Last time on “It's Over” Quest:
>Explored the facility with a magically winged Pinkie Pie
>Were too scared to go into any rooms, so double back and got the others, particularly Twilight to use magic to see through walls.
>Things seemed all clear, so you and the others explored the room. You found a dead body and a live rat, and took some tools.
>Explored the larger area, which seemed to expand out forever since it was so dark
>Found some food and a map. The place was divided into four large sections called HAB, BIO, SEC and COM.
>Twilight also used her magic to find that strange magic she felt before. It was a lot closer now, probable in the COM section. It was also giving her a headache and giving the others a buzzing in their ears.
>Seeing nothing better to do, you all decided to go to BIO. The keycard gave you instant access.
>The inside was divided into three subsections, MED, AGR and LAB. You went to MED, thinking that you would get some supplies
>Rarity was accosted by a rat. Fluttershy tried to help it, but it ran away, causing her to run after it.
>You all chased after her and ended up in one of the patient recovery rooms that someone had apparently been living in.
>Pulled Fluttershy away from the rat after it had scampered into a cage. You were afraid it might be infected with something.
>Searched the room while Pinkie and Applejack kept watch
>You found and took some medical supplies and some fresh candles. You also found some multi vitamins and various kinds of books.
>You tried to get the rat, thinking that it might be important to you, but when Pinkie warned that she could hear someone coming, it bit you.
>Quickly, you all fled and hid with your backs to the wall in the room across the hall.
>You all cowered in concealment, listening to hoof beats getting closer and closer.
>It turned out to be the unicorn the others had suspected before, the one they called Trixie. But she seemed....different then before.
>Unable to control yourself, you stepped out from your hiding place and confronted her, your friends desperately trying to stop you.
>Trixie backed away from you, telling you to keep back, but you would not stop.
>An excruciating pain took you and you fell down, coughing up some black substance
>It billowed out into a cloud and descended on Trixie. She tried desperately to kick it away, but it took her.
>When it was over, she had changed, becoming the horrible crazy pony from your dreams.
Currently, you are deep under ground, in a strange human built facility full of dead bodies. You are in a medical area, in a patient recovery ward. With you are Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and the pony that once was Trixie. She's towering over all of you on the floor, with a horribly wicked gleeful smile. The puny light from the near by candles seems to be absorbed by her dark presence.
"Nightmare Moon?" Twilight says by your side. "But... we defeated you with the Elements of Harmony!"
"Oh believe me, Twilight Sparkle, I remember," Thee crazy pony says, taking a pointed step forward to your little group. "And I'm just dying to return the favor."
"What did you do?" Applejack barks at the large pony. "What did you do to Rusty?"
"Rusty? Aahaha!" She laughs powerfully, the sound vibrating off the walls and in your chest. It's worse then your nightmares. "It's been ever so much fun watching all of you trying to figure it out. So pathetic. I'm going to eny-"
You finally find the bottle you were blindly groping for in Twilight's back, trying to be as discreet as possible, and send it flying. The glass breaks on the bedside table with the still burning candles, splashing clear liquid all over. The flame catches and it all goes up in a flash, directly next to the dark pony.
"Argh!" She cries in surprise, shielding her eyes.
"RUN!"
Your friends don't need to be told twice and bolt out of the room, you hot on their tails. As you all thunder down the hall back the way you came the room behind you explodes in debris and smoke.
"Run! Ruuuuun!" She's calls after you mockingly. "There's no where to hide! I'll find you!"
"Go go go go!" You shout, hauling yourself as fast as possible. The ponies are around and in front of you, their hoofs blasting away. Pinkie is flying along, as is Fluttershy who you hardly ever see fly.
Behind you can hear the crazy pony chasing a long, other things crashing in the process, but don't dare turn to look back. Everyone turns towards the hub area and you slide into the turn momentary.
"Where do we go?!" Fluttershy cries.
"The door, go!" You direct the others out of BIO. They all shoot through the open door like bullets. Except for Twilight.
"Rusty!"
You turn back and see the purple unicorn had lagged behind in the confusion. She's limping along as fast as she can.
Out of sight, you can hear the dark pony getting closer.
You skid to a halt and run back, you shoes squeaking on the smooth floor loudly. You and Twilight rejoin, you scooping her up into your arms. She's breathing hard and you're exhausted, but have plenty of motivation to get out of there.
"Twilight, block the door with something!"
Without saying anything you can see her magic going in the corner of your eye, but remain focused on the door. You run out momentarily, the others waiting anxiously for you at the side.
