Open Doors
The golden corona gleamed as brightly and brilliantly as a sun. For hundreds of thousands of miles, even in the depth of space, its magnificence could be fully beheld by any onlooker. It was a pity he thought, that there were so few to be had. As well as far too infrequently.
The raw physically manifested energy that rippled and cast itself to and fro in waves surrounding the mobile world fortress was simply breath taking to him. Even after seeing it a thousand times over again through the years. The screen entirely obscured Elysium's surface from view, its opaqueness not quite enough to allow someone to see inside.
Suraci pulled his gaze away from the uppermost computer panel and re-busied himself with the final vector checks for their approach. The human flag ship, the Red Willow was a shadowed spec sailing slowly closer towards the golden ball hanging there amidst the distant stars and nothing else. The lean man never got tired of watching his home approach from the distance while returning from a mission. Muscled arms held only by a thinly armored short sleeve uniform folded over one another, after the rest of his duties had been expediently completed. Behind him the bridge and the rest of the ship's crew and machines waited or chatted idly as they returned home-.
"Hey!"
!
THUMP
"GAH! Wha- Smorgas? What the hell?" Startled, Suraci had banged both of his knees in the cramped space he called his work station. His friend of several decades smiled and tried to ruffle his hair, but was fended off with one arm cocked and the other blocking.
"Haha sorry, didn't mean to hurt or startle yah hot shot. If you weren't so damned tall you wouldn't have to worry about that while sitting there though." Smorgas grinned while leaning over the tall back of the pilot's crash chair just enough to make eye contact.
Suraci turned back around and tried to look busy. "Ah huh, I keep telling you I've always been this tall and I always will be. I'm not vain enough to change things randomly, unlike some people I know."
"Ooouch, this mean you don't want drinks then when we get back, eh tough guy? Marl owes us still or did you forget?" The two men had a bet going with the young communications officer from the secondary bridge. She wouldn't be happy about losing.
Suraci had forgotten that he'd agreed earlier to that wager. It concerned whether or not that the planet they had nicknamed Rocktopia, would have anything the human race would find useful. The several dozen Ore and Mineral liners, followed closely by even more Freight and Cargo ships that were trailing behind them—surrounded by their fleet—was all the answer anyone would need as to how that agreement had gone.
Grinning from striking the big lug's nerve, Suraci reclined with his arms behind his head to look at the nine screens which served as his eyes aboard the bulky Red Willow he crewed. He watched as the defense screen to humanity's world began to shimmer and fade as the carrier made her final approach. The gates of Elysium opening wide to receive her children upon their return.
"I'm still game bro, never say no to a free drink after all." Suraci answered Smorgas, who clapped him on the shoulder.
"That's the party animal we all know and love, I'll see if I can't rustle some of the other jerks together too actually, it's been a while since we've had a real get together with all the lads and lasses, huh?" The star pilot nodded absently to him while watching the moon's glowing surface fade from sight, the ship floating calmly into one of the massive docking bays.
"Yah." Suraci answered, while placidly taking in the sight before him. This never gets old. The weapons operator peered around the side of the crash chair at him with an eye brow cocked.
"You okay man?" He tried to poke at the skinnier man's face with an invasive finger before getting swatted away. "Usually you won't shut up about the shit you want to do when we get back after a month out here. Something wrong?"
Suraci realized what he meant. Why he was acting spaced out escaped him though, he had just been caught up in looking at Elysium, he guessed. "Not sure man, just felt like I should focus on the sights, I guess." He glanced around the interior of the bridge, everyone else had already strapped in for docking. Jackson, another pilot and navigator was motioning to Suraci frantically and trying not to make a sound while doing so. Suraci cracked his knuckles and coughed turning back to his view panels coolly, getting the hint.
"So what exactly did you have in mind this weekend if we get everyone. Dance clubs, catch a concert, the Colosseum or maybe we could all get wasted and go Suit Fighting?" The pilot tried to keep his face straight so as not to spoil the coming prank.
Taken aback from Suraci's storm of suggestions and casual change of demeanor, Smorgas grinned, deciding his friend was fine. Big baby probably just got sucked in by the calming effect that space has on whimps. The suggestions were good ones though. Sports were always the big guy's favorite thing, and watching with a group was a hundred times better. His face split into a bigger grin at the thought of a party including mech suits and alcohol, or watching the games with everyone.
"That's more like it, dude we should go all the frack out on thi-"
THOOM
The ship shuddered from the forward docking clamps catching the massive vessel, as well as the port and starboard rail holsters which had simultaneously reached out to grasp the flanks of the Red Willow MKIII Carrier.
Suraci unbuckled his harness and got up from his station deftly, stepping over his comrade. "Cool, cool bro, you hammer out the details, I'll be in touch."
From the ground, the collapsed man looked like he'd fallen down a flight of stairs. Surrounding Smorgas, the entire crew of the Willow's bridge laughed over the flag ship's Commander shouting. Who tried to figure out what was so moon blasted funny.
Suraci casually strode out of the room, eager to get back to his home.
There was a loud bang of a door which startled Fluttershy awake.
"Wha-? Hello?" She could hear shuffling and muttering.
"CrapCrapCrapCrap this is no good." The sound of metal being thrown about and objects being knocked over was predominant in the room that had always been so quiet. Fluttershy craned her head towards the noise despite being unable to see.
