A hot wind whips dust into the air, doing little to cool the dead heat of the San Palomino. Even the constant cloud cover seems to have done little but trap the heat of the desert in place. Amid the sand are three figures and a single blue light on a pole. The light pulses, fading in and out with the regularity of a metronome. A second light joins the first, a faint green haze that sparks from a unicorn's horn. The ground near the three clears, revealing a large metal door hidden under the sands. The number 12, scoured by wind and age, stares up at the trio.

"Here it is, just like I said," the unicorn mare speaks. "Stable 12. Xerate, this is why I hired you. I can get into the Stable with my codes, but I need you to crack the elevator shaft. Don't disappoint us."

Xerate cocks his head. "Never seen a terminal I couldn't crack. Don't worry about it."

Razor Lily steps to the side to get another angle on the door. She looks up and out across the desert for a brief moment before glancing over to the unicorn. "Ah've got a bad feelin' about this," she mutters, looking back down at the door again. "Ah've heard stories 'bout these things, y'know?"

"I've been in one before. They ain't so bad if you're careful," Xerate replies.

Razor Lily swallows, nodding. "Alright. Ah'll take your word for it."

Xerate smiles toothily at Razor Lily. "Ain't nothing to it."

Emerald Haze shakes her head and her horn lights again. A small box reveals itself from under a pile of sand. "That's the arcane lock there," she points out with a hoof.

"Well let's have a little look-see, then..." Xerate says, trotting up to the lock and dusting it off with a hoof.

Though the formerly bright yellow security case is tough, sands both of time and the literal variety have done a number on the components. It won't be easy, but it's far from impossible.

Xerate places a hoof on his forehead to protect against the dust as he examines the faded keypad. He grins. "Alright, we might not have to go with plan B." He begins to tap the keys.

Work starts at a slow pace. The keypad sticks and the all it ever gives to Xerate's codes are pained yelps and groaning beeps from tinny little speakers inside the lock's casing. The idea of the lock and the possible sequences fall more into line as time continues.

It takes nearly an hour's worth of work but the old lock finally gives up the ghost. A happy little beedily-beep! sound effect plays before the large hatches groan and creak and cry their way open. The two sides lift upwards at a snails pace but eventually reveal an elevator platform.

"There ya go, you rusted-up piece of starshit," Xerate finally grunts in triumph. He wipes the dust stuck to his face, succeeding only in smearing it around.

Emerald Haze takes the first tentative step onto the metal platform. It gives out an haunted groan even at her weight. "Alright," she calls out, "Let's go you two. I'm baking out in this heat."

Xerate takes a sip from his water canteen and then climbs roughly to his hooves. "On it." He steps up to the elevator's edge, eyeing the contraption up and down. "That looks like a real piece of shit."

"It's held for over a century," Emerald comments, hoof hovering over a switch. "Are you coming or not, Razor?" her voice edges on impatience.

"Yeah, yeah, Ah'm comin'," she says as she trots over to the elevator, staring into it for a hesitant moment before heading in. "Don't lose your horseshoes."

Xerate tests a hoof on the elevator before joining Emerald inside.

"And please, call me Lily. Ah hate when ponies call me Razor."

"Lily it is," Emerald Haze replies as she hits the switch. The elevator platform shudders and begins its descent. The hatch closes after the elevator, but lights running alongside the shaft give illumination to the platform.

"We're approaching Stable 12 now. I wish I could tell you more but Stable-Tec's sort of lost contact with this one. The active light went out a long time back and we've just recently rediscovered its location."

"Get me to a terminal; I'll tell you what happened," Xerate says.

"Should they still be alive," Emerald Haze points out. "I think we'll find more corpses than not. We're here to secure anything beneficial before some Steel Ranger battalion tromps all over everything. If they are alive, well, we'll just wing it from there." As soon as Emerald Haze finishes speaking, the lights in the shaft cut out. Though the elevator continues to descend, it's in darkness.

"Ah don't like this..." Lily mutters apprehensively.

"Hey, uh, hornhead?" Xerate says with an air of impatience.

"On it," Emerald Haze is already lighting up the elevator shaft. The pale light flickers. It's not as bright as the wall lights, but it is enough to see the others on the platform. "Can't be long now," she gripes. "Just stay calm, it's old equipment having faults."

"Should be better when we're inside," Xerate comments. "These places were built to last."

"Ah'm more worried about what else has lasted in here," Lilly replies. She settles a hoof on the hilt of her rapier.

Xerate grins. "S'long as the turrets are good to go, I can show you a thing or two."

"I'm not certain the specifics," Emerald Haze pauses when the elevator touches ground and clamps in place with an echoing thunk. "But it had something to do with medical research. Stable-Tec wants to know and wants to make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hooves."

Xerate chuckles. "A medical Stable? Well, if you've gotta get hurt someplace..."

"Ah suppose..." Lily says.

The light from Emerald's horn glances off the walls and casts shadows in the darkness. Down the curved path buried underground and around a bend the great Stable door is revealed in the pale light. A great cog with the number 12 painted on the center. It stands silent and dark in the cavern, looming before the trio of adventurers.

"So you say this one won't just open at the hoofing of a button?" Xerate asks Emerald.

"No," Emerald Haze says, walking up to the door. "I have access codes for the Stable. Put in by Stable-Tec pre war in case they needed to get in. Didn't think they just locked all this good stuff in here without something in it for them did you?"

Xerate shrugs. "They ain't gonna miss it now."

Razor Lily trots up to the Stable door and pokes at it with a hoof. "Can we just get this over with? This place is givin' me the creeps."

"They do, that's why we're here." Emerald Haze stops by a control panel alongside the door. Her horn continues to glow but now envelops the controls. At the same time as Lily pokes the door, it springs to life. Groans, creaks, and the squeal of metal on metal echoes in the cavern chambers. The cog slides back and back into the Stable and rolls out of the way on its huge metal teeth.

Razor Lily jumps back with a squeak as the door comes to life.

Xerate grits his teeth against the ear-slicing sound.

The sound dies down and silence reigns. "Lily, Xerate, welcome to Stable 12," Emerald Haze's grin stretches from ear to ear.

Razor Lily swallows again, staring past the opening into the Stable. "Yay?"

Xerate sniffs at the century-old air.

The foyer of Stable 12 is a musty, dark place. The faint glow of emergency lighting is visible coming from the far hallway. Immediately above is the great hexagonal key that opens the cog gateway. Papers, tools, and even a mug with a straw sit in place, unmoved in who knows how long. All are covered in a layer of the dust of ages.

Xerate grunts. "You better hope it's just the lights that are out. I can't hack dead terminals."

Emerald looks down the split of a hallway, left and right. "Most of the more important terminals are on the emergency grid since they operate so much." She looks up that shows two signs. Security to the left, Maintanance and Wards to the right."

Xerate follows her gaze. "Security'll give us cameras 'n' turrets if this place has 'em," Xerate says. "If you're right, I oughta be able to get control of 'em."

"Ah vote for havin' the turrets on our side, rather than us bein' on the wrong side o' the turrets, if y'know what Ah mean," Lily chimes in.

"Security it is, then," Emerald turns the corner and starts down the corridors. The three are bathed in the sickly glow of the emergency lighting. Thankfully, the walk is short and it isn't long before they are confronted with a shut door at the end of the hall. Above the door is a flickering light plate that read SECURITY in bold lettering.

"That wasn't so bad!" Xerate says in a low voice. "Last time I had ta sneak past a killer robot or three!" He examines the door. "But I bet ya this one'll be locked as well."

The door is in fact not locked. It slides open with a quiet puff of air and clicks into place. The security office is cramped, appearing to have been built for two ponies but having four desks worth of office stuffed into it. There are two doors easily noticeable from the entrance. One only has a partially visible sign that read ORY, while the other is unmarked.

