To Outlast

by Camolot the Creator

XIII: Piping

The door to the power room clanged shut, and I took my finger off of the button. For a brief moment I considered sealing the door with my admin card, then shook my head and dismissed the notion, turning back to Luna. Our eyes met for a brief moment and she nodded solemnly, a gesture I returned before raising my rifle and falling into line behind her. This time, we kept our eyes on the blue stripe that led to the water management center. Fortunately, it seemed to be in the same general direction relative to the elevator that power management was, and thus we had only to walk down the same corridor to reach it.

"You know... I've noticed something that's unnerving me slightly."

"Hm? And what is that?" Luna was only half-attentive, primarily focused on sweeping the corridor ahead, and the branching corridors to the sides, for any hint of movement. Her eyes swivelled back and forth like little radar dishes, searching for hints of noise.

"This place had to have been staffed and maintained by a lot of people, right? I mean... there were guards on the surface, we know 'cause their bones are still there."

"Of course. A facility of this type would have numerous staff to keep the compound running and repaired."

"So... where are they?"

Luna's head jerked back to me, surprise and perhaps a bit of uneasiness written across her expression. "What?"

"Well, think about it. No bodies, no other stasis pods, no signs of any sort of battle. There were hints that the surface portion of the compound was attacked, what with the casings scattered here and there, the killer jeep and the guard's last stand, but there's none of that down here. No spent rounds, no bodies... there wasn't even anything missing from the defensive armoury."

She looked away. "Now that you mention it, it is quite unsettling, yes. It does not make sense that this portion of the facility was abandoned..."

"Not to mention, when I got here, it had been sealed. High-level security lockdown. I had to raid the administrative facilities for an administrator-level password and keycard to lift it."

"Curiouser and curioser..." she muttered. I chuckled, then waved away the inquisitive glance that she gave me.

"Ah, it's nothing... what you said was just mildly amusing. A reference."

She raised an eyebrow, but didn't probe further, instead turning her attention back to the task at hand.

As we moved towards the water management, the amount of pipes in the walls and ceiling steadily increased, all of them running in the same direction. However, they were silent- nearly no fluids were moving throughout the compound, and the lack of sound was unsettling. Fainter sounds, made farther away down this or that tunnel, echoed farther in the stillness. I swallowed, thinking how grateful I was going to be when this particular chore was done, and we could leave this entire subbasement floor, preferably for good. Judging on how Luna's eyes flickered from shadow to shadow, her wings half-extended and feathers ruffled, I would say that she felt much the same, though most likely for different reasons.

Really, I'm not too proud to say that I uttered no small sound of relief when I set eyes upon the blue-highlighted door that marked the entrance. Luna refrained from any verbal indication of how she felt, but a series of lines that had spread themselves across her muzzle smoothed out and she let out a small breath. A swipe of my admin card allowed us through the door and into the room beyond.

The lights were slightly slower to flicker on in this section, and some of them didn't come on at all, sparking a little in their cradles before going completely dark. For once, this was actually an area where dust had gathered on pipes and a little on the floor, and the air was slightly staler than other areas.

"What, did the janitor have a fear of water?"

Luna snorted despite herself, shaking her head in exasperation and moving forward into the room proper. I followed right behind, nearly sealing the door behind us, then smelling the air and deciding against it. If this section had seen less maintenance than others, the ventilation systems might not be functioning properly, and I would rather have a source of clean air and a convenient escape route than satisfy the little niggling fear of having my back to an open entryway.

"There is a terminal here!"

Luna sounded more excited than she had been for the terminal in the power management center. Approaching from behind and looking over her shoulder, I could see why: her magical keystrokes were actually having an effect with the machine, which was responsive and showing a simplified UI.

"So what's on it?"

She shook her head, initial excitement cooling into disappointment. "It's primarily just a terminal for accessing the diagnostic systems for the various water management systems here." She perked up, continuing, "however! It is a wealth of knowledge to that point, as it includes quite detailed data about all the various systems and sections of this center. It appears that it is quite expansive, including a number of large rooms beyond this main one where the water is actually handled- apparently, it is pumped up from the water table through wells, filtered and pressurized in tanks, where it is either used for the pipes feeding the compound's various levels. It also feeds the hot water heaters." she pointed to a particular tab, tracing it with a hoof. "This, however, is what interests me."

"Waste management and fertilizer production for... hydroponics?" I read aloud. "Why would a military base have a hydroponics facility? Isn't that the whole thing that's farming without soil, just water and fertilizer?"