Turning back, you see Twilight's handiwork. It's a less then impressive pile of cheap tables and chairs haphazardly stacked just in front of the other side of the door.
And you see the other pony come around the corner. She looks around the hub area momentarily, then spots you all standing by the door. In the darkness, you can see the white of her grin just before she starts galloping towards you.
You not so gently toss Twilight aside and try the door, fumbling for the keycard and desperately trying to slide it in the slot. The door spends the next twenty lifetimes slowly grinding down. Meanwhile, the other pony only seems to be gaining speed as she gets closer.
"It's going too slow!" Rarity says, backing up. Everyone screams as she's just about to reach you all.
And the door slams closed. There's a large center safety glass window set in the door and you can see her staring at all of your through it.
"Whooh," Twilight breaths an audible sigh of relief. "That was clo-"
The evil pony disappears from view for a moment. The door begins to open again.
You hit the console again, sending the doors back to closing. The nightmare pony returns into view again, looking very annoyed, then sets the doors in motion yet again. You continue hit button. She hits her's. The two of you keep up back and forth for quite a while.
"Guys, quick," You says, hitting the button for what must be turn twenty. "Try to find something to seal the door."
You can hear them rummaging around all about you, franticly pushing things over. Twilight looks over the buttons with you.
"I can't find anything!" Pinkie shouts from above.
"Me either!" Rarity echos.
"None of these buttons are labeled!" Twilight says.
In the window, nightmare pony rolls her eyes annoyed and you see her magic horn glow. A sledge hammer of force hits you in the chest, sending you flying backwards in the air. You slide to a halt in a pile of bodies, gasping for breath.
"Rusty!" The others run over to you.
"Run! Run!"
You scramble up, see the door slowly opening again quite a way in the distance and scoop up Twilight again. The ponies take off and you pursue.
"Now what do we now?!" Rarity yells as you all run the darkness, trying not to trip over the bodies.
"We gotta get out of here!" Pinkie answers, flying just above her.
"But we're sealed in with the flood!" Applejack yells back.
"The COM area! We gotta get there!" You answer, giving the group direction. Far behind, you can hear laughter echoing down the darkness. Spotting another pedestal map, you quickly skim it. "That way!"
You and the ponies run down a much narrower side street, bisecting the inner curve of the HAB area. It doesn’t take long before you come to a dead end with the large words COM emblazoned over a very large and heavy looking white automatic door. There's another console and you go to it, jamming on the buttons.
Nothing happens.
"It's not working!" Twilight yells, watching you.
"Yeah, I noticed! Quick, let's go back to the garage, I have an idea!"
The six of you about face and rush beck to HAB proper, trying to find your starting point. Luckily, you're developing (or remembering) a good feel for the layout of the area and find the same ladder you all came down before. With the ponies you all scamper up to the next level.
"We're almost there. We just need to find the door t-"
The entire catwalk shudders violently, nearly sending you over the rail. Laughter is echoing all around.
"Rusty..." Applejack says from the back.
"I know I know!" You really weren't expecting this.
"No, not that!"
You turn around in the seat. Everyone is squirming around in the seats, looking at the hind window. Down the hall you just drove down the crazy pony is galloping at full speed.
"Do something!" Rarity yells, wrapping her legs around Twilight.
Panicking, you hammer the yellow button. Suddenly the engine rumbles a little louder and whiplashes everyone as it head back down the tunnel in reverse.
"What are you doing?!" Twilight yells next to you.
"Hold on!"
You hit the green button again when the truck wedges in just barely back into the hallway, but leaving just enough room for the front cabin for you to get out. You kick open the door, seeing the pony rushing down the hall towards all of you.
"Quick! Everyone out!"
You help the others climb over the seats. It's crammed and confined, certainly not designed for ponies to be walking around in, so its a slow struggle. The nightmare pony collides into the rear of the vehicle, denting the back significantly. You see glowing, followed by the horrible sound and sight of the metal splitting in half. And her laughter. Always laughing.
Almost everyone is out now, Applejack being last to help the others. You reach back for her, but the back end opens apart fully, and the nightmare sticks her head inside, horn a glow. An aura surrounds Applejack.
Quickly you reach into Applejack's saddlebags and pull out the crowbar sticking out, but it's snagged on something.
"Applejack!"
She's doesn't react. At all. The same expression of panicked terror is frozen on her face, half open mouth and all. When you finally do manage to get hold of the tool, she's floating out of her seat.