"Huh," Xerate notes at the ease of their entry. "Well, I ain't gonna complain. Should be good loot in that there armory."

"Yeah, let's just not die. One unlocked door don't mean the whole place is gonna be this easy to get through," Lily reminds, taking up a watch position by the door.

Emerald joins Xerate by the armory door. Sure enough, this one is good and locked. "Give it a shot, I'll take a look around and see what I can't find in here that'll give us information."

"Right," Xerate grins at Lily. "All the ponies that cared about security must've been posted someplace else." He nods at Emerald. "No problem," he says, stepping up to the obstructing door. He pulls out a screwdriver from his saddlebag with his teeth, and places it inside the lock. He then gets to work picking at it with a hoofstrap-held bobby pin.

The door proves far, far easier than could have been predicted. The old mechanisms seem to have been barely used at all and the tumblers click in place, releasing the door up into its housing and giving the ponies access to the lightless armory.

Razor Lily perks up at a sound, ear twitching. "Guys, Ah hear somethin' out there."

Xerate chuckles in delight as the lock glides open. He drops the screwdriver back in his bag. "Now that's how you do it. No sandy shit this time!" He turns to Emerald. "Hey, light?" He turns to Lily. "Huh? What?"

Razor Lily draws her sword and looks down the corridor. "Ah said Ah hear somethin'."

Xerate looks dubious, but he remains silent to listen all the same.

Emerald Haze walks around from the desks to look down the hall. "What kind of thing?" she asks, distracted from the question of providing light.

"Ah dunno. Like a, uh, 'vrrrrrrrrr' sound," Lily answers.

A soft, high pitched whine bounces down the corridors. At the far corner of the corridor, a light splashes against the wall, coming from an unseen corner down the way.

Xerate 's hairs all stand on end. "The fuck?!"

Razor Lily gives Xerate a momentary sideways glance before refocusing down the corridor.

"Lily, go check it out. Xerate and I'll see what we can't find in the armory if we need it," Emerald says, turning and lighting her horn up.

Xerate calms down a little as the initial shock passes. Just another machine. "'f'we can find the damn terminal," he mumbles to Emerald, "there ought to be some kinda shutdown for those things."

Razor Lily sighs and complies with a nod. She trots carefully down the hallway, toward the light there, her sword at the ready.

The armory isn't much to take from. A few strap and tail truncheons. There's more armor, however. All of it security style barding. Most important may be the faint glow of a terminal far in the back at the requisitions desk.

Down the hallway, closer to the bright light, the whining doesn't get much louder. Whatever it is isn't moving, but there is the thrum of machinery just around the corner.

"Alright, I think we're in business," Xerate says as he trots up to the terminal. "Gimmie a second to see what we've got here."

Razor Lily creeps up to the corner and carefully pokes her head around to see where the light is coming from.

The whine becomes a scream as a mounted gun opens fire at Lily's exposed head. Bullets tear into the wall, the corner, and the floor just as Lily manages to pull her head from the line of fire.

Xerate's ears spring up. "Fuckity fuck. Come oonn," he coos at the terminal.

"Holy shit!" Razor Lily scrambles back down the hall toward the security station. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!"

The terminal spits back lines and lines of commands and codes, running for the first time in ages. It ends with a single line. PASSWORD:

"Are you okay?" Emerald Haze asks, running out to meet Lily in the security office. Meanwhile, Xerate manages to figure out that the password for security was SECURITY. The terminal flashes, welcomes Xerate as High Wire and asks what he would like to do today. The first option being a game of go fish.

Xerate grunts and keys for more options.

"Yeah, Ah ain't got any new holes in me anyway," Lily replies between breaths. "That thing back there's got a big-ass gun it ain't afraid to use, though."

"Damn it," Emerald Haze grumbles. "Xerate! How are we with the computer!"

The options continue. Requisition logs, Case logs, a diary, prisoner records, and finally an option for security protocols.

"I'm in," Xerate says back. "Still looking for something that's actually fucking useful. Aha..." He selects the security protocols.

A series of options cue up for Xerate. Most of them are discussions on literal protocol, but hidden among them is are options for Security Parameters and Security Status.

Xerate squints and taps the option for Security Parameters.

It's a simple two step option apparently. Automated Systems: ON and AUTOLOCK DOORS: ON.

"Fucking vague-ass piece of shit," Xerate gripes. "Hey, Horn!" he calls. "Any 'Automated Systems' we care about? Cuz I'm about ta shut 'em down!"

"Air recyclers," Emerald calls out. "Only one I can think of off the top of my head." She's more focused on watching to see if the light down the hall moves.

It does not.

Razor Lily sits still as a statue, also set on watching that light.

"Well that'll fuck us in the long term - How fucked are we in the short term?" Xerate calls back, as he exits the current menu and navigates to "Security Status".

"Ah dunno 'bout you two, but Ah ain't got aspirations to becomin' swiss cheese any time soon," Lily interjects.

Several lines pop up on the terminal screen. Automated Security System Status LEVEL 1: ACTIVE, LEVEL 2: ACTIVE, LEVEL 3: INACTIVE, SMS "SUGARCUBE" CONTAINMENT FIELD: INACTIVE.

"None of us are planning on dying here, Lily," Emerald says, walking back into the armory. "What's the word, Xerate?"

"Can shut down all 'Automated Systems', which could be what we want if ya wanna bet that's just Security Systems," Xerate replies. "Looks like we can unlock all the doors as well, although that's gonna be a bad idea if there're robots all over the fucking place. Oh, and there's no 'Sugarcube containment' any more, whatever the fuck that means."

"It's either shut it all down or we fight that thing out there, take your pick but I don't think we have the firepower." Emerald stands by Xerate to read over his shoulder.

"Is it just sitting there?" Xerate asks.

"Lily?" Emerald Haze calls out for confirmation, "Is it moving?"

"Yeah, it ain't moved a bit. Ah ain't know what it's waitin' for," Lily responds.

Xerate nods and navigates back to the main menu. "Wanna take a look first?" Xerate asks. "Saw some other crap you might be interested in. Easy choice for me, though - I can't fight shit."

"I'll look later," Emerald says, walking away. "I want to see what this Sugarcube is if it has it's own header. Might be the research project we're after."

"Alright. Let's just try to make it quick? I don't want to wait for that robot to decide it wants to start a chase," Razor Lily says.

Xerate turns back to the terminal. Now driven by less urgency, he re-reads the options and notices the diary for the first time. He taps the option out of curiosity - last Stable had some useful stuff buried in the personals.

Most of the files are corrupted. There are a few entries optionable in the file menu. Entries #130, #136 #140 and #141 are all available to chose from.

Xerate selects entry #141.

ENTRY #141 - Flicker is right, there's no way we can deal with this thing. It's been a week since Allspice attempted to recover the Sugarcube from the others. I don't know what Flicker plans to do but I know when I've been licked. Tomorrow I'm going down there to join them. I'll set up the security grid in case anypony manages to find this place. Hopefully I can spare them what happened to the rest of us.

Xerate bites his lip and keys for entry #140. "Uh, guys, I don't think that sugarcube thing's something we wanna mess with."

"We're here to recover the research," Emerald says, looking out into the hall. "If it's dangerous, that's all the more reason to keep it from the Rangers or some random raiders."

Razor Lily furrows her brow in thought for a moment, then looks to Emerald. "So what d'you propose?"

ENTRY #140 - I don't know why I keep these anymore. Not much of a Stable to keep watch over anymore. Still, we can't give up hope. Tonight we move on the ponies in the basement and seal up the Sugarcube. Allspice is leading the others while Flicker and I stay behind to monitor the Stable systems. This is our last chance to save our friends.

"Funny thing," Xerate says as he waits for the next diary entry to load. "Looks like three ponies tried to get at it before. And I don't see much sign they fucking succeeded."