"Bark!" That was the dog from earlier again! Fluttershy tried to get his attention as she recalled his name.
"Excuse me, Mr. Steel, what's going on? Who is that?" The cacophony continued and she heard Steel pad his way over to her.
"Rrrrff, grwl..." The dog seemed to be confused as well judging by his tone.
"What do you mean something's wrong? Is someone hurt?" The twinge of irony about her predicament and worrying for others didn't escape Fluttershy, but it wasn't something she would ever think twice about asking.
"BARK! Brk, rrf." Oh well I guess that would have to do the-.
"Biscuit shut up, I need to concentrate. Darn it I don't have time, don't have time..." Fluttershy concentrated on getting the new voices attention, averse though she was to anything of the sort. She couldn't wait around forever though.
"Uhm, excuse me, sir...? Hello..." She was met with silence. She heard footsteps approach her.
"Hello-?" She pulled her ears back over her head and scrunched down as best she could.
"How in the hell are you awake? Whatever never mind this makes things easier. Blast where was that... Ahah." The voice moved away again.
"Sir? I believe there's been a mistake, uhm I'm Fluttershy by the way... Nice to make your acquaintance. But I don't mean to be rude or anything uhm, that is to say I don't belong here. You see I'm from Ponyville and... and..." The footsteps approached her again amidst the muttering.
"What? I'm sorry I didn't catch a word of that. Alright pay attention we don't have much time alright so listen closely and we might just make it out of here alive." Fluttershy felt something strange holding her by the base of the neck and something else clenching the back of it.
"Ah! What do you mean, and what are you doing? Who are you? Steel what's going on..." She darted her eyes around straining to see through the black that swallowed her world.
"Steel?" The male voice said questioningly.
"Brk" What exactly did Steel mean by that? Fluttershy couldn't guess.
There was a pause from the disembodied pony, or whatever it was.
"Am I to understand you can talk to Biscuit? Hah, that's a trip. Well I'm Oliver, I'm a mechgineer, freelance. I doubt that means anything to you... Uhm, look don't take this personally but I bought you in order to make some money alright? Thing is" Something shocked her right foreleg and it kicked! She couldn't feel it before but now she could move it, though it felt immensely heavy. She let out a yelp from the sudden sensation. "Gah sorry I'm rushing this we don't have time. Something's gone wrong and we're in danger. I'm not equipped to handle this either and we're... sort of... trapped. And we're probably going to die."
Another shock and she felt her left kick in response. Some weak tears welled up in answer to the pain. 'What did he mean die? What was going on?!' Fluttershy tried to speak but she found herself breathless from whatever he was doing.
"So here's the deal, you help me, and I'll help you alright? I'm not above gratitude certainly and right now my life's at stake, and my daughter's. You and the other one are all I've got right now." Two more shocks and Fluttershy felt her back legs go stiff, but she could feel them now.
"Whoa easy, you'll kick me in the face flailing like that. Hold still I need to make some adjustments."
Fluttershy struggled to get a word into this one sided conversation. 'Other one? Gratitude? Who even was this Oliver.' She grunted, her legs felt heavier then if she'd been carrying an Ursa Major on her back.
"Dammit I should have listened to Charlie, this bio science stuff is flippin' tricky..." The restrained pegasus tried to concentrate on breathing.
"Ha-HAH..." The pain built from a distant dull sensation to a roar in her extremities.
"Almost there." There was a loud click, then a snap. Suddenly the pain was gone. "Sorry I had to do that while you were awake, didn't have time to use the synapse freezing doohickey on you to put you back under. Not sure how you woke up from it in the first place... Anyway, I mean it when I say that our lives are in danger right now. All hell's broken loose and- Oh salisbury, sorry forgot your eyes one second."
"What is going on!?" Fluttershy blinked from the grey that spotted her vision now, and a large brown and pink blur resolved into a bipedal shape standing in front of her. She looked around at the rest of her surroundings which were slowly coming into view. Steel stood beside his master staring up at her with a glazed look in his eyes. Oliver stood staring intently at her, his face was streaked with... blood.
"Havn't you been listening? You, kidnapped, us about to die. You help me I free you, capiche!?" He was near shouting when he finished. "We got a deal?"
Fluttershy gulped, this didn't sound like something she should agree to, but she did want to get away from here.
"Yes, I mean... Maybe, I don't know what's going on at all. What are you and where am I?" She realized she had a massive restraint around her middle, she reached a fore hoof behind her head feeling something odd there. There was something in her neck!? There was metal on her hoof? She looked from her limb to the strange creature and back. She had been ki- foal napped!? "What did you do to me?!"
The creature rolled its eyes and let out an exasperated noise. "I understand, you're disoriented. Fine, and look I'll answer every single question you have after we get out of here. Okay, but we can't stay here." He circled around behind her and the vertical table she was suspended from. There was another loud clunk, Fluttershy felt a weight removed from her neck. Another clunk and then she flopped to the ground, her belly restraint undone.
"Ooof! Ow..." She lay on the ground, her legs didn't want to move.
"Alright come on le- What's wrong?" The creature stared down at her and started poking at her with those weird... claws on his arms. Ah, fingers. Those were fingers she recognized. And hands, like a monkey's. Fluttershy tried to cringe away from him.
