Fallout Equestria: The Ashlands Timeline

Monday, 10/31/2287
POV: Starlight Glimmer
The Everfree Forest

Starlight didn’t want to go to Zecora’s hut.

The last time she saw Zecora, when they were evacuating the Ministry of Magitech. She said she was going home, so if she made it, then her journal might be in her hut. The team, especially Crimson, would peek.

Starlight wouldn't hide the truth if it was as she feared, if only because she knew they’d find out eventually. But it was another thing for them to watch the events. Depending on how they interpreted her fate, it could either add to their doubts or further earn their loyalty, and Starlight didn’t know which. They’d see it through Zecora’s point of view rather than her own, and she
knew Zecora protested many experiments.

“There it is!” Twilight said as they approached, hoof-pointing and looking at the others.

Starlight hadn’t been to Zecora’s, so she didn’t see it at first. When pointed out by somepony else though, the cloak rolled back for Starlight too. Starlight realized how it hid so well, looking much like any other tree in the forest.

Starlight expected an actual hut, not a tree. Though it was barely discernible as a hut with windows and door partially grown over, the spell holding its shape faltering. It’d be easy to enter as the door had popped off its hinges, laying in front of the tree. There was a single ornate mask hung above the entrance, decayed and faded.

Starlight breathed deeply through clenched teeth as Twilight ran in. There was just enough space for her to get through the overgrown door with saddlebags. Starlight sighed and followed.

It would have been cozy if not for the team’s size. Along most walls were shelves of ingredient containers, some cracked or leaking. Another shelf held books; Twilight and Mercury went there first. In the middle was a rusty cauldron, much like Zecora kept in her Ministry lab. The only other furniture was a rotten bed and desk.

Zecora’s skeleton lay on the bed. She had dressed in native zebra attire, with beads and ornaments, which now hung like rags. She lay on her back, legs folded atop her as if she’d died peacefully, an empty poison vial beside her.

Starlight made sure everypony entered, pulling Solar, Kamikaze, and Dinky in with her magic. Dinky snarled as she placed her on an empty part of the bed where she’d be comfortable but away from the others.

“Whoa, no, no, no,” said Solar when Starlight tried to float her onto the bed on the opposite side of Zecora’s corpse. “I’ll take the floor, thanks.”

Fair enough; Starlight sat her down on the hard floor next to the bed.

“Here!” Twilight pulled a book from the shelf entitled ‘Super Naturals’, opening it atop the desk. “Here’s the recipe for the poison joke antidote, assuming it works for killing joke. Think we have what we need, Mercury?”

“We’ll see!” Mercury seemed excited that her alchemy skills were seeing use. “If we don’t, I’ll do what I can. I’ll need water, but it looks like there are some preserved containers of that too.”

“Don’t use too much,” said Limestone. “The rest can augment our water supply.”

“There should be a spring about a hundred hooves north you could use so we can keep the safer water,” said Twilight. “And radioactive water might work better with a ghoul.”

Mercury carried the book to the potion shelves, examining the chemicals. Most bottles were sealed in the same fashion that the Ministry used for food packs, which meant anything unbroken could be used even after 200 years.

Limestone sat on the bed, pulling Dinky close to her and stroking the little one’s mane, hushing her as one might a frightened foal. She assured Dinky that they would help her, though Starlight doubted if Dinky understood.

“I may have to substitute a few ingredients,” Mercury said. “Shouldn’t be a problem; might strengthen it!” Alchemy seemed like the only thing Mercury was confident of.

Twilight noticed Zecora’s skeleton after she had finished examining the bookshelf. When she did, she trotted to her and sighed. She draped a tattered blanket over the body, but Starlight wasn’t sure why she bothered.

“You were a credit to Equestria in… many timelines,” Twilight said, tears welling up as she looked at the others. “This place seems undisturbed. That perception filter hid it well; it makes me wonder how many other things litter Equestria without anypony noticing.”

“Does Not-Living Dead Mare have a journal?” Crimson asked the inevitable question.

“Here!” Twilight picked up a book on the bed, still open. “Same journal I saw my Zecora write in, though I’m sure full of less pleasant things.”

“We should look, Empress,” Limestone said as if predicting Starlight’s reluctance. Such a bright general was a double-edged sword.

“Of course,” said Starlight with a shaky smile.

“Let me know if it’s good,” Solar said. She still had no pipbuck, but didn’t sound eager to see this anyway.

