Chapters "Welcome to Station Luna. We hope that you enjoy your time on Equestria's first official space city. Be sure to register at one of the many kiosks provided for your convenience." The docking bay spanned at least a kilometre across, and half that high. Spaceships and planetary shuttles were going in and out like ants. The view of Equestria below struck awe into many of the young engineers as they took their first step onto the walkway. Station Luna was the crowning jewel of years of research and space development. A go between for Equestria and Luna's own city on the moon.
This was Applejack's first assignment. Her tireless work back at Sweet Apple Acres had only been a tiny fraction of what it took to claim an opportunity like this. Years of training in Canterlot under the most extreme of simulated conditions had gone into this moment. "Well golly! 'Ain't she a real beauty?" She wasn't the only pony to take a moment and admire her home through the docking bay's force-field. But she certainly felt alone in that moment of peace.
"Alright, you'll have plenty of time to get a look. Your bunks and the mess hall have a view just like this one. Let's hustle over to the introduction." Applejack was reluctant to leave the railing. But making a good impression would be vital. Big Mac, Applebloom and Granny Smith were all counting on her to do well with this new job. Keeping up with the other farms had become hard enough with all the new revolutions in food growing technology, this assignment would bring in more than enough income to keep the farm going.
Her shoulder began to itch again. The shoulder mounts allowed earth ponies and pegasi to use tools without their hooves. On her right lay the empty tool slot, and on her left, the kinesis module. It was the module itself which she concluded was causing the itching. Another faulty device that would need fixing, nothing to complain about of course. Luna had the best level of technology available brought to the station for it's opening, replacements wouldn't be difficult to get.
Scratching at her shoulder proved difficult through her RIG. It was nothing spectacular, airtight and heat resistant. Her health bar was flickering slightly, probably from the itching. Everypony's RIG had a neon display of their cutie mark on the flank, it being the easiest way to identify others without words. That seemed to be flickering too. Perhaps an energy leak in her kinesis module, that would explain the itching and the power flicker.
"Alrighty, zero g's to the second on your left. All ship specialists straight at the end of the hall. Heavy duty maintenance on the right. Everypony else, wait here for your specific assignments." Applejack watched as Loud Mouth hovered away on his own personal platform before moving to the room on the left. Zero G had ironically turned out to be where she worked best, just not outside in the vacuum of space.
A hustle 'n' bustle if there was ever one. Several ponies had already found seats by the time Applejack could get in. From the layout of the room, it seemed like that it would be a regular stop for lectures. Rather reminiscent of her days back at the CEC academy. "Whew, this looks pretty cramped. I hope that not everypony will be in here for every meeting." A seat nearby caught her eye. In that moment, she just barely escaped having to stand for the presentation.
The station's computer voice took over as images began to appear on the main screen. "Welcome to the Zero G core of Station Luna. Today, we will be covering your duty rosters, special assignments, and of course access to certain recreations available to all CEC personnel." A yawn escaped her mouth, concealed by an 'accidental' activation of her helmet. Several other ponies had their's on, so what would be the big deal in taking a bit of time to rest?
As the presentation continued, her eyes continued to droop behind the neon blue screen of her helmet. Such a cheerful and bright voice was surprisingly boring to listen to. So boring, and so sleepy…
…
"And that concludes our presentation for today. Please feel free to register at the provided kiosks and familiarise yourself with the station." The rush of ponies desperate to get going caused Applejack to stumble out of her seat. Thanks to her helmet, nopony had seen her sleeping through the whole thing. She'd gone through the manual before leaving Equestria anyway. Anything that had been said in the presentation would be easy enough to catch up on.
The lines to the kiosks however were very long, to her great disappointment. She wasn't the only pony who had worked incredibly hard to get a job on the station after all. "Goshdarnit, maybe sleeping wasn't such a good idea after all." And now that she had to stand there and wait, the matter of food made itself known in her stomach. It would be several minutes at least before she would reach the kiosk.
"Attention Station Luna. The Medical Deck is entering Stage One lockdown. All civilians are unauthorized to enter, except in case of emergency, or with the express authority of a superior officer." A lockdown? On the first day for the new engineering crew? Ideas and horror stories about early space station tests began to float through her head. All manner of rumours like sounds in the vents, and rumbling in the morgue…
"Come on Applejack. It's probably just some silly medics who busted a water pipe. Nothing to do with the Zero G team at all."
*
The mess hall was far busier than she had expected. One major flaw with her locator was the inability to inform her of long lines. The scene before her made the lines back at the kiosk look tiny. Both the original crew and the new crew had to be in there at once. But at least it was a one off occasion, there had been quite some mention of a station wide holiday.
"Hey Applejack! Over here!" Two of the ponies she had seen at the presentation were waving from one of the tables. A third tray had been laid out before them, presumably for her. Maybe they were her bunk buddies. Either way, food was food, and they seemed to be offering. "Come on! Before somepony else takes the seat!" She didn't expect to be using her skills of dodging and weaving on the station, but there she was. An echo of her rodeo days.
As she got closer, it became easier to make out the nametags. Air Head and Plasma Strike, a pegasus and a unicorn respectively. "Well, this is mighty kind of you two. So, fresh out of the CEC academy like me?" As she sat down to eat, they nodded together. "Well, since you already know my name, I'll get to what I do. I handle all the tricky stuff like explosives, stasis and radiation. Takes a steady pair of hooves as you can guess, years of apple-bucking means strong legs."
Air Head seemed very excited, his pale blue wings flapping wildly for a moment. "That's awesome, handling all those cool glowing things. I work in the environmental zone, lots of replacing water tanks and stuff like that. Plants go real crazy when there's no gravity." He turned to show his cutie mark proudly, a gust of wind wrapped in vines.
"And I handle all sorts of tools, and do resupplies for the toolboxes on the outside of the station. I even made a blowtorch that can work without an atmosphere, and a grappling hook that will stick to any surface. In case you accidentally de-magnetize your boots of course." Plasma's sense of humour didn't quite agree with Applejack. Floating off into space was one of the reasons she chose to focus on hazardous materials when choosing Zero G. Her cutie mark was an arc of plasma energy.
She had to give them credit for food choice, despite their rather childish behaviour. "Y'know, I haven't tasted food like this since I first left Sweet Apple Acres for the academy. I really appreciate you two doing this." Equestrian grown vegetables, she could taste it. Most of the civilian population had station grown food, which were alright, but weren't quite the same as home grown.
"Attention Station Luna. The Medical Deck is now in Stage Two lock-down. Access is restricted to authorized personnel only. All medical cases are to report to the auxiliary hospital on the CEC deck." Applejack's appetite vanished at that moment. What was going on down there that needed a full restriction? Again, she told herself that it wasn't anything to fret about, and again she still felt uneasy.
"Well uh, maybe we should go bunk up for now. I'm sure that it's just some busted pipes. The maintenance crew are probably down there now working on it." A busted pipe wouldn't require a total lock-down of the deck. But it was a rational explanation that didn't involve horror stories, and that was all she needed.
Carrying the trays back turned out to be a challenge. Eventually she resorted to using kinesis instead of her mouth in respect to hygiene. Several signs pointed out the dangers of space germs. Without natural gravity to prevent their growth, outbreaks were a very serious risk in any extra-Equestrian situation. Air Head followed her example, Plasma had her unicorn powers as a more convenient method of carrying the tray. The line to drop off trays was far shorter than the one to pick them up at least.
"Come on, we're in Room 472 on Level Three." Applejack and Air followed their energetic friend as she led the way to the nearest lift. "Locators are cool and all, but they don't work unless you're standing still. I prefer going by memory." Not many other ponies were leaving at that point, leaving that lift empty for them. "I get the top bunk! There's more space in the bottom bunk, so you can have that one AJ."
Applejack was still distracted by the medical deck. Nopony was saying anything about it, and why hadn't there been any announcement from Luna herself? It was her space city after all. A scuttling sound above the vent caused her to look upwards. Probably just a mouse that had sneaked aboard one of the supply shuttles, nothing to be worried about.
She felt strangely relieved as the doors opened to the crew deck. The bunks lined either side of the slowly curving corridor, following the shape of the station. Some rooms were already occupied, others were awaiting the arrival of their new tenants. Plasma continued to lead the way to 472, producing her access card from the belt of her RIG. The door slid back into the walls in a silent motion, opening up the rather economically sized room to them. The view of Equestria at least made it feel a little bigger than it really was.
"Alrighty y'all. Let's get comfortable then, it's gonna be a long day tomorrow I can tell. So who wants to shower first?" Plasma was already taking off her RIG in the bathroom. While ponies didn't normally wear anything anyway, Applejack did notice Air peeking into the bathroom from the middle bunk. "Now now, I know you two are young and eager, but you'll have time for that when things settle. I'll catch some shut eye in the meantime then."
*
"Bring it up on the left, steady now." Applejack felt sweat beginning to form on her forehead. It was only her third day on the station, and already one of the shuttles had become jammed inside the transfer chute. Both the Zero G and Ship teams were now working to free it. She in particular had the very delicate and dangerous task of removing the damaged fuel cells for repair. All eyes were on her.
But it was no use, she was too far away from the fuel cell outside the radiation danger zone. "Everypony had better back off now, I need to get closer. Get those radiation containers ready." A barely noticeable burst from her manoeuvring rockets fired. The air resistance of the pressurised chute prevented her from moving more than a few centimetres. It still brought her close enough for the radiation sensor in her suit to go off.
"Attention Station Luna. The Medical Deck has entered full quarantine lockdown. Nopony is authorized to enter under any circumstances. This message will repeat every hour until the quarantine has been lifted." It took a lot of willpower to prevent herself from flinching at that moment. A full quarantine lockdown, right in the middle of a highly dangerous operation? The pressure had been tripled. Without the medical deck available, everypony inside the tube would be in serious trouble if she messed this up.
"Applejack, pull back, it's too risky. If you can't get it out in the next thirty seconds, we'll have to evacuate the area and vent the tube." Thirty seconds, not too hard for an farmer-turned-engineer. Until that moment, she had fought back the urge to blink. At last, she allowed her eyes to close. They had become quite dry under the intense strain put on her. Here goes... She locked her kinesis onto the cell again, and started to pull back very slowly. With the sound of her radiation sensor in one ear, and the deathly silence of anticipation in the other…
It was done. The radioactive cell was already locked into the container when she turned her helmet off at last. It wasn't until the applause from the other ponies reached her ears that she realized it had been a success. "No big deal. Just another day in the life of an engineer. Now, let's get this ship unstuck!" She came to settle down on the entry platform, where Plasma Blast attached a plasma cutter to her shoulder mount. "Thanks Blaster. Now let's get cutting!"
Lights throughout the tube went out at that moment. "Oh shoot, we can't have a power failure now! Fluro, can you take a look at the relays? I'll head down to the power core and see what's up. The rest of you, try to get it free in the meantime. But don't move it until the lights are back." By then, Applejack had already landed back on the platform. Moving around with only suit lights could be quite dangerous.
"Now remember, just don't do anything stupid with that shuttle. You never know when something like that could come in handy, especially with the medical deck on lockdown." She made a mental note to check up on what was going on down there as she left the tube. First it was issues in the hospital, now a full quarantine and power outage?
The lift wasn't far, her locator helped to prevent bumping into any walls. It took a few moments for the emergency solar panels to kick in, minimum lighting in the corridor and power to the lift itself. "If this is all just an elaborate prank, I swear somepony's gonna have a piece of my mind." Once inside the lift itself, all she could see was the illuminated part of the wall where her mask cast it's glow.
Down lower, the power seemed to be less consistent. It took a lot of effort to force the lift doors open again with her kinesis. To make things worse, as she approached the core room her radio cut out altogether. "Goshdarnit, there's no intercom in the core. Oh well, if they have anything to say, it can wait until it's fixed." No radio, and no intercom. No way of keeping up to date with that quarantine, but it wasn't a big concern of her's. All that mattered was finding the problem with the core. "Let's get to work." She peered down the hallway one last time before closing the door, effectively cutting off all communication.
"This is an alert. Medical Deck quarantine has been breached. Non-pony life forms have been detected in the power core. Prepare for evacuation. Repeat. Non-pony life forms have been detected in the power core, prepare for evacuation."
"Ponyfeathers, it's a good thing that the centrifuge drives run on their own power supply. This is a real mess." Applejack only had the lights in her suit to illuminate the downed power core. One of the enormous electromagnets had broken loose of it's restraint. And in order to put it back into place, she'd need to redirect power from the solar panels first. A real mess indeed.
A quick adjustment to her locator pointed out the way to the nearest control station. A few minutes of some power redirection, and the station would be back in business. Each step on the grated floor echoed through the expansive room like a gunshot. "Come on Applejack, this is silly." The control station was positioned so that her back would be to the walkway. Given the lack of light, even she had a few cautions about approaching.
Somewhere above, a distinct crawling sound set her mane on edge. Much as she wanted to shine a light up there and reassure herself it was a mouse, the redirection process couldn't be interrupted. "Okay, this isn't too bad. Just need to pull a bit more power from the television network, and that should unlock the clamps." The sound of moving machinery in the far distance once she made the changes came as a good sign.
Another crawling sound reached the outer microphones of her helmet, relaying it into her ears. This time it was lower down, to the right, where she had come from. The mouse was probably drawn towards the emergency lights of the lift, nothing more. Now the electromagnet itself would require power, getting that would be harder to pull off. Eventually she decided on the sauna and spa level, though she had to wonder why anypony thought they needed emergency power.
"Alrighty, once it's back in place, we'll be back up and running." The crawling sound came a third time, from the walkway itself not too far from her. A silhouette of a pony appeared in front of the tiny patch of light created by the lift. She couldn't see any sign of a RIG however. "Excuse me, this is a restricted area. You shouldn't even be down here without a RIG, let alone in the middle of a power outage!"
There was no reply. What was a pony doing down there in the power core anyway? Unless... had they sabotaged the electromagnet somehow? "I'm not warning you again, I will call security if you don't leave immediately. And if you're the one who caused this whole mess, I'll make sure they know about that. You hear me?" Silence. She had avoided shining her light at the stranger in case she accidentally blinded one of her fellow engineers, but with nothing to go on…
"Fine, you asked for it. Well, you didn't say anything actually, but neverthe..." In the few seconds it had taken to turn from the control station to the pony, two long appendages had appeared on the silhouette, ending in sick blades. What the light revealed about that pony left Applejack unable to speak more than a few words, let alone move. "It's... not possible. It can't be!"
What remained of the lower jaw had become two long tusks, either side of a gaping hole. Both eyes had been violently ripped out to leave bloody black holes. The appendages she had seen were fleshy growths from the shoulder blades, the blades themselves seemed to be hanging at either end. A sickly tear down the belly, possibly self inflicted, allowed a trail of internal organs to drag behind the horrible creature before her. It was the name tag which struck fear right through Applejack's heart. Loud Mouth.
"Bucking Tartarus!" Legs kicked into motion as she sprinted for her life. Only Loud Mouth, or whatever he had become, was much faster than she was. "This is Applejack! I'm being chased by a bucking monster! Help me!" Her radio was still dead. Of course she hadn't thought to redirect power to the transmitter station. And now, that thing was in the room with her, ready to tear her apart with those horrible blades!
Something caught her hooves, bringing her crashing onto the walkway. Behind her, the twisted mix of galloping hooves, bone grinding against metal, and a sickly slobbering sound chased. "Oh horseapples, Celestia help me!" As she rolled onto her back defensively, she noticed that it was a pony leg, severed at the thigh which had tripped her up. From the burn, it could very well have been caused by a plasma cutter, not unlike her own. Maybe, just maybe…
Her own plasma cutter came to life. The three laser pointers synchronised with her eyes, aiming at the direct position she was looking. "Loud Mouth! Stop! I don't want to do this, please!" It continued to charge, coming within a metre of her back hooves. Much as she wanted to close her eyes at that moment, she needed to keep them open when the plasma cutter fired. Once. Twice. Several more times after that…
One of the bladed appendages fell to the grated floor, as did what remained of his head. For a moment Applejack found herself silently screaming as the body continued forward. It fell just short of her flank, landing on the suit covering her tail instead. The screaming stopped, replaced by uncontrollable whimpering. Had it really just happened? Had she really just cut off the limbs of another pony, who looked like nothing she could imagine?
"I'm going home... I'm going home on the first shuttle I can get to..." The crew! The shuttle they were working to free, it could very well be their only way off the station. But she had to get the power up again first, otherwise there would be no way to warn them of the danger. What if those monsters had reached them though? Air Head, and Plasma Blast. Those two lovebirds, torn to pieces by monsters…
She rolled over again and got back up. That wouldn't happen, she'd make sure of it. "Pull yourself together Applejack. The best thing you can do right now is restore power to the station. That way everypony will have a fighting chance, right?" She made her way back towards the control station very timidly. Each time her eyes moved caused the cutter to as well. She didn't have the courage to turn it off.
"Disengaging safety clamps. Electromagnet free." For a moment she paused to listen for anything else before moving to the side. From there, she could move the electromagnet back down into place. The tension around her was growing as she did so. "Electromagnet reset. Please stand away from the power core before activation." That was it, all she needed to do now was reactivate the core.
"It was just one, right? Just one to deal with. A minor outbreak, nothing that can overrun the whole station right?" She lifted her hoof into the switch socket and turned it fully. Life came back to the power core with a mighty lightning bolt. At last, the station would be back to full power. Lights inside the room came on, fully illuminating the horrible scene behind her. At least three ponies had been torn apart by those things, several more had become monsters. At a guess, the smell would be horrible if she took her helmet off. But why would they deliberately disable power across the station?
"Warning. Non-pony life forms detected in the power core. Evacuate immediately." She didn't need a second warning. More of those creatures were racing towards her, flailing those blades in a deadly attack. A few she could clearly see had engineering RIGs, like her very own. At least now that there was light, avoiding the other pony parts scattered around was far easier.
"Come on Applejack, years of running races can't go to waste now!" Slamming into the side of the lift wall threw her balance off for a moment. The confusion caused her to fumble the lift controls. They were right outside by the time the doors finally closed closed. "Whew, that was too close..." She had spoken too soon. A pair of blades shoved through the crack in the door, prying it open as the torn face of a pony forced it's way inside.
Applejack pressed herself up against the back wall in a last ditch attempt to avoid being sliced open. The slobbering sound from before she came to realize was blood being vomited out of the monster's mouth. "Oh Celestia, what have we done to deserve this?" To her relief the doors slammed shut again at that moment, decapitating the pony completely. She recoiled further as the head haphazardly rolled towards her.
The lift only moved for ten seconds before she stopped it. Much as she wanted to get back up there and protect her crew from whatever was going on, she couldn't go on, just like that. She had just brutally dismembered a fellow pony. Even though it was to save her own life, and he was probably already dead, she couldn't get over just how violent she had just been. "What's happening to us... Am I that different from what the others have become?"
One thing was certain, she couldn't let herself become exactly like them. "Air, Plasma, listen to me. Get on that shuttle, and get off the station, you hear me? I was just attacked by a group of monster ponies, and there's a good chance they're headed your way!" Sounds of shooting and screams came back in reply. Too late, they had already reached the transfer tube.
