Last time on “Everything Is Terrible Forever” Quest:
>Had a strange fantasy where you were forced to beat up Twilight.
>Snapped out of it, only to have the others get weirder out by you.
>Decided to all make like a tree and get the heck out of there and back to Canterlot.
>Twilight used intense magic to give Pinkie and Applejack wings to help carry everyone out.
>But when you got back to the flooded area, the way out was still being flooded!
>Tried going back again only to have Twilight slip and fall.
>On the wet slick stone, she slid a long down slope fast.
>Applejack tried to grab her, but one slip later she fell two, having her magic wings torn apart.
>Everyone, including you sliding along, went after them.
>Applejack tried to help by doing some rope work, only to end up losing the rope.
You are Rusty Shackleford, a human who has been lost in Equestria with no memory of himself or his past.
Currently, you are holding onto Rarity as the two of you slide down a rock tunnel deep underground on flood water. Near by, Pinkie, Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy are also sliding along in a big jumbled pony pile. You all only seem to be picking up speed.
Whatever happens, you need to stick together.
You grab hold of Rarity and unceremoniously toss her over the sizable ridge the worm creature dug up that divides your two groups. She lands into the others with a light "OOOF!" from her. Pinkies watches all of this from above, her still intact wings buzzing liking humming bird wings.
With all the ponies together, you attempt to steady yourself on your legs while slipping and sliding around. Your knees aren’t exactly happy from the sensation, but you keep your balance long enough for you to hope over and cannon ball into the ponies, trying you best not to crush any of them.
"Is everyone all right?" You say, trying to orient in the high speed pile, ponies climbing on top and around you.
"Get off my hair!"
"Who's horn is that?!"
"Pinkie get off you're not helping!"
"Hey wait a sec, is this leveling off?"
You all stop shoving each other long enough to realize the sloped tunnel has not only become level, but has opened up into an expansive cavern.
And you are all rocketing straight towards a large metal wall directly ahead.
"Quick, everyone dig in!"
You try to grind your shoe bottoms into the slick wet ground as best you can. All the ponies slams their hooves in as well. But the ground is too slippery! None of you gain any traction and whatever speed you loose is negligible.
You and the ponies all slam into the grey metal wall hard! You feel the impact shake your bones and the others around you, followed by all squishing together forward in a dead stop. Someone lets out a high pitched cry of pain. Hurt and dazed, the pile slowly unravels as you all pick each other of one another.
"Oh my gosh!" Pinkie yells, whizzing over on her wings. She zips back and forth to each of you. "That was a biggest crash ever! It was all SPOOGGRRRRSSH! Is everyone OK?!"
"Agh!" Twilight lets out a little shriek of pain. Looking over, you see her favoring one of her front hooves.
You quickly give yourself a once over. You're plenty sore and the knees of the last of your great outfit is torn up, but you're more or less unhurt. Twilight, however, is not.
"Agh, don't touch it!" The purple pony whines as Fluttershy tries to help, only to have her draw back from the pegasi.
"Oh no, Twilight! How bad is it?" Fluttershy says, still trying to get close.
"I'm OK, I'm OK! Please, I should jus-AHH!" Twilight tries to put her weight on the injured limp, only to collapse on the wet floor.
"Easy, easy, just stay still" You coo to Twilight sprawled on the ground. Gingerly, you pick her up, doing your best not to touch her injured leg. Luckily, like the other ponies you have carried, she doesn’t weigh too much for you. "Is everyone else OK?"
"Yeah, I think we're all good," Applejack says, adjusting her hat. She looks all around the cavern and the giant metal wall before your little group. "Where the heck are we?"
"Hey look!" Pinkie shouts, pointing down a ways. Set flush into the wall is some kind of blinking light, highly noticeable in the dark cave.
"Is that the light you say earlier through the rock with magic, Twilight?" You ask as the intrepid group splashes to the light.
"No no," Twilight says, sucking in breath through her teeth. Her horn glows lightly as she preforms some kind of magic again briefly. "It's deeper. Past all this metal."
