August. 1851.
Hoofington. The condemned street.
A stallion was walking through the street, wearing a grey hoodie. As no law-abiding pony would go near this street, it was no mistake to think he was a criminal. He cantered towards the wooden barricades which separated this street from the others. He smirked to himself, thinking about all the foals on the other side. The young foals who he would have great ease in getting the unlearned little ponies hooked on his drugs of choice. He placed his hoof on the barricade, preparing to climb it.
“Where are you going, mister?” A disarming soft voice asked him. The drug-dealer stopped and looked around to see a pretty, pink-haired mare staring at him with big, innocent eyes.
“Oh, um. Nowhere. I was just going to play with some schoolkids. I swung by there everyday, drop off candy for all of them.” The stallion fibbed. He almost felt guilty about lying to such a cute mare. But being a hardened criminal, not guilty enough to recant his statement.
“Oh, really?” The mare cooed, making him blush. “That's so sweet. Or … it would be, if it was true. But it's not true, is it, mister?” She began to walk towards him. “Come on, now. You can tell me the truth.” She batted her eyelashes at him. “Where are you really going?”
Her flirty gestures weren't enough to counteract her haughty demeanor. Said haughtiness offended the drug-dealer and made him lose his cool. Did this mare have any idea who she was dealing? “None of your business, that's where.”
“Oh, I think it is my business.” She said, coming closer to him. She broached his personal space and put her hoofs on the barricade behind her in a suggestive manner. “I love children, you see. So if you were doing something to hurt them, well … I might just be a little, teeny, tiny-bit upset about that.”
“Fine!” The dealer admitted. “I sell them drugs. Get them hooked early and have customers for life. And a fragile thing like you isn't gonna stop me just by batting your pretty eyelashes!” Having come prepared to fight other dealers on his turf, he pulled out an already-loaded syringe and jabbed it into her neck. The syringe was loaded to the point it would cause anypony to overdose and die right on the spot. He chuckled and smirked to himself as he depressed the needle into her throat.
“Heh heh … heh?” His laughter was replaced by a confusion as his lethal dose had almost no effect on her. The worst effect to befall her was for her to scrunch up her nose as though she was going to sneeze. She was, in all other respects, fine.
She glared at him. “Okay, mister. You put something in me. Now I get to put something in you!”
“What?” The dealer questioned. His eyes widened as a golden liquid dripped from the mare's mouth, pouring down as if she had a large bite of honey. “Whoa! What? No, no, please!” He begged as the mare threatened to close the distance between her mouth and his. “Get away! Stop! Maybe we can make a deal?” She wasn't interested in his attempts to bargain for his life, placing a delicate kiss on his lips. A gush of fluid surged from her mouth into his. He winced as he was forced to swallow it all.
“There.” The mare said, popping her lips off. “Doesn't it feel much better when you don't resist?”
The dealer had no answer for her, much too busy with the fact his eyes were rolling into the back of his head. His body jerked and chattered while foam appeared from his mouth, almost as if he was having a seizure. His body gave one last twitch before his eyes closed and he fell to the ground, limp.
The mare pulled out a leather strap and whipped it around, lashing it over his neck with precision. She backed away from the barricade, towing his body with the strap. With no one but fellow criminals around, few of whom would feel the need to stick their necks out for their competition, chances were the mare was going to get away with her crime.
Around the same time this was happening, in a more wholesome part of town, a little boy was waking up in his bed- Teddy. Though had Teddy known about the fate of the drug dealer on the other side of the town, he would have been glad to trade places with him. He was dreading this morning. A few days ago, his parents had been “lucky” enough to be selected for touring The Facility of one Twilight Sparkle. Who Teddy didn't care about. All he knew about her was what his parents told him, and his parents told him she was a brilliant inventor and civil servant.
Still, he didn't care. All this meant to him was an unnecessary trip to the store to buy a rental tuxedo (it was going to be a rental because Teddy's parents didn't trust with him owning one) and a trip to a stuffy old building he didn't care about.
