Sassi had confirmed that, the mare’s sharper hearing picking up something definitely inside the air system. That didn’t make Astral feel much better.

After spending a tense while re-wiring a broken control panel to open the door for the elevator relays, the two were back on track to another office floor. They’d bunk down at this one; a good six floors away from the Skitter queen. Sassi had confirmed that should be enough space.

‘Should’ didn’t put Astral’s heart at ease. But she said that this floor was one the mare was extremely familiar with, so that was a plus.

“Alright, last floor. We get to the security station and then we can rest. I saw your legs shaking,” Sassi said softly. “You holding up alright?”

“I’m ok, but definitely feeling a bit weak,” Astral admitted.

“That’s why we’re taking a break. The detox is catching up with you, as I thought. Usually, it wouldn’t be a problem, but most ponies aren’t in your condition.”

“I’m not that out of shape,” Astral grumbled, Sassi letting out a titter.

“I was referring to the fact you’re extremely stressed. Your adrenals are probably totally shot, and that’ll whack out the rest of your body.”

“Didn’t think of that…”

“So, let’s get to somewhere safe. Ears up, Astral. Let’s get this done.”

“Yes. M’am.”

The elevator doors opened and a typical office space spread out as the two exited the lobby.

They walked into the entryway of the office space, Sassi placing her hooves in the general place she had done a thousand times before. Years, most of her life of walking this same path, taking these few steps. She knew this floor like the back of her hoof.

Sassi took another step onto the tiles and immediately froze.

This isn’t right.

It was almost a physical pain that made the mare wince, her eyes darting around the empty office for a threat that didn’t exist. Astral looked at her in worry, his gaze on a swivel as he tried to spot what made her so nervous.

He wouldn’t see anything, of course, Sassi knew that in an instant. The environment seemed to slow down, her reflexes and thoughts moving at an accelerated pace as her breath quickened. It was just like at the sparring arena, the world going fuzzy.

It’s so wrong now.

She had been to this floor thousands of times, if not more. Filling out reports, socializing with the office workers, instructing other security guards, and planning various operations. Sassi could almost see the staff all milling about, the routes she would take. How to get to the break room, the conference area to plan a mission. The same paths day in and day out.

It had seemed so average, so day to day. A baseline that she understood was an incorrect view of ‘normal’ based on what Flask said, what she saw above ground. But there were never many other frames of reference.

But now…

It all felt twisted, a life that had been sick and poisoned. None of it had been genuine, let alone real and fulfilling. Every look the ponies had sent her way, every time she was carefully monitored ‘just in case’, even casually being left out of various get-togethers with workers.

At the moment, it had been just fine. That was how she was, how life was. She didn’t fit into other creatures’ lives, and she understood why. Sassi had her job, and that had been enough. A general hope that perhaps she could be free, but that was it. Her apartment was a small taste of what Flask had described as a normal life, but that was it. Her world involved three Silo’s and perhaps the wistful dreams of something more. The time above ground was the exception to the norm, not the rule.

But that life was now gone. The empty, ruined floor hit that fact home harder than anything else. An entire way of living was erased, the horrible, rotting mess that it was laid open for all to see. Her thoughts spiraled, her breath feeling constricted.

In complete contrast to the jungle, Sassi felt herself yanked into a burning pool of memories and fears. It saturated her senses, dulling all of her reflexes with anxiety and horror.

She felt her knees crumple, the mare barely catching herself with a hoof. The baseline Sassi had grown up with, accepted, and tried to live within had been wrong. Astral arriving had pushed Sassi’s expectations so far outside her realm of comfort, the mare didn’t know how to feel. There was so much she had missed, so much that was normal, good, and genuine that was lacking in her life.

Astral had brought a world with him, a way of life that Sassi had only seen snapshots of.
His affectionate touch in the jungle had been so alien, such an incredible departure from what she knew to be normal. And now she had a different baseline, a look at what things should be like. Something like a gentle show of affection; it was something from a world that Sassi had never been fully a part of.

It didn’t belong down here.

The baseline for what life should be life was now gone, shifted leagues away from what Sassi had ever thought possible. She had tried to think about it at times, wondering what life could be like, should be like. But it was always speculation, filled in with her brief sorties above ground and watching what other ponies did. Now, having Astral, a pony from a world she couldn’t fully understand; it directly clashed with Sassi’s understanding of normal.

The hardest part to internalize was that it was a good thing. Sassi knew that much. And yet it hurt to think about. The affectionate glow from their date was gone, replaced by a massive void of painful awareness that couldn’t be filled.

Flask was right. This entire place is wrong.

“Sassi?!”

Astral was immediately at her side, helping her up. Tears ran down Sassi’s cheeks from behind the closed visor as she leaned on his shoulder out of necessity.

This is what normal creatures do.
They help each other.

She wanted so much to embrace the idea, to dive headfirst into this new baseline, this new way of living life. It had been so close in the jungle, looking at her reflection in the mirror. But it was too much, and they were still stuck down here.

Something then pierced Sassi’s heart that she didn’t expect, something that made the mare actually wish for a brief moment that they could stay underground forever.

I’m so scared.

Her mind was so muddled, so conflicted that her usual training was muted and dulled. Sassi felt her hooves shaking. Astral would find out, likely within the next day or two. Either by her admittance or by the scientists. The two opposing worlds would clash, and she didn’t know which would prevail.

“Sassi, we need to move!”

Astral’s stern voice snapped her out of it, the stallion pushing her along as he watched their backs. His guns tracked along an air duct; a faint rattling being heard. Following the signs hanging from the roof, the two made it to a small metal door embedded off one of the side hallways. Pushing it open and making sure it was clear, Astral slid the door shut after Sassi staggered through, heavy locks being engaged around the entire entrance.

The security room was a simple but decently spacious one; some servers, screens, and a computer terminal. A small, familiar empty weapons locker stood by the door next to a plush chair and couch. Thankfully, the checkpoint entrance had multiple locks, and the door itself was fairly thick metal. It could likely hold off a determined Skitter for at least a few minutes.

Taking off his helmet, Astral looked over his friend worryingly.

“Ok, now we’re safe. Sassi, what’s going on?! Are you hurt?”

All she could do was remove her helmet, the mare shaking her head. The stallion was blurry in her vision, tears streaming down Sassi’s cheeks. She couldn’t even put words to the emotions clouding her mind. The unwavering concern in Astral’s voice both helped punch through her thoughts and yet caused more to stir up. There wasn’t a single ounce of fear in the stallion’s eyes, only concern and…

There was something else in his eyes, something that the mare had stopped trying to look for, something she had stopped trying to hope for.

“I can’t think,” she managed to say, ears flat against her skull. The barriers in her mind were crumbling, worn away by years of abuse and constant doubt. Training could only take her so far, and there wasn’t anything she could draw upon that fit. This wasn’t the time or the place for any of this, and that just added to the slight sobs that now wracked the mare’s barrel. She was supposed to be stronger than this.

It was so much easier before.
Why does he have to care?

“What can I do to help?”

Those few words made Sassi hang her head, partially in shame. She shouldn’t be breaking like this; more than twice within a single day. But none of her training, none of her experience mattered with this current challenge.

She didn’t know how to solve it.

“Well, I’m right here if you need me,” Astral said slowly, Sassi not having responded. “This is as good of a place as any to rest. Probably should get out of this armor. The door is certainly secure enough.”

A numb nod was all Sassi could muster, fear injecting itself into her mind even as she methodically slid out of the restrictive armored suit.

Will he hate me when he finds out?
Will he leave me, just like everyone else did?

That thought nearly broke the mare’s tentative hold against a complete breakdown. That was the crux of it. It wasn’t the facts, any of that. It all was whether the first genuine friend and stallion she had grown close to would hate her, toss a friendship to the wind and leave her with nothing. It had happened before plenty of times, at least with friends. Those thoughts had been a splinter in Sassi’s mind the entire day. He’d find out either when they met up with Vial, or she’d have to tell him tomorrow.

Astral wouldn’t hate me.

Sassi wished she could believe that without a doubt. But over twenty years of opposing views poisoned the flower of hope that was barely hanging on in her heart. Now that she had a friend, somepony to care about, the fear of losing that was nearly all-encompassing.

It’d be so much easier if you didn’t care. Part of me wishes I didn’t.
I wish I could kill off that part faster. There’s so much I want.
I hate that it gives me shivers. Something that should be lovely, good…
I have to try. I can’t keep living like before. I have to let myself want things, be ok with it.

She looked at Astral, the stallion walking up next to her. Making sure he wasn’t moving too fast, Astral carefully wrapped her up in a hug.

The mare’s scarred body relaxed immediately as her hind legs gave out. The tears started up again, the mental battle inside Sassi’s mind making her head pound. There was too much. Too many variables and not enough ways to describe it all.

I thought I had no more tears left. After the training, after everything. But first the jungle, now this?

As she cried, it all seemed to fade into the background. The smell of freshly fallen leaves made Sassi’s thoughts slow to a pleasant hum. His simple embrace made the tears fall faster, the stallion’s strong, steady heartbeat humming in her ears. How much Sassi wanted this, to have Astral never let go. How many years had she needed this? To be able to cry, to feel like a normal pony? To feel like someone cared?

Her chest warmed, and the mare felt herself inexplicably relax. It was just a flicker, but Sassi felt like herself for the briefest moment. Like a normal pony, one who could be weak from time to time. This wasn’t like their date.

She needed him right now, and that was ok.

And he’s still here. After everything we’ve been through, he’s still here.

Previously tainted by doubt and fear, the comforting thought seemed far more likely as Astral held her tight. Sassi let herself cry. The simple moments of support that he gave, such as this, were so much more valuable than Sassi could have imagined. Even being able to physically lean on somepony and know they wanted to be there was something fairly alien to the mare. There weren’t any unwanted advances, just a simple touch that held her close. But as Astral hugged her, a single thought cemented itself against the storm of doubts as he rocked her back and forth.

He’ll still be here.

Author's Note

Yay! More progress and....oh.
Poor Sassi. Girl is barely holding it together.

Chapter Fifty Three: A Promise

Her limbs gave out, Sassi slumping to the floor. She felt her limbs start to shake, the mare taking off her helmet. The air felt heavy and thick.

“I…” the words didn’t come.

This is it.

Within moments, it would all be over. Things would be back to normal. She had always expected this, knowing this would happen. It always did.

How could I have thought things would be different?

I was a fool.

“I mean, I kind of figured it out hours ago,” Astral admitted, sitting down in front of her. Not too close, but not distant either.

His words made Sassi’s entire thought process freeze, her head snapping as two violet eyes stared at him.

“W-what?!”

He shrugged, waving back towards the door.

“On the floor with the lockers. The nameplates on the floor.”

A few hours ago.

Astral stared at the displaced identification tag in front of him as Sassi scanned the hallway. He read the inscription once, twice, three times…and then again. The words cemented themselves into the stallion’s mind, all of the puzzle pieces abruptly falling into place.

Yet the only emotion in Astral’s heart was overwhelming, tender pity for the incredible mare with him.

Project Chimera:
Super Augmented Strike Soldier Initial -5 – ‘Sassi’
Secondary Adjusted, Tertiary Infantry Number – 1 – ‘Satin’

“Y-you’ve known?” she managed to say, Astral nodding.

“Since then, yep. Makes a lot of sense and answers a ton of questions.”

Her mouth hung open, words forming and then turning to ash within an instant.
“But you’re still here,” she whispered, “nothing changed. Why?”

“What do you mean, why? Why would I be anywhere else?”

The tension in Sassi’s mind finally snapped. A rubber band stretched beyond logical and emotional limits. She let out a cry, hoof pressed against her temples as an almost physical pain ran from her head to the tips of her hooves.

“No. This is w-wrong!” she cried, head shaking back and forth as she refused to look at Astral. “You’re not supposed to do this!”

“What are you talking abo-”

“You’re supposed to hate me!” she yelled, eyes wide, gaze now locked onto him. “You should think I’m some freak of nature! A monster! Nothing more than some company pawn!” The mare then dropped her eyes, shoulders shaking with sobs. “That is how it’s supposed to be. It’s so much easier than this. You’re supposed to think I’m just a product, and then it can all go back to normal.”

“You’re worth more than that, Sassi. Do you want me to think that about you?” Astral asked after a pause, “because I can’t.”

“No! I mean, I can’t…I…” she stuttered, tears dripping to the floor. “Just please don’t tell me to go away.”

When the mare looked up again, Astral’s heart nearly broke. Tears streamed from her eyes, Sassi sniffling and trying to wipe her nose with a forelimb. Raw terror shone in her gaze, the mare’s eyes focused on Astral, but seeing something not entirely there.

“Please don’t leave me alone.”

Astral’s own gaze became clouded by tears, the Thestral slowly but deliberately walking over to the mare. Gently wrapping his forelimbs around Sassi, he pulled her close.

“I’m not going anywhere, Sassi,” he whispered, the mare leaning into his embrace and holding him tight. “I promise. That hasn’t changed.”

His words made Sassi sob, the distraught Thestral wailing into Astral’s fur as she cried. He rocked her back and forth, feeling utterly helpless as the mare shivered in his embrace.

“I made you a promise,” he added softly.

He wasn’t sure how long they stayed there. Sassi’s tears eventually slowed, the stallion rocking her back and forth now and again. She eventually pulled away, taking a few steps as she wiped her face, the paper towels near the water dispenser proving rather useful. The two of them removed their armor; Sassi more out of a seeming necessity to be out of the enclosed apparel.

Astral figured they would settle down here for now. It was clear the mare was far from alright, that much he could see. Her entire demeanor was tense, her gaze confused and having gained a dangerous glint.

This would be interesting.

He shrugged off the saddlebags, making sure the door was locked as he sat back down.
“How are you feeling?” Astral asked cautiously.

She let out a choked laugh, head shaking as Sassi looked at the floor.
“I don’t know. I just don’t know. How do I go from here? I can’t-I don’t understand why. I can’t think. It’s all blurred together. But why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you here, staying with me? Not throwing me aside like…” she added, taking a shaky breath. “I’m a broken creature, Astral. I shouldn’t even exist.”

“Plenty of creatures are a bit brok-”

“NOT LIKE ME!”

Sassi’s abrupt roar nearly made Astral fall backward in shock, the stallion staring at the furious mare.