Crimson passed Starlight a knowing grin as she opened the journal. Starlight grumbled but slipped the horn restraint off of Crimson and opened the network for her to feed the images into the rest of their heads. Mercury put down the bottles and sat to prepare herself.

Memory POV: Zecora

When most ponies thought of the Ministry they’d like to work with, they thought of the Ministry of Arcane Science, the Ministry of Engineering, or the Ministry of Awesome, whatever that meant. But not Zecora. Zecora knew where the real action was: The Ministry of Forgotten Knowledge.

Most research of the other branches in the Ministry of Magitech came from here. AK Yearling, branch Minister, uncovered the ancient alicorn civilization in the southern jungle. Thanks to the first magitech created by Starlight and Applejack, they found sections of the ruins they’d have never noticed otherwise.

Zecora only knew what she’d read in books and magazines. Now she’d see the exciting details civilians never saw.

Carrying saddlebags full of books, potions, and her own relics, Zecora searched for her new office. It was on a lower basement level, but easy enough to find. Zecora wasn’t sure if such positioning meant it wasn’t ideal, but was satisfied just being here. Besides, zebras were well-respected by ponies due to their skill at fighting the Nightmare's forces, so her chances of being promoted were promising by default.

As she opened the door to her office, she heard voices.

“And so I said, ‘because of the gas!’. You should have seen his expression when the spouts opened and pumped the neurotoxin in! He was like, ‘You’re insane!’. You had to be there I guess. Anyway, before he died, he swung the knife and sliced my ear.”

Well that was an interesting conversation.

She opened the door to find a half-empty office. The only furniture was a desk and filing cabinets; she’d have to make things more ethnic in here. It looked to have a connecting lab as they promised though, which she looked forward to.

Two ponies stood in front of Zecora’s new desk. Both had white bodies and bright manes. She recognized one with a sloppy red mane and a chained-heart cutie mark as Gora Soul, the Minister of Alchemy. The other, a pink-maned pony with pigtails and a red quill cutie mark, was Crimson Prose, the Minister of News. She had been speaking.

Getting two Ministry Mares’ attention on her first day was good, though it was odd to see the Minister of News here. Zecora decided to ignore their previous conversation; Crimson was probably telling a joke, and Zecora rarely got pony jokes.

“Ah, there’s our newest recruit,” Gora smiled with an oddly flirty tone. “I know you’re with Forgotten Knowledge, but there are a projects in Alchemy that could use your expertise, if you’re not overloaded.”

The tone made Zecora nervous, but when Gora motioned towards a folder of documents on Zecora’s new desk, Zecora's eyes lit up. It looked like she’d be as busy as she’d hoped!

“Yes, Miss Soul, I get the gist. I shall be happy to assist,” Zecora said, then turned to Crimson, wondering if she needed something.

“Don’t mind me,” said Crimson. “I just wander into rooms sometimes. Wanna hear how I nicked my ear?”

“I will hear if you’d like to show,” Zecora answered. “Is it important that we know?”

The conversation cut short with a pony clearing her throat from the door. Zecora looked over to see AK Yearling. She wore her trademark green buttoned top and a pith helmet, odd accessories for an office.

“Nice to see you, Gora,” AK’s eyes moved to her first, her tone darkening. “I’m sure you have things to do. Don’t let us keep you.”

Gora flashed her a toothy smile and left the room.

“Is there a problem with the minister?” asked Zecora. “Do you find her sinister?”

“Great filly that,” Crimson said once Gora left. “Did you know she has almost the same cutie mark as my dad? And a similar first name. It’s uncanny.”

“I don’t trust her,” AK said, then turning to Crimson. “Speaking of which, I was sorry to hear.”

“Hear what now?” Crimson tilted her head.

“About… your father,” AK said. “That he… passed away. Along with your brothers and nephew, I can’t imagine how hard that must be.”

“Goodness dear,” Zecora said. “I’m also sorry to hear.”

“Oh, that, right!” Crimson said as if having forgotten. “I am frequently inconsolable. How about this zebra though, huh? Love the accent. I think I might keep it!”

“Crimson, you sure you don’t need the day off?” AK asked. Unlike with Gora, she sounded concerned. “You should take grieving time rather than working through it. I understand that you’re keeping your mother and sisters on your airship to protect them, maybe you can spend a few days helping them settle in.”

“Tsk, fine,” Crimson shrugged, turning to stroll out of the office. “Don’t think you got out of hearing my ear story, Zecora.”

