//------------------------------// // Pony Mesa Inbound // Story: Half-Life: Equestria // by Ganymede //------------------------------// Prologue ============================================ The days of summer in Equestria wrought heat from Celestia's sun, burning from its surface to radiate in waves upon the surface. The heat dispersed to the far reaches of Equestria, beyond the lands that most ponies know, bound to nothing but the unknown edge that only the bravest of ponies sought, and no pony ever found. In the center lay Ponyville: Rural. Wooden. Commonplace. Yet homely. Filled with ponies conversing and relaxing within the cool comfort of their homes. They sought refuge from the forge of fire above them, emerging infrequently lest the sky be populated with the protective cloud cover of the pegasus community. To the west, away from the darkness of the Everfree Forest, lay the Great Mountains of Equestria, bounding the town from the western deserts, reaching like fingers of a forbidding hand, fogged in the distance: Unreachable. Impenetrable. Seen, but rarely considered. It was here that the legend of the sleeping dragon originated. It was here from which few returned. Beyond the mountains, reachable only by a narrow path traversed by train, lay a vast desert. Here the flames of the celestial fireball licked the earth, scorching the sand, ripping the skin of the inexperienced traveler. Those who lived in these parts were calloused, desensitized, and layered with an armor of hide as thick and rough as dragon scales. The furthest known town in these parts was Appleloosa: Rickety. Barren. Unforgiving. Merely stepping outside threatened to blind you from the glare off the sand. Dust storms swept through like locust swarms, and just as deadly. Few ventured beyond this point. There was seldom any need. But there was another place... Beyond the disheveled town, hidden in the bowels of the desert where the rivers had dug out great canyons and rifts—where the terrain became unsurpassable—where even the native creatures themselves struggled to survive—there was a facility. Here, the sun showered its rays upon a graveyard: a cesspit of sand and rock and bones, where the only sign of life was scattered in the form of metallic structure. The facility was built almost entirely underground, hidden away from the death and decay above it. Like a creature hibernating in the sand, only bits and pieces could be seen extending above the sand, like toes and fingers extending up just enough to remind the world that it was still there. It was here that Twilight Sparkle—student and apprentice of Princess Celestia—traveled from her home in Canterlot, and the comfort of the two royal sisters. It was here that she would start her life of scientific and magical discovery. And, in a twist of fate, it was here that she would discover the most powerful force—beyond magic or science—within the bounds of Equestria: Friendship. ============================================ Twilight was asleep, her face illuminated by the red glow of the digital clock display next to her bed. A small pool of saliva dampened her white pillow as it migrated out of her open mouth. Every so often, she would quiver slightly: a remnant of the excitement from the previous evening. The darkened room around her was lit only by the hallway light, which seeped through the crack under her door on the wall opposite the bed, casting shadows on the hard-tile floor. To the left, a desk lined the wall, now home to supplies which Twilight had hastily thrown down upon entering the dorm room, and which she was too tired to put in their proper place. None of the drawers of the desk had been filled yet, and the room still carried the unnaturally clean smell of a room that had been unoccupied for a long time. The most prominent item on the desk was a piece of parchment, laying precariously on top of the supplies on the table, and adorned with fluid cursive writing. Dear Twilight Sparkle, It fills my heart with great joy and triumph to hear that you have found a place to contribute to Equestria. I haven't heard much about Pony Mesa, but I trust it will hold many great things for you and your future. While I am sure you will miss many things about your old home here in Canterlot, it is my greatest wish that you look only forward, and seek out all that Pony Mesa can bring to you. I recognize your concern about my agreement with the western edge of Equestria, and realize that by moving beyond the mountains, I will no longer be able to contact you. I have been working hard to remedy this, but it will probably not be resolved in your lifetime, unfortunately. I can only give you my most sincere hopes, and remind you that I will always be here to help, should you ever return. I wish you all the best in your new life at Pony