But it wasn’t directed at him.

Her bloodshot eyes were shimmering with new tears, Sassi seemed to observe much more than just Astral in front of her. Her focus seemed to be through him rather than on him.

“I’m noteven a pony! I don’t know what I am!” Sassi yelled, her demeanor that of desperation rather than directed anger. “Sometimes I don’t even know who I am! I’ve never had a chance to find out! I don’t know what to do, outside of all this. What I am…who I am.”

Astral raised a tentative hoof, feeling his limb shake. Seeing Sassi so angry and distraught was unsettling.

“I know who you are, at least in part. I know that you’re my friend,” he said simply, Sassi looking at him in shock. “I know that I still care a lot about you, that hasn’t changed.” That made her draw a surprised breath.

“I also know that you’re an incredible mare. I know you’re a lot stronger than me, and I don’t mean just physically,” he clarified with a tentative smile. “I know I know you’re fun to be around, curious, and sharp as a tack. I look forward to learning more, but none of that will change while you figure things out on your end.”

The tears began to flow again, Sassi shaking her head. There was no more raw anger, only streams of frustration as confusion flooded her eyes.

“Why are you saying all of this?” she asked, gaze once again seeming to look through Astral. “I’m just a product. Outside of that, I don’t have value,” Sassi said, words seeming almost spoken as a recitation than anything.

“You do to me and to anyone else who gets to know you.”

That was when Astral saw it. A glimmer of life, a shard of hope in those two beautiful violet eyes that made his heart jump.

There you are.

Sassi’s eyes darted back and forth in thought, the mare shaking her head.
“What about us, Astral?” she whispered.

“What do you mean?”

“Everything…” the words stuck in Sassi’s throat. She could barely say it; even the thought was too painful to dwell on. “Everything you like about me came out of a tube. It’s all programmed and planned.”

Astral immediately snorted, shaking his head.
“Well, that’s just not true,” he said firmly.

“Oh, come on. How I look, how I act, I was made to be this way,” Sassi growled, eyes focused on the floor. But the frustration, the borderline rage wasn’t directed at Astral. It was at everything but him.

“I don’t believe that.”

The anger surged in Sassi’s heart again, the mare glaring at him. The tears obscured the stallion, but the fact he simply sat there and waited made the ember of hope flare up.

“Really? Astral, I know exactly how much I’m worth down to the bit!” she spat out, now not able to look at him. “Every part of me. I’ve heard it more times than I can count. Kidneys, fifteen million bits. Muscle tissue? Twenty million. Heart? Nine and a half million. Eyes? Thirty million. Every part of me was engineered to be above average, all with a specific purpose and goal! That’s where my value is.”

“You think I like you because of your kidneys?”

Astral’s comment derailed Sassi’s train of thought, the stallion shaking his head.
“Sure, I think you’re gorgeous, but I don’t like you just for that. You’re worth more than whatever some spreadsheet says.”

She let out a sad laugh, head shaking back and forth.
“Convince me.” Her voice was soft and carried with it a defeated and haughty tone. But there was an underlying pleading, a brief look as she glanced up to Astral. “Please,” the final word was a whisper, and the other Thestral nodded once.

“So, removing the physical attractiveness aspect, of which there are many things? Well, I doubt they programmed you to be fun to get along with.”

“Personability was part of it. Able to get along with others,” she said, almost as if it was a recitation.

“Uh, that’s called learning to socialize, Sassi,” Astral added, “So you got programmed instead of hanging out with a ton of ponies? You turned out better than many who did it ‘naturally’,” he huffed. “Sure, maybe they added stuff to make you work well in a military unit…but playing board games isn’t part of that, is it? Being funny, carefree, and curious about things other than military stuff? Wouldn’t they want a fixated soldier?”

She stared, such a simple fact bouncing around Sassi’s skull, refusing to be absorbed.

No. That…wouldn’t have been programmed. Not that specific.

“What about wanting to explore? To see this amazing world? Why would they have programmed that into some soldier they probably wanted to control? That’s not programmed, that’s you,” Astral added firmly. “Your sense of humor? The shy mare I got a glimpse of in that jungle? The pony who has memorized A Queen Betrothed? That’s not a programmed super-soldier. That’s. Just. You.”

Sassi didn’t have a response to that, Astral taking a tentative step forward.
“They could make an exact copy, and even if you shared genetic code, they would be a very, very different mare. They wouldn’t be you.”

She couldn’t think about it. Astral’s words made complete sense, hope nearly making her chest burst with anxious joy- but it was just out of reach.

“I don’t…no. Everything about me is programmed, made by the Company for a purpose,” she whispered.

Astral moved slowly, Sassi watching as he gently placed a hoof on her chest.
“Not everything,” he whispered.

The words made the tears start up again, Sassi gritting her teeth.

“Ponyfeathers, Astral. Why…I…” she stammered, hanging her head as Astral dropped his hoof. “How can you still want to be close to me?”

“How can I not? Pretty sure we’ve had this discussion before.”

“Not like this!” she growled, “I’m not a pony, not even close. I can’t give you a normal life; I certainly don’t get to have a normal life!”

“Do you want one? Do you think I do?”

Astral’s response made Sassi pause, thoughts grinding to a halt.

“You say you can’t give me a normal life?” Astral asked, Sassi’s ears perking up as his tone became erratic, the stallion’s demeanor shifting abruptly. “What makes you think I want one? I don’t get to have a normal life after this. That’s the curse of knowledge, of living through something like this. But do you want a normal life?”

“I don’t…know,” she admitted. “But this is different. This isn’t just about me. You won’t be coming home every day to some perfectly-combed wife with a neatly set dinner table or anything!” She saw Astral stiffen, but he stayed silent. “You’ll get home, and I might just be a wreck, curled up into a ball and crying. Memories and…” her words trailed off, Astral scooting over to gently brush against the mare’s shoulder. “And you’re ok with that?” Sassi asked quietly.

“Well, yeah. Especially when you put it like that.”

“Why?!”

Astral turned to look at her, and that was when Sassi’s thoughts paused. There was something behind Astral’s gaze that made the mare’s heart both overflow with affection. It was understanding, a steadfast determination, and a genuine warm emotion that made her just want to hug him and never let go.

“Other than I care about you?” he asked, gaze dropping. The more serious tone immediately clued Sassi in that something was brewing. The stallion’s ears pinned back, Astral’s eyes focusing on the floor. He seemed to shrink back ever so slightly.

“Some days it’ll be me on the couch. You’ll come home, and it’ll be me needing you to tell me that everything will be ok, that I’m s-safe,” his voice hitched. “That’s why. We’d still be a team. And maybe some days we’d both be a mess on the couch. But we’d be getting through it together, just like we are now.”

She could only stare. Somehow that thought had never crossed her mind. There was genuine affection in Astral’s gaze, but also a fearful acknowledgment of his own words. Of course, he’d be dealing with things too.

And now it was clear he wanted to deal with the trauma with her. Not leave her alone, but…

The doubts crumbled, the final pillar of everything Sassi had grown up with shattering.

The world didn’t make sense anymore.

All the mare could do was hang her head and cry. Her head was pounding, chest tight with anxiety. But the wing Astral draped across her back made it all hurt a little bit less. A thought then surfaced, cementing itself as the new foundation in her mind. This was the new layer on which Sassi could start to build an understanding of a new world.

He doesn’t hate me. He’s still here.

Author's Note

Chapter Sixty Five: Intermission, Part 2

Twilight tapped a hoof impatiently on the crystal desk. There had been a disturbing lack of communications from either Sassi or Astral. The suit he had equipped should have been able to connect by now, but the reactor’s overload had thrown things into chaos with the Silo systems. The teleportation of the Skitter Queen had confirmed that Astral had gotten that far at least.

But then there was nothing. Over twelve hours of silence after the detonation of the Silo Two reactor, and execution of Split Tie. Twilight had found her own emotions boiling at seeing the exchange. Astral had been clearly been pushed beyond what any normal pony could be expected to endure.

Even as the ‘less-scary’ princess, as thus deemed by the Press more often than not, Twilight had to suppress a rather intense desire to immediately de-horn the two Owners they had in custody. She was still actively considering it.

If such a malicious spell was indeed entwined with magical signatures…

She let out a snort. Their time would come, and there were only a few known individuals unaccounted for. They would answer for their crimes. Until then, her job, and her duty was to get the remaining ponies home.

And apparently, respond to freaky spider monsters escaping. That had been an unpleasant reminder that the horrors of the Silos were literally beneath their hooves.

Vial and the others had immediately volunteered to join the effort and the Control Center had put them to work. The stallion had no additional information to offer for other Company sites; the transportation of the Queen and the reactor detonator had caught him completely off guard.

Nonetheless, his team’s knowledge of company systems was already aiding the decoding process of some of the more cryptic documents. The footage retrieved had immediately been sent to the appropriate departments to be sanitized, with multiple portions intending to be released to the public.

To that end, more episodes of Sassi and Astral’s journey had been released the day before. Now with spliced together footage from the evacuation courtesy of Vial’s efforts to remove the shields temporarily, there were bits and pieces of Astral making his way through the facility, and then the two of them fighting the Skitters side by side. It was heavily edited, jumping days or more at a time, but the message was clear enough. The more recent footage from Astral’s helmet cam was being processed, at least before it had cut out as he had descended deeper into the Silo.

There was a clear villain, and now the Public had footage of their heroes. The citizens of multiple nations were still frothing for justice, and the Stairway company was being hunted by governments and private entities alike.

It wasn’t a perfect solution, far from it. But considering how the crimes of the Company had evaded the detection of multiple nations, Twilight saw it as an acceptable risk. She could only try to reduce the risk of innocent individuals being caught up in the company’s dragnet. That was why each airing made it clear that most employees were unaware of the atrocities. There was also the encouragement for all former employees to offer whatever information they could.

There was additional reasoning for that statement. With the public scrutinizing anyone having ties to the company, there was an unspoken pressure. Of course, everyone involved in the case knew that anyone underground in the facilities had a fairly good idea of what was involved. But it gave low-level employees deniability and a way to prove to all creatures they were doing the right thing. And that pressure and sentiment had already proven to be worth it, multiple creatures turning themselves in and wanting to provide any and all information on the Stairway company. Even innocuous facts such as the locations of various cabin get-aways could prove useful.

One such cabin had already led to a small underground complex. The Company’s reach was far indeed.

But there were still two Thestrals unaccounted for. Hopefully alive, but the facts weren’t promising.

All Twilight had was Vial’s account. The modification of Astral, and then the Thestral charging into the depths of the silo to rescue Sassi. For all they knew, the two could be dead. Silo Two had gone up in a rather fantastic burst of fire, radiation, and magical detonations that had barely been contained by above-ground shields. If they had gotten to the utility tram in time, maybe…

Vial hadn’t minced words when Twilight had asked him about the chances of Astral surviving his accelerated modifications, even assuming the two had escaped the blast. The stallion hadn’t met her gaze as he spoke. If they were unable to get him to a medical bay, somewhere with healing spells, Astral wouldn’t last long. Even with spells, the chances were not in his favor. Possible, but there were so many factors to consider.

That was why Twilight was holding off on telling Astral’s parents. The last thing she wanted to do was give them a false sense of hope.

And then there was Silo Three, something that both Vial and Flask couldn’t elaborate on. It was a black hole of information. The only confirmed facts were that it was self-sufficient, old, and had the Company’s genetic splicing stations along with prisoners. The Silo was utterly unknown even to long-time employees of the company under interrogation. Even for a company with compartmentalized resources, Twilight found it odd and considering what they were dealing with, rather unnerving. The adept alicorn had detected the residual traces of a memory wipe spell on some of the individuals, so that would explain the complete lack of information, at least for now. Even the two company owners in custody didn’t know anything about it. Silos and the organization were intentionally parsed out to specific individuals.

The thoughts were quickly compartmentalized. It was all conjecture at this point. Twilight had more pressing matters to attend to. As wrapped up as they were with the journey of these two Thestrals, there was a national security matter that loomed.

The incredible buildup of Gryphon armed forces was screaming across multiple media outlets. They had mobilized to an extent that either suggested an invasion or an internal conflict. Twilight hadn’t even known the Empire had that many battleships ready to fly!

Yet all her sources indicated they were massing around certain areas; one of which was a confirmed Silo location. Messages to the current Emperor had gone unanswered, and that worried the Princess more than anything. The lack of information clawed at her consciousness.

Emperor Tanzil Ironclaw was, in Twilight’s opinion, one of the more impressive and genuine rulers she had ever met. For the tactful leader to ignore a message was extremely out of character. And that wasn’t accounting for six months of being too busy for their usual monthly, or bi-weekly chats.

Out of character indeed, especially since Twilight was fairly certain the gryphon was rather fond of her. Twilight’s own feelings were a bit complicated in that matter during normal times, let alone a national crisis.

‘Complicated’ in the sense that the handsome gryphon had asked her to dance two years ago during a formal ball, and Twilight had said yes. She hadn’t regretted it in the slightest and quickly realized the Emperor could dance rather well. Surprisingly well.

That thought earned a slight smile. A decade or two ago, she would have blown off such things before it had reached that point. But seeing Tanzil rule for over nearly thirty years had softened the Princess’s view, and the gryphon had become a very close friend. She had been hopeful at first, his various outreach efforts, treaties, and joint nation-building exercises had been nothing short of exciting.

That excitement had turned to surprise and then a genuine respect as Tanzil had pulled the Gryphon Empire kicking and screaming into the modern era. There were many rumors surrounding the new emperor, and the fact he hadn’t appeared to age a day in the thirty years of rule certainly gave credence to a few of them.

But he was nothing short of a just, fair, and genuinely compassionate gryphon. Twilight had to be careful of who crossed over from political to close friends, yet Tanzil hadn’t done anything that would make her rethink such a designation. They tried to send summaries, or at least have a brief call every month or two. He offered a perspective Twilight could appreciate, the same reason she spoke with Chrysalis every month.

Well, part of that was to make sure the Changeling Queen didn’t get too bored and start playing truth or dare with Discord again. It had only been Fluttershy’s intervention that had averted a sourdough uprising in the suburbs of Canterlot again.

