1. Marksaline the Necromorph Queen

The Ishimura, save Sunset Shimmer 1/?

As Discord had finished his explanation of what needed to be done in a few hours unless they all lose this Filly along the way.

Nightmare Moon was than recapping Discord explanation once more to make sure she understood it all.
"So just to make sure we check everyponys understanding of the situation:

• You collected us all in Sunset Dreamscape with help of chaos and dark magic to save her mind and learn of a coming darkness we will have to face together and make sure repelling it and similar threats on a event that happend in the past, just less brutal for the fillys preservation of innocents?

• We will fight through a flying castle size ship in the space between Equis and the Moon. Filled with mutated creatures that while not lethal, can inflict realistic pain when they inflicted Injury to us?

• We can't actually kill them, rather than incapacitat them?

• We have to repair parts of the castle sized ship that is Sunsets mind while changing others so we have her prepared to help us in the fight versus Harmony.

• And least but not last, you intend us to help everyone involved with this adventure to grow in character, development of resistance to brutal exposure of fighting to the death so we survive until we reached our goal of saving Sunset Shimmers sanity or we run out of time?
  Did i miss something?!"

Nightmare Moon was outwardly ice cold, but the heat in her voice betrayed her disapproval of what the fillys would experience soon enough.

Discord reassuringly give them affirmation and guarantee that this was the safest way to do it.
Giving them further armor and weapons to protect them. That said, they would be mostly very advanced tools since the enemy they would face was not one easily defeated.

To their peace of mind would he give them helpful items and reassure that no matter if they didn't get hit or dismembered to pieces, they be fine by the end of the journey to save Sunset Shimmers sanity.

The surrounding grasslands morphed into darkness and they had two choices:

• Get into a advanced airship named Kellion, to join the adventure into Sunset mind.

• Stay with Discord, while fixing Sunset Shimmer damaged mind and psychological stability.

Before Sunset could get over to Discord, did Marksaline and Fluffle Puff shepherded the filly into the fancy Airship named Kellion.

Luna Dreemur while being a expert in dream magic wasn't exactly a mind doctor, more like a therapist. So she joined the fillys.

Cadance got levitated by Nightmare Moon inside the colorful airship named Kellion, no royal familie member was to run from a fight. It builds character and would help get a clear picture of her Niece reacting and combating the enemy.

Discord hoped for this outcome. A lot more entertainment while he worked on Sunsets brain and physical body. Besides, he had Luna sooner rather than later help him.

Sunset and her new companions departed from the Kellion, once it reached the castle sized ship named Ishimura. As they walked onto one of the walkways that rested in the docking area that they had docked on, Sunset took a few seconds to look around and truly take in how massive the Ishimura was, even if this was only a single area of the ship.

The Ishimura was an impressive ship made out of stone and steel, even if it was only one existing in her mind as representation of her mind, was its kind something she would hope to ever lay her eyes on again. It spoke volumes on how skilled Discord was on building something.
Unless he build it off something he remembered seeing perhaps?

Where could he have seen a massive building constructs like this was beyond her. It was at this point that she got her first look at the exterior of the Kellion compared to the docking area. This place would have to be huge indeed. She started to doubt they could walk trough it all in a singel night.

Though as she gazed upon the ship that had brought them here she realized that a good portion of the vessel was starting to get damaged. Apparently what ever was decaying the flighting castle sized ship was already effecting their arriving vessel as well.

From the corrosion and if she was seeing things right it decaying, visible causing damage while she watched. It actually looked like they might have lost the ship to depart by the time they might want to leave.
As if to confirm her assumption a section of the ship already started to fall of like a tree would shed its leafy load during the year.

Everypony was staring at the Kellion with Sunset Shimmer, instead of following a glowing line with tiny pointers towards the sign that was welcoming them to the anticipated start of the journey on the Ishimura. Nightmare Moon eyes were resting on the same area of the ship that Sunset blanched, that happened to be suffer from corruption that they needed to stop erode everywhere they would have to walk through.
As fast as this little ship suffered from exposure to what plaged Sunsets mind, she had no doubt that Discord wasn't joking about Sunset Shimmer having only this night to fix herself before she lost herself forever.