She rubbed her chin with a hoof, looking contemplative. "We believe so... but as to why they would have one? We... I am completely lost on that point. Even this facility's long term status does not explain the additional resources that establishing such facilities would require..." a concerned look crossed her muzzle, eyebrows coming together slightly and wings fluffing slightly in unease. "Unless, of course, whatever war we were engaged in was not going well at all. I suppose that, in a case where farmland might not be viable or accessible due to enemy incursion or force projection, then a military facility might be a good place to grow food to feed an attached community. Earth ponies can get almost anything to grow anywhere, after all."

My mind flicked back to the trenches surrounding Ponyville, bottoms white with crumbling bones, the armoured vehicles abandoned and overgrown in rings around the borders of the town... should I mention these to her? On one hand, I had no doubt that she needed to know, and that it might help us in piecing together the larger picture of what was happening, what had happened. But...

I sent a sidelong glance at Luna's face, watching the concern and fear stretching the lines across her muzzle. Could I really justify telling her that when just yesterday she was right on the edge of breaking? She'd been acting like she was better, like she was stable, but I wasn't so certain. I wanted to believe that she was okay, that I'd convinced her that her loved ones were indeed out there, alive and safe, but some little part of me whispered that she wasn't so okay as she looked. In reality, that little voice said, this was her putting on a brave face and pushing forward, ignoring it all. Crisis mode. If that was true, then the moment that we were stable and lacking immediate threats and obvious goals, her strength would fail and she'd collapse all over again.

I thought about this, about all of it, right there as I watched her considering ideas and possibilities. And, in the end, I decided that not telling her right now would be so much worse than simply giving her one more weight. She might worry, she might be afraid, but at least she wouldn't be alone. I was here, for whatever that was worth.

"Luna... I think it was going pretty badly. For everyone."

Her eyes turned to me, searching my expression. "What dost- do you mean?"

I took a quick breath in, and let it out.

"Just... from what I've seen, there were multiple rings of defensive trenches surrounding the town, with armoured vehicles and bunkers. From what I saw, it was like the whole town was under siege. And..." my eyes flicked away from her, the overwhelming desire not to see the reaction that I knew was coming forcing the reaction. But I had to show her, and myself, that I'd stick it out, no matter what. So, with gritted teeth and willpower, I dragged my eyes back. "The entire trenches were filled with bones. From what I saw and what I can guess, whatever happened, it was a desperate sort of defense."

She looked, in a word, deeply shaken, as if the rug of the world had been pulled out from under her and left her falling on her face somewhere that she didn't know. Lost. She looked lost.

She swallowed, speaking with hesitation, as if she didn't trust her own voice.

"Can you show me?"

I nodded. "I can do that. We'll go out and see before dark. But, right now, I need you to focus on what we're doing. Can you do that for me?"

She made eye contact with me, and for a moment I could see her unsettled and shaken feelings curdle into pain. Then, her eyes closed tight, as she took a deep breath. When she opened them again, there was nothing but an exhausted sort of determination, accented by the lines beneath her eyes.

"We... are capable of that."

I nodded, giving her a gentle pat and standing. She shuffled her wings, gathering herself, then checked over the console one last time before moving onward. I followed by her side, attempting as much as I could to keep up a supporting presence, close enough that she was aware that I was right there and far enough that it was clear that I would give her space if she needed it. Whether she correctly interpreted my efforts or not, she seemed to relax by a hair, sparing me only a glance before accepting my presence at her side.

As we made our way back through the tunnels and back to the elevator, shreds of doubt formed in my head. Had I made the right choice in telling her? It was not as if it was a secret that I could have kept, and I had absolutely no intention of ever even making her feel as if I had kept things from her and betrayed her. We'd known each other for only a day now, and I was sure that both of us knew on some level that an amount of unconditional trust would be required if either of us wanted to survive this world and whatever it had become, let alone to unravel the mysteries of whatever had happened and why.

However, it was clear from just a glance that Luna was distracted. Instead of the purposeful flickering of her gaze, glancing between shadows and scanning for movement, her eyes roved here and there amongst the pipes and concrete walls at random. Her rifle's barrel was angled towards the ground, up against her chest, her mind somewhere far away. I grimaced and gripped my own rifle a little harder: Luna's lack of attentiveness in this situation could be dangerous, but I had only myself to blame for this. Thus, I'd have to keep up a tighter watch,

To my growing concern, Luna didn't even notice when we arrived in the elevator room, instead seeming to choose another tunnel at random and continue forward as if we had not yet reached our destination. A restraining hand was thankfully enough to return her to reality and her focus to the present, but the worry and sliver of guilt that I felt must have been clearly visible on my face, as Luna immediately looked away and to the side, seemingly embarrassed at her lack of discipline. I took note of the motion that she made with her hoof, raising it halfway and making an uncertain circle in midair, and how the corner of her mouth tightened. She seemed between pushing me away and pulling me closer.