Of course, meeting with the loosely reformed Queen didn’t provide the same excitement she felt when meeting with Tanzil. Chrysalis was a breath of fresh air (if not amusingly abrasive at times.) But the charismatic gryphon Emperor was quite different. If her feelings on the matter were as easily categorized as dance steps, the Princess would be a bit more at ease.

Twilight slotted those thoughts away for a future time. The situation didn’t bode well. The Equestrians still were wary of gryphons even after centuries, and vice versa. The Empire still did have some ingrained cultural lines from the past. But what nation didn’t? Such talks with Tanzil had been enlightening, to say the least. They had spoken on and off for nearly a decade. Before that, Twilight had watched the Emperor with interest. Now he was a friendly face she looked forward to seeing, especially since they had recently accepted that honorifics (when alone) weren’t necessary.

That fact had jarred Twilight’s internal pillars a bit more than she had at first realized. It had been nearly three centuries since Princess Twilight had been just ‘Twilight.’ It was freeing in a way that made the mare understand Celestia’s position a bit more, of why she enjoyed being somewhere that no creature knew who she was. She could just be ‘her’.

There were only a few of her friends left who remembered the mare like that. Sure, Shining Armor and Cadence were still around, along with their ever-growing family, but that was…different.

Spike and Gabby were still exploring the world, the paired size and age spell still working wonders. They visited every so often and were in contact at least every few months.

Twilight’s heart had nearly broken back then, walking in on seeing Spike utterly inconsolable as the reality set in concerning his age those centuries ago. Or rather, his long life and Gabby’s lack thereof. The solution had been an obvious one, and the joy of marrying the two later had been absolutely worth the long nights of research for the equalization spell. It wasn’t full-blown immortality, but a balancing of their ages to equal out.

Outside of the royal sisters, Fluttershy was the only pony who knew Twilight from long before her Ascension. It had been a unique situation, of course. Discord had been rather blunt ages ago about the matter.

“I’m not about to let something trivial like time and age keep me from Fluttershy. I already beat Death in a poker game twice, and blackjack thrice. They owe me,” the God of Chaos had snorted.

Clearly, the couple had talked about it extensively, because Fluttershy was quite excited. She had aged with her friends until their manes grew grey, sharing in the trials of time. But eventually, the clock had then stopped for her. It then turned backward until eventually pausing. And now more than two hundred years later, the unique pair were still as happy as they had been on their wedding day. They sometimes invited Twilight to the ever-growing now multi-nation animal shelter organization, or to Chaosville, where they were constantly exploring and creating all manner of new lands.

Twilight admitted such a prospect was jealousy-inducing in more ways than one.

She swallowed the lump in her throat as the train of thought ended. Yes, she still had friends, close and dear friends who actively made an effort to reach out and check in on her. She couldn’t put a price on that. But there were times there was something else that lacked. The Princess could sometimes pin it down, other times it was nebulous.

The mare shook her head and turned to look back at the reports, letting out a huff. The gryphon Emperor was proving to be a problem she had to dedicate more and more brainpower to figure out, in more ways than one.

At least his actions had been straightforward. Emperor Tanzil Ironclaw had done wonders for the Empire in his nearly three-decade rule. Under his direction, the Gryphon Empire had gone from lagging behind Equestria by decades to matching them in every spectrum, nearly surpassing some areas.

‘Nearly’ was the official term. The Empire most certainly had overtaken Equestria, depending on the year, for some metrics. Not that Twilight would admit it publicly, especially since one of their libraries hypothetically just surpassed her personal collection in terms of volumes stored. She had gotten that notice two years ago, and Twilight had remedied that by purchasing hundreds of books on the spot.

The Empire’s response had been nothing short of hilarious, Twilight barely able to contain her laughter during the diplomatic ‘crisis’. It had been the first real clue that this gryphon actively wanted to be on a different level with Equestria than his predecessors. A friendly, actively courteous relationship. The simple message from Tanzil about the ‘crisis’ had gotten out, and Twilight had needed to clarify there was no ulterior motive.

She had barely gotten through that meeting without laughing.

‘Highness. We wish to inform you that while your library is impressive, we have purchased an additional thousand copies of various books from Yak and Kirin researchers.

If you wish to engage in an arms race of knowledge, I accept.
-Emperor Ironclaw.’

The ‘arms race’ had ended after a few months, each kingdom’s libraries having swelled by tens of thousands of books over the time. Ultimately, the two kingdoms signed a ‘truce’ in which their libraries would be shared. That bolstered the count by even more thousands due to the copies delivered and received.

That was something Twilight had learned and penned a letter to Celestia for old-time’s sake. As a ruler, you had to find fun where and when appropriate. And when one of your friends was a ruler of a nation, you had to be careful. However, there were times a bit of silliness was appropriate, especially if the outcome was a more educated population. Through that exchange, Twilight realized that the Emperor may be just that type of friend.

“Please send another message to Emperor Ironclaw. I would like to speak with him immediately regarding the troop buildup at borders and internally,” Twilight instructed the nearest communications officer.

“Message sent,” the unicorn relayed, then raised a hoof. “Immediate response. He says to use the crisis line, Highness.”

Finally.

The crisis lines were an emergency contact portal to every nation’s ruler, a way to communicate if normal channels were too slow or inefficient.

Entering the small office at the rear of the Castle’s command center, Twilight sat down and triggered the communications portal.

“Emperor Ironclaw,” she said, the gryphon bowing his head respectfully.

“Princess Twilight. I apologize for the lack of communication,” Tanzil said smoothly. The crown on the gryphon’s head lacked the usual spikes of other rulers. Instead, it was almost a half-helmet that ran along the blue and black gryphon’s brow, dipping down under his ears as if crafted from silver vines. It contrasted nicely with his mostly dark-blue feathers, shot through with streaks of bright silver and white, and highlighted Tanzil’s amber eyes.

Rarity would have approved and likely been extremely jealous of the design.

“Apology accepted, Emperor, but there are quite a few things that, as you must understand, appear concerning to us. Primarily the build-up of forces at your border and internally.”

There was a bit of commotion out of view of the portal, Tanzil nodding in agreement.

“It must appear rather ill indeed. I assure you, Princess. Our intentions have nothing to do with Equestria. In fact, this is to protect Equestria. I wish I could say more. I apologize, I have to go.”

The abruptness and rather curt tone were most unlike the gryphon Emperor, Twilight’s eyes narrowing. She had become fairly decent at reading body language, especially the unspoken communications of pony royals. A slight smile, a tossing of the mane, it was the language of those in power and privilege.

What worried Twilight was that Tanzil appeared genuinely unsettled. The formal and guarded look he held when conducting negotiations (as opposed to their friendly talks) was in full force. Twilight had learned to see such masks among creatures during the decade Celestia and Luna had mentored her as they slowly ceded their formal rule.

“Oh, the book I gifted you, Highness. There’s a reference to an event on page one hundred and twelve. Could you send me the names listed there at your earliest convenience?”

“Of course. Take care, Emperor.”

The portal then shut off, Twilight teleporting to her personal chambers. The situation had abruptly changed, it would seem. With the broadcasts of Sassi and Astral now going out, the public was incensed against the company. Other nations were rallying with Equestria to root out the various evils, but the gryphons had remained oddly subdued.

Something was up.

Twilight took the massive book out of the protective case, a genuine, eager smile dawning on her face. Despite growing taller and older, she was still a bookworm at heart. Running a nation had never been a goal of hers, even if the mare had grown to understand and appreciate it. Twilight still reveled in the hours, or sometimes a scheduled day or two spent secluded in her personal library to delve into books and research.

She might be an ageless Princess, a ruler of a nation, but there were some things about her that had never changed.

The fellow appreciation of knowledge was one of the things that had been the final step in softening her heart towards the gryphon Emperor. Tanzil had, on her birthday last year, gifted the Princess one of only two discovered copies of ‘Gryphon Runic Theory, A Continuum.’ The only other copy was in the royal archives at the Emperor’s palace.

To say it was priceless was an accurate statement, and Twilight had literally bounced around the room for a few minutes after she was alone. The smile on Tanzil’s face when she had thanked him personally had made some rather alien feelings prick at her heart, at least back then. Such emotions weren’t so foreign now, but just as confusing.

But now there was apparently an alternate purpose for such a gift. That soured things a bit.

Turning to the respective page, Twilight immediately cast a series of shielding spells, a previously-dormant rune flashing on the volume.

A communications portal?

Another brief teleport and Twilight was in a secured and heavily-reinforced room of the Castle. Time to see what this was.

Activating the spell, the Princess’s eyes widened on seeing a genuinely relieved gryphon looking back at her from the portal. Tanzil was clearly in a different room, and the portal crackled with impressively-advanced concealment spells. The magic present was far above what Twilight had pegged normal gryphon mages to be capable of.

“Highness. I’m glad this worked,” the Emperor sighed. “I apologize for the cloak and dagger. I never wanted things to come to this.”

“Come to what, Emperor? This is an extremely odd circumstance, especially given our current nation’s relations. We haven’t spoken together in six months, and I’ve begun to worry.”

The gryphon sighed, running a set of claws over his head crest.
“And I apologize for that, Highness. I’ve truly missed our talks. More to the point, the crisis line is tapped. Hopefully, this solves things. I want to be on the same page.”

Tapped?! By who?

“Currently, there is the danger of an attempted coup in the Empire. There are factions on the move. Especially over the next few weeks, things are along the edge of a knife, and I need Equestria’s help.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes, knowing full well what such a request could entail. While there were reports of political unrest in the Empire, a full-blown coup was news to her.

“If it’s an internal affair, I can’t commit support to any specific side. You know this.”

Tanzil laughed tiredly, waving a set of claws.
“Oh, you misunderstand. I seek some political and media assistance. A gesture to assure the public that Equestria is on our side. Nothing outside of that.”

“What has brought this up? I thought Equestria and the Empire were on good terms?”

Tanzil nodded, and it was only then that Twilight saw the dark circles around the gryphon’s eyes. Barely concealed beneath some makeup and a crude spell, but they were there.

“We are, better than in any recorded history. But there are those among my rule who would use recent developments to reignite old suspicions. I shall try to be brief.”

The gryphon rubbed his temples, the display of weakness lowering Twilight’s guard. Tanzil was often more open with her than other rulers, at least as far as she could observe. Seeing him genuinely distressed worried Twilight on a different level than other rulers.

As a close friend, it pricked at the mare’s tender heart a bit more than many would initially expect.

“On receiving the reports of the Stairway company you generously provided, we raided one of the facilities within our borders,” Tanzil explained. “We were well within our right to do so considering the reports. I am happy to say that the majority of the facility was disabled and all creatures imprisoned. However, the unfortunate fact is that many are dual citizens of Equestria and the Empire. Most of them were ponies, and all of the owners, as you know, are Unicorns,” he held up a set of talons, “and I’d be happy to discuss the prisoner situation after we resolve the current crisis.”

“I understand. Do continue, Emperor,” Twilight said, the gryphon reaching over to flip through some papers.

“So, you can imagine that inflamed factions within the Empire who already were wary of Equestria and had anti-pony biases. Accusations of Equestrian spies, using the company to gain military secrets, the usual fears, and suspicions.

As of ten hours ago, we received an ultimatum from an undisclosed source to release two of the individuals. Apparently, two of the captive unicorns are owners of the Company. I refused, obviously. One hour later, something massacred the security detail that was overseeing another Silo location. We put it down quickly, of course. But one of the owners got away. We don’t know how, only that the transport was attacked. There were no survivors. The security detail encountered this at the Silo location, however. I think the message was clear.”

Showing the photograph to Twilight, the Emperor’s gaze hardened.
“You know what this is.”

The unmistakable likeness of a Skitter stared back at the Princess, a hoof-sized hole blown through its chest and head.

“They released it?”

“We suspect so, and I don’t know if it’s the only one. We discovered a massive breach in one of the Company’s silo’s, a huge underground tunnel leading to open air. I don’t know what else got out, but I’ve mobilized the military to contain further releases. I want to make sure no such things leave our borders,” Tanzil relayed. “There’s a hunt for the other owner underway in our territory. If they’re here, we’ll find them. That leaves only one or two remaining,” he said.

“What I need from you is a gesture of good faith. I will be asking if you would like us to add a significant number of gryphon units to the emergency exit locations of the facility Astral and Sassi are trapped in. If you are accepting and are comfortable with that, it will appease the more zealous naysayers. I ask because they will be some of the shock troops, rather than normal soldiers. I can spin such an effort in various ways. I do not doubt that these abruptly-vocal and zealous factions have ties to the Company, as my Empire was one of their last safe havens.”

She was quiet for a moment, but Twilight finally nodded.

“As long as they are equal in number to Equestria’s forces, that is acceptable.”

Tanzil sighed in relief, nodding in thanks.
“Thank you. The other matter is something I wish to offer you, which can be leveraged in my favor against my opponents as well.”

“Oh?”

“Our military satellites are in position over the facility,” Tanzil said, “we can obtain access to the Stairways network using brute-force methods. However, that would take time, of which I doubt Astral and Sassi have. If I had the magical jamming frequencies the facility uses, we could then broadcast the feeds to you once we bypass the interference. Such a sign of trust would destroy the idea that Equestria was attempting to gain or hide military secrets if you provided the information for us to use. We aren’t able to measure the frequencies at the sensitive levels your mages are capable of.”

That made Twilight pause. Providing such frequencies wasn’t inherently dangerous, but it would give the Empire insight into how current spells were able to mask radio transmissions.

Speaking of which, the fact that Tanzil had revealed the Gryphon Empire had multiple military satellites was news to Twilight considering the rudimentary state of their space program. The fact that Tanzil revealed their lack of ability to measure magical frequencies was another piece of sensitive information. He was being generous with disclosing sensitive topics, offering quite a bit without a promise of a return.

Twilight could appreciate such efforts indeed. A similar request from other rulers would have raised her guard, but Tanzil had proven time and time again over the years that his requests were genuine.

“I would not ask this unless I had to, Highness,” Tanzil admitted, “but I am running out of options.”

“I think we can do that. Give me an hour or two, and I’ll send the frequencies.”

The smile on the gryphon’s face made the room quite a bit brighter.
“Thank you, Highness. I think that should take care of things quite nicely.”

The immediate pressure relieved, Twilight decided to ask a few questions of her own. It had been a while since she had spoken to Tanzil, after all.

