The Eternal Nightmare[Closed]

Lightning still felt rather dizzy after slamming into the back of Arc. It seemed that was slowly becoming a theme in their little adventure here. Once his head cleared though, he would take a look at the bite mark at his flank. He frowned to see that it was still bleeding. Looking back at Arc and Violet, he was relieved though to see Violet up and walking on her own power. The stallion smiled when the filly thanked them and himself especially for their actions. Humbly, Lightning bowed his head and said, "Anything for my friend."

He walked back up to the two unicorns and looked back up the path they crashed through, frowning a little, "So, how are we going to deal with that thing? Something tells me we're going to need more than just three ponies to take it out. Especially if we want that fresh water..." Then something else came into Lightning's mind. "And...where's my sword...?"

Arc leaned his sore and tired body body against the arch that closed the tunnel. They were back at the camp where they found Violet. Ghosts of the past could wait until he was drunk and not in an underground evil fortress.

When Arc's side pressed against the cold stone, he hissed in pain. Somehow, everything hurt, and most of all, his head. "Yeah... I guess we have been shown who's the... aah... boss here. And sorry. Haven't seen your sword, which means it probably got left back there."

Arc swallowed his pain for a while and looked around the room. There were still several exits that lead, well, somewhere. This place must have been huge. Really huge.

"Violet? I take it we can't use the way you got here to get back to others and regroup? Quite sure we could use some help."

=== Rad Boom and Shooting Spectrum===

A white being flipped in front of his fading vision. Emerald wondered what it was, if it was some opposite of the black devil that hurt him so badly. He turned his head and watched her talk with the other one, the green pegasus that survived spear into his chest. Three pegasi... they must have broken through the blockade.

His mind started to bring up the steps for the spell again. He wouldn't let them pass, he couldn't. His horn lit up with electric blue light and focused the energy on the white one. For Luna. He felt his body give up as the lightning spell drained it of the last energy the fight has left in him. He wasn't going to survive this one, but nopony could say that Emerald did not did his duty. He would stop them, buy the others some more time to prepare another defensive line. "For Luna..." His body fell limp on the carved s His body fell limp on the carved stone floor, the white blood polling under it, until the spell broke. The robes fell through the dust of his body, hiding the old bones.

The lightning spell hit Spectrum straight into her back, finding exposed skin. The electricity burned through her body to her right front shoulder and hopped over to Rad, whom, without his armour, took the remaining energy of it.

=Status=

Shooting Spectrum: Lost 55 HP, now has 198HP
Rad Boom: Lost 25HP, now has 181HP

===Nova Surge===

Nova followed the corridor until she reached a small junction, a large closed double doors made out of heavy wood, and a smaller side entrance doors that, after opening and entering the pony wide corridor, lead to the kitchen.


When she peeked inside, she noticed a room full of tables, with rusted pans, pots and several other types of cooking equipment hanging from the ceiling. Most of one side of the room was occupied by a row of ovens, with one ethereal earth pony cook attending them, still thinking that there was fire burning in them.

Over the row of tables, another ghost, a unicorn, tried to chop unseen objects with rusty knives, the cutlery slowly eroding from the chops into wood of the table.

Further back, in the far corner of the room, was a pile of boxes, clearly of pre war origin, stacked on a foldable metal table. A greenish glow gave away presence of a still working terminal hidden behind the pile.

Lightning was visably disappointed at the fact that his sword was left behind. He had bought that sword on the mission he saved Spectrum and it was special for him. He didn't say anything though and simply nodded at Arc when he said it. The pegasus sat back on his haunches with a sigh before wincing at the pain and leaping back up. The items in his bag clattered at the quick movement. Lightning sighed again and decided to see if there was anything in his bag to help him with the pain. Looking inside, he realized that he forgot to look at the pink box before the battle. He decided to do so now and he pulled it out, gently touching the top of the container before trying to open it.

(Opening pink box...)

===Lightning Flash===

Flash slightly opened the box's lid. Then the lid shot out, with a flurry of confetti and a trumpet sound, carrying around the sewers. Inside the box was a plastic bottle, with a paper wrapped around it. The paper, as it turned out, was a letter, written by hoof. The cursive was erratic and inconsistent, as if the writer had problems concentrating fully at the message.