Discord was busy recreating the Ishimura and all the threats within while linking it to problems that needed to be resolved. Every enemy defeated, every obstacles overcome would help Sunset. He just hoped they all would stomach what was coming their way. While he made it less of a gore filled bad dream, it was still rather hardcore what they have to go through.
He hoped Luna was not to cranky once he had taken her out of the game prematurely to hammer down how real the threats in the Ishimura are to them.

Discoverable and most informative was a big display teaching all participants how the armor they would receive soon work in general.
That was also when they noticed their horns, wings and mane as well their tails being see through now.

Apparently was there horns they all had now able to lift things close to them as to hold up to two items. But it would unlock later the ability to effect their surrounding more with a kinetic horn add on.

It's exception of Fluffle Puff that was apparently a self defense item for some reason.
Discord logic lead them to head shacking, better to go with it than thinking it over.

Their wings would allow them once collected like the horns somewhere on the ship to slow down enemies and objects, alternatively they could use their left foreleg.
He warned that slowing down allies worked as well as enemies and some objects they have to interact with. Casualties might come up if they are not careful what they hit, intended or not.

Further was no flight possible. It reduced them and the enemy equally. But as a warning was stated that walking and crawling on walls and ceilings was still possible at times for the enemy.

Their life indication was via lights on the armor that they receive soon. It could be upgraded if they wanted to be tougher, but lose damage output upgrade possibilities instead. It would be on them if they be sturdy, but weak in offense or be strong in offense and rather be fragile in constitution.

Updates found are shared, how to use it was on eatch individual.
And with the tutorial roughly over they found themself new a shop with Discord in ponys form as vendor to sell them stuff.

Eatch payed pony Discord one hug for a suit of armor with helmet. Fluffle Puff did instead of a armor get a few candy's that she shared with Sunset and her sister.

Nightmare Moon, Cadance and Luna get a nail rifle after they nuzzeld a pony Discord. It showed where it would hit with pointed lights. Fortunately wasn't it blinding anyone if aimed at there eyes.

Discord made the helmets blinding proof, since it would be needed for the coming conflicts ahead.

And finally did Discord showed them how to store items and told them by investing into better armor by found resources, they get more store space.

With a snap of his tail did pony Discord dissappear including his shop out of existance.
The journey would now start he informed and after they all passed the door, enemies would appear without warning and had to be defeated unless they wanted to run for it. Both was acceptable, but eventually they would come later in bigger numbers if not defeated when encountered eventually.

Luna had a armor looking like the moon, bright grey with a royal decail on a few of her armors plates, further had reflectiv surfaces that reminded of disco balls even if they where not re-invented as of yet.

Nightmaremoon looked like the night sky, but brighter to be easy visible and her armor was full of night sky formation decails.

Unbelievable adorable yet sinister was Marksaline armor, it had sinister glowing glyphs all over it, giving a strong contrast to her pure black armor.
Fluffle Puff pawed at the armor in awe.

Cadance had not pink themed but light green armor for some reason. When Luna ask about it, Cadance confirm her favorite color.
Discord chuckeld for some reason after that.

Sunset Shimmer armor looked less protective. More like it was a undersuit that had many visible places for something nopony know as of yet.

The fillys followed the adults since they didn't want to be left behind, gently did Fluffle Puff grabbed Sunset's neck and nuzzeld her. Marksaline was only slightly jealous, but maybe mimicking her sister would get her acknowledge how it feelds to be ignored. To which Sunset found herself nuzzeld on both sides while walking down the walkway and rejoined the rest of their herd. Nightmare Moon on the front appeared to be listening to the welcoming sign, as if he was trying to figure something out while she and the others were waiting for the fillys to catch up.

The moment she noticed the fillys and her other companions coming she snapped to attention and continued walking. Cadance and Luna were ready to go as well with rising alert and followed after Nightmare Moon.

As they walked towards the large door in front of them Sunset noticed that the three adults were carrying weapons, while she and the sister besides her had nothing to fight with.

Discord noted that Marksaline was a weapon in on herself and Fluffle Puff was more of a throwing pillow to distract enemies by very shortly unbalance and throw them back 1-2 steps.

Sunset would have to wait a bit, until she get a unique weapon for herself shortly.