“I am glad to hear it. However, I have to ask, Emperor, did you give me that book as just a last-resort communication measure? Any old volume would have been adequate.”

To Twilight’s surprise, genuine guilt darted across the Emperor’s face.
“No. The rune was a secondary thought. If not that book, then I would have dug up another gift,” he said. “The primary purpose of the gift was not to serve as a runic conduit.”

She let out a hum at that, still not fully buying his words.
“Well, it seems to have served its purpose regardless,” Twilight mused, then decided to delve into a few of the gryphon’s words. “What was the primary purpose then? Just a gift?”

Another flash of emotion, this one rather out of place with most gryphons even after the cross-border citizenships. A genuine softness, a kindness more akin to a close friend. Twilight had the abrupt realization that she perhaps underestimated the genuine and noble intentions of the gryphon.

“I have mentioned this before, Highness, but after this incident, it would seem I need to say it again publicly,” he admitted. “Unlike some other gryphons, I openly appreciate Equestria,” the Emperor said calmly, “the easygoing culture, food, and natural way in which bonds are built is a breath of fresh air amid the remnants of our way of our life that was, and still is predicated on what one creature can offer the other in terms of exploitation,” he gestured towards the book. “I actually like ponies and would like them to know that. Some…much more than others. That was the purpose of the gift.”

It was barely a second, what one could dismiss as a warping by the portal. But there was a hesitation, a hitch in Tanzil’s voice when he spoke.

There had been a few off moments during their talks where Twilight sensed another layer to the gryphon, and today was no different. For a split second, the Princess saw something that reminded her of Celestia and Luna. It was the barest glimpse, but the look behind Tanzil’s eyes was not like a normal creature. It was that of an individual who had seen and lived far longer than his apparent sixty years. It would have taken an hour to quantify the things Twilight saw in the unguarded gaze of the Emperor.

It was the almost desperate look of a lonely creature reaching out to another the best way they could. That was something Twilight had seen in the mirror many times over the years, and not just when she was a Princess. That alone made the mare’s throat close up with emotion, many of such times having been painful indeed. But there was also genuine care and compassion. A trusting look. There was another layer that made Twilight pause further. There was a gentle affection in the gryphon’s amber eyes. That much had been present during the pause.

It was hardly a veiled message, intentional or unintentional.

“Well, the book is still appreciated. I’ve certainly read it a few times,” Twilight said with a kind smile.

“Just a few times? I’m surprised,” Tanzil replied back with an endearing chuckle.

“This year.”

The Emperor let out a barely-contained snort, genuine laughter shaking his frame.

“That sounds a bit more appropriate for you, Highness,” he managed to say. “It seems I’ll have to outdo myself this next year.”

“I look forward to it, Emperor Ironclaw. And perhaps I’ll be the one to ask you for a dance at our next international Gala later this year.”

It wasn’t a lie, far from it. Twilight was simply curious about where pursuing this line of thought would go. Testing a hypothesis with an unpredictable outcome. She was rather surprised at herself, being rather eager to see what outcomes there could be.

“In that case, I certainly will make it a point to attend. I wouldn’t want to miss the chance,” he replied, a familiar smile putting Twilight at ease. Things couldn’t be that bad if the Emperor was back to his cheerful self and able to have some banter. “That is, of course, unless you’d prefer to have a dance before that time.”

There were very few things that were now able to throw Twilight for a loop. Between the decade of adjusting where Luna and Celestia had continually coached the mare to rule, and then their continual help for the following decades (and even now), few situations caught the studious mare off guard.

This, however, had just become one of such few moments.

“Emperor Ironclaw, are you asking the ruler of Equestria on a date during a crisis?” Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow. Thankfully, she had curated quite the impressive poker face over the years.

That served to mask the fact her internal monologue was screaming a dozen thoughts at a very high frequency.

“I…would not use that term,” the gryphon said, clearly a bit flustered as his feathers fluffed up slightly. It was rather adorable, Twilight had to admit.

“Oh? Then what term would you use?”

“International relations building.”

The fact the gryphon had such an immediate reply ready and delivered it with a straight face was too much for Twilight. The stress of the past few days and the company of a good friend made it so her usual inhibitions against ‘non-royal’ behavior were fairly thin. She burst out laughing, abruptly realizing that the poor gryphon on the other end of the portal probably had no idea if such laughter was directed towards him or the situation.

“T-that, Tanzil, was perfect,” she gasped. The Emperor relaxed. First names were only used when the two of them were more or less conversing as equal creatures other than the heads of nations. It was a signal to both of them in conversation that nothing ‘job’ related was at stake.

She collected herself and continued with a pleasant but firm smile.
“But to the point, I’d like to get this crisis resolved before making any definitive plans.”

The poor Emperor almost visibly deflated at that. For a gryphon, Tanzil had always been a bit more open with his emotions, even in negotiations. It brought challenges, but many appreciated the sincerity. Twilight was one of the latter.

“Of course. I certainly agree.”

“But I do know a place on the outskirts of Canterlot that makes both amazing smoked salmon and hayburgers,” Twilight added, silently cursing her body for directing quite a bit of heat towards her cheeks. “Assuming neither of our kingdoms has burnt down after this crisis, I think it’d be a nice place for some cursory…international relationship building. If that is convenient.”

Seeing the simple joy in her friend’s eyes at the reply was enough to make Twilight smile. Unfortunately, she couldn’t exactly stop the butterflies in her stomach, but the general happy warmth she felt was a good enough answer to herself if it was a good idea.

“That would be perfectly acceptable, Twilight,” Tanzil replied. Always the gentlegriff, he had let the Princess drop the honorifics first. The more brainpower Twilight dedicated to the matter, the list of ‘positive Tanzil attributes’ was growing at an exponential rate. The ‘cons’ list was rather diminutive.

Not that she had thought about such things for hours on end over the past year. Or three. And she definitely didn’t have a dozen parchments about the matter.

“Tanzil, in some aspects regarding gryphon culture, isn’t it customary to ask a potential suitor such things during a crisis?” Twilight mused, not wanting to be on the defensive again.

The question made Tanzil chuckle, the gryphon nodding.
“Well, my parents were engaged during a rather nasty battle with some Timberwolves, so I can’t refute that statement.”

“Fair enough. I suppose we should get back to running our nations. I do look forward to our lunch.”

“As do I, Twilight. Take care.”

“You as well.”

The portal snapped shut, Twilight finding herself oddly melancholy. She was even more annoyed when she realized why.

She had missed such talks far more than anticipated. That didn’t help when trying to quantify and sort her feelings. Unfortunately, neither did some advice from Celestia that decided to cement itself in her consciousness.

As both she and Luna had found their special somecreatures centuries ago, it made the advice hit a bit harder in the current circumstances. Ageless spells were once rarely spoken of. But now, such things were simply in the ‘rare’ category, especially for already-ageless beings (Celestia and Luna, for example.) Age lengthening spells were available to a certain pool of individuals, no longer delegated to myth and legend. Goodness, the spells for Gabby and Spike had been unsettlingly easy to craft, but that wasn’t technically agelessness, just an extreme slowdown, a matching of their life spans.

Still, the fact that age was now a quantifiable and modifiable variable for spells was both exciting and rather unnerving. A decade after Celestia had married her hippogriff husband (a fellow ruler and doctor at that) she had given her once-protégé some simple advice.

‘Your rule will be long, Twilight, as long as it is needed by Equestria or that you desire.’ Celestia had told her. ‘Don’t do it alone. Find someone to be there for you when the crown comes off. And I’m not talking about simple friends. Friendship is magic, but what about more than that? Don’t let ‘I’m a Princess’ be a reason to put aside an essential part of your happiness if those feelings develop.

Goodness knows you ignored it before being a Princess. Decide for yourself what you want, whatever, or whoever that may be.’

Twilight took a deep breath in, held it, and then let it out. Of the many aspects of her life, that had not been an area of focus for as long as she could remember. She was a Princess. There hadn’t been time or an appropriate opportunity for such. Aside from that brief infatuation and a few dates with Flash Sentry literal centuries ago (which wasn’t fair to the poor stallion, since it was a carryover from another dimension at that) Twilight hadn’t really pursued anything.

Then again, she hadn’t made time for such pursuits. It had seemed trivial.

However, seeing Sassi and Astral interact had jump-started a longing Twilight had thought was in cold storage. The ‘what-ifs’ were now back to torment her on and off throughout the day. It wouldn’t be so annoying if actual potentials didn’t exist. Entertaining the idea of having someone on the bad days when everything was overwhelming, when the crown came off and she was just Twilight…

When she could be just Twilight.

Another breath in, and then out.

National crisis first. Then handle the personal crisis. That was a two-step list. Twilight could work with that. If Tanzil could handle Twilight having an anxiety attack when they met up for lunch (as was highly likely), perhaps he could move into the slot of her feelings titled ‘potential keeper.’ The fact he had given her such a thoughtful gift, however, already had his label as ‘definitely keep an eye on this one.’

Twilight found herself wishing some things were as simple as running a kingdom. Quite the antithesis of what many ponies would think. Kingdoms were simple. Equations worked for policy, politics, and keeping most of the population happy.

Her own life, as she had discovered, could not be governed by equations. That was doubly true when the mare let herself try and quantify what she wanted.

A breath in, and then out. More dwelling on that later.

Walking into the control room, Twilight had only begun to read over the newest reports when a cry went up from the Communications Officer.

“We have a connection again! Broadcast from the RASP system again. It’s already fading though.”

“Pull it up, please,” Twilight immediately replied.

As the static cleared, Twilight’s sensitive hearing heard a collective intake of breath on seeing the upper half of Astral’s body lying prone on the floor. Red lights blinked from around the helmet seal on the armor. Astral’s eyes were closed as blood trickled from his mouth, the unconscious pony coughing up healing foam and a black sludge

A set of hooves then entered the frame, a terrified, desperate cry nearly blowing out the speakers.

“ASTRAL!”

Author's Note

Hmmm :trixieshiftright:

Chapter Eighty Three: A Voice From The Dark

“Who is this?” Sassi asked, sitting in front of the helmet.

“I’d like to know the answer to that question first, especially since this is being broadcast through a RASP system,” the voice replied gruffly. “There’s only a few of those left. I had the prototype.”

She blinked, the mare letting out a huff.
“Well, you’re broadcasting through the newest version. My name is Sassi.”

There was a pause.

“Sassi? There’s only one creature down here with that name,” the voice muttered, “especially who can run a RASP…Sassi Satin?”

“I’d like to know your name before anything else.”

A soft chuckle echoed through the speakers.

“Very well. But if you are Sassi Satin, I’m not your enemy. At least, I don’t think I am. My name is…” the voice paused, and it wasn’t a glitch in the audio. “Just call me Five for now.”

“Five?”

“It’s what I’ve been called for the last few years. And no, I’m not a Skitter. But whatever suits you. I’m currently located near the central shaft of this Silo, on your level. Have you seen…well, I call it number Twenty-Eight.”

“Giant freaky Skitter with black carapace armor?” Sassi growled, “yeah, it tried to eat me along with its fleshy fungus friends.”

A soft, mirthless chuckle sounded over the speakers.
“Did you manage to kill it?”

“Nope. Cracked its armor though.”

“That alone is impressive. But there are other things to worry about here. Your RASP suit is blocking attempts to locate you, but-”

There was a screech of static, and then a sharp intake of breath.
“It’s trying to tap into the transmission. I’m sending a map. Your guns are*static*”

“Twenty-eight? It’s trying to find us?” Sassi asked, the transmission degrading.

“No! Other*static* ing. Not safe there! I *static* supplies. Food, water, medi*static* Within two days! Don’t *static* longer.”

‘Transmission terminated. An unknown user was attempting to access. Security failsafe protocol activated to prevent location tracing.’

Sassi slumped down, blowing out a tired breath. Even with the static, she could fill in the words. What she didn’t like, however, was how panicked ‘Five’ sounded.

What could be worse than that ‘Twenty Eight’ thing?

Ultimately, they only had a day of food left, if that. So, there was only one way forward.
A double-checking of supplies confirmed that, and Sassi made sure their barricades were solid. Five said that within two days they’d have to leave. Ideally, they’d leave sooner.

I wish you’d wake up, Astral.
Speaking off…

“How’s Astral doing?” Sassi asked the AI tiredly.

‘User status nominal. Positive indicators of biological repair detected. Genetic structure stable. Limited movement is not projected to negatively affect biological functions. Strenuous movement not advised due to potential of destabilization.’

“So, he’s not going to turn to jelly again?”

‘Correct. Genetic structure is stable. However, exertion may destabilize the healing process. Multiple avenues exist for speeding up the process.’

“Explain.”

‘Additional doses of the modification serum at regular intervals will aid in cellular repair and stabilization.’

Sassi started to tune out. She already knew that.

‘New data available. User shows increased healing factors when physical touch is present.’

And just like that, the warm fuzziness returned to Sassi’s chest. She could spare a few minutes.
Or hours. Until Astral woke up, the mare didn’t want to move him with the AI again.

Besides…

Sassi hopped up onto the medical bed next to Astral, long having shoved it closer. The reactor continued to glow, the device laying against the stallion’s flanks.

Settling down, Sassi gently placed her head across Astral’s shoulders protectively, spreading a wing over the stallion as well. She certainly didn’t imagine the happy mumble that left his tar-stained lips, Astral scooting closer.

She could spare a few very long moments like this. A simple timer was set, and the mare tried to calm her mind.

We’ll have to move again when you wake up. But we’re safe for the moment. I don’t know when we’ll relax again.

As the overworked Thestral dozed, a surprisingly happy thought pushed aside the worries for a brief moment.

I make him happy.

Most oddly, that thought simply added fuel to the ember that Astral had started for her.

Maybe I am worth all of this. If I can make someone happy, that means I’m not just something. I’m someone.

It’d be odd thoughts for a normal pony, but Sassi was far from normal. As Astral shifted in his sleep, Sassi couldn’t help but smile.

They weren’t normal. Not anymore. But at least they had each other.

Astral woke up with a yawn, his movement setting off a soft chime. Judging from how quickly it was shut off, the sound must have been an alarm for someone half-asleep.

A pressure gently pressed across his shoulders; one of the comfiest weighted blankets he’d ever had. Not that he had tried that many, but for having his genetics scrambled, Astral didn’t feel that bad.