“Right,” sighed AK. She turned to Zecora. “She has different ways of coping, but she’s one of the few ponies I trust here. Anyway… One reason I hired you is because I trust your judgment too. You have a good reputation.”

“You are far too kind,” assured Zecora. “I will not fall behind.”

“Good,” said AK. “Let’s hope I never need your back up.”

Zecora had her office and lab decorated, though her ornate masks and potions weren’t unique as many zebras worked here. She missed her home in the Everfree though, even during the NLR’s occupation.

She loved working in her new office, but was getting nothing done at the moment. Instead she was trying to hint at Crimson it was time to leave. Crimson hadn’t been kidding when she warned that she wandered into rooms. Why was she even here?

“He was like 'No, no, tighten the collar so she can’t scream',” Crimson droned. “And so she can't bite your other ear.”

“I do not wish to make you upset,” Zecora said. “But I’d rather not hear of your foalhood pets.”

“Zecora!” AK blurted out as she rushed into the room, slamming the door behind her and locking it. She looked exhausted and carried an object wrapped in a cloth beneath one wing.

“Goodness me!” Zecora stood from her desk. “From whom do you flee?”

Probably no one. AK enjoyed bursting into rooms like a storybook hero and at least didn’t do a flip or break anything this time. Granted, many of AK’s adventures would make good adventure novels if it wasn’t top secret.

“Is it Star Tracker again?” asked Crimson. “That colt’s always coming up behind me like he’s ten seconds from a full mount. Creepy. I put in a request to smash his balls with a hammer, but Starlight denied it! The nerve.”

“Do you know what this is?” AK asked, unwrapping the object and laying it on Zecora’s desk.

AK ignored Crimson, as was safe, but wasn’t alarmed at her presence. For all of Crimson’s oddities, she often fed them information about Starlight’s more questionable activities that Crimson spun differently on the radio. Crimson didn’t feel trustworthy, but she’d never betrayed them.

The item was an amulet with a gray triangle base and red gem inserted in the middle. On either side were black and red wings, with a black unicorn head at the top. Zecora hadn’t seen it before, but felt it before AK even uncovered it. This artifact not only contained powerful magic but seemed to have psionic properties. It seemed to scream ‘put me on’.

“I have not seen this one,” said Zecora. “But would not put it on.” From what she knew, objects that wanted you to wear them shouldn’t be worn.

“It’s the Alicorn Amulet,” said AK. “And yes, it takes control of anypony that wears it. Starlight wants to use it for her artificial alicorn experiments. I believe it would be a mistake; putting this on a cybercorn would create a monster.”

“If you require it hidden,” said Zecora. “I’ll keep it forbidden.”

AK had come to her before with artifacts to be hidden. Zecora wondered if AK hired her mainly for this purpose, though was glad to help. Who knew what Starlight would do without AK hampering the more questionable activities.

“Thanks,” sighed AK. “First I need it to open an inner chamber in the Neon City ruins. I wanted you to be ready though, because I’m stopping by your hut on my way back and leaving it there. Once it leaves the Ministry, I don’t want it to return.”

“You can trust me,” nodded Zecora. “You have my home key?”

“Yes, thanks again,” smiled AK. “I swear, Starlight would have blown up Equestria by now if not for us.” She turned to Crimson, “I can trust you not to say anything as usual?”

Crimson smiled, dragging a hoof across her own muzzle as if zipping it shut.

Sometimes Zecora hated being right.

Mentioning the ruins in front of Crimson was a mistake. Thanks to a sudden betrayal by Crimson and Gora, Ahuizotl had been waiting for AK at the Neon City ruins. Now the NLR had both the contents of the new ruins they found and the amulet itself. Nothing Starlight might have done with it could compare to what they might.

Not only that, but they tortured important codes out of AK which allowed them to hack the maneframe at the Ministry of Magitech and steal their research on balefire. Crimson and Gora accessed the systems and left an annoyingly sentient virus behind that took forever to extinguish; at least they were fairly sure they extinguished it. The two escaped before Starlight realized what happened.

Combined with the artifacts they retrieved from the ruins, the NLR would have mega-spells within the month.

AK escaped as she always did, but suffered more than she ever had. They beat and brutalized AK in ways that no pony should be. AK killed Ahuizotl on her way out, but that choice would hurt them too. His forces were now integrated into the NLR, which robbed them of any chance to turn them against one another.