The more I saw of this mare, the more that I realized that there were almost two sides of her. One side was the side that she clearly showed the world, a professional, steadfast, stoic soldier with just the barest streak of wit and humour colouring her strength. The other Luna... the other Luna was the one who woke up, terrified of being alone at the tail end of a night terror that she had no control over. The one who needed touch and company to feel safe. And yet, she was also the one that painted the night, who went to an observatory full of ponies at the beginning and end of her days just because she liked to make them happy, who enjoyed sunrises and sunsets and moves in the cosmic dance.

Privately, I wondered how much of this she had shown to her sister, to the staff of her castle, to Twilight and her friends. Thinking back, I realized that it was this Luna who had made her slow appearance during the Nightmare Night episode- silly, fun-loving, definitely adorkable. On the other hand, I had a much darker realization; this was also the Luna who had birthed the Tantabus, who had forced herself to suffer in silence because she thought that she deserved it. Guilt, sadness, self-loathing.

Even with what little I knew of her and what little I had seen, I could already see how the Nightmare had taken root in her mind. All of those negative emotions, all directed inwards, growing with each failure and disregarding each success until the mask of strength and stoicism that had fooled so many, had fooled even her beloved sister, had finally cracked and the Nightmare had poured out like a horrifying flood. I was no psychologist- hell, I'd actually nearly failed psychology way back when- but if I had to take a wild guess? Depression, maybe chronic, and severe issues with self-worth.

My mouth set itself in a firm line. Like hell I wasn't going to do anything about that.

Luna squawked a little as I pulled her into another hug, pressing her against myself. She half-heartedly struggled for a moment, more out of confusion and surprise than anything else, but swiftly gave up and wrapped her hooves around me in turn, pressing her muzzle into my shoulder. This time around she didn't weep, simply shut her eyes and pressed herself against me, and I sensed that she was repeating what she'd done before: assuring herself that there was another person there, that she wasn't alone, that I wouldn't reject her out of hand.

A memory from the previous night drifted up in my mind: Luna, scared out of her wits despite her meager attempts at hiding it, saying that the Nightmare had... done things to her. I wondered, concern chasing itself in circles about my mind, what the Nightmare had done to her for all those years. Were there scars hidden under her fur? How much of what had once been Luna been bent and broken to make her what she was, so desperate for support that she would willingly, desperately, cling to someone that she'd just met the previous day?

Minutes past, as Luna's breathing slowly became calmer and more even. Finally, she took a deep breath and began to pull away, only for my hand to stop her once again. Her eyes flicked up and met mine, and I winced just a little at the guilt and shame that flickered there.

"You don't have to hide, you know. You don't have to pretend that you're stronger than you are."

Anger joined the other emotions there, directed inward like every other negative emotion that I'd seen her display.

"Thou art not bothered unduly by-"

"I am."

Her internally-directed emotions shifted into surprise and confusion, and I winced a little avoiding her direct gaze. My hands clenched into fists above her back, then loosened again.

"I was pulled out of my apartment into a world that I don't even know. There are things out there trying to kill both of us. As far as we can tell, everything's been abandoned for years and there's absolutely no one that we can go to for help. We're on our own, and I'm scared and worried and I'm terrified that I'm going to slip up somehow and-"

It was Luna's turn to interrupt, though with a gently nudging of my jaw instead of words. She weighed her words carefully before continuing.

"I am... sorry. I had not considered that you might feel much the same way, though I should have. You are just as alone as w- I am, feeling much of the same pressures and anxieties that you have been attempting to comfort in me, and I have done nothing to ease them."

I shook my head. "Luna, just not being alone in this... eh, nightmare, is unbelievably comforting to me. But..." A wry grin stole across my face. "Perhaps, in the future, both of us might be mindful of the other's feelings."

She nodded decisively. "Indeed. Though..." her eyes narrowed shrewdly, and I could practically hear the cogs turning behind her pensive expression. "Did you say.. world? Art- are you implying that this world is not your own?"

