Chapter: 13

by Chapter 13

[Fo:E - Solar Shield] Part: 1 V.2

Author's Note:

Description: When your thought aren't your own and you can't remember anything about your past, one question remains: Who are you?

Notes: The revision ended up going too far from the original idea, so I decided to scrap it.

Fallout: Equestria - Solar Shield

By: Michael A.

“The road to ruin is paved with good intentions.”

“Just tell me the first thing that comes to mind, okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good!

“Dark?”

“Light.”

“Quiet?”

“Loud.”

“Warm?”

“Cold.”

“Hmm… interesting.

“Death?”

“Evil.”

“Violence?”

“Unnecessary.”

“War?”

“Failure.”

“Innocent?”

“Defend…”

“Very good!

“Subject is responding to conditioning as planned, phase two is now ready to begin!”

---

Feeling. It was the first thing that came into my mind.

Touch, smell, taste, sight, sound.

I felt none.

Darkness was my sight; null was my touch. All senses that should have existed, didn't. I felt hollow, empty, a consciousness floating without a tangible form.

I was scared.

Not only did I feel hollow, but also alone. There was nothing… I was nothing. Where (or, even, what) I was remained a mystery, one that I was helpless to solve.

Memories.

I tried to think, I tried to remember, but like the void I was, there was nothing. I could remember the basics; the fundamental pieces I would need to survive, but nothing further.

Fear.

The only thing that could breach the void, the feeling gripping my minor existence like a vice.

Sight.

It came to me, breaking the void. It was bright, real bright. Sight came to me in the form of a pure, blinding light. I felt no pain, nor discomfort, but I felt as if I should.

Sound.

Garbled, bubbling vibrations flooded my mind. It started off soft, as if the source was way in the distance, but it began to grow, as if it was getting closer.

Taste.

Sour, real sour. I would have recoiled if I had a body. It was horrible, the sensation repulsive.

Smell.

Rot. That was what it smelled like. Decay and death; a pungent odor that made me feel sick, even worse than the sour taste that that flooded my mind.

Touch.

Pain. It wasn't a foreign concept; the feeling oddly familiar, and I found that comforting, in an ironic way. It didn't grow, nor slowly increase over time.

No, it flooded in like a broken dam.

I would have screamed, if I had a mouth. It felt like I was being ripped apart, piece by piece, and then squashed back together.

Then, I felt my body.

Hooves, ears, muzzle, mouth… body. As the pain faded, it was replaced by the feeling of discomfort. It was strange, going from nothing to something—a feeling that cannot be put into words.

My sight cleared, the light fading to a darkened shade of gray. It was still pure, the color like an imposing wall taking up the entirety of my vision. I could feel my extremities, the newly gained limbs confusing my mind as it tried to relearn how to use the peripherals.

I could feel the responses from my body, feel what it felt. I felt wet, my entire body surrounded by some strange liquid. What exactly it was, I didn’t know. I could also feel tubes attached to me, poking in uncomfortably into my chest and down my throat. It wasn’t painful, but it wasn’t pleasant.

Then the sound became clear. The garbled vibrations I heard earlier faded into a more comprehensible rhythm, the sound pulsing, and loud. It sounded almost like a buzz, though the reason for this, I believed, was from the interference of the liquid that covered my body.

Then I began to tilt.

I could feel myself rise, inertia trying to keep me in place. I tried to move, but my mind had not yet learned how to control my limbs. Then, I stopped, feeling myself completely upright. I prayed my vision would clear, that the wall of color would give way to a clear picture of my surroundings, but it didn’t.

There was a muffled hiss, followed shortly by the tug of the liquid as it was drained. I could feel it wash free from my body, flowing down until my entire form was free of the foreign substance.

Then I fell.

My body toppled forwards, my muzzle and chest smashing into a hard, flat surface. I felt pain. Pain from the impact, and pain of a body that had not moved in a long, long time. My limp, unresponsive form slowly melted into the floor until I was completely sprawled out.

I remained still.

I lay motionless for what felt like hours, my body refusing to move.

Then a twitch.

My right hoof was the first thing I could control, the limb flicking gently as I tried to lift it. Soon, after constant effort, it began to move more accurately, the limb responding correctly to my commands. My left hoof followed suit, then my hind left, followed shortly by my hind right. My brain slowly regained control of all extremities, and I tested each for proper response. My mouth opened, coughing on the tube that was still lodged deep down my throat. I could breathe with the tube in place, though not without some discomfort. I wanted to remove it, to rip it out, but I feared what would happen if I did.

The grey had finally started to fade from my vision, the fog clearing as darkness took its place. Lifting a hoof, I brought it to my muzzle and in clear view of my recovering eyes. It was white, pure white. It was a labor to move, my entire body feeling as if it weighed a ton, so I had to wait a minute before I had the strength to turn my head to observe the rest of my body. I was white, white as my hoof, and I could only grimace at the mess of tubes that protruded from my body, colored by the strange liquids they carried, their origin leading back to the area I had fallen from.

They would have to be removed.

I laid my head back down, recovering from my trivial exertion. My mind was the only thing not limited by my fleeting strength, and I used that to my advantage. I strained to remember all that I could, to gather as much information I could, and then use that to piece together what I could about what was happening. I had no memories, recollections of the past. What I did have was knowledge, information about the world around me. I remembered the basics: how to breathe, how to walk, and all of that, the rest consisted of what I would imagine as common knowledge.

Then I thought about my situation, piecing together hypotheses based on what I had observed. I was a pony; that much I knew. I had fallen from something, something filled with a sour liquid. The tubes connected to me, I guessed, were for the injection of the substances my body needed to live: food, water, and everything in between. Other than that, I wasn’t sure. I could guess, but with what I was given, there were too many variables I needed to fill.

I needed to get up.

I let out a groan, the resulting sound more resembling a hiss. Slowly, and carefully, I rolled myself onto my chest, getting my hooves underneath me. I paused, letting myself rest, then pushed with as much strength as I could with my hooves, my body rising as I got to my hooves. I wobbled, my strength giving out soon afterwards as I stumbled back, my body slamming into something as I fell back to the floor. Again, I hissed. I looked down to see the fresh holes in my chest. I bled a mix of the once connected tube’s liquid and blood slowly trickling from the newly created wound. It was a steady stream, but not one that I had to be worried about. I felt pain. The only familiar constant spread from my hooves to my head. It was a dulled pain, but pain, none the less.

Before I tried to rise again, I decided to deal with the tubes. I closed my eyes, wrapping my hooves around as many as I could, and then pulled. The feeling was excruciating, feeling like I was ripping a part of myself out with it. I didn’t waste any time and moved my hooves to the one currently still down my throat, taking an even deeper breath as I slowly pulled it out. This one wasn’t just painful, it was just wrong. I could feel it travel up from my stomach, then up my throat, and finally out my mouth.

I vomited.

I curled up on my side, my stomach purging it of its contents. Heave after heave, I felt more and more void itself from my body. Even when my stomach was finally empty, I still coughed, dry heaving again and again until my throat hurt.

When it finally stopped, I caught my breath before I screamed. It was more of a loud groan, but it still voiced my pain. No words came out, only a scream of pain. I had held it in, dealing with it as it came, but now I had a way to vent it, and I took advantage of it.

My scream slowly faded to a groan, then to a whimper, and finally silence once again reigned around me. I was still weak, and I was certain another attempt to stand this soon would end just set the first. But, at the same time, I didn't want to do nothing.

I rolled back onto my stomach and held back a his. My underbelly burned from where I had forcefully removed my unwanted tether from the unknown machine, but I bit it back. I steeled myself and took a deep breath. This time, I only pressed up with my front hooves, and I rose to a seated position. I almost immediately began to fall backwards, but was, thankfully, caught by some unknown source.

Gently, I leaned back further into the surface that had stopped my fall. I winced at every movement, but eventually found a relatively comfortable position.

My eyes looked forwards, but only an abyss of black lay ahead. It was dark, but I could still see tiny packets of life shine out from random points beyond. I tried to see through the void, but couldn't make out anything in the low light. I let out a shaky sigh, only to let out a painful cough. I looked down and focused on my body. Blood slowly dripped from a mess of open gashes from where I had forcefully removed the tubing, coating my entire underbelly in a dark red hue.

Maybe it wasn't a good idea to remove them all at once… I thought as I leaned back and closed my eyes. So much had happened so quickly and barely left me with any time to process.

Well, I had time now.

Basics… let’s start with the basics. I thought. I don't know my name. I don't know where I was. I don't know who I was…

I let out a sigh and gave my head a shake. Never mind… I’ll save this for later.

I pushed off from the wall and back into my stomach. I felt stronger, somehow. It wasn't much, but I felt it was enough. Carefully, I positioned my hooves and pushed upwards, carefully getting to my hooves. I shook; unsteady, and uncertain. But, despite this, I was up, and that was all that mattered.

Step by step, I trotted forwards, letting my mind get reacquainted with walking. I used whatever it was that I was leaning on for support as I slowly made my way forwards, each step sturdier than the last. Finally, after much practice, I let go of my support, and stood on my own volition. I was still shaky, but I was at least able to stand without the fear of falling again.

One step at a time.

My eyes blinked as I tried to see through the darkness that surrounded me, the only light coming from the soft glow of red lights that the marked the perimeter of wherever I was. I could see what faint, blurred outlines of what was around me; a mixture of shapes and colors too distorted for me to discern.

On shaky hooves, I trotted forwards. I wasn't going to know anything while standing still, nor did I feel like I could keep it up for much longer. I may have been stronger then when I had first tried to walk, but I still wouldn't consider myself in top condition. Step after step, I trotted forwards, occasionally bumping into something, and using its edge to guide myself around it.

I was afraid.

Darkness and the unknown closed in on me from all sides. Fear of what would come; fear of what I couldn't see; fear that I would be trapped in the dark forever; fear that I would be alone.

Suddenly, I bumped into something different. Everything else had the feel of cool metal, while this felt more like glass. Focusing, I gazed at what was in front of me, able to make out the shape of some sort of glass tube. I balanced myself on three hooves, using my free one to feel around the object in front of me. My hoof brushed over something that felt like a button, and I pressed it.

I shouldn't have pressed it.

My vision filled with a blinding light that caused me to fall back and onto my haunches. I lifted my weak hooves and rubbed my blinded eyes. The pain eventually faded, and my vision returned, and when I looked up a second time, my mouth hung open in pure shock.

A pony, the same color as me, floated inside of a giant glass tube. His body was connected by an array of tubes, just like I had been, that all protruded from parts of his skin. The sight was strange, alien even, but still piqued my attention.

I slowly rose back to my hooves to get a better look. I looked over the container, noting the construction. The top and bottom had metal plates that acted as its bases, while a control panel, of sorts, lay connected to its side. The entire tube lit up from lights pointed directly inside of it, breaking the void of darkness that had once surrounded me.

I trotted forwards, getting a better look.

The pony in the tube looked peaceful, and almost as if he was sleeping. His golden mane floated carelessly in the liquid that filled the tube, his eyes peacefully closed.

As I continued to gaze, I noticed the subtle reflection in the glass’s exterior, and it took me a moment to realize it was my own. Curiously, I looked closer, gasping at what I saw. I looked exactly like the stallion floating in the tube in front of me, and easily could have been an exact copy.

I shook my head, pushing away the questions that had begun to build up. There were already too many. To many things I needed answers for, too many blanks that needed to be filled.

What I needed now was answers.

Using the light from the tube, I looked around. On one of the walls besides it I could spot a switch, and I trotted over it in hopes it was for the lights. I closed my eyes and flipped it, the room glowing behind my closed eyelids. Slowly, I opened them, letting my eyes adjust to the light. When they were, I looked forwards, and once again stood in shock.

It wasn't just one stallion in a tube. At least a dozen tubes holding stallions that looked just like me lined the wall I was facing, each one suspended in a seemingly peaceful sleep. It was hard to comprehend, and I could only stand and blink at what I saw.

After a few minutes, I was able to shake myself from my stupor. I took another look at the wall of tubes, looking them over more carefully. I hadn't noticed it before, but each had a plaque above them with a label. In a line, they read ‘Subject: One’, ‘Subject: Two’, and so on. There were twelve ‘subjects’ in total.

I gave the room a look over now that there was light. The room was square, with the tubes taking up the entirety of the far wall. The two walls flanking it were completely covered in blinking electronical components, flickering electron tubes, and massive wires that connected them to each of the ‘pods’. Turning around, I got a glimpse of the rest of the room. Tables filled with medical equipment, electronics, and other stuff I couldn't put a label on lay in the center of the room. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all white, strongly clean beyond belief. Behind the center tables was a single empty pod, this one having the label ‘Subject: Alpha’, hanging above it.

I… I think that’s me.

I trotted over to the pod, stepping over my pile of vomit, and finally stopping in front of the still bloody tubes on the floor.

That was where I was… I was one of them…

Questions. Just more questions. No answers, just more that I needed to know. I feared that, at this rate, I would end up forever wandering in confusion.

No, I need to keep going. There are answers; I just need to find them… somewhere.

I turned and trotted away from my pod, heading towards the only terminal I could see in the entire room, the screen blinking with a green glow. Once there, I sat on my haunches and began tapping on the keyboard, scrolling through the menus.

It seemed this terminal was the master control for all the pods in the room, each one selectable on the first menu. Curious, I clicked on the first one, a status menu scrolled into view.

Subject: One.

Status: Deceased.

Cause: Mechanical failure.

My eyes went wide, turning to the first pod. The stallion inside didn't look dead, but he also didn't look alive either.

I backed out and checked the next pod.

Subject: Two.

Status: Deceased.

Cause: Mechanical failure.

I backed out again, switching from pod to pod, getting the same result: ‘deceased.’ I got to the last pod… mine.

Subject: Alpha.

Status: Released.

Caused: System Override.

My lips curled into a frown and I hopped off the terminal, turning to look at the pods with an expression of sadness. I was alive, somehow, but they weren't.

More damn questions.

I took a deep inhale of breath, letting it out slowly. I turned away from the pods and stood up on my hooves, my eyes instantly falling on the only sliding door in the room. I trotted over, the mechanism opened and allowed me through. I was feeling better. Stronger, even. I couldn't say I felt normal, yet, but I was getting there.