“Teddy!” His mother called from the other room. “Are you up? We need to get ready and go to the store or we'll be late!”
“I'm up, I'm up.” Teddy complained, rubbing his eyes to free them of sleep. Against his will, he got down from his bed and headed to the bathroom to make himself tidy for the event.
“Quit being so down.” His mother told him, sensing Teddy's reluctance to go. “This is quite the honor to see Twilight at work. After -”
“After she fixed the crime wave last year, I know.” Teddy complained. He had heard this story before, the story of how Twilight Sparkle saved a city under siege from rampant crime in the spring of the previous year. Being a child, Teddy wasn't learned to appreciate the gravity of Twilight's accomplishment. He didn't understand how much work went into repelling a crime rate so high. He went to the washroom and freshened himself up. He remained grumpy and fussy as he was scooted out the door and steered towards the rental shop.
“One rental tuxedo for a rambunctious tyke.” Teddy's mother told the sales clerk.
“I have just the thing. Would you be interested in the special package, which comes with rips, tears, and mud-stains insurance?” The clerk offed. Teddy's mother looked to his father and smiled. Teddy sat there, hooves crossed and huffing. His mood improved somewhat when another family came through the door.
“Ace?” Teddy asked, recognizing their gold-maned son from his school.
“Teddy?” Ace replied. He ran up to his friend. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, my parents are getting a tuxedo to put me in.” Teddy waved his hoof. “We're going to Little Miss Perfect Twilight's facility today. We “won” tickets for a tour.”
“Really? What a coincidence!” Ace gestured to his folks. “My parents and I won tickets too. We're also here to rent a tuxedo.”
“Ha! Is it because your parents don't trust you with a tuxedo either?”
“That distrust is well-earned, young colt.” Teddy's father snapped. He walked over, holding the tuxedo Teddy would be forced to wear. Teddy sighed.
“Look on the bright side, Teddy.” Ace said. “I heard Sweet Heart is going to be there as well. So we don't have to suffer alone. Misery loves company, you know?”
“Sweet Heart's going to be there?” Teddy exclaimed. He was almost oblivious as his parents dragged him to the fitting room. He had a huge crush on Sweet Heart at least as big as a skyscraper. Knowing she would be there, this drag of a tour through Twilight's Facility just went from intolerable to worth it, in his opinion. Once he and Ace were in their suits, their families walked to The Facility together. Along the way, they took the time to catch up on things.
“So, how's your life been going?” Teddy's mother asked Ace's father.
“It's fine. I've got a roof over my head, a steady job, a wonderful child.”
“The most wonderful child.” Ace boasted, demonstrating his inflated opinion of himself.
“Yes, the most wonderful child.” His mother said, pretending to play along with his belief. “Ah, we're here.” They stopped to observe The Facility and the small crowd gathered outside. No doubt they were more winners of the contest.
The Facility was an impressive building. It was huge, as big as factory, at least. Pipes on top of the building puffed out continuous clouds of smoke, which cast an inviting air over the building – it was a place for the hardworking pony. Its brick-red color was offset by the yellow lights coming from each window, which covered the front of the building.
“I think I see some of your school friends.” Teddy's mother whispered to him.
Teddy whipped his head around. “Do you see Sweet Heart?”
“Sweet Heart?” Teddy's mother placed a hoof over her eyes to focus her gaze. “Ah, she's right over -” The minute she pointed her hoof, Teddy was off as if fired from the barrel of a gun. “There … geez, you'd think he had a crush on her or something.”
“Sweet Heart!” Teddy called. “Sweet Heart?”
“Hmm?” Sweet Heart turned her head to face him. “Oh, Teddy! Hello. I didn't know you'd be here.”
“Oh, trust me. I wouldn't be. But my parents made me come. But enough about me. Tell me about you.” Teddy purred, resting his hoof on his chin. She looked so beautiful in the frilly white dress she was wearing.
“Well, I -” Sweet Heart was interrupted by a voice as sharp as eagle claws.
“Teddy.” Their schoolteacher, Miss Hackney, whistled. “You're not trying to drag Sweet Heart into trouble, are you?”
