P.O.M.A. Chapter 1

> by weirdjed

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> P.O.M.A. Chapter 1

> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The feeling of dread surrounded me. It drowned me in its ethereal glow like so many others. I am-no- was a pony. I felt hollow as I stared at my reflection. A small part of me laughed as I remembered a filly song that I used to sing back when I was a colt. But my cutie mark sure wasn't telling me anything besides that what I saw was wrong. This....... THING....could not be me. Yet, no matter how hard I tried to shake the image out of my head, it kept very much alive. I stared harder at my reflection. I was falling into it and yet the cold sting was welcomed. My hoof touched the mirror surface and it turned to liquid, quickly enveloping my arm. I thrashed about and used my hoof to try and stop the flood of silvery substance. It crawled higher and higher until it leaked into my mouth. I was suffocating. I am not a machine-I turned away from the truth because it hurt. I am a pony- I turned away because it was easy. I....am...say it. A…..coward.

………………………..

My head was cloudy and throbbing as I shot out of bed. I quietly held myself as I whispered a mental line over and over. "I am a pony. I am a pony" I looked at my hooves in fear they would resemble the thing that I saw in my dream. They weren't.

"Good" I said as I turned away from my hooves to stare blankly at the alarm clock. It was being dutiful as ever to wake me up at 8AM every morning. The blaring of my alarm clock indicated my hourly day job. I stared forward not giving into the alarm clocks resonance but soon found the grinding, piercing notes snapping my trance. My hoof swung in the direction of the snooze button and my body followed it unwillingly out of bed. I hit the floor on my side and the remnants of a rough night took me over. I grudgingly pulled myself up and swayed as the vertigo took hold of me once more. I tried placing a hoof on the table that sported the alarm clock in order to stabilize myself only to have it slip away. My face let itself impact the ground with a solid “thunk”.

“Grooooan”, I mumbled into the floor as I tried to deal with the pain that erupted from my skull.'The alarm clock laughed maniacally as it stared down at me. You win this time' I thought. I think I'm gonna just lay here for awhile.

‘What was that dream? It felt so real. Ugh, It's probably one more item to add to the infinite problems my brain has caused me over the course of these months. I’ll probably end up being the first person to die from a dream.’ I thought.

Besides the anger I felt towards that dream, it was more likely to be blamed on Luna the monarch. The princess probably had something strong before weaving my dream. Stupid Luna. ‘Actually'-I did a quick scan around my room-'good, no Nightmare Moon or her sister Princess Sunbutt.’ I shifted my attention to the items I had eaten the day before. ‘Maybe It was the eggnog I drank with my hay sandwich last night? Either way, a dream can't hurt me in the real world. Nope! Not at a- what is that buzzing?‘

I rolled my head to the side and noticed the phone that I had placed on the table was now laying next to me face down. ‘Greaat,' I rolled my eyes and gently lifted my head to get a definitive position on the phone .My vision doubled itself as I strained to focus on the small black object. I groaned again as I picked my body up and felt sick again. It passed after a few moments but the buzzing on my phone also stopped before I was stable enough to pick it up.

I rested my hoof on the alarm and then bent down to pick up the phone. Honestly I never really questioned my ability to pick things up as an earth pony but many; those that were a lot smarter than I, were working out principals for why it happened. I believe that the last discussion I had with my friend Involved him discussing a sort of magic that only earth ponies possessed. I honestly didn't care that much since I was busy playing with the early version of the pip-buck that was recently released by Robronco. ‘It had everything you needed and more so!’ Even though I spent all my time on it only playing the assorted games that were on it. ‘BUT in my defense, I do know there is more to them than just that. I just don't care.’

I flipped open the pad that covered the screen and read the messages that were new. ‘Oh, wait. It wouldn’t be a message would it.’ I did a mental face hoof and checked my voicemail. Scrolling past the random announcements, I found the voicemail and played it.

" Hello, Mr. pixel! Welcome to a new day in technology! I regret to inform you that the test we had scheduled for you this ‘Thursday 6.23.2.074' has been moved to ‘Wednesday. 6.22.2074,' The tumor treatment that has been scheduled will be performed by ‘ Dr. Tape on the, as before mentioned, date.. Please inform your blah, blah, blah; " The automated voice droned on and my already dazed mind latched onto a few words here and there but, all in all, it was just bad news. I snapped the phone shut after it reminded me for the fourth time this week to ‘take the D.I.F. before going to the test.'

I hated the setup but it's the only help I got. The ponies over at the ministry of peace left me with some pills for the pain and diagnosed me a due date on my life. I was just another number and prognosis in the long list of half-dead soldiers that flocked into the same building I was in. I remember the news and the feelings of powerlessness..Then Robronco came along and offered me a cure. Elated, I quickly signed up. Now I just wanted to get the treatment over with so that Robronco can mess around with one of those ministry mares instead of focusing all of their resources on a stupid experiment for me.

‘Nothing like being a guinea pig in the name of science!’ I thought. It wasn't the fact that I wanted to die. It's just a feeling that you get when you tired of dealing with the world.

I turned away from my phone and looked around at my apartment. The room was small for its price, and the neighbors less than friendly, but what can you expect in Hoofington? I trotted over to the table that sat by one of three windows that my dreary room contained and set my phone down. The wooden table seemed to be too bright compared to the phone but that could just be the ‘disease in my head' causing the distortion.

My eyes focused on the door to my bathroom and I trotted over to it. The bathroom was also not much to talk about due to it having just enough room for a toilet, shower, and sink in the confines of what was basically a closet. I had made it homier with a small cabinet mirror that housed my medicine and an even smaller photo of my parents that sat on top of the sink counter. I missed them, but not to the point that I would want to return. Seems a bit rude and lonesome but its just how I've lived my life for the past ten years.

‘Man, ten years.' if you had told me I would've chosen to be stuck in this city for this long, I would've laughed in your face and continued onward. 'I guess that says a bit about my character.’ I chuckled at that, then turned my attention to the cabinet.

My mane was a bit scruffy from last night so I licked my hoof and tried to pat it down. I might as well have had attempted at unicorn magic since my efforts just managed to make my hair look more like it was startled. "I've been blessed by Celestia with Mane-iac's evil hairdo! Whatever will I do!" I said to myself in the mirror with a hoof raised to my forehead in a sarcastic play at drama.. A small part of my brain berated me for doing something that might be considered crazy and preceded to scream bloody murder as the rest of my head stomped that small part into oblivion.

I opened up the cabinet and snatched the orange liquid. The cap gave resistance as I turned it and unscrewed it with the vice grip of my own two hooves. ‘Seriously why do they have to make these things so dang resilient?’ I tugged some more at it before the cap snapped in half and I struggled to balance the solution inside. I sighed at my own clumsiness but held the liquid to my lips regardless. "Down the hatch and hopefully not back up!” I said, as I poured it down my throat. It had the consistency of Rad-Away (you do NOT want to know how I know how that tastes) mixed with Sparkle-cola but its taste was coppery. Not bad but I definitely wouldn’t sell it as a commercial item that’s for sure. I threw the bottle towards the trash can and sighed in dismay as the bottle hit the edge once, twice, then fell out. I trotted over and set it inside the trash can before turning back towards my room to get some breakfast.

I sifted through the random cabinets to find some cereal and grabbed a bowl with my mouth. With a tug I yanked out a box of oatmeal, along with (to my dismay) paprika, a can of beans, a carrot, and a random empty bottle of Sparkle-cola. They all hit the ground beside me and I clenched my eyes shut as the sound of glass breaking erupted fr00om below me followed by soft thumps. I slowly opened one eye and aimed it at the mess. Yup, I’m going to have to take care of that when I get back home.

I stepped carefully over it with my bowl of oatmeal balanced on my nose, and sat in a chair at the table closest to the window. I took the bowl off my nose and inched closer to the window while I munched on the crispy flakes of oatmeal. Hoofington was before me in its resplendence and chaos. The streets busied itself by holding cabbies that zipped this way and that, whilst the sidewalks beside it carried the sophisticated class of ponies or diamond dogs that worked at the excavation sites or mines close to here. I never got why they were so sad all the time, but as a low-business class citizen, it wasn’t my ‘duty’ to care.

I sometimes felt bad about that fact. I often reminded myself on some more lonely evenings that my job in this war was to be a news analyst. I mattered and that is all that held me together. How can watching the tolls of death on the side of the zebras and ours be enjoyable? My job tasked me with “modifying” ,as they put it, information into lies that tell the ponies of this city that the zebras are losing more of their own than us, but, in reality, it's just proof of the pointlessness of this war. The no pony land outside of Hoofington eats more souls in an entire week, that belong to us, than the actual war front near Manehatten and Roam does in an entire month! This war threw ponies like Big Macintosh into the battle only to send them home in a body bag for a little dispute over coal and jewels. It wasn’t fair and I couldn’t do anything about it! I flung my hoof down in frustration and it hit the edge of my bowl casting flakes onto the side of my head. I snapped my head to stare at the bowl as if it defied me but I soon realized it wouldn’t do anything besides retaliation for what was done to it. What a perfect line to define my life. You won't and can't do anything unless someone gives you a bone or punches you in the gut.

I sighed and scraped the flakes that stuck to my fur onto the floor and grabbed the now empty bowl towards the sink. I trotted around the glass carefully and stuck my bowl into the awaiting rack that sat in a foot of water that I had filled past Monday. I then trotted towards the door and grabbed my coat and phone that sat together on the table. I pulled the coat over myself and stuffed the phone in a pocket near the front of the coat, before grabbing the doorknob and heading out of my apartment.

The decrepit walls of the apartment building greeted me like an old friend followed by the smell of cats. I headed across the hallway towards the stairs while looking out for my friend. He always greeted me on my way out but not in a friendly way. I would either find him hiding in a trash can that the landlord kept near the front entrance or behind a door that someone left open. It became a kind of tradition for him to attempt to scare me every morning but right now I did not need the extra heart attack. I saw a black tuft of fur poking out from behind a chair that sat at the end of the hallway. I lowered my body as I neared and prepared to pounce and release a guttural scream before I heard a yelp from behind me. Confused I turned around to see Shadow standing with a hoof raised in victory. I pulled myself off the ground and looked around the chair only to find a piece of fur crudely duct taped to the side of chair.

“ Well at least your getting more clever. Sad to say you didn’t get me.” I said with a sympathetic smile.

He slumped as he sat down and muttered “I thought I had you this time. It’s not fair that you can't be scared.” I looked him up and down noticing details that I had missed the last time I had seen him. His matt black fur lined a golden spike that shot with fiery vengeance into a mane that was just as black but with golden stripes in it. He kind of reminded me of a changeling sometimes due to the teeth he had, but after the whole incident in Canterlot I have been easy on the teasing.

“Any news I may need to know about Shadow? Please tell me Ms. FineShine is getting rid of one of those infernal cats.” I said to him.

His eyes perked up and he stood resolute as he said;” Sadly no, but, she may be pitching some of those old records she keeps. I’m thinking about nabbing her Elvis Ponley collection if she throws that out. Have you seen the prices those things can rack up? It’s like,50 bits for an intact record! Each!”

I nodded,” Thanks but I think I’m going to keep my hooves clean of the dust and dirt those things have probably accumulated over the years in her possession. There isn’t a single thing in her apartment that doesn’t have kitty litter or dust on it.” I shuddered to emphasize my point. “Anyways I have to go. Do you need anything before I get back?”

He shook his head ”Nope! I’m just going to hang out around here till something interesting happens!” With that he saluted me, trotted down the stairs and disappeared from sight. I swear he could watch paint dry and find it interesting. I trotted down after him and walked out of the apartment door. The streets of Hoofington were bustling as always and I soon found myself forced along with the crowd towards the center of the city.

I allowed the crowd to carry me until I spotted the bright green sign indicating the metro. My hooves led me towards the entrance and I waited for my turn at the ticket booth. Even though it was automated I noticed multiple ponies counting bits over and over as they faced the realization they didn’t have enough. Some of them just sighed and either left or attempted to ask ponies for one or two bits only to leave in dismay. I watched as one got frustrated at the lack of bits and decided to slam all the bits into the machine causing a ticket to spill out at the cost of the machine most likely being jammed.

‘Great. Thanks buddy, I really need that today.’ I trotted forward as the last person in front of me exited through the stalls. I stuffed the bits I had in my front pocket into the receptacle of the machine. The ticket came out slowly and I realized the ink had splattered over the writing but left the barcode untouched. I notified the pony behind me and trotted towards the stalls. The train sat farther inside the massive tunnel that cut through the earth just five feet below the ponies whom trotted to their jobs every day. It’s a shock that the city council got it built so quickly, but I'm not complaining, considering it gets me practically anywhere in a matter of minutes. I scanned the ticket on the small glass section of the stall and breathed a sigh of relief as it turned green and let me through into the boarding station.

I hurriedly pushed past the ponies that stood in front of the hanging signs and boarded the train. It was even more crowded than the streets outside considering every time I breathed it was either into someone’s shirt or their fur. I tried to squeeze past to get to a window seat, successfully making me look like a jerk. It was difficult but I finally managed to get close enough to a window that enabled me to watch things whipping past. A few colors stood out but my main interest was the tunnel. Tunnel #42195 was being constructed a few days before the first bullets started flying and yet it was never finished. A new tunnel was made to accommodate the loss of #42195 but they never explained what stopped it in the first place. I stared hard out the window until my heart seemed to slow down and the outside world came to a crawl. The looming door panel that covered the tunnel marked the point where many experienced nausea or some kind of sickness. I watched the door as time picked up again. Nothing was there and yet it felt...wrong.