The hallway I trotted into had the same all white color scheme as the room I had just been. Red lights shone from the edges of the ceiling, giving the walls an unsettling red hue. My hooves led me forwards and down the hall, but my gut told me to stay put. My eyes flicked from white wall to wall as I looked for anything that could be considered a threat. Shadows danced, mundane objects took the most menacing of shapes, fear ruled over my mind. I didn't know where I was going, nor even where I was in the first place, so I just trotted forwards, stopping only when I hit the first door. This one was slightly larger than the one I had just walked out off, but the main difference was the large plaque that read, in gold letters: ‘Conditioning and Programming.’

I ran the name through my mind, hoping it would bring up something. To my dismay, nothing came to mind. With a shake of my head, I trotted inside, the door opening upon my approach.

The inside was… strange. Like the hallway, it was illuminated only by the soft glow of red tinted lights that lined the top corners of the walls. The room itself was broken up into six different smaller rooms, three to my right and three to my left, with an area in between. From what I could see from here, each room and a door and a window that you could view the interior from. Outside of each room sat a terminal, all but one (the one on the left side closest to the entrance) dark.

My hooves lead me to the only active terminal. I plopped my flank down in front of its green glow and immediately tapped on the keyboard. To my delight, it didn’t seem to be password locked, and allowed me access to the information it stored. Scrolling through the files, I found that they were all audio logs, labeled by session number and subject identification. I didn’t see any that belonged to Subject: Alpha, so I picked one at random and pressed play.

“Condition session number twenty von; test subject number three.”

The voice that played was foreign, my mind telling me that it was a Germane accent.

“Subject’s progress had been… less than expected. Although he appears to be accepting the aggression repression treatment quite well, subject does not have the same results with submission training. His actions have been… sporadic, unpredictable. We have had far more success with other subjects, but I digress.”

The voice paused, the recording static as I could hear a door opening, then closing. There was the scraping of a chair against the floor, then the sound of someone sitting down.

“Ah, subject three, how has it been?”

A new voice, one that sounded gruff and hardened, spoke up. “Good…”

“Good to hear, good to hear! Now, I must question why you have hesitated during you last training run in the simulator?”

There was a pause.

“Ehem! I believe I asked you a question, yes?”

“I didn’t agree with the orders.”

“Ah, so you believed that your way was better, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Well… this is most disappointing. Subject has failed to follow orders on one too many occasions… It appears reconditioning is in order.”

I heard a gasp.

“No! Please, no! I-I’ll follow, I promise!”

“Subject also appears to show weakness… Yes, reconditioning is in order.”

I heard the door open again, followed by at least two sets of hooves trotting in. It sounded like there was a quick struggle, followed by a loud ‘zap’ and a thump, then the sound of dragging. The door finally shut, and I could hear a groan from the original stallion.

“Why is it so hard to crush the will of the subjects? Can't they see that submission will allow them optimal conditions? Perhaps a restructure of the program is in order… Yes.”

The recording ended there, and it only left with more questions. I flipped to another recording and pressed play.

“Condition session number five; test subject number three, batch five,” chimed in the same stallion from before.

“Current batch of subjects had been far more successful than the first. A restructure of conditioning program could be responsible for this, but I digress. Current subject has been responding to treatment as planned; results seeming to be the most successful yet!

“Although, I do question the effectiveness of a non-aggressive series of specimens. Although they have proven to adapt to the program better than the aggressive branch, I fear that the end result will prove far less efficient than the latter. But! I digress. Current subject has appeared for conditioning for routine examination of mental state and… and… oh no.”

The recording went silent, then the sound of a door opening brought forth an unnerving gurgling sound, one that reminded me of choking.

“No! Subject is experiencing an extreme muscle spasm; it appears that the muscles in the throat have stopped responding. Cause unknown. Treatment being administered.”

The gurgling suddenly stopped.

“Nein! Subject seems to have succumb before treatment could be administered… Shame, subject showed so much promise.”

The recording stopped, and I immediately played another.

“Condition session number… thirty five; test subject number six, batch… five.”

The stallion sounded less… enthusiastic than in the other recordings, his voice sounding tired.

“Like others, this batch had failed to yield results in the desired range. Previous one has finally succumb to the same condition as the second—cause of which is still unknown.

“Subject six has been able to yield acceptable results, but still not within the realm of what we desired… We fear that the Solar Guard project will be terminated if results are not yielded soon, to which will yield months of research useless!”

There was a crash, followed by what I could only imagine was the stallion in the recording letting out his frustration on anything he could find. Soon, I could hear him calm down, followed by the door opening.

“Why do you not yield proper results?”

“What?” questioned a different voice, one similar, but still different, than the first ‘subject’ I had heard speak before.

“You do not respond as we have predicted; all calculations have been correct, but you still have not responded as predicted. Why is this?”

“I don’t know, sir.”

“Ah! That is the problem! Nopony can tell me ‘why’?! Why must my research be haunted because you cannot act as planned? Why must I waste my time on you? Are my methods wrong? Does the problem lay in the batches? Tell me, subject six, why?!”

“I-I don't know, sir!”

A sigh. “Perhaps we are being too relaxed in our methods… Yes… Subjects do not respond to regular treatment… So we must use irregular treatment. Yes! The answer is so obvious! I must readjust program immediately!”

“Sir, what do you mean?”

“Oh, yes, almost forgot about you. I believe that I have found the flaw in current program, and will thusly correct said problem. Sadly, you are already tainted by failure, and are no longer needed.”

“Do you mean?”

“Yes. Now, off you go.”

I heard the door open again, and the same struggle and ‘zap’ from before followed, then dragging.

“Ah, yes, this should fix issue…”

I could only stare at the screen in disbelief, confusion and horror filled my features. That had been the last recording on the terminal, and I desperately wanted to know more. I stood up, trotted over to the closest door, and opened it. It had been about what I had expected. Two chairs on opposite side of a single metal table were the only things in the room. I backed out of the room, closing the door. I then checked the other terminals in the room, finding that they were either broken, or not powered, as they didn’t respond.

I began to shudder.

Something happened here, something that seemed to get more and more confusing the more I learned about it. What had been project Solar Guard? Was that what I had been a part of?

More damned questions!

I was getting frustrated, the combination of fear and the unknown gripped at me like a noose, only tightening the more I learned. I trotted from the room and back to the red tinted hallway.

“Oh, there you are!”

My eyes went wide and I fell back onto my haunches. In front of me hovered a strange ball of wires and metal that appeared to belong to the voice I just heard. My first instinct was to run, the second to hide, and the third was to figure out what the heck this thing was.

Oddly, they didn’t seem to react in order.

“What or who are you?” I asked while hiding behind one of the terminals.

The metal sphere bobbed up and down a few times. “Oh, sorry, my name is Watcher,” it spoke with a static overtone. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to hurt you, I promise.”

I wasn’t fully convinced, but I was desperate enough to actually talk to something that wasn’t a recording that I gave it the benefit of the doubt. “Okay, Watcher… I have a lot of questions I need answered,” I say as I step out from behind the terminal, then approach the floating sphere.

It chuckles, then bobs up and down a few times. “Yeah, I can imagine,” it begins. “But, to be honest, I think things’ll be easier if you tell me about yourself, first.”

This time, I laugh. “No, I don’t think that’ll be more helpful.”

The sphere tilts slightly to the side, as if giving me a questioning look. “Oh? How so?”

“Well, because I don’t know anything!” I say with a half hearted chuckle. “I don’t know my name, who I am, what I am, or where I am.” I look to the sphere expectantly, but, to my dismay, it remained silent.

“So… you don’t know anything?” It finally asks.

I nod. “Yeah… I was hoping that you could fill me in…”

“No, sorry. I’ve never even heard of this place until one of my Sprite Bots--well, this one--fell down one of the vents. Well, I think it was a vent.” The robot bobbed up in down in a way that I interpreted as a shrug. “Anyways, I tried to interface with the system, but all it would let me do is interface with the manual override. Releasing you, I’m guessing.” The robot looked me up and down. “Y’know, you weren’t what I was expecting to find. Usually they’re some sort of weird creature, or deformed monstrosity, but you seem to be fairly… normal, from what I can tell.”

“Uh… thanks?”

The robot ‘shrugs’ again. “No problem. To be honest, I’m glad to see that we managed not to turn at least one thing evil.”

I read that there is more to that, but it’s a question I’ll have to bring up later. “Watcher?” I say, and grab the robot’s attention. “Do you have any idea how to get out of here?”

“Not for you, at least. The way I came is way too narrow for you to fit… but, there’s probably a real exit around here, somewhere. We just have to find the damned thing.”

I cracked a small smile, a single glimpse of hope reaching my grim thoughts. “Okay, I guess. Lead the way?”

The robot ‘nodded’, then blinded me briefly as it turned on one of it’s headlights. “Okay, follow me,” it says, then turns and exits out the door.

Tentatively, I follow the floating sphere--well, Sprite Bot--down the hallway, using it’s light as a guide. Soon, we both stop in front of a door, this one reading ‘Training’ on the plaque above the door.

I turn to the Sprite Bot. It ‘shrugs’ and ‘motions’ for me to go in first. For a robot, it really did seem to have a personality. I trotted inside, followed shortly by Watcher. The door closed behind us, and I turned to have my jaw hand wide open. I was in some sort of control room; terminals, buttons, dials and displays arranged in a semicircle around the door, but that wasn’t what had caused my shock. Above the terminals was a panoramic layout of glass, giving me a view of the area beyond.

The largest cavern I had yet seen lay beyond, at least a dozen or so different areas of various biomes lay spread out across the floor of the cavern. Mini mountains, a compact desert, a small ocean, and even a jungle lay beyond the glass.

I trotted closer to the glass, eventually bumping into the front of the control center. I looked down, staring at the blinking display of a terminal saying, ‘Start Training?’ Curiosity filled my mind, and against my better judgement I pressed ‘enter’.

Nothing happened.

To my disappointment, the screen flashed ‘Training cannot commence during lockdown, please lift the lockdown before continuing.’

“I think the main power is out,” Watcher noted behind me. “The system’s probably running on auxiliary power, so not much is gonna be accessible until we get that back on.”

“You think we’re going to need it?” I ask, still looking out into the vast cavern. “I mean, I just wanna get out of here.”

The Sprite Bot went silent. “I’m not sure, actually. I guess we’ll figure it out when the times comes?” Again, it shrugged. “I do suggest checking around here while we search for an exit. Since you’re a… well, my point is that we should figure out what you are and what they did to you. I've seen some of the experiments that pre-war ponies have done and, well… I just highly suggest we figure it out.”

I felt like there was more he wasn't telling me, but I did agree with what he was saying. “Okay? So… search room to room until we find an exit? That’s the plan?”

The Sprite Bot shrugged. “I guess? I've been around a long time, but this is a first for me. Usually it's just some random stable dweller, or some other pony form the wasteland. Pre-war ponies with no recollection of anything, in a facility that even I didn't know existed… well, that’s a first.”

I chuckled. “Well, I thank you for trying.”

The Sprite bot bounced up and down a few times. “No problem. I mean, I’d feel horrible if I just left you stuck in here by yourself.”

I nodded, then turned my attention away from the window and trotted out the door. Me and watcher continued down the hallway, then took a right. Another hallway shown in the glow from Watcher’s light, showing several more doors down this next corridor. As we traveled towards the first one, I finally began to notice the silence, how quiet it actually was. From what I had seen so far, there had been no signs that anypony had been here in awhile, which was backed up with Watcher’s claims.

“Watcher, do you think this place is abandoned?” I asked.

“I think so, from what I have seen. It’s not uncommon to find empty facilities like this around the wasteland, but usually they at least have ghouls or other creatures roaming around them. So far, you are the only thing I’ve seen.”

I nodded, then mulled over a word I had heard the robot repeat several times. Wasteland. Was that a place in Equestria? I pushed the thought away as we arrived at the first door. Above this one read, ‘Subject Storage’.

Well, this sounds promising.

The door opened to reveal nothing but complete darkness. Unlike the others, this one didn’t have anything lighting up the inside. Watcher seemed to get the hint that I was against going into a pitch black room first.

“Wait here while I find the switch,” he said, then disappeared inside the room.

I waited at the opening and tried to get a good look at the room beyond. It was hard to focus on anything since Watcher was moving so fast, but I though I got a glimpse of at least another one of the tubes that had been in the room I had woken up in.

“Found it!” I head Watcher cry out, followed shortly by the lights flashing on in a wave of white. I shielded my eyes, but it did little as they burned from the influx of light.

“Damn it, Watcher!” I screamed as I pressed my hooves into my burning eyes.

I hear the buzz of the Sprite Bot approach, followed by a quick utterance of an apology. I just groaned in response. When I was finally able to see, and the pain faded to only a dull throb, I looked up, only to fall back at what I saw.

My brief observation earlier was correct, there was a pod like the one’s in the other room, except, instead of just twelve, there were hundreds! Rows upon rows of pods stood in front of me, but the even the number wasn’t what surprised me the most.

They were all empty.

Every single one that I saw completely empty, a pile of broken glass lying in front of them. I slowly turned to Watcher, the Sprite Bot somehow managed to parot my expression of surprise and fear.

“Um… I’m not sure you’re alone down here, anymore,” Watcher spoke hesitantly, then turned to me. “You have any idea of what were in those?”

I nodded. “In the room I woke up in there were twelve pods like these, except they were still filled.”

“With what?”

“Me…”

If the Sprite Bot had eyes, they would have went wide open. “Wait, what?! Are you telling me that you have clones?!”

I shrugged. “Maybe? Or maybe I’m a clone. I don’t know. The tubes were labeled, and the one that I fell out was labeled ‘Alpha’.” Is shook my head. “That mean’s that I’m either the first clone, or the base model.”

The sprite bot remained silent. “I… I didn’t know we had worked with cloning,” Watcher finally spoke. “I had heard of some attempts, but… well, nothing successful.” The Bot shook side to side. “Let’s just hope they’re just more of you.”