"I'mnotsureIcantmove... Canyoupleasegivemesomespace..." She tried to crawl into her mane, sprawled on the floor as she was. She heard Steel whine.
There was a loud boom not far away.
The man stood up and looked in disbelief out the doorway. "NO! NO, dangit, NO! Aaaah... Okay..." He looked back at Fluttershy.
"What was that? What did you say?" The man's panicked voice wasn't helping her in her effort to speak in the least.
Another human poked its head into the room, it had a very long mane.
The first human spoke loudly again "Hello!? Pony what did you sa-? Ah cripes, forgot the cold fusion core."
Fluttershy raised her head back up at the stranger's leaving, her eyes met those of the other staring at her from the doorway. It was a girl, Fluttershy thought, the girl was hiding behind her hair in the same manner that she herself was. The pony could just make out tears on her cheeks.
"There." The first human said aloud, punctuated by a loud clunking noise.
A cold sensation, like being dipped into a frozen lake, enveloped Fluttershy. "AAAh-!" She jumped to her hooves, and was immediately reminded of the metal that also enshrouded her body. As she landed her body clanked heavily on the metal ground beneath her. Her legs now moved freely at least, despite the very unsettling and strange circumstances. She looked behind herself and stretched her wings a little. They felt really stiff, but at least they were normal, unlike the rest of her...
"That should do, you've got power now. Come on follow me." Another loud boom sounded, then began thumping in rapid succession nearby. The creature grabbed the...arm of his daughter and drug her into the hall, Steel following them both.
"What are you? What's going on?" Fluttershy tried asking, hesitantly following after them into the hallway. She cast a wary look to where the sound was coming from, it was traveling from the opposite direction they went. "What is that? What do you mean get killed!?" Her thoughts caught up with her as she tried to ask for an explanation that made sense.
"I mean that there are monsters out there that could kill us! I don't know where from, now stop asking questions, and I already told you I was a mechgineer!" The man grabbed things from clutter laying about the hallway, a bag here and a tool there.
Fluttershy stumbled after him, her legs felt clumsy and unstable. "Oh okay..." She cringed back behind her mane from the thing's out burst, he still hadn't answered one of her questions though. Not really, anyway. "But I meant, WHAT are you. Species I mean. Sorry for yelling..."
He turned around wide eyed. "You call that yelling? Nevermind, I see, right, I'm called a human. You're also on our planet by the way." He turned as he strode down the corridor and into a doorway, then peered back out. "Hurry up get in here, we don't have ti-."
There was a huge crash and a sound like a wave that was two hundred feet tall slamming relentlessly against a cliff side. It as deafening, and nearly drowned out the human's words. "MOVE IT!"
Fluttershy looked behind herself and time seemed to slow down. The world moved at a crawl. There was something there now, it faced towards her, unmoving. Her eyes continued to watch the thing, until finally its terrifying appearance sparked a word in her mind. "Muh-muh-monster." She stammered out.
A couple of its legs twitched slowly as it took two, frightening steps towards her. The room was silent, until its maw opened and screamed at her. Suddenly, multiple legs were slicing into the hallway itself and rushing towards the yellow mare, carrying the vicious creature with them.
"WARF!" Something grabbed her tail.
There was the unmistakable slamming of a large metal object.
"Are you stupid? Dammit, Josephine wait here please." Fluttershy snapped out of her daze. She was in a big chamber now, the door was shut. "Please tell me that you can fight or something."
Oliver was addressing her she realized. Steel was staring at her dully with her tail in his mouth.
Fluttershy stared out into space. W-what is going on? She felt sick to her stomach. Her canine acquaintance stared at her with his head tilted, whining softly.
Nearby, the human was fiddling with what looked like a suit of armor bigger than a minotaur. He cast flickering glances at her occasionally, as if waiting for something from her.
Fluttershy blinked and recalled the question, then answered half in a daze. "Fi-fight? Oh no, fighting is...wrong. I could never hurt any living creature." She began to stare at the ground, only half paying attention to her own words. This is just so... A fingered limb approached her face, breaking her out of her broken thoughts. It touched her, gently cupping her muzzle. The palm felt warm against her coat. The mare realized it was really cold in there.
"Terrific of all the weeks, I should have just done the sever right away. But no I put it off until the end of everything decides to show its ugly. DAMN. FACE!" The human slammed a pipe against a metal beam and slumped to the floor. He sat there and sighed. "Whom I kidding, we're doomed."
The banging on the door began echoing into the large room.
The smaller human held Fluttershy's face up to look into her own eyes. She was very pretty, whatever she was. This human. She was very pretty.
"Hi there, I'm Fluttershy." The human tilted her head to the side at the canary yellow pony. That got a giggle out of her, she was a match to Steel right now.
"What are you laughing about." She looked over at the guy who'd said his name was Oliver, her captor she concluded. He was glowering at her. "You're about to be viciously torn apart you know?" His face started wrenching up, she sensed that he was fighting to not break down.
Fluttershy blinked. He really meant that. That monster, what was it. She stood up and looked at the big metal door several strides behind her. It was caving in in several places and she became fully aware of the noise and pounding being wrought from the other side by that same beast.
The animal caretaker snapped herself upright.
"What can we do?" She kept her eyes locked to the door.