My phone buzzed in my front pocket as the train pulled up to my current station which knocked me out of my trance. I trotted along with the crowd as we made our departure and stuffed one hoof into my coat pocket to retrieve my phone. I flipped it open to find a message from Robronco and immediately mashed the delete button. I did not need another “thank you” message from them. Last time I read one of those I almost ended up donating my brain to them on accident. There are some very sneaky programs out there and apparently Robronco owns them all. Returning the phone to my pocket I attempted at exiting the metro through the stalls.

To say it was packed was an understatement. Employee's hid behind the plexiglass-covered register terminals as ponies shoved each other to put their tickets on the counter. Once approved they shoved back through the crowd to get to the exit stalls and leave. As I made my way to the front a disheveled employee grabbed my ticket and slammed the stamper down onto the ticket. She missed it completely causing the ink to spread over her hoof which happened to be what blocked the attempt in the first place. Groaning, she put the stamper in a box to get more ink and pressed it firmly into my ticket. I picked it up and dashed out of the way of two business ponies that planned on taking off my head with their brief cases. It was relatively fast but I swear that mare had no idea what she was doing and was just approving tickets for access to the core.

The core, what an ominous name for the center of the city. The city hummed around me as ponies passed me as they went into the station or towards their random objectives for that day. The buildings were surprisingly bright and colorful the farther towards the center of the core. They were all relatively the same size making it seem like the walls had eyes that belonged to a crowd. In fact they probably did since half of the buildings were equipped with latest security technology from Robronco since the incident a few months back. It made everything you said or did become a bit cautious when it came to touchy matters such as the princesses or the war. I remember walking down here for the first time to visit my doctor and had bumped into a unfortunate soul that had triggered the military protocol on one of those Ultra-Sentinels that are set to patrol the perimeter of the Hub. Needless to say the pony was only able to mutter out a few words before he was vaporized into a pile of dust that could be barely held in a Sparkle-Cola bottle.

I sighed as I passed by the spot he was vaporized. I heard he was a technician for the Hub but all it took was a bad repair job and all he was a scorch mark that most passed by without giving it much thought. It was still there in the concrete. Nothing more but a black smudge due to it being 4 weeks ago, but a small bouquet of flowers had been decorated by the family with pictures of him and a small hat that I assumed belonged to him as a colt.

I looked longingly at the objects that so many disregarded because they were too busy. He didn't deserve this type of treatment nor did he deserve to die. I stopped myself and looked back at the tokens that were given to remember him by. I searched my pocket and found something that couldn't possibly make up for anything, but at least showed I recognized his existence on this piece of terra we call Equestria.

Nestled between the photos and a budding rose I set a few bottle caps that I had laying around. It seemed silly but it was something my family did for loved ones. Something physical, though worthless, took on a new amount of worth when given to another. This was just my way to give something I had.

I trotted slowly away from the site and noticed a few ponies watching me. Go ahead, watch me. Maybe you ponies can learn some decent respect for something you don't know about. It was true that not everyone in this city was as hard headed as those that were leading this war, but they were a close second.

I disregarded the stares and trotted towards Thalamus. A combination of multiple buildings, it stood taunt against the background of the core.

From the little information I was allowed, it seemed as if Thalamus was the gathering of specialized technologies such as flux or in my case, brain copying. In fact, this idea seemed more and more ridiculous when I thought about it. It was supposed to power new suits for war but anything past that was confidential. They probably only have a couple models built already but with the war going the way it is, and the recent event involving balefire healing, the models are most likely being given to Applejack for mass production.

I stepped through the glass doors of the building and gawked at the size of the inside. It never ceased to amaze me that building of this scale could be created. The lobby was decorated with advertisements, (as was normal for Robronco to do) but the rest of the space was filled with a table lined with seats and a few tables with machinery set on them. The main part of the room held a small receptionist who looked pleased that I finally arrived.

‘Oh shoot, am I late?’ I cast a glance around the walls for a clock and found one nestled in the corner. It read 9:00 which means- I am 10 minutes late. ‘Perfect..’

I opened my mouth to utter an apology but a stallion standing across from the receptionist butted in with a point of his hoof towards an elevator door. “This way please.” He let the sentence drawl on in a frustrated tone to imply the importance of my lateness. I didn’t even notice him due to his white fur that blended into the walls. I trotted over to him and attempted to read his name in order to give a formal greeting. He instead turned away from me and trotted into the elevator. I feel bad, I really do! But this guy is just being a jerk about it. Oh well, I guess I’ll apologize to Dr. Tape when I get up there.

I followed him into the small stall and let him press the button to the twenty-second floor. The entire ride up was filled with questions of my physical health and about two mentions of how he was glad that I remembered to drink the D.I.F...I actually had forgotten its name since its full name was made up of scientific mumbo-jumbo. I just summed it up as drugs for a secret organization when Shadow inquired about it.

I honestly wasn’t paying enough attention to these questions.- “And so it says here that you’re a mare. Is that correct?” The other stallion stared at me with a smug smile.

“Yes…..”I said and was promptly brought out of my daze when I realized what the actual question was.” Wait, hold up, that wasn’t fair!” He rolled his eyes and turned the board towards me. I hurriedly double-checked the previous answers and groaned as a lot of them didn’t look familiar.. My eyes scanned the page for something identifiable and found it…..at question seven out of 20.

“Ugh, I’m sorry but can we start back at question seven?” I said nudging the board sheepishly.

He gave me a blank stare and sighed heavily as he realized I wasn’t joking. He listed off the questions again and I made sure to pay enough attention to answer them correctly. Including a few that I am pretty sure he threw in out of spite since the amount of questions rose to 24 instead of 20. Something about IQ. We finished near floor 15 and the air between us became shockingly still.

“So, how much do they pay you?” I inquired trying desperately to quell the fire I started. He shot a look over at me wondering if it was a question or simple banter. Whichever he decided he didn’t seem pleased with it.

“Not enough. This company, though massive, doesn’t have the funding for small experiments like this. Even under Equine Synthetics I’m only making about four bits an hour.” He shook his head in frustration.

I thought that over and got caught on the name he mentioned. Equine Synthetics. It sounded unfamiliar but it made sense that the funding was coming from someone else. I was pretty sure what he told was confidential so I decided to let it go and strike up and conversation on the latest issue of Stable-tech propaganda. It was practically everywhere considering it was how the company got their money.

Vaults were expensive, but it saved you from whatever it is that the zebras would throw at Equestria. I didn’t have a lot of money so I decided to enlist in the applicant line. After a couple of weeks I surprisingly won a slot. It was to a vault numbered 54 near Hoofington and it’s location would take me maybe 30 minutes to get to. It may be a bit far but the fact that I was admitted into it meant that I shouldn’t waste the opportunity. Our conversation drifted off as the number kept climbing upwards

The number on the elevator kept rising until it suddenly stopped on floor 22. With a small ding the doors opened up to reveal a small hallway that led to multiple doors. The stallion suddenly was silent and motioned for me to walk towards the door at the end of the hallway. When I turned back he had already pushed closed the doors to the elevator and was on his way down.

‘Oooookay then.’ I moved down the hallway and noticed the doors that lined the hall. A few of them were open which allowed me to peek inside as I followed the carpeted hallway. A bunch of electronics and unknown faces greeted me and then turned back towards their work. Everyone was silent as they tacked away at the consoles before them. More rooms of the same quality followed after the first one until I came upon the door that I was directed towards. Behind it lay a large half amphitheater that filled up the space of the next two floors with its immensity. The cut off from the half amphitheater left a balcony on each floor that held important looking ponies. As soon as I stepped into the room the chatter that was rambunctious when I first came in became almost sullen as all of their eyes fell onto me.

‘Well isn’t that terrifying.’ I thought as I cast my eyes around to the assorted equipment that filled the amphitheater.

Towers of blinking lights and wires shot out of the darkness that sat at each end of the room. The wires were brought up towards the top of the room and were funneled down towards a chair that sat on the stage. Circles were drawn on the ground and each one linked itself to the chair as well. The machines were being manned by earth ponies and inside each circle was a unicorn. Off to the side of the path were more consoles that I’m assuming controlled energy flow to the chair due to the amount of dials and numbers that were increasing besides levers that were being operated by more earth ponies. Hanging on the walls were two massive tesla coils that resembled obelisks built by the ancient Egyptian Canines.

On the platform were two ponies that seemed almost like brothers if it wasn’t for the obvious difference in how they wore their black cloaks. One was a bit thin and had an orange muzzle that poked out of the hood in an almost humble way that was pointed towards my direction. The other was a greyish green that was shown in both his hooves and the muzzle that stuck out of the hood as well. He seemed a bit uncomfortable in the outfit due to his more “stocky” build that seemed intent on slipping out of the black cloak.

A man stepped near me and I read the small insignia that was written on a plaque mounted on the right side of his chest; “Dr. Tape”. He wore a lab coat that held a couple of medical instruments along with two pens that lay nestled in his front pocket. Near his front pocket was the name tag plaque and a small button that sat next to it. It contained a rather odd symbol which had a single head that sat on a three rings that were circled around it almost like an atom with a ponies head as it’s core. He had not worn that when I was with him.

“Nice to finally meet you in person! I’m Dr. Tape and those are my associates that will be witnessing the experiment. I hope you don’t find this that nerve racking.” His eyes darted towards the balconies and shared an awkward smile that was shared by no one besides me.

“Glad to meet you as well. Where do I go and what do I do?” I tried to undo the tension in the air by trying to get to the point and found that I had succeeded in relieving the stress in the doctor's face a little bit.

“Yes. Yes. Right this way!” He hurriedly got onto the stage and led me towards the chair that sat on the platform. As I trotted forward I took a casual glance at the unicorns sitting in a circle. Each one seemed to be in a sort of trance and didn’t seem to even notice I was even here. I leaned a bit closer to one that was near me and found a hoof placed on my shoulder.

“Ah, please don’t attempt to disturb them. They are pertinent to this experiment and it took awhile to get them this way.” The sudden voice shocked me as the cloak on the taller figure was near and had pulled back his hood to reveal the face of a thin stallion with orange fur and a bright turquoise mane that ended as abruptly as it started.. He seemed almost sleepy with the way his eyes were casually relaxed but their seemed to be something off behind his eyes. Some kind of force that didn’t belong in this world. It gave me the chills as I turned my attention on getting into the chair.

“Yeah you have no idea! Seriously it took about an hour or two for the spell to finally work.” The other pony in the cloak had a squeaky voice that didn’t fit the build he had but seemed perfect for the chubby face that currently poked out of the black cloak he wore.

The doctor and the pony with the orange fur helped me into the chair and started pulling straps over my body. It seemed strange that the bands reached towards my middle and then stopped allowing a separate band to connect to it. When they were finished strapping me in I looked forward to avoid panicking. If the doctor noticed it he didn’t give any inclinations to sooth me since he moved to the back of the chair quickly and started plugging items into something.

“So! While we are getting ready to begin, would you like a cup of tea or something? Not that we have any in this Celestia forsaken town but the thought is nice enough.” The orange pony stuck his hoof around the other pony in the black cloak and brought him to the front of me. “This guy is Snails and I’m Snips. I would like to say that your perfectly safe under our care.” He flashed a smile at me and nudged Snails who was busy staring at the ground.”Hm? Oh. Yeah, perfectly safe!” He grinned weakly and then pulled the cloak over his head again in a desperate attempt to shrink away.

“Yeah, I feel safe already.” I stared nervously at the fellow named Snails and eventually turned away to the restraints on me. ”Are we almost ready? I might miss my potluck at this rate.”

“Humor! I like that, it might just help you...you know with the pain and all..." He drifted off before snapping back to reality. "The electronics should be almost ready to go. Dr. Tape, are you finished yet?” Snails hurriedly trotted towards the back of the chair and out of my line of sight while Snips stood waiting for a response. A couple of clanks and the sound of a mechanical whirr came in response to the question. The doctor trotted out from behind the chair giving Snips a nod as he passed beside him and came to a halt awaiting orders.

“All right. Showtime.” Snips said in a hushed tone to himself as he fastened a metal medallion to his cloak and passed a copy of it to Snails who was behind me. Snips turned around and addressed the crowd.

“Today! Mares and gentlecolts we witness history as we perform the first copy of a soul.” He motioned in a glanderous way and pointed at me for emphasis.

Wait, what did he just say? He is going to attempt to use magic on my soul? I stared around me in a frantic panic as I tried to piece together what might happen. I desperately tried to make a noise but some kind of magic barrier held my mouth shut. Panic set in. I struggled against my straps to no avail. Everything looked so archaic that it was a miracle that the ponies that controlled knew what they were doing. I guess if he said it was safe I shouldn’t worry, but something felt….off about all of this. I thought he was copying my brain, but my soul is something else! The humming in the room seemed to be growing louder as he talked and I realized almost subconsciously that it was there as long as I had been in this building. It was here and will be here, and I was it’s prey.

“I am aware that many of you doubt that this kind of science exists but I assure both you and the subject that it is perfectly safe. Now then, let us begin!” He announced the final words in a victorious manner and turned towards Dr. Tape. With a nod the doctor dashed off the stage and started giving commands to the ponies at the consoles. The sounds of tic-tacking at keyboards and mechanical clunks of levers being pulled filled the air and the humming that I heard earlier became almost deafening. I tried to shout that I did not want to do this anymore but my efforts simply disappeared into the humming.