It doesn't take you long to reach the ominous flickering light: set into the side of the metal wall is some kind of electronic screen. It's flickering sporadically. Below the screen in a little panel with lettered and numbered buttons. There's clear evidence of damage; there's a little ragged hole in the side of the keyboard with charred carbon burn marks. A few little sparks intermittently flick out noisily.
The screen, when it's clear, says in big bold green text:
IDENTIFICATION.
You press a few buttons, seeing if typing "RUSTY SHACKLEFORD" would do anything. But before you can even get to the T, it lets out a blaring noise and the screen flicks off, then back on.
PLAY A GAME?
"Uh... huh." You hum, feeling a little lost. "Twilight, you think you can probe this thing? Make it work good?"
"I don't know what you're expecting, Rusty." Twilight says in your arms. "It's a machine. It's not like I can just magically make it start working. That's not how it works."
"Uggh, this is fascinating and all," Applejack says, backing up into you. "But is it just me or is this water getting higher?"
You notice the water level does seem to be getting higher. It used to be just a slick surface enough for you to slide on. Now its at about an inch. You can hear more water flowing from the tunnel
"Yes." You say. The screen remains the same.
"Here, let me! I'm an expert at games!" Pinkie says, fluttering forward.
"Pinkie wait!"
The pink pony mashes the buttons with her hoof, pressing many at once. The screen flicks off and on again.
ARRANGE THE NUMBERS!
On the screen is a three by three grid of blocks, all blank.
"I hope you guys know how to swim..." You say, thoroughly confused and watching the water steadily climbing.
"I think we all can," Fluttershy says, picker up a hoof out of the water."But I don't know if we could swim back...."
You work the controls, gently pushing Pinkie aside in the air. It seems fairly intuitive to you. When you select a square, it prompts you to choose a number one through nine. Not sure what else to do, you arrange them
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
The machine blares out another noise while flashing a big X on the screen and clearing away the numbers.
The water climbs up a fraction more while you work.
"Anyone here good at sudoku?"
"I don't think it's a sudoku. There's only nine squares." Twilight says.
"Wait, hold on a second..." An idea comes to you and you try again, arranging the grid of numbers:
4 9 2
3 5 7
8 1 6
The screen flashes the words CONGRATULATIONS! and then promptly shuts off, leaving you all in the dark with the water rising.
"Did we win?" Pinkie asks.
The question is answered with the ear splitting squeal of metal on metal and a vertical light appearing before all of you. The giant bare metal wall is splitting open before you and the others, revealing a fully lit room beyond. The few inches of flood water slosh in, gently trying to tug you inside, as if beckoning.
As your eyes adjust to the light, you can see the interior of the room is full of more of those funny buggies, like the one you were ridding in earlier, as well as other machines, ladders, scaffolding, large metallic doors, and so many other things. But it's completely deserted.
You all pile inside.
"Look at all this stuff!" Pinkie says happily, zooming around and touching everything.
"Hold on, we have to figure out how to close this door!" Applejack shouts to everyone. The water has become level with the rest on the outside. "We'll just end up getting fl-"
"WARNING! WARNING!" An automated voice blares from somewhere, drowning out Applejack. The lights all turn red. "ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD. SEALING EXTERIOR. STAND CLEAR."
The huge sliding doors grind to a halt and head back in the opposite direction. The water funnels in faster and faster as it becomes a bottleneck. They close to ominous slam of metal on metal and the lights come back on. The water inside is only in puddles, it's so spread out.
"Huh. Never mind." Applejack says.
With a moment to breath, you take the time to inspect the room.
It's clearly some type of garage. Lined all along two walls are those buggies, as well as a few other vehicles, including some heavier treaded ones. Pinkie is behind the wheel of one of them, playing with the steering wheel and making racing noises.
The room itself is very large, big enough to hold dozens of these vehicles, plus ample room to hold what look like tool boxes and large boxes of who knows what. Not to mention room for the cars to drives around. High above are grated catwalks and fixed lighting. In a few places you can pot a few security cameras staring down at all of you.