"We see what it is down there, figure if it's worth it, and take it back for our fortunes," Emerald Haze says. "And what's that, Xerate? I didn't hear you."

"We don't even know what that thing is or what it can do. Can't much enjoy a fortune if'n you're dead, Ah reckon," Lily adds.

"I said we're in over our heads," Xerate grunts as he keys up diary entry #136. "If it's more than robots down here, there aren't enough of us."

"So shut down the systems and let's get going," Emerald Haze says. "We have danger right in front of us we should be caring about."

ENTRY #136 - Doc was in here. She was complaining about Flicker boxing up the Sugarcube. I tried to tell her that it was Overmare's orders but she wouldn't listen. She's claiming we need it for our health. I can't say I buy it. Talked to Flicker, he was upset that somepony cracked the couplings on the containment field again. I suggested he get stronger couplings. I won't suggest things to engineering again. Allspice's farm is up and running again. Hopefully that will stave off the need for that damn cube.

Xerate sighs as he keys up the only diary entry that remains - the first. "Yeah, okay. If you're sure we ain't fighting past that. I know I ain't. Gimmie a minute."

Entry #130 - Ever since the rot took the farm we've been using the SMS. Sugarcube, the eggheads call it. I don't much like it, but I'm an earth pony, it's in my blood to take our food from the land and staying healthy by sleeping and working hard - not from some magic box. Doc says that we only have to use it for emergencies and when Allspice is back on her feet we can go back to doing things the right way.

"Okay, okay," Xerate says. "Looks like that thing is some kinda crazy addictive food. Ponies'll be dead by now, so it's just the automated systems we have to worry about. And not sampling the damn thing ourselves," he adds.

"Good to know, so you shutting down the systems?" Emerald asks, turning her back on the hallway and looking at Xerate.

"Yup," Xerate replies as he navigates to the "Automated Systems: ON" option. He only hesitates a little before pressing the key to deactivate.

Almost immediately, the light down the hallway shuts off and the whining sound ceases. All that's left to hear is the faint groaning and settling of age on the Stable as things get deathly still.

"Uh, Xerate?" Lily calls back nervously. "Please tell me that was y'all that turned that light off."

Xerate grunts. "Yeah," he calls out to Lily. "That's the 'bot down, then? Sounds like we did lose the air too. Anypony wanna guess how long we got?"

Razor Lily gives a sigh of relief. "Not really. Let's just get this done quick as we can and get the hell outta dodge."

"Air might be stale, but with only three of us, we should be okay for long enough," Emerald Haze says, starting into the hall.

The light was on the top of an automated turret. Now it stands useless and pointing toward the ground. There's another split in the halls. One sign directing to Maintenance and the other pointing downward to Wards.

Xerate nods in the empty armory. "Sounds good to me. Should be good loot, 'lthough that Sugarcube thing sounds useless if it basically kills the pony that uses it." He trots out into the hallway, and taps on the disabled turret. "Hah. Who needs to fight these things anyway!"

Razor Lily stares at it for a few moments and shakes her head before continuing on toward the wards. "C'mon, let's not do any dallyin'."

Xerate chuckles. "Yeah, right ya are, sweet Lily!"

Emerald Haze stares at the signs a moment before turning to follow Razor Lily down the hall. The lights grow dimmer the closer the ponies get to the stairs descending to lower levels.

Xerate follows, a bounce in his step. Another Stable falls to the Stable Killer!

Razor Lily proceeds with caution. "If you'd be a darlin', we're gonna need that light'a yours again, Emerald."

Down the stairs and Emerald Haze lights up her horn so they can see the way. Below, the halls are pitch without even the emergency lights to guide them. In the dim illumination, the turns in the hallways seem to twist and double back on each other until signs directing to "ORCHARD" and "MESS" show up on the walls at a corner.

Xerate flicks his eyes over at Emerald. "Anyone else thinking we need more lights?"

"Yeah, Ah don't like this at all," Lily agrees. "Think if we headed back up to that maintenance area, we could get the lights runnin' again?"

"Yeah, I think we do," Emerald complains, powering her spell to a brighter intensity. "I don't want to keep this up all day."

Emerald turns back around. "If we can find our way back upstairs. Stick together everypony."

Razor Lily nods her agreement. "Like caramel on an apple," she replies.

Xerate keeps obediently close.

The stairs are found eventually. Back up on the top floor and the emergency lighting, it's a simple turn to the maintenance room. The door opens as the trio approaches. Inside is an orderly office with a desk, a stack of shelves with parts and equipment, a tool box, and the desiccated remains of a unicorn hanging by a rope around its neck.

"The hell?" Xerate asks. "Oh. That terminal did mention another pony..."

"That just ain't right," Lily mutters with a grimace, warily eyeing the hanging remains.

"There's a terminal," Emerald Haze points out at the desk. "Let's just see what we can't fix and get on with it," Her voice is downcast, not wanting to but not shying away from invading on the body's resting place.

Xerate nods, and takes the route to the desk furthest from the corpse. "Let's see if this thing's any more secure than Security's."

The terminal boots right up and immediately welcomes Xerate by logging on. Almost as soon as it does, the terminal displays an image of a unicorn with a little play symbol underneath the picture. It's marked A Message From Flicker - Please Listen.

Xerate stares at the terminal for a second, and then taps "Play".

The voice of unicorn stallion begins to play. "Hello. My name is Flicker and I am the head of engineering for Stable 12. If you are listening to this message it is because I am dead. I apologize for any cleaning I may have left you. I am leaving this message to warn you, potential rescuers, to leave this place. There is no saving the ponies of Stable 12. The Succor Mega Spell is not worth the cost to you and yours. I plead you to go away and forget this place has ever existed. If you lost family or friends please accept that they are as good as dead. As dead as I am. Please. Go away. Just go away and forget."

"So that's what SMS stands for," Xerate says. "In case it wasn't clear before - I ain't touching that fucking thing, and neither should either of you."

"I'm not going to listen to some long dead unicorn," Emerald Haze speaks up. "Do you want to leave a mega spell here, unguarded and waiting for anypony that does have the guts to claim it?"

"That bad feelin' just got about a hundred times worse," Lily agrees. "But if it's really that bad, we can't just leave it here. We gotta get rid o' it."

"Anypony stupid enough to want that thing is dead," Xerate says. "Problem solves itself. If you want to touch it, I ain't gonna stop ya. But I've seen addicts, and I ain't getting killed prying that thing off you."

Emerald Haze looks down the hallway for a moment. "So don't. Just get us down there and we'll handle it, okay?"

Xerate shrugs. "Your funeral, sister. I'm just here for the loot that doesn't turn your brain to mush."

"Can you figure out how to get power on down there?" Emerald asks, ignoring Xerate.

Xerate scoffs and returns to the terminal. "Lemme see," he says, poking around for options.

Options on the terminal include a STATUS option, a REPAIR LOG, and an AUDIO DIARY.

"Doesn't look like there's an option for turning it on," Xerate says. "Maybe he mentioned the lights in here." He presses the button to play the audio diary.

The diary clicks and shows an image of Flicker along with a date nearly a hundred years prior. "High Wire went to be with the rest of them. He's an idiot. A sentimental idiot. I don't know what I'm going to do. I'll just set the maintenance system to automatic and hope it keeps this place from falling down around all of those idiots down below. I won't join them. I won't be some slavering, mindless gob in front of an idiot box. I'll have to reroute power from the middle levels to keep up here and down there running. Not that anypony will need the middle. If I don't, without me to maintain things, they'll all be buried alive. I just can't bring myself to do that. I can't. I can't."

"Fuck," is all Xerate says. He idly keys up the repair logs, although more to give himself thinking time than out of genuine interest.

The repair logs are simple and direct things. Just listing the locations, the action taken, the parts needed and the time of the incident. Most are normal and they taper off to more and more intermittent up to the end. The final repair is for a broken line in the kitchen.