A video link opened to Plasma Blast's terrified face. "Applejack! They pulled Belt Buckle right apart! They're coming out of the vents from everywhere! Oh Celestia... help!" The link died again, one of those slashing ponies had come up behind her right before the end. Applejack let her head hang low for a long moment. This was no space virus. It was a full on slaughter by mutated ponies. And all she could do was sit there in the lift...
Applejack had turned her helmet back off in order to get some air, a decision she thoroughly regretted when the doors opened to the CEC deck. Blood everywhere, along with a spray of limbs and insides. Only a few were the trademark blades she had seen before. Most were frighteningly engineer ponies. As she turned her helmet back on to protect against the overwhelming stench of death, the real horror of the scene occurred to her.
Some of these limbs were cut off. Had some of her friends really severed their own limbs in order to prevent themselves from doing harm when transformed? It was unthinkable, and yet she would probably do the same if it came to that. But it hadn't come to that; she would fight them with every ounce of strength in her body. She had to find Air and Plasma.
"This is Applejack, Zero G division, hazardous materials expert on an open channel. If there are any survivors of the team assigned to free the shuttle in the transfer chute, please respond." Static came back on both her radio and the video link. No good, if the station's intercom was down, then she'd need to find a portable relay for her RIG. All alone, amongst a horde of monsters.
At last, she turned her cutter off to avoid giving away her position, leaving it firmly attached to her shoulder. That way it would be ready if she needed it. The transfer chute seemed to be the best place to check first. If they had managed to free the shuttle, then there was some hope yet. If not, then she needed to free it herself. Getting there however meant stepping through pools of blood that had formed. Still no bodies or heads to identify the dead ponies, only the limbs.
"Air Head, Plasma Blast, do either of you read me? I'm heading back to the transfer chute to free that shuttle if it's still there. Out." She glanced back to be sure that nothing was following her before opening the door. It was all clear, a great relief considering she had expected one of those things to jump out at her. The shuttle was still there, though the effort to free it had caused a tear in the hull. It wouldn't be space worthy, yet.
"Ponyfeathers. They must've been desperate to get it out. At least it's free now, if I can get it down to the ship maintenance bay, I should be able to repair it, right?" Thinking out loud helped distract from the ominous feeling of solitude. At least then it felt like there was somepony else with her, instead of just limbs. But it was too far to consider right now, and her cutter was running low on ammo.
This was something she needed Plasma for. She was the tool expert; she'd know how to improve her improvised weapon in order to stay alive longer. So many things that she needed to survive, and no time to plan them out. "Alright, communications should be the priority. There should be some supplies down near the auxiliary medical deck, that isn't too far."
Applejack updated her locator with the deck's location before moving back the way she came. Much as she wanted to find out who sabotaged the power core, and for that matter why ponies were turning into monsters, she needed to focus on survival. And of course finding her two friends. While she couldn't be sure they were alive, at least she could hope they still were.
Nothing had leapt out from the dark by the time she reached the lift again. Up another floor, then about a hundred metres walking would get her to the storage room, and the auxiliary deck. "No big deal. There should be a shop nearby too that I can use. Somehow I don't think that this here suit is going to protect too well against being stabbed a lot."
She had probably jinxed it. Her cutter reactivated just to be safe; at least those things used the vents, and not the lift shafts. Either way, engineering suits were designed to give a decent amount of protection from explosions and metal, not stabbing blade things. At least there was power, she couldn't complain about that. And she wasn't completely defenceless either.
Something landed on the roof above her with a terrible thud. Applejack froze on the vague hope that whatever it was wouldn't try to force its way in. After several seconds passed, during which she heard nothing, it seemed safe to say that whatever had fallen was really dead. Hopefully one of those monsters, which would mean there were survivors fighting them off.
No survivors were waiting on the deck as she stepped out however. Civilians, lots of them, strewn around the room in a complete mess. They had multiple stab wounds, but none were missing limbs to cutter fire. "I sure hope that they died quickly, and they don't have to come back again as one of those things. This is just not right, not right at all."
She was about to proceed when another sound reached her ears. Something was moving towards her. From the dragging of flesh, it couldn't possibly be another survivor, or one of those other monsters she had encountered before. Was there more than one form that they took? "If anypony can hear me, I suggest you stay back. I ain't trusting nopony until I can speak to you from a distance, understand?"
It wasn't a pony who crawled out from the medical deck, at least not a full one. The face was contorted in a similar way to the other monsters, only a long spike emerged from its mouth instead of a pair of tusks. Two flaps of skin stretched to either side like wings. A pegasus presumably. Only instead of coming towards her, it moved right for the nearest body.
"What in tarnation... Oh Celestia." This new monster had latched onto one of the bodies, pumping some sort of fluid right into the dead skull. Before her eyes, that body was transformed into a monster just like the ones that had attacked her. It turns the dead into those things, and with all these bodies lying around... Her plasma cutter kicked into life, severing the spike that was injecting the fluid.
It still left her with one of those things to deal with, and there was no telling if the spike would regenerate. "Alrighty big fella, chew on this!" Three shots fired directly at its neck. Not the cleanest of cuts, but it fell to the floor all the same. It did nothing to slow down the rest of the body however. The first blade took another three shots to sever, after which the monster finally fell to the ground.
She moved to take out the 'wings' when it climbed into one of the nearby vents, gone for the time being. Probably too badly hurt to do anything for now, at some point she'd regret not killing it completely. But for now, she had the issue of all the bodies around her. It was a struggle between seeing them as poor, dead ponies, and possible monsters that would come back after her in future.
As she approached the nearest, her hoof lifted above the point right below the cutie mark. A pair of horseshoes. "I can't do this." Instinct was telling her to do it, to break those ponies apart before they came back. She wasn't a violent pony. She had to defend herself, but they were motionless bodies. "I'm sorry y'all, I can only hope that whatever it was doesn't come back. At least, you don't have to feel anything anymore."
Each step in the mess was disturbing enough. As she managed to make her way through the slaughter and into a corridor, things seemed to take a different turn. Across both walls, strange writing had been scrawled. None of the letters were familiar to her at all. "What on Equestria is this supposed to be?" There wasn't much use in trying to make sense of them for now. The storage room wasn't too far away now.
"If anypony can hear this, then listen closely." Applejack raced towards the video message playing from the RIG of a security pony. As she had guessed, the suit had provided far better protection than her own from stabbing. But it was the video message from the deceased that had her intrigued. "You can pull the blades off of dead ones, and throw it back at them. Watch." She watched closely as he used kinesis to propel a blade into one of the monsters. "Security suits have a modification that allows kinesis to magnify force, essentially allowing you to fire anything as a projectile. I've gotta go, they're getting close again."
She glanced over her shoulder again. The blades went pretty deep into the wall. If she could get one down, then her limited ammo remaining would be a lot easier to manage. "I hope this trick saved more lives." It took a few moments to copy and download the message to her own RIG. Getting the security suit had become far more important now. A quick check of her cutter showed it had only a couple of shots left.
It was hard to tell which scared her more. The presence of those monsters, or the lack of them. Given the size of the station, it would take hours for it to be fully overwhelmed without resistance. Surely there would be at least a few wandering around in the dead zone. Something didn't feel right at all. She kept herself alert as the storage room finally came into view. There were others around, but this was the one she knew had the right parts.
"Okay, no problem at all." As her hoof raised towards the control panel, a scuttling sound behind the door set her on edge again. Something had been locked in there, and she had barely any ammo left. "You can do it. Two well-placed shots will do it. And there's going to be more shots in there, right?" She lifted her hoof again, cutter aimed at where she guessed the limbs would be. "Here goes nothing."
The moment her hoof pressed down onto the panel, a different monster again tackled her with a sheer amount of force. Pinned on the ground, it was taking all her strength just to keep the tearing mouth away from her. The first shot fired, taking off one of the arms and allowing her to roll free. When she turned to deliver the last remaining shot, a shock of recognition rattled through her body.
Rainbow Dash? The other arm blew off, finally stopping the monster dead. It had a long tail with a nasty barb on the end, not unlike a stingray. But the few strands of its mane left were brown, not colourful. And yet, she had seen Rainbow Dash in that moment. "Must be seeing things." The room was devoid of the usual blood and bodies at least. At least a search turned up a dozen more shots for her cutter, and after some locks broken with her bucking skills, the relay she needed for her radio.
"Let's hope this works. To anypony on the open channels, this is Applejack. I am outside the auxiliary medical deck, and I have access to a shuttle in need of a bit of repairing. If anypony is still out there, please respond." At first she received no reply. As much as she wanted to panic, she needed to give them a little time to respond first. To her great relief, Plasma Blast opened up her video link.
"Applejack! You're alive! Whatever you do, don't go back to the transfer chute. There's something in the main medical deck, and it's huge. We think it's growing up towards the shuttle. Just hurry through the medical ward here." Applejack peered outside again to be sure none of the monsters was sneaking up on her. It seemed clear, and there was no sound either.
"Alright, I think there's a store inside the waiting room. Can you hack in and get me access to a security suit? I could do with the extra protection." Plasma's move to access a computer terminal exposed a nasty slash on her head to the camera. The blade must've missed stabbing right through her skull, cutting the skin on the side instead. Lucky didn't seem strong enough a word.
"Okay, done. Also, I downloaded the schematics for a military engine. If you can find other parts, you should be able to make a decent weapon. Not all of those things have limbs." The video closed after that. It seemed like Plasma was managing herself reasonably well, but the underlying fear was still strong.
"I know how you feel sugarcube. I'm scared as horseapples right now. And if I don't get that shuttle out soon, we're going to be trapped here too."
Plasma had mentioned constructing a secondary weapon. That would require some raw materials, and the sort she needed weren't exactly abundant in the medical areas. But maybe there would be other stuff, like healing gel in case she couldn't take those things down fast enough. It was worth looking around a little more. At an estimate there were still thousands of other ponies trapped on the station, they could do with some help too.
Something else occurred to her. Guard RIGs had a stasis module built into them, in case of a changeling infiltration. They were also used for delicate surgery to give patients more time to live between transplants. That would definitely be something worth getting her hooves on. But her main goal was still getting the better suit. For now at least, she hadn't needed to test how much protection her current one provided for herself.
It was silent outside the room, but not in a tense way. The ship repair stations lay between her and the docking bay, where she guessed the survivors were gathering. Undoubtedly, most of the upper class ponies had taken their own private ships out without considering those left behind; there was no telling with the city folk. Hopefully help from Equestria would arrive soon; it was only a few hours journey from the ground up.
"Better get moving then AJ. Wouldn't wanna be left behind on a day like this." As she prepared to step across the quarantine lock, a shudder went through her chest. Something had gone on in the proper medical deck, and it was the heart of the monster outbreak. Even though she was moving away from it, stepping into the sister deck had a very unsettling feeling about it. Like something was waiting for her.
The urge to look back down the corridor at the room of bodies was frighteningly strong. Once again, a part of her said to make sure they didn't come back. But that wasn't her way. She would face them if they came; there was still enough morality in her to let the dead rest. Let's see how long that lasts Applejack... This time it wasn't her own voice in her head, giving advice. It was a low, male tone of malice.
"Who's there?" Nopony was in the immediate area, and it was too soft to have come from the intercoms. A hallucination from the stress of her day so far, nothing more. She turned her back to the corridor and walked into the medical deck. As she had expected, a lot of the immediate gel packs and other items had been taken during the retreat. Some ponies must've made it out from the Inner Ring where the lower class of ponies lived, only to find themselves right in front of the approaching horde.
The one thing she couldn't get over was the silence. Nothing was stirring, and even with the power on she couldn't hear any machines working idly. Why would anypony stop to turn them off? It was a question worth inquiring about. "Hey Plasma, why isn't anything down here running? It'd be easier to find a stasis module if I could hear the laser room going. There's no sound at all."
No reply came from her radio either. She tapped her hoof on the ground to be sure. The typical metal tapping was there all right, so it couldn't be her ears or the speakers. Unless, it could always just be a local shut down of that deck. That was the preferable option at least; it would be disastrous if she couldn't hear one of those monsters coming up behind her.
"Keep moving AJ, you'll find a store, or at least a bench somewhere." Moving from the reception to the emergency ward brought more chills. Another massacre scene, many of the beds showed signs of the patient being torn apart. One bore several stabs that went through the metal sheet beneath the mattress, that particular monster she didn't want to encounter.
And she turned, to a sight that made her turn off her helmet and vomit. A heavily pregnant pegasus, her belly torn open from the inside. Accompanying that, a higher pitched screech echoed through the doorway at the other side of the room. It wasn't even born yet, and still it turned into a monster. Nothing even vaguely sentient could be behind such a horrible mess.
Blood, flesh and fluids from the violently opened pegasus all mixed to make a terrible smell that was overpowering Applejack. Another high screech came as whatever had been inside approached. She couldn't take her eyes off the mess in front of her, seeing the guidance for her cutter kick in didn't help much either. Come on Applejack. This isn't like you at all. Accept the death, and save yourself…
The voice again. It snapped her free of the gripping terror to face what had emerged from the womb. Like all the other monsters she had encountered, the lower jaw was missing. Flaps of skin seemed to cover three tendrils emerging from the back, which each bore a very nasty barb on the end. Applejack only managed to fire once before two of the barbs went right into her shoulder.
It hurt. Fortunately for her it was the left, at least once she could get a look her cutter would fire again. That proved to be difficult as the infant monster moved to another spot. Blurriness was starting to overcome her eyes in the pain. "One more should do it..." A glow seemed to emerge from the remaining two barbs. Enough to glance in the rough direction and fire again. The third shot brought a loud scream from the monster as it fell to the ground.
As far as close calls went, that one was pretty rough. Her RIG measured an eighteen percent drop in overall health. "I sure hope they left one or two packs around, I'm really gonna need 'em." With her left leg crippled from the attack, she timidly continued through the room. The scene remained much the same, patients massacred on their grizzly deathbeds; doctor's torn to bits all over the floor. Fortunately though, there were no other expectant mothers in the carnage. Another incident like that she could really do without seeing.
Her vision impairment receded enough to make out a green light. A gel pack, wedged under a flipped table. Even if it wasn't full, anything would do to help heal the wound in her shoulder. But it would require kinesis to free, and that would be incredibly difficult given the location of her injury. "A little more pain now, for a lot more relief after."
Applejack planted her hooves down and clenched her teeth. The barbs began to feel like white-hot spikes as her kinesis lifted the table away. A swift kick sent the squashed bottle spinning away before her shoulder gave out. Her crash to the floor wasn't quite as loud as the table's. If there was anything else crawling around nearby, they now knew exactly where she was.
"Come on, you can do this. Just pour it in, and you're set to go." It took a few moments to drag herself towards the bottle, and longer still to connect it into her RIG. But the feeling of the gel seeping through over the wound was incredible. The flesh healed, pushing back the barbs that she had left there to prevent bleeding out. All suits self-sealed, already she could see the holes closing up again.
She needed to get moving again. A third of her shots had been used on taking down an infant alone. Any more than three of the adults would leave her cutter completely useless. Now she could stand and run again at least. The silence remained at least. For now, it seemed like that the hard part would be getting through the front lines into safety. That she could live with.
At the end of the emergency room was another corridor that spanned most of the deck. The stasis room was clearly labelled, not far from her. This area didn't show much evidence of fighting at all, just some blood smears from where those monsters had probably brushed the walls. With all the stasis resupplies available, the survivors must've used the canisters to buy much-needed breathing room.
"Just what the engineer ordered." Her confidence had been boosted by finding that gel pack, and now possibly a much needed stasis module. She entered the room without challenge or shock. Here, the carnage that had been lacking outside resumed. Several ponies had put up one heck of a fight to defend the remains of stasis canisters. At least they had managed to carry off several of them, resources like that were invaluable.
One of the control panels still seemed to be active. The stasis module itself was in a machine attached to the ceiling; simply switching that machine over to maintenance mode would allow her to retrieve the module. "Applejack! We lost you for a few minutes there, what happened?" Her video link with Plasma was active again at least. It didn't distract her from proceeding with the controls.
"I thought that power here had been cut off. My radio went dead the moment I stepped across the quarantine lock." A spark shocked her hoof as she misplaced one of the cables. It stung a little but otherwise didn't cause much trouble. "I'm in the middle of retrieving a stasis module, what was it you were trying to tell me about?" Mentioning the foetal monster wasn't something she felt was right over the video link.
"Applejack, there's something on that deck with you. We can't get a proper fix on it, it moves too fast for the computer to get a good scan. We first saw it in the-" Static overtook the message as the machine began to re-activate. All part of the plan, it needed to be working before she could create a problem in the circuits after all. "It's getting closer! Hurry!"
Applejack peered above the panel in caution. For a moment, she saw Pinkie Pie in the doorway at the other side of the room. "Pinkie? What in tarnation would Pinkie Pie be doing on Station Luna?" As she got back down, her elbow bumped the firing button on the module. No problem, she could recharge it at the station nearby. "And there she goes!"
As the machine lowered down, she stepped out to retrieve the module. The figure she at first thought was Pinkie had just crossed a good fifty metres in just seconds, slowed down by the stasis burst. Her plasma cutter reactivated as a precaution. Plasma Blast didn't mention how fast it was actually moving, but to cover that distance it had to be incredibly speedy on its hooves.
"Alright, I'd rather see how fast you can move first, before I put you down for good. It'd be handy to know in future." The stasis effect wore off. To Applejack's horror, the monster was now right in front of her. A lightning fast slash to her shoulder sent her right hoof falling to the floor. Too fast, why had she hesitated in that moment?
"Applejack!" The severed hoof had fallen in such a way that gave Plasma Blast a good look at what followed. Applejack had no chance as the pony tore her in half with a rapid display of stabs, and decapitated her with a single swing. All that remained was the flickering cutie mark on her flank, and a loud blare from the RIG that marked the termination of life signs. Other survivors who had gathered around Plasma could only gape in horror.
Why did Applejack hesitate? Why did she have to demonstrate the death they only just barely escaped?
She remembered the blade slicing down through the middle of her body, severing the spinal cord in an impossibly fast swipe. After that, she had blacked out. But how could she remember her death, if this was in fact death? "What... Who's saying that?" Applejack's eyes peeled open stiffly. White, all she could see was white. No substance, no shadow. The purest of tones, without blemish or stain.
Why, I'm saying that of course. The only way she could actually tell there had been a flash of light was due to the reflex of covering her eyes. An impossible realm of light, not exactly the sort of thing she expected to see after being torn to bits because she hesitated. The tall, twisted figure before her however definitely didn't fit into her impression of what came next.
"Well done Applejack. Well done. You were doing so well, despite the fact that you were silly enough to leave those bodies untouched. Did you not consider the fact that they could have valuable resources for you?" She lowered her head into a snarl. Discord, seemingly free from the stone prison that he had been left in all those years ago. When the Elements of Harmony still lived together in Ponyville.