Mesa. Forever Your Mentor, Princess Celestia Twilight had kept this note close to her, and read through it many times during her journey. It was now one of her closest possessions, second only to one other, which was sitting at the foot of her bed. A wicker basket shined dully against the incoming hallway light, just in front of the bed. A small set of sheets and bedding had been placed lovingly inside, forming a makeshift crib. Inside, sleeping soundly and surprisingly quietly, rested her dear baby dragon Spike. His head peeked out from under the sheets, and was sunk deeply into a small pillow. The light from the door had threatened to shine over the basket rim but stopped just short, keeping the slumbering form in darkened silhouette. Twilight had struggled with Spike's role in her new job. Letters passed back and forth, friends were consulted, and even the Princess had given some advice. Yet, in the end, Twilight decided she would rather give up her opportunity at Pony Mesa rather than separate herself from him. He was, after all, her number-one-assistant, and she would keep it that way as long as she had any say in the matter. As for Pony Mesa, dragons had never even approached the facility before—not even infants. Dragons were not like ponies. They had different mentalities and physicalities that made them special, and Pony Mesa immediately considered advantageous possibilities to having a dragon on staff. This had surprised Twilight, who had yet to fully understand the degree of separation the facility had from traditional ethical values. From what Twilight gathered, Pony Mesa didn't seem to care how young Spike was, or how mature. It was his physical traits and abilities they looked at. They cared about nothing else. Of course, Twilight didn't mind agreeing to most of this. In fact, she preferred keeping Spike by her side as much as possible. She had no other pony to look after him while she was at work, and leaving Spike alone for hours at a time in the dormitory seemed almost cruel. In fact, as her assistant, Twilight was sure Spike would feel just as comfortable in a laboratory as he would in her bedroom. Twilight's body convulsed, causing a disruption in her sheets. Spike was undisturbed, and the rest of the room remained quiet, but Twilight was now aware of her surroundings, despite not having moved from her restful position on her side. Her eyes were still closed, and for a few moments, she tried sinking back into the dream she was having. She forced back the image of Spike placing the beaker on the Bunsen burner. Why Spike was placing a beaker on the Bunsen burner was beyond her, but at a point, she didn't care. It was a dream. Dreams didn't have to make any sense. The image of Spike floated in her eyes for a moment as she realized she was simply becoming more conscious. She really wanted more sleep. This was a big day! But the excitement, and the anticipation, and the rush from last night was coming back, and Twilight couldn't force herself to relax. She rolled on her back and opened her eyes. A cold, clammy feeling surrounded her as she realized her sheets were damp from sweat. She moved around a bit, fighting to get away from the moistest parts, but realized quickly that most of the bed was simply drenched. "ew... eww, eww, eww-ewww-ewweww!" she spurted, thrashing her sheets around like waves as she fought to the other side of the bed. One final cascade of sheets later and she was out of the bed entirely, her hooves hitting the cold hard floor. For a moment she stood there, breathing nervously and staring at the sheets. She could still smell the lingering saltiness. She had remembered something like this happening before, but never this bad. Was I really that restless? she thought. The top sheet had been folded over now, so part of the bottom sheet was exposed. Twilight couldn't quite see what parts were contaminated in the darkness of the room. All she saw were the white sheets dimly grey in the ambient light. She analyzed the various possibilities for continuing sleep, trying to feel with her hooves for which parts of the sheets were worst. Of course, she could always just climb on top of the comforter, but then there was also the matter of the pillow. What time is it? she thought, walking around the foot of the bed, careful not to trip over the basket. The glare of the digital display made her blink a few times as the numbers came into focus. 