"No good," Xerate says. "There's not enough power to keep everything running."

"Well, we can't just leave it down there," Lily replies. "What if somepony else comes and grabs it and brings it up to the surface? Can y'all imagine what kind'a havok that'd wreak?"

"Whatever light we can get, then. Anything else you can check on that?" Emerald Haze walks to the exit of the maintenance office to look to the dark downstairs.

"Well, I don't know about you my sweet, but one of us is planning to make it out of here alive," Xerate replies. "And can give fair warning for the benefit of smart people." Xerate pokes his way to the STATUS option. "Just another report page, I think," he calls.

Listings appear on the screen. SECURITY: GOOD; MAINTENANCE: GOOD; OVERMARE: ALERT; ORCHARD: ALERT; MESS: EMERGENCY; WARDS: ALERT; REACTOR: ALERT; SMS CONTAINMENT: GOOD; LABORATORY: GOOD.

"Yeah, just a status report," Xerate says. "Middle's bad-to-fucked, top and bottom're fine. Nothing we didn't already know. Reactor's one of the bad ones," he notes.

"So we hurry it up," Emerald says. "We'll just have to see if we can't find the right way through the lower levels."

"I'm not going down there without another light," Xerate says, opening the toolbox. "There must be one around here somewhere. Help me look?"

"On it," Lily chimes in, searching for any kind of portable light source.

Digging through the parts and pieces of the maintenance office eventually leads to a small flashlight. With some effort and a few smackings, the light flickers to a dim life.

Xerate wrinkles his nose at the dubious light source. "Maybe Security had all the good ones. Did anypony check that other room?"

"Not me," Emerald Haze says with a shake of her head. "Can't find anything in this place."

Xerate canters back over to Security, more than happy to leave the unicorn corpse's presence. "Come on, I'll need that head of yours again."

"Ah weren't much for gettin' separated from the group, 'specially after that close call with the turret," Lily says.

Emerald Haze follows after Xerate. "We've got two lights. Do you think you'll find another one in there?" she asks, stopping long enough to cast a glance to the lower floor.

"The light we just found's one sneeze from death, the other's attached to someone who ain't joining me for the return trip by the sound'a things," Xerate says as he reaches the nameless door. "I like ta have a better exit plan than that."

"You'll get out just fine. It's an ancient spell that probably doesn't have half the power it did. We just need to figure it out," Emerald says as Xerate finds the door quite well locked.

"Now jes' hold up a darn minute. They called that thing a megaspell," Lily warns. "Ah dunno 'bout you, but Ah ain't about to underestimate just how much juice it's still packin'."

The screwdriver in Xerate's mouth is only part of the reason why he doesn't bother to respond to Emerald, as he gets to work once more on another old lock.

The lock is more resistant than the armory lock. Age and disuse rusting up the clamps that hold the door release closed.

A half hour and some frustration and the door cracks open with a puff of rust and the door rushes upward to reveal a small room with a smaller cell inside.

"Fughing ruschty peeshaschitt," Xerate grunts as the door finally opens.

Xerate stows his screwdriver away once more and pokes his nose into the room. "Alright. Let's all quickly look around for anything useful."

Razor Lily follows in behind Xerate and begins rummaging around.

Some time worth of searching later and all the group manages to rustle up is a pair of strike flares in an emergency kit along with a single strip of magic treated bandages.

"Better than nothing. I'll take those," Xerate says, throwing the flares into his bag.

"You two ready?" Emerald Haze asks, watching the pair.

"Yeah, let's get this done and get the hell outta here," Lily answers.

"Yeah, fine, let's go," Xerate grunts.

Back down into the darkness below and Emerald lights up her horn to see the way. She leads along and after some time returns to the corner that separates the Mess from the Orchard.

Razor Lily directs her flashlight forward, treading cautiously as they proceed.

"Terminal said Orchard was fucked; Mess was really fucked," Xerate states.

"Orchard it is then," Emerald says, turning and heading in the direction, her pale light breaking the darkness. They walk along for some time, around another bend, before reaching a door. "Damn it. Can somepony help me get this thing open?" Emerald asks when the door refuses to budge.

Xerate steps up. "Another locked door?"

Razor Lily trots over to the door. "There's no power. What are we gonna do? Pry it open?"

"Just stuck," Emerald explains. "Help me push it up."

"Right," Xerate says as he braces himself against the metal.

Razor Lily sighs and gets into place against the door.

"Don't think Ah'll be much help," Lily mutters.

The trio try their damnedest at the door but whatever keeps it closed locks the door tight. "Goddesses damn this place. We'll try the Mess, maybe there'll be a way around."

Xerate shakes his head. "Figures."

"Well, it don't look like we got a lotta options, and we're wastin' time just sittin' here," Lily mutters. "Let's get movin'."

The walk back to the Mess is quiet and dark and of course has a closed door. In a rage, Emerald Haze kicks the metal gateway and with a click, the door wooshes upwards. A sucking sound and a rush of air from behind billows into the mess and kitchen. A slick greasy scent hangs in the black as pitch air.

Razor Lily coughs and wafts the air away. "Well ain't that just a pile o' daisies," she quips.

Xerate lets out his breath in stunned silence. "They took the air out? N-no-one mentioned that..."

"This place has been dead and gone for, what, a century? Whoever said it was on purpose?" asks Razor Lily.

"Why did they do that?" Emerald asks, hesitating going into the room. "Why would they do that?" She tries to light her horn but the light is like throwing a weak match into a cavern.

"Air doesn't just leave a sealed room by itself," Xerate counters. "You take air out to kill something, or to... to..." he mutters.

"What's that?" Emerald asks, moving tentatively through the kitchen area.

"What's what?" Lily replies, shining her flashlight at Emerald.

"They were stopping a fire, hopefully," Xerate says as he sniffs the greasy air. "Rather than preventing an explosion."

"Don't light those flares, then," Emerald warns, stepping around the tables and chairs. The air feels thicker and harder to breathe as they move on through the kitchen, plunging into the darkness.

"Way, way ahead of you," Xerate agrees. "Better save that light, then," he says to Lily. "We ain't lighting our way out of here with flares."

"Right," Lily says, clicking off the flashlight.

Through the darkened kitchen leads to another door. "Great," Emerald snorts. "How are we going to get this thing open?"

"Kick it again?" Xerate offers.

Some time later and some poking and prodding and pushing less than striking does get the door open. "Let's go," Emerald mutters and moves on to leave the potential explosive situation behind them.

Xerate is only too happy to follow.

Razor Lily is quite the same, staying close to the group.

Another round about and light, glorious light! It's coming from a series of stairs leading downward. Emerald grins widely and makes a break for the downstairs.

"Hey, hey, hey! Hold up, darlin'!" Lily exclaims, chasing after Emerald. "We don't know what we're runnin' into!"

Xerate runs to keep up with the only mobile light source they currently have.

The next level lower and the lights are back on. The halls are quiet, dust covered, but there is a quiet hum and rattle and the air is clearer than it had been upstairs.

Emerald Haze stands in the hallway, sucking in gulps of breath and grinning with a mixture of anticipation and greed. "Come on, you two. We're almost there. I can feel it!" she calls to the pony and zebra she left behind.

"Ah've still got a bad feelin' about this," Lily mumbles as she tentatively continues forward, her eyes darting nervously about the hallway.

Xerate slows down, relieved, as he catches up with the mare. "Yeah, can we not fucking run off and shit? I ain't turning this place upside down to find any of you."

"I didn't work this hard to go back to Stable-Tec empty hooved," Emerald Haze speaks, trotting down the hallway with renewed purpose. She passes by signs reading LABORATORY, OVERMARE, and REACTOR.

"That's nice an' all, really," Lily replies, increasing her pace just enough to keep up with the others. "But Ah'd rather not have mah soul sucked out by some kind'a freaky megaspell, thanks."