"What the hay is going on here Discord? I should've guessed that you'd be the one behind twisting up ponies into horrible creatures." Her question was met with hysterical laughter. While Discord rolled around in his fit, she got back up to her hooves. Her leg was back in place, and her RIG showed a full bar of health. More importantly, her helmet was intact and working fully.
It took some time for the evil draconequus to overcome his hysteria and stand back up. "You're so hilarious Applejack. I mean, you actually hesitated when that twitcher was charging right at you. What did you expect would happen? That it would come, sit down and have a tea party with you?" A click of his claws brought the monster that had killed her back. Only now it was dressed in a posh red suit, holding a cup and saucer with its long blades awkwardly.
Applejack felt her head beginning to grow hot in fury. "This is not funny! Ponies are getting slaughtered, and I swear if you don't undo this damage right now..." Discord appeared right in front of her to stare her down. His humorous tone had shifted into a far less pleasant malice. Going from chocolate milk rain and cotton candy clouds, to something like this had a very bad feeling all over it.
"My little Applejack, this isn't meant to be funny, for you at least. It's all a game, admittedly a game I borrowed, but that's not the point." He returned to his original position in a huffy manner. The 'twitcher' vanished once he turned back around. "You have three respawns in this game, only you used up one of them just now. I make the rules; you survive in whatever manner you see fit. It's as simple as that. If you survive, I let you go."
Something about the way he said 'simple' sounded very fishy to her. And the mention of rules wasn't exactly pleasant either. "What are these rules then? I ain't budging one bit until I know what the deal is." Playing Discord's game was the last thing she wanted to do. But he controlled the situation, and she needed to survive long enough to save the others. If one wrong move doomed them all to a terrible fate, she'd never forgive herself.
One thing did come to her attention. Her plasma cutter still seemed to function. That she kept hidden from Discord. If worst came to worst, she could always try gunning her way out of the madness. Fortunately Discord hadn't noticed, consulting a large book that bore a picture of Applejack's own hoof, floating in space above Station Luna on the cover. The title read Discord Space. A chill ran down her spine.
"Alright, your goal is to learn what is causing this outbreak in the real world, and defeat it, I'm just inside your head after all. First rule, no leaving the station until you win the game. That means no shuttles more than five hundred metres out. Second rule, no cheating. That means using any form of magic not normally available to earth ponies. Becoming an alicorn counts, though I doubt that'll happen. Third rule... have fun!" His arms went up in a show of celebration, causing the white scene to collapse in around him.
Applejack found herself standing in the doorway to the stasis room at that moment. The control panel had been reset, and she couldn't see any sign of the twitcher, yet. "This is just way too weird." As she moved to the control panel, de ja vu overwhelmed her. Now that she knew more about the situation, it seemed very likely that Discord would balance it out by making things harder. Could she really loot bodies though?
"Applejack! Oh Celestia, we thought you were dead! We watched you die!" Plasma's message had come at the same time as the last, only it was far different. Discord can't control time at least. "How are you still alive? You got torn in half by that thing!" During the time it took to rewire the stasis module, she pondered on how exactly to put her encounter with Discord. The module fired as before, she had a few seconds to take out the twitcher.
"Give me a second." She stepped back out and fired two shots at each limb holding the blades. As the stasis wore off, her former killer fell into a lifeless clump. "Sorry, just needed to make sure that events didn't repeat themselves. Now, Discord's the one behind this disaster, he took me to some place and gave me the run down as part of his sick game. I'll tell you all the rest later when I get there."
By then the module was in easy reach. Once grabbed with her kinesis, she firmly attached it to her left hoof. In a pinch, she could lift it up for better aiming, though it would prevent her from moving. But until she got that better suit, it would do enough to keep her from dying. "Better hop to it AJ, there's only three charges in this module. Wouldn't want to encounter more of those things." The fact that they had clear, descriptive names was rather unsettling. Rather akin to pony names.
There was a tram station nearby that she could ride to the docking bay, located on the outer edge of the deck, near the middle. Walking the rest of the deck and getting through Ship Repairs would take too long. She needed to reach them before the monsters did. Oh, did I forget to mention that they're called necromorphs, not monsters? Please, do accept my apologies. Applejack shook her head to keep Discord's voice out.
"If this is going to become a regular thing with you Discord, I swear..." As she entered the tram station however, his words came back clear. There were bodies, which potentially had valuable materials she needed. By now she had become accustomed to the carnage enough to keep moving. Removing items was another step into chaos that she didn't want to take. Not yet at least.
The tram was there at least, though it seemed like ponies had been fleeing to the medical deck, only to be met with death. She could only ask herself why, until she took into account their clothing. Residents of the inner ring, which was visible through the tram windows not far across the empty space. Virtually all who lived there worked on the station in some form of common job. Though in comparison to Equestria, they would be very wealthy.
None of that mattered anymore. There were the survivors, the military, and the dead. As for herself? No military training, and she wasn't dead either. She had become Discord's pawn, that made her something other than a survivor. Other ponies' lives depended on her now. "Re-initializing shop access. Welcome to the Station Luna kiosk."
Applejack turned her head to find a shop on the station had finally opened up. At last, she could start fighting back more effectively, without having to worry about being stabbed just once. "Took your sweet time about it. Let's see what Plasma's whipped up." A loud gurgle echoed across the room before she could approach. It sounded frighteningly like a pony in pain.
From one of the vents came a rather skinny necromorph, dragging a large glowing sac beside him. She didn't need a second moment to work out that sac wouldn't end well for her. "Ponyfeathers, this is going to get rough." It had a rather sluggish movement, but the moans were very frightening to listen to. At least she could keep well away from whatever was contained inside that sac.
As she lured it further away from the tram, she readied her cutter again. "I'm sorry, but it's you or me partner." The resulting blast from her single shot into the sac knocked her back into the wall. It was only a minor blow to her health, nothing that she couldn't ignore for now. This time her caution had paid off well. "Get some distance between anything that glows. The rest, dismember as quickly as possible. Nothing I can't handle." After a small bout of coughing, she made her way over to the store.
"Welcome, Applejack. CEC Zero Gravity Engineer, Rank Six. You have one new suit, ready for change. Other items are waiting in storage." The hack had worked after all. At least something was going right for once. She checked the safe first, finding a few clips of plasma, and the schematic for the military engine Plasma mentioned before. They could wait until she had the new suit on.
"Here goes." She took a deep breath and stepped up into the machine. A pair of mechanical bracers lifted her forelegs up to allow for the suit materialization process to happen. Standing upright was uncomfortable, but it would only be for a few seconds. As her old engineering suit was broken down into energy, she felt exposed for a moment. A small reminder of why she was doing this in the first place.
Tingles ran right down her body as she felt the cool, crisp inner lining of the suit take form. At last, the bracers lowered to let her step back. "Not bad, I'll have to ask about making the engineering suits more like this one in future." The stasis module she had taken before was now firmly implanted in place. And her plasma cutter felt smoother to move. "Let's see them necromorphs try and stab through this."
At last, she could board the tram and get moving again. Some of the windows had signs of attack, but this line didn't go out into open space. Ah, so you finally beat the easy part of my game. I must warn you Applejack, things are not going to be easy from here. Those little trinkets aren't going to be nearly enough to hold off your inevitable death. Applejack shook her head as the tram began to move. Discord wasn't going to fool her that easily.
It seemed to take forever. Each flash of the station through the windows formed an endless, repeating image. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. Yet she knew very well, that there had to be carnage on the other side. Before, she had intended to just escape on a cruiser and be done with it. Now, she couldn't leave until she ended Discord's sick game. The answer had to be in the government ring, just barely visible on the right. That shuttle was still available. The others could run, and she would still have a way off. They didn't need to know about her plan for now.
Something wasn't right, about what Discord said. If he really was just in her head, then it wasn't he who was causing the outbreak, at least not directly. Something down in the medical deck had to be the start of it, and at some point, she would go there. All part of his long and twisted game. "Obstruction detected on track. Shutting down tram system. Welcome to the Ship Repair Deck." Applejack let her head sink.
"Horseapples." Hopefully she was beyond the front lines anyway; fighting through all those necromorphs wouldn't end well. She needed help in any case. "Plasma, I can't get through to the docks on the tram. Is there a bench near the station in Ship Repair that I can use?" It was quite relieving to see that the station before her was relatively untouched. Maybe she had outrun the horde after all.
"Uh, there's one about 50 metres in our direction. After that, you'll need to cross the royal escort bay; it was empty at the time so there shouldn't be any hazards. Air Head went to Hydroponics to check on something, please hurry." Fifty metres, that didn't seem too bad. But either the horde was behind her, and swiftly approaching. Or she would be getting that much closer to them with each step.
Don't worry Applejack. You're going to get right into the thick of the action, and the thin of space... Very soon now. A ringing sound caused pain in her ear for a moment before fading. She had kept telling herself to ignore Discord, but it was hard. Especially with all of his typically ominous and deceitful warnings. The station led out into a rather large parts room, racks of all the typical components for a ship were locked to the walls.
"Better collect as much salvage as possible, might not get another chance like this." Her helmet remained securely on as she began cutting locks and removing supplies. Scrap metal was in abundance, a few tungsten plates retrieved from a fusion coil. Semiconductors turned up inside their own drawer, transducers she pulled from a heavy duty kinesis mount for drones.
Not the biggest haul, but anything would be of immense help at that point. "Alright, I'm heading over now. Just spent a bit of time salvaging materials. No sign of any morphs. Keep the hearth warm." An update from her locator led through back down the corridor and into a small side room. The darkness around her began to feel more imposing, pressing down around her like the void of space. Tools fell to the ground somewhere ahead of her with a very loud clang. Had she been too quick to say there were no necromorphs around?
There was nothing gained in waiting forever, the same applied to charging in recklessly. She drew a quick breath before spinning around with her weapon ready. Nothing living or undead lurked in the room she had been guided to. Paranoia, is a wonderful thing, don't you agree? His voice as always caused the chills to continue. "He's not really there. He's only a voice in your head AJ. Just ignore him." The bench unfolded before her as she approached. A quick scan brought up all the different upgrades she could make while a mechanical arm carefully removed her cutter.
"It must take a genius to get Rank 5 in tool mechanics, especially for somepony at Plasma's age. I hope she knows what she's doing in terms of guns." Weaponry was a more recent development of Equestria in response to Changeling aggression. Even then, only the guards had a strong knowledge of the area, most of the security ponies only knew how to fire and reload their stun rifles. Without the schematic Plasma had downloaded, Applejack would be utterly lost. While the bench began merging her military engine into the cutter, she made a few adjustments to the armour and health of her RIG.
Sounds began to echo through the vents. The horde was definitely catching up. So they had managed to breach the auxiliary deck's quarantine at last, she didn't have much time. "I hope I don't have to try this out right away." Her cutter now had a small machine gun merged into the top that seemed to feed right out of the cutter's ammo slot. A nice alternative in case one of those body transformers came back, they had no limbs to sever. "Time to get moving AJ." Discord's laugh sounded far off, yet it was crystal clear in her head.
She backed out of the room once her cutter was fixed back into place. Something broke out of the vents when she started down towards the repair bay. Better get moving Applejack. Things are starting to warm up. For once, he was right. A slasher, running very quickly towards her. "Thank Celestia it's not a twitcher." Only one at least, the perfect opportunity to try out the technique described in that video. A precise shot from her cutter severed the blade cleanly. Quickly grabbing it with kinesis gave her enough time to shoot it right back. The disfigured pony flew back to be impaled on the wall.
Celebrating the success of her new tactic could wait. The walls around her sounded very much alive, almost a rhythm of thuds from the crawling morphs. Too many to try and take out with only a small cutter and plasma machine pistol. She broke out into a full sprint down towards the repair bay. Whatever followed behind the walls picked up pace too. And more still were breaking out of the vents behind her.
"Hey Plasma, I'm gonna be coming in hot! I hope y'all have a decent defence ready!" Rounding a corner brought her to the overhanging walkway that spanned the large maintenance bay. Barbs began whizzing past her, mere centimetres from impaling into the back of her head. The turn to hurry onto the metal grate forced her to look back. Practically every surface of the corridor was covered in some form of fleshy monster. For a moment, she had forgotten they were once ponies, just like her. Victims of whatever Discord was up to.
Tearing in the metal reached her ears as she pounded across the expanse below her. "What the hay? This is supposed to be brand new!" Something wasn't right at all; the walkway was starting to bend under her weight alone. Her stomach lurched as the necromorphs began to pile on. The whole stretch gave way underneath her hooves. There was no time for her to fire emergency thrusters before crashing to the floor below.
Let the festivities begin! Applejack went into a coughing fit from being winded. That lying, cheating... Somepony had to have sabotaged the bridge; there was no way that it could've given out only months after being built. Somewhere from behind, that gurgling cry from the station made a return. And it wasn't alone. Her chest was still sore from coughing; she didn't have much breath to speak with. "Oh my sweet Celestia..." Seventy necromorphs at least. Most of them slashers, some of the exploders, and more of the babies crawling down the walls. All ready to tear her to bits.
She didn't have anywhere near the firepower to fight what was very likely just the start of the horde. "Discord, this is not fair." Of course, it was Discord; fair didn't exist in his twisted dictionary of chaos. She would have to be incredibly precise with her shots to have any chance of surviving more than thirty seconds alone. "Hayseeds, this is going to be one twisted rodeo!" The exploders seemed to be the best target to begin with. Each resulting explosion took out four or five slashers each, only to be replaced by even more. Stasis only served to slow the rain of barbs that caused scars in her suit, slowly sealing up. Firing the blades back was powerful, but it was no match for the sheer numbers before her.
They had forced her halfway across the bay floor when a deep bellow echoed around the room. Several necromorphs were flung around when hit by an enormous beast. Two meaty appendages covered in bloody bone plating allowed it to move. A mess of smaller tentacles thrashed around the crates and machinery left behind. Several canisters of highly explosive fuel rolled out from the debris. She couldn't fight it with her weapons, at least not in the conventional sense. "I hope they have damn good insurance for Station Luna."
By pure luck, the beast's charge caused it to take the brunt of the explosion for her. Both were flung well out into space through the field as the chain reaction of canisters turned everything inside the bay to charcoal. Applejack was caught in a deadly roll under the weightlessness until the stabilizing jets of her suit activated. Her idea had worked. The beast was now floating away into Equestria's orbit where it would burn up, and there had been no secondary explosions in the bay.
"Plasma, get the inner doors open. I'm gonna be comin' in hot you hear?" She readjusted her heading towards the docks and fired up the boosters in her rear legs. Her heart was starting to beat faster than it had when facing all those necromorphs. There was always the last resort of bucking back there. But out in space, there was nothing at all. That scared her most.
Thirty seconds Applejack, and the doors aren't even open yet. She still had a lot of distance to cover. Even with the auto-cleaner, her helmet was starting to fog up under her stressed breathing. No sound but her own breathing, and the faint rumble of her jets. The sort of silence that she couldn't handle for long at all. So this is what really makes you scared Applejack. How interesting.
"Fifteen seconds of oxygen remaining." Panic was setting in. Lights were flashing around the hatch, indicating that it would open. Slowing down would result in suffocation, but if they didn't open in time, she'd slam right into the metal and fall to bits. This was a scenario she didn't want to repeat again. "If I make it through this, I promise I won't eat apple fritters ever again!"
"Ten, nine, eight..." The gap was just barely large enough for a pony to crawl through. "Six, Five..." Three metres away, the gap was now only a metre wide. Applejack's eyes closed as she shot right through, and back into artificial gravity. "One. Oxygen supply depleted..."
Anticipation was running high in the group of twenty or so ponies on the floor of the deck. An explosion from the direction they had fled from caused a lot of panic, further compounded by Applejack's desperate warning to open the bay doors. There had been no reason to open them while the main doors were far easier to navigate through, now the precious seconds it took for the large metal gears to turn passed in agony.
"There she is!" Booster, a dark red stallion with a jet cutie mark was the first to spot their desperately missed teammate from the platform nearest to the opening doors. "She's really coming in hot!" Navy blue whizzed past his face as Applejack crashed down near the others. He couldn't see a whole lot of what went on, but judging from the sudden panic it had to be pretty serious.
"Get the oxygen mask! She's going into hypoxia; something must've interfered with her air supply." Applejack had blacked out for a moment as her lungs began to suffocate. A truly terrifying experience to go through, probably even more so than getting killed by that twitcher. Feeling the oxygen mask cover her face for a moment reawakened that panic until the soothing air flowed.
The crowd dispersed slightly as the critical phase passed. Plasma Blast remained by Applejack's side until she finally sat up. "I'm gonna be bruised for weeks after that. Why'd I have to promise away those apple fritters?" It was hard to believe she had actually made it. "I think some of those barbs might've hit the scrubbers. Last time I checked these RIGs have at least five minutes of air in them, not one."
Her legs still felt prickly and weak, leaving her unable to stand without Plasma's help. Another surprise came to her as she looked around the docking bay. A Pegasi cruiser, locked onto the deck, but otherwise fully functioning. Several ponies were hard at work to try and break the incredibly strong bonds. "We received word about an hour ago that the owners were among the first victims. Since then, we tried to get it free by force. Air Head went to retrieve the unlock codes from Administration through Hydroponics."
Applejack recalled her mentioning that Air Head had continued onto that deck. He was the only pony in their team who worked there. What she hadn't mentioned was the reason why. This was the guarantee she needed in any case. The other ponies could get away safely, and she would be able to finish Discord's horrible game without putting their lives at risk. There had been no reports of an outbreak on Equestria itself, right?
"Okay I get it. I'll go check up on him and see what the hold-up is. I'm sure everything's fine." She couldn't really do much there; it was a normal gravity situation for one thing. Fuel cells wouldn't need replacing; they had a good stockpile of stasis canisters for defence. And more importantly, no apple trees to buck. "I'll keep my channel open in case something crops up. Oh and I may say random things from time to time, don't pay any attention to that."
At first, it seemed like a good idea to tell them about her encounter with Discord. But the name still carried a dangerous weight to it. Ponies who claimed to follow a Chaotic lifestyle often received mental treatment. Nopony would let her continue the mission if they believed that she was becoming delusional from his influence. Perhaps that's exactly what is happening Applejack. You're becoming delusional, have you considered how much radiation came from that damaged fuel cell yet?
In this case, the vast expanse of the docking bay that spanned the entire deck proved to be a huge advantage. She could literally see both walls from her position, no rooms for necromorphs to hide in. The ventilation system was entirely independent too by design, nothing would be bursting out of the floor any time soon. A large amount of debris resulting from struggles to evacuate remained, ominously reminding Applejack of the reality she hadn't faced so far.
Travelling was made easier by a small cargo plate that zipped across the deck in seconds. To her right, the large cargo bay doors that transferred supplies into hydroponics stood firm. On the other side, the tramlines sat in silence. "Come on Applejack, it's just a deck full of plants. How bad can it really be?" Her stomach felt worse than when she was caught in that death spin.
The decontamination lock opened with a slight hiss of purging gas. She would have stuck to her roots were it not for the slew of plant mutations that came with hydroponics. Way too far from the way Sweet Apple Acres was always run for her liking. Now there wasn't really much choice in the matter, unless of course Air Head made a surprise return at that very moment.