Snips turned towards me and words spilled out of his mouth that seemed ancient and powerful. They cut through the humming and I heard them with perfect clarity. “Η ψυχή αυτή είναι καταδικασμένη να σας. Φέρτε μου το αποτέλεσμα πιο επιθυμία.” The final words flowed around me in an almost snake-like way. It was spiralling against my fur and finally I swallowed them and felt it fill a certain part of me that felt attached but not a part of me. The eyes of Snips were alight in a dark wash and two slits of red shone out of the dark fire that were in his sockets. As the feeling inside of me filled me more and more I noticed the eyes and mouths of the unicorns that sat in the circles. Their eyes were alight with blinding suns and from their mouths spewed pure magic. Too old to be something that the princesses used and older still than the zebra curses of ages past. Electricity arced through the room and into the tesla coils that were in the room. The green electricity seemed chaotic and flowed of their own accord down into the chair where they circled the top and bottom of it like wendigoes. It felt strange to have this feeling inside me but then it suddenly became pain. Pain, unimaginable pain. I screamed my lungs out into the hum of the machine and found that I could not hear it. Light shot from Snips horn and wrapped itself around my chest. More pain followed that and I let out a scream that seemed inadequate to express the pain I felt.

And then…..I saw myself. I saw my anguished face screaming notes that were drowned out by the hum. I saw the chair alight with green and white magic along with the unicorns on the other side. And most of all, I saw Snails. His dark mass filled my entire vision and I felt weightless as he drew me towards him. I saw his body below but what was emanating from him was much more powerful. It wrapped itself around me and absorbed the feeling of pain I felt. Then I realized I wasn’t breathing. It was a distant feeling but when I stared into the dark mass that enveloped me I became terrified as I couldn’t find a voice nor my breath. I couldn’t feel myself no matter where I tried and most terrifying of all, I couldn’t see.

As the humming became more and more distant I heard a voice that hit me from the distant darkness. “Hello Pixel. You are going to be so much fun to play with. I wonder how long it will take to break you.” As it talked a face emerged that resembled something like a goat. It had a horn like one but its eyes and horns didn’t match each other while it’s white goatee added to the ridiculousness of the monstrosity. Inside the beasts mouth lay a tongue that stretched for miles. I was involuntarily moved towards it and I thrashed backwards. I couldn’t stop myself from gaining momentum. I moved past his teeth and into his throat where the beast let a loud cackle emanate.

In a desperate attempt I grabbed his uvula and hung on for all I was worth. But, as I held on the cackle kept getting louder and louder until I finally slipped and fell into his throat. The only response I had left was to scream and scream and scream as I fell down into discord and darkness.

P.O.M.A. Chapter 2

View Online

Falling down was really anti-climatic. I had long left behind my screaming antics since I couldn’t even hear it and because it hurt my throat. It was strange that I still felt that as I fell. I have to wonder what would happen when I hit the bottom. Would it hurt? Would I be killed after being killed? Actually, if I was dead, this was a really boring way to spend the eternity.

‘It could be worse’ I thought to myself while I pictured the numerous terrifying means of torture I could have endured.

As the wind whipped through my hair I found myself playing with the darkness which surrounded me. My arm cut through the air current and in my arms wake left soft patches of light that stood out against the darkness that surrounded me. The air current cooled around my hoof and I instinctively ripped it out. Little bits of frost accumulated on the end of the hoof that disrupted the air. I felt pain shoot through it and yet I couldn’t concentrate on where it came from. It was almost like I thought it hurt but in reality it was just exterior damage. Kind of like when you put your hoof through a candle and rip it out in order to avoid the pain of catching on fire.

The cold was getting worse as I went down. It continued to get colder until the wind abruptly stopped. In an awkward daze, I sat up and looked around to make sure I wasn’t still falling. It was still darkness but as I put my hoof down it hit something as hard as a floor. ‘I guess this is where I get off.’ I thought as I pulled myself off of the dark void and found it becoming solid as I became upright.

Darkness. I was wandering in it for what felt like forever. It was kind of cold as opposed to the trip down, but ,from what I could tell, it didn’t pose any threat to me. It was just an existing feeling that symbolized nothing more than the temperature of the air.

If only I wasn’t alone.

It seemed like a distant sadness; loneliness. It felt strange when I mulled it over in my head and I half-heartedly let out a sigh as I trotted forward. It wasn’t something I was afraid of necessarily but it’s imposing presence filled the air. The heart beat in my chest, the feeling of the air as it started to flow over me again, and the off shade of darkness that gave evidence to something grander. It was almost as if I was on a dark stage instead of a cave that lacked all natural light. I was an actor in a larger play that determined the fate of Equestria.

“Hello?” I shouted into the void. In response the hello was silenced.

All of this didn’t make any sense. ‘The experiment wasn’t supposed to do this, was it? Wait did I hallucinate all of those things and I’m actually in a coma right now?’ I mean it would make sense but it doesn’t explain my conscious thought process being the way it is right now. I thought you were supposed to experience a dream or something. ‘Maybe I am dead.’

“Come and see.” With abrupt importance a voice echoed back at me from the darkness. It didn’t sound like the one I cast into it and yet it seemed familiar. Almost as if it was mimicking me to the best of its ability and failed to small degrees. It sounded distant and cast far into the edges of the stage. I moved towards it and felt a tightening in my chest as I realized the possibility that I was being led into a trap.

Out of the darkness came another cry from the thing and so I followed it until it led to its source. There, on the ground, lay a small machine that held a small star at its heart. Another shriek echoed from its cavity and confirmed the theory I had. It coughed as it finished its shriek and from it’s open mouth came bits of smoke. It was a machine, yes, but it was alive. I could tell that much from the observation I possessed.

"It is afraid." The non-voice said.

’Afraid of who?’

"Afraid of the world that was destroyed, the heroines and heros who were killed, the mare in a celestial machine, and a mare drenched in blood. They were all tied together and somehow the thing that made it afraid was something much worse. Rather, it was afraid of the possibility that the world might become worse than what it was now. That through the violence that consumed normal pony souls might spread abroad and smother the lights that cast such brilliance that it held them, that chose darkness at bay. But only for a little bit, and only for some small goals. Some battles were fought and could not be won. It would make the world different in order to save them from themselves."

“Because of that it planned to eat another star and become a god. With the power of the world it would destroy those that opposed him and make others in his own image.“ A new voice drifted near the machine and I pulled my eyes towards where it came from.

It was dark and I almost thought I hadn’t heard it in the first place. But then..in the darkness erupted a light. A light, brighter than the souls that were scattered in the darkness, that came from the actions of four smaller lights and a single cluster of stars that had long passed. A star descended according to the machines plans. It was as bright as a sun and washed over my fur in a blue glow. All that was given to me was the ability to be a spectator to this event. It seemed to recognize my existence and drifted over to me. It touched a part of my mane and an electrifying shock went up and down my spine. It was powerful and in its splendor it lacked attention to the machines plans. Or so it would leave the machine to think.

“You are not done yet young light. All others have fallen and yet we face a new age. You, hero of old and new, bring forth new providence.” It looked at me and took on the form of Celestia. No, that wasn’t quite right. This alicorn was male. It was still as majestic as the princesses and I found myself kneeling before it. “Your story does not end here.” He laughed and took my head raising it up.

Suddenly his face took on many gruesome and terrifying forms. War, blood shed, peace, envy, greed, gluttony, promises, pride, love, death. The culmination of the wars past were brought before my eyes in a fashion I had wished I would never see. The images continued and I forced my eyes away from them.

“Where is the justice in this? That ponykind slaughter each other such as the past mythology? Are we so desperate to kill one another that we have lost the capability to look back and stop?” The alicorn spoke in a level voice.

I wept tears for them that were bent beneath wheels of government. For those that were thrown to the streets by poverty. And for those that were killed by ideologies that were never their own.

“There is none but what you deem is so. Look up again. There is justice for those that make it. But is that what you truly desire? Justice has no mercy for those that deserved it or not. Look up! See the justice you so seek.” Said the alicorn as he stood over me in his dark glow.

His glow spread over me and took on the shape of shadows. Ponies throwing each other at one another, ponies in salem crying for the hangings, those mourning the loss of a leader, and those that did something about it.

“I do not dare strange creature! Why does my soul bother you so much? I'm just a news analyst! I am not important and I never wanted to be! Please. Just leave me be…” I curled into a ball and watched as the blue-tinted glow drew back and took on a lighter shade. On my shoulder I felt the weight of the world and yet, with the hoof now resting on my face, it felt easier to carry. To continue on would mean to trudge through a nightmare. But to be honest, the world already is one. I stared back into the face of the alicorn. It smiled and pointed at the horizon.

A light like that of the sun cut through the dark stage in which we were standing on. It showed its might and cast the darkness into the deepest reaches and even farther than that. Along side it rose the moon and together they gave a last hurrah as they ascended and banished the darkness for a few precious moments giving place for the lights that were fighting alone, to unite in victory. As the light faded I turned back to the alicorn and founded him huddled next to the machine. The machine was weak, its dreams dashed long ago. It reached out to the alicorn trapped in the machine and drew it close to him. It wasn’t as perfect as it thought it once was. It wasn’t afraid of dying anymore, and with a final sigh he faded into particles that were drawn into the alicorn that now stood in respect to its passing. As he strode towards me I saw that they were together in peace. They were not an abomination but rather a completion. They were something that passed with the past age and gave life to times to come.

”You have plenty to learn about this new world. But know this, the images I showed you were real and are the current day. I am sorry that you were lost for so long, but now that I have found you, don’t waste your chance. I can’t say any more lest I challenge your fate. What I will say are words of encouragement. You, Pixel Alabas Shock, are still alive in more ways than you can imagine. Do not let your situation drive you to the point of insanity. More importantly, follow her.”

With a flash they left the dark void and left behind a small piece of scrap. I trotted over the dark floor and found that I no longer heard my heart. I could no longer feel my hooves as they hit the ground in front of me. In its place was the sound of soft thuds and a quiet whisper that haunted my movements. I scooped the item off the ground and I found myself floating once more. I examined the piece of scrap and noticed a small orb. This orb held everything that signified the existence of myself. I felt myself struggling to fight against the walls of the orb in a desperate effort to flee.

In response I drew it closer to my chest and breathed for the first time in what felt like forever. If only it lasted longer than a second then I could feel or create the illusion that I was alive. If only.

A whisper followed after me as the stage filled with light. It was soon forgotten by the lights that heard it, but before I forgot; I listened and echoed the words I heard to others.

“P. lay with the children

O. utside the stable doors

M. y precious machine

A. live”

The sound of metal scraping on metal snapped me out of my slumber. It rang clear throughout the room and fell silent as quickly as it had begun. Distant pitter-patters accompanied the movements of small rodents as they scurried away fearfully. I couldn’t see anything but I suddenly felt real again. With a “whush” and a “clank” the metallic bar that covered my head slammed into a holder above me. ‘Where am I?’ I thought as I scanned the room. My eyes picked out small shapes that seemed like boxes or pieces of garbage. It littered the floor and huddle around larger forms that I assumed were large crates and bookshelves. The only light in the room was from a monitor of sorts that was tucked away under more garbage on the floor.

“Hello? Doc? Doctor Tape? Wha-what is going on? Did something go wrong?” I yelled into the darkness and my voice echoed off of the metal components in the room and rebounded back in a little voice warped by contact with the wall.

No one answered.

‘This cant be right. Surely they suffered a power shortage and abandoned the building.’ I looked around the room again trying to affirm my belief. ‘Yeah, that’s what’s happening.’ But if they abandoned the building why did they leave me behind?

I pulled my body forward and felt a small tug at my scalp. I instinctively reached up to see if something was stuck in my hair and felt a small cord. Yanking on it left me with a small tingle that bounced around my body and then returned to my head.I panicked and pulled it out more violently and caused it to slowly slide off my head. The sensation of lethargy that I had before went away with the removal of the item. A small LED lit up near my eye which read 100% and quickly ran away to the edge of my vision. ‘Oooook then.’ I slowly got up again and found myself on my haunches. Leaning towards the ground, I let my front hooves touch the floor in order to start going forward. For some odd reason, the movement felt awkward and I felt myself recoil back into an upright form. I tried bending down again but my movements refused to let me go down on all fours. Again and again and again and again. I went down and frantically grabbed onto the floor in order to keep myself on the floor but only found myself upright again. I started {hyperventilating} and kept trying at my futile attempts and found them no better than before.

I screamed out in frustration and fear. “Doctor Tape?! What the hay is going on?! Why! Can’t! I! Move!” I lashed out at the mechanical wiring behind me and found my hoof ripping through it easily, tangling wires around my arm. With a metallic clang I hit the metal parts of the chair and drew back in pain. The jolt was centered around the end of my hoof but as I looked for damage I found that I had soon forgot what it felt like in the first place. It was strange, but no matter where I looked I saw no cuts or bruises that would normally {blossom under my fur. Even stranger, the chair that was installed in the dim darkness now appeared warped in the area I hit.

“No.nononono..” I leaned down again in order to affirm my fears and felt myself automatically rising again. The movement was automatic like that of my normal legs. But they weren’t mine.

”This can’t be happening.” I stared blankly ahead at the dark wall that leaned towards me menacingly. The shadows spilled around my knees and I felt the panic in my breathing. Yet I could not hyperventilate no matter how I tried to feel panicked. I couldn’t feel anything. Staring at the shadows I curled into myself and did what anypony would do if they were stressed.

I shut down. My body hit the floor as I felt myself fade out like a broken light bulb. Yet, my eyes were still open.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

>>>>>Command line Alpha Delta DEVX RUN

::Operation; Serv. !(*$@*# ERROR ERROR ERROR

>>>>>Command line not run. BACKUP load…………………………………………………………………………DONE…………

>>>Command line Alpha Delta PAS RUN

::Operation; Service SYS. CHECK……………………………………………………………………………………….....................