That’s where it got even weirder, because Crimson of all ponies was the one to free AK. From what Zecora heard, Crimson even stopped to help with Ahuizotl, and AK was convinced that Crimson took her previous actions under duress.

After visiting AK in medical, Zecora went to Crimson’s cell where she awaited questioning. She needed to understand this.

They let Zecora in, given she was acting head of the Ministry of Forgotten Knowledge. She arrived at Crimson’s cell, which had orichalcum alloy bars and a forcefield to take no chances, though it was overkill for a unicorn of such low power. Inside was a mat, table, toilet, and Crimson.

Crimson seemed jovial for a prisoner, dancing around the cell, but spun her way to the bars when she saw Zecora.

“My favorite zebra!” greeted Crimson. “Well… second favorite. That one in my marketing department has a sweet tongue. Even better than those smart toilets they installed, you know when they clean you with...”

“Do you think this a game?” Zecora demanded. “Have you no shame?”

“I had a few shames,” Crimson shrugged. “I think I dropped one under the sofa cushions. I had a quick look last I was home. I found a broken pen, some candy, a bloody dagger…”

“Speak seriously or I will ensure you never speak again!” Zecora’s voice echoed.

“Uh oh,” Crimson stopped short. “You’re really angry when you stop rhyming. Was still poetic though.”

Zecora glared.

“Look, I was forced,” Crimson said. “You remember when half my family were murdered? That was the NLR. I couldn’t tell anyone because they threatened to kill the other half if I didn’t comply. Not to mention, I returned with AK when I could have escaped.”

That made sense, but it could be a ploy to get back into a favorable position. Not that it would do any good; Crimson wouldn’t get back access to non-news related information even if she avoided execution.

“You saved one life,” said Zecora. “But it caused more strife. Millions could die because you ‘must’ spy.”

“You don’t believe me,” Crimson sighed in a moment of seriousness. “We’ll see what they say after my questioning?”

“It matters not what they ask,” said Zecora. “Your method is your mask.”

“Tsk,” Crimson shook her head. “Nopony proved that Crimson’s Method is useful against psionic interrogations. And you know I’m horse apples with other magic.”

Zecora gave a disbelieving scowl.

“Well, the rest of my family is dead. Do you believe that?” Crimson asked.

“What?” Zecora blinked.

“They’re dead,” said Crimson. “I rushed to protect them but was drugged with Touch by an NLR agent and forced to… take part, then I died myself from Touch overdose. They only brought me back with my soul crystal so they could question me.”

Zecora was too shocked to speak.

“So,” said Crimson. “Unless you think I murdered my own family to look coerced and bargained on Starlight reviving the one that just betrayed her… well it’s something to think about.”

If Nightmare and Midnight possessed any good qualities, they showed loyalty to their own. If Crimson worked for them, and they promised to let her family live, they wouldn’t go back on it regardless of her failings. Unless that failing was Crimson turning on them. While Zecora knew Crimson would make dangerous bargains with her own life, the NLR killing her family seemed to prove what she said.

Or… no. not even Crimson would do that. Crimson protected her remaining family diligently, too fearful for their safety to have them go out in public at all.

“AK believes me,” Crimson added. “She sent condolences. So decent of her in her condition. Did you know her lady-hole prolapsed from the abuse? We cut the guy’s dick off and bucked him with it, though, which was very therapeutic I think.”

“Crimson!” Zecora growled.

“What?” Crimson took a step back. “I sent her a ‘get well’ card. What else can I do? She’s in no fit condition for a pity buck.”

“If I hear the smallest cry,” said Zecora. “That you may still be a spy.”

“I’ll die,” Crimson stole the triple rhyme from her. “I got it…. Sigh? Wow, I suck at rhyming.”

Zecora huffed but saw no point in continuing to converse with a madmare. She turned to leave.

Zecora and AK sat in the operations booth above the experiment area, looking down onto the lab. The room was full of monitors, maneframes, and banks of blinking lights. Out the window from their booth they could see the main floor of the laboratory.

The factory had six huge, interconnected vats full of churning luminescent stews that rippled with lavender and green beneath glass coverings, the light casting colored shadows over everything. Arcane apparati hung down from the ceiling. Catwalks were rigged above the vats, and another hung suspended from the ceiling between them, stopping midway across the room with a control panel at the end.

The control panel was where Starlight and her dragon, Spike, now stood. Starlight completed the initial settings as Spike typed notes into a magitech notepad.