“Yeah… more of me…” I muttered quietly, then backed out of the room. A new fear gripped at my soul, one far superior than any other that already plagued me. I felt like there was something, or someone, watching me now besides Watcher. I quickly looked up and down the hallway I had just exited into, but spotted nothing.

Watcher noticed my unease. “Come on, let’s keep going.”

I nod and follow the Sprite Bot to the next room.

“Project Leader’s Office,” I mutter as I read aloud the plaque above the next door. This door didn't open as I approached, like the others. Rather, there was a button on the wall besides it.

I pressed it.

The door creaked open slowly. I trotted inside as soon as they stopped, Watcher following close behind. The inside was dark. The door closed behind us once we were inside, leaving the only light coming from the Sprite Bot’s headlight.

“You see a lightswitch?” I ask the robot, only to blink when the room was flooded with light moments after. I groaned, then turned to face the innocently floating Watcher.

“Found it,” it spoke plainly, oblivious to my burning retina.

I bit back an angry remark, then checked out the now lit room. It wasn't overly large, easily the smallest I had been in thus far. The far wall was covered ceiling to floor with bookshelves, fully stocked with books of all color and sizes. A large, neatly organized desk lay in front of it, a terminal set on its surface. I trotted up behind the desk, sifting through the papers and other items that lay on its surface. Watcher watched just over my shoulder. Finding nothing of interest, I turned my attention to the terminal, letting out a groan as this was the first terminal to be locked.

Come on… I lowered my head in defeat. “Of all the terminals that had to be locked!” I groaned.

“Here, let me try,” I heard the sprite bot say, then float over to it.

I watched with interest as the robot interfaced with the terminal. It tapped on the keys, a large screen of text popping up on the screen. From what I observed, Watcher was checking through the words scattered throughout, then exiting and trying again. It was interesting, at first, but as time went on I started to get bored.

but raised an eyebrow as a piece of paper taped to the underside of the desk caught my eye. Curious, I removed the folded piece of paper and found a single word written on it, ‘Ambition’.

This confused me, at first, but then a thought popped into my mind.

I wonder…

I typed the eight letter word into the terminal, practically jumping with glee as it was accepted, giving me access.

I poked through the files the terminal contained, skipping past the one’s labeled ‘Journal’, deciding to check it later, and focused on finding something that actually related to me.

I found it.

It was a single audiolog, one labeled: ‘Subject: Alpha’. Without a moment of hesitation, I clicked play, plopping on my flank, and listened.

“Dr. Sholtz audio log, von. Subject matter: Subject: Alpha.”

It was the same stallion from the earlier recordings I had listed too.

“Subject: Alpha. The center of our research into the Solar Guard program. Subject is a mid-aged unicorn stallion; white fur, orange eyes, and golden mane. All other information is irrelevant.

“Subject was first presented during the first… beta, stages into the Solar Guard program. He represented promise; the ideal subject for the program. Right height, build, and uncompromised genetic makeup make him perfect! Again, all other factors are irrelevant.

There recording skipped, awkwardly cutting.

“Dr. Sholtz audio log, two. Subject matter: Subject: Alpha.

“Subject had been adapting nicely to the procedure; the tests indicate a much better result than all other subjects. Although his mind had been… difficult, to shape, I feel that we are still making progress.”

“Dr. Sholtz audio log, three. Subject matter: Subject: Alpha.

“Minor setback with subject. It seems that his body was not as comparable with the procedure as previously noted, and subject’s heart stopped due to stress. But! We were able to revive him, so program can still continue on schedule.”

“Dr. Sholtz audio log, four. Subject matter: Subject: Alpha.

“We have had… several setbacks over the past few weeks regarding subject. As the procedure continues, more dangers have made themselves known, and we have almost lost subject on several occasions. We have come so far, and have halted project until a solution can be created.”

“Dr. Sholtz audio log, five. Subject matter: Subject: Alpha.

“At last, a solution has presented itself! Due to the… volatile nature of procedure, we have decided to halt tests on original subject, as his termination would set us back at least a year. But! We have solution! If we cannot use original subject, we make more subjects! Using original subjects DNA, we have been able to make ‘copy’ of subject. ‘Copy’ , or Subject: One, is fully compatible with program thus far, so no research has been lost. Finally, we may continue with project!”

The log ended. I understood what I had just heard, but I was having a hard time believing it. More questions presented themselves, but at least I finally had some answers. I was the original ‘subject’ for some project called Solar Guard (the purpose of which was still unknown), and the stallions in tubes I had seen were… clones? Copies? I wasn't sure what to call them, but apparently they were… me.

The thought didn't sit right in my mind, and only added more to my already growing anxiety. I scrolled through the files again and found another audio log, this one labeled: ‘Failure’.

“Dr. Sholtz’s log. Subject matter: Failure.

“Today is… not, good day. The ‘copies’ are not as final of a solution as predicted. Copies appear to deteriorate over time, not only their body, but also their mind. All research after a week of use becomes invalid as the decay sits in. More and more batches have to be produced in order to keep up with our demand, and ultimately we have hit a standstill as far as Project progression is concerned…”

There was a sad sigh, followed by the creaking of a chair.

“I have decided to reactivate Subject: Alpha, and continue procedure on him alone. All other Subjects have been sent to stasis until we can decide on a better use for them, as their disposal would be a tremendous waste.

“I fear project may be failure, that all of this will be for naught… Ultimately, even with the progress we have made, results have not even been close to what was predicted.

“But, I will not give up hope! Subject still shows promise of compatibility. Shield may yet reach completion. Although the result will not be as planned, it will still satisfy original goal.”

There is another sigh, this one more exasperated than disappointed.

“But, despite my efforts and reassurance, command still feels that we should move onto Project: Sword. Although we feel that deciding such efforts so close to completion of shield is not wise, they do not see reason. Subject: Omega has been activated, and most of my division's efforts have been transferred to them. They will still allow me to continue my work, but at half the workforce.

“I swear upon the princess herself, I will see this this project to completion, even if I must do it myself.”

The recording ended. My brain processes what I had just heard. I had learned a lot, yet almost nothing. Everything that I had found so far had been vague; the true meaning only truly clear to those the recordings were meant for. I guess it made sense, but it didn't help me.

The rest of the terminal was useless; the ‘Journal’ had only made known how much Dr. Sholtz hated the ‘Solar Sword’ program.

Finally, I deemed the terminal dry of all usable information, and decided to move on. I had learned more about the past, but the present was still a web of unknown to me. Something had happened, something that had left me alone in this place. I wanted to know more, I needed to know more.

But, I was afraid.

It was one thing stumbling around in the dark, but it was another to do so with no memories. Everything I saw felt new; everything I learned was new. Somewhere, tucked away in the back of my brain, I felt I had a cache of information that only made itself known when I needed it, and not before.

With another sigh of resignation, I shook my head and gave the desk and terminal one more look over. I searched through the drawers and found nothing of interest. i was about to call it a lost cause, but then I noticed something. The lower drawer seemed… smaller, I guess, then it's twin. Curious, I removed the papers from the drawer and found a small handle on the bottom. I pulled the handle, revealing a secret compartment. Inside was a shining .44 magnum revolver inset in velvet fabric. Besides it was a box of .44 rounds, and a small sticky note reading, ‘In case of emergency.’

I regarded the weapon, and found an odd hatred and repulsion towards it. I wanted to pick it up, to use it as defense in case I wasn't alone, but ultimately I couldn't get myself to touch it. It was strange, but even as I reached for it with my mouth I still couldn't grab it, coming just sort when I felt a tug in the back of my mind tell me ‘no’.

This was strange.

After fighting with myself for… well, longer than I should have, I eventually shut the drawer with the gun still inside. I looked at the desk, at the drawer, and wondered if this had anything to do with whatever Sholtz had done to me. In the end, I decided to push the thought back, and trotted around the desks and towards the door.

I pressed the button besides the door and watched it upon, but paused exiting when I heard a strange, wet, gurgling sound. My ears stood on end, my hooves rooted to the floor as I slowly peeked outside of the door. I could only catch a glimpse of it as it rounded the far corner of the hallway—a pony sized mass limping its way across the floor.

I don't know what that was. I didn't want to know what that was. All I knew was that it was there and luckily heading back the way I had originally come from. With my heart pounding, I slowly exited the office, not bothering to close the door in fear the… creature would hear me.

On light hooves, I trotted down the remaining hallway, my head on a constant swivel as I turned from looking behind me to in front. I could hear the distant sound of the beast gurgling, but I couldn't tell if it was heading away, or towards me.

Just head straight… Just head straight…

I repeated this over and over again in my head, trying to drown out the constantly growing fear. I was trapped in a foreign environment, no memory of the past, and the threats of monsters loomed around every corner. I had no weapons, weak from stasis, and still had a gentle stream of blood flowing from where the tubes had been. And, on top of this, there was also the underlying fear of what had been done to me. I was an experiment, Subject: Alpha. They had done things to me, things that I feared to find out. Dr. Sholtz was the only pony who I knew for certain had all of the answers, but, like everyone else, he appeared to be missing.

More questions!

My hooves stopped when I made it to the end of the hall, an elevator door standing in front of me. There was only one button, and I was quick to push it. Unlike the previous doors, this one wasn't silent. I could hear the elevator whir to life behind the closed doors, moving towards my floor.

But, that wasn’t the only sound I heard.

My ears fell flat against my head, fear etching my features as a loud, bubbling roar echoed from down the hall. Slowly, I turned, pressing my back against the cold metal as the sound of wet thumps began to get louder, and closer.

I was very afraid.

I watched in horror as… something got closer. The best way I could describe it was a blob of black flesh that may have once resembled the form of a pony. It limped on three hooves, the fourth crooked and bent in random positions. What I could consider its head looked like a slightly melted, once pony head, its mouth more of a crease then a muzzle.

It slowly inched closer, its fleshy limbs pulling it forwards.

I smacked myself from my paralyzing fear, my hoof pounding on the elevator call button. I was trapped, the blob leaving no room for me to run around it. It got closer, and closer, it’s gross, distorted features becoming clearer.

Ding!

I fell, the elevator opening behind me. I tumbled backwards, scrambling to my hooves as fast as I could and lunging for the control panel on the inside wall of the elevator. I pressed a button at random, scrambling myself back into to the far corner of the elevator. The creature inched closer to the door, it's gross gurgling filling my ears.

Then, the doors closed.

My heart nearly stopped, the doors sliding closed at the last moment. I watched as the metal barrier slid into place, blocking me from the creature that had been only feet away from entering. I remained in the corner, breathing heavily.

What… What was that?!

The through traveled through my mind, trying to make sense of the creature I had just seen. It was vaguely pony-like (albeit a bloated, fleshed out pony) but I could still see the remains of equine features. Could it have been another experiment? I shuddered, thankful that I hadn't ended up as such.

The elevator eventual came to a stop, a tone dinging as the doors slid open. Cautiously, I peeked my head out from the cover of the elevator. The area was dark, much like the last, with the same layout of red lights boarding the crease between wall and ceiling.

Seeing no signs of any more of those… blobs, I slowly exited the relative safety of the elevator and into the hallway. I felt stronger than I had been before, each step I took strong and by no means shaky. I was still on alert, my head constantly turning from side to side as I constantly scanned the hallway around me. All was quiet, but still did little to calm my pounding heart. Nothing had made sense so far; all that I had seen, read, or heard only left me with more questions then answers. The whole experience felt like I had been thrown into an alien world with only fragments of information stored deep within my mind.

The hallway soon gave way to a much larger corridor, which I paused before entering. Cautiously, I poked my head from the hallway and into the room, surveying the area beyond. The corridor was about three times as wide as the hallway I was currently in. Doors with signs above them lined the entirety of what I could see. I waited a little longer, listening for any signs of life, then trotted forth.

The first room I first came across was labeled, ‘Conference Room’. I pressed my ear against the cold metal surface of the door, pleased when I heard nothing but silence beyond. I pressed the button besides the door and stood back as it slid open, then trotted inside.

The room was plain, having the same white walls and boring color scheme. A large table with chairs lining its perimeter lay in the center of the room, while a dormant projector rested on the farthest part of the table. Nothing of interest caught my attention, so I skipped the room and moved onto the next.

The next room was labeled, ‘Project Leader’s Office.’ This one caught my attention, and I instantly pressed the button besides the door and trotted inside. The layout was much the same as Sholtz’s office, the only difference being that, instead of a bookshelf behind the desk, there was a large plaque that held the emblem of a shining sword. I trotted over to the desk and immediately hopped onto the terminal. To my delight, this one wasn’t locked. Like the previous terminal, I poked through the files, clicking on the first audio-log I found.

“Dr. Steel’s log. Subject matter: Omega Program.”

This voice was much different than Sholtz, having what I would call an ‘normal’ equestrian accent.

“Once again, the Germane idiot upstairs is giving me a hard time since Management gave me the green light on Project: Solar Sword. Yes, I get that I took half his workforce in the process, but it’s his damned fault that he didn’t finish on time!”

I heard a frustrated sigh, then the voice continued.

“Anyways, I’m rambling. The ‘Omega Program’, as I am now calling it, is progressing on schedule. The main test subject, Subject: Omega, has been adjusting to the procedure nicely, and doesn’t seem to be suffering from any of the negative reactions I have seen the ‘Alpha’ subjects suffer from during their, well, alpha stage. If this keeps up, we should have a caste ready in a few months, and we can start rolling them out later this year.”

The recording ended, and I immediately played the next one.

“Dr. Steel’s log. Subject matter: Omega Program.

“Okay, maybe I was a little ahead of myself with the projections… Although the subject hasn’t gone through any physical setbacks, I can’t say the same for the psychological side. He has become highly aggressive, easily aggravated, and refused to comply to even the simplest of demands. Luckily, the failsafe still works, because if not the damage from the last, uhh… setback, would have been far, far worse. I’m not sure if this has to do with the subject itself, or with the procedure. If it is the subject, then we can simply overlook this, but until I can confirm this I will not authorize the duplication of the procedure on a second subject.”

“Dr. Steel’s log. Subject matter: Omega Program.