"Well Rusty, now what?" Twilight asks.
"I don't know. I don't remember any of this," You say, as lost as the ponies. "Let's all just stick close, in case there's some kind of dangerous security system or something."
"I found a door!" Fluttershy calls from the other end of the garage. She's standing by pretty large automated door, waving at all of you.
"Hold on a sec!" You call back to the yellow pony and explore around a bit. You pass by Pinkie, in a world of her own, and go over to one of the large red tool boxes. It's as big a wardrobe. But it's locked!
"Naturally..." You sigh. Defeated, you head back.
"Rusty, Rusty!" Pinkie says, leaning over the car door as you pass by her again. "Can you show me how to drive this thing? Please please please!"
"Pinkie, I don't know if that's such a good idea..." Twilight cautions.
"You just press the green button, Pinkie" You explain. "Work the pedals and turn the wheel to steer. Just don't do anything crazy."
Pinkie furiously pounds on the greed button on the dashboard. Nothing happens.
"Hold on Pinkie," You say, trying to persuade the pink pony. "Let's explore around a bit and make sure it's safe before we play around with these."
"OK," Pinkie says, defeated and flies off.
You take the chance to inspect one the the heavy looking bins. Luckily, this one was not locked. Inside you find a bunch of folded jumpsuits, safety goggles and work boots.
You gently put Twilight down and done the safety gear, feeling much more comfortable to be fully dressed for a change. The one piece safety suit is a little big on you, but not too bad. You wear your old pants under them. They were gift after all. Picking Twilight back up, you go to the door where everyone is waiting.
"Not really sure how you open this thing," Rarity says, looking the door up and down. "There's no handle or anything."
She right. It's clearly some kind of entrance, but it seems to be completely automated, offering no manual way to open.
There's not even a control panel, like the screen had outside. You set Twilight aside and push against it with your hands, only to have it remain unyielding. You're not even completely sure how it's supposed to open and are pushing against the hinges or how ever the door folds. The others try to help you, but it doesn’t help.
"Sorry guys," You say after you all give up. "I don't get why it won't budge. Maybe we can try ramming it with a buggy. There has to be some way to get this door to open."
Suddenly, the automated metal door cracks open slowly with a hiss of compressed air. With a whine of servos and squeaking gears, it opens to reveal...
Bodies.
Dozens of dead human bodies, stacked up on top of each other against the other side of the door. As the door opens wider and wider, they start to slide though and plop down on top of the surprised ponies and you. All of them yell in fear and surprised, Twilight with a side of pain as one flops down on her injury.
And laughter.
A terribly familiar laughter, echoing down the well lit, body piled hall beyond.
Bodies. So many. Their skin dry and taught like brown leather. Mouths opens in frozen screaming. Piled on your fiends. So many.
The laughter.
"It's not real," You whisper, noticing that you're breathing harder. A ice cold hand is resting on your foot and you kick it away. It's not real. You're just having another crazy nightmare again. "I'm not seeing this. You guys aren't seeing this, right? It's not real."
"Rusty, it's real!" Applejack yells at you, shacking off the body on top of her and shivering with a sick grimace. "Stay with us!"
Applejack digs up Twilight and helps her out with her injury. Rarity is shrieking like a bat, desperately trying to kick off a body that has it's hand tangled in her frayed purple mane. Pinkie is standing next to you, stock still, eyes wide. You don't hear or see Fluttershy anywhere.
There has be dozens of them. Maybe a hundred. All funneled to this doorway.
No.
No!
You shiver, grind your teeth and get in the macabre pile. Shoving one of the mummies aside, you find a yellow hoof and drag Fluttershy out from under. She's gone completely limp. You scoop her up, untangle a struggling Rarity and pull the two of them away the horror, while Applejack see's to Twilight. Pinkie follows along quietly.
You drag your friends away from the bodies. Even when Rarity pulls against your grip for you to let go you don't stop. You bring them all the way to the far end of the garage, behind a buggie. As far as you can get. Out of sight.