7:34 She turned back towards the bed on her left. Screw it, she thought. I'll just take a shower. ================================================= Pony Mesa's Dormitories were laid out uncomfortably like a physician's office. Hallways plastered with the cold fluorescent lights of the ceiling meandered like labyrinths, revealing wooden doors into other small rooms, each of which probably contained another pony, sound asleep. Twilight carried herself quietly, in case there were others like herself still trying to squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep. She was careful not to drop her small basket of toiletries levitated in front of her. She had never showered anywhere besides her own tower in Canterlot before now. The act of carrying a basket with her was alien, and made her all the more aware of her unfamiliar surroundings. This place was quite large, even by Canterlot standards. She found the knobless door to the facilities, lit her horn, and pushed it open quietly, as if she didn't want any other ponies knowing she was there. Of course, what she was doing was perfectly normal. Everypony did this. Right? Unless she was doing something wrong. The thought made her look down into the basket just to be sure she didn't miss anything. Did ponies wear towels in these situations? As the door opened, the reverberating cascade of water in the distance informed her there was one other occupant in the shower stalls. She glanced quickly to the stalls on the right, just to be sure some pony wouldn't stagger out in front of her. Dampness chewed at her hooves as she traversed the section, compliments of the recent mopping performed on the floor not more than an hour before. The bronze-colored tiles beneath her hooves were much smaller than the tiles of the hallway, and raised so as to provide rivets for the water to seep into, but she could still sense droplets lingering on the tops of many of the tiles. It was so much more harsh than the facilities in her home tower. She wasn't used to the steep echo. She stepped into the second section, lined with individual shower stalls, and sighed quietly to herself as she saw they all had curtains. Of course, if she felt more daring, there was always the room at the L-Bend between these two rooms that was surrounded by shower heads, without so much as a set of dividers. However, Twilight thought she would put this off until she felt a bit braver. Steam wafted from the used stall, and the humidity relaxed her as she picked out the stall furthest to the right: as far away from the used one as possible. She stared at the single lever on the wall, and wondered how to control the flow. The temperature was definitely controlled by turning it, but where was the on-switch? She reluctantly reached out a hoof, and pulled it off to the side, only to cry out from a torrent of icy water. She jumped up on her hooves, and hopped around a few times. Ow. Ow! Owww! She waved her hoof at the lever, and gave it a mock-punch out of frustration as the water started to warm up. As she stepped up to it, she prodded it with her hoof to the left and right, and noticed the temperature changed, but the flow didn't. Even pressing it didn't do anything. Stupid Controls, she thought. When at last she found a comfortable temperature, she settled back and let the water run over her. After a few deep breaths, she was surprised at how much more comfortable she was feeling. The tiled floor against her hooves felt different, of course, and the curtain behind her was raised slightly so her hooves were visible. However, the water itself was just as familiar. She moved around a bit under the shower head, letting the striking warmth snake around her body: on her head, down her back, feeling it work her muscles like the fingers of a masterful masseur. She couldn't help but close her eyes and pretend she was back in her own shower at home. Much to her comfort, everything else went very much the same as it did back home, and she found herself quite relaxed as she stepped back into the hallway. She even used the same drying spells she had practiced, so she wouldn't have to shiver in the cold air. I think it's probably time to wake up Spike, she thought. I wonder if he slept any better than I did. ================================================= Light seeped in as Twilight opened the door. She was careful to open the door just enough for her to enter, watching carefully so that none of the light swept over Spike's basket. She placed her hygienics on the cluttered desk, and walked quietly over to the sleeping dragon. "Spike," she whispered quietly, placing her front hoof gently on the dragon's head. "Spike, it's time to get up now." Spike stirred slightly as Twilight looked around at the clock. 