"Anypony know how to fix a reactor?" Xerate half-chuckles. "Otherwise, I'm votin' we stay outta there. I'd rather my stripes stayed where they are."

"Well, Ah can patch up the platin' 'n such, but Ah ain't got the slightest when it comes t' the fancy bits," Lily answers.

"Well do either of you have any ideas?" Emerald Haze says with a huff, stopping under the directional signs. "I suspect what we're here for is in the Laboratory, unless you two want to continue sight seeing."

"Overmare'll have a terminal worth hacking," Xerate observes. "Tell us where the really good loot is."

"Ah ain't doin' no sight seein'! Ah've been followin' ya'll," Razor Lily protests, letting out an indignant huff.

Xerate nods in agreement. "I didn't make it outta the last stable I went into by chargin' around willy-nilly. Terminals'll save you a lot of trouble."

"Then lead the way, Xerate. Terminals are your job." Emerald haze takes a deep breath and steadies herself. "Anything not our target is free for you two to claim."

"Yeah, just don't go gettin' our brains sucked out through our eyes'r nuthin'," Lily mutters in reply.

Xerate raises an eyebrow at Emerald Haze, and then breaks into a wide grin. "Alright, now yer speaking my language!" He walks down the corridor leading to the Overmare's office.

Razor Lily follows, all too glad to stay away from the laboratory.

The corridor turns shortly past the sign and a closed door with the glowing OVERMARE sign overhead. The door opens as the ponies approach. Inside is a standard fare office of the Overmare. A horseshoe shaped desk and terminal. Though this one has a small stockpile of weaponry by the side of the desk. There is also a cot and some cooking supplies along the far wall.

"Alright, guns!" Xerate says. "Can always sell those!" He starts picking through them.

"H-hey now, don't forget mah share," Razor Lily interjects, snapping out of her paranoia to realize the pile ahead. "A mare's gotta eat, too, y'know!"

The stockpile is simple, but thorough. Mouth pistols, a heavier caliber collar gun, and rounds upon rounds of ammunition. Lines of string tied to the stems of several apple shaped grenades round out the collection.

"Er, well, had to check they weren't gonna suck your soul out or nothin', darlin'!" Xerate replies with a winning smile at Razor.

Razor Lily just huffs again and rolls her eyes as she trots up to the pile.

Xerate squints at the grenades, only partially to have something else to do. "Who ties up grenades like that? Fucking morons."

Emerald Haze busies herself at the cot and makeshift camp. "Why is all this here?"

"Overmare liked her guns?" Xerate offers. "Lemme check the terminal."

"Ah've only seen that done before in raider traps 'n the like," Lily comments, looking at the grenades. Then, she looks back to Emerald. "Ah'm guessin' it has t'do with all o' what that buck mentioned on the terminal upstairs, what with ponies goin' all brainless 'n such. This looks like a camp if Ah ever saw one."

"Traps?" Xerate repeats, hesitating. He returns to the pile and begins tracing the paths of the strings. "Nopony touch nothing. 'n fact, don't move."

The strings end a short distance from the stems. The grenades clearly not actually tied to anything.

"Relax, darlin," Lily says, rolling her eyes again. "They ain't tied to a trigger 'r nuthin'."

"Huh," Xerate says. "'Kay, I prefer my theory of the idiot who thought up a great new way to carry loadsa grenades at once."

He returns to the terminal.

The terminal is lit, but flickering. The screen reads: "WELCOME OVERMARE STARBRIGHT! HOW DO YOU DO TODAY?"

"Ah think it's so they c'n throw 'em easier. Whing it, apple flies off the end at'cher target," Lily replies, gathering up the pile. "Y'know, assumin' yer good at throwin' stuff."

"Starbright," Xerate chuckles. "No wonder it went to shit down here. Uh, not sayin' I believe that shit, though," he adds.

Emerald Haze looks over from her study of the walls for information. "So we have the Overmare's name. What else you got?"

"Well I know most people out here'd just blow 'emselves up tryin' that," Xerate says to Razor as he presses a button on the terminal. "Er, just lookin' now."

The screen flashes: "PASSWORD INCORRECT" and "HOW DO YOU DO TODAY?"

"S'gonna need a bit of effort," Xerate says as words flash up. "Hold on."

Keystrokes later and the terminal is restarting itself. The prompts are simple and a cluster of information clogs the screen, but in time Xerate manages to recover the welcome screen once again. The password, it turns out, is "Good."

Xerate is almost disappointed at discovering the password is that weak. He grins as he turns to the others, however. "Ain't even an Overmare's terminal can stop Xerate! No need ta applaud or nothin'."

"A'right," Lily replies, going back to loading some of the weapons and other supplies into her saddlebags.

The screen flickers and flashes. Options are: SCHEDULE, LOGBOOK, MAIL, and SMS PROTOCOL

Xerate 's eyes narrow a little. "I counted those guns." Leaving it at that, he turns to the terminal and hoofs the option for "Logbook".

"Ah know. Ah watched ya do it," Lily replies. "Did YOU wanna carry 'em all'a the way back up, then?"

Xerate allows himself to laugh. "Lessee what other loot there is first, maybe!"

Options flash before Xerate: Log #101, Log #125, Log #126, ERROR, Log #130.

Xerate presses the button for Log #101. Let's do it in order this time, huh?

Lily simply states, "If we have ta gallop the hell outta here, I wanna have somethin' ta show for it."

LOG - 101: My position within the Stable is absolute. That I understand. However, I have always considered this form of totalitarian rule antithetical to the nature of ponies. I have always led through the advice of those under me and considered their words. This situation with Allspice and her farm is growing more dire and Flicker's constant delays in repairing the farm systems do us no help. I must step in and take Doc's advice and open the Sugarcube. I do this for the sake of my ponies."

Xerate tuts and keys for Log #125. "Yep, she was definitely the cause of it. If my crazy old father'd seen this..."

LOG - 125: Nearly a month and I've ordered Flicker to put the SMS to box. Doc is refusing to listen to me. She's been in the labs all through the day and night cycles. She's claiming the SMS is more than just food. That it's imperative that we keep it open and shut down the containment field to allow its magic to spread. I have ordered Doc on administrative leave until further notice.

Razor Lily turns her focus over to the zebra and the terminal he's working with, ears folded back in concern.

Xerate 's mouth begins to hang open. "You seein' this?" he mutters, mostly to Lily.

Razor Lily nods. "An' Ah'm tellin' ya, I don't like it," she answers.

Xerate grunts and presses the key for Log #126, even as he considers how to tell Emerald Haze a thing or two he wasn't going to negotiate on.

LOG - 126: Doc broke the coupling on the SMS containment field again. I caught her in the act. She slashed my throat with a lancet and told me to see how right she was. I did. I bled out on the floor, but I did not die. I felt warm in the light of the cube. I felt safe. My throat stitched up without so much as a scare. It felt as though I was lifted and swaddled in a way I hadn't felt since I was a foal. Still, I locked the SMS and told Doc to leave before I alerted Flicker and High Wire. I did not tell them Doc was the cause. I couldn't. Doc is right.

Lily's eyes widen as she stares at Xerate from the other side of the desk. She just swallows, saying nothing.

Xerate quickly flicks onto log #130 as soon as he realises what he's just read. Maybe Emerald Haze is a slow reader...

Emerald Haze isn't actually reading, she's out of the room and scouting the halls.

Xerate flicks his eyes up to see if Emerald Haze noticed, and realises she sneaked out of the room at some point. He creaks open his mouth, and mutters to Razor. "They might be still alive in there. And they're fucking crazy. And we can't kill 'em."

LOG - 130: I've managed to maintain control of myself. I shall not repeat the episode I had last night. Allspice and her ilk have been shown in. Today, High Wire arrived to join his family. I have no reason to fear Flicker, he will most likely die by his own hoof, stubborn as ever, while we shall live on eternal. If any of you read this, please, come join us. We'll be waiting. Love, Doctor Heartshine.

