Bones. Aged and bleached. Everywhere. The Geiger Counter was registering an incredible amount of radiation. And Mercy was barely keeping it together.

"This is sick... wrong," she shuddered in horror. "They... they were supposed to be safe. Why are they dead?"

---IT'S BEST NOT TO THINK ABOUT IT DARLING--- Rarity consoled her.

"Was this one of Stable-Tecs experiments?" she growled. Rarity had filled her in on more than a few points of the crippled world's history.

---I SUPPOSE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE TO FIND OUT---

She was right, of course. Andromeda felt a pang of... something, she didn't know. As she just stepped over the remains of the dead.

---NOW---WE MUST LOCATE THE OVERMARE'S OFFICE---THAT SHOULD BE WHERE WE GET A GENERAL IDEA OF WHAT HAPPENED HERE---

"Not sure if I want to know," was all the astronaut could say as she paused to look at a message scratched into the wall.

ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO EN---------------------------------------------------

It didn't appear whoever wrote it got to finish, as a long scratch in the rusted wall made it seem as if he or she got dragged away. She gulped and shivered.

"How... how long ago do you think this was written?"

---OVER A HUNDRED YEARS---I USED TO DO MY OWN MINING---I CAN TELL HOW LONG METALS HAVE BEEN LEFT IN THE ELEMENTS---

"Do you think they just went crazy... or...?"

---LET'S NOT JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS---

Mercy sighed. "You're right. Shouldn't get myself worked up."

The office of the overmare wasn't too far from the atrium. Spacious place with a big desk and monitors. The chair was still somewhat recognizable, probably very comfy at one point. The spacemare swiftly attempted to plug Rarity in.

"Huh. you're not fitting," she remarked as blew a couple times into the plug. It took a couple attempts, but she managed to get her inside.

---GIVE ME A MINUTE DEAR---

It was incredible that there was still power. Though the dim lights were flickering erratically and humming in an obnoxious fashion. But, other than that... it was deathly quite.

---ALRIGHT---THIS SYSTEM'S BEEN ALL BUT WIPED CLEAN---

"What?"

---THERE WERE JUST A FEW FRAGMENTS OF DATA---MOSTLY REFERRING TO R&D---I THINK THAT SHOULD BE OUR NEXT STOP---

"Can't complain I guess," Mercy sighed. "The more time inside away from that monster the better. Do you know the way?"

---YES I DO DARLING---

And so on through the maze of rust and scattered bones they went. Deeper into the underbelly of the metal world. The further down they went the colder it became, until frost clung to the walls.

"This is... this is a big place, Rarity," mused the unicorn.

---WHAT LITTLE INFORMATION I COULD GLEAN FROM THE SYSTEM SUGGESTED THIS STABLE WAS DESIGNED IN CASE OF EXTRAORDINARY EQUESTRIAN CASUALTIES---SO THAT WHEN IT CAME TIME TO EMERGE EQUESTRIA WOULD HAVE A VIABLE POPULATION TO RESTART---

"Wait," Andromeda stopped. "You mean that... this place was a breeding stable?"

---IF YOU WANT TO BE BLUNT AND CRUDE---YES---

"Wow. Well... guess it just goes to show," she said she looked down upon a skull that was staring back at, "tons of hot steamy sex won't stop the world from destroying itself. Unfortunately. Though... not a bad way to go."

---THERE ARE WORSE WAYS---

Rarity remembered reading about her demise. Not too pleasant a thing. She was rather glad she was separated from her main self all those years ago. And in a stylish pipbuck to boot. Designed it herself.

Though she did miss having a body.

Soon enough they came to another large chamber. Much bigger than the atrium. Much bigger.

---OH MY---

"You said it," Andromeda said as she looked about in awe. "Stable-Tec built this?"

---I DON'T THINK SO---LOOK AT THE WALLS---THEY SEEM TO BE MADE OF SOME KIND OF PLASTIC MATERIAL---I DO BELIEVE THEY DUG IT OUT THEMSELVES---

"Well, they were planning on repopulating a lot," Mercy mused as she stepped into the center for the room and began turning around. There were multiple passageways to other places, and even balconies up above. Though the center piece, literally, was the most spectacular.