7:56 Still plenty of time, she thought, heading to the closet door on the right-side of the room. She reached in and pulled something out. She had been looking forward to this moment. It was a real, honest, official lab coat. All hers! She had worn it back in Canterlot at every opportunity she got, ever since she received the acceptance letter. It was her business suit, her tuxedo, her most fashionable dress—nothing else made her feel more superior. She couldn't help but feel exceptional as she slipped it on. She had made it! Twilight walked up to the desk and playfully levitated a clipboard and pencil, pretending to jot down important notes. And if you see here, Dr. Cornwell, she thought to herself, the invariant response to this particular nuclear instability clearly points to evidence supporting a new form of energy. In that darkened room, her thoughts went out to new discoveries, all under her name. Prizes were offered to her left and right. Prestigious recognitions were plastered on her walls. Before she knew it, she was back in Canterlot, being praised by nobility for her monumental contributions to society. And, of course, Princess Celestia was there, showering her with a barrage of compliments, each one dignifying her more and more as the best student to have received a scientific education in Canterlot in the history of Equestria. Spike snore loudly. "Oh, Spike," Twilight said, walking back over to the basket and prodding the dragon's head with her hoof. "Spike, really. You've slept long enough." Spike stirred, his head bobbing on his pillow as it dodge Twilight's hoof. "Okay. Okay! Okay!" he said, flinging his arms out and batting away at Twilight's prodding hoof. "Fine! I'm up." Twilight watched as the dragon sat up, rubbing his huge eyes. She could never quite overcome just how cute he was when he was tired. She walked over to the door and flipped the light switch, causing an explosion of fluorescent light to cascade from the ceiling. "AHH! Twilight! Really!" Spike buried his head face-first in his pillow. "Warn me when you're going to do that!" "Hehe, sorry Spike," Twilight giggled. She didn't bother mentioning the guilty pleasure she got from Spike's reaction. Twilight walked over to her desk and levitated a printed sheet of paper. It was rather formal, and detailed many important aspects of her new job: most importantly, the schedule. The tram she wanted left at 8:12 sharp, giving her a solid ten minutes to reach the station. Of course, that was no problem for her. She had already been to the tram station a few times the day before. "Where are we going for breakfast?" Spike mumbled as he stumbled out of the basket. Twilight felt her eyes widen at this. They quickly went back to the schedule and darted across every page. Her horn sparked to life, and the pages rusted and flipped from one page to the next. "I... uh..." she stammered, getting more flustered by the second. "S-Sorry, Spike?" She turned around, finally realizing they had just slept through what little time they had had. She was so busy thinking about the experiment schedule that she had completely forgotten she needed to eat. "Looks like we're going to have to wait for lunch this time." "WHAAAT!" Spike yelled out. "Wait for lunch!? No way! I'm starving!" "There's simply no time. We only have a few minutes before our train leaves." Spike stumbled some more as he gained his balance, and walked over to the door. Twilight giggled. "Don't worry, Spike. I'm sure there are a few gemstones laying around the break room fridge," she joked. "They'd better." Spike rubbing the rest of the dust out of his eyes. Twilight checked off the last of her list of supplies before magicking the door open, being sure to shut off the light and lock the door behind her. Here we go, she thought. ================================================= Pony Mesa was a city rivaling Cloudsdale in size, built almost entirely underground. The central connecting structure was a series of vast interweaving tunnels, like an ant farm of passages that grew out fungus-like from the core of the city, through which the transit system traversed. Many of the tunnels were the size of airplane hangars, and poorly lit from the lack of any opening to the outside. The entrance to the dormitories, which by normal standards had the appearance of a decent-size building, hardly took up the top half of the tunnel wall. The lobby of the dormitory itself was not inside the tunnel, but just on the other side of the wall, leaving most of the architecture purely decorative. A catwalk extended from the lobby entrance, as wide as the building itself, narrowing to the station platform in the center of the tunnel: a suspended metal carpet extending from the mouth of the dorm. Twilight and Spike shivered as they waited at the station platform, out at the edge of the catwalk. An ominous breeze rolled down the tunnel, cooled by the impressive conditioning system, and dried by the natural underground currents like those of a hollowed cavern. There was no visible end to the tunnel. The unnaturally straight metallic walls opposite the station could only be seen by the uncomfortable spherical illuminations from the built-in incandescent fixtures, none of which were bright enough to illuminate