"No!"
You climb back after her, intent on smacking the nightmare with the crowbar as hard as you. It's sees you coming and smiles that hellish smile. Applejack slams into you from the side, smashing your head into the side armor of the truck. Dazed, you drop the crowbar and it falls between the seats somewhere. Trying to shake the stars out of your eyes, you see the orange pony taken away out of the truck.
"Ahaha! That's one!"
You shake it off, fumble for the crowbar and climb through the back after Applejack. The nightmare pony is holding a frozen Applejack aloft in the hair, laughing right in her face like a lunatic.
"Let her go!" You snarl. She turns to and her laughter goes up octaves.
"You little worm!" She breaths between bouts of giggles. "What do you think you're going to do? I already have all of them exactly where I wanted them thanks to you! Now go on, I'll give you a head start. I haven't had fun like this in ages!"
"What do you want?" You yell, struggling to get through the tight fit of the hole. "What are you doing this?!"
"Of course, you still don't remember!" She tosses Applejack aside roughly, focusing on you. "It's obvious. I'm getting my COMPLETE revenge. I'm going to make each of these insolent little ponies suffer as I have! And it's all thanks to you and you're pathetic little race."
"Rusty! Appleajck!" You heard Pinkie shout from nearby, as well as someone climbing in behind you, but can't see from your position.
"Aahaha, or maybe we can just finish it all here right now!" The nightmare laughs some more, stepping forward.
"Pinkie get back!" You shout, scooching back into the truck.
"See you sooooon," The nightmare pony mocks after you, holding up Applejack and making her wave goodbye with her hoof.
"Rusty, what's going on?!" Pinkie is frantic in the front seat. "Where's Applejack?"
"Just run. We'll get her later."
"What? No! Applejack!" Pinkie flings herself forward, trying to get into the back. You grab her and with every ounce of effort drag her with you back to the front. She's hitting you in the shoulder with her hooves. "We can't just leave her!"
"There's nothing we can do!"
You climb back into the HAB area. The others quickly run up to both of you from a hiding spot.
"Where's Applejack?" Twilight asks.
"She has her," You say, still holding onto a struggling Pinkie. "She's too much. There's nothing we can do now. We have to go back and find a way to stop her."
"Applejack...." Twilight says, looking back to the truck.
"I'm sorry, but we can't do anything now! She's too strong."
"But what if w-"
The truck shudder's wit ha heavy slam of metal on metal, pushing forward a few inches and scarring all of you.
"Come on, we have to go!"
That seemed to prove your point and you all hightail it back to BIO, though you had to fight Pinkie most of the way. The card still works, and you all rush inside and swing towards Lab.
Finally arrived, you find yourself in a large room spreading out in all directions, filled with various work surfaces, laden with test tubes full of colorful liquids, various heavy looking machines you could only guess at their function and heavy stacks of computers everywhere. More then ever you feel competently out of your element.
"OK, here's the plan. We need key cards to get into the rest of the areas. Everyone spread out and see if you can find one."
"You mean, we have to..." Rarity trails off, looking at a dead body in a lab coat slupmed over on a table.
"If you have to. Twilight, you come with me. Let's see if you can figure out what some of this stuff is."
"Right."
Everyone spreads out and gets to work. The first thing that catches your eye is a very very large machine. In massive tubular slots larger then you are more of those robots, like the one you saw in the tunnel. The machine itself seems to be plugged into them. As you and Twilight approach, a screen on the machine flicks on and the whole things whirs.
"What do we have here..." You say, coming over to the console set into the machine. There's another keyboard with letters and numbers.
"Hello." Plain green text appear on the screen.
"Rusty..." Twilight sounds anxious. "I don't know if that's such a good idea. We don't know what these things even do."
"I think it's OK Twilight, but if you think it's too dangerous we can just leave it."
"Please don't go." More text shows up under the old ones.
"Can you understand us?" You ask the computer verbally.
"Yes, I can. And we're going to need to work together if we're going to get out of this mess. Nightmare moon is too much for you all to deal with head on."
"You... you know what's happening?" Twilight asks the computer, her curiosity peaked.
"Yes I do, my faithful student."
"Faithful student? What d-"
Twilight pushes you aside, standing with her fore legs against the computer, putting her face to the screen.
"Princess?!"
"Yes Twilight Sparkle, it's me."
"But... how? What happened?!"
"That's something of a long story and we do not have the time to go over it. Please, help up your friend and call the others over. Quickly please."
