"I don't like this..." Phoenix muttered. "Not one bit."
"Shhhh!" Kera hissed, squatting on a seat besides the cot where Bellesmith was lying. "Belle's doing her thing..."
"Uhhh..." Phoenix stepped over and looked down at the mare's fluttering eyelids. "I don't think we're in any danger of waking her up just yet."
"Still, who knows if we could be disturbing her in... y'know..." Kera shrugged and pointed at the twelve foals slumbering in the center of the room. "Fartspace."
Phoenix squinted at the filly. "Do you know anything about this operation? Anything whatsoever? I mean, for real..."
"Meh," Kera meh'd. "I was barely here for a year after they dragged me over from Lerris. I was expecting zeppelin rides, soft beds, and pie. Lots and lots of pie. But as soon as they started making us hit the books, I realized it was waaaaaaay too stuffy for me." She shrugged. "Besides... y'know... no pie..."
"And did you have any idea that they'd lop the end of your horn off?!" Phoenix remarked.
"Hey. That's these lame-o's fault for not getting out when they could," Kera said with a frown. "It's their loss. Not mine."
Phoenix leaned back against a wall as he said, "So is that the Xonan way of looking at things? Survival of the wittiest?"
"You're guess is as good as mine, dude," Kera muttered, stifling a yawn. "I barely remember the ponies gave birth to me. I just remember lots of farming and staring at grass and wishing my life became funner."
"Don't you mean 'more fun?'"
"Don't you mean to soak your stinky head in a toilet?"
"It just boggles my mind that everypony is so clueless about... everything," Phoenix muttered. "I mean, what's really going on here? Which came first, Blue Shelf or Deep Ridge? Council of Ledo or Nightshade Industries?"
"Unnngh... dude..." Kera stifled another yawn, blinking her eyes heavily as she nearly collapsed over Belle. "For real, quit it! You're making me wanna hibernate for a century."
Phoenix managed a slight smirk. "Have you ever really—truly—gotten to a point in your puny life where you've stopped being bored of stuff?"
Kera smirked up at him. "Well, I met you two. Didn't I?"
"Not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not, kid."
"Your eyes are the color of poop."
"Yeah, thanks." Suddenly, Phoenix jolted. He spun around with his horn glowing. "Awww crap."
"No, I said the color of—"
"Stay where you are." He dashed briskly through the door to the adjacent operations room.
Kera jolted in place, her green eyes wide. "What is it?" She hopped up and scampered to the door frame. "Is somepony coming?"
"I sensed a surge of mana through the floor here," Phoenix said as he scurried about the interior of the room full of consoles and monitoring equipment. "I think an elevator has arrived."
"Ah jeez. That can only be carrying buttsniffers."
"If I could just figure out the security locks..." Phoenix narrowed his eyes on the door leading out to the immediate highway.
"Huh?! H-hurry!" Kera squeaked. "Don't let the buttsniffers get in here!"
"Nnngh... This is only gonna delay the inevitable," Phoenix said as he rotated a few switches with his telekinesis. The door locked triply from his side, securely sealing off the hallway beyond. "Spark alive, I hope Belle gets her job over with so that we can all get out of here."
Kera fidgeted in the doorway to the operations room. "Maybe we should wake her?"
Phoenix glanced back at her. "What, you scared, kid?"
Kera frowned. "I just know a time to split when I see it."
"We gotta have faith in her."
"Why?"
Phoenix sighed. "Because I once made the mistake of not trusting her or her friend... and it ruined things for all of us..."
Meanwhile...
On the other side of the locked door...
Sir Ordo returned, levitating a clipboard of files in his magical grasp. His hooves clopped against the cold tile as he leisurely made his way for the barricade at the end of the long hall. At last, he approached the door—but bumped stupidly into it.
"Ooof!"
The well-dressed stallion dropped his clipboard. Blinking at the door, he furrowed his brow.
"What in blazes...?"
He pivoted to the side and manually pressed the console next to the door.
There was a buzzing noise, but the frame refused to slide open.
He blinked. Fidgeting, he tried the console again.
Nothing.
Bulbs of sweat started to form along his forehead.
"Hide me away in the Queen's dusty womb... this is not good.."
Scurrying on panicked hooves, he rushed towards an intercom system. He tapped the edge of his horn against a soundstone. The gem glowed to life as he found the breath to speak.
"I need engineers to the Ring Operations Floor immediately." He paused, then added, "Bring a security team as well... this is urgent..."