"Okay, I think we're done for now," said Brigitte, leaning away from T2's sleeping body and overlooking the repairs they had made to her. "I can't do any more than that, sorry." But T2 didn't answer as she was still in sleep mode, causing Brigitte and Artemis to lean against the elevator wall.

"So, that's what happened when I was sleeping," sighed Artemis as she transformed into her hologram form. She listened to her mother when they were doing the repairs and couldn't believe there was a machine after them, but it seemed to be controlled by someone. "Do you think it's going to keep following us?"

Brigitte wiped her forehead from all the sweat. "Well, I have to say how bad lady luck has been with us over the years. Yeah."

"Great, another problem to worry about," groaned Artemis.

"I think this is the least of our problems, sweetheart," sighed Brigitte, looking back at T2.

Artemis was confused. "What do you mean, Mommy?"

"I'm more worried about who's controlling that machine. There were times T2 and I could hear two other voices mixed with the machine's voice, and there were times it wanted us to get away and even begged us to save those kids at the top of the tree." She clutched her fists hard. "Who's ever controlling that poor machine is no doubt evil! To make her go against her own will and force her to attack us. If only we could free her from whoever is doing this, then maybe she would join us."

"Or kill us," whispered Artemis. Feeling it might be a trap to lower their guard. "Dad always says, 'Don't judge a book by its cover, but be careful. The pages can be filled with lies.' "

Brigitte sighed. "I know, honey, but..." she shook her head. "We'll deal with that when we come to it. We must keep moving forward and find the others like we found T2 here." They returned their attention to her, who was still leaning against the wall. They fixed her the best they could, but she needed a full-on repair. "Artemis, can you scan T2 systems?"

"Sure, Mommy, but why?"

"It's just a feeling when she talked about her world, and I want you to confirm it for me," she explained, and Artemis nodded.

Artemis's visor flashed blue, and she quickly scanned T2's body. She went through her systems but needed to ask her mother a question. "...what am I looking for?"

"You'll know when you see it, Artemis," replied Brigitte.

"Oka—Wait! Hold on! I found it!" Artemis gasped, seeing what her mother guessed was within T2 systems. "She has one like we AIs do. But what are you going to use this information for?"

Brigitte had a regretful expression on her face. "...a fail-safe if things get too dicey."

"A FAIL-SAFE?!" shouted Artemis, not liking what her mother implied. "YOU'RE NOT SERIOUS RIGHT NOW!"

Brigitte shook her head. She knew why her daughter was upset with her, and even Brigitte hated using it on T2 if she had to. "I know, but trust me, sweetie," she said with a hopeful smile. You know me! You really think I'm that kind of person?"

"No..." muttered Artemis.

"That's my girl," giggled Brigitte. Grabbing and hugging her, the elevator suddenly stopped and made a dinging noise. "Well, it looks like we finally reached our stop...whatever floor it stopped on."

The doors slowly opened, and both mother and daughter peeked outside. The sight was confusing to the two.
The elevator seemed to stop within what seemed to be a very old and worn-down farm barn, but the space looked so unreal. It was almost endless, and the only thing stopping it from being truly endless were the barn walls that would forever be seen on the horizon.

"Um...I think this is the wrong stop, Mommy," suggested Artemis, her voice shaking from the eeriness of the place.

"I agree," Brigitte agreed, but she sighed. "But there isn't a button inside the elevator or one out here," she explained, leaning out and seeing no button on the old wooden walls.

Artemis felt defeated when she heard that. "I wish Lady Luck wasn't such a meanie!"

Brigitte smiled. "Me too, sweetie, but sometimes bad things happen, and you need to find the silver lining," she looked around. "So, I guess this means we must go into the creepy and dark old barn. Find another way up."

"You don't have to tell me twice," grumbled Artemis. But she turned around, remembering about T2, who was still in sleep mode. "We can't forget about T2, though!"

"You're right, Artemis. Let's hope she wakes up..."

Brigitte moved closer and tried to wake T2, but she wasn't. So, they grabbed her, and with a lot of trouble, they again placed her on Brigitte's lap. The three exited the elevator and heard it close behind them. They looked back and saw the elevator doors were gone, as if it was never been there.

"Mommy!" cried Artemis, hiding on her mother's lap, spooked by the disappearing elevator.

"I'm scared too, honey," whispered Brigitte, clutching her daughter and trying to comfort her. "But we need to find the exit to the next floor and maybe find whoever is on this floor. So be brave for me, sweetie."

Artemis took a deep breath. "Okay, I can do this, Mommy," she replied, feeling braver. She stood on her mother's lap, pointing at the far-off horizon as her scanners turned on. "I can see the other end of the barn. So, the exit should be in that direction."

Brigitte squinted, trying her hardest to see in the far-off horizon. "Are you sure?" she asked, not seeing anything.

"Positive," nodded Artemis. Before her mother could ask any questions, they suddenly heard the cracking of old wood, Which Made Artemis jump onto her mother and T2's chest, shaking.