No such luck. The deck's atmosphere had a musty look to it, like some sort of fungus had dispersed in a cloud of spores. It didn't look good at all. Her oxygen scrubbers had repaired by then, and whatever it was in the air didn't penetrate her RIG. "Hey uh, the air's filled with something, looks like fungus. I'm gonna be safe in my RIG, right?" She continued on anyway, feeling rather more cautious about each step she took.
The vents had probably malfunctioned thanks to all those necromorphs running around. Could the haze be pulverized pony? Plasma's voice came back after a few moments of static. Applejack had become comfortable with her being there on call. "What? There's supposed to be a chemical gas that destroys any trace of fungus on the whole deck, Air told me about it. I'm sending you the location he gave me; I don't think it'd be a good idea to go on if you can't see far."
Applejack could barely see the blue line through the growing haze beyond a few metres. It gave her a direction to go in for a few seconds before she needed to update again. Moving in that direction took her to an intersection, where she checked again. Down the left, then through another doorway. To her relief, the air was much clearer in the corridor she had entered. The industrial glass walls held back various pipes of chemicals that ran through the whole deck.
Most of the station had this kind of food, the stuff that grew entirely from fluorescent lights and liquids sprayed at them. CEC had their food supplies shipped up from Equestria. Only Luna's private section of the station in the government ring had access to plants that grew by sunlight and hard work. Her brief walk through that corridor was an unwanted reminder of why she left her home in the first place.
Another doorway took into the chemical distribution room, notably free of the haze from before. The purification pipe system had been suspiciously turned off. "Plasma, somepony turned off the cleaner. I haven't seen those things use a wheel effectively. Something's not right here at all." The medical deck lockdown. The power core being turned off. That walkway falling out from under her, and now a deliberate attempt to leave the air hazy?
Well done Applejack, you've found another piece of the puzzle! Did you really think that everypony is really that faithful to Celestia? And did you really think that everypony is completely free of Chaos? She didn't want to admit it to herself. And yet, it was inevitable. Ever since the Elements of Harmony broke up, things hadn't quite been the same. It never occurred to her that some ponies would turn to serving Discord.
Her radio went silent for a moment. "Oh put a hoof in it Discord, so you've got a few ponies on your side. They're probably all gone by now." New determination filled her body when she forced the valve open again. Gas rushing through the pipes caused a lot of noisy shaking, but it worked at least. A metre displayed the gradually improving air quality.
"Sorry 'bout that, bit of static here in the room. Seems to be working, though I don't know why anypony would turn it off." The metre had settled around thirty percent contamination. "Okay, this is real weird. Some areas of the deck must be locked down, or..." Something is contaminating the air with necromorphic spores? Oh come now Applejack, do you really think I would resort to such a boring method of spreading chaos?
"I wouldn't put it past you." Plasma sounded like she was about to ask something when Applejack turned her radio off again for a few moments. Only when she was back in the main corridor did she turn it back on to a slightly concerned pony. She could very well be going insane under the stress, but she was one of the only ponies who actually faced Discord. She knew what he was capable of; far more than anypony save for Celestia herself.
Visibility had improved drastically; she could now make out signs up to ten metres away. But the haze remained, as did the chilling silence. For once, she wouldn't mind a distant gurgle. Or perhaps even the chilling cry of a necromorph about to charge. Everything had been too quiet so far, and she couldn't help but think that this was the dead calm, before a very violent and destructive storm.
She locked her locator onto Air Head's RIG. It still registered as intact, so at least he hadn't been cut in half. Applejack! Is that a twisted sense of humour I can actually relate to developing? A sound finally did appear, though it made Applejack cringe. A deep wheeze, mixed with moaning and scratches on metal. Somepony was in terrible pain, suffocating in the spore-riddled air.
"Hold on! I'm coming to help; we'll have you outta this here mess in lickety... split." The locator beam led right to Air Head's RIG all right. What she couldn't have imagined at all was that it also led to the source of the wheezing. Most of his softer RIG had been split open, primarily on the back where two oversized lungs pushed clouds of spores out. His lower jaw had become fused into the front hooves, the back hooves had melted away altogether. The health readout showed a weak, but definitely present life-sign.
Oh dear, and for a moment, you were actually starting to see the funny side of this. What a shame. Applejack didn't even hear Discord that time. Her hoof was outstretched to touch the blue face full of pain. Up close, she could see the membranes of his wings forming a cage over the lungs. A data transfer would give her access to his last hours; hopefully he had managed to obtain the codes. At least then it wouldn't have been for nothing. "How in Equestria am I going to tell Plasma?" She activated the camera in her helmet instead.
It would hurt the poor unicorn either way, learning that the spark of her life had become a tortured necromorph that poisoned the air. At least if she saw the suffering, she would understand what Applejack was going to do. For once, she detached the cutter-pistol from her shoulder. A small guide rail allowed it to slide down to the end of her hoof for independent aiming. This was something she didn't want to have her eyes open for.
"I swear, if I find the pony who started this mess... I won't close my eyes." They closed this time when she was sure the shot would be instantly fatal. Her body shook as the discharge kicked back against her hoof. The physical action was over, but she wouldn't be forgetting it any time soon. Once the data transfer had finished, she turned off the camera and started making her way back.
The air had cleared by the time she reached the door. Her mission had been shorter than expected, at a cost she couldn't bear to think about. Now was the perfect time to keep her helmet on, to conceal the utter horror on her face. Air Head had been conscious in that twisted half-life. How could she just move on from having killed him, even in desperate mercy?
Some ponies could tell something didn't go well in her brief absence. None dared to ask what had happened, that question was left to Plasma Blast as Applejack made her way over to the bench. "Applejack, did you get the codes?" She didn't see Air Head behind her. Instead, she was met with a deeply scarred expression as the helmet folded away. She actually had to take a deep inhale before playing the video.
Everypony fell silent at that moment. The wheezing continued on for several seconds, until a single loud shot silenced the suffering. "Until now, I had my doubts about other ponies deliberately trying to sabotage my efforts. Now, I want all of you to get back to Equestria. I'm finishing this alone." The codes downloaded into the bench, where they found their way into the ship locking system. All eight of the thick metal clamps unfolded at last. Again, there was no celebration for her achievement.
Crack Shot galloped over from his position towards the medical deck. "They're starting to break through!" All eyes turned to the wall in question. A terrible slush of sounds echoed around the room. The horde had reached them. No time to grieve over their loss anymore, much as she hated to admit it. They had to evacuate, before they were overrun.
Applejack took another look at her shoulder-mounted weapon. It wouldn't do much against such a sizeable horde. "Plasma, I need a bigger weapon if I'm gonna hold them off until the ship's clear." She seemed too grief stricken to say anything at first. Soon, she finally swallowed down tears that had begun to form in the face of joining Air Head's fate.
"I worked on modifying the charge of a debris blaster into an explosive yield. Essentially a rocket launcher." Applejack took one look at the weapon in question before sliding her hoof into the holding slot. It would do just fine. Aren't we becoming quite the griffon now, Applejack? A rocket launcher hardly seems to fit a pony who used to buck apples out of a tree for her living.
"Shut up... Just shut up!" Applejack had been sure to avoid looking in Plasma's direction when she shouted. Her free hoof wiped some of the sweat that had formed away. "This'll do just nicely Plasma, and don't worry about me either." She took the moment to properly examine her new weapon. It was comfortably weighted, and didn't impede her movement too much. The tip of the barrel left her enough space to walk around comfortably.
Most of the survivors had boarded the aerodynamic cruiser by then. Pegasi really prided themselves on speed, a quick journey would be best in this case. Plasma was the last to board. Air Head's death had torn out a part of her, now there was a good chance she would lose Applejack too. Her lover, and her only real friend. Both gone in one day.
Applejack's mindset had changed drastically in that one day. Her first encounter had been met with severe hesitation and panic. Now, she wanted to fight the necromorphs, almost entirely to try and block out the boiling anger that had developed over Air Head. His death had been brought about by pony hooves. The same hooves who were undoubtedly responsible for this outbreak.
"Come and bucking fight me." A small crate provided her the stability to aim her launcher effectively. What remained of the barricade was starting to fall. Sure, there were stasis canisters available, but she didn't want to see necromorphs blow up in slow motion. She wanted them to know that she wouldn't go down without a fight. That whatever remained of the original pony didn't have to go through the torment any longer.
"Applejack! The doors are closing!" She turned her head away from the barricade for just a moment. The large main doors were indeed closing; the cruiser wouldn't be able to escape. Another attempt to prevent her from succeeding, one that she wasn't going to let happen this time around. A few necromorphs had broken through the barricade at that point, charging towards her as she aimed for the gears of the inner doors.
There was far less room to manoeuvre but once they were outside it wouldn't be that big of a deal anyway. Outside in space, the necromorphs wouldn't be able to ravage the ship, and the ponies on board. Her chance of survival was low, but she still had two more chances to get it right after all. "Time to buck this station to Tartarus and back."
Her hoof jerked back as the rocket fired off. A blade sliced down beside her, followed closely by a barb skimming her helmet. That moment felt like the whole world was trapped in stasis, caught in slow motion for her to watch. Perhaps it was. A short delay followed the explosion that destroyed most of the gears in that section. The doors buckled in, air began to flow out through the small gap left by the destroyed field generator. Necromorphs flew past Applejack as she held on for a moment longer. An ear-shattering volley from the cruiser took out what remained of the door, taking the entire docking bay clear out into space.
A great change had passed in her brief time among her co-workers and friends. Applejack no longer panicked as she was pulled out of the docking bay after the cruiser blasted its way out. There was far more air in the expansive room to propel her outward, back towards the Central Spire. Every single computer on the station routed there, as well as communications and the solar generators. And more importantly, the tram system.
She needed a way in. This time she had about three minutes of air, more than enough time to punch through and let the auto-sealer take effect. A good window would suffice, so long as her rocket launcher could punch a hole large enough for her to smash through. And what if there isn't, Applejack? What if you're just going to repeat that explosion three more times, until you're permanently dead?
Being out in space gave Applejack a moment to assess the overall state of the station. The Medical Deck caught her eye, several fleshy tendrils extended out into space from every opening. More flesh was packed into every window. Several glowing sacs similar to what the exploders carried floated above on stalks. "It must've sucked up a huge amount of ponies to fill over half the deck."
Discord's tidbits were rather bothersome, but they did give her some very useful information. The fact that any necromorph could be melted down and reformed into a larger being had her concerned. Soon, the whole medical deck would be filled with some sort of super necromorph, one that could potentially survive re-entry. It was a thought she didn't want to conceive, yet had to face.
Her window came up near one of the server levels. It would do just fine; all of the servers were bolted down securely against kinesis theft. Nothing to fly around and knock her unconscious when she punched through the window. "Time to pay a visit to my internet providers." Forty five seconds remained on her air supply when she fired the rocket off. Heavy-duty glass rained out towards her in the wake of the evacuating air on the deck.
It was a very close call between getting in, and being chopped in half by the air locks as they finally sealed. A few items that were attached by cords were left scattered around, nothing that would be a hazard in a fight at least. On that note, the whole room looked spotless. Nopony had even trampled through in the panic. Finally, some time to sit down and think about her next move.
"Okay then, Plasma Blast said that something had gotten into the transfer tube, chances are that it's the same thing on the medical deck. That's where all of this began, and I'm going to have to go there to free the shuttle anyway. Time to do some detective work." A nearby lift took her down to the central tram station. Carnage that was absent above had collected on that level. Only now, the sheer lack of bodies had Applejack concerned. Every missing body meant another possible necromorph lurking around.
It occurred to her that she hadn't eaten for several hours now. The RIG provided suitable hydration for days, but her stomach was feeling empty. "Might as well stop by the CEC mess hall. Chances are all the food is gone by now though." Much as she disliked energy synthesised food for its terribly bland flavour, the alternative was energy drinks, no substance to them at all. She needed to keep herself at peak efficiency to survive.
Did you know that eating necromorph flesh could ironically make you hungry for more? Eventually you'll become so hungry that you'll end up as a pile of twigs! How hilarious! "Oh yeah? Well ponies don't exactly eat meat, do they? Besides, it's not far to Equestria, there's plenty of food there." His laughter trailed off into the silence. Again, she felt worried that there was more to it than he was letting on.
She sat down on one of the shredded seats of the tram as it rushed through space. The inner ring had been totally locked down; no unwanted stops there would make her very happy. It had to be a butchering in there, one she didn't feel like seeing. Instead, she decided to check her weapons out again. There was only one rocket left, but she only needed one in a sticky situation. She could easily make a few more when back on the CEC deck.
"Arriving at Primary Medical Deck. Please log any injury at the main desk as soon as possible. Have a nice day." Monotone and inappropriately cheerful as ever. Perhaps it would have been a good idea to change up the voice back in the spire. She'd head back there with the shuttle to keep an ear out for those transmissions anyway, it could wait until then.
A very deep and muffled roar greeted her when she stepped into a pool of blood off the tram. Fleshy tendrils punctured through most of the walls. Bodies had become hanging pincushions for those bone blades. A sensor in her RIG alerted her to a less than tolerable air quality. A high concentration of pony flesh in the air, blowing out of every broken vent. The few remaining lights had been splattered with blood to give the deck a very grim, red color.
More came with every step. There were massive holes in the floor beneath the surface of blood. What she had assumed was merely a small layer had to have filled the access tunnels below first. Bloodbath was a horrifyingly accurate description. "Better watch your step Applejack, no telling if this RIG will keep the blood out for long. They're designed for vacuums, not liquid after all."
Almost immediately on her way deeper into the medical deck, her way had become blocked by a wall of flesh. A few twisted pony faces were visible in the meaty barrier. The circular screen of a cutie mark poked out near the bottom, displaying a flickering pie. Apple Pie... "Granny?" Applejack blinked, only to find the cutie mark had changed into an hourglass. This time it remained that way, no amount of blinking revealed it to be a momentary illusion.
"I'm starting to see things. Well, time to get this wall open, and see what's lurking down further." She retraced her steps back until she was far enough away from the explosion. Blood dripped from her hoof as she lifted it up to aim. By then it didn't bother her in the least. Her concern was about using the last rocket to get through the wall, when there was a chance she couldn't get more right away.
There was no way she'd squeeze through that wall willingly. It took just a moment to line up her shot, and fire off the projectile. Bits of flesh splattered around, leaving a very nice hole for her to get through. On the other side, virtually every surface had become covered in more of the mess. Slippery in the unpleasant way, but she managed to get through alright.
One thing that she immediately noticed was her inability to move quickly along the surface. Each step was met with a sucking force from the flesh itself that took a lot of effort to overcome. Many ponies who lacked her strength would have become trapped, and consequently pulled into the fleshy growth. A horrible way to go, and one that she definitely wasn't going to stand around thinking about.
Another bellow rattled through the dripping corridor. Whatever it was had to be really cranky, maybe because of that big hole she had just blown in it. "Get over it you big baby. You're going to hurt a lot more before I'm done." Getting there would be a problem though. Each step was agonisingly slow. Now it felt like the floor was really starting to grab at her hooves, though there wasn't much to grip onto at least.
"Come on out my lovelies. I hope you all had sweet dreams..." Fluttershy. At least it was her voice. But what would she be doing up on the station in the middle of a necromorph infestation? Had she lost it in all the chaos? Not unlike yourself Applejack? Don't you feel the chaos creeping into your mind, filling your every thought with my influence?
"Fluttershy? What the hay are you doing on the station?" Her voice faded away into the ambience of the corridor. A heavy squelching sound akin to somepony walking awkwardly across the flesh floor followed. Out from one of the rooms came a heavily bloated necromorph. The face was consistent with what she had come to expect, though the long trail of pink hair splattered in blood made her shiver. The inflated necromorph reared up on its back legs to expose the large, sickly yellow belly. There were things moving around beneath the mottled skin.
"Applejack! It's been so long since we talked! My babies want to see you!" Two giant blades plunged deep into the belly before tearing down to open the body open up. Amidst the blood and internal organs that fell out, three of those infant necromorphs Applejack had encountered before emerged. What little remained of the host fell away in a dead slump.
Applejack didn't even flinch. The only sounds necromorphs could make was that gurgle from their throats. Fluttershy's voice had to be a hallucination then. Another look at the dead body caused the pink mane to vanish. Barbs rushed past her head. An illusion, nothing more. She needed to focus on dealing with the spawn right now.
She blinked momentarily before moving behind a bulkhead for cover. A barb had penetrated the back of her helmet. All she felt was a dull discomfort. "I'm getting real sick of these babies y'know. There's a difference between hating them in general, and hating the ones which try to impale you!" Exposing herself for a moment allowed seven shots to fire off and take down one hanging from the ceiling. Another barb planted deep into her right leg.
The bellow came again. Beneath the fleshy covering, she could hear things moving through the walls. "This is going to get real messy."
A hard kick turned the infant into a pulpy mess of gore. The third barb had gone right into her flank through the cutie mark screen. But the necromorphs were dealt with. Her RIG displayed a low health count. She didn't feel that bad. Not enough to warrant an incessant beeping that indicated she needed to consult medical support soon. At least she was on the medical deck of all places.
More bellowing came. Originally, she had intended to take out whatever had planted into the deck in order to free her shuttle. Now it was about shutting up the constant moaning that made her teeth rattle. She could do with a gel pack or two first to heal the three wounds across her body. Each barb felt incredibly hot like before, but bleeding out wasn't the way to go down at all.
Shall I spare everypony the boredom of watching you spent fifteen minutes searching for some healing gel and just snap some in now? No strings attached, I promise. Two containers were just barely poking out of the flesh. It took a very carefully aimed shot to free them from the floor. The seals were intact at least; it would be awful if she plugged them in only to have necromorph flesh rush out all over her body.
Three squelches followed as each of the barbs fell from her body. The speed at which her RIG repaired itself made the whole process less painful to wait through. "It's about time." She wanted to deal with the beast and grab something to eat. Was that too much to ask? "Alrighty, time to see what's in store for this Apple." Trudging to the end of the corridor was agonisingly slow. Worse, the doors had jammed on all the growth.
"Oh for pony's sake!" An ideal time to have another rocket ready. Instead, she had to resort to pushing the doors open manually through the sick mess. The systems at least hadn't just given up on opening the doors altogether, each centimetre gained made it a bit easier to push. Flesh had begun to build up inside the grooves by the time Applejack squeezed through. It had been easy until the blockage started to fight back; even now, the doors were slowly closing again.
Heat began to build up in her helmet when yet another bellow came. "Okay, that's it! I've had just about en-" A giant tentacle smashed through the corridors before her. The doors had closed completely by then. She was trapped. There was no time to react as several smaller appendages wrapped around her legs and jerked back. Her head hit the floor hard as the tentacle dragged her down in the direction she had been headed.
It wasn't the way she wanted to get to the core of the growth. Each drag gave her a moment's peace, during which she could see the horrors that had gone on during the quarantine. Ponies were impaled into the walls everywhere, most of the time in separate pieces. Scrawls on the walls depicted vivid stories of experiments on infected ponies, and how those experiments broke free. There were far more ponies on the deck than she had even suspected. Unwilling victims of a dark side of Station Luna she was seeing in the full light.