Hello Flashie!
I heard about what happened in the sewers. Well, in my case, what will happen to you and your friends in the sewers. And how Spec does not like all the creepy crawlies and nasty other things that live in those sewers. So I thought, being your best pal that I am, I stowed away something for you to help. Spec deserves a clean and nice smelling coltfriend.

Signed

Your bestest friend Pinkie!

P.S. Tell Arc to not grumble so much. He can be such a nice pony when he smiles. Nova knows.

The bottle was an almond scented mane and coat shampoo & conditioner. Picture on the bottle showed gorgeous unicorn mare, with white coat and wavy, long, perfect chocolate brown mane, mysteriously smiling.

===Winter Bell===

The courtyard of the building was busting with activity, guards running around, with Ring in the middle, bellowing orders. In the corner stood a carriage, refurbished from sky wagon. Two ponies were strapped to it, claps on their eyes, with another one sitting in front as the driver. A pillar of smoke rose nearby from the city ruins, slowly melding with the polluted clouds over Filly.

Ring noticed Winter leading the Stableton slaves out, and pushed his way through the guards milling around. "Winter!" he shouted. "Winter, there you are! We have trouble. Get in the carriage, I'll find someone to take them back to their cots. Have to get you out of here. Glare is in the carriage, he'll fill you in." He grabbed a slaver running around him and pointed him at the Stableton stock. The slaver nodded and started gathering guards for an escort detail.

Winter nodded, her mane blowing to the side in the wind as she looked at where the smoke trail rose. She looked to the guard and pointed a hoof, "I want those ponies behind my carriage and all of them better be there and unharmed or my shotgun loses another shell today" she said with a fierce expression which told them she weren't messing around nor leaving room for argument. Her expression changed when she looked to her friends, or, what was left of them. "Don't worry I'm going to get you out of here, I promise" she said, smiling before an explosion went off and she was pulled to the carriage by guards who wanted to get her out as soon as possible.

She allowed them to take her and as the door opened she climbed inside, giving a last look to the Stableton posies, feeling more then worried for their safety.

===Winter Bell===

Inside the carriage was the robed stallion again, smiling at her. He nodded at the seat across him and waited for Winter to seat herself. Then he leaned out of the window, nodded to Ring and shouted at the driver. "Take us to Omega!" He sat back and warmly smiled at Winter. "Your friends will be taken care of, no need to worry. I need to show you something, to make sure you properly understand what we are doing here."

The carriage jerked and started to move, gaining speed. Outside of it, the scenery of Filly blurred, slave housing, factories and droves of slaves, herded by slavers to walk along the road.

"As for the explosion... it seems a band of raiders we were trying to put to good use decided to try to break out. A minor annoyance, posing no danger to your new property, Winter Bell."

Winter was expressionless to the pony opposite her. She had no words at that moment to detail her dislike for him and if she was honest she suspected he already knew. She noted the name of the destination and that he said raiders had stirred trouble. Though how raiders managed to infiltrate slavers who are usually better armed was beyond her. When he referred to her friends as 'property' she clenched her jaw a little, only responding when he'd finished. "Where is this place we are going? and why is it you asked for me to join you in this carriage?" she asked, unable to keep the distrust from her words.

===Winter Bell===

The Student stopped smiling and looked more serious now. "Why I asked you to join? First, I wanted to keep you out of danger until the situation gets solved. Not that I would try to deny your capabilities, but Ring can order the flock of guards like no other. Apologies."

He leaned back and looked out of the window. Then he sighed. "Yeah. I know, Winter, I see that too, and I don't like it. But... the place where we are going... it will make sense. It will. Just wait for a while longer, please."

A large barn-like structure appeared over the ruins in the distance, and it was clear that the vehicle was moving towards the place.

===Nova Surge===

A loud sound rumbled through the corridor Nova was standing in, sounding like a gunshot, but somewhat different to be an actual gunshot sound. It echoed into the kitchen, both of the cooks looking up, alerted. They looked at each other.

"Well what are you lookin' at, laddie? Got a stew going 'ere, needs supervision. Choppin' carrots cannae wait, ye go down there and go check whattae 'eppened," said the one standing near the ovens. The other one nodded and started to trot toward the tunnel Nova was hiding in.