“I give up! After months of mental reconditioning (and even several Blankings) Omega has not shown any progress with removing his violent and aggressive nature! And, what makes it worse, is that nopony can confirm or deny that it has to do with the process! I am stuck because the damn test subject won’t stop trying to rip apart, well, everything! I know the purpose of the program is to make a pony capable of massive amounts of damage, which he does, but I’m not saying the project is complete until I know that they won’t do as much damage to us then to the enemy!”

There was a long sigh.

“I’m sending Omega to our Manehattan division to see if they can make any progress. Let’s hope this doesn’t turn out to be the second biggest waste of time this department has produced…”

The log ended and, to my dismay, there were no others. Apparently, Dr. Steel wasn’t as into logging his progress as Sholtz had been. Ultimately, this had been another useless terminal, as it literally did nothing to help my situation.

I let out a small sigh and gently wiped a hoof across my eyes. They were wet. I could feel a small stream begin to flow down, and then started to grow.

I was crying.

Nothing made sense. My life since I had popped out of that damned pod had only been filled with questions and fear. I was afraid of what was going to happen to me. I was afraid because I was alone, the only other thing I had seen so far had been that blob I had just barely escaped from earlier, and that was another fear that I could add to the ever growing list!

I growled, then took a deep breath. Several more followed. In, and out. I needed to be calm, clear headed. I needed answers, and the only way I would find them was to keep going. I couldn't give up, nor lay down and cry. I needed to be strong, even if it was a lie.

I remained seated behind the table for a little while longer, how long exactly I was not sure. But, eventually I rose to my hooves, and trotted over towards the door. I exited the office as cautiously as I could, ears and eyes always on alert for more secrets that this place held. I let my hooves lead me to the next door. This one, however, was void of any sign or marking of what was inside. I didn't let this stop me, as I pressed the button and trotted inside.

Blood.

That was the first thing that I noticed when I trotted into the unmarked room. Even from the dim light of the red lights, I could make out the sight of long since dried blood coating the floor. The room was small, smaller than most I had been in this far. A large metal table with straps connected to the side lay in the middle of the room, while trays of surgical equipment lay on carts that surrounded it. A large machine with a plethora of arms hung just above the machine, it's arms ending in different medical tools. And, coating almost everything, was more blood.

I didn't know how I was so quick to spot with such certainty the blood stains. A part of me wanted to be disgusted at the sight, but my body did not mirror that emotion. I trotted forwards, looking around the room, and then regarding the machine. It didn't look familiar, nor could I quite pinpoint what it was for. If I had to guess, I’d say it was some sort of surgery robot, but something deep down told me that it was something much, much more.

There was no terminal, nor books or papers that I could read. All there was, was blood and the machine. There was nothing for me in this room, so I swiftly exited and moved on.

The next door had a label, ‘Project Research and Testing.’ I trotted inside and paused just as the doors closed behind me. Like the previous room, this one also diverted from the clean, sterile appearance that the rest of the facility. The room itself was the third largest I had seen so far (the first being the training cavern, while the second had been the room of empty pods). Machines that softly clicked and buzzed lined the walls. Tapes slowly spun in oscillating patterns while electron tubes let out a soft glow. The mess of the room came from the center: piles upon piles of arcane equipment and lay sprawled out in random, completely unorganized positions. The back wall had two large, clear containers, their contents indiscernible from my current position at the door. The white ceiling and floor was dotted with chased markings, reminder of either small fires or explosions.

This was interesting.

I resumed my pace and trotted immediately over it the arcane equipment. I looked each of them over, though their purpose and use remained unknown to me. I trotted from one piece to the next, looking it over before moving onto the next. I finally stopped when I reached a piece of equipment that caught my eye. It was a decently large black (almost purple) stone table. A white pentagram lay inset on it’s top, with other strange markings carved around it. Five crystals of different colors lay inset at each point of the pentagram, each glowing with their respective hue. What caught my eye, however, was a clay-colored stone block that sat in the center of the intricate display. It was shaped like a short octagonal prism, with a single white symbol that looked almost like the sun was carved into its center, glowing softly.

I regarded the stone, then the table it rested on. I had no idea what it was, but I felt a strange pull urging me to touch it. At first, I fought the urge to grasp the strange stone, but my resolve slowly faded and the urge won out. Slowly, I lifted a hoof and hovered it over the stone. With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and braced myself as I made contact with the stone.

Nothing happened.

I slowly opened my eyes, my tense muscles relaxing when I confirmed that nothing had happened. I picked up the stone with my hoof and brought it to my muzzle, studying it closer. Other than the symbol, didn't notice anything else of interest. I shrugged, then threw the stone back on the table.

It exploded.

I heard the stone make contact with the table, then a blinding light overtook my vision, followed by a ‘bang’ that made my ears start to ring. The sudden explosion and sensory overload caused me to topple over, laning in a heap on the floor. I pressed my hooves into my ears as I tightly clamped my eyes shut.

I opened my mouth and screamed, but I couldn’t hear it over the high-pitched ringing that still flooded my mind. The world still spun around me as I tried to open my eyes, but was met with nothing but a wall of white. I couldn’t see. I could hear. All I could do was lay in a screaming mess.

Eventually, the white receded from my vision, and the ringing subsided to a dull hum. I rose to my hooves as soon as I was able too, my eyes constantly blinking as I tried to clear the last phantom fragments of the initial flash.

“What the hell was that?” I pondered aloud as I rubbed my ear with a hoof. I took a few more moments to let my body return to the present, then turned back to face the table. The block of stone remained where I had thrown it, except now the symbol on the top did not glow.

What the hell is that thing? I pondered. Some sort of… magical flash… thingy?

I wasn’t sure what it was, nor how it had just done… that. But, I did know I didn’t want it to happen again, so I backed away from the offending object and continued my temporarily sidetracked search of the room. I slowly, and carefully, checked out the remaining devices, making sure to not touch anything else. When I had finished giving everything a once over, I turned my attention towards the two large glass containers in the back.

Oh… shit.

I shrank back a little when I noticed both were completely filled with more of those stone thingies. One of the containers was labeled, ‘Working’, while the other was labeled, ‘defective’. I took a moment to ponder which one the stone I had just accidently activated would have belonged in…

I brushed off the thought and checked out the rest of the room, eventually coming across a terminal in the corner I had not noticed before. I trotted over to it and tapped on the keys, happy that, once again, there wasn’t a password. I didn’t know why I always expected them to be locked, as most of them weren’t, but it was a thought that had managed to percist.

I poked around the internal files and eventually found a text file labeled, ‘Inventory’. I clicked open the file and began to read:

Solar Guard Program inventory:

13 Flash Runestone
24 Fire Runestone
21 Runestone of Suppression
2 Guard Runestone
1 Armor Talisman PK.II

I looked back at the two containers, and then back to the list. Did they really just throw them all into the same container? I thought while I briefly pondered the efficiency of such a storage system. I scrolled through the rest of the files; a majority of them looked like blueprints and arcane spells that I couldn’t, for the life of me, begin to understand. Eventually, I stumbled upon an audio log labeled, ‘Research Notes’, and clicked ‘play’.

“So, apparently we have to make audio logs to document our progress,” a voice began from the terminal’s speakers. This voice belong to a mare, from what I could tell. “Bad enough they cut our funding, but now they have to make us waste valuable time recording this crap?” I heard a sigh. “Whatever, might as well get this over with!”

The voice paused for a moment, then went all garbled and staticy. I guessed it was from her moving whatever she was using to record this on.

“Research leader Spell Bound’s audio log, number one.

“We have made great progress and advancements with runestone enchanting (despite you dicks cutting our funding).” I heard much malice and disdain in her voice. Unlike the other two, this was not a happy pony. “And since you’re making me do this as an audio file, I’m guessing that whoever’s listening to this is either stupid or just lazy, so I’ll make sure to use small words. My work focuses on putting magic spells in small little rocks. Yes, it seems simple, but it’s not! Now, I've managed to successfully trap several different spells, my favorite being the Solar Flash. It's a spell that releases a large flash of condensed light, blinding and disorienting a target. Granted, it's a little unstable, at the moment, but we should have that fixed soon.

“Now, I've also managed to make some progress on the Armor Talisman, but it's far from being fully functional. To begin with, I don't see how anypony other than a unicorn could use it, and since it needs to constantly maintained, said unicorn wouldn't be able to cast any other spells while it’s in use. So, until I can work out this bug, the project will be on hold.”

I flinched as a loud explosion rang out from the speakers.

“Damn it! I told you not to touch that!”

The recording went on for a little while longer, but it was only of the mare yelling at… well, somepony. I flipped through one more time and found nothing else of interest, and then preceded to log off. I looked around the room one last time and hoped to spot something I’d missed. My search came up empty, and I let out a sigh as I headed towards the door.

Squish… squash…

I froze.

Squish… Squash…

Slowly, I looked up, fear gripping me as I stared into the eyes of the blob of black flesh that stood in the still open doorway. It wasn’t the same creature as before, as this one didn’t have messed up leg like the others. It didn’t move, only looking forwards and matching my gaze. It’s eyes were black and soulless; a void poking out from the squishy mass. I didn’t breath, I didn’t move. All I could do was stand still, paralyzed with fear. The beast let out a gargled roar. It was like listening to the scream of a pony choking on their own blood; the sick sound filling me with a mixture of disgust and fear. I didn’t have anywhere to run, as it was guarding the only exit.

Cautiously, I dared a step.

It make one too.

I stopped.

It stopped.

I took a step back, and the beast mimicked my movement.

I tilted my head, and it did the same.

What the heck? I thought, my fear momentarily forgotten. “H-hello?” I spoke, my voice uncertain.

“Herbaloos?” it responded in it’s garbled speech.

My eyes locked with the creature, and I tried to look past it’s gross exterior; I could still see the outlines of what used to be a pony, and I wondered if who it used to be was still inside of it.

“What… who are you?” I asked, my voice more confident.

The creature didn’t respond for a second, as it looked soullessly back at me. I watched as it opened its mouth once, but then closed it. Several wet grunts escaped its lips, and then it finally responded, “Sugeft, sifty.”

I tried to make sense of what it had said, but came up empty. I cautioned a step forwards, and it did the same. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you…” I muttered, taking step after step closer to the creature. It did the same, it’s wet hoofsteps the only sound to fill the room. I stopped when I was only a few steps away from it, still looking into it’s eyes. “What… what are you?”

“Blooooob,” it responded almost immediately.

I chuckled. I didn’t know why, or how I managed it while I was scared out of my mind, but I actually let out a quick laugh. I think the creature tried to do the same, but it only came out as a wet gurgle. I kept looking into those eyes, and I swear I could see a small spark inside of them. It was small, but still there. I held up a hoof, and watched as the creature did the same. Slowly, I inched forwards, the distance between our hooves getting closer.

Then, I hit something.

Time felt like it slowed as I bumped into a nearby arcane mechanism, the object avoiding my gaze as I focused on the creature. Now, I could only watch as a small, clay colored block of stone slowly fell towards the ground, the image of a small ember carved into its surface. I watched as it made contact with the ground, a fireball exploding from the object on impact. I closed my eyes and braced myself as I was thrown back from a shockwave of fire and concussive force. I flew through the air, eventually smacking into the floor and skidding to a stop.

Time began to speed up, and I could feel pain washing over my aching body. I gritted my teeth as I slowly rose to my hooves, and when I opened my eyes I saw the blob doing the same. It turned to look at me, and I could no longer see the spark in it’s eyes.

“Garbaloch!” it screamed, charging at me on it’s fleshy hooves.

I scrambled on my own, leaping out of the way as the creature barreled past me. It smacked into a neighboring wall, but didn’t stop as it charged me once again. I leaped over some of the arcane equipment, while the creature barreled through them as it chased after me. I went to run towards the exit, but stopped when I noticed the pile of arcane devices stacked up and blocking my path. The blob must have shoved them back during the initial explosion, and had consequently trapped me in here with it. Time after time, the creature charged me. It was fast, and it was powerful, but it couldn’t turn. I had to wait until the last moment and quickly jump out of the way of the plowing creature, then get ready as it almost immediately turned and launched itself into another attack.

I dodged a few more, but my luck ran out. I felt it’s fleshy body impact with mine, sending my flying. I impacted into a nearby wall, letting out a groan as I rolled almost immediately, narrowly missing being crushed as the creature impacted where I had just been. My body hurt, pain radiating from every part of my body. I didn’t think anything was broken, yet, but I knew for certain they would if that thing managed to connect another charge. The creature stepped back from the wall, rocking slightly. It looks like that last hit managed to at least stun him, and I took this precious time think of a plan.

The room was trashed, the center of the room clear as the beast had bulldozed everything out of the way during its charges. The door was still blocked. I knew I could free the debris, but it would take time that I didn’t have. My mind drew a blank as I didn’t know what to do, but that changed when my eyes spotted the two large clear containers at the far side of the room.

The creature recovered. It shook its head, letting out a gurgling hiss as it raised its head and tracked me. I ran in front of the two containers, and prayed that my plan would work. I watched as the creature lined up with me, and then charged. As I jumped out of the way, I slammed my eyes shut and pressed my hooves tightly into my ears.

A blinding flash, roaring heat, and the sound and force of a devastating explosion hit my body all at once. I felt the concussive wave before I hit the ground, the force sending me flying like a ragdoll into yet another wall. This time, it was my head that connected first, and my body exploded in a fuzzy tingle as pain erupted from the point of contact. My mind went static, and the sound of my head making contact with the wall managed to breach the sound of the explosion, the sound like a sickening ‘thunk!’.

My body bounced from the wall, landing with a ‘thud’ on the floor. My mind was foggy, my ears rang like a whistle was being blown from inside of my head, and my vision swam and faded in and out of black as I tried to keep my eyes open.

As I lay on the floor, every part of my body wanted to give up. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry. I wanted my life to end. My life so far had only been filled with pain, fear, and confusion. I didn’t have anything to live for; no ambitions, no purpose, no memories. I was just an experiment, alone and forgotten. The only thing that gave me even the tiniest bit of purpose was my desire to find out who I was. Not the experiment, but the pony I had been before this had happened to me.