"They burn your flesh. They always watch you. They remove your head, and take your body. It never dies..." The floor vanished beneath her during the latest tug. Torn metal scraped up the back of her helmet from the direction the tentacle pulled her in. There was no gravity in this section to pull her downwards. "What the hay." Without gravity to keep her disorientated, she managed to free herself with some shaky shots to the tentacle.
It had brought her into what used to be the CEC ward of the medical deck. Virtually every level had been ripped out and compressed onto the outer hull to leave room for the monster in front of her. At least a hundred metres across, the tentacle that had dragged her in was only one of at least a dozen. They themselves circled a vast mouth, filled with bones that acted as crunching teeth. Deep at the back, she could just barely see a large glowing sac.
Well this explains why there was a severe lack of necromorphs for you to play with before. Looks like they all came here for one big party. Applejack propelled herself towards one of the walls. A cutter and pistol wouldn't do much against something that big. "Come on Applejack. This is exactly what you trained for, dangerous materials in zero gravity." One of the tentacles smashed down right beside her at that moment, accompanied by another bellow.
A few canisters of stasis were floating around near her. They wouldn't do much good apart from giving her a bit more time to escape the sweeping tentacles. She dodged another attack, this time the movement drew her attention down to the base of the tentacle. Each bore a bright yellow swelling where it connected to the main beast. "Just like the exploders." If they were volatile, a few well-aimed shots could set off a chain reaction.
But she would have to get closer to the maw to avoid hitting the tentacles. Explosions weren't unfamiliar to her, and she seemed to have a knack for escaping them. You really think that you can defeat this growth so easily? Dear Applejack, this is meant to be a game. You're meant to incorporate a level of strategy into these battles. The only strategy she incorporated was a swift recollection of her rodeo days while dodging the flesh attacks. It wasn't too different, save for the fact that there was no gravity, and the 'barrels' constantly moved around.
Her helmet came off again as she passed out into the clear air near the body of the monster. "Let's see how you handle an upset stomach. Yeehaw!" She fired several shots off at the closest swelling. Its matching tentacle reacted by violently smashing around the expansive room. "Come on!" Another round of plasma shots burned deep into the glowing bulge. Fluid began to squirt out in a small stream of droplets that caught fire in a bright flare.
"Oh hayseed..." The chain reaction began as she began flying well away from the tentacles. Her helmet just barely sealed back up before a terrible screech came from the beast. Then, it finally happened. The resulting explosion pinned her down onto the floor under a disgusting layer of blood and liquefied flesh. A sharp length of bone had gone right through her hind leg. But she had survived, and all that remained of the beast was a large gaping hole.
Well, that was rather abrupt. Perhaps there were too many tentacles after all, huh. Applejack had a bit of difficulty pulling the bone free, since it now had her stuck to the wall. "Told ya that I've got my own strategy." She screamed momentarily as the bone tore free. Blood now blobbed out of her suit into the air, but she had enough healing gel left to prevent further bleeding.
She took her time to drift through the fleshy hole. Along the way, valuable supply crates turned up, having survived the organic explosion. Enough to construct some new rockets at least. And more healing gel would be incredibly handy to have, given how often she was getting hurt now. Gravity returned as she passed through the other end of the monster. There the hole had shrunk down to the size of her head, forcing her to squeeze her whole body through a tight flesh opening. An experience she didn't even want to think about ever again.
"Time to get that shuttle free." The nearby bench allowed her to produce enough gel to heal her leg back up, and create nine rockets in total. What remained could go towards repairing the hull damage on the shuttle. At last, things are starting to fall into place. You've defeated the monster of the medical deck, and you are about to obtain a safe method of travel around the station. What could possibly go wrong...?
"What the flipping hay!? Applejack!" Applejack turned away from the bench to see Plasma Blast on her video link again. "We were preparing for re-entry, when I suddenly found myself in the Manehattan Towers! What's going on?" Not for the first time, Applejack's heart stopped. This was one of Discord's tricks. Something to try and make his sick game harder. How long could Plasma hold out?
"Hold on, I'll come with the shuttle and get you. Just find a room without vents, and wait until I get there." She closed the link down to hide her sigh of annoyance. "Discord, you're really starting to try my patience. You said nothing about Plasma having to stay." Come now Applejack, you took down that nice boss that I put time into preparing without much of a fight at all. I need to keep things even.
Her hoof slid off the bench to hit the floor with a firm clap. Even, having to protect Plasma against more necromorphs was his way of making things even? She didn't really know her that long, when she really thought about it. "Don't think about that Applejack, not now. Just fix the shuttle, get over there, and get back to the Central Spire with her." Each step towards the transfer tube though was sluggish, less determined. She had lost her appetite after becoming covered in liquid necromorph, an appetite she wouldn't soon recover.
The silence as she floated out towards the shuttle was very disturbing. Flesh had grown up very close to entangling her vessel from the beast she had defeated. In the midst of it all, she recalled the last time she had been there. Everypony had been alive, and she had just successfully removed the damaged fuel cell. A decent paycheck had been on her mind. How far had she come in such a short amount of time?
"I just wish Heat Plate was here. I'm no expert on repairing spaceships; this is going to be a patch job at best."
It wouldn't win any awards for outstanding work. Nor would it survive anything more than a hard kick. Out in space, beyond the city's shields, micro asteroids would tear her patch job up to shreds. The shuttle's own shields had been disabled to allow them to move it, and she didn't have the parts required to rebuild the generator. But it moved freely, and she could get around in a far safer fashion.
"Time to take this thing out for a spin. I hope that a hundred hours flying was enough to qualify." Straps clipped around her RIG to keep her secure. Gravity plates required too much power to be fitted into the smallest vessels. In this case however, she was willing to put up with the discomfort in order to make her trip over to the Manehattan Towers much faster.
For once, she noticed the silence. Up until that point, either Discord had been speaking; she was fighting off a necromorph, or performing some sort of action that made noise. Travelling back up through the transfer tube was a completely silent process. Not even the small thrusters at the back and front to keep her steady made a noticeable sound inside the tiny cabin. Her breathing was slow and quiet. No noise, nothing.
At last, she exited the station in something a bit more substantial than her security suit. Side by side, the CEC deck looked relatively intact compared to the mess of a medical deck. A close fly-by nearly caused a run in with more necromorphs. These ones glowed, and somehow propelled themselves through space. Anything that glowed seemed to explode; she could do without losing her shuttle not even a minute into flight.
"They always watch you..." This time, the voice in her head was a low whisper, a slight rasp to the voice. She recalled that line from her brief encounter on the medical deck. All of the necromorphs she had seen so far lacked eyes, hunting by some other sense. What good would a necromorph with eyes be to spreading chaos? Considering the prospect of becoming a zoologist, are we Applejack?
The other messages she didn't like at all. Decapitation, burning flesh, and something about never dying. None of those sounded pleasant as far as features for enemies went. She did have a rocket launcher however. Admittedly not the sort of tool she'd harvest apples with, but it certainly did a great job of blowing dead ponies to bits. The only downside was the small amount of rockets she had on her.
"Alrighty then, time to find out where Plasma is hiding out." She positioned the shuttle a good distance out from Manehattan Towers. Each of the tall apartment complexes was ominously dark, highly unusual given how much power those ponies loved to chew up. "Hey Plasma, I'm outside in the shuttle. Do you have a rough idea of where you are? No avoiding the fact that I'll have to walk part of the way, but I'd rather not stay longer than we have to."
No response came. Earlier that day, Applejack would be panicking. But there was a good chance Plasma was doing the smart thing and keeping silent. There was no telling what the Chaotic ponies would do if they found her hiding. A minute passed, nothing came. No momentary flash of a struggle, or a static loop. More importantly, no blare of a terminated RIG.
"I'm here, heard something walk by outside. I'm sure it had a bit of a hiss to it as well, like acid eating away at metal." She looked unhurt for the most part. And under the circumstances, she was keeping a very level head. "I think I ended up somewhere above the promenade. Schematics say that there's a private bay three levels down, it's about a fifteen-minute walk. I could go there now..."
Applejack bit her tongue. That would speed things up, but Plasma didn't have a very strong RIG. Nor did she have a couple of respawns to fall back on. "Just stay there, okay? I think there's some sort of acid necromorph wandering around, it may be what walked by. The engineering RIG's aren't protected against corrosion, this one should be. I'm heading in now."
It took a few moments for the on board computer to track down Plasma's RIG. As she had said, there was a private bay not far from her. "Time to make an unscheduled maintenance check-up." Her stomach lurched briefly when the shuttle began moving again. Once she had gotten over the daunting silence, the peace of just sitting there in space had given her some much-needed rest.
"Docking procedure; commencing." Slowly moving into the gravity area caused a strange sensation through her body. Blood settled back down into her lower body, given her upright position. The docking systems were still active to her relief. Nopony else had gone down to sabotage the core again. "Re-pressurizing docking bay. Welcome to Manehattan Towers."
Applejack freed herself from the harness after a few moments of struggling. Her suit was starting to show signs of wear and tear, but it would last her a while still. "I'm locking my locator onto you now, see you in fifteen minutes. Unless I run into trouble, in fact I can guarantee there'll be trouble." Down the hallway to her left, a sign to indicate stairs just barely flickered bright enough for her to see. Further down, the promenade itself with the spanning view of Equestria's east took hold of her attention briefly.
"Oh, I look absolutely horrid! Applejack, please help me!" Applejack turned to see a large ball of what looked like acid flying right at her helmet. It caught the covering of her ponytail instead, splattering all over her suit with a loud hiss. Worse, the resulting corrosion caused the suit to lock up tightly. Her movement was restricted to a very laboured and slow walk while a nasty unicorn charged towards her.
Out of all the varied necromorphs she had faced, this one was truly the most horrific. The front hooves hung limply to each side, replaced by internal organs and bones to form thicker legs. Acid had eaten away at the twisted limbs, most of the body in fact lacked skin from the oozing liquid. Enough remained of the cutie mark to identify Rarity as the one coming towards her.
"Consarnit Rarity, I told you that being fussy wouldn't work out in the end." It took five shots from the cutter just to take out one of the front legs. Another acid ball flew back in response. A mix of horn magic and actual vomit. This time Applejack managed to avoid it, albeit very awkwardly as the acid continued to battle against her suit's repair system.
Another series of shots broke her mangled horn off altogether. There was no hesitation, no moment of regret. Only a cold stare as the necromorph that resembled Rarity crawled towards her. "Applejack... Am I still, beautiful?" Applejack recalled the early hours of the outbreak. She had been hesitant to take off the limbs of the dead, to preserve herself. That was a stupid decision, one she wouldn't repeat.
"Sure, sure you're beautiful..." The crunch of Applejack's hoof crushing its skull down into tiny pieces seemed to echo around the hallway. Taking out necromorphs had become a routine. Something she knew how to do, quite well in fact. "Shame that you always took that for granted in the end. Enjoy being an acid face in Tartarus." She wiped the remaining traces of acid on her hoof into the floor and proceeded onward.
"You haven't said anything for a while now Discord. Why don't I like that?" She didn't get a response. Not even a faint laugh of something unexpected and bad awaiting her. Nothing crawled in the vents when she entered the lift at least. Either most of the necromorphs had gone back to the medical deck, or they were fighting the barracks. The government ring could potentially detach from the station, but that process took days. They wouldn't have days at the rate those things could tear through the station.
She began to move upward. Again, she found herself recalling an earlier memory. Hiding in the lift for hours after being attacked by Loud Mouth's remains. All it took was seeing a close friend come back as one of them to tip her over the edge. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and now Rarity. They stopped being her friends after they defeated Discord. They turned their backs on her for their own lives.
Applejack turned to the doors when they opened to see Sweetie Belle's head crawl past on a set of tentacles. A choked scream soon followed, one she recognized quite well. "Oh horseapples. Hold on Plasma!" It was hard to gallop around the debris and body parts. She had to. They remove your head, and take your body. "No, I won't let it happen."
She rounded a corner to see the corridor where her locator had pointed. Plasma's head popped off at that moment, rolling towards her until it stopped. Sweetie Belle's head implanted itself into the body, her cutie mark becoming distorted in the process. "Well done Applejack, you finally see the price of cheating. You broke the rules by not playing properly, and now I get to have some fun."
Discord snapped his claw, restoring Plasma to her original state. A twitcher rushed down the hallway and proceeded to shred her in much the same way Applejack recalled dying herself. Throughout, Discord was laughing hysterically from a beach chair he had materialized. Another reset followed, this time an exploder came and turned the unicorn into tiny bits of flesh that flew everywhere.
Applejack's helmet folded away to expose her face of pure rage. This was beyond a sick game. "That's it." Her hoof twisted up to shove the barrel of the rocket launcher right into her chin. "Stop it Discord, right now. Or I will blow my head off until this game is over. I don't give a flying buck about what you say; I will not play for one more second unless you stop torturing Plasma! You hear me?"
For once, Discord took her threat without merely laughing. It was clear in the way he vanished the beach chair and strode over. "You won't do that. Because if you do, Plasma will die anyway. Face it Applejack, you cheated. and you now have a price to pay. This is how the game goes, suck it up and keep moving." He turned away to continue watching Plasma's many deaths. Applejack primed the rocket launcher with a firm click.
"No. You want a price to pay? Take my chances then! I don't need 'em. Undo what you've done to Plasma, or else the game is over. You can't force me to play!" Discord grabbed her throat in a fierce grip. Despite the choking, she was determined to hold her ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Rarity dissolve Plasma from the inside out, both of them vomiting uncontrollably.
It all vanished in a flash of light. Plasma huddled behind a small barricade of boxes, and there was no sign of any fresh carnage. Discord remained, plain as day to her. "This isn't over Applejack. Remember, your goal is to find out what is causing this. And you have no chances to fall back on now, I suggest you take more care if you want to survive." Another flash marked his exit.
"Oh yeah, I'll show you Discord. Nopony gets the hoof over Applejack!" Her body still felt hot from the anger rush. It had a bad effect on her empty stomach. But she had succeeded, to some degree at least. She could stand up to Discord alone, and survive. Plasma on the other hoof... "Hey, you okay there?" Applejack stumbled over what remained of a filly's head before making it to the barricade.
Plasma looked dazed and confused. Her expression changed as she finally saw Applejack there in front of her. "Who were you shouting at? Everypony here has been dead for hours, and I haven't heard anything on the radio." Applejack chewed on her lip. She had completely forgotten that other ponies didn't know Discord was behind it. And she didn't need anypony thinking that she had gone Chaotic under the stress.
"I'm okay, just a little tired. Let's just get moving before anything else decides to pay a visit." As an extra precaution, she pulled a few blades off a pile of dead necromorphs. They slipped into a makeshift holster tied around her body by Plasma. "I'm fine. This has been a really stressful day, and I've gone a while without food. No need to worry about me, okay?"
In the rush to find Plasma, Applejack had missed a lot of the chilling details that depicted Manehattan Tower's downfall. An audio log from one of the riot security guards mentioned the necromorph she had seen converting the dead bodies. On every wall, last letters to loved ones mixed in with disturbing mantras and delusions. It seemed rather surprising that even the high class of Equestria had their share of Chaotic ponies.
"I wish I could be there, because she is hungry... She never grows old. I don't think anypony could make sense of this." Applejack stopped paying attention to the writings after the first few minutes of walking. It didn't deter her younger companion from scanning the writings with her RIG's sensor. "Hey, Applejack. Will we be okay when we get back home? What if this spreads to Equestria, they tore through the defences here without much trouble at all."
Applejack paused to hide a wince cross her face. She didn't want to consider that possibility that everything she had done would be for nothing. "There's plenty of food at Sweet Acres. And while we farm the traditional way, we do have some-" Something ran across the corridor, roughly ten metres in front of them. The familiar three points of cyan light went up immediately.
Oddly enough, she was about to mention their investment in advanced security systems following the last changeling battle. That had made it all the way to Ponyville. Another battle awaited her here and now. Plasma's own weapon, the vacuum flame-thrower had a very short range, and from the look of it no fuel either. This was the moment she didn't want, having to show her how necromorphs went down.
"I swear, if this is you Twilight, you know I won't hesitate to fire. After what you did at the end of the war..." Against the faint light down at the other end of the corridor, she saw the familiar blade go up. Applejack didn't need a second hint, blasting off the limb with a single shot. "I told you I wouldn't hesitate!" Every other necromorph had made some attempt to crawl towards her when injured. This one didn't.
A muffled screech of pain came from that direction instead. It was a sound she hadn't heard before, at least not from any monster. Plasma recognized the sound immediately. "Applejack, is that really a... changeling?" Applejack wasn't taking any chances. She cautiously turned her headlamp on to light up a wounded changeling indeed. A nasty burn scar ran down its side where the blast had struck. Instead of screaming for help however, it deliberately buried its face into the floor to conceal any sound.
Applejack's jaw began to shudder. Sure, they were enemies on Equestria. But she had never actually shot a changeling herself, or any living pony for that matter. The way it acted, and the fact that it hadn't charged towards them aggressively. "Oh Celestia... It must've disguised itself as one of the slashers, to hide from them. I almost killed another living being, hiding like you were." Until then, she had come to accept the carnage around her. This was the splash of reality that woke her up to what she had become. A heartless pony, who merely shot anything that moved.
Plasma by then had moved to the changeling's side. It wore the typical RIG of their own race, a sleek nano-fibre suit that granted them invisibility, as well as making their changed forms harder to detect. "She's alive; I don't think the blast went deep, because you shot a false limb." She removed a tiny jar of somatic gel from her belt to rub into the wound. Changelings could regenerate from wounds over a matter of hours, but they didn't have that long.
"Okay, uh. Put her across my back, I've carried far heavier things. Once we're out in space, we can tend to the wound. The shuttle is pretty darn small, but there's enough room to lie her down comfortably." She still had a moment of discomfort over helping the insect pony. It was no different from any other pony trapped on the station though. Another survivor that needed help, and one who could be incredibly valuable in a fight. Numbers won the war for ponies, nothing more.
The changeling remained silent as Plasma used her kinesis to rest her on Applejack's back. RIGs weren't exactly known for their saddle comfort, the holster softened some of the weight at least. "It's okay, we're helping you." There was no struggle from their unexpected visitor, whether it was a sign of willing to trust them, or just pure spite neither pony could determine.
Carrying a pony around slowed their 'fifteen minute' journey down to a laboured trot. Ten years ago, before she joined the CEC Academy, she could have galloped with that weight. She wasn't breaking a sweat at least, that on top of her gain in weight would be a real embarrassment. "Y'know how the necromorphs can be melted down to make big ones, like the one I fought before? What if the big ones can break back off into pony shaped killers?"
She felt a jerk on her back. So the changeling could hear well enough to catch her jinx. "Fine, I'm sorry. It's just a little hard to stay optimistic when you've got lots of mutant ponies trying to stab you in the face." There were no further complaints until they lowered her onto the floor of the lift. Applejack recoiled from the snarl before grunting back. "I'll assume that you're upset at me for shooting you. For the record, it isn't a good idea to look like a necromorph when approaching armed survivors. Just be glad I didn't use the rocket launcher."
