The Mad Mane Six.

Chapter 14

Franken-Dash looked out the window to and through the only portions of the barrier that were clear. She watched some sort of pub was being built, along with houses for the refugees that seemed to have started to arrive. Despite the lack of communication systems, news seems to have been spreading that this was now a safer area for immune and uninfected. Even gentle nightmares and nightstallions started showing up to help build and protect homes and others. This fact made her smile.
Her eye turned to a empty spot in the sky where her home used to be, but time dissipated the clouds and destroyed anything that had been in her home at the time. Her books, the decorations, and any keepsakes have all be ruined and destroyed. This fact removed the smile she had. She decided to look away, and then saw her. Flutterfright stood on top of a house and seemed to be looking directly at Franken-Dash, her pink eyes looking at his with curiosity and playfulness.
A knock on the door caused her to lose focus and she looked away to the door as Big Mash then said,"Hey, Riplight would like to see you as soon as your ready. I hope you slept well, today is gonna be a busy day." Franken-Dash answered him,"ok, thank you for telling me." She looked back to see that Flutterfright had left. She sighed and then whispered,"we'll get you back, that I promise." She then started to get re day for a day that she didn't get any sleep for. She then opened the door to see Big Mash waiting, and he promptly started to lead her to the front entrance of the castle.
They arrived to see a congregation of sorts with Riplight and a group of ponies, but she recognized one that was hugging Riplight. A smile then began to creep on Franken-Dash, for another one of the group had arrived. The smile the faltered, and turned into a grimace as the events started to unfold.
She started to move when she noticed a trickle of blood begin to form on Starlight's leg as the tear began. A red and pink line of flesh then began to show and she began to hear tendons begin to snap and bone grind on bone. Starlight's heartbeat didn't increase so that meant that Starlight wasn't feeling her leg get ripped off by some unseen force, and that was something Franken-Dash was counting on. She then got to a point where she could save Starlight's life, but not before the leg was finally ripped off.
Franken-Dash started to heat up one of her blasters to cauterize the wounds to stop the bleeding. Starlight collapsed with Riplight in her grasp, who had the face of utter shock. Franken-Dash had pull the now unconscious Starlight away before she the burned and cauterized the wound using a fire like stream of plasma from her blasters. Now she needed a cloth of sorts to prevent to many other fluids from seeping out the newly burned flesh.
Franken-Dash looked around and saw a cotton tablecloth, one which Darkness had grabbed and brought over, almost as if this was common procedure for a situation like this. The two of the worked together to cover the wound tightly. She was safe from bleeding out, but there was more to be done, but it wasn't something Franken-Dash could do, besides getting her to a infirmary.
Riplight finally snapped out of the shock and began to help Franken-Dash and Darkness pick up Starlight and headed to the infirmary. The tried to make the movement as smooth as possible as to not jar the injured mare and making the wound seep anymore than what is was going to anyway. They then arrived quickly and set Starlight set down on a cot and hooked up various wires that monitored everything from brain activity, which was good, and heart rate and blood pressure, which would be as you expect for someone who just had a leg ripped off, fast and low. They needed to transfer blood as soon as they could.
Sheac and Lotius were both waiting and had equipment set up to help in any way they could. In this case, they had needles and a blood bag set up with various other IV solutions. The quickly found a vein and put the needle in so get her started on the transfusion. It wasn't long till her blood pressure and heart rate normalized. Her breathing also started to calm and she started to relax in her sleep. It wasn't long till everyone started to finally calm down and process what just happened. Riplight was the first to speak, a bit of frustration and sorrow in her voice.
"What happened out there in all that time for this to be the result? I should've been there to help you that time you needed me, I should've never closed my doors on you." Riplight held her head low, ashamed of the past. Franken-Dash looked at Riplight and felt some sympathy for the statement. She then walked over and said,"In sure you had your reasons to turn her away that day, but she's here now. I'm sure the others are doing their best to help, so if you want to make it up to her, then help them save her." Riplight then looked up at Franken-Dash, who gave a smile.
A door opened and Winged came in and saw Starlight had been stabilized, but she was still out. Winged hung her head and then began to apologize to Riplight, but Riplight didn't let her finish and then said,"you don't need to say anything, and it's not your fault, is there anything else to report?"
Winged looked at her and then said, "Well, the bounty hunters are in Corruption's pocket now, and I'm not exactly welcome anymore. Oh, and on my way here, we encountered a pony that goes by the name Gearus Lockheart. He seems to be a very powerful and fearsome, just look at that one when I said the name." She pointed at Sheac, who was pale.
"How did he get free? Did something happen to Gearhead for him to split?" He said in shock, he began to mumble to himself, trying to wrap his head around the concept. He then turned and looked at Franken-dash, "he left with you, and he didn't get here with you. Did something happen to you two on the way here?" Riplight, then looked at her with a face of uncertainty. She looked back with a bit of sorrow, and then answered.
"He got injured pretty bad by Juggernaught, and he couldn't seem to regenerate. We then ambushed by a old enemy of mine. She desecrated him and ripped in two, leaving him alive but unable to do anything. He asked me to end his suffering, and my hunger had gotten so overwhelming. I couldn't control it anymore, I'm sorry." Sheac looked sad, but he then hugged her and said,"he isn't suffering at least." He then released the hug and then said,"unfortunately, you didnt eat all of his body. His mind has split, or more aptly, and hidden part of him has been released. His darker side is nothing to be trifled with, and he has to be planning something."
Sheac then paced around, Riplight gave a sullen face and asked,"Are we sure that we are making a better world?" Big Mash then entered with a,"well, you've brought a lot of hope to those who have come here, so that would be a Eeeeeyep." He smiled, and it gave Riplight a few good thoughts. She hugged him, making sure that her feathers didn't get between the two of them. Those thing hurt when they cut you know. They then released each other from the group.
"So what do we do now? How do we make things better now?" Riplight asked the group before her. She got an answer rather simply," we just do as we can, and do right for that group that waits outside this castle, praying for safety. They all have been hurt in various ways, and they all need someone the bring up moral. Any ideas are good, though some many be better than others?" Big Mash said. Just then, Killer pie walked in and said, "I don't know about you, but I think letting them through some sort of fall celebration would be good. It is around the time for Nightmare Night to be celebrated, and what better way to shake off the creeps then to dress up like one!"
"The question is, do we have the space and resources for such a ball?" Riplight asked, and Big Mash then said,"Eeeyep, and it wouldn't hurt if the other groups help. Sort of feast of sorts, of course, we'd have to open up the castle for the group, for their safety, and we'll have to employ the pegisi guard to help out." Franken-dash smiled and said,"i'm sure that they can do that, heck, you'll probably volunteer willingly." Sheac then said,"they won't be the only group that would do that. I'm sure that the Old Order would help out with that as well. If we can find Ironjaw, we'll even be able to have some molasses breads and pies, I just wonder where he went off to."
They all looked at each other and asked themselves the same thing,"in sure he will pop up soon enough, although, it seems as if all the immune humans that have been exposed to the virus seem to be reacting to the darkness of this place. All of them seem aggravated and tense. It's like what happened in the Dark wars." Sheac said. They all looked at him with curiosity, only to have the question they wanted to ask to be stopped by MadJack enter and say,"we have a minor issue." Riplight gave a annoyed voice and said,"what's wrong now."