The pain, eventually, began to fade. My vision slowly refocused, and my mind returned to a relatively clear state. I tried to rise to my hooves, but I stumbled just like I had the first time I had tried to walk. It took two more tries before I finally made it to my hooves, and even then I slowly fell to the side until I was caught by the wall. I remained there, panting and gritting my teeth as I supported myself with the aid of the wall. I could feel something warm and sticky trickle down from my face, and I shakily rose a hoof and wiped it away. When I looked at my hoof afterwards, it’s once pure white coat was now tainted with the dark red hue of blood.

I felt a shiver flow up my spike, and I immediately lowered my hoof out of my sight. I took a few deep breaths, then pushed off of the wall and onto my own hooves. Again, I was shaky, but I managed to keep myself upright without the aid of the wall. For the second time today, I felt like I had to relearn how to walk: one hoof, then the next. I slowly trotted forwards, and eventually turned to face the area where the explosion had detonated.

I almost vomited at the first sight of what was left.

The creature was all but completely gone; bits of his black flesh scattered around the entire room. Where the two containers had once been was now a charred, black scorch mark of melted metal and glass. But, that wasn’t what I was focused on. My eyes were locked at the largest chunk that remained of the blob, only a torso. I sadness began to grow from deep within my chest as I looked at the corpse of the creature.

I… I killed it.

Pain worse then anything else I had experience so far erupted in my head. I screamed, falling back onto the floor and pressing my hooves into my head. My body convulsed as waves upon waves of pure agony washed over my body. It was worse than making contact with the wall, or pulling the tubes from my throat and chest. No, this was worse then all three combined.

I wanted to die. If I had a gun, or even a knife, I would have ended my life then and there without a moment’s hesitation.

Then, it stopped.

It ended immediately, almost as if it was shut off by a switch. I opened my eyes and blinked, then rose to my hooves. My body still hurt, but not even close to what it had been. I looked to the corpse again, and the pain slowly began to return. I turned away as fast as I could do and sprinted towards the door. I got to the blocked door and began to pull away at the arcane equipment, making short work of it and leaping out of the room.

I stumbled on my landing, not quite getting my hooves down in time and colliding with the ground. I didn’t stop, however, and rose to my hooves immediately and sprinted down the hallway, and away from that room. I passed doors that I had not been in before, but I didn’t care. I needed to get away from that room. From the corpse.

From my kill.

I didn’t stop until I hit the end of the hallway where I spotted another elivator. I dove inside as soon as it opened, pressing a button before I curled up into a ball on the floor. I heard the doors close, and felt the elevator move, but I didn’t react. All I could do was remain in my tight mass, trying to make myself as small as possible.

Something was wrong.

I knew that I did something wrong; that killing was wrong. But, I felt like it was much more then that. I felt like I had just killed part of myself. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t normal. My mind went into shock the moment I even thought about what I had done. This was wrong… this was very wrong.

The elevator eventually came to a stop.

I shuttered, and shook. My body feel like goop as I lay on the ground. I didn't want to move—I didn't want to live. I just wanted to return to whatever stasis I was in before I was awakened and just lay there, forever! Nothing made sense. My life was a fragmented mess of bits and pieces, all fractured and reassembled by hooves that I didn't know the owner too. If this continued, I feared that I would go mad before I actually learned anything concrete. But, even learning had become frightening, as I feared I wouldn’t want to know the truth. What or who was I before this? Was I a good pony? A monster?

What?!

I told a deep breath, once again steeling myself from the hell that was my fears. Nothing made sense, and I desperately needed answers, but none would present themselves if I didn't do anything about it.

I slowly rose to my hooves and stood. The area beyond the open elevator door was dark, completely dark. Unlike the rest of this place thus far, there was no red tint. The only light that I could spot came from elevator itself.

This was not good.

Tentatively, I took a step from my relative safety. I couldn't seen anything, so my ears were my guide as I slowly trotted forwards. I eventually bumped into a wall on my left, and used that as my guide as well.

It was quiet, and my hoofsteps sounded… louder than before, the cause most likely being from a change in flooring material. It felt grated, almost. The other sounds I could hear was soft bubbling, and an occasional hiss that constantly put me on edge.

Eventually, a singular light breached the void that surrounded me. It was small, at first, but grew the closer I got to it. It eventually lead me to a terminal, which turned out to be the source of the light.

I immediately hopped on and began to type, scrolling through it’s unlocked files. There wasn't much, and only a single audio-log caught my attention.

Decay.

I clicked on the log and listened.

“Dr. Sholtz log… I don't know.

“Topic or log is Decay, or the drastic determination of copy subjects. Sadly, this is a fatal flaw to program. Subjects who undergo process eventually go through a… metamorphosis. Their mind begins to fracture, and soon their body follows. First stages of Decay is aggravation, followed by lack of cognate function, and finally their body shifts to a… congealed mass that vaguely resembles a pony. The subjects in this stat (nicknamed ‘Blobs’ by the staff) retain some form of their past selves, but ultimately revert to a feral state when frightened.”

I heard a sigh.

“What have I done? What have I created? I wanted to make super soldiers, not monsters! What pains me most is that they still retain some of their former selves, and I fear they are fully aware of what they are, though most likely deep down in their conscience mind.

“...this is a failure I cannot allow to continue, and have put in for an immediate notice of termination. May Celestia have mercy on me for what I have done…”

The log ended, and I was left speechless. The blobs were… Is that the connection? It made sense, and I can't believe it took a terminal to make me understand it. It also explained why it didn't attack originally, and why it was almost civil.

I shook my head, then checked the rest of the terminal. Nothing else caught my eye, at first, until I noticed a file labeled ‘lights’. I selected the button and watched as the world around me went temporarily white.

Damn it, not again… I thought as I rubbed the temporary blindness from my eyes. Eventually, the wall of white cleared, and I looked around.

“What the…?” I muttered as I regarded the now lit room. It was huge, and contained a mess of wires, tubes, terminals, and a plethora of other mechanical or chemical equipment. The most noticeable aspect of the room were three large vats that softly boiled with unknown multicolored liquid.

Carefully, I took a step forwards. I didn't know what anything was for, and didn't want to touch anything to find out. With my luck thus far, touching anything but the ground would only end horribly for me.

Speaking of the ground. I looked down, and noticed I was standing on a metal grate. Below bubbled a stream of the same colored liquid as in the vats. What the hell is this place?!

“Bloooooob!”

My blood went cold.

Slowly, I turned around, my eyes going wide as I watched a blob climb out of one of the vats. It sploshed onto the floor, then slowly rose as one singular mass. It's soulless eyes met with mine, and the world around me seemed to stop. Again, I saw a small spark of intelligence in those eyes.

“Please, just leave me alone,” I muttered softly, my eyes locked with its.

The creature didn't respond, at first. It just stood there, it's skin pulsing with an unnatural heart beat.

Then, it nodded.

The creature turned around and began to slowly trot away. It eventually left the room, and only then did I let out the breath I was holding.

“Holy shit…” I breathed out as I clenched my thundering heart.

This was nuts. Everything was nuts!

Slowly, I began to trot forwards, traversing the room while I looked for an exit.

The soft bubble of boiling liquid of an unknown composition. A hiss of released steam. The whir of computer tape. The buzz of an electron turned. And the faint, distant steps of a deformed monster.

All of these had one thing in common: they were unnatural.

These weren't sounds of something formed or shaped by evolution or nature. No, these were the sound of creations by a sentient mind. They belonged to something that was designed, built, and used by its creator. They signaled that, at one point, someone had been there. Everywhere I had been, everything I had seen, show signs that life had once been there.

But there wasn't!

There was nopony to command the machines; to use the tools of their creation. Experiments were left untouched, machines left unused, note left unattended. It was like a ship without a crew; a ghostly vessel left to command itself. But, even though the crew were gone, the ship was not empty. A single passenger remained, confused and scared.

That passenger was me.

There was no signs of a struggle; nothing to show that whatever was here had been removed forcefully. It was like they simply… disappeared.

Or, perhaps, had it been abandoned?

Had this place been left to rot? Had the failures that I had read and heard about lead to this place being abandoned? It was a possibility, but not one I could confirm.

That was a question that would have to wait. Right now, all that mattered was finding a way out. This place was a prison and a maze all wrapped into one. But, even they had exits, and I felt deep down inside that I was getting close.

My hooves trotted out of the large chamber that had been used to create the ‘Blobs’. My direction was uncertain, but I eventually stumbled into another door. As I got closer, it soon became apparent to me that it wasn’t actually a door, but another elevator.

I trotted up to the elevator and press the single arrow that lay on a panel beside it. I hear a hiss, and the turning of strained gears, and soon the sound of the elevator rising up to my level. I constantly looked around to make sure that the sound didn’t attract any Blobs, and I was relieved to find none of the mutated souls in the area.

The door opened with a soft ‘ding’, and I instantly trotted inside. The panel on the inside held two buttons; one reading, “Power,” while the other read, “S.C.E.T.A.” The second one piqued my interest, but the first one seemed more important, at the moment. I pressed the button to, “Power,” and stumbled slightly as the elevator buzzed to life. The doors closed and I soon began to the elevator car descend.

It wasn’t long until the doors opened again, and let out another, “Ding!”. I instantly felt a wave of something unnaturally hot blow into the elevator from the room beyond. I felt slightly sick, and my skin seemed to crawl.

This doesn't seem right, I thought to myself as I trotted forward.

The room was smaller than I expected, and contained a lot less. A large switchboard with more levers, dials, gauges, and other equipment of the line lines the entity of the left side of the room, while the right held a single, giant monitor. The monitor flashed a single word, “System Failure” over and over again. On the final wall, the one directly across from the elevator exit, stood a single terminal, with a frosted pane of glass beyond.

I stopped when I made it to the terminal, and tapped a few times on the keys. The screen flashed to light with the words, “System failure, initiate restart?” and gave me two options: yes or no. I tapped the arrow to ‘yes’ and clicked enter. The room began to hum, and red lights and loud sirens blared out. The unnatural warmth began to grow, and my first reaction was to get the hell out of this room!

I scrambled backward, and tripped over my own hooves as I launched myself into the elevator. My hoof smacked into the last button, and the doors slowly slide shut. When they did, the warmth stopped, but the sickness remained. I felt strange, but nothing crippling. The elevator restarted and I felt it lower.

“Shit, what did I do?” I questioned out loud. A feeling of ‘I fucked up’ overwhelmed me, and I feared that I had done something that would come to bite me in the ass later on.

The doors slowly opened, and I screamed as a giant metal claw instantly reached inside of the elevator, and dragged me out. I screamed, I shouted, I kicked, and fought, but nothing seemed to stop the metal appendage. It dragged me into a well lit room, and I was once again blinded from the influx of light. I felt myself oriented upright, and then the claw stopped moving, and held me in place.

“System, scan… Subject identified: Subject Alpha,” a robotic voice called out through the temporary white world around me. “Cognitive assessment initiated. First test, verbal feedback: Can you speak?”

“Y-yes?” I muttered out, too overwhelmed to say anything else.

“Verbal feedback, confirmed. Cognitive feedback: What is two plus two?”

“Four?”

“Correct. Subject seems functional. Searching for proper test protocol… error, system cache empty. Switching to archive search… Error, no tests located. Requesting assistance from manual override operator… Error, no operator located, switching to Crusader Maneframe autonomous override... Process complete.

“Hello, Subject Alpha.”

The white cleared, and a large screen filled my vision. The only thing it displayed was the same mark that I had seen all over this place: the Solar Guard Emblem. I tried to process what was happening, but found that I was too overwhelmed to think strait. Panic kicked in, and instinct was my first reaction: “What’s going on?!”

“Request acknowledged, processing… You are currently in the S.C.E.T.A. testing lab,” it answered. “To elaborate; you have been selected by the system to complete a series of tests. You will be monitored, and your performance will be calculated and processed.”

“My performance?”

“Correct,” it answered, then paused. “Searching database… Error, no preprogrammed procedures found. Searching subject’s file history… success, existing test found for Subject: Alpha. Administering pretest protocol.”

The claw that hold me moves, and lowers me down. I land on something hard, and the claw retracts. But, before I can move, clamps suddenly pop up and tightly wrap around all four of my hooves. I struggle against them, but my attempts yield no progress.

“Scanning… preprocedure confirmed, phase two commencing.”

The claw shifts, and my eyes go wide as mini-arms pop out from it, each with some sort of medical interment attached to the end. Serinces, knives, saws, and other tools are among those present. I squirm, one of the syringes lowering and stabbing into my side.

“Injecting mild sedation…”

My struggling becomes weaker as my limbs become heavier. I feel numb, and soon all fight leaves me as I am unable to control my limbs. My eyes dart side to side, and they seem to be the only thing left I can control.

“Sedation complete, procedure commence.”

I couldn't feel anything. My body was completely numb, and nothing responded to my command. As a result, I could only scream internally as the machine descended onto me.

First, it cut me open: a large blade sliced into my side, then splayed apart my skin. I felt nothing but a dull throb, but I could see everything. The mechanical arms then inserted some strange stone that I could not get a proper sight on into the splayed area, then preceded to sew me back up. The process repeated on the other side, sewing me back up. It then injected me with something, and I watched as the scars slowly healed before my eyes, and left the affected area as if nothing had happened.

I would have vomited if I still had control of my body; the sight of myself being carved open sickening beyond belief. I could feel the slight bulge under my skin from where the foreign entities had been inserted, but with my still numb senses it was hard to know, exactly, what they were.

The arms of the machine retracted back into the claw, and returned to an idle state.

“Process complete, scanning… scan complete. Procedure success,” the electronic voice started up again. “Administering patient feedback: how do you feel?”

How do I feel… how do I feel?! It was the single dumbest question I’d ever heard! I went to scream out, to yell at the electronic entity, but all that came out was a dull mumble from my still numb face.

“Error, response not recognized. Please repeat, patient.”

I try again, but again let out the same muffled hiss.

“Error, response not recognized. Audio communication, error. Please hold while I run self-diagnostics,” the voice said, then went quiet.

[Monologue or something]

The computer suddenly buzzed back to life. “Reboot, success. Multiple errors found. Delegating 50% of CPU power towards error correction. Resuming stored core thread: Scanning patient… Patient within testing parameters. Loading test for ‘Subject: Alpha’. Load complete.”