…………………………………….SYS. CORE AI SOL<<< PAS REPL AI DEVX OK. OK.>>>………………SENSE CR NON-OPERATIONAL………COMMAND………….YES……NO…………NO: INPUT DETECTED…..DEFAULT SET…………...

………ERROR COMPATIBILITY NOT FOU!@$(#<<< OVERRIDE DETECTED……..COMPATIBILITY OK

ERROR LCD DISPLAY DAMAGED>>>UNABLE TO DISPLAY: STANDARD OVERLAY<<< SOLUTION.........................ERROR.............…………………….FINISHED

>>>TURN ON

“THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!” The sound of something bashing down onto a piece of metal rang clear in my ears.

Pieces of broken data fluttered past my eyes and disappeared to the side like they did when I awoke the first time. (96% 10:01 AM) the final numbers flittered and died as my eyes focused on the floor. I couldn’t think of anything besides getting up.

'So get up then.' I thought to myself.

“Thuump.SQQQUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-CRRRASH!” A deafening roar filled the air and quivered as a piece of metal let out a soft sigh and fell to the ground. The soft thumps of something coming closer echoed hauntingly in my ears.

‘I couldn’t move. I can’t move. Why. WHY!? Move. MOVE. MOVE! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE! Move….why can’t I move…I’m afraid..please no.’

I slammed my hooves against a mental gap in my head and forced my eyes to search for the sound. ‘I need to move!’ I screamed in frustration at myself as I hid in the farthest corner of my mind. I wasn’t there. No matter I did, I didn’t move. I looked in desperation as the thumps came closer to where I was and eventually blocked the soft light that emanated so far away. What replaced it was a piece of flesh. Soft thumps from behind the thing accompanied a rustling as it moved towards the wall besides me.

More shuffling and a feeling of terror shot through me. It was a pain as cold as ice, like fingers that gripped my heart in a tendril that would not be so easily broken. I slowly moved my eyes up the piece of flesh near my head and found wires torn through it in poor sinews of medical practice. It was almost as if something attempted to make a cross-stitch with the wire but utterly failed causing more injury to itself than fixing it. Up, up, the amalgamation of science. Up past the horror of eyes that did not belong in places where they sat in defiance. Past the pieces of glass that cut deep into flesh and bone while wires and blood as thick as tar tied the items in place. On top of the flesh sat…something. A single head poked its broken neck towards my direction and lazily rolled its eyes towards me. From the darkness, rose another head, and a single bright red eye. An arm swung out of the darkness, scooping me from the ground and bringing me up towards the red lights. The arm was composed of a metal hook and clamp which swung my limp body from my leg while my head stared into the ominous creature. I wanted to scream, but I had no mouth that would accept it. I wanted to feel fear, but I had no heart to feel. So I stared at the beast.

Then it spoke.

Words spilled from broken speakers nestled near the ends of the two heads and the bright red light lessened to reveal a third face. A stallion, a mare, and a colt. The faces were construed in pain, the eyes and soul long past the death sentence they had received. It was alive, in its own way.

“What do we have here?” The stallion studied my face as I stood still out of fear.

“A useless drone, throw into the pile!” The mare screamed at the stallion while she turned her head towards another piece of metal on the ground.

“It looks like us. Mama, can we keep it if it looks like us?” The young colt head swung limply while wires hung taunt holding the head into place near a piece of machinery.

“Nonsense! It’s just another drone like the rest of ‘em.” She raised a hoof and swung near my arm. Something fell to the ground with a limp splat. “What the hay! My arm! It took my arm! That beast!”

“Now, now. That arm keeps coming off anyways. Besides! I think don't this is a drone. In fact, I think it has some @(#::@LL# on it.” Lines of data ran past my eyes again showing errors whilst bright lights accompanied it.

I wasn’t at the helm anymore. IT was.

“What are you talking about? Surely @$:#$%( he should have died!” DIED DIE DIE DEID DIED DIE DIE

DEATH COMES TO ALL$#(@>#@L$:!>#ERROR ROROROESEIR

My hooves slammed into the skull of the stallion first. Ripping bone from metal I stabbed the arm that swung desperately in my direction with the pieces of machinery that composed its chest. Squeals of terror erupted from the mouths of others while I silenced the tendrils of wires that snaked across the speaker. Flesh separated here and there as my hooves pounded into anything that came close to me. I wouldn’t let a single bit of this thing exist. I raised one hoof to release into the colts head one more time. It was obliterated underneath the strength of metal on flesh. Nothing could touch me. Nothing CAN touch me. NOTHING! NOTHING! NOTHING! AHAHAHAHAH! AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAH! ‘The final screeching noises the barely resembled voices crawled out of the mess of a body that was left. All it said was “save us.”

"I've not had this much fun in decades! Oh, this body is so much fun! Ahahahah!" The thing at the helm was giddy as he tore through the remains of the beast.

And the thing just laughed and laughed as it kept pounding away until the screeching noises cut out abruptly and the silence drowned everything.

……

………<SYSTEM REBOOT>

……………

‘What happened?’ I opened my eyes and stared into a hole in the wall. I was on two legs again.'So, I wasn't dreaming?' I wiggled a leg forward and fell forward from the awkward pose I put myself in. "Oof!"I hit the ground and heard a rather squishy sound eminate from under me. I rolled over and desperately scooped most of the gunk off of me.

'Gross! What is this? A rotten muffin?' I got up on my two hooves again and grudgingly gave in to the weird movement it gave me. I stared down into the dark space my two legs occupied and thought a simple command. Forward. 'If I can't do it, maybe I don't have to.' My legs sat dormant as if defiant to my previous attempts.

'Please work?'

In response my legs drifted one in front of the other in the normal fashion that they should have if I was on all fours. It wasn’t as freaky as it seemed, but what was unnerving was that I couldn't remember anything past me waking up. I looked behind me and examined the dark outline of the chair. Fluid sloshed around my feet and I found myself wondering what happened. There wasn't anything that indicated the sudden spawning of this liquid. 'Let alone anything what causes "this." I thought as I hesitantly stretched one hoof over a dark blob and found it easy to balance on one leg.

‘How?’ I can’t keep blaming the experiment for this. Can I?

I trotted on two legs over two pipes and looked down again. ‘Where am I?’ Memories flooded back to me like a tidal wave and I found myself looking at my hooves that seemed to be covered in something. It was too dark. I looked up and observed the broken glass window that held a blue glow. The broken seat sat alone in the corner. The pieces of garbage that sloshed as my hooves trudged through them broke apart easily and allowed me to walk over to the window. I stuck my head against the window and I searched the room on the other side for the blue glow. There, on the ground, sat a stick that cast shadows on a cylindrical object that seemed be colored a faint blue. The shadows stretched towards the walls and revealed tendrils of tar that crept into the darkness and from the darkness back again. It look alive and throbbed as the light desperately pushed it back. I felt the windows until it stretched into a wall. The wall continued into the darkness and so I followed it in search of a door. A piece of glass bumped against my hoof and a whisper accompanied a brush of air that {tickled my fur} as it went up. I tried to remember the feeling again the same way I would if I had taken a sip of sparkle-cola. The feeling was fleeting and it took more effort to remember it than it did to just move on.

I shrugged at sensation and felt around for the dark entryway. The end of my hoof hit the edge of the wall and I swung my hooves onto the cold tile through the entryway. There, in the darkness, sat a single stick of light. I trotted over to it and felt my legs hit something. The cylindrical piece moved in retaliation and fell out of the sticks glow. ‘Curious?’ I squinted my eyes to see into the darkness but found nothing of any worth. I bent down to pick up the glowing stick and held it up to my eye.

‘Its soft glow comes from a chemical known as C2Fe$%!@He6. Also known as holo-sticks to those that use them commonly. ‘

Text filled my screen as I brought the stick away from my eye.

“ AAAAAH!” I screamed in response to the abrupt text and flung the stick to the other side of the room. It landed against something hard which gave a solid ‘thunk’ as metal collided with concrete. The light left me in the shadows but cast its glow on a metal handle that sat next to a glass panel. 'What was that!?' I thought as I felt my face for the something that might have caused that. It returned empty so I sullenly disregarded it. I trotted over towards the stick again making sure not to step on any of the larger pieces of metal lying next to the light. I let my eyes trace the panel and eventually found a solid button lit by the fluorescent glow of the light. I pressed it and was met with a plastic clicking.

"VRRrr VRRRrr VRRRRRRRRRR-KAFF! KAFF! KAC-RRrrr" Sparks flew put of the darkness a few feet away from me and I trotted over to peer inside. In the darkness loomed a massive device that seemed as big as the generators in hoofington. To the side of the machine, a dark yellow light spilled into a dark cylinder and the sounds of hissing slithered there way through the window between me and the machine. Loud clanks eminated from the machine and I heard the telltale signs of rust as it squealed into a locked position.

"Beep." The sound of a timer or notification alarm came from my left. "Beep." It sounded off again and I turned my attention back to the panel that sat in the wall. The button was a soft red that faded in and out of color as I trotted over to the panel. Curiosity took over me and I found my hoof hovering over the button. "What's the worst that could happen?" I mumbled under my breath as my brain listed off the many things the 'could' go wrong.

Another click on the panel caused the machine in the other room to begin moving and turning. Earth pony tech took its simplistic approach to the question of how to get energy by turning gears and motors in order to generate electrictiy. The only problem was finding something to push those gears.

The ground shook as the entire building surged with unfiltered electricity and something distant started it's progress once more. The sound of the engines turning again brought me close to the window that looked out over the great machine. With a mighty "WUMPH" a piston came crashing down into its rested position thus shooting another piston into the air only to come falling with the same vigor as the previous one. With each fall the lights which faded into existence and become as bright as the suns in which they were built to encapture. The squealing of rusted gears and mechanical equipment made the machine seem tortured as it continued to get faster in its task to supply power.

The inside of the room suddenly lit up as massive industrial lights shed their light on the machine and I found myself terrified at what I saw. Inside the room lay the engineers whom tried to fix the engines. Black goo laced the floor panels and threaded into the bodies of four different ponies dressed in bright yellow vests. As the engine made another revolution the bodies quivered as the goo separated slightly to reveal a mechanical shard that belonged to the dormant piston that hung silent from the top of the machine. A jet of steam shot out with fiery ferocity and scalded the arm of one the dead bodies. It didn't move as the steam raced back into the machine just as quick as it came out and the goo slid back into place. The other two bodies were stuck to the walls of the engine with parts of the goo spooling around one to lace in and out of the machine walls like wires. The fourth body seemed mostly intact and lay lifeless as goo covered it's lower half like an odd blanket.

"Celestia, no." I frantically looked around for a way into the room and found a door to the side labeled with the words 'Aux. Engine'. 'I need to help them! Are they dead? Oh please tell me I'm not too late.' pictures from the past flashed in my head and I found myself running through the door .

'Don't leave me' The face of the stallion whom died weeks ago turned his gaze towards me. Blaming me for not being able to save him

. "It's not my fault!" I frantically threw myself over the banister that surrounded the catwalk that overlooked the engine and felt the bar bend beneath me. With a "crack!" the floor split uderneath my body hit as it hit it full force. I wobbled as I attempted to get up and as such gripped onto the heavy metallic substance that made up the support beam for the catwalk.

'You let me die.' Shadow looked at me mournfully and cocked his head in the normal fashion he used when he was confused.

'It wasn't me! I was a bystander and he took the bullet. I'm innocent.' The words seemed weak when I said them out loud. My flustered nature only served to slow me down as I inched closer to the bodies.

“I’m innocent.” I said to the dead corpse laying before me. Its head cocked to the side, its bloated body was festered with black goo that seeped in and out of cut orfices. It was a colt that seemed to be built physically before his demise. His face, though sagging from post-mortem, hung tight around a set jaw bone that made it seem like this was a head staff, or at least someone to be respected. The arms of the colt were smudged with old and blackened blood which stuck to the fur giving it a matted look. ’What happened to you?’

I continued to the next body and did a military assessment on the vitals of the pony stuck to the wall.

“PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH!” Steam jetted out of the port again and I stepped out of the way instinctively to avoid getting burned. The pony on the wall however could not and was promptly scorched by the vapor. All that was left of the right side of his face was a small bit of fiber tissue that clung desperately to the bare skull it was exposed on. Any signs of what gender this pony was erased by the machines repetitive actions of melting the pony.

‘I’m sorry.’

My military flash-course reminded of the importance of identifying bodies and I found myself scanning the rest of it for anything I could use. The remaining part of the face was a flattened mess that had been shaped to the skull underneath but miraculously a tuft of hair was snagged on a piece of metal next to the back of the head.

‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry..’

I reached around and grabbed the tuft between my hooves. Blue, as blue as a robin’s egg. Not helpful but it somehow felt important to me. I turned back to the corpse and noticed the orange jacket that hung around its neck and became torn near the stomach. Nestled on the burned side of the shirt was half a name tag that sat forlorn on the shirt pocket. I quickly snatched it before the steam blew out again and I turned the card back and forth in my hooves.

The numbers 82930-443 finished a long list of numbers that continued past the missing section. The picture was missing entirely besides a white edge that probably belonged to the person. Set to the right of the picture was a name,Doppel Gänger, and below it was a symbol of three rings set around a head.

I turned towards the rest of the bodies. ‘Dead, they were all dead.’ They sat dejected among different machinery and pieces of metal. ‘What happened here?’

I clutched the piece of fur and name tag in my hoof and slowly trotted over to the next body. With a small gulp I poked my head over the corpse on the floor and found a mare dressed in the same outfit as the rest. Tendrils of black spiraled over her stomach and coiled into a ball near her shoulder. She didn’t have an arm in the first place so it seemed like the goo was positioned where it should have been as some kind of replacement. ‘Strange. I wonder.’ I leaned over and reached out a hoof to poke the goo. It recoiled from my touch but felt strangely metallic to the touch. “Humph. Odd.” I said out loud and turned to the last two bodies. They both seemed covered by the tendrils of goo but for some reason it looked like one of them was moving.