the length of the tunnel. Twilight could see Spike shivering as he gazed down the darkness. She could understand his feeling. This place felt less like a building, and more like a monstrous organism. Twilight felt Spike press up against her foreleg, and she wrapped it around to hold him close. They could feel each other's apprehension, too entranced by the magnitude of structure to be excited by ideas of intellect. In fact, Twilight was so captured by the harsh, almost frightening beauty of the darkness before her, that she hardly noticed the train creeping up behind her, crawling silently down the rail. Its hulking and box-like shape were more akin to a large grub than a train. Twilight backed up slightly, pulling Spike with her as the tram crept to a stop, lined perfectly with the edge of the catwalk. It was little more than a glorified metal box, lined with glassless windows. They watched as the door hissed open by itself, revealing a few steps leading to the aisle, all lined with cloth. Twilight couldn't help noting the irony of how little comfort most of the facility provided for their bare hooves, despite going through the trouble of adding some in the transport vessel. There were only a hoofful of seats on board, and none of them were occupied. They were laid out like park benches, back-to-back on either side, leaving a small space open for handicapped ponies. Twilight took a seat at the front of the train on the left-hand side, opposite the door, holding Spike in her lap as the door swung shut. She shifted against the hard surface, again noting the irony of the lack of seat cushioning. Even the entrance had a carpet. A subtle lurch announced the departure of the tram as Twilight and Spike watched the metal surface of the tunnel wall through the window gliding past them. A moment later, a female recorded voice sounded over the speaker system. Good Morning, and Welcome to the Pony Mesa Transit System... Twilight took a deep breath, going over the schedule in her head as she let the words flow over her. She had traveled very little before, mostly by balloon or train. Nothing compared to this, though. The dark, indoor journey was almost more exciting than any trip she had taken outside. Everything was so much closer, as if she could simply reach out a hoof and touch it. The only thing it was missing was a tour guide, and a good novelty book at the end. Spike, of course, was standing on her knee, smiling wide-eyed as he leaned precariously against the bottom rim. As the tram finished the stretch of tunnel and rounded the corner, Spike let out a gasp, bringing Twilight out of her scheduling stupor. The tunnel had opened into a mouth: a cavernous beehive that even made Twilight gasp as her eyes tried to take in all the activity. She could only imagine this must have served as a nexus of transit. Multiple rails were suspended throughout the area, some of which were occupied with identical trains, and dozens of other ponies stood and walked all around the various stations. The sight was almost dizzying. She had seen plenty of grand architecture back in Canterlot, but nothing with this much movement. The thought of all the complex management and mechanics almost made her put down her schedule. "Where do you think they all go?" Spike asked curiously, referring to all the other train rails. Twilight shook her head. "Just... other parts of the facility," she said. "I wonder if I can get a map of this place somewhere. The layout is probably fascinating!" The hub guided their train down a new darkened tunnel, and the walls glided smoothly past the open windows. The cool air wafted through the train as Twilight felt her inner ear compress slightly. Twilight tried to guess how deep they were as the tunnel brought them around the second corner. Twilight had to work to hold Spike back as they entered the next room. The complex threads of tram track and corresponding trams were instead replaced by machinery: in particular, a single large contraption at the far side of the room on their left. As the train moved closer, Twilight recognized it as a mechanical arm, larger than the train itself, wielding a torch at the far end as it effortlessly sealed connecting wires and hardware on a mechanical project in front of it. Twilight tried to make out the metallic structure being constructed as she passed by, but couldn't make much out. Perhaps some sort of propulsion engine? Jet-powered, maybe? She couldn't be sure. As the tram re-entered another tunnel, turning through a right-hand U-Turn this time, the recorded announcements continued serenely. If you have not yet submitted your identity to the retinal clearance system, you must report to Pony Mesa personnel for processing... "Retinal Clearance?" Twilight said towards Spike. "I didn't read anything in the acceptance