Standing with them was the first test subject for Starlight’s latest method of creating artificial alicorns. Trixie would walk into the lab without a stitch of clothing on, despite everyone else, even Starlight’s dragon, being coated with several layers of biohazard protection. The unicorn looked a little weird without her trademark cape and hat.

It didn't faze Trixie, who was overjoyed to be the first real test subject. And Starlight must have been confident in the results she expected, else she wouldn’t have allowed the Minister of Arcane Science to volunteer. Then again, Starlight was often confident when she shouldn’t have been.

“Trixie wonders what she should be the princess of,” Trixie had been yammering since she got here. “Magic? Explosions? Magical explosions? What do you think?”

“I don’t think it works that way, Minister,” grumbled AK. “There’s a reason they call these alicorns artificial.”

Artificial. Or perhaps one should say undeserving. They were hard to make by natural means for a reason; even the ancient alicorn civilization itself found them too dangerous and ‘downgraded’ many of their subjects.

Yet this experiment would happen with or without them. They agreed to be there despite misgivings so that somepony could pull the plug on Starlight if things went too far.

“Sending in Trixie,” AK spoke into the microphone as Trixie exited and bounced along the catwalk.

“You mean Test Subject One,” Starlight corrected from her place at the control panel. “She can be Trixie again if she survives.”

“Starlight,” said Trixie as she stepped onto the proper platform. “I just wanted to thank you again for…”

“Please restrict comments to what we need on record for the experiment,” Starlight cut off Trixie’s gratitude. “Remember if things go wrong and you can still think straight, head to the stabilization pod in the lab across from this one.”

“Of course,” Trixie said less enthused, but still seemed ready to proceed.

They charged the platform where Trixie stood, the vats of chemicals surrounding her glowing more as magic psionic energy focused through them. Had nothing else happened, the experiment might have gone well.

“Minister Starlight!” a voice over the intercoms interrupted them. “We have megaspell activity on the surface!”

“They’re attacking?!” asked Starlight. “But they know we can…”

“No, we’re attacking!” replied the intercom.

“What,” Starlight blinked.

“They launched retaliation though!” called the voice. “We have minutes before mega-spells hit Fillydelphia!”

“Call off the experiment!” AK called over the speaker.

“No!” said Starlight. “Aborting it now will make Test Subject 1 a threat to herself and others!”

Trixie was already a threat to herself and others, though it'd be worse if it wasn’t on accident. Either way, AK had her hoof on the abort button. She looked at Zecora as if to check with her, but Zecora didn’t know how to answer. She was still trying to process that the world was ending above them.

It was already too late. As Starlight flipped switches and Trixie screamed at the surge of power flowing through her, the entire lab shook as if hit by an earthquake. Cables snapped, catwalks fell, and entire sections of the roof came down on the lab. One punctured two of the vats, which exploded, contents bursting into steam as soon as they depressurized, filling the lab.

For a shockwave that big to reach this far underground, the city had to be… thousands had just died above them…

Zecora couldn’t think of that now. She grabbed AK Yearling’s hoof and yanked her along as she rushed out of the observation area, pulling her towards the exit. They had seconds to escape before the lab sealed itself.

“I need to swoop in and grab them!” AK pulled away from Zecora and took to the air.

“I share your distress!” Zecora called after her. “But you cannot save them from this mess!”

It was no use, the habitually heroic AK dove into the steam, and within seconds was out of sight. Zecora felt sick leaving her here, but if she had to act fast to save other lives that might still be salvageable. As she rushed the exit, staying as far away from the pastel colored gasses as possible. The door was already grinding as it started to close.

Focused on the exit, Zecora barely dodged a sudden swipe from a tentacle that lashed out of the smoke. When it didn't get her that way, she felt a surge of energy piercing her mind, thoughts mushing together. Whatever the strange rainbow-colored tentacle was, it was trying to invade her thoughts.

If she weren’t a zebra and thus immune to most psionics, she’d have been a goner, but she stumbled towards the door. On the way, she passed Spike, who was sprawled on the floor unconscious, and snatched him up onto her back. At least she could save someone.

“Zecora!” Starlight’s voice screeched as Zecora was mere hooves from the exit. Or was it Trixie’s voice? Or Daring’s? Somehow she couldn’t tell.

Zecora turned to see Starlight, biohazard suit torn from her body, just as tentacles grasped both her hind legs, flesh melting and joining with the tentacle entity. the unicorn screeched as her body bloated and discolored from hind to front.