Brigitte placed her hand on Artemis's back, rubbing it to calm her down. She said nothing as she kept listening to the wood crack and break. She turned her attention to the far-off wall and saw a small piece of wood slowly turning into dust. She couldn't believe her eyes as the wall slowly turned into dust and vanished into the air. Was this room somehow inside of a time bubble? Where time is sped up, and why didn't Artemis pick this up? Or this is something else, as she could see more wood parts turning into dust.

"It's the wind, sweetie." lied Brigitte, not wanting to scare her daughter anymore.

"I-It is?" asked Artemis, feeling calmer.

"Yep, it is. Don't worry, nothing will hurt you," she continued rubbing her back. "We better start moving before something spooks you again, and I don't want coolant fluid on my lap!" she laughed, making Artemis blush deep red.

"I STOP LEAKING COOLANT IN MY BED! AND YOU KNOW THAT, MOMMY!"

"Oh, really?" Brigitte teased, smiling. "I didn't know that, my little baby."

"I'm not a baby, and I'll prove it to you," she growled, stomping off her mother's lap and standing before her on her mother's knees. "I'll be brave and show you I'm not a scared baby!"

"Okay, sweetie, whatever you say."

"Y-Yeah, w-whatever," said Artemis, pouting.

Artemis jumped off and hovered in the air. She pointed out where they needed to go and led the way. Brigitte was happy that her daughter was brave but couldn't stop questioning something.

"...why isn't Artemis picking up this weird time effect or even noticing it?" she thought.

They traveled for a few minutes, passing a few farm animals, but something about these animals creeped out the mother and daughter. The animals were made of rotten old wood and had apples for eyes.

"...Mommy, can we go faster? Please?" asked Artemis, feeling spooked and creeped out by the animals.

"Good idea, sweetie," nodded Brigitte. She also did not want to be near such weird and creepy animals.

Both of them picked up the pace and left the animals behind, but Brigitte could see more of the wood turning to dust faster as they kept going. She didn't like this one bit, even more so because Artemis didn't notice this strange happening.

They soon arrived at what seemed to be the center of the barn and saw a lone huge orange apple tree. Its apples were ripe, and the tree looked perfect, even with the rotten wood around its roots. Brigitte felt odd about this tree but couldn't see anything wrong with it. It looked like a normal tree.

Artemis scanned the tree and found nothing strange about it, which gave Brigitte a greater sense of worry.

"This tree seems normal, Mommy," explained Artemis.

"I see that," said Brigitte. "Let's keep moving and find the exit."

"Okay," agreed Artemis, turning around. But only to stop as her scanners picked up something heading their way. "Mommy, I'm picking up an unknown life signal heading our way. Unknown is only five seconds away, four, three, two..."

"Artemis, get away from the tree!" shouted Brigitte, her heart racing in fear.

Before Artemis could question her mother, a bright flash of light came from the dark part of the barn, and soon, a metal hay fork rocketed toward Artemis.

"ARTEMIS!" shouted Brigitte, worried that that huge hay fork would stab her daughter.

The hay fork was going to hit Artemis, who shut her eyes, but the AI child could feel a passing breeze. She opened her eyes and could see she was fine, but she did hear a loud sound of something deflecting metal. She looked behind her and saw that the tree's roots were alive and snake-like. The roots deflected the hay fork and slowly glared at Artemis and her mother, then looked into the darkness where the fork came from.

"ARTEMIS!"

Artemis snapped out of it and hurried to her mother's side, who had her gun out. The two could see the tree was paying no mind to them, which confused Brigitte. What attacked the tree, and why is the tree alive?

Before Brigitte could ask her daughter for a quick scan of the area, another flash came from the darkness. Soon, more hay forks and other farming tools were launched at the living tree, only to be blocked, this time by pony-shaped shadow figures with orange apples in the middle of their chests.

"Mommy!? What's going on!?" cried Artemis, hiding between her mother and sleeping T2's chest.

"I don't know, sweetie, but we better leave before we become a target," suggested Brigitte, backing her wheelchair back. As she did so, Artemis quickly confirmed that the human life sign was almost two seconds away from their position.

"M-Mommy, we have an enemy coming, and fast!" warned Artemis, pointing to the darkness.

Brigitte looked and could see a small-sized teenager walking out of the shadows. The young teen is female and wearing what looks like a farmhand outfit with a bright red long jacket, but what really caught Brigitte and her daughter was the teen's right arm, which seemed to be, in Brigitte's case, a backwater prosthetic robotic arm. Even though it looked backwater in design, it seemed polished and well taken care of.

The teenager looked at the tree with a smug expression. She tapped her metal arm, which sprouted a saw from its knuckles area, and pointed it at the tree and its shadow friends.

"HA! I finally found where all of you were coming from! And it's just an old tree. Man and I was expecting something much bigger than an ordinary apple tree." she laughed.

The shadow figures seemed to growl and hiss at the teen, but she didn't mind. She could see the tree's roots acting like snakes and glaring at her.