‘Wait, no it was moving!’ I hurriedly dropped the tuft of hair and nametag and bolted over to the moving body. As I skidded close I looked in fear as I saw a piece of metal jutting out of the leg leaving it bent in an odd angle. Then another piece showed up in his arm pinning him to the ground until finally a dark shaft of rusted metal jutted out of the chest cavity. Black tendrils pried at the metal hopelessly as they spiraled around the back of the pony and spilled over to the other bodies. Cables tugged at the goo as they fled away into a dark corner of the room.

His eyes frantically dashed back and forth before settling on me. His pupils shrank and a tiny squeal escaped his lips and his left arm started thrashing in my direction. ”Stay back! I-I am dead! Yeah! Go away you stupid robot!” He squealed again as he realized all too late that his movements had caused the shaft to embed itself deeper. A small gurgle came up his throat and he hacked up a piece of black phlegm.

I didn’t know what to do. They don’t exactly train you for this type of situation in school. I looked over him and noticed the same orange jacket poking through the gaps in the black tendrils. He was smaller and appeared to be a younger worker, probably in his early twenties. A dark red mop of hair stood in contrast to his white fur that seemed spotted towards his feet in the same dark red as his hair.

‘Also why did he call me a robot?’

“Hey, calm down. I’m not here to hurt you. What happened here?” I calmly moved over to his head and did my best to sit down. It managed to turn into a slight fall that landed me in a crouch on the two legs that I had.

He looked at me with a terrified expression before falling into a hacking fit again. After he finished, another black blob had been thrown from his lungs. “What is-no, who is controlling this DEV-X unit? Whoever it is send help! They-they broke containment. We had to se-“ He suddenly cut himself off as his frantic actions caused the metal resting on his chest to settle closer to the ground. A scream escaped his mouth and tears of pain formed around his eyes.

“Stop talking! Look I don’t know what’s going on or who you think I am but just tell me how to remove this.” I motioned towards the menacing metal poking out of the black goo and he lazily turned towards it.

“You can’t do anything. I’m already dead.” He poked at the end of the metal with his left arm and cringed as the slight movement wiggled it around his body. “This metal came from the cylinder block for piston 6. It was so rusted we had to replace it. Then-then..” He stopped talking and his arm dropped limply to his side. “How long has it been? The power was turned off in order to quarantine the area. I was left behind. I…I died.” He stared at the metal embedded in his chest and the cables resting near his head. He realized the haunting truth.

“What do you mean? You look fine to me!” I tried a faint laugh but it died as he turned towards me with cold eyes.

“Kill me. Tell Lyra that Check died in peace. Tell her….tell her I didn’t end up like them.” The pain showed through his eyes and more tears flowed down his cheeks.

I recoiled in shock. ’Kill him? What the hay! No! Not again!’ I desperately yanked on the piece of metal stuck in his arm. “No! I can’t let you die! Think about staying alive. Don’t leave me here alone!” I heaved once more on the metal and it’s brittle part snapped in my hooves leaving a gaping hole in his arm that ended near the bottom in metal. To my amazement the black goo suddenly flooded the hole and immediately hardened.

He stared at me in bewilderment and sighed as he pulled a photo from his pocket with his left arm. “Here.Take this. I understand.I’m….asking too much.” He handed me a photo and looked away. “I never got to tell her properly so, since I’m going to be gone soon why don’t you tell her? As soon as that generator is shut off I'll be reset again.”

I grabbed the photo carefully with my hoof. I turned it over and noticed a lime-green pony with white and light blue hair standing next to the pony before me. They both seemed happy and appeared to be wearing the same outfit with a massive sign behind them, Equine Synthetics. “Who is she? How do I find her? What do I tell her?“ I bombarded him with question after question and he just shook his head as more tears rolled down his face.

“Go to the Omega Quadrant. You should be able to find an access tunnel labeled 2-F. As for the message. Tell her-“ He hacked again but through the coughing he sputtered and spit out the black goo in defiance. ”I’m not being reset again!” He said.

Fire burned in his eyes and before I could stop him he grabbed hold of the piece of metal with both arms. “Tell her I loved her.” With a small twist the metal was plunged downward and into his spinal column. Along its way it managed to nick his heart that was beating faster and faster. The cables beside him unplugged and slithered away into the corner. His eyes rolled up into the back of his head and his arms limply fell to his sides as his heart beat once, skipped a beat, and stopped.

At first it was silent as my brain tried to comprehend what just happened. Then I got up and trotted away from the corpse and over to the staircase. All I was left with was a quest and the menacing noise of the engine chugging up. Down. Up. Down.

I screamed in anguish. I don't want this. I never wanted this! Yet my cries were unheard and drowned by the chugging of the uncaring machinery laying below in the wake.

P.O.M.A. Chapter 3

View Online

Tears. They were flowing from everyone except for me. Emotionless, maybe. It was probably best not to think on things that make you sad.Think too hard and it will drive you mad.

‘Irony.’ I thought. ‘First day on the field and they send me here?’

I glanced around at the truck bed that kicked and bumped along the broken road carrying us to 2-A. Four other ponies sat in the cart bed with me, accompanying my misery. I shot a look above in response to a screaming whistle. A trio of pegasi zipped by with ammunition and guns strapped to their sides like some kind of odd backpack that had sticks poking out at odd angles. The other ponies in the cart all looked nervous, but I knew that they wouldn’t give up this chance lightly.

Canon, our film-pony, was busy cleaning his camera with a dirty rag that he always carried around. His repetitious actions would be annoying if I didn’t give it validity for his nervousness. I heard from the others that it was the same rag that gave him his cutiemark but then again he didn’t talk much so the story stayed mostly a rumor. Story of this entire war right there.

I smirked but then let my face fall flat as I rested my eyes on the next pony. On my right sat “hunk” Cookie, whom was eating a sandwich at his usual time. I pulled the military clock that wrapped around my right hoof and read the amber numbers; 1:10. I examined him for a watch and found none which confirmed my theory. He always ate lunch around this time and won’t let anyone stop him until he is finished, though usually it’s 1 on the dot. It makes him a bad employee which is why he was teased about it constantly. But he is a rather good clock to those that look forward to their musty apartments. His horn shone a dull blue light that lit up his sandwich in a way that he could tell where it was without flat out missing his face due to the overcast sky. It might rain soon but with Cookie he can make it as bright as midday with his light-magic-thing, he does. I frankly didn’t understand it, due to not having a horn in the first place being an earth pony and all, but I have been told that it is like trying to squeeze yourself through a small hole and staying there for the remainder of your usage of that type magic.

The pegasus that sat across from me was named Sonic. His eyes lazily crawled across the field of mud we were headed to, disinterested. He held a boom from a shortened pole that was usually, and was, accompanied by the massive box we nicknamed “Tesla.” Sonic was the most hardened out of us as well. He was grounded a year ago by a stray missile but that did little to cover his service in the battle “Little Horseshoe.” His crippled right wing allowed him about as much mobility as a brahmin that was thrown off a roof with a parachute, however. So he took up a job that allowed him to get paid and still fly. The other pony that sat near the front was named Candle Wick.

He was our designated protector for this trip but it was already seeming like the flame thrower, which hung around his neck and dropped loosely into his lap, was of more importance than all of us combined. His position wasn’t deserved. He had managed to torch a village over in Roam and Luna awarded him the highest of honors in naming him corporal when he had only been in the military for three months.

In reality it was an accident that happened when he was tossed from a downed cloudchaser which was on route to destroy a cargo train headed for the front lines near Manehattan. He had swam across and gotten lost in his efforts to find the cargo train or some kind of point of reference. When he had seen zebras he decided to follow them and then unleashed Tartarus on their front door step with a stolen flame thrower. He still had that flame thrower when he got back, but since the military deemed it traitorous to own such a thing; they took it away and replaced it with a unicorn built prototype of the original. He rejected it and destroyed the only copy in front of the unicorns that built it then stormed away. Now he picks up flame throwers from the zebras he kills then wastes all of it’s fuel before throwing it away. The technology to make the flame crystals was as sacred to the zebra as it was to the unicorns on our side, but to him it was sort of personal goal for him to find the perfect one and use it to its fullest.

“Hey Candle, what number is that? 10? 15?” I pushed the subject in the air in hopes to put aside the frigid air that filled the wagon.

He looked away from the small flame he had created from the end of the hose and looked over at me. He thought for a minute and then turned away. “Close. 17. It has a broken handle though….I’ll probably throw it at General Cupcake when we get there.” He smiled a bit. “Maybe it will act as a good luck charm.” He said as he fiddled with the backpack again.

“There is nothing lucky about being ambushed before we even get into a war zone.” Cookie mumbled under his breath.

Candle exaggerated his movements as he sighed in reaction to Cookie. He then shrugged and turned his attention back to messing with the flame crystal that sat in the backpack of the flamethrower.

I looked over at Cookie and noticed a saddened expression fall over his face. I couldn’t blame him. Even I was still feeling the loss of Static White.

He was our battery operator that manned the “Tesla.” I knew how to operate it as well but Static volunteered to do it so quickly that I got stuck being the interviewer for this assignment. He was shot a few hours ago when we entered the outer rim of 429-Hoof. A squad of zebra “cloakers” had been laying in the mud beside the road and when our cart passed by they shot a wheel out and charged us.

Static managed to use the massive battery box as a barrier and put it in front of him to protect us as we got off and hid behind the cart. Candle had shot them one by one from behind the broken cart eventually but when he had finished the zebras had put enough holes into Static that when we took the “Tesla” from his hooves, his arms fell apart and the body collapsed into itself. As gruesome as it was, Candle let loose on all of us and made sure we put the wheel back on correctly. Then we left him, dead and unremembered by anyone but us. All that was left was the dinged up box that encapsulated the spark battery.

-One pony stepped on a tomato, one pony heard it go squish. One pony ate dinner and the rest had none.

Saying it like that makes it sounds impersonal. After all, he was just a battery operator. Replaceable. Just like the many cogs that fuel this war-until eventually the cogs break faster than you can replace them.

Everyone in here was someone from the conscription rounds that went off occasionally around the outside districts of Hoofington. I remember the role call at the company I worked for. I was a reporter ,yes, but they had me sitting behind a desk with a type writer day in and out. All I received from the higher-ups were projects no one wanted to do, so I ended up getting things like writing on the status of the food reserves going in and out of the trenches, or the one-thousandth report on the zebra named Zecora. I took that role call and headed towards the sector in a heartbeat.

‘Too late now’ I thought as I looked to the front. The iron wearing ponies started slowing down bringing us to a halt at the entrance to our assigned position. A wooden box painted a muddy green held a mare behind glass windows. She glanced at the indicator plate on the side of the wagon and spun around to a panel behind her. With a press, the bar in front of us raised and the dirt path turned into concrete as we pulled into the small base. The walls of barbed wire soon also ended and opened up into a open platform where many ponies were preparing ammunition crates and sorting weaponry. The pegasi from earlier were standing awkwardly as unicorns unloaded all their cargo into seperate bins. Everyone was in various states of annoyance. A few look up at us but then turned back to what they were doing. Tents shed warm lights onto the slab of concrete in front of them and at the end of the road lay a concrete brick they called a headquarters. In the far corner of the base lay two hangars which sat open and held something dark, too indistinct to make out clearly.

Candle set the backpack onto the floor and pointed his hoof at the concrete brick sitting in the middle of the encampment. “That’s where we are headed. Mallet, you can stop here and head to the front to grab some ponies if you want. The rest of you, off!” His direct orders raised an eyebrow from Sonic but he nodded anyways and hopped over the side of the wagon onto the concrete. Cookie and the rest of us followed suit while Candle knocked on the wood of the wagon to give the all clear. Then, with a scrape and a clank the wagon was pulled away by the two iron horses in the front. Candle started moving towards the building with the flame thrower proudly hefted on his back and the nozzle bit in his mouth.

I looked over at hunk and the sandwich that he had was quickly stuffed in his mouth as he tossed the “tesla” on his back and held it there with a hoof. He looked up at me and stated a muffled remark. I laughed which sounded slightly strange in the stagnant and quiet air we were in.

“Hunk, no one can understand you if you stuff food in your mouth. Also do you need a hoof with that? All I got is this.” I said. I threw my head at the microphone and wires that were attached to my backpack mounts that helped to secure it in place.

He leaned his head to the right and adjusted the box before nodding his head. I moved over to his side and shrugged the “tesla” onto my shoulder and motioned for him to go with my free hoof. We soon caught up with the rest of the group as they came up to the dark shadow that pulled at the building it was attached to. The front was guarded by two soldiers who stepped in front of the doors to bar our entrance.

“State your purpose and your credentials.” said the soldier on the right. His muzzle was stout and grey before it melted into a solid black coat of fur that disappeared into his uniform.

Candle looked at them with an expression of pure malice but dropped the nozzle of the flame thrower to bite a plastic card in his front pocket. He passed it to the inquirer and the other soldier relayed the information on it to someone on the inside. With a small burst of static and more muffled voices, the dark red unicorn that was relaying information turned to the black one and nodded. He pulled open the door motioning with his head to the inside.

“Sorry about that sir, just protocol.” the soldier said.

Fluorescent bulbs dispelled the shadow a little bit in front of the door before it was intruded upon by Candle Wick. The card was returned to Candle before he passed under the door frame; the rest of us following after him.

