Discord Space

"I dunno about this." Every time she looked down made her head spin. She was so tall now; it felt weird beyond all reason. Her first few steps were shaky, even with her years of apple bucking to strengthen them. "I guess I can use stasis on the run now at least." On a thought impulse, the suit lowered her back down into her comfortable pose. This helmet took longer to fully unfold, but it was worth seeing Plasma's gasp of awe.

Shade nudged her health readout. "You've been fully healed at least; in fact I'd say this has improved it. Did any of the fluid... y'know?" Applejack glanced at the changeling with growing concern. She didn't swallow the liquid, and she certainly didn't feel it, going anywhere else. Improved composure on top of a very strong and flexible suit was great in any case.

All of her weapons had been removed and placed on a nearby table in a neat order. An engineering RIG lay to the side. "I'm glad these suits self-clean. No offence, but I'd hate to smell this RIG if they didn't." Plasma stood to one side, about to try on the security RIG. Applejack had only seen her like that on the first day of the job. An off-white coat, with a fiery red mane and tail. Somehow, she had forgotten what she looked like beneath the engineer's surface all that time.

"I'll take it to the dry cleaner next time we're being chased by necromorphs. Maybe they'd charge extra to remove the blood and stab marks." It took some careful handling to reattach all of her weapons to the new RIG without accidentally setting them off, notably the rocket launcher. Another feature of the RIG presented itself in how much easier it had become to aim the launcher. Augmentation to her strength too. Now she could probably take a slasher on in hoof-to-hoof combat without a whole lot of trouble.

"Actually, this fits quite nicely. I didn't think we were that similar in size, not implying anything about your weight of course." Of course, Applejack had to glance back at her own body once more. She wasn't 'overweight' per-say, maybe just a bit on the generous size, but there wasn't anything really noticeable. By then, she had pulled the suit on altogether. A few auto-adjustments and it formed the perfect fit. The colour of her visor appropriately changed to yellow.

A rather odd cough came from the other side of the room, Shade looking impatient. "Shall we move on now ladies? Those slashers have been attacking the door if you haven't noticed, and we still need to reach the government ring." A firm kick from her back leg caused one of the wall panels to fall away. "This vent system is clear, if you don't mind the confined spaces." The speed at which she vanished into the darkness was remarkable.

Bone blades began to puncture through the door. A glob of acid ate the metal away at an alarming rate. Within minutes, they would start crawling through. "Let's get going Plasma, that acid is real nasty." Applejack bumped her head when crawling in. "I'm so glad this suit can adjust down to normal walking. Can you imagine trying to get through this tiny hole when you're stretched out?"

A series of giggles came from behind while she crawled in completely. Of course, Plasma had a weird sense of humour, getting lost in space, and now accidental innuendo. Further ahead, she could just barely hear the sound of Shade crawling through the vents. I swear, she's full of surprises. How can anypony possibly be so quiet in a vent where even a light touch makes the metal bang like artillery?

Behind, the noise wasn't much better. She could practically see Shade rolling her eyes up ahead. The changeling who moved with barely a sound, and two clumsy ponies who were so 'unstealthy' that even a pony outside in space could work out where they were. So you finally got your fancy pants suit, though I seriously doubt he would approve of such an atrocity. It may make you look slim, but it obviously draws attention to you in so many ways.

"You're not exactly the sort of thing ponies ignore either." Shade glared back in her direction. "Oh, I didn't mean you at all Cope. I just uh..." She shook her head worriedly before increasing her pace. Plasma had paused too, yet the loud noises didn't cease. "Oh buck. Plasma, they're in the vent! Run!" It was completely futile, she could barely crawl herself. A desperate shuffle for her life was a better description.

"Shit!" Applejack struggled to turn her head back. One of the slashers had driven the blade right through her hoof. "I can't get a clear aim Applejack! Go on!" Oh dear, look what we have here. Plasma is about to die for good this time, and I had nothing to do with it. Now, if you hadn't cheated in the first place, she would have burned up in the atmosphere painlessly. Instead, she's doomed to be torn apart by necromorphs.