A soft mumble to his left reassured the Thestral as to what that pressure was, Astral cracking open an eye. Sassi was lying next to him, her head resting across his left shoulder. The mare yawned, letting out a frustrated grunt as she opened her eyes.

“Need more sleep,” she muttered, gaze then meeting his. “Astral?”

“Hey, Sas.”

An immediate nuzzle was her reply, Astral enjoying every second of it.
“So, what’d I miss?”

She let out a huff, instead sitting up and leaning against his back.
“A few things. But let me wake up first. Haven’t been sleeping well.”

“I don’t blame you.”

As the mare yawned again, Astral tested a few of his limbs. They had some strength to them, lacking the usual wibbly-wobbly sensation from before. At least his stomach wasn’t tied into knots just yet.

Maybe he’d be able to walk today? That’d be a nice-

A soft, pleasurable sensation made Astral’s thoughts flatline, a hoof gently stroking through his fluffy ears.

The stallion froze, not able to process things for the briefest moment. It felt good, there was no doubt about that. But such a simple gesture went so much further than feeling like a good massage.

His green eyes shut, a few rebellious tears leaking from underneath shut lids. Of course, Astral knew what the gesture meant; he had explained it to Sassi.

But I never told her everything.

“Astral?!” Sassi asked, scooting closer and no doubt having felt his sides shake. “I’m sorry! Did that hurt? I-”

One of her forelimbs was next to his, and Astral cut off the mare’s words by tightly holding the mare’s hoof. He shook his head, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Sassi’s other free hoof resumed gently running through his ears.

“Are you ok?”

Another deep breath.

“Nobody’s ever…” he said softly, squeezing Sassi’s hoof.

“But you knew about it?”

A sad smile twitched onto Astral’s features, the Thestral shrugging.
“I know about it. Doesn’t mean anyone has wanted to be that close to me before.”

The stallion wasn’t prepared for Sassi to snuggle up against his back, a forelimb half-hugging his midsection. She nuzzled into his mane, tracing up to give a long kiss between the Thestral’s ears.

“Well, now someone does. V-very much,” Sassi whispered, her voice hitching. “And I’ll be happy to remind you as often as you’d like.”

Astral could only smile. A simple, loving touch pushed aside the physical maladies that wracked his frame, even for but a moment.

The bright, pink glow of the healing crystals may have helped that too.

Sassi snuggled a bit closer, a content sigh leaving her lips as she continued to rest against him for a few minutes in peaceful quiet.

“Y’know, you’ve mentioned having a romantic side. Well, more than you already do. What did you mean?”

Stars above Sassi, just when I was starting to trust my voice again.

He swallowed, trying to steady his voice.
“It’s h-hard to explain,” Astral said softly. “Just, some things had to be ignored after the Case. Why dream for something that would probably…” he let out a soft chuckle. “Well, I’m happy to have been wrong.”

“I did the same thing,” was a returned whisper.

If anyone can understand burying a part of yourself, it’d be Sassi.
Maybe we can both start to learn how to be whole again, in different ways.

“I took ballroom dancing classes.”

Sassi let out a surprised giggle at that.
“Really? I think you mentioned that once before.”

He nodded, slowly sitting up. Sassi supported the stallion, the two eventually leaning against each other. The fact they could see each other’s faces immediately lifted Astral’s spirits. Such a simple thing, seeing two loving eyes look his way. Being able to sit up was also a pleasant sensation after lying down for so many days.

“It was mainly to meet ladies, of course. That’s what I told Gabbro.”

“Your hippogriff best friend, right?”

“The same. He was happy to go with me. Always after the ladies, that one,” Astral laughed softly. “What I never told him, or anyone else, was that I loved it.”

“Really?”

A gentle nod; another movement Astral was quickly appreciating. At least he could move now.

“Just the rhythm, the set steps, you can just lose yourself. It’s just you, your partner, and the dance. Anything that was like that just sounded so nice. A dance, a picnic, just looking at the stars as we’d dance. It made me hope...”

His words trailed off, Sassi snuggling underneath his chin.
“Could we take more classes together? And try those ideas for dates? I love all of them.”

Astral didn’t even try to wipe away the two tears that trickled from his eyes.
“I’d love to.”

A brief kiss made Astral’s thoughts blur into a happy, pink cloud, Sassi still smiling as she returned to leaning on his shoulder.

“I’ve smiled and cried more you with you, Astral, than I have in years combined,” she said, “And before you ask, that’s a good thing.”

“I was going to ask…”

“This is all so new to me, and I guess you, in many ways,” Sassi mused. “Back when I was rescuing-no, never mind.”

“Huh? What?”

“It’s silly.”

“I’m the one who sings when I’m on painkillers. Pretty sure we’re past ‘silly.’”

“The Queen thought you were my mate, how you were fighting to get to me.”

Astral couldn’t help but smile at that.
“Well, she was in the general hoofball park at least.”

“But that’s just it. It didn’t scare me.”

“Hmm?”

“Losing you, yeah. But just the idea of having someone that close wasn’t frightening or some unpleasant consideration. It actually sounded nice. And that’s new for me. Really new.”

Now it was Astral’s turn to reach down, gently resting on her shoulder.

“I guess I’m just coming to terms with loving someone enough that being close in a lot of ways doesn’t scare me anymore,” Sassi concluded.

“Well, I’m happy at whatever pace works. I’m just glad you’re here.”

A soft laugh left Sassi’s lips, the mare shaking her head.
“As am I, Astral.”

“Pretty sure we’re past specials-somepony labels though? But at the same time, we aren’t? I have no idea how in the world to describe…us.”

Sassi snorted, shrugging at his words.
“I’m happy with special-somepony, battle-buddy, and friend.”

“Best friend. I haven’t known you as long as Gabbro, but I’ve been around you probably as long. It’s also a rather moot point when I owe my life to you many times over.”

“Oh, and I don’t?”

Astral couldn’t argue with that.

“Ok, fair. But I’m just glad we’re on the same page. Whatever weird page that is, at least.”

Sassi gave him another brief kiss, then reluctantly stood up, stretching as she hopped off the bed.
“I could snuggle with you all day, but we have to move. There have been some odd developments. Specifically, someone gave us a warning.” She then let out an abrupt laugh, pointing a hoof at Astral. “And that is the nastiest pout I’ve ever seen!”

Astral hadn’t even known he had been displaying one, his cheeks heating up.
“Well, if the choice is between snuggling with the mare I love and moving between a fungus-infested hole in Tartarus, it’s a pretty clear winner.”

A hoof gently ‘booped’ his nose, Sassi smiling. She was doing that a lot more, and seeing the vibrant life in her beautiful eyes made Astral’s heart do a continual flip every time.

“Fair enough. But let me bring you up to speed. We’ll need to move, and soon.”

Author's Note

Some adorableness mixed with developments. On the move again...:trixieshiftleft::trixieshiftright:

Chapter 103: Down The Rabbit Hole

Astral wasn’t sure what was real anymore.

The hallucinations had progressed rapidly. Sometimes he saw the monster, other times it vanished in a puff of smoke. He treated it all as hostile- running rather than fighting. A shotgun blast would alert the real creature anyhow.

It was maddening. He was still sane, fully aware that his mind was not interpreting the world correctly…but the stallion was powerless to stop it. The first few images had been easy to dismiss. The next dozen too.

But now they were everywhere. Even the environment was changing, and Astral’s thoughts were muddled and clouded.

His body was bathed in what felt like buckets of sweat, his limbs trembling from the constant running and fear. Sassi, or the hallucination of her, was now a constant. Always at the edge of his vision. Begging for mercy, for help. Other times, she was mocking him. Laughing at his weakness.

Things the real Sassi would never do.

Right?

I’m still sane.

….aren’t I?

If the clock was right, he had been running in this gas for…how long?

An hour? No. Two? Maybe three?

He wasn’t sure, but it was breaking him. Sounds above him, the scratching of bugs in the suit, coupled with the occasional siren that haunted his nightmares was too much. Reality had blended with hallucinations some time ago. It took every ounce of effort just to try and navigate the maze around obstacles that may or may not even exist.

His head pounded, Astral struggling to focus as he searched for a way out. He must have passed each area by at least a dozen times, wandering and hiding. The thoughts in his mind were clouded, and that just made it easier for him to focus on the false scenes in front of him. They weren’t real, were they?

Sidestepping a pool of bubbling acid, Astral wasn’t taking any chances. The jeering bones of his special somepony laughed at him from the green goo. His family then joined her, lunging at him from the acid as flesh melted from their bones.

The stallion’s limbs trembled, nearly buckling as the Thestral struggled to control his breathing. The hacking laughter of Sassi reverberated in his ears, despite the HUD not reading any auditory cues.

It’s not real. It can’t be.

That thought only had gotten him so far. He could feel the heat from a fire that blasted out from a wall, and the chill from a cloud of liquid nitrogen that jetted from a burst ceiling tile. The apparitions of Sassi had recently started to yank at him if he got too close, trying to draw him into their skeletal embrace. Even Gabbro wasn’t spared, the hippogriff choking on his own blood as his mangled body fell out from behind a corner as Astral passed.

Maybe it is real. In a way. I don’t know.

For the tenth time, what he thought was an exit ramp turned out to be a blank wall. The apparition vanished as soon as he got close enough to touch it.

This time, Sassi had been waving at him from the ‘exit’.

Tears trickled from Astral’s eyes as he forced himself to walk. Now, a torn-up version of Sassi was lying on the ground as he trotted by, begging him to stop. To wait. To help her.

Please don’t be real.

It was a thought he begged with all his heart to be true.

He wasn’t sure how much longer he wandered. Astral was barely able to hide when the creature showed up. Oddly, it seemed more intent on stalking him.

Maybe.

Was it real?

Another apparition of Sassi, this time with a broken leg, begged him for help as the stallion walked by. His hooves were made of lead. Why was he so tired? Astral’s mind ran in circles, struggling to make sense of it all. The horrific sights and sounds were all-encompassing. His family and friends melting into a gory pile as they screamed, begging for help.

He just needed to get out!

But how?

The stallion’s limbs trembled, alien sounds and sights overwhelming him as Astral closed his eyes. He could only block out so much. The sensation of being buried underneath bodies that poured from the ceiling. The slimy texture as they melted around him left nothing but bones to crunch under an armored hoof. And when he opened his eyes, the horrors hadn’t changed, the Thestral forcing his way through the horrific pile of corpses.

All while the siren in his ears screamed in warning.

The HUD couldn’t be correct. The readouts were all over the place, changing every time the stallion looked. One thing that did stay the same was his vitals, all redlined as the system spat out nonsensical information.

He ducked into a locker to catch his breath. The motion tracker showed a moving dot, but it seemed to lie to him half the time. It was the half where it was true that made Astral’s skin crawl.

A familiar foe crept into view, black flesh glistening underneath the fluorescent lights. A long neck turned slowly, the head of the creature examining everywhere carefully. A soft, seemingly amused laugh echoed all around.

“Who’s there?”

The creature’s mouth didn’t move when uttering the words. The dagger-like teeth were barred in a wide grimace, standing out against the shadowy, leathery skin. It crept off with a soft laugh, seeming to enjoy the hunt.

Astral’s legs failed him. The stallion slid down against the metal locker, lungs desperately sucking in the poisonous air. His head pounded, and a few tears welled up in his eyes as Sassi now walked around the corner. Her legs were in shreds, the mare crying out for help.

As if it would muffle her cries, Astral clamped his armored hooves over his head.

A cold sweat made the inside of the suit slippery, the armor feeling somehow heavier. He forced himself out, looking away from Sassi as she tottered towards him.

It was barely a shred of sanity that Astral clung to, but as slight as it was, it endured.

“You,” Sassi growled, glaring at the dead creature under her hoof, “are the ugliest coconut I’ve ever seen!”

She smashed the mostly-dead scout with a hoof, the black tentacles spasming once before stilling. Its host body had surprised her as it slid across a wall. That’s when Sassi had found they could, in fact, see. Well, at least sense nearby creatures somehow.

The twelve skeletal, coconut-like scouts had launched at her, but as with a prior encounter, the mare had quickly found out that an armored punch made them explode like a water balloon. At least, that was after a bit of resistance from the thin, boney exoskeleton. The host creature had met an equally nasty end with a knife thrust.

Thankfully, there hadn’t been a sign of Number Two since the initial encounter. It was also heartening to know it was fighting against their current foes. That’d occupy it at least for a bit.

The mare had traversed a massive room; at least thrice the size of a hoofball stadium. It was generally rectangular in structure, but there hadn’t been any entrances! She had spent the past two hours walking in a complete circle, dodging various enemies as they clambered around the exterior tunnels. The number of mutant creatures had slowly increased, the mare only fighting if she had to. Oddly, they didn’t seem to pick up that she stayed in the same area. The Squirmies and larger mutants only came in pairs or one at a time. She’d killed at least a dozen of each, and the guns were running low on ammunition.

She was about ready to start digging into the air duct system herself. There had to be an entrance she missed! The air had begun to smell rather foul after the toxin alert, but other than that, she hadn’t noticed any significant effects over the hours.

The mare paused, hearing a series of whispers behind her. Strike that. It wasn’t the first time that had happened.

Yet the AI audio revealed no such sounds. That left two alternatives.

One, it was in her head like the hive-mind link was, and something was probing her.
Or two, the gas was a hallucinogen, and it had managed to affect her over the past hours.

Neither option was rather palatable. But Sassi assumed it was the latter. Thankfully, being resistant to nasty chemicals, in general, was part of the soldier program. Occasional whispers for the past hour weren’t too bad.

I just hope Astral is ok.

Author's Note

Oh dear. Hang in there, Astral.

Chapter 106: Recovery

Astral woke up doubled over in pain. He leaned over and vomited up a ball of black tar into a conveniently-placed trashcan, the stallion hissing in annoyance as cramps wracked his frame.

His mind was clear. That alone was a relief.

Looking around in the dim light, Astral tried to remember what happened. It was all a nightmarish blur. The only emotions were terror, horror, and pain. Seeing his friends and family begging for help or mercy had been beyond description. Then when they mocked him, Sassi laughing at him when he ran; it was too much.

Logic had taken a complete back seat as he navigated.