A giant ice crystal. An icicle as big as a house was suspended from the ceiling. Something inside of it glowing with a pink hue.

"What do you suppose it is?"

---SOMETHING SHOULD PROBABLY LOOK AT LATER---

"Yeah. You're right. Here, let's mark these passages."

Using her DMCs, Mercy carved the numbers 1-6 above each of the entrances so that they wouldn't get lost. Then trotted readily into number one to be met with a very unusual sight.

Ponies wearing socks. And coats and coats and hats and many other things to keep warm. All frozen solid in a variety of posses and expressions.

Many of them seemed to be couples. Of course, with the stables reputation and purpose that was to be expected. Some holding each other, some holding hooves, some scared and some at peace. One couple even appeared as though they had shared one last dance together before the end.

The space captain careful wove between them, afraid she might break.

---THEY KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING--- Rarity remarked.

"They just let it happen too," Mercy said in addendum. "The upper floors were... if not warm, at least tolerable. They knew it was cold down here. They knew they were going to die, but they did it anyway. Why? What could possibly have gone wrong?"

---PERHAPS IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE FOALS---

"What foals?"

---EXACTLY---HOW MANY FOAL-SIZED SKELETONS HAVE WE SEEN?---

The mare swallowed nervously. The ominous frozen silence now had a haunting edge to it. She paused a moment to stare at a couple. A stallion pulling his mare close, she was crying. They were so well preserved that she could count each and every hair on her mane if she so wanted.

But she turned away, saddened and perhaps a little frightened herself. She found herself longing for her own stallion. She hoped he had a good life with their children. Maybe he even got remarried. She was fine with that. He deserved to move on and be happy.

---PLUG ME INTO THAT TERMINAL---

The astronaut snapped out of her daze and looked about until she saw what Rarity was referring to. It sat upon a desk covered in papers and a frozen cup of coffee. It hummed to life once Rarity was plugged in.

The password was quickly bypassed and she was greeted by a log entry.

---HERE ARE A FEW RELEVANT ONES THAT SHOULD HELP US FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED---

ARGON NOBLE Log #45

We've done it. We've finally managed to deactivate all of Stable-Tec's subroutines and execution protocols. The overmare was ecstatic. Can you believe that the ponies who built this place were planning to experiment on us? We disposed of the nerve gas by placing it in the decontamination room hall our stable entrance was custom built with, and detonated it with a timed charge. Now we can safely continue our efforts to restore Equestria without fear of tripping some malevolent protocol that might kill us for overstepping our boundaries. Plus we managed to gather a ton of interesting tech that we've refurbished into heavy machinery to expand the stable.

"Okay, so they thwarted Stable-Tec, nice," Mercy nodded. But now she was certain there were things more ominous afoot.

ARGON NOBLE Log #127

Our mining efforts are bearing fruit. The earth ponies believe the mineral rich soil we've been collecting will allow us to grow food bigger than our own bodies. Also cultivating gems and crystals we've discovered a way to produce ultraviolet light for the plants. The overmare has grown particularly interested in a strange alloy the mining teams have found. We've never seen anything like it. Not even Diamond Cutter can identify it. The overmare wants us to see if it has a use. Guess that's my department.

ARGON NOBLE Log #154

We've finally settled on a name for this material. Craftium. We love it. We can't seem to get enough of it. Literally. The amount we have in the lab is barely enough for a dinner plate. But it' amazing. We can build just about anything with it. It very heat resistant, doesn't conduct static, but it very susceptible to magic. Earlier today I was able to transform it from a ball to a flat disc to a balloon in a split second. It doesn't even show any sign of wear yet. I'm interested in seeing what it does if ingested or injected. But the overmare wants to postpone such tests until we know more.

ARGON NOBLE Log #203

With the overmare's permission we injected some tiny fragments in between Subject 1's eyes. That's Ore Ion if you don't know. Good mare was so eager to volunteer when I explained my theory. It didn't take long before she was practically jumping up and down and running into the mines. We're all waiting with baited breath to see if I'm right.