You let go of the others and sit back against a buggie. Pinkie joins you without making a sound. Applejack momentarily returns, supporting a limping Twilight. Fluttershy is frozen solid, like she's made of wood. Rarity is shivering so much it looks like she's freezing.
You all sit there a moment in quiet shock.
So many bodies.
You weren't expecting that. None of you were. The last few days have been harrowing for all of you. Your....dreams had been intense, but this....to see them all piled on there like stack of screaming jerky. A hundred people, at least.
The reaction's are different, but you can see the expressions are the same for all of the ponies. Horror. Shock. Fear. To blunted and scared to say or do anything but lay there. The same as all the things you are feeling.
"The blue unicorn," You say, breaking the silence that lasted for ten eternities. All of the ponies look up as you when you speak. "Twilight. You're the strongest unicorn I know. Do you think you could stop her?"
"I..." Twilight looks and sounds very tired. She leans over and looks around the buggie, back at the mess. Then back at you. "Rusty. I know you keep saying its that blue unicorn. But there isn't a pony in the whole world capable of... that!"
"Do you really think she's here?" Rarity asks you.
"I know she is. I heard her, when the door opened."
The ponies all exchange looks with each other. You feeling deja'vu.
"None of you heard maniacal laughing just when the doors opened?"
They all shake their heads.
"Oh, great. I'm imagining things. Again." You say dead pan and stand up. "Twilight, you think you can see through that exterior door and check how bad the flooding is?"
"Yeah, sure."
Twilight shines a ray of purple light on the door, which you all right next to. A circle about as large as you are tall appears like a spotlight and the wall turns partially translucent. Outside, you can see the water has risen to just over your height.
And there's shapes swimming in the water. Big fish. Or possible sharks.
"Great," You say as Twilight shuts down the spell and look up to the catwalks. "OK, you ponies stay right here. I'm going to go check and see if there's another way up there."
"NO!" All of the ponies say in unison and standing up, scaring the hell out of you.
"Rusty, it's probably not a good idea to go it alone." Applejack says.
"Also, dear, you're acting a little..." Rarity struggle to choose a word.
"Nutty." Pinkie finishes for her.
"OK OK!" you say, backing up into the buggie, completely surrounded by ponies. "What do you guys think we should do?"
The question seems to catch all of the ponies off guard and they take a moment to brainstorm.
"Well, we can't ALL go up the catwalk. Not with Twilight's leg the way it is." Applejack observes.
"But we could split up!" Pinkie says, more her normal self. "Me and Fluttershy can follow Rusty up those ladders no problem!"
"And then we would be half as many of us," Fluttershy says, cowering a little.
"Or... we could take the direct way." Twilight says, looking towards the mass grave at the other end of the room.
"OK, I'm liking the catwalk with Pinkie plan," You discuss with the ponies. "we can make this area something of a base, I guess. You can all stay here an recuperate and the two of us will scout ahead some.
"That doesn’t seem very safe," Rarity says
"No, but it's better then all of us standing around doing nothing. We can at least keep an eye on each other," Applejack says, but then points a menacing hoof at you and Pinkie. "But first sign of trouble you two come right back, you here?"
You and Pinkie nod at the same time.
"OK then, it's settled," Twilight says, laying down.
"Twilight, please let me look at your leg." Fluttershy says, coming to her friend's aid.
"It's fine, Fluttershy, I just need to-OW!" Twilight lets out a yelp then the yellow pony touches the injury again, who apologizes profusely.
Leaving the others at the garage entrance, you ascend to the next level by ladder. Pinkie flies beside you. The catwalk is frighteningly narrow, but has handrails and is surprisingly solid. At the far end of this on, there's a little door with a round wheel in the center. You noisily strut over to it.
"Rusty..." Pinkie says quietly beside you while you're trying to force the door.
"Yeah."
"Sorry. About all your friends."
You are able to force the latch and the door opens freely, with a slight hiss.
"It's OK," You say, closing the door behind the the two of you, catching one last glimpse of your pony friends setting up camp and the mass of bodies in the distance.
"I don't remember."