While Discord worked with a duplicate of himself in tandem to coordinate the rescue effort while keeping entertainment coming their way did he was plaged by one idea:
'Should he have be mentioned that if Sunset would at some point of the adventure die, she literally would do so in the real world as do to magic lethal feedback loops? ... Nah, he cross that bridge once he burned it.'

For a moment did Nightmare Moon wondered if the fillys and the company she had would manage the mission in one piece.
Physical they were safe, but mentally?
She expected there to be trouble eventually, since they were carrying weapons and Discord warning them of realistic injuries responses.

Cutting ones hoove on paper was a Diamond Dog bitch of a experience, but getting stabbed? At least they didn't have to fear the consequences to having to go through painful restoration spells afterwards.

Then she decided that since they could not change the fact, they simply had to avoid getting hit.
She was the one in charge of the security of her herd, details that had to be worked on eventually would be resolved when they came up.

Luna was ready for action to which she followed after her sister with a reserved anticipation of the coming combat. She kept her eyes open and occasionally watched what the Foals did, it was very good to see they where practically glued to one another at the moment.

One of the things she noticed and made her frown was that the lights inside the ship were definitely unstable, it was flickering or at times deactivated, which meant that the area was missing power or was only unreadable stable at the moment. She could feel the dreamrealm being vast and stable, yet it interacted in strange ways. More like a solid and realistic construct in the real world, rather than a dream construct.
This might in the end be more realistic than she expected.

Cadance noticed a couple of lockers that were locked, if the red light in the center of them was any indication. A couple of vending machines placed in the wall appeared to be powered down, meaning that something was definitely wrong with energy distribution if food dispersal places were not working.

Unless eating was not necessary to keep fatigue at bay?
In her romance adventure books it was often noticed that one should never underestimate how mutch physical activities would demand water, food and potty breaks in between.

Maybe it was better that they experienced this all in the dream realm, instead of the real world. There hooves would probably otherwise murder them after the nights end...

Discord contemplation about adding fatigue and physical demands to the adventure. Than he dismissed it for not being a 'realistic survivel shooter'. Why bother with realism if he could have fun with them more unrealistically.

"Guess the power's down everywhere." Sunset said, apparently noticing the same things that pretty mutch everypony had noticed. But better to notice the obvious before out loud, until missing something seemingly trivial that was actually important on sight but not mentioned.

Luna turned towards Cadance, who was standing near the opening they had walked through and was staring at the not longer decaying Kellion, "Cadance, get over here and open the door lock,
we are kinda out of date about a millenia."

"She can do that?" Nightmare Moon asked, though at the same time she watched as Cadance approached the seemingly locked door and held a hoove towards the center of it, where she watched as she interacted with a light blue illusion of some kind for a few seconds.

Everyone could see how Cadance had to play a short puzzle game to get the door unlocked.
Apparently Sunset liked to play puzzles since she indirectly effected the area around them, Luna smiled at that.

Nightmare was relatively relieved that it was so simpel opening doors. It would still leave them open to attack while doing so.

Sunset replied with a gleeful giggle when she recognized the magical puzzle lock Cadance was working on. It always had a small piece of candy when ever she was,allowed to play with it after dinner. It could be opend up to 20 times, change the lock and reward when opend. She hoped she could take over the task and get massiv candy that way.

Knowing that Sunset had a big sweet tooth, did Discord indeed reward every unlocking of a door by give a small candy as reward as long the door wasn't reopen withhin 5 minutes and 30 seconds.

Discord explained the short door mechanics and its tiny reward. The fillys looked forwards opening doors now.

As Cadance open the door and give the Candy to Sunset she said: "The first candy get to Sunset, the next to Marksaline and finally to Fluffle Puff, than the rotation repeates."

Discord remarked that the suit that all were wearing would activate the illusion lock when approached and show its status. If they approach a door or lockers with a blue symbol, like the one in front of them, they should be able to open them. Red ones don't open yet, adventure progression would give incentives for the locks to unlock.

The moment the last word left his mouth the chaos god and game master of the adventure let the door in front of them get closed.
A timer showed when it would reward them again when opend after the time cooldown.

To which the fillys looked forward to.
They all noticed that the cooldown of the lock mean that a door would open instantly now, since no reward would be given while the timer was running.