"Hah! Nothing, your sister here isn't close to being ready to even be activated, and you apparently are a pacifist. We're unarmed, we're trapped and so we're doomed, thanks. Thanks a ton for that by the way you've been a real friggin' help." He lowered his head back into his palms. Fluttershy's angry side, a part of her which rarely ever showed its face to the world, flared up though. She rounded on him turning about ferociously.
"You mister do NOT get to talk that way. You have apparently foal napped me, and another? You've been nothing but RUDE, evasive and what's more you've hurt me several times and apparently had intentions of using me to get... MONEY!? Whatever that means, you sir do not get to give up. You have an obligation right now, and not just to me but to your DAUGHTER!" Her nose was pressed into the man's face, hard.
There was a woof from Steel.
"And Steel, DO I make myself clear?" Oliver stared wide eyed at her as she pulled back slightly. Disbelief clear as day likely stained his face he thought, his mouth was hanging wide open. The bending reinforced door to his workshop nearly forgotten in the presence of the enormous glaring eyes that seemed to command his very emotions. He couldn't look away, as much as he wanted to. He felt fear still, but it was a different kind. He tried talking, just what was this little pony, really.
"Ye-yes." She visually relaxed at his assent and stopped whatever it was she had been doing. Thank the moon for that, he'd never felt so tensed under something's... someone's scrutiny before.
"So, what can we do?" The alien horse was watching the door again.
He struggled to think, he'd exhausted every option already and there wasn't anything in here he could use. Not with the time that they had. Oliver sighed again and stood up, the little pony obviously not comprehending their fate.
"What's your name." The yellow and pink maned creature turned to look at him. "I wasn't paying attention earlier alright, what's your name."
"Fluttershy..." She flinched back a bit under her mane.
Oliver paced over to his daughter and pulled Josephine further from the door.
"Nice to meet you Fluttershy, and I'm sorry not that it counts for shit I'm sure." He stopped to stand behind the support frame holding up the large mech chassis of his other project with his daughter clutched to himself. He wondered if he should... Try to make their passing easier.
A spiked limb rent through the door creating a small puncture. The man wished he had thicker doors now.
"I'm out of ideas though... This is a dead end for us." He looked around the room dejectedly. There were various tools, a plasma cutter, rivet guns, but nothing he could imagine would stop the thing trying to get inside. He reached for one thinking to use it for another purpose...
Where did those things come from? Some jerk smuggling life forms on board no doubt. He started loading cartridges in to the chamber of the tool.
Fluttershy looked away from the human and audibly squeaked in a crouch as another hole in the door formed from the monster's assault. She was hoping Oliver had had another way out. But she was already steeling herself to try her best. Something tickled at the back of her head about the monster...
"You said I had a sister here Mr. Oliver... I don't have a sister though, did you mean another pony?" She peaked around at him while trying to keep the door in view.
"I guess you wouldn't recognize her huh," He gestured next to him. "this is her. But she's not near enough done to activa-"
Fluttershy's gasp interrupted him. "Tha-th-that? Is a-?" She looked down at her own metal limbs in shock.
"Yah, another one of you." He shrugged. "Bit more extensive changes I'll admit. Like I said, money." He patted the big metal things arm absently. "We humans have a sort of entertainment industry that's big on fighting, I was going to try and compete. Ironic I'd be designing a couple of bad ass designs for my alien entries only to get killed before I could fini-"
The hoof that collided with his face knocked him to the floor and loosed his grip of the girl.
"Wha tha hall! Hyu hid meh?!" He blinked up at the hovering yellow pegasus, a swollen cheek already puffing up and blood joining the dried stream from his head. The girl gasped and knelt beside her father.
It wasn't like the young pegasus to ever hurt someone, she hadn't meant to slap him quite that hard either... "I'm sorry, but you deserved that and you know it mister." She glared down at him, trying to hide her regret about doing that. It wasn't lost on her either that she'd gone against what she had just said to the human. But sometimes like Rainbow Dash had taught her over the years there was a time to stick up for yourself...
She grunted landing back on the floor, her wings had barely held her aloft.
Metal screeched loudly behind her.
The wall and door itself which had held back the monster screamed protest into the room. Fluttershy turned back around as the door was wrenched from its thick hinges to slam open. She readied her stare, readied the best defense she had against unruly beasts to protect them. Steel stood beside her she realized, he was such a good, loyal dog for that.
The creature burst into the room and stopped moving immediately to face their direction, it seemed to regard them patiently. Perhaps because they were so close.
Fluttershy realized what had tickled her mind in horror.
It had no eyes.
Octavia listened, enraptured by Twilight's claims. However, she quickly had to ask Ms. Spar- Twilight, to stop after she'd only just begun, her head still hurt a bit and felt stuffed with hay. During this break she'd caught her and Apple Bloom staring at her back. It was unnerving, others asking about what had changed with her. She waved them off explaining she was in fact fine. For the most part anyway, this whole debacle had her far past her edge.
Twilight had asked a couple questions concerning her scars and what the human woman Twilight had called it, had done to her. Again though Octavia assured her she felt adequately fine.
She hadn't had to deal with awakening to her strange surroundings on her own though thankfully. Apple Bloom had been there with her in that cage. That hadn't been an... easy experience to deal with nonetheless.
Apple Bloom told Twilight about their own escapade while Octavia rested, it was far shorter then what Twilight had shared already of her own though. Even after Octavia and Apple Bloom had awoken they hadn't escaped even that one room for a couple of days. Octavia had been afraid they'd starve at one point, strangely however they had never grown past mildly hungry and thirsty.