She whistled at the weird sight and smiled. "Well, look at that. The tree isn't so ordinary after all. And here I was hoping for answers about why I'm here, but more questions just added themselves," she shrugged. "And that's fine with me. More questions to ask and more answers I get." she took a battle stance, becoming thrilled. "Bring it!"

The shadow figures roared and rushed at the teenager, who was smiling.

Brigitte could see the fighting and knew the teenager didn't need her or her daughter's help. The young teen was quite a fighter and skilled at combat. The teen easily dodged the shadow pony buck attacks and returned them with her kicks. She even used her saw blade to slash down the roots as they started to attack.

Brigitte moved her wheelchair farther away from the battle. The mother and daughter were amazed by how the teen could keep up with the shadow figures and tree roots. They stayed back and watched.

"A living tree!? Are you a Homunculus!? If so, you'll die by my hand!" shouted the teenager. She quickly ducked from an attack and then kicked the attacker's shadowy chest. There was an electric spark coming from her leg, and soon enough, a curled blade shot out from the bottom of her foot, piercings the chest of the shadow pony and the blade exiting out of it with the apple stabbed on it. The orange apple quickly turned grey and became dust, killing the shadow pony.

"For a Homunculus, you created big flaws in your pets, you know?" said the girl, lowering her leg, which returned to normal and glaring toward the tree. "The apples being their weak spots with no covering or anything? You must be damn stupid or an idiot."

The tree shook in anger.

"Yeah, that's right. I'm insulting you!" laughed the girl, running and dodging a root attack. "Because, you know, it's funny!" she made quick work of more shadow ponies and got closer to the tree. "Your weakness is just so hilarious. I mean, if I was in charge of these guys, they wouldn't have an obvious weakness," she smirked, kicking another shadow pony's chest, but as she was about to finish it off with her saw blade, her metal arm became stiff and unable to move. "Damn it! Not now!" she tried to force her metal arm to move, but her arm didn't budge, so she jumped back from the shadow pony.

The shadow pony, who was still alive, charged at her. The teen tried to kick it with her other leg, but her other leg also stiffened up, making her fall backward. She cursed even more.

"Damn it, not you too! All the time for my automail to start acting up now!?"

The shadow pony neighed, charging and trying to attack the young teenager, but the teen was about to brace for the attack when she could hear loud gunfire and soon saw a bullet zipping by and hitting the shadow pony in the head, making it fall and missing the teen.

"Huh?" asked the teen, looking back and seeing Brigitte, still far from her, holding a gun and smiling.

"Do you Need a hand?" Brigitte asked, firing another round and stopping another shadow pony from attacking the teen from behind.

The teen forced her automail arm down, opened its hand, and clapped it. She then placed her normal hand onto the wooden floor, and soon, wood pillars burst out of the floor, knocking the shadow ponies away and forcing the rest to back off.

The girl quickly forced her other leg to move, and once she could move again, she ran and stood by Brigitte and Artemis's side, glaring at the enemies.

"Who the hell are you, and why did you help me?" she eyed her savior, and her expression became confused. She noticed the two armor-looking girls on the old woman's lap. "Wait? Are those souls alchemically bound to those weird-looking armor?"

Brigitte gave her a confused look. "A soul what now?"

But before the teen could reply, she and Brigitte quickly felt the wooden ground shaking.

"Mommy! That tree roots are coming up from under us!" shouted Artemis, her scanners picking up the roots heading their way.

Brigitte slammed her hand on the controls, causing her wheelchair to quickly back away. The teen followed by leaping away as the root burst out and missed them just by a second.

The girl landed a few feet away and stood up, her metal arm still stiff. She glared at the living tree, unsure if the old woman was friendly. "Hey, lady! Are you some alchemist? If you are, I would appreciate some help by killing that tree and those shadow pony things!"

Brigitte was even more confused than before. She looked at Artemis, who gave her a quick translation of what alchemists do.

"How will making medicines, perfumes, and other useless stuff help? And what is this Homunculus thing you are talking about!?" shouted Brigitte, still backing away with her daughter and the sleeping T2.

It was the teen's turn to be even more confused than before.

"You don't know what a Homunculus is? Seriously!? Or an Alchemist? Alchemists are just more than that!" shouted the teen, glaring at the woman. "A Homunculus is a manmade person. You know, an artificial lifeform?"

The three looked at the tree and then back at each other.

"That doesn't look like a human to me!"

The teen rolled up her jacket sleeves, opening a section of her automail, revealing its gears and wires. She took out a bottle and poured it on the gears' rusted areas.

"Oh, don't be stupid. I meant it's an artificially made lifeform, but it's not human, more like a monster. A really nasty one, too," she pointed at the living tree and the shadow figures. "Fought a small kid that could control shadows, but fighting a living tree is new in my book! I wonder what else is new!" she laughed, closing the panel cover of her automail and trying to flex her metal arm, making the gears and pistons groan and pop. It was still stiff, but not as much. "Damn, I really need to see Rare for a maintenance check."

