The three exited one of the teleports and it landed them in the Tea District. Once a vast and peaceful place with a lot of tea houses, shops, and restaurants. It used to be one of the busiest districts, yet things changed dramatically here too. Flash and Timber was taken back by the massive craters littering the place and more odd vines growing over everything that was still standing.

Birch gave no note to the scene at all, waving them over to follow him. "Come on, Fluttershy is this way." The ragged unicorn took the lead without them giving an offer. "I saw her here a few days ago," Birch's words encouraged them.

"Will you slow down, Birch?" Timber grabbed him by the shoulder. However, the unicorn held up a strange barrel at him. "How did you survive? Reports stated you were at ground zero."

The unicorn kept a fast pace despite Timber's attempts to get answers out of him. "Yes, I was, among many others... All dead." He stopped his feet louder, urging them to catch up. "Do you really have time to slow down?" He looked back and forth over every turn. "We're being watched."

"What?" Flash looked around, but couldn't see any signs of anything or even the so-called King. "How can he see us?"

"Not him, the Veiled Mare!" He grumbled at the shadows. "All sources of fear are her eyes." His sight came upon a strange church in the distance, opposite of the direction they were going. "She rules over both the Tea and Beauty Districts."

"Don't you mean the Pale Mare?" Flash raised an eyebrow at him only to receive the barrel to the throat. The broken-horned unicorn shoved him against a wall.

"No, those two are two totally separate entities." Birch narrowed his eyes at Flash and then turned away. "The Pale Mare is an enemy of us all..." He refused to say anymore after the mere mention of her presence. The stallion moved ahead, checking several doors while Timber walked next to Flash.

"I've never seen him like this before." Timber shook his head. "He used to be just as kind as Fluttershy."

"Maybe like his personality has been altered somehow." Flash nodded as the two followed closely behind him. He wasn't sure what made him think such an assumption. "When did you last see him?"

"It was during the evacuation." Timber bit his lip like he was hiding a secret. "He crashed into one of the walls after the first explosions. However, that didn't stop him from running back into ground zero as everything went white."

"You were there when Canterlot fell!" Flash accused him.

"No, I was on the outside when it happened." Timber corrected. "Many of the escaping ponies mentioned Birch and his valor to go back and find all the main six." He kept his eyes on Birch. "He used to be so kind and modest, just like his cousin, Fluttershy. That's the reason why he couldn't give up, even if it meant running right into the danger zone."

"You left me behind!" Birch screamed at them while waving them over to the remains of a restaurant. The sign said, Tasty Treat. The sight of which made Birch groan in annoyance. "In here..."

"We searched for a full day after the crystal was sealed." Timber rushed over with Flash behind him. "None of you, the princesses, or even the main six came back out."

"No, you left me to die..." He stopped while popping the door open. The corpse of another unicorn fell out of the door and into the streets. It was a unicorn mare with orange fur and a brown mane. His horn was also broken off. "Throw that in the closet." He reached down and pulled off the pony's dog tags. Unique for their purple and turquoise streaks.

Flash's eyes narrowed at the burnt wound on his chest matching the shape of the barrel that Birch had been swinging around. Timber looked up at Flash and gulped as they had the same realization. "Did you kill him?" Flash lowered his voice.

"He was already zombified when I got here hours ago," Birch answered, but he didn't look back at them. The stallion moved on ahead before either of them could question him further. "Hurry up and close the door."

Flash did so, though it was clear he was reluctant to treat the corpse in such a way. He was a soldier, and he was once a strong and proud pony to die at the front door. Clearly the owner of this restaurant, they were breaking in making all the harder. His eyes turned away from a photo the corpse was still grasping, that of a mare of the same colorations. It had to be a daughter from the age, Flash hoped she managed to escape this hell.

Timber approached Birch as he rushed through the kitchen for supplies. "I'm sorry... we tried saving you. We would have never abandoned the main six or the princesses."

"Right? No care for us citizens at all." Birch didn't look at him; instead, he mentally counted the amount of food he needed now that it was more than just him around. "I arrived here first to look for food, but then that teleport started to glow, luring me in to find you fools. Now that you're here, grab what you can."