The door clicked shut behind us and our group followed Candle as made his way up the stairs to a long hallway. The hallway was lined with oak doors that stretched from end to end. Behind each was the faint sound of ticks and tacks as ponies worked to transfer important information to different parts of Equestria. Sitting at the very end of the hall was a dark mahogany door that had a brass knob. The name General Cupcakes was inlaid on a brass plate which was secured to a muddled piece of glass in the middle of the door. The grey from the outside of the concrete hovel transferred into the inside as well which made the painting of Celestia, hanging beside the door, seem dull and out of place.

Candle approached the door and let out a set of light raps before pulling the door open revealing a fat looking pony squeezed into a chair. He was decorated in the standard drab green overcoat and a golden sun gleamed from his right shoulder. His cigar turned our direction as he turned away from the Stable-Tec computer that sat on his desk.

“You’re late. I sent for your sorry plots at 0900 yesterday didn’t I? Luna has been getting in my face recently and you have the nerve to be late? You were supposed to be here at 1300 as I requested weren’t you?! And what is that thing you have wrapped around your neck Candlewick?!” The general laid into Candle. He took a pull from the cigar then squashed the tip angrily against an ashtray.

Candle stared at him with extreme mischief in his eyes but let it quickly disappear as he set the flame thrower on the ground. “A little present for you. We ran into a bit of trouble on the way here which resulted in the loss of one personnel and a damaged troop transport wagon. The Iron Horses were not injured in the gun fire as well so that’s a plus.” He passed a glance at the rest of us and let his eyes settle on me. I shifted from hoof to hoof nervously. His eyes lit up and he smiled as he spoke. "This one will be interviewing you sir.”

Alarm bells started going off in my head. ‘No, no, no. Candle you absolute piece of lost mail sent by Derpy herself, why?’ I steamed from ear to ear as the now expressionless general turned towards me. We had agreed to let him introduce me and all I had to do was ask questions. I quickly pulled a notecard from my front pocket and hurriedly pushed the “Tesla” onto Cookie. My eyes scanned the note and coughed to clear my throat.

“H-hi sir, no-General. My crew and I are here to see how the Coltislavic people are doing in this sector. According to recent suggestions by Monarch Luna, the Coltislavic people are causing more trouble than they are good and as such she wants to know what your opinion is on the matter.” I coughed out the heavily practiced lines as I desperately resisted the urge to be anywhere but inside this now cramped office. General Cupcakes raised an eyebrow toward Candle who seemed to have found new interest in the flame thrower nozzle again. Little puffs of smoke leaked from the backpack as the flame from the nozzle was held at a low output.

“As is normal with-” A small stapler flew across the room hitting Candle in the side of the head. “Wiiiiith-normal, right, um- as is normal with investigations performed by Ministry of Internal Affairs, all conversation will be recorded and reviewed-in this case- by Luna herself or an available official designated by Luna her highness as suitable. Please answer truthfully and we will soon be out of your mane.” I breathed out a heavy sigh of relief as I finished the introduction.

I looked up again and found a boom shoved above my head and Canon leaning against the book case to my right. Cookie messed with controls to the “Tesla” and soon a sharp crack emanated from the inside.He looked up from his work and smiled as to say ‘good job’ The influx of electricity was felt throughout the room and soon my hair stood up on end. The hum that emanated from the battery box soon quieted down into a small rumble.

General Cupcake leaned back in his chair and gave a nod towards me. “I accept these terms however, if a question is deemed by me to be classified-even to Luna- you are to erase the question entirely from your video. Do you understand? Some things are just better to not know. You’re a journalist, I am sure you can understand.” He glanced over to the rest of the crew that held his gaze with flimsy wills. “Any person that discloses information of this to any but those in this room will be shot or worse.” He leaned forward and folded his hooves in front of his face. “Trust me when I say you don’t want to end up worse.”

I gulped but quickly nodded. “Yes sir.” The rest of the room mumbled yes sir and waited quietly for me to begin.

I turned my head to my backpack and pulled out a packet of papers enclosed in a folder. Documents, given to me with the express purpose to test my abilities in the field. Sweat trickled down the back of my neck as I quickly fumbled with the papers, turning the pages with my tongue, and finally rested on a page full of text. Paper clips held autopsy report pictures of gassed Coltislavic soldiers. All were traced back to this sector due to the branded serial numbers on their right hooves. I’ve seen them before but to confront a General of abuse was way out of my league. ‘No, you have this. Make him squirm were the bosses words.’ I glanced up again and held the open folder to where I needed it before motioning with my head toward Sonic to start rolling.

The cables leading to the “Tesla” moved slightly with life and a red light appeared on both the camera and the headset on my side. I pulled the headset off the backpack hook and rested it firmly on my head. The microphone was close to my mouth and my stance rigid as I saw the motion to ‘go’ out of the corner of my eye.

‘Showtime.’

“Beginning with an introduction, this is General Cupcake Frosting who is designated over sector 2A. With him is a certain corporal Candle Wick whom has agreed to the terms set out by classification “Golden Blood.” My crew consists of a Sonic Mach, Cookie Crumble, Deceased-Static White, Pixel Shock, and Canon Flash. Permission to proceed?” I said in a clear voice as I read from the papers word for word.

General Cupcakes raised a hoof and said” You may proceed.”

I cleared my throat and began from the where I left off. " General Cupcakes, bodies have been found recently indicating Coltislavic origin. Strangely, they are designated as KIA when no bullet holes have been found on the outside extremities of known bodies. Instead, the inside of them is burned by a gas that we commonly call " Dragon’s Breath.” The requisition of this material has been noticed to be heavy in this sector, with the only justification given as being -increase use of biological weaponry on zebra scum has rendered you in need.- Are these facts truthful General Cupcakes and if so, where are the documents that indicate the zebra and Coltislavic soldier personnel killed by such weapons?”

The General stared at me with a concentrated expression then leaned back in his chair. “The information files on the recently killed Coltislav’s can be found downstairs These documents entail a biological bomb that was hidden inside of a satchel or on the zebra himself that releases a chemical agent like our “Dragon’s Breath” but instead kills within minutes of exposure. The down side of such weaponry is that it kills the user as well if within a radius of 200 feet. As for the increase need of gas agents, we have been given an experimental vehicle designated as X-062D or more commonly referred to by its crew as, “Haunter.”" He breathed in a small breath and looked away towards Candle Wick. “The weapon is a horrid creation formed by a collaboration of the Ministry of Arcane Science and the Ministry of War-time technology. If you have a question about that device I would take it up with the people who made it. Next Question.” He pulled a drawer from behind the desk and picked out a cigar. He lifted it to his mouth but noticed Candle Wick’s eager face. He shook his head and grabbed an ornate lighter that brightened the cigar tip till it was a dull cherry red.

I pulled the photos out of their paper clips holders and set them on his desk. He dragged them close to him and examined each one in turn.

“These are the Coltislavic soldiers that were deemed unordinary. One appears to have been beaten to death by hooves and the others have indicators of abuse that ultimately led to death. They have been labeled as KIA as well. Has there ever been any indication that the soldiers are in a state of unrest over the recent encampment of Coltislavic soldiers. If so, then would you find it valid to send them back to Stalliongrad in order to retain good terms with our ally?” I finished with a slight nod to give indication it was his time to speak.

“The bodies you found died under extreme circumstances. No evidence was found that pinned any personnel to the abuse of these soldiers. Their bodies were found near the third line of the “No-Pony” land entrenchments and as such it is highly likely they were tortured by Zebra interrogators before being disposed of. This is more than enough justification to continue this war and for the remaining use of the Coltislavic people to be extended. I understand the position Luna is in right now but these soldiers are ruthless killers that are trained a lot better than our common soldier. " He slid the photos to the side of his desk and pulled out a file from the right side drawers. Sorting through the pages he finally settled on something and turned it toward the camera. “This document contains the service those soldiers have rendered to me. As you can see by the average kill ratio given personally from each soldier, Coltislavic soldiers have a 1 to 4 ratio that only increases depending on the weaponry given to them and the situation that they called for. I hope this answers your question. Next.” He finished with a triumphant look on his face.

‘Smug, of course he’s smug. How do people like this end up in power?’ I thought as I scanned the papers for something else I could say. ‘Wait.....this! Yes, this!’ I triumphantly turned the page and found the documents on Caramel Cake sister of Carrot Cake.

“On may 19th of this year, a mare by the name of Caramel Cake was found outside of Hoofington that claimed to have been in a relationship with you by force. As proof she presented a medal you had received prior that was never reported as missing. On June 19th she was found dead in a motel, the aforementioned medal;missing. What say you, guilty or innocent?” My heart leaped with each word as I watched the near expressionless general contort in his seat as if it was filled with ants. Candle Wick stepped away from the general and stared at me with a mix of fear and mischief.

The general stared at me with a hatred that could only be matched with murderous intent. Then, he smiled.” That’s classified sonny.”

A distant rumble was felt throughout the room and I saw Canon glance out the window. “He-hey guys I think somethi-” His voice was cut off as I let loose my anger on General Cupcakes.

“Horse shoes! You know something about that case and the others! Too many deaths surround your hooves General Cupcake, soon one of them is going to trip you!” I shouted at him. Cookie had his mouth wide open and the same mischievous grin was spread across Candle Wick’s face as if permanently glued there.

“You of all people should know that, ah, “personal” affairs never go anywhere in this government.” His cigar pointed menacingly at me. “Just drop it.”

“You-you....” ‘You can’t get away with this.’ is what I meant to say. Instead I breathed out, and looked back down at the documents.

‘Please Celestia give me one more shot at this guy.’ I thought as I scanned the papers vehemently.

Then the room exploded.

The door slammed inwards as a metallic bullet busted its way through the concrete and out the wall. My body was hurled backwards and I felt pain explode on my back as I landed on the broken door to the office. The painting of Celestia hung by a thread; the lower half swung wildly, missing most if not all of the left side of the painting. My ears screeched in pain. My vision was slightly blurred. I saw Candle screaming something but it was faint and far away. He moved to where I was and shoved me off of the door. I looked up to find out the reason why, but Candle was already moving to grab his flame thrower which was tossed across the room. He reached for the green pack and the wall of books exploded outward as another shell arched through and then embedded itself in the wall. My eyes drew back to Candle only to find the white fur of his arm sticking out at a strange angle from under the book shelf.

~A second stepped on a carrot, the second heard it snap, crack, and pop. The second ate with the first whilst the rest had none.~

I tried crawling my way over to him. One arm over the other drove my body nearer to the book shelves. My hearing returned with less ringing and the sound of a whistle sound penetrated the air. Hunk sat dazed in the corner whilst Canon galloped screaming out of the room. Sonic dropped the equipment he had and supported General Cupcake. Confusion soon turned to anger again.

“This is your fault!” I screamed at him not truly knowing the reason. It was primal, a reaction. I felt my body shake in pain as I put one hoof down onto the solid ground. The floor rumbled again. My body lurched back and forth unsteadily until I found myself in front of Hunk. A shell ripped through a different part of the building casting debris from the ceiling onto me. “Get up Hunk its time to go!”

He looked up at me and then over at Candle. “H-he.” he mumbled a response that was soon quieted by gun fire outside. ‘We don’t have time for this! Not another!’ I dragged his arm towards the door. He didn’t budge.

“The Tesla, Pixel...it-I-Pixel?” He looked at me like I was an anchor that was pulling free of the loose sand of a beach. He pointed shakily at the humming box. I quickly grabbed it and tossed it out the broken frame of the door.

“Go Hunk!” I galloped out the door and hooked my hoof around the box. Dragging it down the hall, wood splinters acted like confetti. It spilled from many of the door ways. The scrape of the “Tesla” on the wood floor contrasted with the rumbling and snaps outside. Crimson spewed from the end of the hall. Another shake rocked the building and a soldier flew threw one of the doors at the end of the hallway. His body collided with the wall, limply slumping into the crimson floor adding it’s own. I tore my eyes off the corpse and followed after Hunk downstairs.

Worse could describe a situation in which events turn from bad to, worse. This was not one of those cases. In fact things went from worse to bad…very bad.

Bullet holes pocked the wall behind us as we dashed behind a desk. The “Tesla” thumped onto the ground. I peeked over the desk only to be shoved backwards by another explosion. The Tesla hit my gut and star erupted from the sides of my vision. I passed out slightly and landed in a heap on top of Hunk. I shook off the heavy box and fought against grogginess that threatened to take me down with it. I looked over into the corner as I rolled off Cookie and spotted Canon. The crimson mare from the front door had built a rudimentary wall out of a printer which was blackened. Her partner seemed to be missing until I spotted a jet black hoof laying in front of the hole in the building detached from its owner. Canon whimpered in a fetal position as the soldier blindly shot over the printer, the glow of her horns power around the 10mm illuminated the corner of the room in replacement of the broken fluorescent bulbs. Fire supplied the most light as it licked at other desks and those less fortunate to have gotten out of harms way quick enough. I moved the Tesla against the back wall and rammed my shoulder into a desk near me. It turned over easily in my efforts but I heard the loud cracks eminate from the other side as gunfire hit it suddenly.

Hunk groaned and crawled over to the Tesla, hugging it.

I angrily stared in his direction but turned away.’I have to find the good for nothing General! I can’t let him go..I-I can’t!’ My brain hurt from the previous blast but I couldn’t let this happen. Maybe I wasn’t thinking clearly. ‘I don’t know. I was given a chance wasn’t I? I can’t waste it!’ I argued in my head while the gunfire got louder in front of the building. I heard a soft woosh and an arch of light shot over my head. It hit the side of the staircase and left a molten hole that broke into a room behind it.