"Rare?"

"Not important!" snapped the teen, pointing her metal arm at the tree and readying her saw blade. "The name's Amber James, but everyone calls me AJ. What are your names?"

"Brigitte, this is Artemis, my daughter," said Brigitte, pointing at herself and her daughter.

"Daughter?" asked AJ, surprised. "Did you put your daughter's soul into that child-size armor?" She looked over Brigitte's body; seeing her in a wheelchair must mean she must have given up her ability to walk. "And are you in a wheelchair because you traded a part of your spinal cord or something for that to happen?"

"What? What are you talking about?" asked Brigitte.

"You seriously don't know?" asked AJ, her expression even more surprised.

Brigitte started getting annoyed with these pointless talks as she fired at an approaching shadow pony. "AJ, I know this might sound far fetch and weird, but you need to believe me. We're from different universes and somehow ended up here."

AJ slashed and cut a few roots that got near. "Lady, what are you talking about? That does sound far-fetched. Do you take me for an idiot or something?"

Brigitte sighed. "I'm telling you the truth. We're not from here."

"If you are telling the truth, how will you prove it?" she said, stabbing a shadow pony in the chest.

Brigitte fired at a root, almost about to grab AJ, saving her. "You don't remember how you got here, right? Much of your memory is foggy after waking up in this area."

AJ was surprised to hear that. "How the hell did you know that?"

"It's because that is exactly how my daughter and I ended up here. The same with sleeping beauty here," Brigitte joked, pointing to T2. "But we woke up outside this spiral tower, which we are in now. I also gotta ask you something else. Does saving two kids ring a bell?"

AJ was surprised, and her eyes widened as she felt her head hurt as she remembered someone coming to her for aid in helping two kids who were in danger.

Brigitte continued after seeing AJ's expression. "Well, I got my answer, it seems. If you wanna talk, we can do it after we get out of here."

AJ now fully trusted her, but she turned to the tree in the distance. "Okay, I believe you, but can we need to destroy that tree first and then have a conversation afterward."

Brigitte looked at her and her metal arm and leg, seeing AJ still having difficulty moving around, even when standing still.

"You are in no shape to fight that thing now. It is stupid to keep fighting while your prostheses aren't in good shape. We'll escape and talk later," she told AJ, pressing a button. Her chair faced away from the enemies.

"What!? We can't leave!" shouted AJ.

"Yes, we can. You can barely move your arm and leg, and before you keep fighting with me on this, this girl here pushed herself beyond what her already damaged and old body could handle." she eyed AJ with a serious glare. "If you do the same, your prostheses will break, and you'll end up losing your arm and leg and becoming a sitting duck like before. You seem smart enough, but the only question is, are you smart enough not to be stupid and reckless?"

AJ knew the woman was right. She needed to get her prostheses fixed. It was bad luck that her arm and leg started to malfunction—no, it wasn't bad timing. AJ knew she had been over-pushing her automail recently, so she was heading back to her hometown to see Rare.

"Fine," sighed AJ.

"Then hop on! QUICK!" ordered Brigitte, pointing to the handlebars on the back of the wheelchair.

"Huh? Hop on?" asked AJ, not understanding why until a root attacked the ground she was standing on. She leaped off, and the spot she stood became dust and a massive hole.

"Just hop on!"

AJ quickly hopped onto the handlebars and held on tight. "This thing fast? Do I need to-WHOA!!!" She couldn't finish as the wheelchair took off like a rocket, its back wheels leaving a massive trail of dust and smoke.

Brigitte sped through the halls with ease. AJ was hanging onto the handlebars but turned around and saw everything becoming dust, and a sea of tree roots chased after them.

"Hey! Where is the exit anyway!?" shouted AJ.

Brigitte didn't respond, focusing on keeping her wheelchair steady, speeding down the halls and dodging and avoiding roots that tried to grab her and her passengers.

AJ tried not to freak out and kept holding onto the handlebars, even when a root nearly grabbed her foot.

"This is not how I was expecting my day to turn out," mumbled AJ, her arm becoming sore from the strong winds, "First, I'm heading home with Amanda to repair my automail, then suddenly, I'm here!"

Aj turned around and saw everything becoming dust. Far in the distance, the orange tree hovered within the black void.

"I have so many questions; I just want some answers!"

The wheelchair sped through the hallway, but the dust of the rotten floor started to reach them, making it dangerous and close to falling into the black void of nothingness.

"But I won't be getting those answers anytime soon if we're fucking dead! Where the hell is that exit, lady!?" shouted AJ.

They were approaching a corner, and Brigitte didn't slow down and quickly turned. The tires left a large trail of dust as they skid, but they were about to lose their balance, making the wheelchair lean. AJ put all her weight on the wheelchair and tried to balance it.

"Come on! Don't give up now!" she grunted, her automail arm groaning and straining from the effort.