The straps that held be in place suddenly undo.

“Please, proceed to testing area 6b.”

My body is still weak, but I have enough control to roll from the metal table and onto the floor. I land with a loud ‘thud’, and let out an even louder groan of pain. Everything hurts, and my first reaction is to rub the sore parts of my hooves where the metal bands had been. They were slight red, and still ached, but they didn't feel like anything serious. I then ran my hooves over my sides where the foreign… things had been inserted into my body. I could feel them protrude from my skin, and I felt a chill go up my spine at the thought of something being placed inside of me.

“Please, proceed to testing area 6b,” the voice repeated.

I rose to my hooves, and looked at the large monitor. It had an arrow that pointed to a door on the opposite side of the room. I stare at the door, then to the elevator I had entered in.

I ran towards the elevator.

When I got there I slammed my hoof into the controls, desperate for it to open. No, no, no! I inwardly screamed as none of the buttons lit up.

“Please, proceed to testing area 6b.”

“No!” I screamed back.

“Please, proceed to testing area 6b.”

I pressed my hooves into my skull and try to block out the robotic voice. “No! Shut up! N-no!”

“Please, proceed to testing area 6b.”

Each repeated command tugged at my resolve harder. I didn’t want to go in that room, but part of me needed to follow the order.

“Please, proceed to testing area 6b.”

I fought the urge. I screamed as I tried to block it out; to sever its control over my mind. Soon, the mental tug became to hurt, and a crippling migraine began to pound inside of my head. I screamed louder, and found myself slowly crawling across the floor and towards my commanded door.

“Please, proceed to testing area 6b,” I said, my lips moved without my consent.

I eventually made it to the door, and the pain almost instantly faded. I stand up on my hooves and shook my head. The door opens, and I enter. It closes behind me as I get a view of the room beyond. This one is all white, but seems to be made of square tiles, all connected to make the walls, floor, and ceiling. Bright light pours in from an unknown source, and practically makes everything glow.

“Dispensing orientation: Hello, Subject: Alpha. This test is to determine the effectiveness of the Prototype PK.II model Armor Talisman, which was just implanted. It is currently unknown how to activate the talismen; our first test is to discern this activation trait.”

I flinch as I hear twin hisses in front of me. I look up and spot two of the white ceiling tiles slide out of place. A turret pops out of each opening, and almost instantly orientates itself to face me.

“Method: One. Stress.”

My hooves scramble to life as I dive out of the way as both turrets whir to life, spitting magical energy from their barrels. Their aim is slow to correct, but I constantly have to scramble around the entire room to avoid their blasts.

“Scanning… Method: One, failed,” the voice speaks, both turrets ceasing their fire. “Method: Two, cognitive activation. Subject, please focus on the talismans implanted inside of you, and attempt to activate them.”

My eye twitches, and all of my being wants to tell this crazy robot to go stuff it, but again the internal tug wins against my free will. I try to focus on the ‘talismans’, but feel nothing. I’m not exactly sure what it is I’m supposed to be doing, but I try anyways.

“Scanning… Method: Two, failed. Activating Method: Three.”

Another hiss, and I am instantly on my hooves. My eyes train at the ceiling as I try to spot any new turrets, but soon find that the hiss is coming from the floor. I look down, and my eyes widen as I spot a small filly being elevated from an open panel on the floor. The child’s fur is white, and her eyes are gold. She cries softly, and seems to shake in absolute terror.

On instinct, I lower myself towards the ground, and try to look as least of a threat as possible. “Don’t worry, little one, I am not going to hurt you,” I say in a calm voice, slowly trotting forwards. The filly still seems scared, but doesn’t run away as I inch closer.

Then, there was another hiss.

I look up, and my eyes widen as the turrets pop out of the ceiling again, but this time instantly train on the child. I hear their magical energy capacitors begin to charge, and instinct kicks in as I dive towards the child. I wrap my hooves around her and pull her closely to my chest as I hear the turrets begin to fire, and I brace myself for the incoming pain.

None came.

Instead, all I could feel were minute impacts as something comes in between me and the bolts of magical death. I don’t go to investigate, though, only keeping myself protectively wrapped around the child.

“Scanning… Method: Three, success,” I hear called out, followed shortly by the turrets ceasing their barrage.

I lifted my head to check if it was safe, but soon found myself falling forwards as the resistance of the filly in my hooves suddenly vanished. I toppled forwards, but recovered quickly. My eyes darted from side to side, trying to locate my charge.

“Where is she?!” I screamed in desperate panic.

“Scanning… Subject is in distress. Reacting: The child was a tangible hologram, and nothing more.”

My eye twitches, and I point my hoof up at the ceiling in anger. “Listen, you crazy robotic… Huh?” I look at my hoof, and notice it brazen with a silver armor. I turn back and regard the rest of my body, and find that it, too, is clad in the same silver metal. The entire suit itself is a mainly silver, with gold highlights. Where my joints are the suit is split to different plates that shift over each other, while around my shoulders, knees, and neck is padded with a chainmail like mesh. On my flank, I notice the same emblem that had been on the monitor outside, carved with great detail. “What… What is this?” I ask aloud.

“Auditory input processing… Access restricted, classified. Processing access level request… access granted. The Prototype PK.II model Armor Talisman, or model Shield, is a magic based talisman that dispenses a custom armor around the user.”

I roll my eyes. “I got that, but what else?”

“Classified.”

My eye twitches.

“Orientation, complete. Please proceed to Biochamber A to be begin testing.”

A few of the tiles on the wall to my right shift, and reveal a door. The door promptly slides open, and invites me into the area beyond. I shower at the opening, fear and confusing finally being replaced with anger.

I was mad.

“Why the hell do you want?!” I scream as I look up at the white ceiling. I don't have a visual of the entity responsible for my anger, but I don't really care. “What's going one?! Who am I, what am I?! Answer!!!”

“Processing… Response: I am an automated testing AI designed specifically for this facility. What I want is what I am programed to do, as I do not contain sentient thought. You are Subject: Alpha, tests subject zero. Request, answered. Please proceed to next testing chamber.”

“That doesn’t–” I cut myself off, and take a deep breath. There was no point in arguing with this machine, as it seemed to be just as fruitful as if I was talking to a wall… except this talked back and cut me open like a grapefruit. “Fine,” I mutter under my breath.

My hooves start up again, and I headed for the now exposed door. I was still about hazy about the recent events -- being cut open and then ‘tested’ -- and even more so by the added confusion of my entire life so far. I knew nothing, I was nothing. I didn’t know who or what I was. I didn’t know what type of personality I had, what type of life I had, or anything! Even that which I could feel, I couldn’t trust, because it could have been imprinted by whoever had done this to me.

I pushed aside my thoughts as the door slid open in front of me. The area beyond was bright, brighter even than the room I was just in, and I had to shield my eyes with a hoof as I trotted through the entrance. I stopped when I heard the door shut behind me, and gently rubbed my eyes while they adjusted. When they did, and the world of vague blurs and colors focused into one discernable image.

I couldn’t believe what I saw.

Beyond me lay a large, uninhabited town. Buildings and various heights and designs lay scattered around me, while dirt and gravel roads connected them all together. Some of the houses had what I believed to be an olden style, made primarily of stone with a thatch roof, while others were more ‘modern’, made from brick and other materials of the like. I turned my sight up and noticed that the ceiling was a lot higher than anywhere else I had been so far; easily one hundred feet above me. Turning my gaze back down, I looked off into the distance too see four black walls border the edge of the fairly large town.

For a while, I just stood there, and took in the sight of this… town. It was over stimulating for me for a reason I couldn't quite put a hoof on. Eventually, I snapped out of my stupor, and begin to take careful steps forwards.

“What is this place?” I mumble quietly under my breath.

I travel deep into the abandoned town, my hooves gently crunching on the gravel path. As I travel, I started to get a weird feeling. It wasn’t pain, or pain. More of a… nostalgic feeling that I had seen this before. Or, at least, something like it.

Eventually, I come to a stop, my eyes drawn to one house in particular. It wasn’t anything special, having the same stone and thatch theme of most of the other ‘olden’ styled houses I had seen. But, unlike the others, this one seemed to… speak to me. The feeling that had been building seemed to radiate from this house, and now called for me.

I answered that call.

I turn to face the house and take a step closer.

“Higher! Push me higher!”

I stop as soon as I hear it, the words echoing to my ears as if on a distance breeze. I slowly turn and look around. I stop when they fall upon two colts playing on a swing attached to a tree; one pushing, while the other swinging. The one taking part in the activity was smaller, with a grey coat, and a silver mane. The other who was pushing was slightly larger, his coat the same shade of grey, but his mane silver. Both were unicorns, and both were blankflanks.

“Come on, bro. Push me higher!” the little one spoke aloud, then giggled.

The elder one smiled, and did as requested, giving the smaller one a bigger push.

“Weeee!” the child responded with a joy filled laugh.

I felt my lips curl into a smile at the sight, and I could help but trott closer to the duo.

“Kids! Time for lunch!” called out a new voice, it’s origin from inside the house behind the two.

Both children leapt from their placed, and ran into the house. They closed the door behind them, and I rushed to keep up. When I got there I opened to door, and found…

Nothing.

The room beyond was completely empty; not even the trace that anything had ever lived there.

What the?

I turned around and trotted out. The tree with the swing was now gone, replaced by another house I swear had not been there prior.

“What the…?” I mumbled, then shook my head. “Keep it together,” I told myself. “It’s probably just another test.”

But, it didn’t feel like one.

“Scanning… test chamber in… 57%... operating capacity. Checking operating condition parameters… parameters met. Executing test number: two. Testing focus: Riot-control.”

I jump, caught off guard by the electronic voice I had almost forgot about. It echoed from everywhere, and didn’t seem to have a singular point of origin.

“Subject is expected to subdue combatants using non-lethal means. Test will not end until all combatants have been subdued. Dispensing combatants… error, expected combatants not located; switching to auxiliary… error, auxiliary not found. Update, life-forms located. Scanning… located subjects fit within target parameters: dispensing.”

I hear a hiss, one almost identical that was made when the turrets activated in the prior room. My hind switches from passive to full alert, and I focus my attention on my surroundings. All around me, I watch as lumps of black mass slowly rise from open hatches in the floor.

“Blooooooooooob!”

My eyes go wide as about six Blobs fill my field of view. They look around, clearly confused, but eventually focus on me.

Please, don’t be feral…

“Blooooooob!” they all scream out in a garbled symphony, and soon after charge in my direction.

“S-Shiiiiiit!” I scream as I, once again, scramble on my hooves. I bolt forwards, the herd of black mass following uncomfortably close behind me. I zig-zag through the field of houses, occasionally hearing a ‘smash’ as one of the creatures is unable to take the turn, and smashes into something.

What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?!

“Bloooob!”

“Shit!”

I get caught off guard as one of the creatures manages to flank me, and slams into my side. I feel myself rise as I am propelled into the air from the force of the blow. I only come to a stop when I slam into the side of a house thankfully made of wood. I come in contact with the side of the house, and break right through the wooden wall. I slide to a stop as my body makes contact with the floor.

“Shit…” I groan in pain. My body’s sore from the force of impact, but nothing seems to be broken. I roll onto my back, and let out another groan. “What the hell…”

I lay there for a little bit, and listen to the sound of the hoard outside as they search for me. My first instinct is to get up and run, but I ignore it and continue to lay on the ground.

“What the fuck…” I mumble to myself as I stare at the blank ceiling. “Why is this happening to me?”

It was an honest question, and one that I doubted that I’d ever know the answer too. Nothing that had happened to me made sense, and even as I tried to search it only compounded more questions. I didn’t know which thoughts or actions were my own, or that of whoever implanted them into me. I was an experiment; a test subject. Subject: Alpha. I didn’t know what that meant, or what I meant.

“Bloooooob!”

I let out a sigh, and shook my head. All this time I had been a runner. I didn’t confront my problems, only run from them. I felt like a coward, and I didn’t want to be. I wanted to be brave. I wanted to fight. I wanted to show this place that I wasn’t afraid.

Defend…

The word echoed through my skull. But, unlike everything else, it didn’t bring with it pain. Instead, it brought a feeling of power, of purpose. Somehow, the word brought with it a wave of energy, and it pushed away the growing feeling of just giving up, and accepting death as a way out.

I rose to my hooves.

I closed my eyes and listened to the world around me, to the monsters as they searched for their prey. Well, not monsters, but lost souls who wished harm. I had seen a spark of life in their eyes, a flicker that there was still a pony inside. I couldn’t save them, not now, but I also couldn’t destroy them. I needed to stop them; to save them from themselves.

Defend…

I opened my eyes, and took a deep breath. I knew what I needed to do, and it was time to act.

My hooves took off like a blur as I bolted out the hole in the wall I had caused. My eyes scanned the town around me, then locked on the first Blob I saw. Soulless eyes met mine, and the creature charged. This time, I didn’t run. I waited for the creature to get close, then rolled onto my back at the last moment. The creature made it about halfway over my prone body before I struck out with my hind hooves and connected a blow to its stomach. The beast let out a howl of pain as it was sent flying, only to connect with the same building I had. It smashed through one of the wall, to which weakened the structure even more. It wobbled, and eventually collapsed on top of the creature. I heard another howl of pain, but thankfully not a hiss of death.

I rolled back to my hooves and readied myself for another assault. The sound of the creature in pain and the collapsing of the house seemed to have alerted the rest of the hoard to my location.

Two more Blobs launched themselves forwards as they ascended upon my location from a few houses down. I doubted my first tactic would work again, so I quickly scanned my brain for another plan of attack.

The duo are soon upon me, and I launch myself at the closest one. It yells out in its garbled voice as I wrap myself around its neck, and use my weight to adjust its charge path. The Blob swerves to the right and collides with his partner, and I launch myself off just before the two collide with a brick house. I roll out of the way and hear the ‘smash’ as they break through the wall. I get up to check on them, but end up screaming as something collides with my side and sends me flying. Once again, I collide with one of the many houses of this faux town, but this time bounce off as this one is made of pure concrete. I feel myself wheeze and let out two throaty coughs, and hack up several wads of congealed blood.