He shook his head. The experience had been above what he could handle, and dwelling on them was like acid to the stallion’s mental state. Thinking about it made shivers immediately wrack the stallion’s body, his chest tightening with anxiety.

Astral knew he wasn’t ok, not by a long shot. The hours had pushed his mind far beyond what the Thestral could endure without cracking. Thankfully, Sassi had-

Sassi.

The mare at his side yawned, looking up as she blinked tiredly.

“Astral? You up already?” she mumbled. “Only been a few hours.”

He was about to speak, but a stream of black tar was vomited out of Astral’s mouth as he leaned over the trash can. A comforting hoof was gently placed on his back, the mare nodding.

“Yeah, it sucks. Been there. That’s all the drugs leaving your system, along with, well, a lot of other stuff.”

He shuddered, vomiting more tar as the stallion tried to just breathe. After a few more shivers there wasn’t anything left to throw up. The stallion flopped back onto the cot, blanket now soaked through.

“S-sas?” Astral managed to ask. He could feel her concern through their link, a beautifully comforting sensation. It soothed the fears that threatened to overwhelm his mind, blunting panicked emotions that otherwise would have wrapped him up into a frenzy. Focusing on that helped him not think and return to the room. The monster that had hunted him was, in a form, present in his mind. Ever-lurking and desperate to return the stallion to the terror of that place. If he even dared to focus on what had gone on, he’d start to spiral, chest tightening as-

A hoof gently rubbed his ears, the loving gesture making tears well up in Astral’s eyes. The thoughts abruptly faded, a warm comfort taking their place.

She’s real.

“Still here, Astral. I’m not going anywhere,” Sassi whispered, the mare then pulling her hoof back. “Sorry, I should have asked about touch after what you went through. Are-”

The mare let out a surprised yelp as Astral rolled over with a final effort, wrapping her up in a tight embrace. Grateful tears streamed from his eyes as Sassi returned the gesture, hugging Astral to her chest as the stallion cried.

“T-thank you,” Astral whispered, his limbs shaking as the mare held him tighter, Sassi’s head resting over his protectively. The stallion could only sob, the mare’s comforting embrace chasing away the nightmarish images in his mind.

“I promised to be there for you when things got bad. I’m not leaving you.”

Sassi’s soft voice made Astral sniffle, her steady heartbeat drawing sleep ever closer. An odd, fiery determination flickered through his mind. Any fears were burned away, leaving behind a warm, loving peace.

She had promised.

Astral eventually dozed over in her embrace, Sassi resting her head and wing over him protectively. The rise and fall of her chest against his were a constant comfort that he was back in the realm of the real.

The next time Astral woke it was actually a pleasant experience.

His stomach wasn’t in knots, and there was only a generalized ache in his body. But the general warmth and pressure across his frame muted that to just a mild annoyance.

There wasn’t any fear, only comfort. It was the oddest thing, as Astral lay there, not wanting to open his eyes. The own stallion’s thoughts were there, but there was a pressure in his mind similar to the one across his body. But it wasn’t constricting, more like a weighted blanket that wouldn’t let the darker thoughts manifest.

A soft mumble clued the stallion into where both of those sensations were coming from.

Sassi.

The mare yawned, her cheek resting against Astral’s as two beautiful eyes slowly opened. Before she could say anything, Astral scooted forward to kiss her.

“I won’t complain if that’s my new alarm clock,” Sassi said after breaking the gesture. “How are you feeling?”

Astral looked up at her, the stallion hesitating before scooting closer. The dark thoughts tickled the edge of his mind, threatening to return. Listening to the mare’s heartbeat, he finally let out a relieved breath as Sassi hugged him a bit tighter. A smile then managed to break through.

“Waking up with the mare I love keeping me safe? I feel pretty good. Well, until I think about stuff,” he admitted. “But this helps. You help. So, I’m doing better.”

The mare easily derailed the stallion’s thoughts by nuzzling his ears.
“Well, you don’t have to think, and I’m happy to help. It’ll take a bit for your body to recover from breathing that stuff in regardless.”

Her hug tightened as Astral didn’t reply immediately.
“It’ll take a lot longer for my mind,” he admitted with a whisper. “It’s…I’m not ok. I can’t think about it.”

“Then don’t.” Was her immediate reply, another nuzzle to his ears making the anxious thoughts fade. “Just know I’m here for you.”

“It didn’t affect you?” he asked, the tight hug helping far more than Astral thought possible.

She shook her head, still caressing the top of her stallion’s head with her muzzle.
“Not really. I just heard some weird whispers every now and again. When the modifications are complete, you can purge the toxins easier. You’re still a work in progress in that regard.”

“In a lot of ways. I’m going to need a lot more therapy sessions just for that stupid gas.”

“Hey, no focusing on freaky gas visions at the start of the day. Or night. Not sure which,” Sassi chastised him kindly, two forelimbs hugging the stallion a bit tighter. “How about we get some real food? I packed a few of those ready-to-eat meals to compliment the food bars.”

“Oooh, fancy. But I do like the current position we’re in.”

Sassi giggled, hugging him tightly few moments.
“So do I. And if you need me to be here a bit longer, I’m happy to stay.”

The reassurance calmed the tension in Astral’s chest. Previous anxieties and worries were now so close to the surface. It sent alarm bells off in the stallion’s mind, the Thestral knowing he wasn’t ok.

But it’s ok to not be ok.

“So just let me know. We’ll have plenty more of these moments. But I am starving, and we both need a shower. I’m pretty sure they have hot water here too.”

The mare let out a louder laugh as Astral’s ears snapped up eagerly, Sassi trying to stifle her giggles at seeing an indignant glare from the other Thestral shot her way.

“Someone likes that idea? We did go through a decontamination session already.”

“Yeah, but I threw up everything except my liver last night and was soaked in sweat. I’m surprised you’re fine being this close.”

With a snort, Sassi slowly sat up and stretched, sparing a hoof to ruffle through her stallion’s ears a final time.

“I’d cuddle you even if you were covered in mud. A bit of sweat? Don’t even care a bit.”

“I’m not complaining.”

Sassi was all smiles as she busied herself with getting a self-heating meal going. Despite having thrown up all the toxic tar, Astral found a good appetite gnawing at him.

“Fruit cobbler?” he asked, receiving a nod in return as he wobbled off the cot and sat next to Sassi. The mare was watching the meal slowly warm, steam wafting off of the activated heater element.

“Uh-huh. Along with, well, I hesitate to call it a salad because there are no greens. But there is some re-hydrated stuff, and a big pile of cobbler for sure.”

“Sounds good to me. Smells amazing too,” Astral mused, scooting over to press against Sassi’s side and lean on her shoulder. “Thank you again, by the way,” he added, reaching over to kiss the quickly-flustered mare on the cheek.

“You’re welcome. I promised to be there for you when things got bad, didn’t I?” she managed to say, hiding behind her bangs as Astral’s grin widened, the blush on Sassi’s cheeks quickly reaching up to her ears.

“You did. And, actually,” he paused, brow furrowing. “Did you whisper that to me last night?”

“Huh? I don’t think so.”

“I heard it though. I thought at least. But not just in my ears.”

The mare let out a thoughtful hum, divvying up the now-warm cobbler into an empty plastic pouch.

“Well, I certainly thought it. Maybe our hive mind link?” Sassi blushed at seeing Astral look at her rather intently. “What?”

“I was testing out to see if you could hear what I was thinking,” Astral said with a grin. “Guess not.” He nearly melted as he spooned some of the cobbler into his mouth. “Oh, stars that is amazing.”

“Am I going to have to compete with some cobbler to make you happy?” Sassi grumbled, not able to resist a giggle as she ate. To be fair, after ration bars the simple meal was amazing.

“You’ve got some competition,” the stallion admitted with a cobbler-stained grin, laughing as the indignant mare glared at him. Sassi let out a squeak as Astral leaned over, a rather passionate kiss making her ears stand up on end as a blush rose to her cheeks.

“Buuut cobbler-infused kisses definitely win,” Astral said, finally breaking for breath and leaving Sassi staring at him in shock.

“Y-you…I…” she stammered, glaring at the Thestral before trying her best to pout. The mare finally just threw the effort out the window before kissing him again, the stallion grinning happily.

“You are a lot cuddlier today,” she said, pulling back after a few long moments. The stallion’s ears flattened slightly as he looked at her rather sheepishly, a twinge of anxiety humming in their link.

“Is that a good thing?”

She reached up and tapped his nose with a hoof, her cheeks burning with a blush.
“It’s a very good thing. But it’s going to take some getting used to on my end.”

“Oh, sorry, I’ll tone it down a bit.”

“I didn’t say to do that!”

Astral struggled to control his laughter at the immediately indignant reply, Sassi grumbling under her breath.

“Ok, then I won’t,” he finally said. “Just, after saving me from that room and everything,” the Thestral continued, his tone becoming soft and sincere as he reached over to hold Sassi’s hoof tightly. “Thank you. It was bad. I…” he shook his head, resting it against Sassi’s. “I can’t talk about it. I’m really not doing ok after that. I’m just glad you’re here, Sas.”

The mare couldn’t hold back a sniffle, pressing back against Astral’s touch.
“Nowhere else I’d rather be,” she finally whispered. “I didn’t realize how nice our little hive-mind thing was until it was gone.”

“Same here.”

“I also didn’t realize how scared I’d be. When you…” her words trailed off, the mare shaking her head. Her hoof gripped his tightly, and Astral felt it shiver ever so slightly. “I’m glad you’re back too.”

Nuzzling under Sassi’s head, Astral couldn’t help but relax as she rested on his ears protectively, the two enjoying another moment of peace. After a minute or two in silence, Astral couldn’t help but finally laugh to himself.

“If I pounce on you for a hug every chance I get, we’ll never get out of here,” he said, Sassi giggling.

“Perhaps. I wouldn’t complain though,” the mare said, letting Astral go and giving his shoulder a shove with her own. “And that’s something I’m still learning about. Well, how great it is. You taking initiative with stuff is one of the most attractive things ever.”

“Oh?” Astral said with a stunned look on his face, only able to stare as Sassi grinned.

“Yup. Didn’t realize how nice it is to not worry about what someone is going to do. There’s no gut feeling to get away or be cautious about getting close. Just the oppo…sit….” Her voice trailed off, the mare hiding behind her bangs as a wide grin began to spread across Astral’s face.

“Oh really? Care to elaborate on the opposite-ness you’re experiencing?”

Sassi shook her head, face a bright pink as they finished eating. Astral had to stop himself from cackling, but his soft snickering earned another glare from Sassi. Of course, it had no venom at all, and the mare was trying not to smile. She certainly didn’t mind the distraction, and neither did Astral.

“On a different note, I never thought cobbler would taste so good,” Astral said, cleaning out the meal pouch with an exaggerated frown. “Wish there was more.”

“I’ll add that to our list of things to put in the kitchen. Military cobbler,” Sassi said, her face still red as she threw away the spent packaging.

Astral nodded, wincing as he stood. With a bit of a wobble in his step, the stallion made his way over to the pile of armor, picking up the medication module and pressing it against his side.

The loud hiss made Astral stare, a light blinking on the side of the module to indicate it was done injecting. After fishing out the helmet and putting it on briefly, Astral glanced at the reading before setting the armor pieces back aside.

“Gave you a couple of doses?” Sassi asked, brow knitted in concern as she trotted over.

“It dumped like fifteen percent of all the medications into me,” Astral said, shaking his head. “But I don’t feel that bad.”

“You just had to purge a toxin out of your body, and plenty of those meds have a long half-life. You’d probably feel fine for a bit, but then crash,” Sassi explained, tossing her head to have Astral follow her.

As he walked, Astral found his hooves didn’t exactly land where the stallion placed them.
“Whoa.”

Sassi was at his side in an instant, the mare helping him walk.
“Told you. Woozy if you’re off the meds, woozy if you get a dump of them into your system. Your body is probably all out of whack after that gas.”

With a sigh, Astral nodded reluctantly.
“I’ve probably replaced a tenth of my body weight with medications at this point.”

Sassi managed a smile, but the stallion could sense the concern humming away in their link. His ears perked up as he glimpsed the showers, the open room having space for five individuals.

“I’m not going to smell like who-knows-what anymore,” the stallion sighed happily, during on the water. “And there’s soap! And it’s hot water!”

“I thought that’d perk you up,” Sassi giggled, turning on the water on her end. Despite her perky demeanor, she was clearly still concerned as the stallion sat down under the stream with a happy sigh. “You good?”

“Very. So good,” Astral said with a grin. “I mean, the types of showers we’ll have eventually together will be much better. But this is still very nice.” A loud *eep* made Astral laugh, Sassi staring at him in shock. “Too much?” he asked.

The adorable blush on Sassi’s face returned, and the mare met Astral’s gaze. Maintaining eye contact, she deliberately reached over and turned her shower to cold. The stallion laughed as the mare glared at him.

“Some of us don’t have the luxury of getting distracted by feeling cruddy!” she grumbled, Astral still trying to not laugh again.

“I’m sorry but at the same time I’m not. How can I not get distracted by you? And how many times have you teased me? That was tame on my end! Am I wrong?”

The mare let out a frustrated mumble again, but the loving smile belayed any concern on Astral’s part that he had overstepped things.

“It’s nice to feel normal,” Sassi said, Astral’s ears perking up in the steam-filled shower, all of the nozzles on full.

“Hmm?”

“The teasing. I mean, it’s a nice distraction. But it makes me feel normal in a way,” the mare admitted. “Wanted.”

“Ah, right. Well, you are very wanted. In many ways. And not just in a joking way,” Astral replied immediately in a surprisingly no-nonsense tone. His words prompted an immediate, affectionate smile.

“Thanks, Astral. This is just all new to me too. Flirting and joking without worrying about the implications with others. Just in general.”

“I get it, I think,” the stallion said, Sassi’s demeanor then seeming to shift. “Sas?”

“Can…I don’t know how to phrase this,” she admitted, walking over to sit next to him. “Can you place your hoof between my shoulders?”

Astral immediately picked up that the time for joking and teasing was on hold, the stallion nodding. The vulnerable posture and tone in Sassi’s voice had him both concerned and curious. It also ignited a rather fierce protective streak in the Thestral which pushed aside his own troubles.

He gently placed his hoof between her shoulders.
“Here?”

“Yep. Now follow it down to my wings. Not below it,” she managed a weak smile, “well, not yet.”