"What have you gained since being trapped here" Flash came back after doing the dark deed and changed the subject. "Do you know what's going on here?"

"You have any idea who that mysterious unicorn behind the K mask..." Timber cleared the answer. "Nick Kray..."

"King!" Birch corrected. "If you wish to survive, you refer to him as king!" He slammed his hand on the table, emphasizing the word as much as possible. "We all know his name... But is his title is law here now." He shivered into a wall and covered his ears and stub of a horn. He turned away and adjusted his face again, taking a deep breath. "To disobey him means death... But to see the Pale Mare is worse..." His eyes flinched to both of them, whispering so quietly. "She's against him, but she also searching for somepony... One so important to her."

"Birch?" Timber smiled and helped him carry the food. "Don't push yourself."

"Yeah, we need all the strength we can get to fill those cages!" He laughed and grabbed the food. Putting plenty of it into his bag before Flash stopped him.

"We are not here to capture the six." The pegasus stood in starch defiance. "We're here to free them."

"Free them from what? Themselves!" Birch stepped back in surprise. "You're not planning to help the king!" He grabbed the barrel again. "How dare you trick me?!"

"What are you talking about?" Timber's eyes widened as Flash gripped his spear. "We're on the same side. Rescue the princesses and defeat this evil."

"You think it's that easy for ones trapped in here!" Birch screamed into a full panic and charged. Flash dodged, only for the stallion to fall into a fit. "No, I won't let you." He aimed his barrel at Timber."You can't stop him. It's pointless!"

"Are you willing to do this?" Flash swung his spear around.

"Stop, Birch?" Timber struggled against the screeching as well.

"Because... he has the power... and the Veiled Mare on his side!" Birch flailed around the room, swinging the gun in six different directions, nothing in those ranges at all, but he still spat out names like they were right there.. "Bone Collector, ever so generous in her apathy, Crystal Apple, a cold and cruel liar to the very end, Slice Kilm, the most dangerous one of them all..." He stopped upon aiming at Flash, dropping the barrel to his leg, and whispered the last name ever so silent. "And... And... And... Zeneral Flood..."

"That doesn't mean we can just abandon them to him." Flash rushed over to grab the barrel out of his hand. The unicorn held it up to him shivering as if Flash was the worst kind of enemy. "We are not the enemies."

"Everypony who stands up to the King is an enemy." Birch looked at him, but his eyes slowly shivered up to his broken horn. "You must accept his rule... And obey."

"Never!" Flash shook him violently before throwing him to the ground, kicking the barrel out of his hand. "Now show me where Fluttershy!"

"You'll never win... You can't stop him..." Birch was barely able to crawl himself away, his eyes filled with tears. "He is king..." He attempted to struggle until the panic became too much for him. Continuing to repeat the word king over and over until his mouth filled with foam.

Flash and Timber stared down at the poor unicorn, his eyes were still moving, but he could say no words. He was clearly suffering from a panic attack or a mental breakdown. The two were unable to do anything but watch. They realized this poor soul must have witnessed the full horrors of this king.

"Is there nothing we can do to save them?" Flash turned to the earth pony.

"I'll carry him." Timber ignored him and threw Birch over his shoulders, carrying all the stuff around was rather hard without natural magic but he would manage. "We have no time to lose."

"Then where are we going-" Flash was stopped as a paper fell out of Birch's bag. It had no landmarks, just some lines from the restaurant to another place. The sign marked as the "Mare Faux, sounds like another place to look."

"Oh, that's where Birch used to work..." Timber's eyes widened as a blush covered his face. "Well, he worked as a..."

Flash slowly realized the obvious and rolled his eyes. "Great, we're getting direction from a male stripper..." He stomped towards a window to check the streets. There were no signs of the undead and no sign of the so-called king. However, his eyes narrowed as in the distance, the Pale Mare could be seen. Just as before her face was covered in static. He leaned to the side to see if Timber would notice, again, he never did. The pegasus turned back to Birch and sighed. "Fine..."