Plasma took the chance to examine her RIG more thoroughly in the meantime. "It doesn't protect against damage anywhere near as well as our designs. But it's definitely a lot lighter. You know, I heard rumours they were working on a prototype advanced suit up in the barracks. Sounded like they borrowed some ideas from our friend here on the design. But hey, I work with tools, what do I know."
The idea stuck in Applejack's head while the changeling was lifted onto her back again. Her security suit worked well enough, but she did have a few close calls. Maybe it would be a good idea to follow up on those rumours. A pain in her back from the extra weight reminded her of their situation. The walk from the lift to the small docking bay was far shorter than up above at least.
It took some time to work out how exactly Applejack's impression of letting the changeling lie on the floor would really work while moving. Eventually Plasma settled on lying her across two of the three seats in the back, leaving the last for herself. All the while, both had their fair share of snaps and other growls of displeasure from their new addition to the group.
"Strange, Discord hasn't said a single word since he vanished." Applejack covered her whisper with a few random checks before taking the shuttle out again. "So uh, you just going to remain silent on us? Again, I'm sorry I shot you. But there isn't much point in being enemies right now, is there? We have a huge problem to deal with, so are you going to help us, or just be a moody grump who is better off in an escape pod by herself?"
The head turn of defiance marked the end of the one-sided conversation. Plasma lurched as the shuttle pulled out of the docking bay back into space. Her time in small class craft was minimal. It then occurred to her that this was the first time she had been alone with Applejack since she found out about Air Head. Apart from the changeling of course, but she hadn't said anything, or threatened them directly.
"Applejack, about Air Head... I think you did the right thing. If you hadn't done it, I might've gone and joined him. It's just uh, you looked disturbed before. All that shouting at nothing, and the way you were talking over the radio." A long-winded sigh followed as the outer ring passed below them. The central spire filled the forward view as they continued to approach.
"Look I... I did what I had to. He was too far gone to save; it has nothing to do with my odd behaviour. Like I said, just a little hungry and tired." Oh, you're far more than that Applejack. You're insane. You're angry. You feel like you're burning up inside, waiting to explode. How long Applejack? How long until you just snap like a twig and go mental? How long until you go and cut Plasma's head off like you cut Air's off? Tell me Applejack! Tell us all!
An alarm went off as the shuttle passed by a piece of debris. Applejack recognized it as part of the large necromorph blown out of the repair bay. "Don't worry, just an arm. The patch job is on the other side anyway, we'll be fine." Would the changeling survive if the shuttle evacuated? Plasma's RIG was airtight, but she hadn't seen any sign of a foldout helmet on the nano suit.
"Arriving at Central Spire, Communications Level. Welcome." Applejack got herself out quickly to keep an eye on the changeling. She continued to remain silent, and avoided eye contact with both ponies. "Multiple RIG signals detected. Applejack, CEC Zero Gravity Engineer, Rank Six. Plasma Blast, CEC Tool Mechanics Specialist, Rank Five. Unidentified guest." Applejack groaned as she turned to look at the 'guest'. "Warning, unauthorized use of communication systems is strictly prohibited. Proceed with caution."
Plasma had carefully gotten out by then. "Great, should I stay here and keep her company? Or do you need me to do some fancy hacking again, like I did for that suit of yours?" A scoff came amidst sparks as the security system went into standby. Applejack leaned against an open panel in her moment of pride. "Fine, babysitting a grumpy changeling that you shot up sounds perfectly reasonable."
Applejack returned to the nearest computer screen. Most of the channels had gone offline as the necromorphs destroyed system after system. The main intercom and radio relays still worked; there was no reason that the government ring couldn't make announcements based on technical trouble. "I knew it. They were deliberately keeping silent to cover up what was going on at the medical deck."
"... and you're sure they were headed for the spire?" A voice, not the computer's voice. A genuine pony's voice. "We cannot afford to let her get near the Research Lab. You know what will happen in that case. Keep trying to stall her, we are so close to understanding..." The transmission ended. She didn't need to hear more. It only took a few sentences to recognize the voice, that particular way of speaking.
"Twilight... you bitch. You and your bucking inquisitive nature. You've gone too far this time; this makes the changeling war seem like nothing." Well done Applejack, you've worked out who is behind the disaster on this station. Now, it's time for you to complete the game. Find out what they are researching, and do what must be done. Applejack glanced down at her rocket launcher again. For a moment, she had begun to return to sanity. That moment was long gone now.
"Twilight? As in Princess, Twilight Sparkle?" Plasma was shocked to hear the changeling speak, given her silence until that moment. It was indeed feminine, and sounded like any other changeling. Only very, very upset. "You mean that, the one who killed a quarter of my kindred in one move... is running this station?" Four faint clicks as she got to her hooves echoed through the silent room.
Each step from there made no sound at all. Pure stealth, even when she had to be furious. Level-headedness like that was incredible to Applejack. "It seems that way. I figured she did the right thing and just exiled herself forever." She turned to find herself nose to nose with the changeling. Her green eyes matched the lines in her RIG. Deadly and precise. The sort of green that ponies associated with extreme danger.
No sign of emotion crossed those green eyes as she spoke. "I was sent here to investigate the medical deck. I saw evidence of experiments, on not just ponies and changelings, griffons and dragons too. I didn't think any of you could be that heartless, except for her." The stare became a brief snarl. "Do you really hate her, as much as I do? As much as any changeling does? Not just for what she did on Equestria, but here too?"
The question burned deep into her mind. Changelings fed on love; hate was practically poison to them. "We were friends, before Discord showed up." For changelings to actually hate a pony, it didn't seem possible. "She changed, refused to speak to me anymore. And when the war broke out..." Twilight had done something to allow Discord's necromorphs to start wreaking havoc on a station full of innocent ponies. Princesses weren't supposed to do that.
Well well, this is interesting. Applejack is turning on a former friend of hers. Over what? A few thousand ponies is nothing compared to the destruction wrought upon the changelings. Surely, the degree of hate would be marginal in comparison. Plasma watched the two sets of green eyes continue to stare back at each other from a safe distance. Most of their conversation didn't make sense to her, but she gathered enough to treat the situation very carefully.
Oh right, you're insane. You don't have clear judgement, you can be as angry as you like. You can go on a murderous rampage without a second thought. Why don't you Applejack? I want to see just how much chaos you can wreak. "Cope Shade." The changeling backed away from Applejack to nod her head in greeting. "I don't care if I kill her, or somepony else does. I just want to tell my kindred that she is dead."
"That sounds fair to me. And I promise you, only one of us is going to get off the station. Princess my hoof, she's been warped by Discord, and it's time to put her out of her misery." Another transmission drew Applejack back to the screen. The cruiser that the CEC survivors had taken back down to Equestria. Already it was clear that something was terribly wrong.
"-sealed her in the aft compartment. We lost five ponies already, can't hold out much... Celestia! Seal the doors-" It cut short at that point. Tracking cameras took over, displaying the shuttle in re-entry. A few tense seconds passed. The camera zoomed in as a bright flare up from the shuttle caused it to disintegrate completely. Fifty ponies, her co-workers, and friends. Gone, because of Twilight.
It stung her heart deeply, for a time she couldn't determine if it was out of grief, or plain disappointment. Shade had returned to the shuttle by then to tend to the shrinking wound. She was making no secret about how little she cared about the ship's demise. "Am I to be given a weapon? Or are you just going to tell me to kill necromorphs with stealth alone, when you really mean that I'm not trustworthy."
Plasma passed a cutter over from her holster. "I prefer the flamethrower anyway." Applejack had no complaints about her initiative. Giving a weapon over to a member of a race, who for all intents and purposes, hated ponies with a vengeance. I told you so Applejack. You're really losing touch with reality now. No sane pony would just do something like that, even in your situation.
"I think we're done here." Applejack made her way back towards the shuttle with Plasma. A map opened up from her RIG to display the station. "If we go down to the far end of Manehattan Towers, we can push through the barracks and open up a dock in the government ring from the nearest computer access. The tram should still be intact; we head back and take the shuttle right past the line of fire."
One of the vents smashed outward towards their left. One of the small necromorphs crawled through the walls on their right. Another vent smashed, followed by the distinct sound of four bloody hooves landing on the floor. They would have had to cross through the vacuum in order to reach them. All that time, Applejack had counted on them needing to breathe for safety. Now, not even the shuttle was completely safe.
"Sounds good, can we get moving before I start searching desperately for flame fuel?" A slasher came uncomfortably close to impaling Applejack before she jumped into the pilot's seat. Plasma was about to relax when the back doors slammed shut on half of a twitcher. It moved for a few moments, before quivering into motionless. "I guess it was too badly damaged from being crushed in half. At least there isn't a carpet to get bloodstains on."
Several necromorphs caught fire as the shuttle turned around to leave, bringing the engines into the face of the horde. A few loud knocks on the hull left all three occupants in a tense state. None of the barbs penetrated, and the remaining necromorphs didn't try to cross the atmospheric forcefield. It wasn't until they were far from the spire that a union of sighs released.
"That was too close. You okay back there?" Save for the carcass, they looked fine. Those who can keep their head in a crisis survive. But can you Applejack? You've been doing quite well up until now. You could have easily dealt with those necromorphs and not risk a getaway like that. But you panicked, ran for your life. Plasma was ill prepared that time. What about next time? "Next time, we'll have a good supply of weapons."
The shuttle's video receiver began to flash. Who would be trying to contact them at that moment? There was an exchange of glances before Applejack opened it. "Twilight. You've got two seconds to explain yourself before I close this down for good." She hadn't changed since the end of the war. A laser blast had gone through her left eye, unfortunately missing her brain in the process. That had been covered by a mere purple strip of cloth since.
"Applejack, you don't know what you're doing. That weapon, I did not build it. We found it, buried deep below Canterlot. I had no idea what it did, or how it worked. But it wasn't alone. Discord wants you near the other artifact we found, the one we're trying to recreate here, to understand how the weapon works. He's messing with your head." Applejack hesitated on cutting her off just briefly. She knew Discord had an influence on her mind.
Oh, am I now? Remember Applejack, you were there. You may not have fought, but you saw that Twilight knew exactly what she was doing. All this pish-posh about 'finding' the weapon is just to throw you off. Another hurdle in the game if you will. Take my advice, and ignore the one who doesn't control the game. Her hoof pressed down on the panel. Twilight looked like she was about to protest when the signal terminated.
"Horseapples, I saw her use it. I never heard about any excavation under Canterlot." Her decision seemed to please Shade greatly. For once, the changeling was smiling instead of staring directly ahead in a trance like state. Plasma wasn't so easily convinced, but chose not to say anything. Applejack knew how to handle the situation better than anypony else they had found so far, despite her increasingly strange behaviour.
The shuttle settled down in a larger dock that connected to the tram station, just like she had described before. Shade was first out to scout the area in front of them. At last, a helmet made of the same material as her suit slid out from under her suit in a very fluid move. What the changelings lacked in defence, they made up for in sleek and smooth mechanics. Applejack wasn't sure if she felt sick over admiring it or not.
"It's clear in our vicinity, but I hear a lot of commotion in the direction we are headed. I would say they are holding onto the final quarter of the barracks. I would sneak past through the vents, but they have undoubtedly been sealed by now. And I would prefer not to run into any more necromorphs, or get mistaken for one again." Applejack winced just briefly. That last part had been deliberate; at least Shade was waiting for her opinion.
She pulled the station map up again, zooming in on the barracks deck before them. Vents would ironically be the fastest way to get around the main staging areas. "Let's get some weapons better suited to cutting off limbs first. Security will probably try to take us prisoner on Twilight's orders too; I'd say that hiding would be the best option." A restricted zone around the middle of the deck caught her attention. The testing lab for the advanced RIG perhaps?
Still drooling over a suit that may or may not even exist? Please Applejack, for everypony's sake. Try and get your priorities straight. Shade shook her shoulder violently. "Applejack, I can hear them in the vents, we need to move now!" An odd-looking necromorph entered the small pool of light. Weird, disfigured beams of light poured from the eye sockets, accompanying a ringing in her ears.
"Applebloom? But, what are you doing here sis? Why aren't you back home at Sweet Apple Acres? It's not safe here." A slasher ran by, ignoring both Applebloom and herself. All the while, her red haired sister continued to approach slowly. "They always watch you... Applebloom, what does that mean? Who is always watching us?" Her left hoof reached out as she drew closer. Just a little more, and she could touch her sister…
Plasma's hoof connected with her jaw firmly. Applebloom vanished from her view, replaced by a rather furious Shade. "Snap out of it! I've seen changelings go mad this way. We need you alive! Now get moving!" Plasma used her magic to give Applejack a much needed kick start on the sprint out of Manehattan Towers. Enjoy your last hour of sanity. Soon, you'll join me in my realm of Chaos. Twilight is waiting for you.
A trail of blood was running down her face. The slasher blade had gone through her helmet at the last moment when forcing the armoury door closed. She felt little more than a faint sting over the adrenaline. On the other side of the door, a couple of slashers continued to attack before moving on. Gunfire further down the deck eventually drew their attention away.
"That was too close. Either of you hurt? Cope?" Shade motioned her head towards Applejack's own wound between scavenging some of the bodies. A lot of the weapons had already been cleaned out. A quick glance showed that lot of the weapons had already been taken. By then, Plasma had retrieved a gel pack from the bench. She too noted the injury to her head. "Oh for hay's sake, it can't be that bad surely."
Sparks flew from her helmet as she tried to close it down. A quick reflex pulled it free to roll off to the side. The unicorn glanced at it briefly before starting to apply gel directly to her head. "That slash must've hit some vital circuitry. I should be able to repair it, but you're going to need something better if you're making a habit of getting stabbed." Applejack took a glance at her health read out once Plasma had finished applying the gel. It had gone down past the halfway mark.
"Okay, fine. Maybe it was a little rough. Just don't fuss over me okay, I've been torn to shreds before, remember?" Shade got up from the body pile with a mangled pulse rifle. It still felt odd that she was so calm with the changeling just picking up deadly weapons in front of her. Worse, she showed no interest in opening the crates and cupboards. Only pony bodies.
"Can you repair this too? I was a sniper in the war, this is the closest that I can find to my style. Cutters and other dangerous tools don't work in my favour." Both ponies were now occupied at the bench, leaving Applejack to herself. The scene was making her head spin. Maybe it had something to do with Plasma's punch that broke the illusion, or the pile of bodies in the corner.
A set of cutting blades caught her eye. In a desperate situation, it would be a lot easier to fire off a ripper than her plasma cutter. "So tell me Cope, didn't the changelings crack invisibility before the war? It's been some time now, I would've thought you'd perfected the technology. Why disguise as a necromorph, instead of just staying invisible altogether?" A bit of searching turned up her ripper. This came with its own saddle harness, sitting on her left side behind her shoulder.
Shade took her time to respond in between helping Plasma with the repairs. "We have perfected it, though there are some unavoidable problems. It doesn't recharge properly beyond Equestria and the Lunar surface for one, and it didn't seem to fool those things anyway for another. Though, it might fool those guards, if that's what you're thinking." She flashed a grin in her direction. Applejack couldn't conceal her shudder.
Something very large ran past the door. Metal being torn and crushed followed that, accompanied with some screams and excessive gunfire. "I don't think we'll have to deal with the guards anymore. But I sure as hay don't want to thank whatever did us that favour." The ripper harness folded out to her side, accompanied by the typical laser pointers. These ones were fixed forward, a small inconvenience she didn't mind much.
Ah, saw blades make a much bloodier mess. How delightful, enjoy soaking your body in blood. Her vision flashed orange. Applebloom was back, blood dripping all over her body. This time, a very faint voice escaped the mouth still pouring out an evil light. "Why did you leave us big sis? Why did you run away to a space station when we needed you most?" Without warning, she leapt onto Applejack with frightening speed. Why are we going to die!?"
"Hey Applejack, everything okay?" Applejack lowered her hooves from the momentary struggle to get Applebloom off. They had finished repairing the helmet by then. Plasma took the time to replace it on her head. After a few moments of beeping, it reintegrated into her RIG. "We're just about done with the rifle too. I'd say we're set to go, hopefully the necromorphs have moved on ahead. You still up for this?"
"Yeah, just a bit of a headache. Come on, I wanna get this over and done with." Nothing loud walked by outside the door. There was always the chance that one of the small necromorphs was lurking around, but she had two other ponies to watch her back now. The door opened without a scene. No barbs flew through. Apart from the remains of the necromorph that stabbed her, nothing moved.
No screams either. Either the guards had managed to retreat to the government ring, or the large necromorph had wiped them out entirely. More carnage lay ahead, this time with a very distinctive pattern. Many of the bodies had been crushed down to pulp by brute force. A few of the barricades had been punched right through. It was definitely a beast none of them wanted to face.
"I don't hear anything large approaching. They still haven't sensed our presence behind them yet." A gutted corpse dropped down in front of them out of nowhere. Three different weapon sights flicked around the room. Shade cursed under her breath. At least, Plasma guessed it was a curse. She often muttered things in the changeling language, more often than not in place of swearing.
The loud beat of two heavy legs began again, this time in their direction. "I take that back. Move!" Each pound shook the floor plates underneath her hooves. Shade used her wings to take up position in an overhanging vent. "Applejack! Ignore the illusions, take cover!" Once again, the orange flashes kept her fixated on the busted doors as an absolute brute charged through.
It wasn't a pony though, at least not entirely. "AJ? You gonna move lil sis?" A dragon, she recognized what remained of the head between two heavily armoured front legs. And yet, she was hearing Big Mac's voice. "Better get moving, there's apples that need bucking back home." A swing sent her sprawling across the deck into a support pillar.
"Use your stasis! I can't get a clear shot!" It was charging for her again. Her right leg had been pulled by the impact; she still had use of her left. I hope you're right about this Cope, otherwise I'm toast. A single burst of stasis hit the beast right in the chest. She hadn't seen stasis affect organic life in a combat situation until now, and the result was spectacular. Just like slow motion effects in the movies, only this time it was the one thing saving her from a grizzly death.
An explosion disrupted that moment of awe. One of the meaty arms flew off as the stasis wore off. The other burned off under a jet of fire. For a moment, she had forgotten that her respawns had been traded off for Plasma's life. "You're welcome." Shade was hanging upside down from the vent, blowing off smoke from the centre barrel of her rifle. "I didn't know these things had a grenade launcher built into them, until now."
More necromorphs were returning to clean up, or perhaps make the mess bigger. Once again, the two standing ponies pulled Applejack up between them. "Thanks gals, I just need a moment to put my leg back in place. Let's get that advanced RIG, shall we?" Barbs began to hit the pillar. By now, it felt like a calling card of the necromorph horde.
From memory, they were only a couple of corridors from the lab in question. Come on Applejack, please! You have become obsessed with that silly suit! It's not going to keep you alive in the end, sooner or later you will succumb to Chaos. This time she didn't have much of an opportunity to stop and talk back to Discord. Nor did she need or want one. She had a promise to a changeling to keep, and a young unicorn to save.