Razor Lily furrows her brow. "Anythin' left of that one?" she asks, pointing at the option labelled "ERROR."

Xerate swallows. "Fucked entries in the other Stable were unreadable." He taps at the log anyway.

IMUSTKEEPITKEEPITKEEPITKEEPITPROTECTIONPROTECTIONPROTECTIONPROTECTIONTHEYWANTITFORTHEMSELVESKILLERSANDWHORESANDANARCHISTSDEADDEADDEADIAMTHEONETOSAVEEQUESTRIAANDTHEYWANTTOTAKEITALLTHELYINGWHOREOFANOVERMAREWENTTOTHEMWENTTOTHEMBACKSTABBETRAYEDDEADDEADDEAD

Xerate just stares in horror.

Razor Lily blinks and swallows again. After a moment, she looks up and around for their other companion. "Uh, darlin'? Where's Emerald?"

Xerate blinks himself as the question makes him consider an angle he hadn't considered before. "Shit. You don't think she's...?" He looks up at the doorway in terror. "We can't let her shut that field down!"

The hallway is empty, only the steady sound of the air control system thrumming and the fluorescent lights humming are present in the clean walkways of the lowest levels.

Xerate moves at canter to the doorway. "Uh, Emerald, darlin'? What did I says about runnin' off?"

There's no answer from the hallway for Xerate.

Razor Lily follows Xerate to the door. "This can't be good," she helpfully points out.

"What say we just get the fuck out of here?" Xerate squeaks at Lily, wide-eyed. "'fore that field goes down and the whole fucking Stable becomes brain-fry city?"

"We don't know what the range is on that thing," Lily replies. "All that ramblin' on about 'savin' Equestria?' Could be nowhere is safe if that field goes down!"

Xerate stares at Lily. "...fuck! I didn't sign up for this shit!" Without another word, he gallops towards the Labs.

Razor Lily promptly follows, her faculties on high alert.

Same hallway after same hallway, the corridors double back on themselves like the coils of a serpent drawing the two deeper into the center of the Stable. Finally, they reach a door marked ANTELAB. The door is open, an empty room inside shows a laboratory frozen in time. Everything is still and even the noises of the air system seem absent. Then, creeping, a dull sound more felt than heard thrums from inside.

Razor Lily folds her ears back again. "Ah don't like this at all..."

Xerate nearly shouts Emerald's name, then thinks better of it. With a bravery borne of urgency more than true courage, he pokes his head into the room.

The room sits still. Paperwork is neat and tidy on the desks. Experiments in water purification and food reclamation are all in their half finished state. Diagrams on spell matrices are on chalkboards with barely a hint of the dust of ages. The far side of the room has a door marked HOT LABORATORY and SMS CONTAINMENT.

Razor Lily follows with but a hint of hesitation behind Xerate.

Xerate looks across the room to the closed SMS Containment door on the other side. He bites his lip. "Emerald?" he whispers into the room.

The door opens with a woosh and a rush of air. Emerald Haze comes walking from the other side and blinks at the pony and zebra. "Anything useful in the Overmare's terminal?" she asks casually.

"Nothing about loot," Xerate says, trying his hardest to mimic the mare's casual nature. "Never mind that, why the fuck did you wander off?"

"The labs would have the best chance of holding the technology I'm looking for," Emerald says with an insistent little stop. "I'm not going to just wait around for sightseeing. I want to get out of here with the goods."

"You tell me to lead the way and then fuck off while I'm trying to find out what we're dealing with down here?" Xerate says with rising anger, not helped by his earlier moment of panic. "You know, I sorta figured you'd listen to the person who's been inside one of these things before. You're not careful, you're dead!" he says with fire, striking the ground with a hoof.

"More like 'bads,'" Lily adds. "That thing has a penchant for drivin' ponies completely nuts!"

"I belong to Stable-Tec," Emerald Haze tells Xerate. "You aren't the first mercenaries I've hired to delve." She sighs and walks out of the hot labs. "We can get this thing out and to a safer location. Then we'll be rich. Rich as can be. That and with research, this thing might save us all. Would you rather Rangers get their hooves on it?"

"If this thing's gonna make us so rich, why are you still 'delving'?" Xerate grunts, the promise of unattainable riches dampening his anger somewhat.

"It's my job. Stable-Tec has a lot to own up to and more information on it than others," Emerald Haze explains. "We're trying to get a grips on all the Stables in the wastelands, especially the viable ones."

The idea of not retiring on riches previously acquired is somewhat alien to Xerate. He shakes his head clear. Not important right now. "We can't let that field down. It said in the terminal. Sends ponies crazy. One of 'em tried to kill the Overmare," Xerate says, carefully sticking to the facts he's prepared to reveal. "And that's just the ponies we know about."

"I'mma head back and read up what that terminal had ta say on 'protocol' 'bout this thing," Lily mutters to Xerate. "Might have some helpful info."

Emerald Haze looks down on the ground. "Then go, go and figure out the protocol. I'll wait here and see what I can't learn."

"You go," Xerate says to Razor. "I'm gonna stay here," he says darkly.

Razor Lily nods and trots back down the hall to the Overmare's office and the terminal there, wasting no time in bringing up the SMS Protocol option.

The screen flashes for Razor. PROJECTION Y/N?

Razor Lily stares at the screen for several moments.

"Projection o' what? The SMS itself, or the containment field?" she finally says out loud to the terminal, knowing full well that it would not respond to that kind of input. "This ain't nearly as helpful as Ah thought it would be! Stupid piece o' junk!"

Razor Lily continues staring at the screen for several minutes before throwing her hooves up in the air, letting out a grunt in frustration. Finally, she just storms away from the terminal in a huff. Stupid thing.

"So, what were you doin' in there?" Xerate asks, nodding his head towards the door.

"The hot lab is just before the containment room. It's empty and all the suits have been cut. The door seems shielded, probably a last ditch security effort but there's a light on the other side," Emerald turns back to look at the lab. "Terminal reads the door is locked and there's a dead pony in front of it. Gunshot to the head. Self inflicted by the looks."

Xerate grunts. "Maybe."

Razor Lily returns to join up with the rest of the group. "Well," she says. "That weren't helpful one bit."

"Gonna say that's for the best," Xerate says, relief beginning to flood into him. "Containment's still locked down. We're safe."

"What did it say?" Emerald Haze asks as she turns to head back into the hot labs.

"Nothin' useful at the moment," Lily answers carefully. "It didn't really explain anythin'."

"Xerate!" Emerald's voice cuts above the pulsing thrum coming from the hot lab. "Come hack this terminal."

Xerate cocks his head at Lily.

Razor Lily looks to Xerate after Emerald has passes through the other door. "You'll wanna look at that other terminal soon," she whispers to make sure only the zebra can hear. "Somethin' about 'projection,' but Ah couldn't tell for what in particular."

Xerate shakes his head and mutters. "All I can do is hack 'em. If you can't figure it out after that, neither will I." He looks to the door through which Emerald waits. "I'm thinking I don't wanna hack that terminal, ya get me?"

There is in fact a dead body beside the door, most of its head is gone, but the shotgun laying next to the pony is a good indicator of how it took its way out. Emerald stands beside it, looking at the terminal on the wall by the Containment room door. "Come on, Xerate. I'm paying you for this. If you're so nervous, go and see if you can't learn more about it."

Razor Lily nods in agreement with Xerate.

"No way we should be openin' that thing without some kind'a personal protection, at least," Lily says, a bit more loudly. "Ah mean, it's contained for a reason, right?"

Xerate 's ears stand up as Emerald responds, his nerves clearly interfering with his ability to keep his voice down. "Emerald, I ain't dying for this. And everything I've read says: we open that door, we die."