Someone screamed from the front of the building, “They got a heavy laser! Get the ‘Haunter’ now-*muffins*!” The voice was shrill and out of place but I recognized it immediately; General Cupcakes. I shot up from behind the desk and galloped out into the open part of the room. The front of the building was practically missing. Chunks of concrete and bars of steels lay broken around the entrance holes from something big. The door was crumpled inward and lay on the ground in a U. As testament to it’s build the large tank round was lodged most of the way through but stopped short of it’s destination. Debris was scattered everywhere. The cracks of weaponry and shouting leaked into the room even more violently as I pulled myself over a broken beam and charged in a general direction.

I kept going, feeling the pound of my heartbeat against my chest. I saw the tuft of fur belonging to the head of General cupcakes from the front behind a pile of desks. Pain sprouted from my ankle as a bullet grazed the skin. It burned but only pressed further adrenaline into me as I hurled myself over the desks.

I landed in a heap on the ground before quickly getting up. “You can’t get away wit-!”leaked from my mouth before I realized the gun stuck on my forehead. Sonic looked at me with dead set determination. Evil had many faces and it was at that moment that I realized I had lost. General Cupcakes smirked at me before turning back to the receiver in his hooves.

“You know. This would very bad for you if anything were to happen to me. That’s why soldiers were made, to protect those that don’t deserve it. You’ll learn soon enough that this world based on “friendship” was just a game of policies and resource exchange. We deserve this war as much as those zebra’s do.” He looked back at me a grin plastered on his face. “And that’s where people like me make sure it keeps going. No matter what.”

“You-why…Why?! Those are pony lives out there that don’t deserve to die! How many have you lost in this sector alone? You're going to bring in our only allied nation with us to Tartarus! How many-” I turned to Sonic, the gun still rested in his wing and mouth trigger held, and looked back down again. “Why?”

General Cupcakes placed his arm on my shoulder and laughed. I didn’t want to see his face but it was pulled upwards. His grin gone, the only thing left on his face was his ego. Confident and boastful. Corrupted and commanding.

“Because your Celestia and Luna are no gods. This world is run by those with power. Goldenblood understood that more than anyone…Now go out there and die before you get blood on my vest.” He said before patting me on the shoulder. Standing upright he smiled at me, untouchable.

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“BLAM!” Explosive notes ringed in my ears. My brain immediately signaled warning bells and time seemed to slow down. I felt no pain but something did go off. ‘Am I dead?’

Then I saw General cupcakes lean past me and fall to the ground. Blood pooled from the now barren side of his skull. The shadow of a Coltislavic soldier draped in a dark mud jacket stood upright on two hooves resting on top of the barricades, the smoking gun firmly enclosed in his mouth.

~The third stepped on a melon. He went down with a thump and a crash. He ate by himself whilst the rest had none.~

Pixel turned his head towards the body of General cupcakes, stunned. The thumping of his heart rocked in his chest cavity. The body became charred, burned beyond recognition. His head turned toward Pixel and Check Mate stared back at him.

“Let me die.” Check Mate breathed, before letting his eyes roll into his skull. The body limply let itself rest on the rocks and dirt of the ground. Pipes and other pieces of machinery thumped up and down. Pixel examined the body hesitantly, hoping it was dead. Artificial heartbeats. Pixel watched the body animate once again, tossing one arm over the other towards Pixel.

“No! It wasn’t me! It isn’t my fault!” Pixel cried. He backed away, feeling ash and bits of metal scrape against his flesh.

The body of Check Mate warped again and met Pixel’s eyes as Cookie. “I was your friend.” Cookie whispered at Pixel.”At least…I thought I was.”

Pixel started shaking as tears flowed from his eyes. He shook his head desperately as he stared at his coworkers mangled corpse. It crawled closer to Pixel and he instinctively kicked at it with his hind hoof.

“S-stay away! I’m sorry! Im sorry! S-sorry…sorry.” He said as he lashed at the thing encroaching on him. Every word compiled with a kick at the thing.

It’s head reeled back again and came back down in the smug smile of Candle Wick. His head engulfed in flame; he stared at Pixel, judging.

“Nicely going.” Candle Wick said.

His face peeled away like ash and regenerated as the fire licked at Pixel. The heat was unbearable: suffocating. Pixel coughed, making the droplets coming from his face fall into the ashen ground. They became dark swirls that evaporated when it got close to the figure.

“You let us die.” Said the morphed faces of something. It no longer resembled anyone. It was a collective consciousness. It pressed a morphed paw against Pixel and the pain sent an agonized cry into the dark air.

Pixel was in agony, choking on it. Pixel scraped his hooves against the arm of the creature in desperation. They slicked across the arm harmlessly. It wasn’t something he could control, nor combat by himself.

An obstructed cough desperately crawled out of the throat of Pixel and the creature pressed harder. “Why..”Pixel muttered as a dark fog clouded his vision.

The creature lessened its grip for a second before plunging back down on Pixel. The fighting from Pixel stopped as his arms flopped to his sides. But, before he slipped into the abyss, he heard the creature mournfully sigh.

“You won’t let us go.” Then darkness came to consume Pixel, bringing him back to the abyss.

___________________________________________________________________________________

The cold steel greeted Pixel as he woke with a start. The air around him was blurry and dark, filled with dark swirls of carbon. The cogs in the machine, long past their intended service, were chugging vehemently ; going faster than normal operating speeds. Pixel glanced down at the ground towards the body of Check Mate.

Everything was awash in fire and ash that spewed from the broken seal in the piston cavity. Every burst from the piston caused a flare of fire to burst and hit the ceiling which in turn ate its way through the electrical wires plastic coating and down onto flammable pieces of wood. In the area Pixel stared, the bodies of the crewponies were simply kindling. Check Mate lay on the ground, seemingly at peace while the rest of the world screeched and squealed around him.

Pixel stood up from the stairs and put a hoof on his face. No tears.

‘no fair.’ Pixel thought.

“I must be dead. Or in some kind of version of Tartarus.” Pixel said as he looked around the now amber red room.

‘Am I alone?’ Pixel thought to himself. He trotted away from the flame-engulfed room, turning back once more to say goodbye to Check Mate. A wave of flames cascaded over the rails and Pixel instinctively held his hoof to his face, backing up all the while.

“Goodbye!”Pixel shouted into the flames and then quickly ducked out of the room. He stuck a hoof on the glass pad and was immediately relieved when the doors hissed closed.

“Now w-” Pixel said before a loud blaring horn screamed down the hallway.

“ALERT! ENGINE REACHING CRITICAL HEAT LEVELS! PLEASE ATTEND STATIONS OR SUMMON REPAIR DRONES IMMEDIATELY!” The automated intercom rang out. Pixel clutched his ears and heard an audible thunk as his hooves met something. No feeling came from his hooves. ‘That’s going to be annoying.’ Pixel thought before flinching at a loud snap that came from one of the detached light cables.

Pixel stared again through the glass hole in the door to see the engine degrading . With a thunk Pixel found the button pressed last time and hoped that it shut off the engines. In retaliation, the engine fumed and broke one of its supply pipes. Glowing material that shined and glimmered spewed onto the flaming floor. With a woosh it caught fire and everything inside the room became too bright that Pixel had to back away from the door.

“Crud.” Pixel sighed as he backed away even further and gave up on the controls. Pixel turned around to proceed down the hall. The dim lighting flickered again as the light behind him brightened but it did little to hide the blue corpse that lay in front of him. Pixel stared at the new body and sighed.

“How did I miss you? I’m…sorry.” He said. Pixel struggled for a bit with his new movement but eventually crouched down to examine the small body. It belonged to a mare with skin tight turquoise skin. White hair laced with blue spilled in great quantities from her skull while her eyes were closed. ‘Sweet celestia send this soul to your arms..wherever you are.’ Pixel thought. He timidly turned the mare onto her other side and plucked the aged plaque that was stuck into the bleached science jacket she wore. Holding it up to the light of the bulbs, Pixel read the name “Colgate White” and a few numbers with a following security clearance barcode. Pixel turned back to the body and and followed the dark stains that laced her side and spilled in dark pools on her white jacket. Sticking out of her pocket was a orange block that immedietly caught Pixel’s eyes. He carefully pulled it from her pocket and examined the black play button inset on the side of the machine. He pressed it and was instantly regretting his proximity to the loud engines. He stopped the muffled player and walked away from the engine. As he got farther down the corridor it became hauntingly still. His eyes scanned for a room to examine the object but on the ground were bits of paper with a familiar symbol printed on. One caught his attention and he focued on a dark blob residing on one of the papers.

“What the-?” Pixel said, crouching down to scoop the clump of papers. He brought it over to a lowered light that clung desperately to the wall. The illumination showed the logo of equine synthetics which stuck itself proudly in the corner of many of the papers..

‘I knew it! They were behind this!’ Pixel thought triumphantly.

He glanced around him and found a corner. Tucked in the side of it was a door that sparked but held open access to a room. Pixel clutched papers and box to his chest and trotted over. Squeezing though the door frame he found himself in a room littered with trash and gears. A metal bed was tossed onto its side and a desk sat paralleled to the door. Pixel shuffled around the debri and sat in the chair close to the desk. Tilted and dusty, a lamp was plugged and discarded on the floor along with a couple of bottles of…something.

Pixel set the papers on the desk and bent down to clutch the lamp in his mouth. His eyes caught the bottle wrapping which read “AppleJack Farms ~Wine made fresh since 1*3iD* Long l’ve una”. The print faded as it wrapped around the neck. Pixel roughly put together the words in his head as that same flickering light appeared in his vision. The glow tried to form words but receded back to wherever it came from before it had a proper chance to present information. Pixel ignored it again, pretending to not see it.

The bottle looked to be emptied entirely. ‘Interesting.’ Pixel thought as he set the lamp into position and flicked the switch on its back. He then placed the box onto the table, rewound it and pressed the dark play button.

“This is Colgate White. Something has gone wrong with the experiment on liquid flux. It seems to be more powerful than what we once thought possible. It holds secrets so ancient that we were foolish for thinking we could try and harness it! We are so dead! All those DEV-X units are useless and Berry Punch is drinking herself to death so she won’t be much help. Lyra…is unstable. Clinically I would have sent her to someone for help but right now I need her help to get out of here alive. The stations are separated but I think we stand a chance of being able to activate the DEV-X unit and use it like a SOS to the surface. Everyday I’m stuck in this part of the station I think we might be able to get saved, but everyday I’m left with disappointment. That DEV-X is too darn complicated! Why did we think we should base it off that stupid soul thing back in Hoofington. Its experimental I said! We should focus somewhere else but noooooooooo! No one listens to me! *a sigh escapes the speakers inlaid on the orange box and small whimpering sounds leaked from the background. Then a scraping sound accompanies a loud thunk.* I’m not dying down here…I-I don’t want to..I want to see him again. Please..anyone that finds this…tell him I wanted another shot. I’m sorry…”

The rest of the recording continues to be almost silent as Colgate weeps on the other end. Eventually she audibly hits the recorder and stops the recording. Its abrupt ending shakes Pixel out of his stupor. He mournfully looks over his shoulder to where Colgate lies and sighs. “I wish I could have met you in person..I’m so sorry” He mumbled into the papers in front of him. Silence retained it monotonous tone against the monotonous noises of the pistons. Eventually, Pixel stared back at the table and pulled the papers under the light. The amber wash illuminated the text and Pixel read it hoping to find more information on what happened.

___________________________________________________________________________________

EQUINE SYNTHETICS PROPERTY OF THE EMPIRE

~LONG LIVE LUNA~

I absolutely hate the fact that these papers all have the same stupid print on it. “Blah blah blah” Luna my plot. It doesn’t matter anyways. Were all dead soon enough. The A.T.V. Shut off a month ago and Lyra has her hopes set on Chirvonov to turn it on. I don’t have the heart to tell her he probably died when the H.M.S. Discord broke the station in half. That thing shook the entire station for weeks and Lyra prayed to Celestia every day for the poor sucker. Those *muffin* zebras are blowing the world apart up there and I'm stuck here. I’ve been put in charge of maintaining the reserve engines. Yay. Those things won’t last unless someone goes in to complete the job… that “they” tried to do.it’s entirely irradiated; the outcome of a shorted arcane battery who would’a thought.. Killed every last poor sucker in there.

At least I hope they died. I can’t imagine what it would be like if someone actually LIVED through that. We got one DEV.X. Suit so that’s good news! There’s just one problem. We don’t have a transfer seat in the entire bloody Cera sector. So now I’m ranting to a piece of paper. I’m just going to drink until Lyra yells at me again.

See ya ~Berry Punch~

___________________________________________________________________________________

“I think I remember someone like that…I can’t…remember.” Pixel mumbled to himself. He scanned the pages for more information but was greeted with out of order pages that belonged to a manual on the engine. He looked around the room again, noticing the bottles of wine nestled into different corners of the room. His perspective was a fresh look at the residence ‘It was someone’s room. At least it used to be.’

He turned back to the pages and shuffled the pages to reveal another. He started to read the scripted text again before pulling away.

Something was moving.

Pixel snapped back into reality, hearing the creaking of something outside his door. It added to the hum of the engines and grew louder as something clicked along a rail. Mumbling accompanied it.

With a click And a whirr the thing slammed into the wall adjacent to the door.

“Why do I have to keep this stupid thing turned off. I have other things to do ya know!!” The machine slid along a rail attached to the wall until it hit the corner. “I swear I am going to throw that thing through the window into the radiation if it’s Hubble’s idea again. Why don’t they restrain their stupid kid?!” The machine accelerated again and zipped past Pixel’s vision.