“Oh no, Miss Hackney.” Sweet Heart spoke up on Teddy's behalf. “Teddy was just asking how I was doing. Isn't that right, Teddy?”
Teddy nodded. He continued to nod, hoping Miss Hackney would get off his case.
“Uh-huh.” Miss Hackney nodded, leering at Teddy with suspicion. “Well, you behave now. We wouldn't want to earn ourselves extra detention, would we?”
“No, ma'am, we wouldn't.” Teddy agreed.
Hackney raised her head. “I think it's time.”
Any further small talk between the tourist group was cut short by the creaking of The Facility's enormous door. With a creeeak and an eeeeee, it moved along the ground at a snail's pace. Three beautiful mares stepped out from the door. One had her hair styled in a spiral which Sweet Heart was sure was a pain to manage. One had simple, short hair and the last had her dark red hair tied back in a braid, wearing a Stetson hat. Each of them were wearing black cloaks over their bodies.
“I think somepony should have told them it wasn't Nightmare Night yet.” Teddy whispered to Sweet Heart, snickering at his own joke.
“Hello.” Each of the cloaked mares bowed. “Our names are Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom. We'll be your tour guides for the day. Any questions you ask, we will answer to the best of our abilities.”
“We will be showing you all the parts of The Facility. At least, the ones open to visitors.” Apple Bloom spoke in a Southern drawl.
“Please remain close to the tour group at all times, as there are several places off-limits to non-employees.” Sweetie Belle requested.
“Keep all your hooves to yourself.” Scootaloo said. “Do not reach out and touch anything unless you are advised it is okay to do so. Failure to comply with this policy can result in being removed from the tour group, banned from future tours,” Scootaloo raised her hoof over her mouth to muffle her voice, “and possible dismemberment if you stick it in the wrong place. Hrrk!” She cleared her throat. “Thank you. Let's go inside, shall we?”
“What she'd say?” Teddy whispered to Sweet Heart while the crowd moved around them. “Possible dis- what?”
“I don't know.” Sweet Heart said. “I just know that means no breaking the rules … so don't get any ideas, Teddy.”
“Moi?” Teddy asked, feigning offense as he walked with the crowd. “I would never.”
Entering the building, most of the tourists were surprised by how sparse the building was in its front room. A service desk was off the right of the maroon-colored empty room. Two bridges were on the upper floor, with one staircase leading up to them. They were two doors on each end of both bridges. There was little to nothing else in the room, save for an old pony resting her front hooves on a walker with glasses and her hair tied in a bun.
“Twilight Sparkle herself!” Teddy's father exclaimed, bowing to the lady. “Is it an honor to see you in person! Although ... may I ask why your Facility isn't … impressive as expected?” He looked around the room, once again taking it its emptiness.
“This is the foyer.” Twilight answered. She lifted up her walker to move along the floor. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were by Twilight's side at once, attempting to give their support to help her along, but she wasn't having any of it, giving them physical rebukes. “It's meant as a place where ponies can sit and talk and collect their thoughts.” Twilight said with the meek voice expected of an old lady. “Once you get past the second set of stairs, well … THAT'S where things get impressive.”
“Will, um, Twilight Sparkle be joining us on the tour?” Teddy's father asked.
“Yes.” Twilight answered. “I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you might have on the tour.”
“Well, er, won't a lady in your, um, condition have … trouble getting around?”
“It'll be fine.” Twilight assured him, turning her walker to the side. “Just because I'm old doesn't mean I can't get around. Now come on, you whippersnappers. Let's get this tour started.” Twilight and her cloaked aides guided the tour up the stairs to the left.
“Wow.” Ace muttered, trudging along the tour group as if he was spellbound.
“What?” Teddy asked.
“She's beautiful, isn't she?” Ace asked.
“Sweet Heart?” Teddy questioned. “Because let me tell ya, pal, you better not be gunning for my girl.”
“No. Her.” Ace gestured his head at Sweetie Belle.
“Oh.” Teddy said. “Yeah, I guess she's pretty. What about her?”