Above her, AK tried to fly free of the gas, but it was too late. A tentacle whipped out and wrenched one of her wings. No… it melded with it. Either way, it sent Daring screaming back into the gas. Zecora heard one of the remaining vats shatter as she fell inside.

“Zecora,” Starlight begged.

But as their eyes met, Zecora could see it in Starlight’s eyes that she knew she couldn’t be saved. In a last-ditch effort, Starlight’s horn glowed. She ripped out her own soul crystal while still alive, convulsing as she threw it towards Zecora. Afterward, it dragged Starlight back into the mist, leaving a trail of blood behind her. The blood boiled away seconds later from the scalding steel floor.

Zecora grabbed Starlight’s soul crystal, heading out the door seconds before it sealed.

Evacuation sirens sounded as Zecora made her way through the hallways, several times having to choose a different one when blocked by barriers of collapsed roofing. But where could they evacuate with the city above them engulfed in necrotic fire. She only made it to the higher levels by walking up the piles of rubble into the floors above them.

As far as it concerned Zecora, Starlight didn’t deserve to survive the experiment, but Zecora was no killer, and refusing to help might be the same as murder. Besides, Zecora could power up the alternate teleportation relays to teleport survivors out of the facility and city from the same location.

When she arrived at the alternate mission control, she carried Spike on her back. Spike awoke on the way there, and when they arrived, he grabbed Starlight’s soul crystal. He ran to snap it into one of the still active machines, tears rolling down his face.

“Please work, please work,” Spike repeated.

Zecora wanted to comfort the poor hatchling but turned to the computer terminal instead. It looked like the system had worked for certain areas, and Zecora did her best to reroute power for other areas to teleport remaining life signs out of both the Ministry and the city.

Except the lab she had just escaped from. Whatever had emerged from those vats could not be unleashed upon the world. Instead, she took extra steps to seal that section of the facility. It looked like she’d need Starlight’s code to finalize the commands, so it was a good thing she’d chosen to save her, or part of her.

Zecora glanced at the soul recycler from time to time as it built Starlight a new body. It built her skeleton first, layering muscles and tissues on it, stitching in her vital organ systems. Once done, it released the newly minted body from the stasis field, which convulsed as it embedded her soul crystal into the back of her skull.

Spike embraced Starlight as soon as she was whole, shaking her. Zecora had told him Starlight’s gem came out before she was properly dead; it was only fair he knew that the soul wouldn’t have transferred. Still, he was desperate to see at least a copy of his surrogate mother alive.

Starlight shrieked as soon as she woke and started sobbing. Zecora paused and stared, having never seen Starlight shed a single tear. It was common for new bodies to react in such a way as they relived their most recent memory, but this seemed like more. Zecora finished what she could before turning and pulling Starlight into a hug.

Starlight pulled away from Zecora, picking up Spike and placing him on her back as her expression blanked. She headed to the terminal to switch on the nearest working surface cameras, which was quite a way from the city itself.

The sight of the city engulfed in green flames was as terrifying as it was strangely beautiful. Zecora couldn’t even imagine how many had died in the pointless exchange.

“This is my fault,” Starlight teared up again. “I invented the weapons that the NLR and Crystal Empire stole from us. I helped invent the CME system. It’s all on me.”

“It’s not your fault,” Spike patted Starlight’s head, but Zecora could see from the awkward expression on his face that he doubted his words.

“Now that I revived you, what will you do?” asked Zecora. She didn’t bother telling Starlight it wasn’t her fault because it most certainly was. Still, it wasn’t just Starlight’s fault. There was plenty of blame to go around.

“I’ll go to Canterlot,” sighed Starlight. “And come clean to Daybreaker about what I’ve done here and what a monster I am. If she’s still there. Maybe then I can die a horrible death in peace.”

“I am done living our lie,” said Zecora. “I shall go home to die.”

“As is your right,” sighed Starlight. She put in her encryption key to finalize the commands Zecora had put into the computer, then turned back to her. Her next words were dead serious. “Zecora. I’m sealing more than the lab. Shortly after we go, every available exit will lock down irrevocably and the elevator shafts will blow. That thing must never escape…”

“That thing? The result of your ‘fun’?” asked Zecora, spitting her words. “Whom you called ‘Test Subject One’?”

“No,” Starlight spoke in a hollow voice. “I mean the thing that was me.”