"Oh. Sorry." Twilight notices you, knocked onto your butt and lifts you back to you feet with magic before calling the others over.
"Sorry, I don't think we found any of those cards. Just more green ones." Rarity says. "What's happened here?"
"Celestia is in the computer!" Twilight shouts excitedly. The ponies all exchange knowing looks with each other.
"You feeling OK, Twilight?" Pinkie asks.
"Please, continue." You tell the computer. Princess. Whatever.
"Thank you. Please, you must believe me. Time is of the essence."
"Oh yeah?" Pinkie says coming up to the computer. "If you're REALLY Celestia, say something only she would know."
"Your birthday is in 37 days, Pinkie Pie."
"Whoa, she's good." Pinkie says, convinced.
"Go on, Princess," Twilight says.
"I'm able to see some of the things happening here through the cameras in the ceiling," The computer explains. "Applejack is OK, for now. I have to ask, do you have the Elements? Where is Rainbow Dash?"
"Uhh, long story short, we don't know where Dash is." You explain. "She ran off ahead. And no, we don't have the Elements."
"That complicates things." The Princess continues. "But do not despair! Together we should be able to find a way to defeat Nightmare Moon again. But first I'm going to need to ask you a favor, Mr. Rusty."
"Me? What... what is it?"
"I need you to help us get out oh here. I certainly wont be able to help confined to this machine."
"Wait, what do you mean 'we?'" Rarity asks.
"I'm not alone. Two of my loyal guards are in here with me. Their names are Bacon and Flatfoot."
"Wait a second... how do you know my name?"
"The cameras have audio. I've been watching all of you since you arrived."
"Oh. OK, what do you want me to do?"
"I don't fully understand how your technology works, but if I'm correct me and the others minds' have been placed in the hardware of this machine."
"How did this even happen?" Twilight asks.
"The robots, over there, connected to the machine. They have some type of weapon that removed our minds from our body and placed them in here. If we're going to work together, we'll have to come with you. I would very much appreciate not being left behind."
"How do we get you out, then?"
"I... was honestly hoping you would know. You are a human after all."
"I'm sorry, I really don't know anything about this stuff."
"Oh dear. That is unfortunate. But don't sorry, between all of us we should be able to figure this out. If I'm correct, me and the others consciousness exist as information save in the machine. Software."
"I guess that makes sense..." Twilight says, brainstorming. "So... in theory, you should be able to be transferred to another form of hardware, assuming it's large enough."
"My thought's exactly, Twilight."
"What about the robots?" You asks, looking over at the machines plugged in.
"That should work." The Princess agrees. "But I can't do it from my end. They seem to be specifically designed to keep the part that controls them isolated from us. It's like a prison. If we're to follow that way, you'll have to put us in manually."
"I don't know if I can."
"I have faith in you." Celestia says. "Just take it slow and everything will work out."
"But... Nightmare Moon could destroy the robots."
"True, but the same could be said about all of you. And none of you have skin made of metal."
Promptly told, you go over to one of the robots. There are two very large heavy duty black wires connecting it to the machine. On in the head, where you saw the little access port in the robot in the cave, and one in its back.
You remove the plug from the back and it comes out freely with a few stray sparks. You are startled, but at least you have these safety gloves on.
"Careful," Twilight says, standing beside you trying to help.
"Can you get in yet?" You ask, leaning over to look at the screen.
"No. I can not see what you are doing. I'll only be able to know if you've done it right once it's done. And please, hurry."
"Why?"
"I've just lost sight of Nightmare Moon. I don't know where she is."
You take out the plug in the head as well. For some reason, this one is much bigger then the other. You look inside and are greeted with the confusing array of rainbow wires and a spinning gyroscope radiating static. You see a number of places you think the plug might fit, but it would be all guess work on your part.
You're sweating nervously. This feels like you're disarming a bomb.
"Could uh," You say, gulping. Your throat is really dry. "Could one of you find me a schematic or something for these things? I'm flying blind here."
"Sure thing!"
Everyone scatters around, looking around desks and pulling drawers for something to help.
"What happens if I get this wrong?" You ask Celestia.
"I don't know."
You stand there, hands shaking, brow sweating, still unsure how to proceed.
"I found something!" Pinkie shouts from across the room and starts lying back over. A big roll of paper is in her mouth.
The ceiling above her explodes and you lose sight of her in the smoke.
"Found you!"
You are Rusty Shackleford, a human with no memory of himself or his past.