“She's beautiful.” Ace repeated.
“I heard you the first time, dude.” Teddy rolled his eyes as the tour went further and further up the stairs. They came across a branching path, as the stairs split two ways midway up. One side lead to more stairs, the other to a bronze vault door.
“Er, Miss Twilight?” Ace's father raised his head. Twilight stopped her walker on the steps and turned to him.
“Yes?”
“Is this our first destination?” Ace's father pointed to the door.
“No, that's the first of our many employees only areas.” Twilight answered. “Our Facility is quite complex, mister, so please don't expect the tour to take a linear path. Come. Our first destination is further up the stairs.” Going further upstairs took them to one of the bridges they had seen in the foyer. Now they could down and see the solitary work desk and the front entrance from above.
“As can you see, we've reached the first bridge.” Twilight Sparkle said. “This is important, as there are plenty of bridges, so if you get lost and can remember the number of the bridge, it makes it much easier to get back to the front entrance.”
“Ah.” Teddy's father noticed a steel plate on the bridge which had the Roman numeral for 1 engraved on it. He was admiring this system until The Facility's entire structure shook beneath their hooves. A roar echoed through the room, akin to a sleeping dragon awakening, his voice hoarse from inhaling the fumes of his own sulfuric fire breath. “What was that!?”
“That? Oh, that was just the foundations settling. It's nothing to worry about, I assure you.” Twilight said to them. A few of the tour group had some trouble swallowing this explanation, but none of them felt confident to question it.
“I want out of here!” One of the other children screamed, turning to run away.
“Sit down!” Miss Hackney scolded him. The child's fear of the building subsided to his fear of his teacher and he sat.
Teddy's father chuckled. “You sure know how to handle kids, Miss Hackney.”
Hackney chuckled. “Well, I should hope so! I studied all of Cheerilee's books, you know. She was a great teacher in her time, and if I haven't learned something from her writing, well then … I'd wonder what good books were!”
Sweetie Belle sighed. “Ah, I remember Miss Cheerilee. She was nice.”
Hackney and Teddy's father exchanged looks. Hackeny adjusted her glasses. “I'm sorry, Miss Belle? … Cheerliee was at least one-hundred years ago, and you don't look a day over twenty.”
"Well, I ... I mean, er ..." Sweetie Belle was saved from attempting to explain this discrepancy by Teddy attempting an ill-timed prank.
“Hey, Ace!” Teddy whispered. “If you like Sweetie Belle so much, why don't you go up to her?” Teddy pushed Ace on the back, causing him to roll down the bridge and smash into Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle fell over to the ground, her leg producing a clang against the bridge. There was a ripping sound, similar to scissors ripping clothes, and a snap of bone which made everyone wince.
“HEY!” Scootaloo roared, flaring out her wings. “Hooves to yourself! Get back in there.” Scootaloo cowed Ace back into the tour group. “Which one of you twerps pushed him, huh?” Scootaloo scanned the crowd, searching for guilty faces. Nopony had seen Teddy do it, and Teddy had a practiced poker face.
“Are y'all alright?” Apple Bloom asked, helping Sweetie Belle up to her hooves.
“I'm fine.” Sweetie Belle said. As Apple Bloom pulled her up, she stumbled back and forth. Her's and Apple Bloom's faces went wide with panic, grimacing. “Ah, my leg snapped!” As though trying to cover up a secret, Sweetie Belle covered her mouth.
“Come on. This way.” Scootaloo said, guiding Sweetie Belle past the tour group and down the stairs.
Sweet Heart looked after her with concern. “Mama? What's going to happen to her?”
“Well, Sweet Heart, if her leg snapped, she's going to be … put down. It's not right for a pony to walk with only three legs, so … it's best if she gets put of her misery.”
“Oh.” Sweet Heart groaned. “That's terrible.”
“It's for the best.” Her mother told her.
“Oh, I'm sure Sweetie Belle will be fine.” Twilight assured him. “We have great health insurance. Come, let's continue the tour, shall we?”