The filly told her about how eventually she'd bucked the cage and shattered the door, that earned a grinning nod from the cellist pony, she'd been ready to sit there and wait for help, but Apple Bloom had taken action.
It paid off well too, I must say. Octavia stayed seated in the corner resting her eyes, trying to settle her head.
"She'd looked so surprised and we were just as scared, Octavia tried reasonin' with 'er but she just tried to... well she went and fetched that strange hunk o' metal that shot out stuff after promisin' to come back with answers and we ran. We got separated though by those other big meanies and runnin' so fast."
Twilight continued to listen as Apple Bloom wrapped up their story.
"And then bam Twilight! I bumped into you." Apple Bloom smirked and took another drink from Twilight's thermos.
"Hm, and there had been nopony else with you two?" Apple Bloom stirred a hoof absently.
"There had not been, no. It was just us Twilight." Octavia moved to sit beside Apple Bloom and gave her a comforting smile. "I feel in tip top shape now, by the way." She felt better at least, her strange extra limbs had decided to rehide themselves as well making her feel infinitely more comfortable.
"I'm really glad to hear that Octavia, you had me pretty worried for a moment there. I'll admit to being more confused while you were out of it though." Twilight gave her a sheepish grin.
Octavia raised an eye brow. "Confused?"
"I will uhm, fill you in on that later, it's not important."
Twilight coughed loudly, and quickly continued on about the humans as they were called. Apple Bloom and Octavia sat listening intently. They had a bizarre name for starters, they'd decided.
Apparently they were all in the space outside of Equestria as well!? The humans had traversed it riding on their very own moon. That had earned immense gasps from both her AND the filly she'd met just the other day.
Twilight claimed they traveled so through the space by some means of teleportation as well.
They're able to move the entire thing? The musician pony could only stare incredulously at the notion.
Octavia had always found unicorn magic fascinating even if she didn't pay much attention to it. This seemed impossible though.
Twilight went on to say she wasn't sure why they'd been taken, she'd managed to read a lot about humans but not much of the why.
They traveled and took from others apparently as they went. But an explanation hadn't been found by the Princess's student other than using those planets unscrupulously as a means of simple survival. Obviously water and food were used to simply live Octavia thought. Not that it made them or their methods justifiable by any means.
So why twenty three ponies? Why all the others Twilight mentioned? Just to be experimented on?
Octavia wondered how anything could subjugate others without regard in such a way, and to what end?
Twilight had no ideas either, although she'd guessed it might even just simply be for scientific discovery... Though she had no evidence. That was a disconcerting thought, Octavia decided.
"I tried asking this human some things but... he's been less then helpful, I don't think he's willing to share." They all spared the detained creature a glance.
She went on a bit longer, about her plans and memorizing a great deal of information. She concluded with a sigh.
"That's all I really think is important right now, we really should get moving." Twilight began packing her things up.
"So, wut's the plan Twi, to get out of here I mean?" Apple Bloom sat with her forelegs tucked under her, a donut resting before her on the white box.
"I..." Twilight didn't want to admit that she really didn't have a plan outside of finding the others yet.
"We'll find the other ponies, and then we'll think of a way to get home Apple Bloom, somehow."
Octavia nodded somberly. 'So that's how it is then.' When she'd first woken up she would have never imagined their predicament was so dire.
"We should leave soon, I'm sure we've stirred up enough of a ruckus that we're not safe staying here. Let's move out and go from there, hopefully we'll find another good hiding spot. Are you both able? Octavia?"
Apple Bloom and Octavia looked worried, and tired. They glanced at each other and saw that worry, but smiled.
"Sure thing Twilight, let's find the others!" Apple Bloom hopped to her hooves. "I'll keep going until we're back in Granny Smith's kitchen if I gotta!"
"Likewise, I shan't rest until everyone is once again safe Twilight, and I'm feeling much better now. We should make haste I agree." Octavia nodded and stood tossing her mane over her back, radiating a sense of stoicism.
Twilight jostled her bag onto her back and grinned at them both.
"Alright, let's go then, we're heading to a-" She paused and glanced at the human. "I'll explain on the way." Octavia followed her glance.
"Are we leaving... him?" She pawed the ground, a nervous habit Octavia had.
"Yes," Twilight eyed the weapon still in the corner it had dropped, them raised a hoof over it and smashed it entirely. "let's go."
Pinkie Pie paced hurriedly up and down the rock terrace, fifteen paces, turn around pace back twelve. Maybe seventeen go back turn around then twenty one. She felt like she was going to explode, she couldn't stand waiting.
"But they told me to wait, I need to wait." She had to wait. Pinkie Pie partied though waiting just didn't sync with her, or her name!
They don't call me the pink waiting pony! I'm the pink party pony! Who ever heard of a patient Pinky Pie? Oh, now patient worked- No! I can't sit still for this, tempting alliterative titles or nooo-OT!
She sat her rump on the cold floor and sighed glumly, her mane hung limply at her side. It had been a long time since that had happened last she realized. She missed her friends dearly, but what could she do?
The Doctor had just told her to wait though, and wait. It had been a week at least though since she woke up, well a few days anyway. She pushed a strange moon rock idly with her hoof. Even if waiting here for a reason unclear to her was unbearable, the boredom that came with it made it sting all the worse.