As they all walked forward into the first room that would seperate them from the dock, Luna noticed the dream realm standing stable even when they left a room behind.
Discord wasn't telling them something...
Luna give her sister a stern nod and they walked eatch to one side of the room.

Where they discovered that the room was a lounge area. It looked a little messy thanks to all of the luggage containers that were sitting around the floor. Luna had a bad feeling about this. Why did Discord wasted effort into details like discarded luggage?

"Seems like everypony was trying to pack in a hurry." Sunset and Cadance remarked.
Cadance and Sunset said it in unison, though they had to stare at each other for a few seconds before Fluffle Puff chuckled about them. It reminded Marksaline how she and her sister from time to time had the same thoughts at the same time.

Nightmarem Moon remarked:
"Focus everpony, this is no game and Discord warned us the enemy might strike at any moment!" The adults get there focus back and studied there surroundings.

To everyponys surprise did Marksaline commented in Lunas voice that she feel shadows movingin the dark. Everypony was surprised Marksaline had Lunas voice.

When Fluffle Puff counted from 1 to 5 and 5 to cookies to test her voice, did she sounded like Nightmare Moon.

Discord had no idea why they shared voices. It wasn't like they needed to share voices to keep synchronization speaker budget low.
Everyone including the closer stalking enemies just ignored Discord non sense remark.

Discord just struggled to make light of the situation. It was about to lose all its humor about now anyway.

The group of adult spread out, while the fillys build some kind of funny pony sandwich.

Fluffle Puff at the bottom, Sunset was put in Fluffels fur coat while Marksaline lay over Sunset. Sunset had no idea why Marksaline insisted on it, but Fluffle Puff was fluffy and Marksaline was snuggeld above her. A nice snuggle pile that for some reason didn't even register to Fluffels as undisturbed as she keep walking around the room.

Sunset even learned that wall walking apparently was still no struggle for the fluffball and thanks to Marksaline, she was perfectly laying stable on her fluffy transportation.

Discord made a remark about it being very convinient, but everycreature ignored him.

How rude...

Cadance glanced around the lounge, because something wasn't right about this and she knew that something strange was going on.

"Hey, there's a computer inside this room," Luna said, to which the rest of the herd turned and looked at her, where they discovered that she was pointing to a security console that was behind some glass.

Nightmare Moon walked trough the entrance to the room that Luna had discovered. She noticed blood on the ground. When touching it, did it showed to be dry. At least who ever bleed out here didn't do so recently.
Why in Tarterus was there a blood stain big enough to indicate that a ponie bleed here out.
Discord wasn't telling them something about this place...

"That security console is still live." Luna stated, though there was some relief to hear in her now, because now they could figure out where they are since her sharp vision allowed her to view a ship wide map that reminded her of the alien ship named 'Mura', that crash landed on the moon so long ago.

Nightmare Moon would form a solid plan of action once they could establish where to go first. Nightmare ordered: "Cadance, log in and see what you can find. Fluffle Puff, you should stand near Cadance and follow her and see if you spot anything else that's useful to us.

Cadance complained that she was a Princess and not a Daring Do ripoff, but did as she was told.

Nightmare Moon ask her sister to try get that elevator back online. Further she explained how to actually use a Computer in the first place.

Sunset was glad that she had found relativ safety within Fluffels fur coat, while Marksaline was protectively laying over her, which made her realize that the position she was in made her unable to do anything.
She really hoped Fluffle Puff & Marksaline know what they where doing.

Fluffle Puff mounted Cadance like a mounten goat kid. She had a feeling that she needed to stay near pink M♡mmy to avoid her new friend getting hurt. Her sissy would keep them save!

Marksaline was scanning the area around them. Something was coming and if it try hurt Fluffle Puff or her pink M♡mmy, she would eat them alive after ripping them apart.

Luna stood by the door that they needed to walk though and beckoned to her sister. She was still holding the candy for unlocking the door in her telekinesis. When Nightmare levitated the candy to Marksaline did she noticed that her levitation limit was about a meter in distance. She moved closer and feed the red filly the candy. That little foal would be so cute right now if she didn't look so scary in her ominous glyph armor.

After having feeded the Alicorn filly the candy, she wondered who had successful put a foal in Celestia. Since she probably was bathing in suitors she probably never find out who the actual Stud was that could give her a Alicorn foal as well...