“Are you sure you can go on with only one aide?” Teddy's father asked.
Apple Bloom took offense to his statement. “Sir, Ah assure you, Ah am more than able to lead the tour and help Twilight by my lonesome … as long as nopony pushes each other again.” She sneered. “Come on now, y'all.”
Apple Bloom and Twilight turned and continued down while Twilight droned on about how the fascinating machinery on the other side of the door.
“Well, I guess I won't, right, Ace?” Teddy teased, in good spirits considering he had almost caused the death of a mare. “Ace? Ace!” Teddy whispered under his breath. Ace was running down the stairs, pursuing Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. “What are you doing?” He ran down the stairs after him.
“Teddy!” Sweet Heart exclaimed under her breath. She ran after him as well, somehow defying the odds by slipping away from the tour group unseen.
“Ace!” Teddy shouted, chasing his friend. “Ace, what are you doing?”
“I'm going to rescue Sweetie Belle from being put down!” Ace shouted. “And then she'll fall in love with me and we'll get married!” Ace got hearts pulsing in his eyes.
“Ace, you're crazy!” Teddy shouted.
“Think of the age difference!” Sweet Heart shouted. Teddy looked over his shoulder, surprised about Sweet Heart being present. He stopped. Sweet Heart was unable to decelerate in time and smashed into Teddy, and they tumbled down the stairs as a snowball of ponies. The snowball collected Ace into and kept rolling into they smashed into something metal as a tangled mess of pony limbs.
“Ugh.” Sweet Heart groaned, the first to rise from the pile. She rubbed her forehead. Her eyes went wide. “Oh. Oh no.”
“What?” Teddy asked, pulling out from under Sweet Heart. Ace was the last to get up.
Teddy saw what was causing Sweet Heart so much distress. They were back at the bronze vault door, and the door was open.
“Hmm!” Teddy smirked, getting an idea. “What do you think is in there, hmm?”
“No..” Sweet Heart insisted. “We are not going in there. Twilight Sparkle said it was off-limit to non-employees!”
Ace stroked his chin. “You don't think Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo went in there, do you?”
“It's a possibility.” Sweet Heart said. “It's also a possibility we could get into huge amounts of trouble for even being near it, so let's go – ACE!” Ace was already climbing over the vault's rings and entering inside.
“Whoo-hoo! It's party time!” Teddy cheered, following him.
“Oh, to heck with it.” Sweet Heart complained, realizing trying to talk her friends out of their crazed lust for adventure was no use. She might as well keep an eye on them - somepony had to be the smart one of the group. “Wait for me!” She hopped into the door after them. What they found on the other was … unexpected.
It was a wide and vast room, far, far larger than what the outside of the building suggested it could contain. It was like a scene taken straight from a travelogue, with dirty, sand-colored bumps of dirt, a clear waterfall in the far right of the room, and a floodgate pouring polluted water down a drainage system. It was best described as being as though someone had taken a desert paradise and a sewer and mixed them together.
“Wow. This is … interesting.” Sweet Heart observed. The three of them trotted around, admiring the room. Strange as it was, it held a sort of beauty to it. She stopped, noticing a flowerbed of mushrooms.
“Ugh.” Sweet Heart bent down to observe the fungi. They were covered in glowing green and blue liquids. “What is this stuff?”
“How should I know?” Teddy asked. “You're the smart one.”
Sweet Heart nodded. “Yes am I, So, remind me why are we in here again?”
“Oh, it had something to do with Ace's crush on Sweetie Belle.” Teddy teased. “It makes him do crazy things, you know?”
“Hmm. You wouldn't know anything about having a crush, Teddy?” Sweet Heart teased, fluttering her eyelashes at him.
Teddy blushed. “I, uh, well ...” Teddy attempted to deflect by walking forward, only for his hoof to strike vicious and squishy.
“Uh, Teddy?” Sweet Heart asked with no shortage of worry. “What did you just step in?”
“Um ...” Teddy looked down to see his hooves in a thick red liquid. He lifted his hoof to examine. “I think it's blood?”
There was a brief pause.