Emerald Haze turns to face Xerate, walking to the doorway. "So you suggest we leave this for others?"

Xerate places a hoof on his chin. "Leave it, or die." He taps said chin a few times. "Unless I'm missing something here, I'm gonna say leave it."

"If we rush inta this 'n die, it's pretty much the same thing," Lily notes.

Emerald Haze looks back at the terminal. "I didn't want to do this," she says, "But you aren't leaving until I get what I came for."

Xerate nods. "I figured you might be like that." He exchanges a glance with Lily. "You gonna fight us both?"

Razor Lily steels her gaze on Emerald, tensed in her resolve.

Emerald Haze shakes her head. "No, but I do have the access codes in and out of the Stable. As well as the elevator call. You're stranded here without me."

"You fucking idiot," Xerate snaps. "You can come back and fucking die if you want. You'd rather wait here with us 'til the air runs out?"

"Ya'll've been in Stables before, right?" Lily asks Xerate. "Don't they usually keep their own codes somewhere 'round these places?"

Emerald Haze stares at the pair. "I didn't want to threaten," she tells them, "But you're leaving me with no choice at all in the matter."

Xerate nods to Lily. "And if not, I'll still take my chances hacking my way out of here, thanks," he says to Emerald. "And shove your threats. You ain't payin' me enough to die."

Emerald Haze turns away, heading to the terminal. Her horn flares with the light of her magic. "Then I'll have to try."

Xerate pulls the revolver out of his saddlebag. "'ou 'ucking 'old i' 'ight 'ere."

Razor Lily draws her sword. "Ah ain't gettin' mah brains scrambled if'n Ah can help it," she intones.

"Then go," Emerald Haze tells the others. "If you're so confident you can get out without me, then go. I'm getting what I came for."

"'ou 'n't get'ng shi' 'f 'ou 'uck 'ith 'at 'ile 'e're 'ere," Xerate growls around the gun.

"Ah'm with stripey," Lily agrees. "Who knows what'll happen to us if you just up and open that door, even if we're outta this room? Ah ain't takin' that risk!"

Emerald sighs and lowers her head. "Fine," she says in a voice just above a murmur.

Xerate keeps the gun trained on her, regardless.

"Just help me gather up research notes," Emerald says. "That way this isn't a total loss."

Xerate spits his gun back into the bag. "Other loot is good. Just not that fucking thing," he says, stabbing his hoof in the direction of the containment lab for good measure.

Razor Lily slowly returns her rapier to its sheath, keeping her eyes on the unicorn.

Emerald Haze gives an annoyed sigh. "Fine, then you two write down and take what you can from that room. You don't even have to come in here if you're all so frightened."

Xerate shares yet another look with Lily. "Nopony has any reason to be in there. That includes you."

"Ah ain't takin' mah eye off'a you. Not after pullin' that," Lily states.

"This is the lab. One of you has to take care of this place, then."

"Ya'll can take your notes, 'n Ah'll make sure ya don't try nothin' stupid," Lily replies to Emerald.

"Oh, we ain't splitting up no more," Xerate agrees. He looks at Emerald through the doorway. "I don't want you in there with that terminal. Get out."

Emerald Haze looks back at the terminal before walking toward the others. "No!" she says suddenly, turning and sprinting for the terminal, her magic aura flaring to life, sparking the monitor on the wall.

Razor Lily wastes no time. She charges ahead and her rapier is out again in a flash, determined to stop the other mare from operating that terminal no matter the level of force it takes.

Emerald Haze cries out in pain as the rapier lances into her flank. Blood starts to drip down her leg, pooling at her hoof but her horn still glows.

Xerate is close on Razor Lily's hooves and charges forward in an attempt to knock the crazy mare away from the terminal.

The magic flickers off as Emerald Haze is bowled along the ground and into the corpse of the long dead pony. As she lay there, she groans and moans and looks at the others with pleading eyes. "Why?" she asks.

"Oh fuck no, I get to ask that question first!" Xerate yells at the mare. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"You're try'na get us KILLED!" Lily screams, stomping right up to Emerald. "Ah oughta end ya right here 'n now!"

Emerald curls away from the other ponies, her shivering causes the rough sewn leather barding on the corpse to fall to the ground with a thud, sending several bottlecaps rolling along the ground.

Razor Lily brandishes her rapier at Emerald. "Answer the zebra's damn question!"

Xerate can't help flicking his eyes down briefly to the clinking bottle caps. Stable ponies didn't carry those...

Emerald Haze shakes her head. "Nothing, nothing is wrong. I just have a damn job to do. We can contain this thing, I know we can." Her voice ratchets in pitch as she squeals her protest.

Xerate just gapes at her. "No you fucking don't. And the way I see it, shit is contained. Why are you being so fucking stupid?"

"Look what happened," Lily shouts, gesturing around in general. "They all jes' got mindlessly pulled in by this thing like bloatsprites to balefire! The ones who didn't up 'n killed themselves 'fore it could make 'em!"

Emerald Haze groans and lowers her head, brushing her mane back behind her ears. "Stable-Tec," she says, "Used this place to research a means to replenish the wasteland. This is one of the big ones we've been searching for. The data, the sugarcube, we can use it to reclaim all that shit up there."

"Responding to megaspells with megaspells," Xerate mutters, shaking his head. "That shit doesn't solve shit. In case you hadn't noticed."

"Yeah, maybe," Lily replies darkly. "Or it'll claim YOU jus' like it claimed everypony down here."

"Neither of you understand," Emerald Haze tells the two. "We can heal ponies. We can end starvation. Do you want to just let it rot here? Can you live with that? Knowing you could help everything and you didn't even feel like trying? Because you were scared?"

"You really think you know better than the ponies lookin' after it?" Xerate says. "'cuz I think it doesn't help ponies at all, except to turn inta a new type of ghoul."

"It ain't LIVIN' without a MIND!" Lily screams.

"We can fix it!" Emerald shouts back. "We just need to get the chance to try!"

"If you don't let us out of here, you won't get it," Xerate growls.

"Ya'll are actin' like it's broken!" Lily continues. "It does EXACTLY what it's s'posed to do! It keeps ponies healthy and breathin'! But look at the cost, darlin'! Look at the price of yer 'reclaimed' Equestria!"

"It is broken!" Emerald Haze calls out. "This is broken, but, but do you think we'll be the only ones down here? We can take our time and think our way through. We stand the best chance of getting it out of here safe."

"Megaspells don't help ponies, Emerald," Lily insists, pointing at the corpse on the floor. "They either kill ya, or they do somethin' even worse than that."

"If there's one thing you haven't been doing, it's taking your star-damned time," Xerate grunts. "I don't trust you, and I'm not helping you. And if you won't help us, then we've got nothing to lose killing ya."

The Containment door clangs once.

Razor Lily whirls around to face the containment door. "Please tell me that was jes' in mah head."

Xerate jumps. "Oh shit!"

Emerald Haze looks at the door, recoiling, staggering away as the door clangs again.

Xerate pulls his revolver out, then trots forward and grabs Emerald roughly. "'E're 'etting th' 'uck ou' 'f 'ere. C'm'n."

"Don't have'ta tell me twice," Lily says, heading toward the exit.

The containment door opens with a rush of warm air. Tendrils of light whip and swirl like living fog. A pony stands in the doorway, a young mare as white as snow, her mane red and pink. "Hello, everypony," she says in a sweetwater voice. "Have you come to join us?"

Xerate doesn't hesitate for even a split second. He abandons Emerald and bolts for the exit with all the speed he can muster.

Razor Lily doesn't even break stride. "Nothanksgottagobye!"

The hallways wind and spiral past back outwards, away from the SMS Containment room. Past the Overmare's office, and back to the stairs leading up to the inky black darkness of the gas filled mess hall.

Xerate spits the gun into a bag again as he runs. "The light, Lily!"