No matter, she get to try out her sister harem in time. Stud sausage party later, saving a filly from becoming mad now.

Nightmare Moon noticed that the door next to her had a yellow light. That door would give Fluffle Puff her chance for a candy.

Its lock had a light blue illusion in its center around the yellow encasing, to which she held a hoove out and watched as the door opened before it instantly closed again before her eyes.

She grinned for a few seconds before she had the door close shut before her.
She would have the doors cooperation or there would not longer be a door.

If a door would be able to sweating buckets out of fear, this one would do it...

Nightmare walked to her sister and see her playing a way more complex puzzle than Cadance had before. She probably would need a few minutes for that one, so she returnd to the sides of Cadance and the fillys on her back.

Nightmare Moon wondered how Cadance had three fillys on her back, yet she thought she had not mutch indication she suffered from their weight. At least this Alicorn keep in shape.

Her sister Celestia probably would look like a blob by now, as she loved to eat cakes daily. Eating cakes and bucking stallions all day long...

Probably why Celestia wasn't with them. They could not possibility fit her cake flanks in this huge ship...

Cadance wanted to check on Lunas progress while the 'diagnostic' was running. But Nightmare Moon cut her off on the door to the room and ask her to try open the yellow encasing in blue center glowing door, while she checked the 'diagnostic' running.

Cadance walked towards the indicated locked door again, however the door closed behind her.

Nightmare Moon cursed and give the door that closed infront of her muzzle a good buck. The door opened immediately, but the candy timeout timer come to its top counter as a result.

"Huh...' Did Sunset remarked, "bucking a door unlocks it, but no candy is given.

Cadance was about go to the door Nightmare mentioned before, but she worried at that exact moment why the red paint on the ground actually looked like a huge dried up blood stain.

The fact that there was a decent amount of blood on the floor fitting about what a pony could hold in their bodys made her very nervous.

"The yellow and blue locked doors are no joke." Luna said, as she had been standing in front of the elevator for a few minutes. She finally stopped looking at the lock illusion, to which she turned towards her sister: "I can't get the elevator unlocked while worrying about the rest of you."

So Nightmare Moon accompanied Cadance and let Luna continue to unlocking the Elevator after she refused to buck it open.

"Why a candy is supposed to be worth all the trouble..." Nightmare muttering drifted off, causing everyfilly to do anything but give the Queen their puppy dog eyes. Seconds past and Nightmare Moon had a new found respect for Lunas dedication to get the Elevator door opend with effort instead of bucking it open.

Nightmare glanced over to Cadance for a few seconds. Cadance had mercy on her Aunty and moved over to the indicated door to open it while Nightmare Moon would check the
com-puter.

Cadance take a deep breath to be sure that she was ready for whatever happened after she activated the complicated door lock.

Meanwhile Nightmare used the security console. As she tapped the screen, to which an more detailed illusory map of the Ishimura appeared in front of her. Where she then noticed that there were a few red flashing icons on the image, indicating areas of the ship that had to have been damaged in some manner.

"Huh. That does not look good." Sunset commented.
"The castle sized ship named Ishimura has taken a lot of damage."

"The transportation system is offline. Getting around is going to be difficult." Discord said, though while he sounded about that fact rather relaxed, did everypony hooves already regret that statement.

The air systems apparently came back on right after Discord stopped talking.
Which made everypony wonder that they had been breathing old air the entire time since their arrival.
"The air seems to be flowing again, that is a start."
Remarked Nightmare Moon.
"To bad it stinks as if something died in the ventilation system."

That was followed by the lights darkening while an alarm sounded, causing everybeing' senses to go into high alert as they looked around for some sort of danger.

Because the ponies sensed that this was some sort of set up to get this journey on the road.
Unless they had tripped something by activating the console diagnostic.

"What the Tarterus is that?" Cadance asked, though at the same time she sounded frightened and worried, while Luna and Nightmare Moon prepared themselves for whatever was going to happen.

"Automatic quarantine must have tripped when the air filtration system restarted." Nightmare Moon stated, echoing Lunas thoughts on the situation, though even with that confirmation she was still looking for any potential hazards that they might have set off.

Luna confirmed that happened to her as she entered the Mura on the Moon for the first time as well. Apparently a few dead Dragon adolescent corpses rotting themself in place in the ventilation shafts near the Docking area resulted in the same situation.