"You better bucking save her Discord! Because if Twilight's right about you using me to get into government sector, then I'll blow the whole station to Tartarus before you win! You hear me!?" The blade disappeared in a flash, allowing Plasma to crawl forward before the vent behind them crushed inward. Her leg was now bleeding heavily. "Don't ask questions. Cope, where's the nearest exit?"

A panel beside them pulled away to a green light. "We're right outside the administration deck, in the infirmary. Come on." Applejack really began to appreciate the extra strength the suit provided her when dragging her injured friend out of the vent. Shade lifted her up onto a surprisingly clean bed. "They closed down the bulkheads back where we came from. It's a miracle we made it through that vent at all."

Applejack didn't pay much attention to her observations. Stopping Plasma's bleeding before she fell unconscious was her top priority. "I'm sorry. I thought the security RIG would give you better protection than that. Just hold on." For once, supplies were in no shortage. Jars and containers full of somatic gel, all there for the taking. Applejack took one of the medium packs and began feeding it into Plasma's RIG.

"Applejack, what in Tartarus was that? Stress doesn't make ponies start crying out for Discord's help. Mental breakdowns do." Shade went silent at that moment. Both sets of eyes were now focused on Applejack. Oh dear, looks like you've tipped the scales on your sanity. And not even a thank you for doing you a favour. Remember, Twilight is the one being deceptive, not me.

"I, uh..." She took a step back. Chaotic. They thought she had gone chaotic under the stress. Up until then, she had been relying on their utmost trust. "When I was killed by that twitcher, he snatched me up into whatever realm he hides in. He's been behind this outbreak from the start, trying to get revenge for turning him back to stone." Her helmet folded down to let her breathe properly, and to ensure they could see her face. "I ain't chaotic, not yet at least. I was going to get any survivors I could save off the station before I finish this game of his. You have to believe me, I would never lie. I used to be the Element of Honesty after all." Before Twilight gave up the Element of Magic.

The exchange of looks was tedious. All of their lives quite literally depended on trusting her. Do you really think you can convince them to trust you? A half-mad pony who has a knack for killing necromorphs? Please Applejack, even you have to admit that's a far cry. She looked back up as Plasma got to her hooves. "Applejack, I know we've only known each other for a few days. But, so far, you've done your best to help others ever since this started. Just promise us both that you'll tell us if you can't hold on. We can't afford to lose you, not know."

Shade nodded her head in a sign of respect. "We met under poor circumstances, but despite history, you did what I never expected. If there's a chance of exacting revenge on Twilight and living through it, then I'm game." Plasma's RIG beeped as the impale wound in her leg healed up completely. "Well, now that's done, why don't we go commit treason? Discord can wait as far as I'm concerned."

Why thank you Cope, I'm glad to see you're finally understanding my point of view. Now Applejack, run along now and infiltrate the government sector. You need not worry about going back for that tiny shuttle. I've already, arranged for it to come over. Go now, and finish the game. "We're agreed then. There must be a few ships left in the government ring, you two grab one and get back to Equestria. I'll find out what they're hiding, and follow after you."

*

"They've breached the total lockdown somehow. I advise we destroy the rails into the testing chamber, prevent them from reaching it." A purple hoof lifted to silence Lab Coat. "Princess, if she really is working for Discord, we must take every measure to prevent the necromorphs from achieving Convergence. You know what will happen if that happens."

A still silence followed in that moment when the hoof lowered again. "Applejack can't kill another living being, despite whatever Discord has done to her. She doesn't have the will to do it. Otherwise, she would have killed me when I still had a chance. Fall back to the lab, but do not destroy access to it. I will deal with her myself." Twilight glanced at the security footage again while Lab left her office. "You can kill me Applejack. And then kill me again, and again..."

The long needle on the table beside her caught her eye. It hovered over to her elbow on a whim. "Bring me Cadance. I have a special task for her."