Spike was leading Twilight Sparkle through the labyrinth of tunnels beneath Ponyville.
"What exactly are we doing down here? Don't get me wrong, I love freakish, paradigm-changing surprises as much as the next pony, but what I like even more is to be prepared... I'm not sure what to expect anymore..."
"I want you to meet someone."
They reached a tiny room full of monitors.
And in the middle of the room, there was a...
"Wooooooo!"
"Pinkie Pie?"
"Aren't you excited? Cos' I'M excited! Now that there is two of us, there will soon be threeandfourandfiveandsix, and then, INFINITY! We will be LA RESISTANCE! There will be adventure, and EXPLOSIONS! We'll be fighting crime and the forces of... EVIL!..."
Pinkie Pie was bouncing around and humming some kind of theme song, happily ignoring that there wasn't really enough space down here to do that.
"I don't get it... You knew? I mean... YOU?"
"Me of all ponies! But I wasn't able to do anything big without you! I knew the day would come when we would all fight side by side against the machine! RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE! Woooo!
On a related note, I made you cupcakes to celebrate- but I already ate them all myself because I was just so EXCITED!"
Pinkie Pie hugged her perplexed friend tight.
-
It took Spike and Twilight a while to calm Pinkie Pie down to a point where they could discuss their plans.
"So you're telling me that you have both gathered enough knowledge to neutralize certain parts of the security system?"
"At least for a short time. I am supposed to know this kind of stuff, I am part of the staff. Though my skills are pretty much limited to what I need for my job."
"I have been sneaking into the dark and secret places ever since I was a little filly! I know every inchymeter of this town, and how to break stuff. You might say I'm a natural."
"But so far you weren't able to find a way out."
"We are able to punch holes into their defense, but we were unable to exploit them. These openings have to be small enough to stay undetected so They don't get suspicious and realize someone is messing with the machinery.
They are updating the security system every day. So basically it's always one step forth and one step back."
"Sometimes two steps back... It's like the Pony Pokey, just without the fun."
"So... what do we do?"
"You're the smart one, Twilight. You tell us."
"You guys...", Twilight moaned, "This really isn't fair."
Oh, but they were making puppy eyes.
"Alright then. First of all, tell me everything you know about this place and what you were able to do so far. I need maps, layouts, detailed descriptions of the machines and the technology used. I need to know how They think. But first of all, there is something else I'd like to know..."
"What is it, Twilight?"
"Spike, Pinkie... Do you think there even is a way out? You say all of Equestria was some kind of high-tech prison... How do we even know if there is another world outside? And what kind of world would that be? Perhaps it's even worse outside than it is in here... I am just worried that if we break out of this, we might be leading the ponies into certain doom... I can't just lead an entire people into the unknown."
"Think of it this way, Twilight. If this place really was so great, why would they work so hard just to keep you inside?
I can see why you're worried. Whatever we do, the consequences will be dangerous, maybe even diso... disastroo... really bad. But think of all the ponies who are born into slavery. Think of the way they're treating you. Outside, you may be able to shape your own destiny..."
"And what if there is no outside? What if this is all there is?"
It was Pinkie Pie's turn to answer.
"Then we'll conquer this place. Smash the baddies. Make new rules. Spike is right, Twilight. We have to take our destiny into our own hooves."
-
Spike put together a short video presentation to teach the ponies about the real geography of Equestria.
Twilight learned that the Forbidden Forest was actually part of a large iron curtain that circled the entire country. What appeared to the ponies as mountains were really giant watchtowers and robot factories.
According to Spike, Canterlot was the centrepiece, a fortress that included the most important research facilities and where all important decisions were made.
The lands between Canterlot and the Forbidden Forest were pony-habitats where large-scale research and organ harvesting took place.
Equestria was a closed space. What appeared to be the sky was actually the ceiling. It was quite possible that the entire facility was merely a cave deep beneath the surface ("Or even on the ocean floor!", Pinkie Pie added. Twilight didn't think that was very helpful).
"We don't know what lies behind the forests. It could be the way out. It could be other places like this one. Perhaps it's the place where They live. Either way, They make sure no one passes through without Their consent. It stretches through all levels of the facility as far as I can tell."
"Say Spike, how safe are we down here?"
"It should be safe for about twenty more minutes. Then the computers will notice that the sensory systems in this room aren't working properly and fix the bug. We have to make all of our meetings quick and change our locations every time."
"We can go to my place afterwards", Pinkie Pie proposed, "if Spikey can hack into Sugar Cube Corner as well."
"I have already hacked into all your homes... And I probably shouldn't have mentioned that just now."
"We'll talk about that later."
-
Pinkie Pie was serving them tea and cupcakes.
Twilight sighed.
"There are still so many things I don't understand. Like the other creatures that live here... What's their place in all of this?"
Spike swallowed the cupcake he had just picked up.
"Some are merely pony companions. Some are test objects themselves. Many belong to the security and maintenance systems, just like me. Pony-Surveillance-BioDrone, 'Dragon' class."
"What about Gummy? I can't see what a toothless alligator could be designed for... no offense."
Pinkie Pie's pet alligator had just waddled into the room, perhaps attracted by the voices.
Pinkie Pie giggled.
"Oh, little Gummy is the EVILIST of them all, isn't that right Gummypooh?"
"You see Twilight, 'Gummy' is actually an assassin. They noticed that something was weird about Pinkie Pie, but they couldn't quite put the finger on it (or whatever They have for fingers). So They sent Gummy. He is supposed to observe Pinkie Pie, and should she do something unusual- to attach himself to her..."
"Just like this!", Pinkie Pie exclaimed proudly when Gummy locked his jaws firmly on her puffy tail.
"...And then explode. If you listen carefully, you can hear him ticking. Twilight...?"
The purple unicorn pony had taken cover behind the sofa.
They all listened to the ticking sound coming from Gummy's belly. Finally, it faded away, and Gummy loosened his grip.
"That's a gooood boy!"
"We're not sure why he hasn't exploded yet. Might just be a malfunction..."
"Or maybe he just likes the birthday parties he gets as a reward for every year he's not exploding!"
"And you just keep him around?"
"They would get suspicious if he disappeared without going *boom*. Besides, I need him. He helps me focus."
"If you say so..."
But from there on Twilight Sparkle was trying to stay as far away from the alligator as possible. Well, trying harder than before.
"So what do you think, Twilight? do you already have a plan?"
"Well, there is one thing I know for sure... If we're going to go through with this, we'll need a team."
Pinkie Pie turned around to look right at the audience.
"You all knew it would go down like this, didn't you? Stay tuned for the next episodes, in which we will recruit our champions!"
"Who are you talking too?"