For Science!

You're Not Of This World

"HOLY-"

"Meep-"

"HOW? HOW CAN YOU EVEN-?"

"...I'm sorry..."

"WHY ARE YOU SORRY? YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING."

"I just... sorry?"

"STOP THAT. WHY AM I SCREAMING?"

"...I don't know..."

"THAT... Was rhetorical. I'm sorry I yelled. I just didn't expect this at all. Still, I should have been more professional. So, what race are you? Have I heard of you?"

"If it helps... I wasn't either. Expecting this, that is. I actually just got here. And, I'm... um... Equestrian."

Gordon looked her over, (Not like that, sicko.) and came to a strange conclusion. "You're 2D."

"Um, come again?"

"I don't see perspective on you. Well, technically, I do. Whenever I move, I can see other sides of you, but you're always outlined in some cartoon-ish line. Still, no detail, no nothing. This is almost like I pulled you out of a coloring book." Gordon couldn't quite describe it in a word. In fact, he didn't think there WAS a word for this kind of thing.

"Mister Alien?"

"Gordon. Gordon Freeman." He cleared his throat; it really did feel great to talk again.

"Oh my, how insensitive of me. I should have asked your name. I'm Fluttershy."

"Not a big problem. Nice to meet you." Gordon dismissively waved his hand and brushed it off, but was inwardly worried for the poor dear, 'Geez, if this is how she reacts to not asking your name, then for all I know, she might commit seppuku for forgetting a birthday.' Gordon looked down at the pegasus who looked back up with pleading eyes and began, "I'm missing two of my friends. My main goal is to get to the top of this ship and locate them. If you want, you can follow me."

"Oh, my... I... I would like to follow you, if that's okay with you."

"Of course; why ask, otherwise?"

It had been 20 minutes and Gordon was looking for the next staircase to go the next floor. He had spoken for the first time in decades and enjoyed it, but now was taking a break. Every now and again he would look back at the adorable pegasus behind him and muster even more strength to press on for the sake of his friends AND whoever "Fluttershy's" friends might be.

Elsewhere on the Borealis

"Damn, Barney, move your ass!"

"Sorry, Alyx. I'm not the thinnest man ever."

"If anyone's noticed, it's me right now." Alyx barked back as she crawled through the cramped air vent leading above the rooms of the ship. During the approximate 5 minutes that they'd been in there, they found 3 places where the vents go up, bringing them to the next floor. Now they were quiet again, trying to make it through with minimal distractions.. Suddenly, they heard the sound of a door opening and a feminine, yet rough voice call out, "Hello? Anypony in here? ...Celestia, this is creepy."

Barney slowly faced Alyx, "Anypony? Celestia? Weird English, much?"

"Just shut up! Who is that?" They both pressed their ears firmly to the bottom of the duct and heard... nothing. Suddenly, "You guys know I heard that, right? You're bad at being quiet." Rainbow Dash, (Yes, it isn't a surprise anymore, but if you hadn't figured it out by now, you're too dumb.) flew up to the air duct and tapped it on the bottom. That, children, is what is called a mistake.

With a loud, *EEEEEHCHKTFWOOPUM* the air duct fell to the- *PUM... EEEHCHKTFWOOPUM* through, sorry, fell through the floor... s. It fell through multiple floors. Two, actually. The weak frame of the corroded and dissolved Borealis had been slowed fading, but now? Well, you just read what happened. Alyx scrambled to her feet, franctically looking for Barney, who had been unlucky enough to be in between where two pipes met when they broke, meaning he fell first. Hoping she didn't land on him when she fell, Alyx called out, "Barney? BARNEY!? Oh God, Barney! I hope you're alright. I'm sorry for calling you fat!" Just then, she looked down and spotted, *gasp*, BARNEY! He was lying face-down on the floor. "BARNEY!" She cried, realizing she DID indeed land on him, "Are you alive? Say something!"

"Eeehhh... My stomach..."

"Oh my God, does it feel... broken? I don't know, is it punctured?"

"She hungers. I haven't had... A corndog... In ages." And with that, Barney slowly staggered to his feet.

"Fucking... DAMNIT BARNEY! I was so worried! You and your fatness."

"I thought you said you were sorry!"

"When I thought you were dead, not stupid... Besides, I already knew that." Alyx turned away, letting Barney sit with the fact that he didn't retort fast enough, when suddenly she remembered, "The fall. There was someone with us. Look. NOW." She ran around the room so fast, she barely heard the "Oof." Or, rather, the "Oof. Oof. Oof. Oof. Oof." as she ran on top of the thin layer of sheet metal covering Rainbow Dash. It wasn't until her foot popped through and she had to pull up the layer before noticed the normal sight of a rainbow (and cyan) colored pegasus pony. "Oh my god!"

"What about your God, mortal?"

"Shut up, Barn!" Alyx shot back, accurately describing Barney's weight.

"What did you find, Alyx?"

"A... A... Thing?"

"Goodie! I like things!"

"Just get your ass over here!"

"Jeez..." Barney muttered, walking over, "Someone woke up on the wrong side of their period. So what's this... thing... Oh my."

Alyx and Barney stood over the unconscious and battered body of one Rainbow Dash. "Well I'll be a son of a bitch. That sure is a thing."

"Barney, I'm serious! We need to help this thing! I think it's a she. You heard it back there." Barney was already off, looking about for supplies, commenting on the situation. "Good thing we landed in the infirmary. How quiant."