“BLOOD!?”
“AAAAAAAAAAH!”
Compounding their fright and scaring them out of their wits, there was another roar like the one they heard from the bridge, which was so not just the “foundations settling.” Teddy and Ace were brought around to Sweet Heart's way of thinking, and Sweet Heart's thinking was to make a mad dash for the door.
With a creak, the vault door slammed shut just seconds before they reached it.
“What?” Sweet Heart exclaimed. She jumped on the door, pounding it and bucking it with her hooves. “No. No, no, no. This cannot be happening.” She sunk to the floor and put her hooves around her head. “This cannot be happening. What's going to happen to my grades? I'll get grounded!”
“Really?” Teddy asked. “We're trapped in a strange room and that's what you're worried about right now?”
“This is all your fault!” Sweet Heart snapped at him, ignoring his question. “If you hadn't pushed Ace when you did just to be a jerk, none of this would have happened! Why are you always such a jerk, Teddy?”
“I ...” Teddy muttered. “I thought it was funny.”
“Well, it wasn't!”
While Sweet Heart chewed out, Ace squinted at the other side of the room. “Hey … I think I see a door.”
“Oh, great! A DOOR!” Sweet Heart exclaimed. “All of our troubles are solved now!”
“Hey, there might be someone who can help behind it!” Ace suggested.
“Or it could have, like, I don't know, a dragon or an angler fish or something!”
Teddy raised his brow. “An angler fish?”
“Well, it's either an angler fish or we stay in here waiting for somepony to rescue us.” Ace said.
Sweet Heart attempted to protest, but she didn't have any good counterarguments. So they trudged over to the door. Ace knocked on it. There was no response.
“Knock again.” Sweet Heart instructed. “Harder.”
Ace nodded. He banged on the door, thrusting his roof. Still nothing.
“I'm just gonna go in.” Ace said. He grabbed the doorknob and threw the door open.
“No! What if there's an angler fish?” Sweet Heart complained.
“Oh, good news!” Ace said. “There's Sweetie Belle in there!” Ace went inside.
“Hmph. I bet they're getting her ready for the slaughter as we speak.” Teddy mocked, attempting to put distasteful images in Ace's head.
"Teddy!" Sweet Heart scolded, grabbing and dragging him around the door.
“Hey, Ace! How's Sweetie Belle?” Teddy teased. At least before he noticed how accurate his earlier mocking was, as Sweetie Belle looked primed for slaughtering. His jaw dropped in horror and he was on the verge of vomiting.
Within the room were multiple electric cords and plugs, with an EKG machine set up and an tool tray placed next to a slab. On the slab itself was Sweetie Belle, her cloak dropped to the floor. Her entire body was covered in stitches and black braces holding her patch-up corpse together. A glass window was stuck in her chest, allowing view of her beating heart, pulsing as if it was being forced to do its job past its expiration date. Her leg was severed at the knee, hanging by a stitch.
Teddy, Ace, and Sweet Heart burst into hyperventilation, not thinking to try to flee. And when Sweetie Belle let out a groan and pushed herself up, they were transfixed by fear.
Sweetie Belle's eyes were slow to open and glassy. Her head made groggy rocking motions. “Twilight? I'm ready for my surgery.” She blinked, her glassiness faded and her eyes becoming clearer. “Wha – you're not Twilight.” She blinked again. Her eyes widened and she jumped down from the slab, approaching towards them with her disconnected leg trailing behind her. “You three aren't supposed to be here!”
The three foals let out a scream and made it a point to hightail it out of the room. Behind them, Sweetie Belle slammed her hoof on a button, producing the lights and sounds of a klaxon.
The minute the foals made it out the door, they ran from one problem and into another. A monstrous blue pegasus was waiting for them. She had metal plating over her back, exposing her distended spine. A metal patch was over her right eye, electrified generators pumping in and out of her back like pistons. One of her hooves was even replaced by one of generators.
She raised her generator-hoof at them, menacing them with the unspoken threat of being electrocuted.
“Kids, do your parents know where you are?"