An amused snort was Astral’s reply, the stallion now clued in on what she was having him do. The scars on her body were now visible, fur being plastered down by the water. They ran across her entire body, a complex stick figure of the pony skeleton. There were large ones following Sassi’s spine, and then smaller ones he had missed before that radiated out near her ribs.

“Back up to my head.”

He traced the scar up, then frowned as he felt a slight bump on the back of the mare’s skull.
“Sas?”

“That’s where the chip was.”

Her soft, almost terrified whisper made Astral scoot a bit closer.

“But not anymore.”

That seemed to snap Sassi out of it, the mare nodding.

“No. Not anymore. But these scars. I just…” Her wings drooped, the Thestral gesturing to herself. “It’s silly. To worry what you’d think.” She then hid behind her bangs again, not able to look at Astral. “But I still do. The fact I feel anxious about that instead of having you touch the scars is a lot to take in. To realize I trust someone that much.” Sassi paused, her tone dropping to a whisper. “But it’s still there. That voice. Wondering if what everyone said about how I look is right. There’s a part of me that doesn’t care. But there’s another that does. That wants to care.”

“A concern isn’t silly,” Astral said, reaching over to rest his forehead against hers, the water still cascading down over them. “And to put that worry to rest, and shut that voice up, I love you. All of you. How could I not?”

Still seeing a bit of unease in Sassi’s gaze, Astral decided to go a bit further.
“If you want a bit of an infiltered opinion, I think you’re extremely sexy, scars and all.”

Sassi’s ears shot up, the blush returning in force as an utterly flabbergasted expression took over her face, Astral grinning.

“I meant what I said, and I said what I meant,” he chuckled.

“I...” Sassi tried to speak, shaking her head. “I didn’t expect that.”

“I figured. But I wanted to make sure there wasn’t any doubt left,” Astral replied cheerfully, reaching down to look under her bangs. Sassi smiled at the gesture, a genuine expression as the worry faded.

“Thank you for trusting me enough to do that,” the stallion added. “I know touch with that stuff is, yeah.”

“That’s faded with you. Not nearly as many barriers anymore.”

“Oh?”

“Yep. Another thing I’m getting used to,” Sassi admitted, briefly hiding behind her bangs again. “And just to make sure, you really meant what you said, huh?”

“One hundred percent.” Astral’s reply was immediate. “I hope it wasn’t a loaded word.”

“Eh, sort of,” the mare said with a shrug. “I know I mentioned it before, but sex was never a good thing in the Silos. It was always a currency, a threat, or used as a tool to get something you wanted.” Sassi couldn’t help but giggle as Astral stuck his tongue in disgust.

“Just, the fact I can be attractive without that stuff hanging over my head is…” her words trailed off, and Astral couldn’t help but smile.

Tears brimmed in his eyes as the mare looked up at him. A similar expression was on Sassi’s face that reminded Astral of when he gave her the leafy tiara-like creation, when she saw herself in the mirror ages ago. It was another glimpse of the mare he loved when the poison of the silos fled, at least for a moment.

Helping Sassi in these moments made the stallion forget the darkness in his own mind, at least for a bit. And seeing her so free and happy further pushed it all away.

Just seeing her smile…

“I’ve never k-known what it’s like to be wanted, as me,” Sassi said. “Intimacy in all of its forms was such a toxic subject, as were compliments on how I looked.” She hung her head slightly in embarrassment. “I know it has come up before, but times like this are the only moments I can process it. N-now that there’s someone I trust and want to explore that with, it’s so much to be free, and it’s overwhelming.”

“Well, that’s where our arbitrary waiting and rules can help,” Astral said firmly. “Plenty of time to figure stuff out.” We both definitely need time,” he couldn’t help but snort, “and therapy. Lots of therapy. You’re not the only one who’s running in mental circles. So, therapy. And smoothies, and more cuddling. But not in that order.”

She nodded in agreement with a smile, taking a deep breath of the steamy air before closing her eyes. Astral couldn’t help but let his eyes linger. The mare looked just happy.

Opening her eyes and catching his gaze, the blush returned to her cheeks.

“Sorry,” the stallion mumbled sheepishly. “You’re pretty darn attractive in the armor. And then without it, I’m left speechless.”

Sassi gave him a shove with a hoof, or at least tried to. Her heart was in her throat, and instead just left the hoof pressed against Astral’s chest.

“Ok, maybe a bit too much,” she admitted with a sniffle. “But don’t ever stop.”

“Sorry.”

“And don’t apologize.”

“Sor-” he clamped his mouth shut. “Duly noted. I did mean it though. We’re both in the armor so much, it’s odd to be out of it. Not that I’m complaining.”

“Not complaining for yourself or me?” she managed to fire back as the stallion chuckled.

“Yes.”

Sassi snorted, taking a few deep breaths as her usual demeanor returned. Soaping up her mane, she reached over and spread some on Astral’s head.

“Here you go. Nice and fruity smelling.”

“Oh my gosh this is great,” the stallion sighed, his body quickly resembling a snowball of bubbles. “It smells normal.”

Looking at the shampoo bottle, Sassi giggled to herself at seeing the label.
“Sensual Fruit Cornucopia is normal?”

“It does not say that!”

She showed him the bottle and nearly dropped it laughing. The initial application of soap might have been a bit overboard because the stallion was utterly covered in a mountain of suds, his face barely poking out with a blissful expression.

“What?”

“N-nothing,” Sassi giggled, shampooing her mane and leaving her stallion to enjoy the impromptu bubble bath.

Far sooner than Astral would have liked (even though it was at least twenty minutes,) the stallion had to relinquish his bubble fort. The two of them rinsed and dried off, sitting down on the worn cushions in the sleeping area.

“We’ll get the armor back on in a bit. Wish we could stay here longer,” Sassi said. “But with Number Two so close, we can’t.”

“Nope. Not thinking about freaky things for a bit longer,” Astral shook his head in reply. “Just a bit longer, then I’ll suit up. I know we can’t stay. But…”

“It’s ok. We’ll take a bit,” she interrupted. It was easy for the mare to pick out Astral’s shift in demeanor, and that was aside from their link screaming anxieties in her mind. The moment anything related to that room came up, Astral’s confidence fled, and fear immediately crept back into it.

She couldn’t blame him of course. Sassi had noticed in the moments where Astral wasn’t focusing on anything that he began to drift. Something in that gas-filled chamber had shaken him. The fact her stallion was constantly on edge and pushing his mind and body to the limit didn’t help matters.

To that end, she was quite happy that her presence could be a grounding factor and a distraction.

Even if I had to turn the water temperature to cold a few times. She grumbled silently to herself, the Thestral then tugging on a stubborn knot in her mane.

“Is this what normal mares deal with?” she growled, the single comb they had located getting lodged. “Maybe I should just cut it off again! Grrrr!”

“May I?”

Sassi flopped back onto her side, the comb still stubbornly stuck in her mane.
“Knock yourself out,” the Thestral pouted. “I haven’t ever had to do my mane up in a really long time.”

Astral surprised her once again, the stallion somehow freeing the comb and running it through her mane. She had to admit, it felt really nice.

“How in the world do you know how to do that?” she asked, Astral chuckling.

“Older and younger sisters, remember? They asked for help a few times when they wanted to try a mane style that wasn’t ‘guard approved.’ I was the last option before they cut the thing out. Guess I learned something.”

“I’d say. You’re really good at it.”

“I’m just combing your mane, Sas.”

Sassi both hated and absolutely loved how easily her stallion could bring tears to her eyes intentionally. The emotions were now so close to the surface after decades of beating them down.

“I don’t let just anyone do that, Astral. My dad was the only one. It’s a simple, normal thing for everyone. B-but not for me.”

Continuing to run the comb through her hair, Astral didn’t say anything at first.

“Well, I guess we’ll have some things everyone else thinks are normal, but can mean a lot to just us then? Scars, mane brushing, stuff like that.”

“And stargazing. And celebrating things that are important to you, no matter what.” Sassi’s words made Astral pause, the mare smiling as she looked up at him. “Don’t you think I’ve forgotten,” she added, seeing Astral’s expression soften as his eyes dampened. The stallion nodded, Sassi taking over the comb and brushing her bangs out of her eyes.

“I don’t know why I always heard cruddy stuff about being married. Being able to be this open with someone is awesome, and it’s not like that’d change much,” she said, Astral’s ears perking up immediately. Both of them had a bit of heat on their cheeks at the suggestion, but it was an oddly normal thought.

“It’s a weird view. Thankfully I’ve heard many counterpoints,” Astral agreed. “Gabbro thinks it’s a neat idea. But there are still some who see it as being ‘tied down’ and stuff. I obviously don’t see it like that. Sounds like I get to be with my best friend forever.” The stallion’s words made Sassi smile happily.

“Stars, that sounds great. I wouldn’t mind being tied down, in their words, if it’s someone I love,” Sassi mused. “If we’re any indication, it sounds like a pretty…fun…” her words drifted off as Astral’s face scrunched up, the stallion desperately trying to muffle a laugh and failing miserably.

Her face brightened into a steaming blush, the mare glaring at Astral as he laughed. Sassi refused to hide behind her bangs this time. “I’m not taking that back,” she said with a glare, Astral chortling as he held his sides. “And don’t you dare say anything!”

“I don’t need to say anything!” he said, ducking a pillow she threw at him.

“I walked into that one.”

“I’d say you were more or less roped into it.”

The mare’s face scrunched up adorably, Astral cackling as a pillow whacked him in the face. It was worth it though.

“Do we need to go back to a cold shower?” she asked, Astral abruptly shuddering in horror.

“Eurg. Nope! I’ll behave!”

“For now?”

“For now,” he confirmed with a grin. “Ok. So, back in the armor, and off we go?”

Sliding into the now-cleaned body suit and buckling on the plating, Sassi nodded.
“Yup. Let me get set and I’ll help you into your suit. Up ahead are a few labs and then the prison block. I’m not going to lie, Astral. It’ll probably be a horror show. If you need to breathe, let me know and we’ll find somewhere to hole up. But we get through that, and it’s then the condemned part of the silo, and then the exit tunnel.”

“Condemned part?”

Sassi didn’t meet his gaze at first, and the worry was almost palpable from her demeanor and their link.

“It was one of the first areas that were built. It’s also one of the deepest. I don’t know what’s there. It’s just old testing areas and office space from when the Company was first founded. There are also some unfinished floors. But there’s no way around it.”

“Well, I guess we’ll worry about the other stuff first?”

She nodded, helping Astral buckle on his weapons and more of their supplies.
“Still some fuel for the flamethrower. That’s good. If we see a tool cabinet, we could probably snag another cylinder,” she mused. “Till then, we’ve got the shotgun, miniguns, and cannons fully loaded.”

Astral was quiet, simply nodding as he held the helmet in a hoof. It was shaking.

“Astral?” At his side in an instant, Sassi pressed her shoulder to his, meeting the stallion’s fearful gaze. “What’s going on?”

He closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. Seeing his helmet brought it all back in an instant, the previous warmth in his chest turning to ice.

“That room,” Astral whispered, shaking his head. “I want to tell you. I want to work through it, but I can’t. Not now. It’d cripple me for hours. And we don’t have that. I’m not…” his words drifted off. It was painful for the stallion to admit, that the hours had shattered his previous confidence. Being so utterly out of control and tormented had left Astral far more vulnerable than he realized.

The frustration over their link actually made Astral smile. It wasn’t at him, but at their situation. There was definitely a bit of anger towards a certain room.

“Thanks, Sas.”

“Welcome? I didn’t say anything though?”

He reached over to lean against her head a final time.
“Didn’t have to. Hive mind. Felt you being frustrated, but not at me.”

A soft laugh eased Astral’s thoughts.
“Of course not at you. I’m worried about you. I’m frustrated because I want to burn that place to the ground. But this link is still going to take some getting used to, y’know.”

“In a good way?”

The stallion’s brain flatlined as he was abruptly occupied by a rather long kiss. It was such a contrast that the mare who could beat a mutant to a pulp with her hooves, happened to have a rather adorable romantic side. The fact that there was an odd warmth in the back of Astral’s mind only served to push the darkness away further.

He still didn’t believe that she hadn’t taken kissing classes.

Sassi finally broke the gesture, putting her helmet on with a nod as Astral did the same, the stallion’s face a bit flushed as she giggled.

“Oh, getting used to this little hive mind is a very good thing. Let’s get out of here so we can crash on the couch, drink smoothies, and snuggle. Sound like a plan?”

Sassi nearly laughed again as the stallion stared at her from behind the visor.
“Ok, drink smoothies, snuggle, and deal with trauma from all this garbage. But I like the idea of smoothies and cuddling with my stallion better. I’m not going to let you go for an entire day.”

“No complaints here!”

As they made their way to the airlock, Astral found it a bit easier to ignore the hum of fears in his mind. He wasn’t ok, not by a long shot. But he’d get through this.

They’d get through this.

Author's Note

Some familiar and adorable moments with the usual challenges rearing their heads....and some new ones.

Once again into the breach.

Chapter 108: Dawn of the Dastardly Evil, Abandoned Decorations

The next two houses were passed by without incident. On the third, however, the specter reared its head again.

The result was the same. Astral scampered backwards and the coast was clear by the time Sassi took a look.

Even worse, the helmet cameras on Astral’s older helmet were malfunctioning. Trying to re-wind the footage to confirm if Astral saw anything was just static on his end, and it wasn’t just tied to the sightings. It was a mess of useless footage most of the time. Sassi’s cameras in the newer helmet seemed to be fine, however.

Every other house after that made them pause. Astral’s limbs were shaking from the constant sightings, and after two more sightings, the stallion sat down, trying to take deep breaths.

“Just breathe, Astral,” Sassi said softly, worry pricking the mare’s heart. Astral’s frayed mental state bled over their link, fear, doubt, and genuine terror starting to dominate every sense she was able to pick up.

“Sassi, I swear it…” he began, Astral then hanging his head and shaking it. “I don’t know anymore. I can’t even aim at it. By the time I do, it’s gone. The lights flicker, and it’s there.”

There was a brief moment Sassi wondered if maybe her stallion was more traumatized than she thought. Perhaps something was making him see all of this? Surely, half a dozen sightings of this creature without a trace had to point to that?