She heard crying echo from down the length of moon cave.
Oh no! She's woken up again! Pinkie zoomed back down the rough excuse for a tunnel.
She cradled the filly, leaning over the makeshift bedding the Doctor had brought. Her raspy breathing made Pinkie tear up as well, but she kept her voice firm for the filly's sake.
"It'll be alright Sweetie Bell, we'll be alright, Pinkie's here dear."
Twilight peaked around the corner, then motioned her companions forward. They moved slowly, diligently, and with care. It was true they had not seen anypony yet and the area had still been completely deserted after they'd left the room with the panels. But Twilight wouldn't believe it would stay that way for long after all the commotion they had stirred up.
So they crept where they felt it necessary, and sprinted through open areas. They took the stairs downwards to the third one. Their hooves rang out loudly on the thin metal stairs which caused Twilight to cringe with every loud noise they created in the otherwise calm atmosphere. They went on longer than Twilight had thought they would.
"Twilight, are you alright?" Octavia had seen her worried look.
"Yes, I just want to hurry I guess." They slowly exited the stairwell. The large red THREE of the floor they'd made their way to apparent just above the landing on the cold concrete wall. There was a door at the bottom and the stairs which ended here.
It was metal but had a long bar spanning its width, which was a modest size by human standards Twilight guessed. Really the only thing worth noting was its lack of the technology other frames had all seemed to possess thus far.
Hesitantly Twilight pushed against the bar, and it gave with a clunk opening outwards. She peeked into the cavernous beyond. The hallway was massive she could see and well lit. It was much like the one she'd encountered earlier she noted, remembering her last run in with that first big machine and the flying contraptions in that hall. But this hallway was bare.
The Equestrian's librarian leadership poked her head out and looked both ways, up and down the interior area's length. It looked empty, placed sporadically were other smaller halls that branched off the larger and a few other doors. She motioned her party out not spotting much of anything really, except their goal in the distance. They started to make their way to the lift.
Octavia quietly shut the door behind them and followed Twilight closely keeping Apple Bloom between them.
"Is that it Twilight? The passage we're to take?" The unicorns eyes seemed to try and be everywhere at once to the cellist.
"Yes, I'm not sure how but it would seem it's actually a machine that moves vertically over a long distance. I'm guessing through the use of counter weights, pulleys and likely some of the human's fascinating technology a-." Apple Bloom wore a very scrunched up face likely from trying to effectively follow Twilight as she continued to go on about the human's engineering. Octavia immediately regretted having started her on this tangent, which seemed very much to her like a habit Twilight must possess.
They had to walk for several minutes, it had seemed closer but now the ponies could tell it was actually just a very big door. What was so wrong with stairs they needed to invent a strange mechanical alternative? Twilight had to admit the prospect fascinated her. Maybe she would try out some things dealing with advanced mechanics and engineering when she got home to Equestria.
They came to the door which was much like any of the others in appearance lining the halls. Except that it was decidedly bigger than any Twilight had seen thus far. The massive portal commanded the entire center of a circular room and stretched to meet the ceiling of the chamber.
The room itself was a big circle that had other hallways identical in size to the one they had walked down and perpendicular in orientation. They all stretched off into the distance. The lift must be behind the door on the large cylinder structure centering the room.
Twilight looked up at the wall of iron and gulped, she glanced over at Apple Bloom and Octavia. They wore expressions of awe from the sheer size of the doorway and scope of the room. The filly quirked her head at Twilight breaking her stare with the now apparent obstacle.
"How d' we open it?" Twilight hadn't considered that.
She looked back at the door and held a hoof to her chin in thought.
"I do not see one of those panels you mentioned earlier, Twilight." Octavia was slowly walking across the breadth of the doors inspecting it.
"I don't either, I'm not sure I assumed it would be easy open." This could be a problem, she might have to try alternative magical means of travel if this did not pan out, and quickly she hoped. They were very exposed here.
Apple Bloom watched as the two adult mares looked around the door, to her it seemed like it was just that, a door. It didn't have a knob though, or anything else that could be used to open it. How in tarnation did anyone expect to open it then?
Twilight ceased inspecting the wall, looking for a panel or something that might open and instead questioningly watched Apple Bloom. She was standing, fore hooves resting up against the door.
"...Apple Bloom?" Octavia looked up from critiquing the wall of metal as well.
The crusader raised her fore hoof and started pounding on the door.
"Apple Bloom! Some one could hear that!" The mares both looked around panicked, and Octavia galloped over to stop her.
"That's the idea tho- Hey!" Octavia pulled her down.
"We need to practice caution and quiet." The filly gave them both a sullen look.
Just then a small circular plate matching others in the great structure popped open. It happened quick enough that Twilight did a double take unsure it hadn't always been open. A small little metal head popped out and swung side to side regarding them each.
It chattered a few random noises at Octavia.
"Ah, uhm... what?" It didn't seem satisfied with the musicians confusion though, and turned to Twilight, emitting more noises.
"Twi', what is that thing? Twilight?" Twilight was staring at it squinting.
Apple Bloom held her hooves up to her ears, a screeching noise filled the air around her, it was horrible and grating. Twilight clamped her mouth shut after it ceased, she had been the origin of the sound.