The wheelchair straightened up, and Brigitte drove through the halls, heading straight.

"Brig! Where the hell is the exit?" asked AJ again, the ground now covered in dust and the roots getting closer and closer. She looked back at Brigitte, realizing something. "You have no idea where the exit is, do you?"

Brigitte didn't answer, focusing on the path ahead.

"Hey, lady! Can you please give me an answer!? You have no clue, right!?"

The ground became unstable, and the wheelchairs started to lean as the disappearing hall forced them onto a one-way dead-end path.

"Shit! This is bad! We're trapped!" shouted AJ, looking around. There were no doors or any other way out.

"Mommy!" cried Artemis as she hid her face on her chest.

Brigitte was hoping to find the exit, but now? When they reached the end, they would be crushed by the tree's roots and either die or fall into the black void. She didn't like either option, but before she could devise a plan, there was a purple light at the dead end, which quickly faded away and revealed another elevator door that opened to them.

"There! The exit!" shouted Brigitte, cracking up the speed of her wheelchair.

The roots were close, almost about to grab them before they could enter the elevator, but Brigitte felt something on her chest and smiled.

"Morning!"

AJ was too busy trying to swat the roots away with her normal arm and cursing as they kept coming. "Damn it, just go away!" she was about to wing again when someone passed her. "Huh!?"

Leaping toward the endless roots was T2, who finally awakened from her sleep. Using her chip program, she summoned a giant, see-through barrier, blocking the roots from reaching them.

"FUCK OFF!" she screamed, summoning a black-greyish ball, sucking all the roots into it like a black hole but not completely. She smirked at the well-done job but quickly realized she was falling into the black void as the wooden floor under her was gone. 'SHIT!"

As she was falling, she suddenly landed on something. She could see she landed on a metal pillar from AJ, who tapped the wall when they arrived at the elevator.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? WAITING FOR A INVITE!? GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE!"

T2 didn't need to be told twice; she quickly got back on her feet and darted up the pillar. She looked around and saw the floor slowly turning to dust and disappearing into the black void. She had no clue what was happening but wouldn't stay and find out. She increased her running speed, but her leg joints were sparking, causing her to slow down a bit. She turned around and saw the pillar rusting and breaking apart. She cursed loudly and kept going until the rusting metal under her heels reached her, almost making her fall in, but she leaped forward, reaching out to the new stranger who saved her life.

AJ grabbed T2's hand but almost fell out because of T2's weight. She landed on her stomach on the edge of the elevator floor and would have been almost dragged out if Artemis and Brigitte had not grabbed her legs.

"WHAT THE HELL!? YOU ARE MUCH HEAVIER THAN NORMAL ARMOR!?"

T2 looked up at AJ, blushing super red. "FUCKER! I'M NOT THAT HEAVY!" she snapped, trying to pull herself up, but it was hard as her arm joints started sparking, making it hard to move her arms. "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! JUST LET ME IN!"

"3! 2! 1!" shouted Brigitte and Artemis, pulling AJ in, which allowed T2 to enter the elevator as it closed.

"Phew, that was close," said AJ, panting as she slid down the wall.

T2 was on the floor, cursing a storm, but stopped as she glared at AJ.

"Who's the small runt?" asked T2.

"Excuse me!?" AJ replied in an extreme bolt of anger. "I'M STILL GROWING, YOU GIANT PAPERWEIGHT!

"Don't talk down to me, you fucking short stack!" shouted T2.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, YOU FAT PIECE OF METAL!"

Brigitte rubbed her eyes, seeing that these two were similar in more ways than one. She then turned to Artemis, who suddenly bolted toward T2 and hugged her as she was glad T2 was safe.

"T2!" cried Artemis.

"Hey, hey, hey! Stupid pod, why are you grabbing me like that!?" demanded T2.

Artemis hugged her harder and smiled. "I'm just happy you are okay!"

T2 didn't understand why Artemis hugged her, but she let her. Her body was hurting, and her joints were giving her problems.

"You should rest for a bit. We couldn't fully fix your joints. It's a miracle they didn't catch on fire." said Artemis.

T2 tsked loudly as she sat down, listening to her. AJ also sat down but was still pissed at her as they glared at each other.

"Who the fuck are you?" asked T2.

"Amber James! But everyone calls me AJ. Who the hell are you!?" she asked.

"It's T2, you annoying shrimp. Got a problem with that, you fucking twerp!?"

"Oh yeah!? What about you, you fucking fat ass! Got a problem with that, you overweight pile of garbage!?"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"

The two were about to fight, but T2 joints sparked, and AJ's automail leg stiffened up, causing the two to sit back down.

"Stupid leg," muttered AJ, rolling up her pants and revealing her automail leg for the first time to everyone.

"Stupid goddamn limbs," groaned T2, letting Artemis check out her joints for any signs of more damage.