I blanched. Quickly, I ran over the course of the conversation in my head, cursing internally as I realized that I had said that. It wasn't so much that I had wanted to keep such things from her. After all, I had told her about the mass graves that had once been trenches: however, this was something that I had hoped dearly that I could ease her into, hopefully after I'd fully established myself in her trust. Most unfortunately, this meant that I had to take the risk and divulge the information, at risk of angering the only friend I had in this empty world, not to mention that I really did feel terrible for keeping anything from her. Still, now that the proverbial cat was out of the equally-proverbial bag, attempting to cover up any information that I might have was now only a bad idea.

"... Yeah. My world is another one, where my species is the only sapient one. I was pulled here by an alicorn with a magical mystical rainbow tunnel who made me an offer, which I took because I was in a dream and not entirely sane, and now I'm... here." I resisted the urge to look to her expression, casting my gaze downward instead. "It's why I was, and am, so sure about other ponies still being around."

"What did she look like?" I frowned slightly, glancing up at her. Her face was deeply pensive once again, but I could tell that she was focused in on what I was saying. And, after a moment of confusion over her sudden attentiveness and disregard, I understood, and I wanted to facepalm.

Of COURSE Luna would want to know this. In fact, I should have told her the moment we'd sat down in that room together and begun hashing things out: it could be important- no, VITAL information in regards to uncovering the reason why both of us were here. And, thinking back...

"Well, she... she had a cloak on. I couldn't see much of her, expect for her horn. It was white."

Luna's eyebrows came together. "White?" Her ears swiveled back slightly, head dipping. "... sister?"

I shrugged, releasing her and plopping down next to her, though staying close enough that her front leg was against my shoulder.

"Maybe." I replied quietly. "It would make sense... she could have sent me for you. After all, she could have set me down anywhere in Equestria, but she put me here, almost right on top of you. I don't think that was a coincidence..."

"But?" Her tone of voice matched mine, too soft to echo through the passages that surrounded us.

"But, I don't know." I sighed, leaning back slightly, shifting my weight onto my hands, flattening my palms against the cold concrete of the floor. "Like everything else, we just don't know enough. Too many unknowns, and not near enough information."

She looked away, contemplating, then turned back. The negativity that had made such a sudden appearance was buried once again. I didn't like it, and I felt a stirring of unease and concern for a multitude of reasons, but right now was not the time to voice them. Tonight, when we were in a better position perhaps, but not now.

"This is what we are doing now, is it not? Collecting information." She flared her wings slightly as she stepped away, and even in this confined space, I had to admit that she struck a regal pose where she stood. "So! Let us not be delayed further!"

I felt the twitch of a smile at the edge of my lips, but I wasn't just going to let this go. I set the butt of my rifle against the floor and pushed myself to my feet, watching Luna until she turned back to see what was keeping me before making eye contact with her and adopting a serious expression. She shifted uncomfortably under my gaze, wings pulling in and feathers ruffling themselves slightly.

"We need to resume this conversation later today, and we will be. Alright?"

She grimaced. "We suppose that is... fair."

I nod and smile, satisfied, gesturing to the elevator doors. Luna, clearly relieved at having escaped closer scrutiny even if it was jsut for the moment, practically galloped to the elevator, pressing the call button in the process. As with every other time we had called it, the doors dinged and slid open immediately, revealing the self-same blank, utilitarian elevator inside. This time, as we stepped inside, I pressed the button for the second level subbasement, following it with an almost automatic swipe at the 'close doors' button. I saw Luna's eyebrow raise and studiously avoided her gaze, turning to the opposite wall and pretending to examine some of the scratches and scrapes in the metal there.

"Really?" she said. "Thou- eh, you do know that those are simply installed placebos to keep impatient riders complacent, correct?"

"Force of habit," I muttered in reply.

Luna opened her muzzle, no doubt with a scathingly sarcastic comment on her tongue ready to further mock my acceptance of a do-nothing button. However, by happy coincidence, the elevator arrived at the next floor before she could get the first syllable out, and I happily filed straight out of the doors and into the subbasement beyond before she could even begin speaking her thought. Behind me, I heard her sigh and the shuffle of mane that must have been a shake of her head, then the trotting of hooves as she followed afterward.

Comments

[Camolot the Creator]

9170487
Well, thank you! I appreciate it!

9165288
More than you will ever know. At least, not until I get there.

[VegaSakusa]

The creatures make me think of perhaps a dire wolf mixed with a skin walker with a touch of shadow assassin from GoT that hunt for souls that posses magic.