letters about that!" She fidgeted, imagining being locked out of everything on her very first day. "Oh... I hope there wasn't a form I was supposed to fill out." Spike shrugged. "Relax, Twilight," he said. "Just let someone else open the doors. You're not the only pony in the building." Twilight took a deep breath as another room emerged, this one much longer. Unlike the previous two, Twilight could clearly see the concrete floor below them, as well as the steel-girdered ceiling above them. However, the most prominent feature of this room was the satellite rocket being assembled on the right. It was near completion, its construction mostly guided by machine. Hundreds of wires were exposed at the broken joint between the rounded head and sleek orange-decaled body, resting on the advanced scaffolding. Below them, the ground was littered with hard-hat ponies, taking measurements, driving forklifts, studying blueprints. Twilight stared out the window. "The tram goes right through a rocket construction site?!" She turned towards Spike. "Why would they show this stuff off?! You'd think this would only be visible to the workers." Spike was on the right-hand side of the train now, standing on a seat so he could see out. "Who cares! When is Canterlot getting one of these things? They could make the trains obso—obsi—" "Obsolete," Twilight finished for him. She suppressed rolling her eyes as Spike started describing the launching sites they could place next to the castle. A circular door opening in the floor around the corner, revealing a vast manhole opening into a brightly lit array of reddish-yellow sandstone beneath the concrete floor. With a subtle lurch, the tram came to a stop on a rotary elevator, immediately descending into the rocky cavern. Twilight took note of the thickness of the concrete floor as they sunk through the hole, watching as the gray of the wall turned to the brown and yellow of the rocky cavern. The geologist in Twilight went crazy at the sight. Nature had sculpted shapes and curves that architects could only attempt to mimic! The layers of geological stratification alone made Twilight wish she could stop the tram so she could study it. She had read about this sort of thing in books, and seen plenty of pictures, but seeing it up close was entirely different. She hadn't been this fascinated by geology since her childhood from before she lived at Canterlot. Of course, this was a long time ago. "It's a shame they had to build through this area," she said as the tram reached the bottom of the elevator, accelerating down a new rail that extended down the rocky cave. "It took so long for all this to be formed. I wonder if they realize the damage they've done by running a track through here. You'd think a scientific community would know better." The announcements were still playing quietly in the background. Please keep your limbs inside the train at all times. Do not attempt to open the doors until the train has come to a complete stop at the station platform... The natural formations of the cave gave way to an artificially carved passage of rock, supported by intervallic metal archways each with a harsh yellow light shining upon the track. Twilight could feel the air around them heating up quickly as they sped down the passageway. The rhythmic rate with which the train hissed past each arch was hypnotic, each one bringing them closer to the end of the tunnel: a wall of rock lit so brightly there was only one conclusion Twilight could use to explain it. As the train rounded the corner, Twilight squinted as a wave of heat hit her like a blast furnace. Next to her, a blaring whirring sound swooshed, coming from the ground beneath them. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw the bright-blue sky to her right, a wall of rock still on her left. "Look, Twilight!" Spike said, pointing at the source of the torrential cacophony. "Come here! Quick! You gotta see this!" Twilight was out of her seat, squinting down at the ground beneath the train. "Is that a heli-cop... a heleco...?" Spike struggled to yell over the sound, and his voice dwindled. Twilight stared down at the green-black camouflage of the vehicle, sitting poised ready for flight on a helipad. "Wait," Twilight said, "that's a military helicopter! What is the military doing here?! This is a place of research!" She watched as what looked like a few soldier ponies trotted out of a nearby tunnel built into the plateau of rock opposite the chopper. Some were communicating with the pilot, while others stood around to talk. Twilight sunk back into her seat and grabbed Spike as the train re-entered the facility through an opening in the plateau wall in front of them. "I'm not sure I like where this is going," she said to Spike. "Military soldiers? Here?!" The sound of the chopper