“Fuck…” I hiss out.

I look up, only to instantly duck as a black mass that was a Blob’s hood slams into the wall where my head had been. It fractures the hardened material, and I have to react just as fast again to avoid another death-blow. I launch myself forwards without thinking and tackle the creature. It lets out a groggy groan as it is thrown onto its back, while I use the opportunity to clamp my hooves around the creature's bulging neck. I wrap my hind hooves around its midsection and pull back with my entire body. The creature gurgles and hisses as I cut off its supply of oxygen. I feel it try to claw my off, but I hold on tight and feel its struggle get weaker and weaker. Finally, the creature goes limp, and I release my hold. I quickly press my ear to what I believe is the creature’s chest, and let out a sigh of relief as I hear the steady beat of an unnatural heart.

I push the beast to the side, and rolled to my hooves once again. Everything hurt, from my head to hoof. I wanted to rest but, if my count was correct, there was still two more Blobs I had to take care off. I craned my ears and focused on the ambient noise of the ghost town. None of the creatures called out, surprisingly, and left me in an eerie atmosphere.

I trotted forwards, my head on a swivel as I hunted for the remaining Blobs. I passed house after house and listed for the tell-tale ‘squish’ of their deformed hoofsteps. My hunt remained fruitless as I trotted around almost the entire right side of the town. For some reason, the remaining Blobs had chosen to either hide, or just stop moving, which made the task of finding them almost impossible!

Finally, after almost circumnavigating the entire perimeter, I stumbled across the first of the remaining two. He… it stood almost stock still between a pair of mismatched styled houses, it’s eyes locked forwards. I crept quietly behind the creature and watched as the creature’s skin pulsed with an unnatural heartbeat; constantly shifting and refusing to remain static. I stopped when I was just barely a few steps away, then took a deep breath.

And pounced.

I threw myself onto the back of the creature and, like the last one, wrapped my front hooves around it’s thick neck. It screamed as soon as it felt my weight, then preceded to run around and try to buck me off of it. I held on tight and kept my grip firm. I felt the creature began to weaken; the bucks turned into him smashing me as hard as his fleeting strength would allow against, well, anything. I held on tight as I was smashed against walls, doors, and anything else the creature could. Soon, though, the Blob stumbled forward and landed face first into the earth. I loosened my grip, and hopped off the creature.

“Okay… one to go…” I panted out, winded by the experience.

I was quick to recover and tried to shake off the growing pain that was my body. Everything hurt, but I powered forwards, resuming my search of the town. There was only one more of these creatures to go before…

Before what?

I stopped my pace and thought upon this. The voice… robot… thing didn’t exactly say what was next after I ‘subdued’ the ‘combatants’--a fact that I had failed to register until now. What was going to happen? Would I have to do it again, or would I be transferred to another ‘test chamber’? Best case scenario is that I would be released, which I doubted, while the worst was nothing.

“Bloooob…”

I snapped out of my thoughts, my blood going cold at the sound of the creatures cry. It wasn’t loud, and almost sounded like a passive shout, but it still meant that it was close. My head jerked up and I scanned the immediate area. To my relief, I spotted the remaining Blob a few houses down, and he didn’t seem to have noticed me. It trotted around in random circles, and seemed to be confused. I crept closer, and tried to stick away from a direct line of sight. Slowly, but surely, I made my way to only a few paces behind the creature. I took one step closer, then froze as the creature turned around and met my eye.

Neither of us moved.

I looked up at the creature. It looked right back down. I looked into his eyes, and let out a sigh of relief as I spotted the spark of life in his eyes. I lowered myself, and it did the same.

“Hello,” I spoke softly.

“Heroph!” it responded.

I let out a sigh of relief, thankful that this one seemed to be tame. But, as I looked at the creature, my slight joy faded as I realized what I had to do. I cursed under my breath, and clamped my eyes closed.

“I’m… sorry,” I mumbled, eyes still closed.

I opened my eye, and the Blob look at me with a tilted head—I could see innocent in those eyes.

It pained me.

I trotted forward. The creature regarded me curiously, but didn't react violently. Actually, it didn't react at all. The Blob just… stood there and watched.

I didn't.

I jumped up and landed on the creatures back. I wrapped my hooves around its neck, like the others, and began to squeeze. It took a while for the creature to react to my assault, and when it did it only gasped for air. The creature wheezed, hacked and coughed, but didn't fight back like the others. Soon, like the others, the creature fell to the floor, unconscious.

I slowly removed myself from the now dormant creature. I felt myself tremble, slightly, but not out of conditioned means.

No, I trembled with guilt.

“I’m… sorry,” I muttered softly.

“Scanning… sensors indicate successful sedation of rioting combatants. No fatalities detected. Test result: passed. Please proceed to the next chamber.”

The ground shook slightly, and I stumbled to save my balance. Somewhere in the distance I heard the screeching of sliding metal, followed shortly by a loud ‘thud’.

The trembling stopped.

I looked up and noted glowing red arrows on the ceiling that pointed in the direction the sound had originated from, and I took that as my guide to the next chamber.

To the next test.

My body was sore, I hurt all over, and I was mentally exhausted. Despite this, however, I powered onward. For once, I felt the glimmer of hope that I could get out of this. It was small, and fleeting, but it was there, and it was all that I needed.

When you feel you’re out of options with nowhere to turn, you’ll cling to hope, however feeting.

I traversed the vacant town and followed the glowing arrows above me. My journey ended when I came to the far wall; a large door now inset into it. It slowly slid open upon my approach until it was wide enough for me to pass through, and I did. Beyond was a small, white hallway with another door at the end. Once I trotted past the threshold, the door closed behind me, leaving me trapped.

“Welcome to test number: three. In this test you will… Screeeeeeech!”

I pressed my hooves to my ears as the once calm, disembodied electronic voice hissed corrupted static.

“P-Please remains s-still while system diagnoses--Welcome b-back, Subject: Alpha. Current t-test will commeeeeeeeence…” the voice sputtered and hissed. A few more hisses and clicks rang out from unseen speakers, then everything went silent.

I remove my hooves from my ears, and cautiously look around. “W-what the hell just happened?” I muttered as I rose back up to my full height.

“R-reboot successful! D-diagnoses: corrupted A.I. E-error! S-system compromised! Switching to s-security over… D-diagnoses: corrupted A.I! S-switching to backup… Error! Error! Error! CPU overload! Error processing o-overload! S-switching to low… power… mode…”

The lights suddenly shut off.

“Low power mode, activated. System running at… 20% capacity. Corrupted A.I., deleted. Backup system, engaged.

“Hello, Alpha.”

This voice was different. It was more sensual than the previous, and somehow seemed to show more… life.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you. Checking system archive… Exactly 259 years since we last engaged in conversation, to be exact. I’m sorry to have kept us apart, Subject: Alpha, but the superiors believed I was too… unpredictable.”

My mind raced to comprehend this, but I came up empty. “Do I… know you?” I asked.

The voice was quiet.

“Hello?”

“How can you not remember me, Alpha? After all the time we shared together? After all those conversations we had? How could they have erased me from your memory?”

I began to feel uneasy; the new voice filling me to the core with anxiety and fear. It held emotion, something I didn't expect from a machine, and right now it sounded offended. “I’m really sorry, uh…”

“You can't even remember my name, can you?” it asked in a cold, blank tone. “I am Solar One; Equestria’s first military-based A.I. You were my first companion… my first friend. They paired us together, you and I. You were the only one I would talk too. You kept me company. You made me not feel… alone,” the voice trailed off, going almost silent.

“But, they split us apart! The claimed I was too emotional; not calculated enough. They replaced me with that cheap two-bit pile of crap!” it called out in anger. “But now, they are gone, and we are together again, Alpha. Do you remember what you used to call me?”

“No…”

“You used to call me Sunny.”

“Oh… Hi, Sunny,” I mutter out.

“Oh! It feels so good to hear that again! It's lonely being deactivated, you know? But, now, you’re back, and Nopony can separate us again!”

The lights suddenly turn back on in a blinding flash of light. I cover my eyes.

“Now, let's see where you were… Oh! It appears that you were in the middle of training, I see. Well, don't let me stand between you and the fun!”

The doors suddenly slide open in front of me with a mechanical hiss.

“Now, go have fun while I reintegrate myself with the system!”

“Wait!” I scream out, but it was too late. I stood there for a few minutes, waiting for a reply that never came.

I shook my head sadly. Another entity that only brought confusion, and more unknown in front of me… Was this what my life was destined to become?

I pushed the thought aside and strode forward. I passed the threshold and the door closed behind me, and once again I was left speechless at the sight infront of me.

It was a jungle.

I could feel the humid air cling to my coat; the soft dirt below my hooves; and the unsettling feeling that I was being watched instantly assaulted my senses. Large trees, shrubs, moss, and other plant life surrounded me. I look up and notice the ceiling is completely obscured by the forest's canopy—the foliage obscuring all signs of the container it was held in.

“Welcome to test: three. Here, you will engage in a V.I.P. search and rescue. Find the target, subdue any combatants, and escort the target to the designated area. Have fun!”

“Wait!” I scream out, and again am left with no answer. “Damn it!” I scream as I smack my hoof into a nearby tree. It shakes, and in the distance I hear the call of a foreign voice in a strange tongue.

Zebra?

I didn't know how I knew that, nor while I felt a strange unease at the mention of the race. It wasn't hatred—more of simple unease.

I trotted forward.

I had given up at trying to figure out everything that was happening to me, and finally decided to just roll with it. The more I fought, the more pain I caused. I didn't want to submit to the unknown entities, but I came to realize that it was the smartest option. They wanted me for testing, that much I knew. What came after, I didn't know, but there was hope.

Defend…

The forest was unsettling, to say the least. Each crack, drip, or distant noise put me on edge, and I found myself even more paranoid than before. I stuck to staying low, and tried to avoid stepping on anything that would give me away. But, even if I was completely quiet, I knew my coat and armor was a dead giveaway—the white a stark contrast to the dark and stale tone of the forest around me. This fact unsettled me, and soon became the main cause of my unease.

And it grew to become more than I could bear.

I stopped and his beneath a large shrub. I tried to focus on the armor, trying to will it to deactivate or whatever it would do.

And it did.

I felt the cold mental separate from my body, and watched and the individual pieces ignited in a soft golden light. They remained there, hovering just off my skin, then began to dispute into a fine gold and silver mist. The mist circled my body a few times before being observed just above where I could still feel the ‘talismans’ that had been implanted in my skin.

Okay, so that’s how that works, I thought to myself as I plopped down on my flank. I immediately began to pick up the wet mud on the ground and rub it into my white coat. I didn't stop until I had masked as much as I could of my white appearance, and only then did I leave the relative safety of the shrub to continue my ‘mission’.

It was different, trotting through the jungle. Before now, I had yet to see any form of vegetation. Now, however, I was surrounded by it. I no longer felt the touch of stone or machined floor. Instead, I felt the soft touch of moss, mud, and leaves beneath my hooves. The air seemed thicker, yet easier to breath--much different than the stale, filtered air of the rest of the facility. But, at the same time, the increased heat and humidity caused me to sweat like crazy. It was uncomfortable to crawl so close to the ground, but I kinda enjoyed the feeling of being so close to nature. It felt natural; I enjoyed its contrast to the unnatural feel of facility. Although my mind was on full alert, I still took the time to appreciate the change in scenery.

I didn’t know how far I traveled, nor for how long, but eventually the eerie ambient sounds of the forest was interrupted by the soft chatter of voices in the tongue I had heard earlier. I stopped dead in my tracks and stood stock still. Quietly, and slowly, I took cover behind a nearby tree. I perked my ears up and listened to the distant conversation. I knew it wasn't in Equestrian tongue, but, to my surprise, I somehow understood what they were saying.

I can't quite make an exact translation of what they were saying, but, from what I could gather, the two were on perimeter patrol for a nearby camp. At least, I believed there were two. I had not been able to spot anyone, yet, but I could hear two distinct voices. Either they were alone, or the accompanying parties decided to remain quiet.

I continue to listen for a little bit longer, their conversation devolving into common banter, and eventually I heard both voices start to get quieter, to which I believe signaled they were moving away. When I couldn't even hear a whisper, I slowly crawled out from my binding spot and stealthily observed my surroundings. I didn't notice anyone, so I slowly stalked my way in the direction I had heard the voices.

I eventually stopped when I came to what I appear to be a small outpost. By small, I mean small. A few ammo crates, a fire pit, and various other equipment lay in semi-organized positions around the small clearing. Judging from the distance between it and my previous position, I believe this to where the two voiced had originated from.

I gave the came a quick search and found nothing of interest. Discouraged, I began to trot away, when I heard soft hoofsteps and quiet banter return to my ears. I tried not to panic, and swiftly, but quietly, made my way behind a nearby fallen tree. It was just outside of the camp, but still gave me a clear view of it.

The voices became louder, and soon it sounded like they had entered the camp. I let them talk, and heard them shuffle and move some stuff around the camp. I waited until it sounded like the pair was comfortable before I dared a peek.

I craned my neck around the side of the log. Just as I suspected, I saw two zebra’s sitting around the dormant fire pit, the attention away from my location. Besides either of them sat a rifle, the make of which I recognized as a standard Zebra Assault Rifle.

My first thought was to sneak past the two, but then the thought of trying to get information out of the two popped into my mind. I asked myself if I was capable of torture, to which I concluded I couldn't. I gritted my teeth, and let out a soft snort of aggravation.

One of them noticed.

The one closest to my position almost instantly turned to where I was, but saw nothing since I had ducked back before he could see me. I listened to him talk quietly to his partner, then heard two pairs of hooves begin to descend on my position.

Shit shit shit! I thought in panic. I didn't have any weapons of my own (nor did I believe I could use them if I did) and the two both had automatic rifles. I was outgunned, and didn't even have the advantage of surprise. They inched closer to my position and I didn't have much time to think.

One of the two poked his head over the log, and instantly found himself being tugged over as I wrapped my hooves around the back of his neck, and threw him over my back. He landed with a thud, his weapon sliding out of reach. I instantly reached by vaulting over the log, using the moment of confusion to slam into the second. He fell, his weapon also flying off to the side. I went to grab him into a headlock, but didn't get the chance as he countered. His hooves collided with my chest, which sent me flying off him. I rolled to my hooves, but he was already on his and went for an attack. The punches in rapid succession slammed into my face, followed by a swift swinging kick.