"Luna's stars Twilight, are you okay? What was that!?" Octavia ran over again but this time to Twilight, and rested a hoof on the lavender unicorn's shoulder.
"I- I, I dunno? I'm fine though really I just..." A great groaning and the sound of screeching metal started and built in intensity. "Just fine." The little mechanical head zipped back into the door.
A loud boom of metal echoed from the walls. They turned together and all stared wide eyed as the great doors began to screech open. "By Starswirl's beard, can you imagine how many barges you'd need to move that? A dragon wouldn't be able to do it." Twilight gaped openly.
Octavia merely nodded, staring upwards. Apple Bloom jumped up piping in her claim to victory joyously.
"See? We jus' had to knock! No other way to open a door you can't unlock, and this is a stranger's home! Sorta..."
Twilight kept staring at the architectural wonder, but smiled. That was Apple family good common sense for you. She wondered to herself what that noise she'd made had been. That seemed to have been what opened the door, like a password but... well undecipherable, it had just been a random noise. The doors slammed with a quaking shudder and stood still, only halfway open.
"Why would it open for us though? I'm not sure I like this Twilight. Nor do I trust such... convenience." The grey mare's eyes squinted as she scrutinized the large interior.
"Aw comon' Tavi, can't yah maybe jus' think we're having a stroke of luck?" Apple Bloom started into the lift, their destination. Twilight held out a hoof and stopped her.
"I don't think it was luck Apple Bloom, that noise I made had something to do with this. I also don't know why it did exactly, but it must have." They all exchanged glances and examined the lift together. It was a metal mesh cage, enormous in width, the walls outside that, concrete. The floor was thick plain metal and nothing odd. At least considering where they were and all.
"That don't look much like stairs or something that can take us down Twi." Apple Bloom's head was cocked sideways as she spoke. "Whelp only one way to find out!" She straightened and bounced forward in one smooth motion. Octavia snatched the remnants of filly's tail in her mouth.
"Let me go first Apple Bloom, Octavia was right before," The cellist nodded her assent, and held back on the filly's crisped tail fur earning a pouty face from the little pony. "this could be a trap or something."
Twilight trotted into the lift, pausing briefly at its precipice, then stepping boldly onto its studded metal floor. It smelled strongly of chemicals in the steel and rock shaft. She looked up and around, it stretched as she'd expect upwards some distance, the end just barely in sight. The entire thing seemed to be guided on massive rollers held in place by metal guide beams.
"Amazing!" Twilight couldn't help but gawk.
"Erhm, Equestria to Twilight, come in Twilight?" Twilight jumped and looked back at Octavia, who had an eyebrow raised questioningly.
"Oh! Uhm yes, it seems safe, please come in." She grinned goofily, it wasn't her fault something this big and amazing was unprecedented in Equestrian architecture and engineering! "Now we just need to find a way to make it move, this seems like it will do the trick."
There was a yellow and black striped panel, with a small rotating yellow light atop it at one side of the metal platform. It had row upon row of numbered buttons and two small glass like screens.
Oooh, this could be tricky. Twilight wasn't sure exactly what any of it meant, the buttons were numbered, which might be where the floors or whatever they were referred to as. However she didn't recall she realized, which number the gene-ward or its block had been. It was several away too, not that she even knew which she was on in the first place.
Twilight only knew how many it was away.
She was sitting on her haunches, eyes clenched shut in thought, well eye.
"Twilight? Is everything quite alright? Is there something wrong?" Twilight glanced up at her fellow ponies looking on her with concern. "Is your... uhm, eye bothering you?" She shook her head no.
"No, it's alright really, I'm sorry I don't want you to worry, I just have realized I don't know how to use this thing either. I could guess but... I only have a clue as to how many floors we have to go but not which exactly." Apple Bloom and Octavia joined her by the strange console.
"Hm..." Octavia regarded the panel standing on her hind legs. Twilight thought she did that a bit too easily. Apple Bloom hopped up and down trying to get a look.
Slowly the cellist pony reached out a hoof and pressed the bottom right most button, with the lowest number. Immediately the door's began grinding shut, and the rollers began to descend the platform.
"Octavia?" Twilight took her turn this time at raising an eyebrow. "That can't be the right floor, the gene-ward is somewhere... in the middle."
She nodded rapidly at her statement. "Yes indeed, but you know it's just three floors down yes?" Twilight confirmed it, that should be correct unless she'd mismemorized its location. "Well I think this big red one is a stop of some sort, so lets just hit it when we reach that floor shall we?"
"Oh, Oh! Brilliant Octavia, that should work I do think you're correct." They shared in a congratulatory exchange and waited until the floor they sought rumbled towards floor level.
Apple Bloom gasped and began flailing her hoof in the air."Twilight! Twi! ohmuhgoodness Twi!"
"Yes? What is it?" She couldn't guess at all what had gotten the filly so excited all of a sudden.
"Please let me press the button? Oh please?" The two mares laughed and helped Apple Bloom reach the big red button.
Oh to be young. Octavia had never had much of a youth, but being around Apple Bloom certainly made her feel as though she were still a filly filled with all that energy.
The massive button depressed, the lift grinded to a halt just level with the new set of overly massive doors.
Twilight wondered calmly a disturbing thought dawning on her. Why did they need to be so big?
