Steel woke next clutching his head in pain. "What in Tartarus. It's like I have a massive hangover. Though I've not drinker since I left the army to be a teacher." He stood up noticing the crystal mare on the floor. He approached the mare and allowed his brotherly nature to have full control. "You alright there miss. Don't worry if it's a panic attack you're having everything's going to be ok. Take it from a guy who grew up having at least three every week for 18 years each one lasted between 30 minutes to two hours. So I can help you." He then noticed the two other ponies who were awake and one who was out cold. "So... Aren't any of you going to help him."
"Panic attack? No. I'mm fine." Lillith suddenly was on her hooves and completely fine, as if nothing had happened. She quickly turned away from the group and proceeded into the next room. "OH GOD! The waiting room! This place! UGH!"
Steel Skull took another swig of his vodka, "Don't know, i have too much on my mind at the moment. I would love to help, but i'm too angered to do so." He took yet another swig from his bottle, and somehow was not drunk. "This is only a game."
"It's not a game cupcake!" Lillith called from the other room. "This is the land of the corrupt lord. "He takes those that he wants and brings them to the mansion. This place. I've been here for centuries. The things you do. They change ya. Get changed enough and you become a twisted version of yourself, hellbent on killing those you're here with." She started laughing maniacally, before falling on her face just an inch from one of the chairs.
Steel busted out laughing, "thats nothing new! I use to kill people, until The Undead Warrior... made me change." Steel Skull remembered being defeated by blade, all of the corruption that possessed him just disappeared. "So now, it's like i'm starting over."
Steel helped up Lillith and began talking "Sorry, I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself. My names Steel Heart, I'm Canterlot school for gifted fillies top defensive art teacher. Before that I was a Support soldier in the 101st battalion." He sat down on one of the chairs and suddenly remembered something. "Not to sound rude or anything but where's my corruption level announcement."
"She only does it when someone is above 20... you sound like a 5. Just ask nicely if you want to know specifics." Lillith sat in the chair next to steel and sighed, holding her toy closely.
Steel skull's bottle of vodka, and so he set it down. "I remember when I was in the army. I use to a juggernaut. I handled so manny missions on my own." He sat down in a chair, "So, while we're waiting, why don't I tell you guys my old war stories?"
"I'd love too. Though one of the favorites of mine is when me and my squad were a week away from ending our final tour of Zebrica against the native tribes. They may of been less advanced and had earth 'magic' but boy did they put up a fight. We were entrenched and fending off them for about 4 weeks. Im pretty sure they made peace with other tribes before driving them off. Even got a celestial medal for it." He enjoyed the time he had though he pretty much didn't kill any of the zebra's. He was tasked with keeping shields up. (The whole thing is sort of like the movie Zulu but with ponies and magical bubble shields, swords etc)
"Here's one, It was late November, the year 2019. My squad was wiped out in the Blood Stone caverns, I had no choice but to continue our mission, to get a Blood Dragon egg and deliver to out post delta 017. We nearly wiped out the whole cave, but then the Anthropians invaded it. I was running my fastest to get to that egg, those damned brutes sealed off the entrance, so the only way out was to blast my way out. As I arrived to the Blood Dragon sanctuary, there it was. Right beneath the shrine of golden bones, was the egg. I ran up to the shrine, grabbed the egg, and ran for my life. Anthropus were right on my tail. I grabbed out my Shadow Cannon and started shooting. group by group they fell. I ran until I was in front of a dead end, and I could here Anthropus heading my way. I didn't know what to do, until it hit me. the cavern was hollow, sooooo... i shot the walls. As clear as day, there was a whole large enough to where you can fie three heavy ponies in there. I dropped the cannon, and crawled my way through. An Anthropus were crawling right behind me, and I kicked it square in the face. As soon as I got out of there, I could see Alpha station. I was about to run, but I decided to light a six pack of long ranged dynamite and threw it in the hole. I started running towards the station. When I got there, you could see the whole mountain blow from the inside out. It was a beautiful site. Later that year, I was promoted to a petty officer by stopping that Anthropus invasion from going any further." Steel Skull took his last bottle of vodka, opened it, and took a swig out of it. "Any body want a drink?"
"Alcohol is a corrupter... drink yourself to evil. Anyway, it sounds like you dopes come from different universes. I wouldn't recommend ingesting something from one that isn't your own." Lillith stared at the bottle, almost frightened.
"I gave up drinking after leaving the army anyway. The headmistress over at the school was extremely picky on the state of her new teachers. Even though she kept a bottle of aged whisky under her desk. I've never looked back since." He then looked up to the sky. "Dear, disembodied voice. Can you kindly explain my level to me please."
The voice echoed, much quieter than the large empty concrete room. "Steel Heart. Corruption level 7% - Below warning level. Explanation: Having given up most corruption forces and being inherently kind." "Inherently kind." Lillith mimiced the voice in a mocking manner. "It'll still get you eventually... It gets everyone."
'400 hundred years...' SSM thought to himself. He grabbed the bottle of vodka and threw it at the wall. He grabbed a piece of glass, and started carving it into his skin. 'There needs to be a way to get out of here.' "Hey, Lillith, how many people died here exactly?" SSM asked, facing the wall while he continued to cut his skin.
"I don't know. When I got here there were 6, including myself... and Sparkles. They all got corrupt except me and him... and he saved me from them. Then THEY TOOK HIM AWAY!" She squeezed the toy and curled up in the seat.
"Him?" SSM was done cutting his right front arm. "Who is "HIM?"" as he asked the question, the raw cuts on his arm turned into pure iron, and when they did, punched the ground as hard as he could once, causing it and the walls to crack. "How do you get taken away? do they just show up and take you, or do you just "magically" disappear?"
The walls and floor of the bright white room restored themselves. Lillith ignored the questions as she sat in the curled ball.
Steel Skull sat against one of the walls, he reached into his satchel, and pulled out a book. He started reading, wandering what he'll do. As hours past, he fell asleep, hoping that this was all a dream.