"Wait!" she replies, galloping just behind. "We can't just leave! What if it spreads?! We gotta make sure this place blows!"

Razor Lily is still retrieving the flashlight, meanwhile.

"That bitch might've been telling the truth!" Xerate pants. "You can't wire this place to blow if I gotta spend time hacking!" He swallows. "I really, really hope they can't see in the dark..." He blinks for a second. "Wait, that's it! We can kill the power for down there!"

"That'll buy us some time, but Ah were hopin' we might stop by the barracks and see if the Overmare's body got left there," Lily replies between breaths. "If we can't stop by her office anymore, then hopefully she had the codes on her, at least!"

"She joined 'em, didn't she?" Xerate breathes, racking his brains. "And if she didn't, they probably dragged her in anyways."

The second floor is as dark as ever. Black as pitch and the air is greasy and thick. Through the mess is the blackened wards area. A weak stench from the rotting Orchards floats among the stale air.

Razor Lily clicks on the flashlight as they head back up into the dark. "Too late to check now," she mutters.

The flashlight doesn't turn on.

Razor Lily smacks it against her other hoof a couple of times. "Why."

"You. Are fucking. Kidding me," a slack-jawed Xerate deadpans.

Flicker, flash, a brief working of the light shows a smiling pony in the beam. Then darkness.

Xerate pulls out the revolver for the third time. "Schtay b'ck!"

No answer from the greasy shadows.

Xerate whimpers and begins to back away. Eyes adjust to darkness right? Right? Hurry the fuck up!

A faint outline. A pony. A pony on the wall with a great grin. "Eat your greens!" it says by way of paint on the old mess wall.

Lily draws her rapier and starts to use it like a blindmare's stick. "Stripey-butt," she whispers, reaching a foreleg back for her companion. "Take my hoof. We're gonna feel our way outta here."

Xerate mumbles out an incoherent prayer of thanks to goddesses he doesn't believe in, and takes the mare's hoof.

The two fumble through the dark, turning right and left in the wards. The stench from the orchard falls away when they find a couple of the barrack rooms, complete with beds, desks and the comforts of home undisturbed for years and years, but it's no exit yet.

"N-nice work," Xerate says as the stench of flammable vapor diminishes. "Gonna try one a' them flares, okay?"

"Doitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitpleasedoitplease."

The stairs come into view, the way upstairs to the faint emergency lights from the top level of the Stable. When the two stop to check their flares, hoofbeats continue to echo in time.

Xerate nods, not that anypony can see it. He finds the flare in his saddlebag and fiddles with the cap to twist it off. Once done, he strikes the exposed end of the flare on the rough side of the cap. The flare bursts to life and bathes the duo in a bright, nearly blinding light.

Clip-clop-clip-clop comes down the hallway.

"Alrightlet'sgolet'sgolet'sgolet'sgolet'sgolet'sgolet'sgolet'sgolet'sgolet'sgo," Lily urges, immediately turning for the staircase.

"Rhn!" Xerate says around the flare, even as Lily expresses much the same sentiment. He runs to follow.

The top floor is small, there aren't any obstacles getting in the way of the pair as they run out of the Stable. Though they are still deep, deep underground.

Razor Lily gallops as fast as her legs will carry her, rapier once again stowed in the sheath now that she doesn't need it to navigate.

"Okay, I think maybe we just forget staying to blow shit up!" Xerate says wildly. "Let's just seal the fucking door on those crazies already!"

"Uh-huh!" Lily emphatically replies. "But we still don't have the codes!"

"Then you'd better fucking hope it doesn't need 'em to close!" Xerate says, frantically making his way to the controls.

"Yeah, but in case it does, Ah know a thing or two 'bout terminals myself," she adds quickly. "Might be able to crack this thing together if we need to!"

Hoofsteps echo from inside the stable, the beat accompanied by faint singing while the two focus on fixing the terminal.

Sweat rolls down Xerate's neck as he continues to hack at the terminal.

"...true true friend helps a friend in need. . ." The group singing continues, growing in volume as what sounds like several ponies approaching in lock step while the controls just refuse to work for Xerate in the way he wants them to, despite the help from Razor Lily.

"Oh comeoncomeoncomeon..." Xerate whimpers at the terminal as he tries one more thing.

The song is drowned out completely by the sudden deafening drone of the giant hex key. It moves into position and plugs into the cog. With a groaning squeal that splits the ears, the giant Stable door rolls steadfastly into place in the approaching faces of a group of ponies.

Xerate punches the air. "Yes!" he chokes, wiping a stream of sweat from his forehead. "That was too fucking close."

"Yeah, let's not wait to see if they can figure a way out," Lily states. "And let's get the hell out of here."

"Yeah, yeah," Xerate breathes. "After a Stable door, fucking elevator should be easy," he says with a small chuckle. "Get that sword ready though", he continues, moving to the elevator.

The elevator is easy to operate. Its system is a basic up and down button press. The problem is the centuries old clamps that refuse to budge from their position.

"And now the fucking clamps won't let the elevator move," Xerate grunts from inside the device's cage. "Can you see separate controls for them?"

"I can deal with that, I think, but first let's make sure they can't call the elevator back down in case they get past that door," Lily replies, retrieving her pein from her saddlebags.

Razor Lily wastes no time in smashing the hell out of the call button.

The call button cracks and sparks, dead and hanging from the old wires running to the Stable.

"Damn, good thinking," Xerate shudders. "Now are we gonna hafta pry these things off?" he says, gesturing at the clamps.

Razor Lily nods. It was a good way to vent some of the stress. She puts the ball pein hammer away and appraises the clamps and the elevator. "We may...but I think I can handle that," she replies.

A whining, grinding sound starts to echo in the cavern.

"Time to hurry it up then!" Xerate squeaks as his hairs stand on end. He grabs the nearest clamp and starts trying to wrench it up.

With a crash, the first clamp is smashed to pieces. Only three more to go.

The second of the clamps break under the blows. But the grinding echoes loudly, and the cog wheel doorway squeals loud and shrill as it starts to open.

"Shit shit shit, gotta hurry it up!" Xerate blurts as they start on the third.

"Focus..." Lily replies, well in agreement of Xerate's assessment.

The grinding stops. ". . .With sunshine, sunshine. All I really need's a smile, smile, smile. . ." Singing replaces the sound of the cogwheel turning.

The third clamp smashes to pieces.

The fourth clamp breaks and the elevator starts its clanking, creeping, crawling climb upwards. A mass of ponies, all singing, stepping in time, swarm the elevator as it pulls its way upward, carrying Xerate and Razor Lily toward safety.

Xerate collapses to the floor of the elevator. "Holy. Fucking. Shit."

Razor Lily pants shakily. "Never. Going. Into. A Stable. Ever. Again."

"Not with crazy ponies, no," Xerate agrees. "Say, we made a good team..." he adds, a grin ghosting its way onto his exhausted features.

The light from the surface grows near. The fresh air of the desert fills the upper half of the elevator shaft.

"Well, you've got some common sense about you," Lily admits. "Unlike that Stable-Tech dickwad back there."

"Yeah, well, any idiot'd've seen she was basically killing herself," Xerate mutters. "She was a special kind of idiot. Lied about the elevator and all, too," he grumbles. "Bitch."

The elevator hits the surface with a clank and the sound of heavy clamps clicking in to support the platform. The two doors for Stable 12 remain clean from the sand blow, and the little blue light blinks still, unaware of what's gone on down below.

Xerate exits the elevator with an alacrity worthy of it being infectious.

Razor Lily is apparently infected, scrambling all-too-happily away.

"Say," Xerate grins at Lily. "How many of them guns didja grab in the end?"

"As many as I could carry," she answers, digging through her toolbox for her ball pein hammer once more. Upon locating it, she proceeds in beating the little blue light to a pulp.

The elevator doors slide shut and Stable 12 lies in sleep.