"Now, now, you two. Calm down. We're in the same boat here." Brigitte turned to AJ, who was pouring the strange liquid inside her metal leg. "I'll make this short, kid." She could see AJ glaring at her when she heard 'short,' making Brigitte sigh and continue. "Like I said, we're all from different worlds, so things will be weird. T2 here is a android."

AJ stopped pouring and looked at T2. "Android? What's that?" Before Brigitte could answer, Artemis asked T2 to open her panels on the chest area so she could check on her insides. AJ was confused when she saw all the wires, tubes, and machinery inside. "Looks like an automail? How are you alive? I don't see any human organs inside."

"She is an AI-powered robot, an android, a type of artificial intelligence that mimics humans," explained Brigitte.

When AJ heard that, her brain started to think. "So, she's a Homunculus? Like a living doll with a mind that can move and think like a human?"

"Kinda? I guess?" shrugged Brigitte. "I'm guessing in your world, robots, androids, or anything highly advanced is not a thing?"

"No...only Alchemy. Alchemy is the mystical art of manipulating and altering matter using natural energy. This act is known as "Transmutation." Like this." Everyone watched as AJ clapped her hands and touched the floor. Soon electric discharge blasted out, and what was created in front of them was a small metal figure of T2 but with a huge ass.

"Damn brat.' said T2 under her breath.

"Nice trick, but how did you do that?"

"By understanding the makeup and composition of the material and its components. Comprehension, Deconstruction, and Reconstruction. The Three Principles of Alchemy." AJ explained.

"Interesting," said Brigitte, not understanding it at all.

AJ sighed, seeing that everyone didn't understand her. "I'll explain it in a way you'll understand. The mystical practice of alchemy involves creating objects out of raw matter or turning one object into another. I took the matter that was this part of this floor and turned it into another matter."

"Magic?" said T2, thinking this was some form of magic from the Old World in her universe.

Brigitte remembered Terra explaining how another universe has magic than psychic powers, like their universe.

"No, it's not magic, but many who aren't knowledgeable in the craft think so," replied AJ, returning and pouring her strange liquid into the automail leg. "Alchemy is more scientific because it has rules and, as such, is subject to certain laws and limitations, all of which fall under the concept of Equivalent Exchange." She looked up at them, her face becoming more serious. "To obtain or create something, something of equal value must be lost or destroyed." She looked down at the figure she had created, making everyone notice the damaged floor under it. "I had to destroy a small part of the floor to create that. In alchemy, nothing comes from nothing, which means that something of equivalent value must be given up. This is a law of nature, a constant of our world. No one knows why this is so."

"Interesting," said Brigitte, starting to understand, but she looked at AJ's metal limbs and wondered. "Does using Alchemy have drawbacks, or can it be misused? You talked about Homunculus before and now. Also, something about human souls being transferred to a suit of armor."

AJ's mood suddenly changed. "I'm not going to get into the details. It's not a pretty story."

"I'll say," replied Artemis, still checking T2's body. "I just went over what alchemy could be used for, but with the rules you explained, making or recreating human life is impossible. If a soul is placed inside the metal body, it will not be able to survive."

"How are you even talking right now?" asked AJ, pointing out how Artemis is a floating metal with a soul.

"Well, I'm an advanced AI, but..." Artemis's ears lowered. "I have no soul. I am not a real living person."

The mood quickly changed, and there was silence...until T2 touched Artemi's head, petting her.

"Screw that! You have feelings, and you're alive!" said T2.

Artemis smiled. "Thank you."

AJ was still wondering if Artemis and T2 were somehow a version of Homunculus from another world, but she stopped, noticing Brigitte looking at her. She could tell Brigitte must have guessed something bad had happened to her.

"You are wondering how I lost my arm and leg?"

Brigitte didn't answer for a second, but she nodded.

"It's a long story, but I'll give you a short version. Remember what I said about Alchemy having rules? Something of equal value must be lost to obtain or create something."

Brigitte understood now. "You gave up or lost your limbs, but for what?"

AJ sighed deeply and looked at her automail. "My sister and I tried to bring our mother back from the dead. We knew bringing her back was forbidden, but we tried anyway. Using what makes up a human body, we used Alchemy, but we were foolish kids back then..."

"Sis! Something isn't right about this!" said Amanda, seeing the red glow and black mist coming from the Transmutation Circle.

AJ looked around the room, trying to understand what was happening, only to look back at the circle and see a giant eye opening up on the floor. Soon, black shadow hands rose from the circle chalk.

"W-What is this!?" said AJ in a panic.

Amanda's eyes widened, and she screamed when the shadows grabbed her arm and destroyed her hand. "SIS!"

"Andy!" screamed AJ, seeing her poor sister breaking down to nothingness, but as she tried to get to her, she felt intense pain in her leg and fell to the floor. She slowly looked at her leg and saw the hands breaking down her leg. "Can't be!? A rebound!?"

"SIS!"

AJ returned to her younger sister, trying her best to fight off the hands, but no matter what, her body was breaking down at an alarming rate. "AMANDA!"

"AAAAHHHHH!"