That was when a sound rumbled in the vents around them, telling everypony that there was something inside the vents that surrounded them, but all that did was making them laugh in nervous laughter.

A few seconds of laughter to calm themself down was enough. Every adult walked back to their place except Luna, who opend the first door the ever open to get free candy out of it.

That lock door only occupied Luna a few seconds until it opend and levitated a candy towards her.

Luna take it and was cantering towards everypony just next room. Before she could walk past the right side of the room past the glass window to open door and hoove over the Candy to Fluffle Puff, did two vents exploded. One behind and one infront of Luna.

Luna wasn't a idiot and leap over the lounge sitting couch fixed to the ground.

While at the same time Cadance and Nightmare Moon looked around, while trying to determine where the noise out the walls was coming from.

"What was that?" Sunset asked, though this time around she was more frightened than she had been a few minutes ago.

Cause now there was the potential that something was in the vents, "Did you hear that?
I mean something destroyed probably pretty well build vent covers!"

"I'm not sure..." Fluffle Puff said, unless it was Nightmarem Moon projecting her voice under Sunset.

Luna pulled up her weapon and one of the dropped ventilation spinnes and glanced around the room, while Nightmare did the same thing when not trying to override the alert system like she did on the Mura so long ago.

If there was something in the vents they were going to be prepared for whatever it was when it decided to come out and reveal itself. To her luck could they simply buck the doors open if things went to Tarterus in a hoove basket.

Sunset, Fluffle Puff & Marksaline watched as one of the vents in the room suddenly burst open besides Luna. The Alicorn expected something jump out of it, silently hitting the floor near where she was standing.

But instead five pair of Equine eyes spotted something out of the already broken open vents. Their eyes widened as they realized that Luna had not noticed the creature hit the floor and was sneaking towards her.

"What the buck?" Sunset said, though at the same time Cadance instinctivly moved a little bit away from where the vent was located in their room and shushing the foal for cursing.

Discord was surprised that Cadance priorities where so badly placed.

Nightmare Moon managed finaly to override the alert and unlock the doors even if quarantine was still running.

In the long run should she have warned Luna, but her sister had regular training with herself about situational awareness.

Nightmare Moon moved to Cadance side to pass her and guide Luna to them, since splitting up would be a bad idea. She had no idea what was lurking near them thanks to the fact that the lights were still darkened do to still running quarantine protocol.

Cadance ask Discord for help, but he was apperently busy fixing Sunset long time memories.

"I don't know whats in the room with me, but something in the room will have a bad night with me in it!" Luna called out.

As if sensing the attack from behind her she bucked blindly behind her. What ever she hit, had give to it enough to make her stagger after she had given it a crash course to the next wall.

The attacker coming from the front vent Luna was still watching was getting its face liquidated the moment it tried facing Luna.

Unfortunately to Lunas disbelive, did the attacker seem to be uneducated in its biology lessons and instead of dropping dead it started to flailing it limbs.

Luna leap ones again over the couches and let the one standing up after having left a mark in the wall have a few rounds to the head.

Now there are two headless attackers punching one another blindly while cutting one another up.

Nightmare Moon made it finally to the room with Luna and managed to shot a new enemy. The third attacker that dropped to the left of Luna silence to the ground.
While Luna run crouched to her sister giving the headless idiots still beating one another up no second glance.

With Luna and Nightmare in the small room with the security console and the others did the headless enemies dropped to the floor and the damaged but still activ enemy got a few more breathing holes in its chest curiosityof Nightmare Moon, it jump up the vent shaft and they hear beastial screaming out the vents.

They where all in the diagnostic room, but safety wasn't anything in sight for them yet.

Sunset was screaming they had to run away.
When Discord had a light with tiny arrows and exclamation marks showing towards the yellow and blue locked door. They could read over the locked and glowing with a sentance door:
"BUCK THE DOOR OPEN AND RUN YOU FOOLS!!!"

Author's Note

Nopony is dead, yet...
How long will it stay that way?
Anyway...
Our heros should listening and do as they are told:
"Run you fools!"

Read you later

Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Leave a like and constructive criticism if you don't mind.

Stay snuggly everyone

Last time edited:
11.04.2024