Doing things didn’t work, not doing things didn’t work, and I couldn’t predict the future either, so I only had once choice. Monitor everything!

Chapter 2: Redbook

This was impossible.

Nopony… Nopony ever removed their pipbuck in stable 221. They were designed to be worn until the pony they belonged to died. Even those who had it removed for cleaning and repairs were made to wait in a locked room to prevent this exact situation.

I shook myself, and slowed my breathing. I needed to reassess the situation, and not make assumptions.

Ok, facts:
Myclop says that Redbook was poking around her secret project last night.
Redbooks tag is pointing to this pipbuck.
Redbook is no longer wearing his pipbuck.

Possibilities:
Redbook is dead…
Redbook somehow removed his pipbuck without maintenance watching him…
Another pony removed the pipbuck and has made an agreement with maintenance not to report it.

I stood, urging my brain to work faster.

Fact:
Redbook left a note on his pipbuck… No… Somepony left a note on this pipbuck, knowing that I would find it. Which means they will know I won’t leave it at this.

There was at least a high likelyhood of it having been Redbook who left the note, and I wasn’t going to know for sure until I found him. I put the abandoned pipbuck into my saddlebags and began moving to the stairwell to reach the lower levels of the stable: where Redbook had supposedly been poking around last night. If Myclop was right, and she usually was, than it was most likely the stallion was still around the lower levels somewhere.

I followed the stairs down to the maintenance level. Our group of the dozen or so technicians down this far gave me little more than a glance as I galloped past them. I would’ve loved to ask them about Redbook, but down here they treated the overmare, and consequently me, like a conspiracy theory.

I’d heard a lot of interesting accusations. The most entertaining one being that Myclop's secret room was home to a re-incarnated Princess Luna, here to right all that had gone wrong in Equestria. I had to let out a snort at that. If the princesses ever had been in charge of these lands, it was several hundred years ago, and they were long dead now. The sun and moon had gone wild, and given way to nature.

I got to the end of the hallway and peered over the lip of the walkway into the darkness. There were other catwalks down there, but no stairs went down that far, and the lights had long been turned off by Myclop to discourage ponies from going down there. Not that the darkness held any fear for me. I knew these catwalks so well by this point that I didn’t even need the light on my pipbuck, which was good because it would probably give me away.

I began to climb down the ladder that lead unto the lower catwalks and moved carefully along them. I didn’t know for sure what lay at the bottom of the darkness beneath me. I couldn’t see down that far and nothing that had ever fallen down there had come back up. Right as I was peering over the edge of this pit, alarm bells started to blare. I looked instinctively back at the maintenance ponies, and saw that one had just pulled the alarm bell and another was preparing the announcement speaker.

I could’ve shouted out and stopped them, but these ponies were up to something and clearly it had taken months of planning. I wanted to see what it was that was so important to them.

“Attention all security ponies,” came the voice on the loudspeaker. “Attention all security ponies. Redbook is opening the stable doors without authorized access. Capture him and bring him to the overmare for questioning immediately.”

I realized now exactly how Redbook had gotten his Pipbuck off. Furthermore, I knew that Redbook wasn’t trying to leave the stable. It would make no sense to warn security of the attempt, not to mention there was always security at the stable door anyway.

The only reason to warn all security to get to one specific point was to get them away from another spot… and I could think of only one place Redbook would want to get the security stallions away from… and it would be lying to say I didn’t have a shared interest in it as well. I hid, quiet as a mouse in the corner, waiting for the two security ponies to pass me. In the dark, I wrapped myself up in the black coat Myclop had made for me. She had a similar royal blue one made for her, and they contrasted each other nicely.

It seemed ironic to me that Myclop's gift to me would undo her secret in this stable. Security blazed past me heading for the stable door and I trotted down the path from the way they’d come, staying light on my hooves so as not to make too much noise by anypony that might still be down here.

It wasn’t long before I reached the door I need. Oh sure, most ponies would’ve gotten confused by the long paths and false turns, even with a pipbuck. I was in far better shape to tackle these problems than most ponies. Between my photographic memory and my knowledge of how Myclop would tackle such a secret, I could practically do this blindfolded.

I reached the large metal door that had so often denied me and was slightly takenaback to see it already sitting open, as if waiting for me.

I realized that Redbook must’ve either stolen a key or was a much better lockpick than I was. I peered into the room and was actually stunned. There was no floor whatsoever, just the long black drop that awaited the outside of the catwalks. However, something was wrong… if this room had nothing in it, why would Myclop make such a big deal out of hiding it?

This wasn’t even a matter of her teaching me a lesson. She’d paid guards to make sure both I and no other pony got anywhere near here. There had to be something at this specific part of whatever lay below here. There was only one way to find out, and so I leapt through the door way. To my astonishment, I didn’t fall as I normally would. Instead, magic caught me and slowly lowered me down. This wasn’t like a unicorn’s telekinesis either. This was automatic magic… it was created just for this.

When the floor below came into view, I was disappointed. Part of me… maybe two or three parts, had hoped it would be dirt or something equally interesting… but no… more metal.

“Dammit Myclop,” I muttered. “Couldn’t even give me that.”

As my hooves touched the metal flooring, I slipped, falling to my side. I rolled over and stood again, looking at what it was that tripped me. While I was an expert at feeling something and deducing what it was, this was new to me, so I put my pipbuck light on. I didn’t want to give myself away like this, but I couldn’t ignore anything.

A moment later, I retracted my curse on Myclop for the boring floor. What I couldn’t see before was that fresh blood caked the flooring, and spread along the path ahead. Judging from the concentration of blood, whatever had struck the victim had hit him only a little way ahead and fought with them as they head up the hallway.