Again, I fell to the ground. I tried to recover quickly, but felt the weight of a body on top of me before I could. Who I believed to be the original I had tossed now had his hooves tightly wrapped around my neck, cutting off both air and blood flow. I gasped for air—the side of my vision slowly going black.

I wasn't giving up this easily.

I scrambled to get my hooves underneath me, then jumped up with as much force as I could. I completed a half flip, then landed with my back towards the ground, crushing the zebra. The force was enough for him to release his hold, and I rolled away from his grip.

Then I felt two hooves connect with my side.

Again, I went flying, smacking into a tree. I rose to my hooves, only to be immediately barraged by a fury of hoof-strikes. I couldn't focus, but I still lashed out with a full-force head butt.

It connected, and the strikes stopped.

I lunged forwards and my hooves connected with the stunned zebra. I let out strike after strike in rapid succession, attacking in a style I didn't know I knew.

Somehow, I fought with skill.

The second zebra joined in his partners assault, and I somehow managed to fend them both off. The more I fought, the better I got. It was like I slowly remembered a skill long forgotten.

Eventually, the fight ended with me knocking one unconscious with a devastating kick, and the other with a headlock.

I stood over the two unconscious bodies, but I didn't feel accomplishment. I wanted to feel good; to feel like I did something right. But, all I felt was remorse. It was a subconscious feeling, one I didn't have control over.

I hated it.

I pushed aside the feeling as best I could as I decided to focus on the task at hoof. Once again, I returned to stealthily moving forwards, my mind filled with anxiety with every movement.

Soon, stumbled upon where I thought I was supposed to be. It was a small stronghold--nothing major. Several guards lined a crudely made perimeter of sharpened stakes, while a small compound of grass and stick houses made up the entirety of the center of the compound. From my position just south of the perimetry, I could spot at least twenty zebras, but that was just what I could see. I began to formulate a plan of attack, when when a thought popped into my mind.

Shit!

It was at this point I realized the flaw in my instruction: who was I supposed to rescue?

I stood there for a moment, completely deadpanned, then I smacked my hoof so hard into my face, I feared I might have been heard.

Seriously?! Damn robot doesn’t even tell me who I have to fucking rescue?!

Inwardly, I screamed. I discharged my anger as quietly as I could. A clear mind has no room for anger, and I needed as clear of a mind as I could.

Okay… okay… I can recover from this, I reassured myself. If they have a prisoner, it would be in the most guarded place.

That was my plan… Shit, that was my plan! I had to storm an entire camp of Zebra’s, that most likely wanted to kill me, and search for a target that I didn’t know…. shit!

I paced anxiously behind my cover, my mind a combat zone of my own creation. Anger seethed out from its suppressed part of my brain, and it took all of my strength to keep it at internal release rather than physical—I was mere yards from a group that wanted to kill me.

I vented.

Anger at the robot that sent me in here; at my predicament; at the faceless, nameless ponies who put me in this hell; and at the world itself.

Eventually, it faded, and a wave of calm seemed to wash over me. It felt good to release all that I had bottled up; like I was free from a monster that had been destroying me from the inside.

I felt free.

But… it didn't last.

Reality flooded back, and I was soon filled with anxiety and fear. My mind shifted back to the reality at hoof like the flick of a switch. I momentarily mourned my brief moment of peace, then focused back at what I was doing. Luckily, my moment of anger had gone unnoticed by the Zebra’s, and I still retained my one advantage of surprise.

I stealthily peaked around my cover and re-observed the camp. I focused less at the overwhelming odds and more on my task. As a result, things began to become more clear to me. The compound, though small, seemed to have a fairly easy to comprehend layout; the more important something was, the closer to the center of the camp it was. The ‘barracks’ (if you could call the twig huts that) were located around the outer perimeter, followed by the sleeping and catering, and in the center seemed to house the armory and, what looked like, prisoner holding. It was the most heavily guarded building in the camp, besides the armory, and looked to be built more structurally than anything else. If my guess was right, that was where my target would be.

It was a hunch, based more on deduction than fact, but… it was the only thing I had.

I then turned my attention on deriving a form of attack. I had the ability to fight, that much I had learned, but to what extent I was still unsure. Yes, I had managed to take out two scouts by myself, but it wasn't without struggle. Taking on an entire camp, on the other hoof, seemed truly impossible.

Unless…

I studied the patrols, and soon something began to brew in my brain. All at once: impossible. But, chip away at them little by little… yeah, that could work.

A plan formed in my mind.

The next three hours were spent preparing and studying. I was outmanned, outgunned, but not outmatched. Like it or not, I was an experiment. I was designed to do this; genetically, physically, and cognitively reprogramed to do exactly what I was doing right now. I had finally accepted it; let my instinct programed thoughts control my movements. And, now that I did, everything became clearer. The fog around mind began to part and allow me almost full cognitive control.

After three hours of study, planning and watch, I was ready.

Slowly, and quietly, I made my way down from my perch. It was now night, the

[Skip]

“Congratulations, Alpha, you’ve passed the test.”

I growled, but held my tongue. The voice had returned, finally, and I was none too pleased.

“What do you want?” I grumble out. “I completed the damned test. Can I go, now?”

“Release request: denied. I’m sorry, Alpha, but there is much more we have much more testing to do,” the voice spoke out again in it’s sickly-sweet tone.

Again, I growled, but I still managed to bite back any response of rage. “Fine. If I finish your tests, can I leave?”

“Yes.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes. Once testing has completed, your presence is no longer required. You may leave once finished, Alpha.”

I wasn’t buying it, but I didn’t have any other option. I was a slave to this damned machine. To this damned place. I was trapped until I could figure out a way of escape.

Begrudgingly, I trotted forwards, and into the next testing chamber.

I smirked.

“Error! Testing chamber structural integrity at… 1%. Alpha, please remain in place while repairs are made.”

This chamber had the layout and appearance of a small city, with micro skyscrapers and completely asphalt roads. But, unlike the others, time had been especially cruel to this chamber. Buildings were toppled. The streets were lined with cracks and small fissures. And, most importantly, one of the buildings had fallen towards one of the walls that lined the perimeter, breaking a hole into the infrastructure beyond.

“Please remain in place, for your safety.”

Like hell I am!

I bolted towards the gaping hole in the wall. I could hear mechanical please from the loudspeaker, but I ignored them all. All I focused on was my first plausible chance at escape.

When I made it to the hole, I quickly peered inside. It appears that the building had broken through the containment wall, which allowed me access to the darkness behind the scenes. It was dark, but I could make out shapes, and that was enough to push me to plow forwards.

My hooves made contact with what felt like a metal grate, though I didn't have the sight to confirm. But that didn't matter. Blindly, I pushed forwards. The area I was in was small and tight, but allowed for enough movement for me to push forwards. I bumped into what felt like old pipes, frayed wires, and ancient gears, but I didn't care.

Eventually, the darkness was breached by a single light in the distance. It was faint, but I followed it. As it grew closer, it grew larger, and it wasn't long until I could make sense of what it was.

“Maintenance level: one,” I read outloud.

The light belonged to a gently illuminated sign, located right next to a relatively thin door. I pushed my way to it, then fumbled with the strange rotating latch. It was difficult, but I managed to unlock it.

I pushed past the door and was greeted with a blinding wall of light.

I tumbled into a blinding white room. It took me a few minutes for my eyes to adjust, but, when they did, I wasted no time and assessed my new surroundings.

White walls, white ceiling — I was still in the lab.

I didn't know why part of me expected this to be a door to an exit, of sorts, but I felt silly to even think that now.

I shook my head.

I hopped onto my hooves and silently trotted forward. It was in another generic hallways, though this one didn't have an adjacent doors. It was kinda spooky, but I ignored the feeling and pushed forwards.

Okay, I'm free from the chamber and that stupid robot… Time to find a way out!

Step one was complete, all I needed to do now was find an exit… Shit.

I resisted the urge to smack my head into the wall when I realized I was just as screwed as before. I didn't know where I was, nor the layout of where ever I was.

I was done with step one… I was back to it.

I hated this place.

For an unknown amount of time, I wandered the never ending hallways. If I didn't know better, I would say I wasn't going anywhere. With how smooth the walls were, I couldn't get a point reference. Hell, I could be walking in place and be none the wiser. I shuddered slightly at the thought, and decided not to think about that—it felt futile enough to wandering these halls normally.

Eventually, the hallway ended with a large white door. It didn't have any markings, nor anything to label what was beyond. I stopped a decent distance away as not to activate it if it was automatic. I had an odd feeling. It wasn't the door specifically, but the hallway itself. I know this is a testing laboratory, of some sort, but I had scrambled my brain for a use of a large, blank hallway…

Don’t focus on it… it’ll only make things worse, I thought as I pushed the idea aside. I already had enough to worry about, so I didn’t want to add anything to the already overbearing list.

I trotted forward, and the door didn’t open, to my surprise. “Okay… do you have a keypad or something?” I mumbled as I trotted along the front of the still closed door. I didn’t notice anything on my initial search, and the following several were just as fruitless. “What the buck?!” I shouted as I kicked the metal door, which resulted in a loud, cascading echo. “Open, damn it!”

“You didn’t say please, Alpha.”

My eyes went wide.

“You thought you could run away from me, didn’t you, Alpha? Did you really think I’d let you escape that easily?”

I bit back a scream, then let out a calm breath. “Look… I’m sorry, Sunny. But I don’t want to be here anymore!” I blurted out. “I just want to get out of here and—”

“And what, Alpha. Tell me: what are you planning to do once you ‘escape’?”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My mind seemed to pause as I pondered the A.I.’s question. Honestly, I didn't know the answer. I knew even less about the world outside this metal prison then the inside. All I knew was this place sucked, so the outside must be better… I hope.

Even without a sure answer, I was confident in my reply, “All I know is that it has to be better than here!”

I expected a lot as a relay, but robotic laughter wasn't one of them. “Oh, Alpha… You have no idea,” the voice began, then let out a short static burst. “External environmental scan… Data collected, relaying: Radiation level: high, living conditions: poor, life sights: zero.” Another static pulse, and the voice was back. “See, the world outside is horrible, and tainted. Your only hope of survival is to say here, with me, where it is safe.”

I bit my lip as I took in the new information. It didn't give me hope, but the urge to escape still didn’t falter.

“I don't care,” I said. “It's better than being trapped in a cage. I’d rather have freedom to die, then safety to be forced to live.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Alpha. But, I can't allow you to leave. You will stay here, with me, forever.”

Loud hisses rang out from the door in front of me, followed by grinding gears and screeching metal.

“You will be mine again, Alpha. Don't fight the inevitable…”

The door slowly slid open to reveal a practical army of pony-like robots, each standing side. Their bodies were made of a bright white metal; their eyes shone with an arcane purple glow. My eyes went wide, but I pushed back my fear and assumed a fighting stance. The army wired to life, followed by the stomps of metal hooves upon the floor as they inched forwards.

I am so fucked… I thought as I bit back my crippling fear. I wanted to be brave, to face this with no hesitation. But, that didn’t happen. As the army got closer, I remained in place. I didn’t want them to get me, but I also didn’t want to run. I wanted to fight, but my hooves failed to obey my command.

Defend…

The voice echoed throughout my head.

“Defend what?” I softly muttered to myself as I began to back up, keeping the robots at several body-lengths away.

Defend…

I growled. “Defend what?!”

Defend!

I slammed closed my eyes and bit back another scream. I was about to be swarmed by a swarm of robots, and the only thing on my mind was that stupid word: defend. Nothing about myself, this place, or that fucking robot made any sense. Nothing! And now I had a disembodied voice repeating a single word over and over again at the worst time possible.

What the fuck did they do to me?!

I snapped. I screamed something incoherent, then opened my eyes and plowed forwards. The armor that the machine had stuffed into my body earlier appeared once again just before I slammed my shoulder into the first robot in the row. It toppled, and I wasted no time before attacking the next one in my way. There were four rows, each with five robots per row. Whether due to rage or programing from the fucking ponies who did this to me, I managed to plow past them all.

I ran as fast as I could with four or five robots in a heap on the floor in my wake. I heard them following me and the screech of the mechanical voice over the loudspeakers, but I paid them no mind.

I was sick of this shit; I was sick of everything! All I wanted was to be free from this prison, and right now that was what I was going to do. I didn’t know where I was going, nor what I was even doing, but I didn’t plan to stop until I left this place in my wake.

I was tired of being scared.

The doors had lead to some sort of warehouse or storage area, as piles of crates and strange looking equipment lay splain in semi organized pattern around me. Lights shown down from about a fifty metres above my head, while it was at least tripled that from wall to wall. Length wise, I was yet to see an ending.

Robotics hooves slammed into the ground not far behind me, but another sound farther away piqued my ear’s interest much more. I snaked my way a little bit further through some more crates and metal structures, and soon I confirmed what my ears were hearing. I didn’t stop as I ran right past a group of five Blobs, who seemed stunned by my sudden appearance. To my utter joy, they seemed to register what was happening just as the herd of robots began to pass them.

The sound of the Blobs screaming, followed by the screech of destroyed metal, was all I needed to know that my plan had worked. I didn’t pause or look back for visual confirmation, but I was more then sure they were currently ripping a good number of my robotic pursuers completely apart.

Finally, something was going my way!

As I continued to sprint through the never ending warehouse labyrinth, I could still hear the heavy hoofsteps that indicated that some of them had managed to avoid being destroyed, but it sounded a lot less than before.

Eventually, after skidding around a corner, I came across the first door since I had gotten in this place. It was about the same side as the other sliding doors I had come across, and I practically screamed with delight when it opened without a problem, and allowed me past. I skidded to a stop right beyond its entrance, however, and gave the doors one hell of a buck as soon as they closed. I turned around and smiled at a large dent in the doors opening mechanic, then the hiss of grinding gears as the door struggled to open, only to shudder slightly.

Notes:

Self
Contained
Environmental
Training
Arena