ARGON NOBLE Log #204

I was right. Ore Ion was able to lead us straight to an entire vein of the stuff. Already more miners are asking for such injections. But, I want permission to expand the research a little. I want to mix it with other metals and stuff to see if we haven't just been scraping the tip of the iceberg.

ARGON NOBLE Log #232

Incredible. I might say the wealth we've uncovered is comparable to the Two Sisters. We keep digging deeper and discovering more and more veins of Craftium and just about every other ore on the face of Eques. We've even managed to discover a way of fashioning a plastic that's almost as hard as steel and easy to mass produce. We'll be systematically replacing the lower levels' steel walls with the stuff to make more heavy machinery.

ARGON NOBLE Log #301

Everything we need is underground. Our lives are fuller and more fulfilled than the ever were up top. It's been a little over a year since we've been down here. But it's been incredible. We just keep on getting bigger and bigger. Our digital science department has even managed breakthroughs we've never even thought possible. Never dreamed of.

Digital? Andromeda's eyes widened a bit at that. As far as she knew she was the sole holder of digital technology. How did they have it?

ARGON NOBLE Log #382

It was weird. Today started out just like any other day. Then the next thing I know I'm staring at the latest shipment of Craftium. How did I get there? I even had my uniform on. I don't remember putting it on. I probably just need more sleep. My wife's right. I'm working too hard.

ARGON NOBLE Log #411

I'm not the only one. Others are experiencing the black outs and lapses as well. I've reported this to the overmare. She doesn't appear to concerned. She thinks perhaps we've all been working too hard. Expanding too fast. I guess we all have been so excited about stuff that we didn't realize we were so fatigued. Did you know we haven't had a single party or celebration since we came here? We're ponies. We celebrate just about everything. But it's been nothing but work work work. She's decided to organize the very first festival. Everyone gets the next month off. I have to say, I'm looking forward to it. It'd give me and Drop some long needed private time together. When was the last time we had some fun?

ARGON NOBLE Log #418

How could we not have noticed. The foals. They're growing well and strong. But where are the younger ones? I went to medical to ask for birth records, and you know what we found? There has not been a single foal born here since the stable door closed. I asked Drop about it, and she informed that the festival was the first time we'd had sex here in the stable. And it's not just me. Again. It was as if we all forgot what we were doing here, like we forgot we who we were. The overmare is more than a bit concerned.

ARGON NOBLE Log # 456

A cult. An actual cult. There's a cult in our stable. They're actually worshiping the Craftium. Claiming to hear voices. The overmare was upset, saying that she'd have them locked up in medical if not for the fact she was hearing voices as well. Come to think of it so have I. Not words, more like someone muttering from a distance. The cult disbanded after this revelation. Guess finding out you aren't the chosen ones is a good way of doing that. Ore Ion came back from the mines that day as well, she'd been down their for months. We didn't even notice she was missing. But she acted as if it was no big deal. She said that she had to come back because something was messing with her vision. With her vision? She looked half dead from starvation. She kept talking about how the veins of Craftium were moving on their own. Overmare sent her straight to the medical wing with guards to watch her.

ARGON NOBLE Log #462

It's been so long since I've written in this terminal. Weeks? Months? Who knows. Could be years for all we're concerned. The upper levels have been abandoned. And we've constructed fortification. But it's not use. Nothing helps. She's invincible. She's won't be held back long by the captain's shield. She could get through at any moment. But, it's not just her. Even inside the shield we've seen other with the signs. It's just a matter of time.

ARGON NOBLE Log #464

Final entry. This is the end. The cold has stopped her. Stopped the signs. But at the cost of all of us. Absolute zero. That's what the overmare asked for. That's what we're giving. If anyone reads this, find the overmare. Please. Excuse me now. I'm going to go comfort my wife before the end. At least our hearts are warm again.

---THAT'S ALL THE ONES I FELT WERE IMPORTANT---

Mercy shook her head as she turned to look at the frozen ponies. "I'm still confused."

---LET'S FIND MORE INFORMATION---

Wordlessly, the mare got up and left.