stifled and reverberated as the train curved to the right into a large concrete chamber with a massive circular doorway at the end. Warm air still wafted through the opening, but the stifling heat of the sun was subdued. A gate parted majestically as the train entered the room, slowing to a halt just before the building-sized hatch. The tram was now suspended from the railing: a transition Twilight hadn't even noticed. The announcer was also no longer speaking. Lights emerged around the cylindrical opening, lighting the outer rim. A hazard-striped square in the center of the hatch pulled back inside the opening, revealing a square hole peering into the darkness beyond. A blast of ice froze them as the hatch split four ways, seeping lengthwise into the walls. Twilight felt bumps of cold stick up on her hide as she let out a small shiver. A rail extended from the other side of the now-open hatch, joining with the one they were on now. Another small lurch announced the emergence of the train into the new opening. Twilight heard the door seal up behind them as they reached the other side, plunging them into total impenetrable blackness. "I wonder if the military is here for surveillance, or if this place actually hires them to test military equipment," Twilight pondered. "Either way, I hope I never have to meet them." Spike looked up at her. "Isn't your brother part of the Equestrian military?" "That's different!" Twilight said. She put her hoof up to retaliate, but thought better of it. Lights flickered on as the train picked up speed again, revealing the sewer-like twisting tube before them. The announcer had chimed in again. A reminder that the Pony Mesa Hazard Course Decathlon will commence this evening at... 1900 hours... in the level 3 facility... More lights continued to reveal the path before them as Twilight let out a small groan at the announcement. Pony Mesa had required her to perform a mandatory "Hazard Course" as a safety regulation. As it turned out, there was very little "safety" taught in the course at all. The whole thing was just a glorified obstacle course: the obvious result of too much funding and not enough planning. If anything, the course itself needed an improvement in safety. Many parts of the course required stunts that Twilight pointed out could cause serious injury if they went wrong. And parts of it, like the firing range, were downright insipid. She was a scientist! When would she ever need to know how to fire a gun?! A few bends later, the tube opened out into a junction. The floor of this room was like a plateau, dropping off in various places so deep Twilight couldn't see the bottom. There were no guardrails that Twilight could see, and the whole thing reeked of employee lawsuit. Another hatch was already open to the side of the room as the train twisted towards it. Twilight took note of the large railroad crossing gates on either side of the train just before they entered through the new hatch: probably some sort of passageway for cargo carriers. The hatch closed behind them as they passed through, sealing them into another tube. The train rounded the corner to a dead end, halting over and descending down a shaft. She watched as the concrete walls brushing quickly upwards around them gave way to another dimly lit room with a strange green glow in the background. The train rail flew up past them as the train lined up below it again, accelerating down the new path. "We should be almost there," Twilight said. A chill ran through her body as she considered where the tram might let her off. There was no telling how dangerous the place may be. The pitfalls of the previous room made her nervous. In front of them, a large robot awkwardly walked on all-fours in front of a small vat of glowing green fluid. However, as much as her eyes were drawn towards the glow, her mind drifted left, guided by a strange presence. What she saw was another rail, with another train suspended by it. There was only one occupant: a business pony staring out of the train. There was something not quite right about him. A briefcase hung at his side with the Pony Mesa logo, and under normal circumstances, she would have assumed he worked for the company. However, there was something more to him that she couldn't put her hoof on. It was as though he was forcefully drawing her gaze towards him. "Twilight!" Spike suddenly yelled out, leaping onto her lap. The unknown force dissolved, and Twilight looked out the window to see the train nearly crash into the massive robotic contraption. Both the train and the robot stopped just in time, and she felt a chill run through her body. "Are you all right?!" Twilight exclaimed. The yellow robot pneumatically crawled spider-like down a ramp descending away from them. Twilight glanced back at the empty train on her