The two sisters tried to reach for each other, but a bright flash of light appeared.

Standing in the white void with a large floating book behind her, AJ snapped out of the trace she was in and looked around for her sister.

"Amanda!?"

"Hello!"

"Huh? Who are you?"

AJ could see a white figure human with a black mist coming off of them.

The figure rose their arms up, happy. "Oh, I'm so glad you asked! I go by many names! I'm the world! The universe! God or, more commonly known, the author! But also..." they pointed at AJ, and the book behind her opened. "You." AJ slowly turned around and saw the same eye, but it was not looking at her. "You dare open the book, so the book is open!"

AJ could see millions of shadow hands shooting out of the book, grabbing and pulling her toward it. She could only scream in horror.

"Isn't this what you wanted, child?" The figure only watched as AJ tried to stop the book from closing on her. "I'll show you the truth."

The book slammed shut, and within its darkness, AJ fell into eternal nothingness until a bright light appeared.

"It was like all the information in the world poured into my head all at once. It felt like my head was going to burst," explained AJ, not looking at them.

"So what happened?" asked T2, getting invested in this story.

AJ clutched her metal arm with her hand as she remembered what happened next.

"I saw and learned everything. I also learned how my human transmutation was correct but missing something. When the book spit me out, I wanted to learn more, learn what I was missing..."

"Please! You need to show me it again!" begged AJ, pounding on the book, trying to get it to open.

The figure stood up. "I can't do that. I've already shown you all I can for the toll you paid."

"Toll? What toll?"

The figure showed off its leg. "This. Surely you knew." An orange human leg was forming.

AJ suddenly felt pain in her leg, and she quickly looked at it, seeing it broken down into nothingness. She started to panic and almost fell forward, but she could see the figure catching her, and both their faces were to face to face now.

"it's the law of equivalent exchange, isn't it right, young alchemist?" It smiled, its teeth showing, and it made AJ freak out.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!"

AJ found herself back in her house and the room. She held her leg as blood was pouring out. She struggled but got on her hands and remaining knee.

"Damn it! This can't be happening!" she looked at her bleeding leg and then at her sister's clothes that were lying there. AJ realized she gave up her leg and her sister's body in exchange for bringing their mother back. "WHAT I HAVE DONE!?" she fell to the floor, crying and begging someone to help her as she closed her eyes. She even started to call out to her mother. "Mom...please..."

AJ opened her eyes as the exchange was finished, and she saw a twisted human figure in the middle of the circle. It looked female as its body was grey, its ribs poked out of its chest, and its legs were backward. Its bloodshot eyes were looking at her, trying to talk, but it was in too much pain.

"A-Ab..." was all the twisted human flesh could say before dying as blood started to leak out of its damaged body.

"M-Mom..." whispered AJ, seeing what she had done. 'No...this is wrong! This isn't what we wanted! Andy!" She hung her head in sadness and regret. "This is my fault!" She looked back up, crying hard. "ANDY NO!"

AJ knocked over a suit of armor to the ground and slowly dragged herself toward the empty inside; using her blood, she created a Human Soul Binding rune circle.

"Give her back! She's my little sister! Take my leg, take my arm, take my heart, TAKE ANYTHING! YOU CAN HAVE IT!" AJ was sobbing uncontrollably now. "Just give her back! She's my little sister, and she's all I have left!" She clapped her hands, and a bright flash filled the room.

"So, to get your sister's soul back and into a suit of armor, you lost..." whispered Brigitte, not believing what she just heard.

"My right arm, yeah," replied AJ.

Brigitte's mind was blown away. This was a lot more extreme than she thought. She didn't know what to say, but T2 did, who spoke up.

"You gave a part of yourself to save your sister...but in the end, didn't you just make her suffer more? By locking her into that suit of armor? She's not human anymore!" T2 started to get mad, and she didn't know why. "No, you didn't truly save her! You failed her! Giving up your arm wasn't enough! Why didn't you give more!? Why did you stop at just that!? Why not give your life!? You're a failure!"

AJ's face twisted with anger, and she shouted at T2, "SHUT UP! You don't understand anything!"

"I DO!" shouted T2 as she stood up and knocked Artemis off. "LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT MY DAMN BODY! IT'S BREAKING DOWN BECAUSE I KEPT FIGHTING! FIGHTING TO REVENGE MY FALLEN SISTERS! I WILL GLADLY GIVE MORE OF MY BODY TO MY CAUSE! I DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO THIS DAMAGED BODY OF MINE!" she rushed toward AJ and picked her up by her collar. "BUT LOOK AT YOU! JUST GAVE A FUCKING ARM AND NOTHING ELSE! YOU'RE WEAK!"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" AJ punched T2's chest, and the blow sent her back a bit, but what happened next was AJ's automail hand breaking apart, exposing the wires and parts that help move her hand. "No..."

T2 could see the damage on her chest and AJ's automail hand.

"Your sister should be ashamed to have you as her big sister. You're weak, and you should just..."