Whoever had been attacked was likely still alive, judging from the amount and freshness of the blood, but they would need help if they would make it through night.

I prepped myself for a fight and moved along the path of blood, wondering if it had been Redblood that had been attacked and if so, by what? I didn’t have long to wait. I rounded a corner and found myself in a huge cavern, several times the size of our atrium. It was filled, every few feet by large, metal robots.

Out of instinct, I hit S.A.T.S. on my pipbuck to give me time to think. Each of these bots were built in perfect symmetry to each other. Not a one was unusual or unique. There were dozens upon dozens, easily going up into the hundreds. My eyes-forwards sparkle, which until now I’d ignored, was flashing a sea of red. They were hostile. I took a careful look at them again. I didn’t see any ranged weapons on them. In fact, they seemed to only have their own bodies for weapons, not that it made them less deadly.

I had no idea what Myclop was using these for, or to what end, but I wasn’t going to do nothing about this. They had attacked at least one pony and that made them a very real and viable threat. I knew I was going to have to battle these things as much as I was able.

I kicked off S.A.T.S. and galloped forward, waiting until I was closer to re-trigger the spell. They all turned to me instantly. Good. Whoever was here before me might be able to use my attack as a chance to get away.

“Hello there!” I shouted, planting a hoof-kick in the closest bot. “My name is Sherclop Pones! I am your nightmare!”

My cockiness was repaid by being slammed into the wall by the metal beast. I straightened and shook myself. I wasn’t badly hurt, but I was wishing I had even one combat spell. My whole sneaking skill was sort of going to waste right now. Luckily, I could see that I was able to hurt these things, as the one I’d kicked was sparking unhappily. I moved forward again, sliding under an outstretched metal limb.

I kicked out, catching it in the back. Then, I hit S.A.T.S. targeting three of the bots around me. I released the spell and my body moved of it’s own accord, smashing through metal and cords. A bot struck down at me and I leapt off to the side only to be hit in midair by another one. I used the momentum of the blow to roll up and onto my hooves again.

This wasn’t going well…

“Come and get me you bastards!” I yelled at them.

I could do much better if I had the chance to lead them where I wanted, instead of attack them when they were bunkered down. Amazingly, they listened, moving forward in very slow steps. Good, at least I could run faster than they could. Thank Myclop for small favors.

I galloped around the nearest group and attacked when I could, leaping back to avoid their counter-strikes. Never had I been so grateful for the training in zebra strikes. The bots weren’t ready for that kind of fighting and I was very, very good at it.

Wham!

I was beat down into the metal floor, and coughed up blood. I was one of the best, if not the best hoof-to-hoof combat specialist in stable 221, but that didn’t mean I was perfect, and there was an overwhelming number of these things. I leapt off the ground before I got pulverized, and heard a small voice calling my name.

“Sherclop!”

It was Redbook. I admitted that the moment I’d seen the bots, I’d forgotten about much else. I moved as fast as I could to him. He was sat up on a small chunk of the wall. Out of reach of most of the bots. I got to him easily enough and checked out his injuries. He had not been so lucky as I had.

Two broken ribs, a shattered left leg and a lot of internal bleeding. If I didn’t get him to a health bot soon, he’d die.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, trying to shake my head of this horrible place.

Another bot came up to me and I punched it straight through it’s sleek visor.

“This is your sister’s plan!” shouted Redbook, firing a pistol he’d likely stolen. “She’s going to kill off all the ponies in the stable!”

I looked back at the bots. There was no way that was true… Was it? It was true that most of our stable was inexperienced in combat, but we had more a few wastelanders who were actually good fighters, and myself, not to mention the security… No, these bots wouldn’t be enough to kill off the entire stable.

Wham!

I hit the floor again, and felt a leg give out, crippled. Ok, so maybe the stable was a lot to take out, but Redbook and myself weren’t worth an entire stable of fighters. I heard Redbook grunt and something slid along the floor bumping against my hoof. I looked down and saw a .32 caliber revolver on the ground.

Where Redbook had gotten this, I couldn't be sure, but it was clearly old and in need or repairs. Not that I had the tools or time to repair it. I lifted the gun with my magic and activated S.A.T.S.

Blam! Blam!

Two shots landed the large bot on the ground in a heap. I hopped over to Redbook, careful not to use my bad hoof.

“Can you run?” I asked.

“Not really,” he said wincing. “They broke my rear hoof. I’ve been stuck up here for almost a half-hour.”

“Alright, climb on.”

I lay down in front of him and he awkwardly climbed onto my back. Let it be said that while I may be thin and tall, I am by no means a weak pony. I trotted back towards the magical lift, praying it would work in reverse. Several bots blocked my path, and I levitated the revolver again.

Blam! Blam Blam!

“One more shot,” I muttered to myself.

A bot slid in front of us, arm outstreatch.

I hit S.A.T.S. again and aimed right for the head.

Blam!

As the beast fell I reloaded the revolver, heading out of the large room.

“Here!” I said, handing Redbook the gun. “Hold them off us!”

I could see the lift in the distance and broke out in a very awkward gallop. Determined to get us both out of here alive. I could hear Redbook firing of the pistol rapidly, reloading, then firing again.

Then a bot landed in front of me, ready to strike. I couldn’t fight, not with Redbook on my back, and if I put him down, the bots behind us would catch up and kill both of us. I leapt and the skid along the ground, going right between the bot's legs. Sadly, I felt a large weight shift from my back and Redbook fell off.

“SHERCLOP!” he shouted, just as the bot stomped on his head.