left. Empty?! she thought. Twilight shook her head, letting her mane fly out as she caught her breath. The presence she had felt before was gone. "Are you all right, Twilight?" Spike asked. "That crash looks like it shook you up." Twilight turned her head again and watched as the empty train slithered silently down the rail and out of sight, exiting through a tunnel at the far end of the chamber. She forced her attention back to the robotic insectoid now crawling down a ramp into the green-glowing slime pit in front of them. The tram was now starting up again, gliding right over the substance leaking out of a massive cylindrical tank to the left. A few ticks from her suit informed her that her Geiger counter was going off. "Radiation," Twilight said, leaning her head out the window carefully for a closer look. "And here I thought the safety procedures were lacking in the Hazard Course." She pulled back inside, shaking her head. "If they have us work with that stuff, I might just put in my resignation." Now arriving at... Sector C Test Labs and Control Facilities! Twilight's head shot up at this. The tram was fast catching up with another catwalk, just like the one back at the dormitories. As it finally reached it, Twilight felt the train come to one last final halt before everything went still. The announcer piped up again as the security pony noticed them and started walking over to them. Please stand back from the automated door, and wait for a security officer to verify your identity. "This is it, Spike! This is it, this is it—" Twilight was suddenly very jumpy as she watched the guard approach the train. Thoughts and worries raced through her mind. Am I good? Will he recognize me? What if he doesn't recognize me? Does he expect paperwork? What about Spike? What if he doesn't allow Spike? What if I get in trouble because of Spike? What if— "Morning, Miss Twilight!" the guard spoke through the door. Twilight involuntarily jumped as the guard reached a hoof up to open the train door. "Uh... hi!" she said nervously, having no idea what to say. "It's my first day. You know... scientist and all..." Stupid, she thought. He knows you're a scientist. Stupid, stupid, stupid... As the door hissed open, Twilight could see the guard now very clearly. He was a black pony, sturdily built and wearing a thick purple uniform. A gray round helmet was mounted on his head, sporting a small cross-hair at the front. Twilight's eyes went to the firearm mounted on his shoulder and recognized it as the same mechanism she was taught in the firing range: a small pistol controlled by a subtle switch in one of the hoof gloves. "Ah! And this must be Spike," he said as Twilight lead her baby dragon off the train. "I can't say that I've ever seen a baby dragon before. Is he here as an experiment for the scientists?" Twilight had to fight back an angry insulted response. Did he really think she had brought a baby dragon here just to act as a guinea pig? "Actually, he's my assistant," she corrected him. "He always helps me out, you know, with small tasks and whatnot." Spike smiled boldly as the guard peered down at him. "Well, we always welcome more help," he said, leading them up to the door. "Just don't go getting in trouble, young man," he joked. The catwalk led up to what could only be described as an enormous metal box embedded in the side of the wall. There were no windows in the structure, and the only entrance she could see was a large door built to split into two parts vertically, their lips crested with hazard stripes. The guard escorted both of them up to the doors, before stepping up to the control system to the left of the door to punch in a code with his hoof. Twilight heard the code take as the system whirred to life. Gears turned and bumped behind the walls, computers chimed acceptance, and before she knew it, Twilight was watching enormous pistons sliding open along the front of the giant doors, finishing with a satisfying crunch of metal-on-metal. Sliding open with a loud hiss and pop of slamming metal, the doors revealed an entrance tunnel leading straight into the labs. "You have a good day, miss," the guard said turning to them. Twilight turned to look at the blue-colored tunnel, its floor grate revealing an array of pipes beneath it. Lights shined in on it, and Twilight felt an incessant pounding in her chest as she considered what awaited them on the other side. She was shuddered from excitement. She peered down at Spike, smiled, and suddenly felt a bit calmer about the whole experience. No matter what awaited her at the end of that tunnel, Spike would always be by her side. It was just another day of experiments in Canterlot. Nothing more. "Come on, Spike," she said, looking back up and leading him down the tunnel. "Let's go see how real science is done."