The corruption. No one knows what it is, much less where it came from, how, or when, only the scene straight out of a nightmare that followed its arrival. It washed over the entirety of Canterlot City, possessing anyone it came into contact with and turning them into mindless distorted, glitchy amalgamations of their former selves. These "corrupted" only have one goal. To spread the darkness further and take out any survivors they find, even friends and family.

Amidst the chaos, a small group of unlikely survivors forms, consisting of Wallflower, Flash, Bon Bon, Sweet Leaf and Trixie.

After managing to escape the hordes of corrupted that have overtaken the city, barricading themselves within the upper floors of a massive office building, the group finds themselves facing a new problem: Power. There's still cell service, but only two of them have phones, and neither of them are charged. Without power they also can't see in many parts of the building, the only light coming from a full moon shining above. Because of this, they also wouldn't be able to see any of those things if they broke in until it was too late. And so, seeing no other options, they decide to attempt to find a circuit breaker or a backup generator in a desperate attempt to call for help.

Given the situation, they aren't sure there's even anyone left to help, but they have to try. Despite all of them having seen at least one horror movie in each of their lifetimes, they decide to split up to cover as much ground as possible, using only a pair of flashlights to light their way. A solid plan, except for one small problem:

They aren't alone.

This story is a prequel/sidestory to my much longer, more in-depth project, When Darkness Falls. I recommend that you read it after this because it will eventually give all the answers to questions you might have after reading this, such as where the corruption came from, where Sunset and her friends are in all of this, if they're even still alive, and most importantly: Has Equestria been affected?

This story, along with its sister fic, are based on the Learning with Pibby concept, first coined by Adult Swim in October of 2021. I very, very strongly recommend you watch the official concept trailer before diving into this for the best exposition prior to reading.

Trailer link: https://youtu.be/Btu0O47u3rY?si=2dafFeRTyUBBjjZo