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 like a great tsunami, 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 influence of 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.

Together, they manage to escape the hordes of corrupted that have overtaken the city, barricading themselves within the upper floors of a massive office building. This, however, came with a new set of problems. As far as any of them knew, there was no way back down, the corrupted stalking the lower floors in unknown numbers. They were trapped. Not knowing what else to do, they split up, searching both for things they could use to defend themselves and for a backup generator to get the power back on. A solid plan, except for one small caveat. . .

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

(Remastered version. Compared to the old draft of this fic you can still find on my profile, this one has numerous changes/revisions, most notably a completely rewritten ending that will lead into another spinoff fic, and the removal of unnecessary elements such as swearing to change its rating from M to T.)