"You really don't think I'll save her?" asked AJ.

"Huh?"

AJ slowly looked at T2; her anger was gone and replaced with determination. "I returned to that white void and found her body rotting away. I couldn't get her body back right there and then, but I made a promise to her! I broke through that damn book and told her!" AJ started to cry, but her eyes never changed expression. "One day soon, I'll be coming back for her! Just wait, I said to her!" She then pointed to T2, her determination not wavering. "I will not let my sister down! I will not be weak! Even if these automail break down and become junk, I'll keep going by replacing them! These damn metals don't make me who I am! It's not a part of me! It's just an extension of me! No matter what I have, I'll keep moving forward for her! For myself! To keep that promise!" She looked at T2's body and then looking at her face. "But look at you! You made your body like this! You made it weak because you're a coward! Seeing it as a tool and not a part of you!"

"H-How dare you! I am not a coward!" T2 shouted back.

"Are you not!? Then why is your body in this condition!? If you truly are fighting for a cause, a goal to reach! Then why is your damn body like this!? At least I upkeep my automail because, as I said, it is an extension of me, but you? It's who you are! You have a reason, but you are letting your damn cowardness hold you back from reaching that goal! You are not fighting for them! You're just doing it to run away! Hoping your body breaks down and dies fully!"

"HOW DARE YOU!" shouted T2, losing her composure, and she lunged at AJ.

"NO! PLEASE!" screamed Artemis, flying over and getting between the two.

"Move it, pod! This has nothing to do with you!"

"I won't move! Stop fighting! Please! I beg you!" Artemis cried, shaking her body.

AJ could see how upset she made Artemis. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose my cool there."

"It's alright." Artemis's ears lowered.

T2 was about to say something, but she felt her arm being tugged. She turned and could see Brigitte giving her a disappointed stare.

"What? You have nothing to say?" asked T2.

"Your anger got the better of you. I'm ashamed you couldn't control it," Brigitte replied, still looking at her.

T2 was silent. Her eyes shifted a bit, and she felt Brigitte's disappointment in her, and she couldn't stand it.

"Whatever..." T2 muttered. She sat back down in the corner of the small elevator, trying her hardest not to look at anyone.

Artemis sighed, "I'm sorry, AJ."

AJ waved her hand. "It's alright. We just got the better of us."

Brigitte sighed; she knew those two would always be at each other's throats and wasn't looking forward to that. But there was something she noticed. Before she could think about it more, she heard a ding.

The elevator doors opened, and they looked out and became confused about what they saw.

"Well, this got freaking weird..." stated Brigitte, as in front of them was a huge endless room of ball pits as far as the eyes could see.

Somewhere in the other rooms, a pink girl with pony ears but also having normal ears could be seen.

"Wheeeee!" shouted a girl with great joy as she descended the slide and landed in the ball pits.

She swam through the pit, got out, ran around it to the slide, and went down it again. She kept doing this until a net filled with balls above somehow broke loose and dropped on her. The happy girl sensed something within the balls.

"I'm not going to fight!" she said, letting the balls fall on her. A pink living balloon-shaped pony was floating in mid-air, but thanks to the girl, something was holding it up—which was invisible arms. She turned to the balloon pony, smiling.

"I promised Papa that'll be a good girl!"

Spark stopped as she and the others could hear Twilight fighting with her mom.

"Twilight Sparkle!" shouted Twilight Velvet, angry that her daughter wasn't answering her question about why she tossed out her father like that. "You better give me a good reason why you did that! He's your father! The colt who raised you and loved you and everything else!"

"Mother, I'm not going to fight with you." Twilight tried to walk away, but her brother stopped her. "Not you, too, brother!"

"Twily calm down, and let's talk about this. Mother wants answers, and I agree with her."

Soon, Twilight started to fight with her family, and even Cadance, Dash, and Dash's parents had to get between them. As this happened, Flutterheart saw Spark looking sad, got up, and headed to the library's kitchen.

"Spark?"

Flurry Heart followed her and could see her crying at the table.

"They are fighting because of you..." whispered Spark to herself.

Flurry Heart saw a flash of the past, seeing Braver alone and crying. Saying the same and looking at her.

"You were right. I'm just a burden to my mothers. I should go away as you told me, cousin..." Braver corrected herself. "Flutterheart."

Flurry Heart remembered what she had done that day and slowly walked up to Spark, who took notice of her. Before Spark could say anything to her, Flurry Heart sat down and hung her head in shame.

"It was me!"

"Huh?" said Spark, not understanding what Flurry Heart meant by that. "What do you mean?"

Flurry Heart looked up at her, and with tears running down her regretful face, she answered her.

"I hurt Braver!"

End of Chapter 17

Author's Note

Fun fact: I have been remembering and writing Flurry Heart's name wrong this whole time. Lmao, I always thought her name was Flutterheart, but it's not. Oops.

Fixed it in the past chapters AND in the Our Name chapters where she appeared.