"Barney, don't use words like quaint." Alyx mumbled as she picked up the pegasus gently and with care. Trudging over to the nearest table, Alyx set down the pegasus and promptly jumped backwards as the pegasus opened here eyes wide and screamed. "AAAAAAAH! OW! Oooooh-ah! Hnnnnnng... Ahh..." Although the screaming grew quiet, there were still hisses of pain and yelps every now and again when she tried to move even the slightest bit. Alyx looked down and noticed that Rainbow Dash's wing was bent at an awkward angle, and the base was pinned under her. Recovering from the odd fact that this pegasus spoke, she looked to Barney who... wasn't handling things well... He just sort of stood there; jaw ajar. Alyx returned attention to the pegasus that was curled up, facing away from them. She ran over and gently touching Rainbow Dash's side, "There, there, it's okay. You'll be fine. Broken... wing I suppose. How do you normally fix this sort of thing?"

It was then the Rainbow Dash realized that she wasn't being touched by hooves. She craned her sore neck with a wince and... screamed again, but this time! This time, she tried to fly away. She managed to make it a decent foot or so before collapsing again on the floor. Instinct taking over, she scrambled to a corner and flared her wings... her working wing. The other hanging loosely at it's middle. "Don't come any closer... I... I'm warning you! I'll... uh, I bite!" Alyx walking toward her slowly, with a quizzical look sported on her face. "And I taste bad!" Alyx didn't stop. "So don't eat me please?" Alyx almost melted at what she realized was happening in the pegasus' mind.

"Oh my God, so adorable! Nonono, we weren't going to eat you."

"But I was on your table!"

"That's not a dining table; that's an operation table. We were just going help fix your wing. Speaking of which, you should let it down. It's kind of broken."

"I know... It's happened before. Just splint it for now."

"Of course... Say, what's your name?"

Her cockiness was showing again, and Rainbow replied, "I'm Rainbow Dash, best flier in all of Equestria!"

Barney, having gained his senses, called out, "Prove it!" Rainbow Dash smirked, flapped her wings once, aaaaand fell to the ground in pain. Meanwhile, Barney was laughing his ass off. "Damn, Barney! Stop being a dick!"

"Least I have one!" And with that, the chase was on. Rainbow Dash just laid there and watched and wondered, 'Why me?' When suddenly, *ssshhHHHIINNGTHUD* "What was that?"

Elsewhere on the Borealis

'Gordon, what has gotten into you today? You're more talkative than usual... ever. For the last 20 years.' He sighed inwardly and kept thinking to himself, 'I wonder if they're even alive... Of course they are, what am I thinking? Just gotta get there soon enough.' Gordon stopped his himself from continuing on that train of thought when he heard a loud, *EEEEEHCHKTFWOOPUM*, followed by two more. Fluttershy immediately curled up by Gordon and started shaking, "Wh- What was... that?"

"With my luck? A floor just gave way... Three floors just gave way."

"What do we do?"

"Investigate. It might have been my friends screwing something up... Heck, maybe even yours!"

"Oh dear, I hope they aren't hurt!"

"Likewise. Let's go."

After traveling in the direction of the sound for a decent ten minutes, they came across a hole. Looking up, Gordon saw a hole; looking down, he saw two. "I knew it! Three floors gave way!"

"You're good at this."

"Thanks. I try, certainly. Let's find a way down; see what fell." And with that, he was off, looking for a lift or flight of stairs. Fluttershy turned to follow when, *ssshhHHHIINNGTHUD* A large metal rod fell through the roof and landed in front of her. Scurrying back with a barely audible "Eep!", she almost fell down the hole, but her wings had flared, and she flew around the metal rod. As she landed, she saw Gordon, who looked like he had almost had a heart-attack. "Thank god you're alright. This place is falling apart, we have to-" *PIN-POOOM* A bolt broke, and another part of the roof fell, dumping large crates of heavy metal out onto the floor. "Move! Down the hole! You can fly!"

"You can't!"

"I'll be fine! Go!" Fluttershy obeyed and galloped around the metal rod and leaped, taking flight for a moment and gliding to the next floor down through the hole. Gordon however, was dodging pipes and the like as they tumbled around him. Catching sight of a familiar weapon on top of a broken crate, he sprinted across the room to grab, what other than a crowbar. Grinning with an air of confidence, he looked back to the hole, the distance doubled from running to get his iconic item, he sprinted. He had almost made it when a massive metal wall fell down, blocking him from the hole and sealing the room. "Gordon!" Fluttershy called out, to no avail, he couldn't hear her. Little did she know, others could.

One floor below her...

"Did that flying horse just say Gordon?"

"She's a pegasus!" Rainbow called out indignantly.

"Yeah, Barn, she kinda is. I mean I've said it enough. Also, Gordon's in there! He must be behind that sheet metal!"

"He'll find a way out. He always does."

One floor above them...

"Well... In seems you're in a pinch, Mr. Freeman." Time seemed to stop as a familiar voice spoke inside Gordon's head. "And I'm just in the nick of time." He appeared in front of Gordon and pushed him back, pointing up at the metal pillar that would have hit Gordon on the head had he been standing there a split-second longer. "You see, the right man in the wrong place can also mess things up. Destroy what we... You... have worked so hard for. They all need you more than you would care to think. Don't fail me, Freeman." And with that cryptic message, he was gone, and a small hole was punctured in the metal sheet covering the room.

What now?

Try to pry open the metal wall or Try breaking down the door barricades