No.

She reached over to lay a hoof on his shoulder, Astral leaning his head over to rest against it.

We’ve only gotten this far by trusting each other. I’m not breaking that now.

“Let’s keep going. Next time you see it, just keep walking and gently toss your head towards it.”

“Ok.”

The defeated tone in Astral’s voice made Sassi just want to hug him.

It only took two more houses before he tossed his head, continuing to walk past the single-story building.

NOW!

With a roar of the guns,, Sassi raked the entire house with a line of projectiles. From floor to ceiling, she made sure there wasn’t anywhere a creature could hide. As the miniguns spun back down, she walked over to the window carefully.

“It’s gone?” Astral asked softly.

“Yup. But take a look.”

The stallion’s ears perked up as Sassi gestured to the destroyed room. Entering through the back door, the two Thestrals noted the black blood sprayed across a wall and a large open-air vent on the floor. It was torn open, the foul liquid trailing into it.

“I hit it. And you can’t wound an imaginary creature,” Sassi said, watching Astral carefully as he slumped down.

“It was real.”

Sassi let him have a few moments, the other Thestral taking a few deep breaths.

“AI, why can’t we see this thing on the motion tracker?”

“Hypothesis: Creature emits an electromagnetic field that can jam suit sensors at close range. The older model of RASP helmet for primary user may lack sufficient shielding on camera systems.”

“That explains why the lights in the room flickered and the camera was whacked out,” Sassi mused, having RASP do an enhanced scan on the motion detector and air sensors before pulling off her helmet. She then motioned for Astral to do the same.

Astral didn’t have time to say anything after removing his helmet. Sassi abruptly wrapped him up in a tight hug and a rather long and passionate kiss, a muffled but rather happy cry of surprise making the mare giggle as they separated.

Putting her helmet back on, Sassi had to stifle another laugh as Astral stared at her, finally putting his own gear back on over a rather pink face.

“Um, not that I’m going to complain, but was there a reason for that?” he asked rather sheepishly.

“First, I don’t need a reason to kiss you,” Sassi stated, a soft, familiar chuckle making her heart flutter.

“Noted.”

“Second, it was a reminder.”

“Of?”

Giving his side a bump with hers as they exited the house. She paused, Astral leaning against her slightly.

“A reminder that I’m here for you,” she said softly. “And that I trust you.”

A soft, barely-audible sniffle sounded over the radio as Astral nodded.
“Thanks, Sas,” he said softly, the mare nodding once.

“Any time. Now let’s get out of here. That thing is probably angry.”

Astral’s demeanor quickly returned to a semblance of normality, confidence slowly returning to the Thestral’s frame.

I’m sorry for starting to doubt you, Astral.

The remainder of the mock suburb was traversed without incident. However, on the last row of houses, the mare spotted movement.

“Astral. Top left. On the roof of the teal house. Don’t move. Something is off.”

Sassi’s words quickly became an understatement as the two ponies observed the creature.

“What is that?”

The creature appeared to be a smaller version of a Skitter, but instead of pale skin, it seemed far more alive. Red, raw muscle fibers were knotted across its four limbs, and spiney, boney protrusions ran up and down its back and shoulders.

It lifted its head, swallowing a chunk of something that was bleeding all over the roof. The face was almost reminiscent of a pony. However, the muzzle had been utterly removed and replaced with a bloody mouth of needle-like teeth.

It let out a soft chitter, looking around with eyes that were far too big for its head. The eye sockets bore a familiar, almost malevolent red glow as they scanned around. The odd part about it was that there was intelligence behind the eyes, the red orbs methodically scanning the area. With a loud, warbling cry, the creature abruptly darted away and out of sight.

“Ok. When the freaky creature vanishes, that’s not usually good,” Astral muttered.

“Agreed. Let’s be careful. The main exit door is just behind that tree line.”

The trees were, of course, fake, but rather dense. Just as they were about to enter, Sassi stopped as the motion tracker lit up with contacts to their left.

Turning to confront the creatures, the two Thestrals paused. To their surprise, a dozen or more ponies were meandering out from behind the last house, near where the creature had been lurking on the roof.

“Survivors?” Astral said, “something doesn’t seem right.”

The flow of ponies grew, and one of them stopped.

Turning to look at them, the once-pony bared its bloody, broken teeth at the Thestrals with a hungry scream. The dozens of creatures turned, all screaming as they galloped toward the pair. Their faces were torn, blood and flesh hanging from their mouths as their bloodshot eyes were focused, unblinking, on the Thestrals.

The minigun roared, but it only took a burst for Sassi to realize their needed path.

“RUN!”

The two galloped off, Astral laying a stream of fire down behind them to slow the creatures down. The massive, double-doors were now visible through the tree line, a beautifully-intact panel next to it.

The screams sounded again- were they catching up?!

Dashing through the door, Astral spun around to fire as Sassi toggled the emergency closing mechanism, ducking through to end up at his side. The Thestrals fired as the heavy steel door began to close far too slowly.

Still-on-fire mutants ran toward them. Even as their flesh was charred and limbs falling off from the spray of bullets sent their way, they struggled onwards. Even as the cannons and shotgun blew off chunks and holes in their bodies, the creatures shrugged off the wounds with disturbing apathy.

How many are there?!

A few got close enough to try and get under the door, but it slammed down on their bodies with a disturbing *squish*.

And then it was silent, Astral catching his breath as reddish-black blood oozed from under the door.

“Zomponies. Not likely, but possible,” he hissed. “I hate this place.”

“Ditto.”

Their goal stood ahead of them, illuminated by a large information panel flashing red.

“Warning. Prison security systems have been compromised. All containment measures have failed. Convicts are in control of prison block as per last automated scan. Lethal countermeasures advised.”

Author's Note

I mean, of course.
:trollestia:

Epilogue 3: The Adventure Continues.

Astral woke up feeling like an anvil was pressed onto his chest. The Thestral gasped for breath, a cold sweat plastering his body as he sucked in air at long last. Tears streamed from his eyes, the stallion curling up into a ball and shivering.

The hallway door opened, and a familiar figure walked in with a yawn. Sassi promptly hopped onto the bed, settling down next to the distraught stallion, and waited. Their hive mind link always woke the other when things got bad enough.

Which now was more often than not.

“Thank you, Sas.”

Another tired yawn was the mare’s reply. The first few minutes after the night terrors were, for the most part, “don’t-touch-me” periods. But then a usual routine settled in, one that seemed to work for either Thestral when the terrors refused to leave. Tonight, apparently it was his turn to endure the memories and fears. Yesterday, it had been Sassi who had woken up in tears. Astral had nearly jerked awake then, walking down the adjoining hallway to their rooms and wrapping the mare up in a hug.

Just as she was happy to do now.

Astral finally uncurled himself, scooting over and letting Sassi wrap him up in a half hug as she nuzzled into his mane, already drifting back off to sleep.

Her tight embrace seemed to physically keep the nightmares at bay; something even Luna had been unable to aid in. Of course, that was partially due to the necessary processing of it. To suppress the nightmares so early on, so the Alicorn said, would prevent one’s mind from naturally healing from the trauma. She could help at a later time, but for now…the cure had to be more basic.

Astral didn’t fall back asleep immediately. But feeling Sassi’s chest rise and fall against his back made everything seem a little less scary.

They had each other, and they had gotten through a lot worse than this.

“Well, we look like death,” Sassi said after the roar of the blender subsided, Astral chuckling as she passed over a smoothie.

“We look like raccoons. But we’re alive.”

“Cheers to that. I have so missed your smoothies,” Sassi sighed, the two of them flopping on the couch.

The din of construction next door was dampened by the heavy-duty spells surrounding their rapidly-constructed home. It was a simple house; multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, more of a duplex with a linking hallway between two large living rooms.

The observatory, a short walk away, was being retrofitted with rather unique fittings; and what usually would have taken years, was going to be completed in weeks. Of course, that was the bonus of having the top construction companies and mage-crafters working around the clock.

“Just wait until the armored bunker is complete,” Astral sighed, Sassi scooting over to nuzzle under his chin.

“You mean the theatre room with a large wine cellar entrance?”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Astral chuckled. “Sounds a bit more normal when you say it like that. I mean, we don’t drink, but there’s always Molotov cocktails…”

Sassi shoved him with a rather nefarious giggle.
“Shush you. We had to tell the contractors something! Along with “ornamental towers that will hold heavy statues” all around the perimeter walls.”

“Wait, you said that?” Astral snorted, Sassi nodding as she giggled.

“What else could I say?! “Hey, we’re going to have automatic machine gun turrets hidden in these pillars. Make sure they’re nice and sturdy?” I think even the Princess would have issues with it.”

Astral’s brow furrowed, the two of them finishing their smoothies in a moment of silence. A bit of tension hummed over their link, Sassi reaching a forelimb around Astral to hug him close.

“Bit for your thoughts?”

He sighed, shaking his head.

“I think you’re right,” he admitted. “Twilight wouldn’t understand. She’s a scientist. She logically understands the threat of the Silos, how there’s no way we can be sure we got it all. But I don’t think she gets how serious the preparations need to be. I hope she does though.”

“Well, if she doesn’t, that’s why we have belt-feds.”

That brought a smile to his face, Sassi flopping across his back with a smirk.
“I swear, I’m going to have competition with a machine gun,” she groaned sarcastically as Astral let out a thoughtful hum.

“Well, I mean, have you seen some of the stuff in that black market catalog we picked up?”

“I can’t believe they printed off a catalog. It’s supposed to be illegal!”

“Hey, it’s the badlands! It’s perfectly legal there. Don’t you remember those market stalls loaded with grenades and guns?! It was awesome!”

“Fair,” Sassi muttered with a rebellious smirk. “A literal black market was something to see.”

“I swear I will not replace you with a belt-fed machine gun.”

She couldn’t help but giggle at that, the stallion then sighing.

“But if it’s like, chrome…”

He fell over cackling as the mare whacked him with a pillow, her smirk quickly turning into surprise as his lips occupied hers in a surprise kiss.

“Love you, Sas,” he whispered, hugging his special-somepony close.

“Love you too,” she replied. “This is all so weird. We’re weird. And I love it.”

“Ditto.”

After a few moments of cuddling on the couch, Sassi threw the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, Astral meandering back to his room briefly.

He pulled out a drawer, looking at a simple, elegant, metal box. It was magically cut from an ammunition can, but the metal had been polished to a high sheen as to look almost like an emerald. In the center, a velvet pad awaited a bracelet- one that would be picked out very, very soon.

When they’d propose…they didn’t really know. It was such an odd thing to agree on, but the surprise of when was the fun part, not the “will they?”

It’s not even a question if I want to spend my life with her.
More than a century with this incredible mare. I can’t wait.

The doorbell rang, and Astral trotted back as Sassi joined him at the door.
“Construction workers having another question maybe?” she mused.

Tapping the security camera feed, Astral’s eyes widened in shock. He immediately opened the door.

A sheepish unicorn stood in front of them, a simple suitcase next to him.

“H-hey, Astral, Sassi,” Arcane said with a meek smile. “Glad you guys made it out.”

“Dude. You good for a hug?” Sassi immediately asked- the unicorn barely having time to nod before the Thestrals obliged.

“We heard you were with Discord and Fluttershy, among other places. Glad you’re doing okay,” Astral remarked as they separated. The unicorn had trouble meeting their gaze as he nodded, but it wasn’t out of fear. It seemed more to be out of anxiety, general interaction putting him on edge.

They could relate.

“I was. I am. But I need- I want to learn how to live in this world again,” Arcane explained, clearly trying to articulate himself calmly. “They’re helping me with some therapy, but that’s not my world. I mean, I have my own dimension. I even created an entire city to govern. But that’s all eventually, and a lot. I first need to figure out what I want, to remember what it feels like to live now that I’m not controlled. Now that I’m in control.”

He blinked, ears flattening.
“Sorry. Bit of a monologue.”

“You’re good,” Sassi said with a dismissive wave. “But wait, you made a city and all that? You’ve been busy. We saw you on the news but didn’t want to pry.”

That elicited a smile from the unicorn, Arcane’s demeanor brightening.
“I want to help. With all of my power, I have to. But I need to figure myself out first, to do it safely. That means…um…” his hoof tapped on the cobblestone in thought. “So, there’s a house for sale in the same general area. I was wondering, would you all be okay if I stayed there? Maybe popped over for advice every now and again?” The unicorn managed a smile as he gestured between them. With a flash of his horn, pink magic abruptly became visible, the river of color swirling between the two Thestrals before fading.

“I don’t want to intrude. You two have your own lives. I’d just like some help, if it comes to it,” he admitted awkwardly, ears flattening. “And you two are the only creatures I know out here as friends. I don’t know who else I’d ask, other than Fluttershy or Discord. You all know what it was like down there. How we now see things differently up here.”

“I mean, that sounds good to me,” Astral said with a grin. “We’re a RASP family, after all.”

That managed to put a smile on Arcane’s face.

“Ditto,” Sassi added, gesturing inside. “You staying around? Want to try and relax for a bit? I know that can be work in and of itself.”

“Not currently, but thank you. I’ll be seeing you guys around.”

And with a wave, the unicorn was gone.

Astral sat on the porch, blowing out an amused breath as Sassi leaned on his shoulder.
“We’re going to have quite the interesting life here, aren’t we?” he mused, his marefriend giggling next to him.

“Oh, it’s going to be a blast.”

While Sassi and Astral’s main adventure has come to a close, their story will continue as others rise to the spotlight in the Sequel: SL-5: Love, Fluff, and Thunder.

Author's Note

And thus concludes We Don't Go to Sub Level Five!
This was an absolute blast to write! While there were some definite pacing issues, I hope you all had as much fun reading it as I did writing it. I learned a ton, and greatly appreciated everyone's feedback! This is, by far, the longest story I've ever written.

And now, on to the Sequel! Link: HERE Surely it can't be nearly as long! I mean, I've already got...
...oh my. That's a lot of chapters already written, isn't it? :trollestia: I think Love, Fluff, and Thunder will be even bigger of a task!

I'll take a break from uploading for a bit- but I wanted to at least get the introduction posted for those who want to track the story. So there will be a few weeks of a break, and then the story will continue!

So, thank you all for reading and commenting, and I'll hopefully see you in the Sequel!
-Radbunny