"Applejack, I'm warning you again. Do not enter the government ring, do you hear me? Discord is using you, he wants the way open to-" Twilight sounded more desperate this time around. None of them would hear any of it. Her fate was decided, and given that the rest of the station was pretty much dead anyway, they didn't have too much to lose.
Another grenade helped fend off the approaching slashers while they stumbled into the RIG room. In the middle stood a suit synthesiser, several tubes and cords of all colours ran into it with the necessary materials in liquid form. Plasma and Shade spread out to do a quick search of the room. Applejack took the moment to lean back against the door and admire the technology in front of her.
Plasma took her time to admire it as well before returning to her side. "No vents, let's get your leg back in place and into the machine. That impact took your health down to critical; I don't have any more gel to heal you." She watched as unicorn magic lifted her pulled leg up. "This is going to hurt." The pain that came with her shoulder being shoved back into place made that sound like an understatement. Even Shade found herself wincing at the cry.
Applejack's vision was blurry from there while they took her towards the machine. "Excuse me for doing this, but it looks like this machine doesn't remove RIG's first." More magic began to peel her security suit away from her body. Fresh air touched her skin after constant hours of being protected by the inner lining of suits. It felt odd to not have anything on after all that time, at least now she could actually see her cutie mark.
The doors to the machine opened in waiting. Shade stood by the controls while she walked over awkwardly. Her hooves felt so small now, no weapons, no stasis, no kinesis. "Let's do this. I'm coming for you Twilight, and I'll take this station down too if need be." She turned around and let the machine close up around her. Liquids from the tubes began to pour in around her, followed by waves of energy that caused them to solidify into a sort of second skin she barely even felt. "I can make up for all the bad I've done at least."
Light poured back in as the doors opened. She expected to be lowered back down onto all four hooves like usual, though that didn't happen this time. And yet, she wasn't falling over. "This advanced RIG contains an experimental spine. Subjects are able to walk on two legs, instead of four. Please use caution when switching between normal and bipedal motion."
14. Madness Reigns on High
"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."
Two guards stood to either side of a large bulkhead. It had been primed to close. They were probably waiting for the order to seal off the royal deck from the rest of the ring. "Hey, you really think we're gonna make it out of this? I mean, isn't Applejack one of the old Elements?" The second guard shrugged from his relaxed position, leaning against the wall.
"I heard she's got a Changeling on their team, damn scum. Yeah, I think we'll make it out alright. But I wouldn't mind crushing another bug before we go." Two shots came out from the darkness. One drove right through the first guard's head to leave a nasty hole that a straw could be poked through cleanly. The other pulled the second guard's shoulder out, bringing him down to the ground.
"Funny, I enjoy crushing bugs too." A nano-fibre protected hoof crushed his head down to the metal with a firm stomp. "Though it seems that we have different opinions on what defines a bloodsucking monster." Shade retrieved the security key from his corpse while Applejack rushed in to get the other. There was no question about killing living ponies now. Twilight had rearranged the security teams before to ensure she had her own compliment of loyal soldiers.
Applejack had mixed feelings about Shade's obvious aptitude with military weapons. Two very clean and deadly shots from a semi-automatic rifle. "It's all clear Plasma. Let's get through before they close it down on their end." She made a swift break for the corridor from her hiding spot inside a cleaner's cupboard. Applejack nodded to Shade, both of them swiping cards at either side to activate the door controls. A few twitchers came close, none of them making it through before the bulkhead sealed.
"-eached the bulkhead. Moving in to set up defence perimeter. Request permission to destroy tramlines into research lab. Out." Applejack couldn't catch the sender's frequency, but at least they had caught that vital piece of information. There was nothing about a research lab with tramlines on the map though, and she certainly didn't see any signs of one near the government ring while outside in space.
She checked again to be absolutely sure. Nothing. "I don't get it, they could have easily kept it off any of the maps available, but surely we'd be able to see it." The others had become fixated on looking through one of the inner windows. "Girls, I swear there's nothing-" Right before her eyes, a giant column seemed to materialize right out of space inside the ring. "-there."
One of them at least recognized just what was going on. "Cloaking technology. They must've stolen and adapted it from Changeling vessels to hide the lab. Whatever it is they're hiding must be generating incredible energy to power it." Three of the tramlines in view exploded before their eyes. The fourth presumably was either out of sight, or being spared for the rest to retreat into the lab.
"There goes our path to the lab. Unless..." Applejack pulled up the map again for them to see. "Typical protocol says to take all maintenance vessels to the safest dock. There should be a few with powerful kinesis tethers..." Beneath the cyan glow of her helmet, a smile was growing. Plasma caught onto her idea with no hesitation on protesting. "To quote a cliché, we might just be able to bring them to us."
Shade backed away from them both. "Whoa whoa. That thing must weigh millions of tons. You really think the government ring can withstand an impact that heavy, even at a mere kilometre an hour? And what about just flying in?" Applejack was on the move again towards the royal docks by then. "You know, this is a stupid plan! But what the Tartarus, we're probably going to die soon anyway. Come on Plasma, let's follow her."
She was in full gallop after going back to her normal pose. Good thinking Applejack, pave the way for the necromorphs to charge in and wreak Chaos on the lab. Soon, you'll have all the answers you wanted, and the game will end. I promise. The royal deck was completely free of carnage. No scrawls in blood, no body parts lying around. There was plenty of luggage strewn about from the panicked evacuation however.
Things looked far worse in the docking bay. A few ships had been destroyed by collisions, probably during the power failure. Four of the kinesis shuttles had survived. "Great, we'll jump in one each. You two take the sides and keep it stable, I'll do the pulling. They did cover moving giant objects with these things in my course, just so you know." By now, she was eager to carry out her plan. It had to work, if the lab had cloaking technology, it would undoubtedly have anti-spacecraft defences too. That wouldn't stop them from merely walking over though.
The others were only just entering the dock by the time she lifted her shuttle off the ground. Both front hooves controlled two separate kinesis 'cannons' that moved freely from the front. "Trust me, this will work. I bet Twilight's in the lab, it seems to be the most reinforced part of the entire station. And remember, this is the last thing I'm asking of you." She had little doubt in her mind that she wouldn't be walking out of the lab. Given how much energy it had to be producing, an explosion would destroy the whole station, and any necromorphs they missed.
"If you say so AJ." The trio of shuttles flew out into space in a line. Shade was quick to work out their trajectory. "There's a reinforced dock there in government sector. I'd say that's the best place to crash this into." Soon, all three were in formation above the government deck. One of the tramlines ran between the dock mentioned, and a heavy bulkhead on the lab itself. A clear shot inward.
"Alrighty then, get ready." Three sets of kinesis tethers locked firmly onto the hull of the lab. Shots hadn't been fired at them, yet. "Activating reverse thrusters, full strength... now!" If they hadn't seen her before, they certainly wouldn't have to look hard now. Four engines burning off at once would produce a notable heat signature, and a lot of visible light. Applejack had to activate the sun visor on her helmet to keep her sight intact.
But the idea was working. With the others providing balance, and extra pull, they were successfully pulling the huge structure back towards her. "What the hay are you doing Applejack!? You cannot open the way for those things to get in here. If they manage to trigger Convergence, Discord will-" This time Applejack didn't cut Twilight off. More likely she was thrown about as the lab complex slammed hard into the government ring. Several minor explosions around the edges conveniently fused the twisted and torn metal together into a rough seal.
"We can celebrate when we get back to the dock. I'd rather not stick out here longer than necessary." While flying back, she could already see necromorphs making their way around the other side of the ring, through the founder's deck. Tell you what Applejack, as a reward for your diligence, I will return one of your respawns. Only this time, you won't have to die. You'll simply recover all of your health and move on, simple as that. Oh, and I've unlocked the unicorn cruiser for your friends. They'll make it back to Equestria safely, you have my word.
She touched down in the dock with a building level of joy. At last, the chance to undo the damage done, and save the last survivors of the outbreak. Plasma had already gotten out and hurried over, Shade soon joined them. "Well, here we are girls. That cruiser there will take you back to Equestria. Just stick around long enough for my last transmission, then get as far away as possible. I'm gonna make sure nothin's left of this station."
Two hooves were thrown around her neck at that moment, not severed ones to her relief. "There's always a chance you'll make it out though, right? I mean magic does wonders, even for earth ponies." Her helmet folded away to feel Plasma's cheek against hers. Possibly the last contact with another living being she'd ever have. That was why she couldn't leave after all. It was up to her to ensure that Equestria had a future.
As she slipped away to attend to the ship, their changeling friend stepped forward. "Applejack. Might I say that, before today..." She paused to swallow what could have been pride. "I saw ponies as nothing more than murderers, concerned only for their own kind. You opened my eyes, I won't forget that. Should we meet again, you have my full support." A glimmer of a smile formed on Applejack's face as she held her hoof out. It was met with a shake, one not just of friends, but also of resolving differences.
"Take care of yourself Cope. Tell Equestria what happened here. And please... don't let them make me into some sort of a hero. I never was that comfortable with being in the spotlight and all." This time, the long stare between them wasn't born out of animosity. Something had occurred to Applejack, something that she could see in the slitted green eyes of the one changeling she had befriended. "Maybe we will meet again. Optimism and Dedication, a good pair."
Shade didn't understand her last statement, nor did she feel the need to. "I take it that this last transmission of yours will be Twilight's head? If so, I don't think that I need the confirmation myself. I trust you to keep your word. Goodbye." She moved to join Plasma on the ship with that. Applejack was left there on the deck by herself, no longer afraid of what was to come. Her loss of sanity would be gone soon, the end awaited her.
"Indeed it does Applejack." She turned to see Discord standing there once more. "My original promise still stands, you can still choose to not destroy the station, and survive. It is too far from Equestria to do any real harm." Maybe earlier in the day, she would have doubted his word. But by her own admission, sanity was becoming a memory with every second. Living on a station full of dead ponies, or being blown up with it all. The options didn't seem so one sided any more. At least with one of them, she could pretend her friends were still alive.
Her helmet closed up for what could very well have been the last time. "I'll think about it. If the necromorphs stop trying to kill me, then maybe. But right now, I have to kill Twilight." His goatish face formed an evil grin a split second before he vanished. "Hey Twilight? Remember when I refused your help with apple buck season? You never gave up, and I'm not going to either. I suggest you start writing your will, because I'm coming."
Silence. Pure, blissful silence. She had almost forgotten what it was like, nothing but faint ambience of dying computer systems. And of course, the voices of everypony on the station, screaming in terror. They had been there all along, but until now, she hadn't opened her mind to the wonder of what lay ahead. She could destroy it all, and herself. Shut off the voices. End the flashes of orange. Remove Discord's voice from her head. Or, she could just let it be. The station had food replication technology, solar panels to keep the power going. And Discord was there, his power had obviously been returning during the crisis. He could keep her safe. Necromorphs were malleable by nature; it wouldn't be any problem to make them more friendly looking. It would be better than returning to Equestria, only to be slammed in an asylum as a Chaotic. Either way, she would never see Sweet Apple Acres again…
"Welcome to Government Sector. Please remain on the course designated by your locator at all times." For good measure, she checked that her locator was still locked on the station overseer's office. Jet Set had to have been removed from the picture before she even arrived, for that matter he might not have made it through the first day of operation. Or had he become an alias for Twilight since the station was first commissioned?
Remember Applejack, the necromorphs will continue to see you as a threat, until you complete the game. Don't be afraid to shoot them up however, there's still plenty for you to become friends with when we're done. The office sector was deserted. An incomplete game of solimare blared on one screen; some others displayed highly inappropriate material. "There's always a few, isn't there. I wonder what they're doing now, kinda hard to get going with blades isn't it."
"Princess Sparkle, please respond. Princess, there are necromorphs closing in on your position, we have no security teams left to escort you. Please hurry." She hesitated in her advance. That was way too easy. Did they really think that she would fall for a trap so blatantly obvious? "What the hay? Too late! They've already reached the inner bulkhead. Locking down doors. Princess, if you can still hear this, I advise that you teleport now before shields are restored."
"Well, that's a bit more like it. Kinda funny how that worked out, all this time I assumed you were a bucking coward. But you decided to stay and face me instead. Shame that doesn't mean anything, I'll still gladly shoot you in the flank." She checked the count on all four of her weapons. Two rockets loaded, five blades ready to fire. Once she was in an upright position, the latter would be at just the right level to slice heads.
No body, no limbs, nothing to come back and bite me in the flank. She checked her locator again. Her office wasn't too far, if it could even be called her office. A seeker rifle would be pretty effective at keeping anything at bay given the sheer length. But that would give her extra room to perform the execution with precision. Every single moment had to be perfect. This would be her one and only chance after all.
Further along towards the docking bay, she could hear the necromorphs. They weren't concerned about her, not yet at least. Their focus had been shifted to whatever lay inside the lab, the big experiment that caused it all. All the better, she needed time alone for this. It wouldn't do at all to have her goal interrupted by a stray slasher. You're so close Applejack. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe long enough to complete your goal. Just, be ready to run when you achieve it.
"Yeah, sure. It's not like I want her head for a trophy, video is enough." A sign marked the entrance to the office clearly. The doors were wide open, no blood or other signs of necromorph attack in sight. Beneath the helmet, she licked her lips in anticipation. "Time's up darlin'." Shade's utmost stealth was clear in her mind when she stepped out into the open. Standing upright, each step barely making a sound on the carpet, her stride stopped four metres away from the table.
Twilight's horn and mane was just barely visible above the top of the chair. Deep purple with violet streaks. Unmistakable. "Farewell partner." The next three things she did came with cold precision. A ripper blade fired, followed by the grab of her kinesis, and a single rocket, one after the other. The blade was well ahead of the other two, with good reason.
Its sharp cutting edge tore right through the chair with a brief flurry of feathers. They themselves were splattered with blood as the blade reached the back of Twilight's neck. Metal ground against bone while it severed her spinal column clean through. A sharp ting marked the end of its life when slamming through into the solid metal wall beyond. Her head began to spin in the air above the sliced chair.
Her kinesis came into effect at that moment. The tip of the beam grabbed onto the head, pulling it back after a few milliseconds. It passed by the rocket at the metre mark. All of that happened in just a matter of seconds, followed by a rather satisfied explosion that completely obliterated the table and chair. Parts of Twilight's body flew all over the back wall in a splatter.
The head came to rest in her hooves. Purple bandanna, missing eye, long slender horn. Just about all of her skin had been dissolved by some sort of potent substance, but there was no doubting that it was in fact Twilight's head. And she had captured every single moment on camera. "Hey Shade, I'm transmitting now. Take a good look; I can officially confirm that Princess Twilight Sparkle is dead. If you ever get a chance to swing by Sweet Apple Acres, give my love to the family. So long."
Immediately after the recording finished, she tossed Twilight's head to the side. "Now, what was it about running, Discord? I seem to be lacking a reason to..." A series of squelches drew her attention back to the end of the office, now a patch of charred carpet and wood. Most of Twilight's body had survived the explosion, and now seemed to be regrowing. "Oh buck. This is not fair!"
She fired off a stasis pulse and galloped off. A regenerator. Of course, the alicorn would become a regenerator, it all made sense now. Unlike the others, they were just figments of her imagination, right? This time, she had seen Twilight go from a corpse who had probably injected herself with deadly acid, to a necromorph that could regenerate, as well as presumably use magic and fly. An earth pony was no match for that.
Just outside, scores of slashers accompanied pregnants, twitchers and unicorns on the final approach to the docking bay. There was very little time left before the shields went up, and any chance of getting inside would be gone. "Come on Applejack. This is just one enormous rodeo. There's always a side entrance that you can use, just get in past the bulkhead and you're clear."
A terrible cry from behind her drew the attention of pretty much every body wreaking havoc on their path towards her. Trapped between the innumerable and the invincible. One of those choices led to her goal. She noticed Twilight's mangled body coming out of the office towards her when she reared up for what could be the last charge. Somehow, she would eventually destroy her completely. "Yeehaw!"
Necromorphs went flying with each rear of her head. The twitchers had a hard time keeping up with their own messy way of walking. More than once though, she felt a blade slash one of her hind legs. Nothing slowed her down. In fact, the sheer amount of necromorphs there proved to be the perfect cover against the unicorns. Each attack caused the unprotected bodies to disintegrate down to piles of bubbling flesh.
Her body met open air. The gallop had left her virtually blind to her surroundings, only now she could see the polished walls quickly transition into crushed metal. Their kinesis tug hadn't been completely accurate; most of the tramline had gone right into the floor. But it had brought the doors down low enough for her to get through. A single rocket could potentially blast through before the shielding locked her out.
"Full of bad ideas today, aren't I?" There was a few metres distance at most between her and the horde. About six seconds of breathing room, enough time to fire and get moving again. But she'd be cutting it very close with the explosion. Remember Applejack, you get a free instant refill on your health. Take the chance, you won't get it again.
She made her move in sheer desperation. The moment she aimed her hoof at the door, a single rocket flew off. The remaining four seconds she left to give the explosion enough time to do its work before resuming the charge. "Warning. Shield activation imminent. Please step away from projected field zone." Of course, there had been little consideration for how well her RIG held up against explosions. Now was the best and worst time to test.
Alarms went flying inside her helmet when she made contact with the outward force from her leap. Better than having her face melted off immediately. Shrapnel slashed her hip as she passed through the ruined doorway. It had dissipated by the time she landed on the other side. "Breach detected, closing down secondary bulkheads. Shields online and running. Lock-down complete."
Her RIG was covered in scorch marks and smaller slashes, all of which faded away very quickly. "So this is explosion resistant, among other things. Maybe..." The platform beneath her fell away to drop her down into the corridor behind the main bulkhead. Several laser pointers were trained in her direction. "Aw come on. This ain't fair." There was no questioning the score of security ponies with rifles aimed right at her head.
"Applejack! Drop your weapons and surrender, by order of Princess Twilight Sparkle." Applejack actually scoffed. She actually had to remind herself of what exactly happened, that she herself had cut her head off with a saw blade not even a minute earlier.
"Hey, news flash. I just killed her. Orders don't mean anything anymore. Though if you want to question that, she should be coming by any moment now!" In the following spray of bullets, several hit her helmet directly while she moved for cover. None penetrated through to shatter her skull into a brain shredding mess. "Never a dull moment is there? Well, time to introduce them to the new and improved Princess."
Toilets would provide her an extra minute to escape the inevitable search. Just about everypony she knew still had qualms about even setting hoof in the wrong side. "Spread out, search every room. She can't have gone far; otherwise the sensors would have picked her up." Applejack slipped into the mare's room shortly after. A vent low down for dispersing fresh oxygen seemed to be the best escape.
"Now, if only I had a map." She lifted the cover up with great care. This was a moment where Shade's expertise in stealth would be invaluable. Still, she managed to crawl head first into the vents without making enough noise that anypony outside would hear her. The door opened as she lowered the cover back into place. It would only take a light flash into the vents for them to find her.