"Well, it worked fi-" Blaring sirens and bright red strobes erupted around them. Darkness came and went and Twilight heard the other two shouting and yelling in confusion. Her own gaze shot around the room. Water began streaming out of the surroundings and smothered them.
Twilight tried to reach out for them, Apple Bloom had darted in the panic that ensued, Twilight and Octavia shared fearful looks as they vainly tried to call for her over the din. The liquid streamed from the walls in rivers and mists so thick that after a just moment they couldn't see anything. Twilight tried to yell again and caught a mouthful of the foam, it had an acrid taste to it. This couldn't be water she realized.
The foam and bubbles were the size of her and building up everywhere.
Suddenly after several hectic moments, bright light streamed into the lift, the doors had begun opening.
"Head to the openi- gak guys!" Twilight shouted for the two earth ponies to get out but she wasn't sure if they'd heard her as she herself couldn't hear a response over the rush of the alien substance. She'd already lost track of Octavia.
Twilight pulled out of the lift and skidded as her hooves met smooth tile. She slowed to a stop and hurriedly began brushing the stuff off her face to see. Looking up she saw that two large machines flanked her. The suddenness of it catching her completely off guard.
They rolled passed her, towards the lift. She watched as they stopped at the open doors, and the sirens and liquid stream ceased. Behind her emerged a drenched Octavia from the lift, carrying a still more drenched filly on her back both very much resembling a wet cat.
"Are you two okay?" Twilight stood up and approached them, Octavia helped the filly down. Apple Bloom was shivering and staring around wide eyed everywhere.
"Ye-ye-I'm fine Twi'." She and Octavia shook the remainder of the substance out of their coats. "Wut was all that about?"
"I'm also unhurt." Octavia was wringing our her mane and scrubbing at her face to get what was left of the offending stuff away from her eyes..
Twilight was watching the two cart sized machines carefully, they seemed to be watching the transport shaft. On their backs were large containers of another liquid.
"I think they might be a kind of bucket brigade, for fires." It made sense she decided. "Let's hurry though, I don't want to stay and see if anyone else shows up."
The room was similar in size to the one several levels up back in Block:London. They were in another Block now she knew. Here the room was a semi circle intersection rather than a cavern like room built around the lift itself. The largest difference however was the different feng shui of the room. It felt and looked to the group much like a hospital would. Desks lined the tall wall which sat beside doors labeled with plaques.
The chamber extended outwards into varying hallways lining the curved wall.
Twilight and Octavia noticed the disarray the ground seemed to be in now. Random articles and even items and crates seemed to litter the massive entry room at random. Papers lay strewn around the floor near the desk against the wall opposite the massive doorway.
The lights in the branching halls were all a sickly yellow and dimmed just like the room they stood in, which added to the dismal feel of the stark surroundings. Trusting to Twilight's sense of direction they reached the wall and trotted while casting wary glances around them into one hallway. Behind them, the lift shut its doors with a foreboding groan.
"Not sure I like this place Twilight." The youngest of the three stayed securely alongside her older counterparts.
Octavia nodded to the filly's concern. She was becoming very anxious from the atmosphere, never before had she had to rely on someone else like this either which added to her unease
Her life had always been quite the calm experience. True she'd dealt with trying situations in the past, but never had she been forced to place confidence in somepony else. She glanced at the lavender mare's back.
If there's anyone I can trust though certainly it is Celestia's very own protege.
After leaving the entry room the white tile continued on going inside the hall. The earth ponies followed Twilight Sparkle down the length of the one she'd chosen for several minutes in the dim yellow light. The entire area had an unsettling sort of feeling to it, Octavia could only compare it to a dentist's office from the sense of hesitant elation it gave her.
Other than the occasional tall box, a peculiar thing with a window, some buttons and something inside of it, the hall was empty.
The two followed Twilight to one door, marked on the side with a random collection of numbers which Twilight squinted at momentarily before nodding to herself. They all jumped when the door opened unbidden for them, seemingly on its own.
"Oh, well that's certainly much easier. I was worried we would have to puzzle out yet another way to open a simple door. This is it Twilight, yes?" Octavia eyed the darkness inside worriedly as she quipped. "Also, is it just me or is that just a bit too dark?"
Twilight nodded agreement. "This is definitely the place, Octavia... At least I'm fairly certain this is where we need to go, anyway. The address matches. I don't know about the lighting. I'm not sure what to expect after all." The grey Earth Pony raised her eyebrow uncomfortably at her honesty.
Apple Bloom, however, stepped into the hallway, and illumination erupted into being along the entire length of it causing the three to jump. The filly gave them both a sheepish grin and Octavia frowned at her, but then sighed trying to resist a smile.
Twilight, already looking past Apple Bloom, gasped at what lay before them. Her companions quickly looked up and followed suit.
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Cliff hangers for days son!
I must ask but is this a military story?
I can't get into this, what is even going on? There's way to little information about all this.
"the doctor" should only be capitalized when referring to the mad man in a blue phone box whose hair is still not ginger. I assume this means you are referring to said madman's pony analog?
Did Twilight's... cybernetics... Call the lift? Otherwise I'm confused.
1957378 and that's why he's called Cliff Hanger! Can't -- hold -- on -- much -- longer!
Now we have Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie (The humans are doomed now), and Sweetie Belle (if this pattern continues and the third is found, not even Pinkie Pie could make THAT level of doom occur. And this time there's no tree sap in sight!)