As she entered the room, her search light scanned over each of the walls briefly. "Applejack, I don't take pleasure in doing this. But Twilight was right about one thing, letting the necromorphs into this lab will cause an event that nothing can stop. Turn yourself in now, and I will personally ensure that the others do not treat you poorly. I've seen enough death; there is no need for more." There was no response. "Fine, I tried to be reasonable."
Each time that a cubicle door slammed open, Applejack took another step away from the vent cover. By stretching out each stride to the comfortable limit, her tail was well out of sight by the time door eight slammed open. "No sign of her in the restroom. Moving on." Applejack let herself breathe out for a moment when she heard the guard hesitate. "Fine, checking vents and other means of escape as well."
Her heart rate shot up at that moment. This was no different from before, she couldn't turn around properly inside the vent to prevent her from warning the others. The cover opened up again, light from a flashlight poured in. "All clear. Moving on to next room." A minute passed, after which the door opened and closed again. Applejack didn't move for another few minutes, and even then she kept her steps very light when moving.
It took some time to work her way through into a control room above the main corridor. One side gave her a view of the security barricade, the other displayed the bulkhead. "Perfect, now it's time to wreak some chaos." She kept very low to the floor until she could reach the control panel discreetly. Excellent work Applejack. You're so close now, the anticipation is breathtaking!
Her head poked up enough to get a look at the screen. No bullets went flying, and she didn't hear any alarms going off. Another lick of her lips focused her concentration as she began to access the controls. "Shutting down shields. Kinetic locks disabled. Automatic defence systems offline. Sensors offline. Warning, biohazard detected in Bulkhead 3. Evacuate area immediately."
"She's up there! Open fire!" Glass rained down under the assault of bullets going through the observation window. "Forget her, they're breaking in!" Applejack turned off her helmet to peer through the windows facing towards the bulkhead without being noticed. Twilight was wedged in between the two massive doors, forcing them open. The kinetic locks had to have been the only thing keeping her out. "Is that the Princess?"
Another dragon made its appearance when Twilight's body fell through. This one punched a massive hole right through the split in the doors to open the way for more necromorphs. Applejack had to move to the other side and watch the resulting massacre for herself. Hundreds of bodies, all tearing the handful of security guards into shreds. A hoof flew up over her head to land somewhere near her tail. How delightful! This is why I chose you Applejack; you can truly appreciate the beauty of Chaos. Go now, and wreak havoc on what remains of the station!
Twilight passed by at that moment. With the bandanna gone, the gaping hole in her skull seemed to glare at her. She was gone again amidst swarms of slashers. Applejack crawled over towards a door on the other side of the room. "I'm looking forward to it." Only when the vast majority of the horde had passed through did she feel confident enough to open the door.
The observation room gave her a disturbing view of the necromorphs running by. At any moment, one of them could see her walking down the ramp and attack. And, when one attacked, more would follow right behind. They seemed too intent on getting deeper into the lab to care however. "Okay, I'll need to find a map. Any chance you could help me with that Discord?"
A memory chip dropped out of thin air. She plugged it into her suit without hesitation. "Right, there's an inner chamber that the whole lab surrounds. I bet that's where the source of this is being kept." It was accessible through several locations, the closest of which worked out to be the manufacturing plant. "They had the whole set up here, shame that somepony let monsters in to wreck it all."
Oh, Shade left you an extra present. It's a cloaking module; you can remain invisible for two minutes at most before it burns out. You might find it best suited to make it through this part without detection. A small, cylindrical object dropped down at her hooves. It certainly looked like Changeling technology. "Fine by me, I wouldn't mind being able to sneak past them without getting my hooves dirty."
The module attached to her chest with ease. While approaching the door that would take her back into the main corridor, she reminded herself not to run wildly. Invisibility didn't mean silence in any regard. A few necromorphs became distracted by the opening door momentarily. Soon they moved to investigate, finding nothing of course. Applejack had passed through another doorway by then.
Carnage was a sight that had been lacking until now. Quite a few mangled bodies hung limp from vents, letting blood drip into pools below them. But most of it was what she had become accustomed to. Gutted bodies, limbs all over the place. Only a couple of dead necromorphs to the number of guards left in the slaughter. "They really need to work out that you need to cut the limbs off if you want them to stay dead."
It was a repeated scene through all the rooms she passed through. More and more scientists turned up as she progressed, as did the number of research notes detailing only an 'experiment'. There didn't seem to be much point in trying to learn more from writing, when she would see it for herself soon enough. Go on Applejack, you're so close now. The next room will give you a view of what you've wanted to see all this time.
That was reason enough for her to pick up the pace. This last room had another bench, which she chose to ignore in favour of seeing the wonder Twilight had created. It didn't redeem her for being a traitor to all of Equestria, but it was less reason to hate the regenerating necromorph walking around somewhere on the station. "Alrighty then, where is it?"
Discord appeared with a statuette on his paw. Unlike any model she had seen before, it looked like two whips of stone twisted around to form an odd sort of claw at the peak. "That's it? For pony's sake, this what is causing all the disasters on this station?" Discord let it fall to the floor while letting out a long burst of laughter. Once again, he was having fun at her expense.
"Oh Applejack, don't be so serious. This is a model of the Black Marker, the artifact found on Equestria with the weapon that Twilight used. Just beyond that wall, she built a replica to study it in secret." Applejack picked the model up to look at it closely. The markings seemed to glow very faintly. "And why would she bother you may ask? Well, it's quite simple..." He leaned down towards her as if to reveal a secret. She leaned closer as an instinctive response.
"I'll tell you when you reach it, for now you should hurry to the inner chamber. Things are about to get interesting." He vanished in the usual fashion with that. Applejack didn't speak for once, not even the urge to complain about his ways caused her to open her mouth. Her full attention had become fixated on the model in front of her eyes, and the strange symbols burning deep into her mind.
Night. "Fine, if you're going to play games. This had better not take long." Once again, she consulted the map. Her path into the inner chamber was just a few more rooms away, and she hadn't encountered a single necromorph in that time. "Why do I get the feeling that's gonna change any time now?" Determination was taking over her whole body. The end goal was too close to miss now.
Rooms were becoming a blur by then. There wouldn't be much point in stopping to search for materials now when the end was so close. Her pace had reached a point where she almost fell to her death when crossing through yet another door into the expanse. Before her stood the inner chamber, surrounded by countless walkways. Necromorphs were streaming into that chamber from several doors around the outer wall.
"Warning, biohazard detected in Marker Containment. Evacuate immediately." Applejack began towards the door leading into the chamber. An end to the madness around her at last. Already, she found herself envisioning life on the station after the end. No more rules to follow, no schedules to keep. Oh dear, it seems that even in death, Twilight isn't going to let you win that easily.
Two mangled hooves landed firmly on the walkway before her. A lot of the flesh hadn't regrown, leaving bones sticking out in every direction. What remained of the wings had become two sets of bone blades. The horn in turn now bore several spikes for cutting up anything that tried to get near. Twilight definitely wasn't in a good mood.
"Oh come on. This is a bigger cliché than anypony can possibly imagine." She stood upright to aim her rocket launcher directly at the necromorph approaching. She could either try to fight, or take the easy way out. "I've had enough of this." Another stasis charge hit Twilight directly. Applejack resumed her normal pose and continued on, delivering a swift kick to send the slowly moving body off the edge for good measure.
The door opened up her long awaited sight. Hundreds of metres tall, a Marker in full view of the platform she found herself standing on. "Convergence is at hoof, Applejack. Witness the glory of Chaos and Harmony, coming together." A terribly loud sound threatened to blow her eardrums right through her RIG's helmet. Necromorphs began to fly around the expansive inner chamber, collecting together between the two prongs into a lump of flesh that grew with every passing second. Only then did she see Discord beside her.
"That sound... The weapon made the exact same sound. But, why is this Marker collecting all the bodies together? What does Convergence mean?" He was gone again, without even leaving a lingering voice in her head. "Fine, I guess I just have to get down there myself. It'd be a lot easier if I could just fly over though." Gravity was still online, despite the flailing bodies circling the Marker on their way up to join the growth.
Not all of the bodies were being pulled up however. On her way down the thin stairs, she could see sickly black necromorphs closing in. These ones she did recognize right away. Changelings. They had all the features of typical necromorphs, though one key difference seemed to be the infused nano-fibre RIGs. A lot harder to kill than usual, and potentially far more deadly. She couldn't fight them, not with her limited weapons.
"What is it with these necromorphs and running? Discord, could you please put up signs that inform ponies to be more active?" To her surprise, that was exactly what he did. The funny side of being the example of somepony who wasn't active however was lost on her. "Works for me, this had better be a short run. I don't know how long I can keep this up."
Don't worry Applejack. There is only one or two security measures to bypass; you'll work them out very quickly. You're so close now, don't disappoint me. A single burst of stasis allowed her to run right through a whole group of varied 'necrolings' without getting hurt. All except for an infant, launching barbs at her far faster than the normal ones. She crawled underneath a slowly opening bulkhead before sealing it up again to save time.
That was one encounter too many for her liking. In her eagerness to get to the end, she had neglected to construct more ammunition. Her frustration grew when she moved to the next door, only to find that the scanner rejected her RIG. "Consarnit! Discord, this ain't easy. I don't got time to hack a control panel y'know." One of the vents burst open. Twilight was back, making her urgency far stronger. "Buck."
Take a quick look around. Your RIG isn't authorised, but perhaps somepony else can help you with that. More of his riddles. There was one thing that she could do in the meantime. "Sorry Twi." Two ripper blades aimed at her upper and lower body severed all the limbs at once. Coupled with a burst of stasis, that had just bought her a minute at most. "Okay, somepony to help. Somepony to help..."
One of the scientists was slumped over in a corner. "Sorry bout this partner, just be glad you did something worthwhile after you died." Kinesis didn't work on other RIGs unless the owner had died, fortunately that seemed to be the case. She couldn't see herself carrying him over and opening the door before Twilight came back to rip her apart again.
"Registering RIG, Marker Scientist Six One. Access granted." The stasis burst had worn off by then. Applejack didn't look back on her way out of the room and into the open air once more. Above, she could clearly see the growth now. It had come into contact with the prongs of the Marker, spreading down through the grooves. A quick glance gave her a look at the other corridor going back towards the gangway. One more room, then a clear run.
"Make us whole Applejack. We need you to make us whole." Rainbow Dash stood to one side of the path as she galloped past. She didn't care if it was just a leaper, or a total figment of her imagination. Neither would help get her to the Marker faster. Behind, she could hear the necrolings catching up again. Another door opened up to a room containing a vital bench.
"Applejack, you are the only one who can reunite the Elements. Make us whole." Fluttershy and Rarity watched while she made a few more rockets and ripper blades. Plasma was in no short supply. You will face Twilight one more time before the end. Be ready. This time she took on her upright form when leaving the last room. Everything was starting to become a blur now.
"Equestria is in danger. Discord can help, if you make us whole." Pinkie Pie faded as Twilight dropped down from above. I swore to protect Equestria against any and all threats! If that means killing one, or even all of the Elements of Harmony, then so be it! This time to her horror, Applejack's attempts to use stasis failed. Somehow, she had worked out how to counteract the effects of her only real weapon.
There was no fighting somepony that could just regrow everything. "Fine, taste rocket again Twilight!" The second rocket blew off her lower legs. That was enough for Applejack to get moving once more. Just ahead, one of the heat vents for the Marker itself lay open. "Oh I see now. Come on Twi! Keep up will ya?" A blast of heat caused her to stumble away from the open door momentarily. Twilight wasn't far away now.
Applejack took the chance and rushed through to the other side. Once Twilight was inside the chamber, she blew the door controls. You are making a big mistake Applejack. "Yeah, so did you Twi. Funny how that works." Both doors closed as another heat blast blew through the room. The necromorph trapped inside practically sublimed into a grey cloud of smoke.
Congratulations Applejack, you've completed the final stage of this game. Now, come on up to the Marker, and you'll be given your reward. No more necromorphs, no more hallucinations. She checked the state of all her weapons again before starting up the gangway. Above, the growth was continuing to increase in size. Convergence, bringing all the death and destruction together, to create something new.
Discord had chosen to relax on a beach chair, a piña colada resting on a small table to the side. "You wouldn't believe how good active Markers are for tanning. Anyway, come close so I can finish everything up." The warmth on her face was intense when she folded her helmet away. For once, he wasn't actually kidding about science. By then, she was right beside him in what felt like a pretty awkward position. "You will get to live on this station, without being hurt by the other necromorphs, simply because you are going... to become one."
Another loud burst from the Marker rocked through her body until she fell to her knees. "Convergence is my way out of your head, only the process will kill you. I'm sorry Applejack, but I had to use you for this. You're the only Element left that I could access; the others have gone their own ways. Now, time to let go." Pain flew through her spine when he grabbed onto her head. Betrayed by the one being left she had trusted. But of course, it was Discord after all.
*
Deep in the recesses of her mind, Applejack woke to a turbulent storm of memories. Every single necromorph she had killed, from Loud Mouth right to Twilight, flashed through her eyes. The final moments of her waking life were blurred as Discord arrived in her mind. At last, she remembered his betrayal. "Discord you bastard! I did everything you said, for what? Just so you could explode my head and get into that hunk of flesh?"
His laugh caused the rocky surface beneath her to shake violently. "Face it Applejack, you were on your last hooves anyway. Unwilling to keep up with the times, after what technology did for you in the war. You were the only one who clung to the days when I was still around. I'm only doing this to survive, nothing personal at all! Be glad that I'm not going to use your remains to build my new body!"
A beep came from her shoulder. The plasma cutter still worked, at least it seemed that way. It's not over... "Discord." He glanced in her direction from laughing to find a blade sawing off his legs. Bursts from her cutter removed his bird arm and the tail. Applejack took her time to walk over and crush his other arm off. "You shouldn't have told me that you were stuck in my head. Because this is my head! And nopony gets to mess with it!"
There was a moment in which he struggled to look up at her. Now nothing more than a head and really long body, it actually felt pretty pathetic. "I'm sorry Applejack. But, you wouldn't kill me, not like this? Plasma and Shade are still alive at least; I kept my promise about saving them." A firm kick in the jaw came back in response. This time when Applejack got to her knees, it was to speak to Discord on his level.
"I'm insane, remember? Promises mean nothing to me." Using her hoof, she hurled him right off the edge of the rocky platform into oblivion. Whatever sound the Marker made when activated shook through her head again. This time it didn't cause bodies to collect. A familiar face rose up from below to stare down at Applejack in her lowered position.
"I became obsessed with wealth, hoarding and plotting until I lost it all in the war. Nopony cared to help me out of the hole I had dug for myself, until I eventually sold myself off as a slave. All because you couldn't face the truth." She got back to her hooves and fired a rocket right at Rarity's floating face. She disappeared with a scream that nopony could possibly produce.
The platform shook again, this time from behind her. "I was drafted into the army as a front line soldier. When the Changelings captured me, I endured so much pain and torture that they had to keep me in stasis so I wouldn't kill myself. It all ended when I was shipped up here to become one of Twilight's experiments. All because you couldn't face the truth when it mattered most." Fluttershy's reaction was identical, a terrible scream that ate away more of her shrinking platform.
"I fled to the Lunar Colony when Twilight went mad. There, they forced me to work in the worst conditions just to survive, until I suffered radiation poisoning and lost my wings. All because you couldn't face the truth when it mattered most, when we needed you." Applejack clung to the edge when Rainbow Dash's demise caused her to slip off. Yet another face had appeared by the time she climbed back up.
"I had to work in a weapons factory, exposed to radiation and stasis on a daily basis. By the time I got out, over half my body had to be replaced with artificial parts just to stay alive. All because you couldn't face the truth when it matted most, when we needed you. This is your fault Applejack!" Pain was causing her vision to blur, made worse when Pinkie Pie exploded. Beneath her, the entire platform crumbled away to drop her down into the void.
One last face awaited her, one that she didn't want to face. "I clung to the past, hoping that things would get better. But when they didn't, I dropped everything and tried running away. And when things got tough, I completely snapped, and killed everypony I ever knew. All because I couldn't face the truth when it mattered most, when they needed me. This is your fault Applejack, just kill yourself and be done with it!"
Applejack looked down at her rocket launcher as it pressed into her chin. End it now, you said yourself you've got nothing to go back to. Despite what everything was telling her to do, she slowly aimed her hoof at the floating head. "Nice try Discord." The last rocket shattered Applejack's face clear through. Below, the Marker with its fleshy growth appeared for a split second. That too exploded into thousands of the symbols she had seen on it.
*
"Warning. Fatal energy containment failure detected. Station destruction estimated in approximately forty five seconds. Evacuate immediately, evacuate immediately." She woke to find herself on her back. The familiar alarm of her health readout rang in her ears. Above, what remained of the Marker would barely fit into an oversized sandwich. Nothing more than a thick frame and some charred remains.
It didn't matter anymore. She had done it in the end; the station would be utterly destroyed. All the necromorphs would be vaporized, unable to do any more damage. And her suffering would end too, no need to face the consequences of killing Twilight, or being declared Chaotic. "It's okay Applejack. We're here for you. Don't be afraid."
They were all there. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash to her left. Pinkie Pie and Rarity to her right. No longer taunting her with stories of horror and suffering. Just there. "Thanks girls. For what it's worth, I'm sorry that Twilight couldn't change in the end." A bright light at her hooves caused her to look up again. Princess Celestia was standing there. Of all ponies, she hadn't made a single appearance until now.
"Your work is not over. Equestria will suffer greatly in your absence, and you are the only pony who can save it. Sleep for now, I will watch over you. Discord will never haunt your mind again." Applejack closed her eyes in the long awaited peace. As her helmet closed up, she felt the floor beneath her warm up. "Station destruction in three, two, one."
From the test lab, through to the docking bay where the kinesis shuttles sat. Across the advanced RIG lab, and hydroponics. While Manehattan Towers split into two, the main Docking Bay vaporized. Flesh on the Medical Deck burned, damaged ships disintegrated in the Repair Bay. The last part of the station to be touched by the explosion was quite possibly the table at which Applejack, Plasma Blast and Air Head ate lunch on her first day on the job. Equestria's glimmering jewel in the sky, the pinnacle of space technology, gone forever.
*
"This is Pegasi Cruiser Stormcloud. We have collected the package and stored it in stasis, what are your instructions?"
"Take it back to the asylum in Cloudsdale. Keep it in stasis for as long as possible. Somehow, the Marker was destroyed, and her brain holds the key to that. Inform me of any results you find, when you find them. Twilight Sparkle out."
Hello everypony,
As it says in the title I take no credit for this story. Any and all credit goes to Sadie. If you want to thank anyone for the story, that is the person to talk to.
Here's the story behind the repost. The original story itself was taken down by Sadie because of their reason's. Don't become a bother and ask just respect the decision made. Either way, one day looking it up I saw that the story was deleted so with permission from Eldorado and the creator I was able to take the text copy I had on my hard drive and repost it on Fimfiction.
As for the continuation of the story, I will not be writing any of the next sequels. This is not my story so I don't intent to disgrace the original creator with my work of a possible hack job. Thank you again for reading the story and again give thanks to Sadie for the ok on reposting the story.
-Stay pony my friends /)