‘That voice…No, it can’t be.’ Pixel’s thoughts raced in his head as he stepped away from the desk and stepped into the cherry red hallway. The machine was carried up the wall to an access panel where it prodded at it with two mechanical arms. Flames pressed against the glass, illuminating the door to the room he awakened it. A dark substance pooled out menacingly.
Soon the machine finished its business with a couple wires above the doorway and raced down the track, hitting the edge with a thunk.

“Stupid bloody*muffins are better than cupcakes*” The machine angrily threw a fried electronic at the other wall. “Where are you guys!? I know it was you again!”

The shadows of the machine stretched towards Pixel. The machine, frustrated, finally turned its binocular eyes towards him. They zoomed in and the machine gasped.

“No. No. No. No. No. Not again! Look, ok um..” The machine turned back to the panel and quickly dismantled a broken piece of metal. It turned back to Pixel and tossed it over his shoulder.

“See that? Broken! It belongs to something…um over there! Go fetch! Go away! Find something else to repair!” It frantically spoke at Pixel.

Pixel turned around and picked up the piece of metal before turning to the machine. ‘it…can’t be her can it?’

“Why won’t you go away! That normally works…maybe it’s one of the mark 2’s that Chirconov made. Great, now his creations are screwing me over even after-” The machine ranted before getting interrupted by Pixel.

“Who are you?” Pixel turned up towards the hanging robot and the slow thumping of the engine leaked into the room. The machine looked stunned before messing with something on its chest and turning towards Pixel. The hesitant whirr of the electric motors brought the machine closer to him.

“You speak? Um, well…crap this hasn’t happened before. I mean..a DEV.X. Suit having a soul consciousness transferred into it…especially without the parts to-...wait.” The machine put a hand on it’s binocular eyes quizzically before pointing at Pixel. “A better question would be is who are you? “

Pixel was confused but managed to roughly form words; “Pixel Shock”. Pixel sat on the ground, looking upwards at the robot afraid of what it might say.

“Pixel Shock huh? I don’t remember anyone on the original crew named that. Maybe you were from that group sent down here halfway through the war?”

The machine turned to look at Pixel. It studied him before reaching behind him onto the flat box of it’s body. It returned with a nameplate which it tossed to Pixel. Catching it, the words written on it confused him. His brain wanted to deny it.

As the engines slowed and eventually stopped, the two machines stared at each other. The one hanging on the wall uttered a name.

"The name is Colgate White . Just...try not to think about it too hard."

P.O.M.A. Chapter 4

View Online

Chapter 4

A hiss of air escaped from the engine room door. Heat flowed into the room as smoke billowed behind and through the cracks in the door. The two robots turned away from each other to view the now cherry red steel door. From the other side of the door, the piston thumps had audibly stopped while they were speaking. But now they listened as it restarted its tumultuous job. Louder thumps and a sudden shriek accompanied the electronic panels firework display as multiple resistors capped and blew. Bent inward, the door was the only thing that separated the room from the heat and pressure built up in the other room. Another hiss of air screeched and squealed as heat desperately wrestled in an effort to escape its prison.

Colgate quickly turned back to the panel it was messing with previously and plugged a cord into the yellow electric box installed next to the panel.

“I shut it off! No, no, no!” the panicked robot shouted over the screeching door. The robot messed with a few switches and more sparks emitted from the panel. With a sigh Colgate unplugged the cord and turned back to Pixel. “Look, we don’t have a lot of time. I’m assuming you turned on this ancient machine and that might have doomed the integrity of this station. Follow my track down the hall and I’ll be right behind you! I just need to-” Colgate exclaimed before multiple rivets blew outward and struck the walls violently, ricocheting until it embedded itself into weak parts of the floor or into the glass window near Pixel.

Colgate looked down at the door and seemed to change her mind. “Ah Tartarus! This thing is gonna blow anyways! Come on you DEV-X piece of...I mean whatever you-! Agh, just run!.”

The robot moved down the track turning the corner before it stopped and looked back at Pixel. He was still sitting in confusion on the floor, looking between the body and the robot.

‘Logic couldn’t solve something like this, can it? ‘ Thoughts of fear and bewilderment raced across the front of mind, gluing him to the spot.

“Look, we don’t have time for this! If you’re somepony that got stuck in there I’ll try to explain things. But later! So get up!” Colgate angrily shouted over the loud groaning of the heated room.

Pixel looked over at the robot another time before putting a hoof onto the floor.as he started to get up, his efforts were interrupted by a deafening clang from the other room. Time seemed to slow as an enormous piece of metal that was the piston to the engine, sailed over Pixel’s head. punched through the ceiling. and cascaded into another floor. Water fell from the gash created and the built-up heat from the other room breathed through the now gaping hole into the hallway.

Instinct kicked in and Pixel quickly shoved off the floor and out of the way of the heat explosion. He fell onto the floor as immense and terrible heat melted anything in its direct way. It quickly spilled into the corner he escaped to hungry for more tinder to eat.

“Run!” Colgate exclaimed before whisking her robotic chassis along the rail down the half-lit halls of the station. Pixel ran after her as quickly as his legs could take him. Images of hanging robots, dark blobs of the goo from before, bodies, danger. Everything rushed past him in a blur as heat melted and ate the fragile components he left behind in his retreat. The fire licked his heels. It spilled over its victims in more rooms, greedily devouring anything remotely within its grasp.

Left, right, then left again. Colgate rushed along the hanging tracks that accompanied the rooms they ran through. Her terrified and rushed words were drowned out by the overwhelming sounds of water and loud reactions from the engine that they were running from. More of the station seemed to be crumbling and falling into itself as the weakened rooms were assaulted by the enormous amounts of heat that came from a broken and melting spark battery the size of a bus. Water eventually seeped through the now weakened room, pouring itself into the room containing the battery unknown to the fleeing robots. The vaporous water poured into the crevices in between the many capacitors the engine was plugged into. Violently reacting with it, the batteries melted, causing a catastrophic breakdown. Energy, violent and untamed, escaped in a rush as it lashed out in a ring around the station. In a moment the magical energy stored inside the battery flashed a brilliant light like the sun. Then in the next, everything was gone.

Pixel ran along the darkening halls until he quickly turned and saw Colgate stopped before a large steel door. Colgate hurriedly grappled at the cord in her back compartment and plugged it into the yellow box next to the door. Hearing the thunking of Pixel as he maneuvered the DEV-X suit on the hard steel, she turned back to see Pixel rushing down the hall.

“We might make it! Come on! Just through this door and were home free. You’re going to have to rip me off my utility line when the door starts opening though…but I think we're safe!” Colgate shouted down at Pixel.

Pixel was on autopilot. He pushed past the walls of the hall that seemed contorted and layered in pipes. He was slipping on the soaked floor but he reached for anything to fasten his a grip on his uphill approach.

Then the world turned on its side. Sheering from the station behind Pixel and Colgate, the section they were in previously was erased completely by a blinding beam. Screaming and tearing its way through metal, the pure and concentrated energy tossed Pixel into the top of the hall, tangling him in the light strings. His heavy body dented the metal and then slammed him into the floor like a lightweight doll.

As sound returned to both of them the blaring of the door stood out against the sounds of flooding waters. The metal gate pulled itself free from its outcropping a little and Colgate screamed joyously before tearing the cable out of the wall violently. Pixel, dazed by the suddenness of his flight, pushed off the ground and stared at the increasing amount of water on the floor.

Turning to look back at the bent hallway, light bulbs were falling into the rising pool of water in the machinery room they had run through. Waves of water tossed it back and forth, increasing the volume of liquid that crept steadily toward Pixel.

Something seemed to be wrong with his vision. He held his hoof up to his face and his vision seemed to create a cut in it that made it appear detached or shifted from its normal place. Shaking his head he stood up and grasped at the wall to stabilize himself. Colgate was looking at him saying muffled words that tried to swim against the cacophony of sounds. He shook his head again and reached for the rail that hung above him. Pulling down on it with both his hooves, it snapped easily and the robot chassis of Colgate slid down into his arms. With a few steps, he walked into the damp red room ahead of him. The automatic system dragged the heavy steel door into place behind them. With a clunk, the chaotic world he was born into was shut away. The ominous blaring continued for a few seconds before another mechanical lock slid into place and silenced it. Colgate said something to him but Pixel wasn’t there.

”Nothing…it..what.why..” Pixel mumbled under his breath.

Collapsing onto the wet grates that were the floor, Colgate fell out his arms and landed on her side.

Constant screaming was the world he needed to stay in. The silence was what greeted Pixel as he fell into an ever darkening pool.

___________________________________________________________________________________

19:00 PM Battery: Critical/15%

AYBDBUPDPIAD!&#F{NOI@}I!J}JI!-MISSING DATA

W A K E U P….END MESSAGE SENT

___________________________________________________________________________________

Scraping. mechanical whirring. Soft clanks.

Pixel woke with a start and stared across the room at the walls. Cold steel covered in the warm light of the warning system greeted him. With a groan, Pixel picked himself off the ground feeling the gravity that pulled like heavy sandbags on all his joints.

“Oh, you're awake,” Colgate said.

Pixel turned his eyes to the robot and sighed. “I wasn’t dreaming..why isn’t this a dream.” Pixel wanted to cry. He wanted to escape, do something. In the end, he just felt powerless.

The robot tilted its binocular eyes to the side. Not saying anything, it pulled itself toward Pixel until it sat near his feet. In his off vision, the robot appeared broken in half but nonetheless, he bent down to the ground and sat next to it.

“Colgate, what’s going on..” He whispered, hesitant to break the encroaching silence.

“Were enclosed in a pressurized chamber that stands as a mediator between the machine repair rooms and the Bio-Lab. If you’re asking about what's going on about your body…well…that’s a longer story.” Colgate fiddled with the front plate of the chassis.

Pixel sat in silence and looked at the pipe filled room. Machinery ticked quietly and regulated things that were either broken or weren’t receiving what it was originally filled with. The red orb that hung from the ceiling flickered slightly but maintained its gloomy crimson light.

“Why is that light on?” Pixel said with a chuckle.

Colgate looked up at it. “This sections being powered by the emergency batteries…we got maybe four hours before those fail.” She said. Quizzically, she fiddled with her front plate again.”Ironically, you powered them again..so, if you fully recharged them well…we got ten.”

Nervously Colgate prodded Pixel’s shoulder. “Come on, we're almost there. I can explain everything when we get through.“

Pixel turned toward her, thinking whether or not to continue sulking or not. Deciding on the latter he nodded and picked up Colgate as he stood.

“Whoa..man that’s still dizzying.” She said holding the binoculars level with the door on the side. “Anyways, you see that yellow box up there next to the door? Hold me near that.” She pointed towards the other circular door labeled with a bold yellow 06 on its front.

“Alright..”Pixel quietly spoke. He followed her instructions and watched as she opened the panel and manipulated a few switches on the inside. With a button press, the door clicked and swung open into a harsh fluorescent glow that contrasted the red of the chamber. Stepping through, Pixel walked into the room before stopping before a bed of flowers.

Stretching out before them was the bio-laboratory which housed long rows of dirt filled troughs. In each was some kind of plant; tomatoes, potatoes, daisies, and other vegetables. In seeming rebellion of the neglect they received, the plants spread vines over multiple rows and shared water that it obtained from the water containers that sat at the sides of the large atrium. The ceiling vaulted over them and presented the ocean proudly through the many windows that broke up the steel supports. Parts of the glass were encrusted in the black goo, others in seaweed and crustaceans. The sterile white floors contrasted the room’s contents, making the stains and dark patches on the ground stand out significantly.

“These are…were our experiments and food supply. It used to be more, eeer, regulated.” Colgate said as she gestured to the mess of plant life in front of us. “Look. What we need, at least I hope it's still there, is in that room over there.” She pointed to the right of the room to the dark outcropping of a door.

Pixel walked over to the door, examining the mess of vines that punched through the water tank next to their objective, and opened it. Soft sighs of air passed by Pixel and Colgate. Fumbling in the darkness, Pixel eventually hit a switch on the wall and two cylinders bulbs filled with magical energy, illuminating the space. Inside the room were different mechanical equipment and a few terminals. On the side of one nearest to Pixel he spotted a plaque with numbers and lettering., Reading the plaque attached he found that it indicated its producer: Robronco.

“Yes! You’re still here!” Colgate exclaimed as she excitedly turned to Pixel and pointed at a table that sat at the end of the small room.

Walking over to the table, Pixel set Colgate on it and examined the sphere that sat in contrast to the many tools and wiring residing next to it.

“What..is it?” Pixel said to Colgate. He nudged it slightly and watched it rock back and forth before settling again.

“That!” She said with a rebuking tone. “Is a data transfer sphere. Think of it like a powerful terminal computer that can house as much data as an industry standard superbank. Normally you have to have huge and clunky devices put on an entire floor in order to record large data quantities. Like manufacturing records required by industries like Scootaloo’s scooter thing. Never understood that mare. Head of Stable-tech and yet she needs more money?” Colgate shook her head. “Doesn’t make sense.”

Pixel looked back at the sphere. ‘Scootaloo…that name..she was on the board for Stable-Tech? That much he knew because he had to do a couple reports on their vaults. But a scooter business?’ Pixel fumbled over those words. Something wasn’t adding up.

“Why did you bring me here then..surely this computer…thing could be dealt with later. I’m assuming you couldn’t access it before because of your line not reaching past that door, but why is it important?” Pixel questioned.

Colgate turned away, looking embarrassed if such words could apply to a robot.”Um…yeah your right...It can wait.” She turned away from it and looked at Pixel. “A better question is how long have you been on? You were out for a couple of hours and I know you were on before I met you...But your battery is probably nearly spent.”

Pixel sighed. ”I…have a battery.”

“Yeah, all DEV-X suits have one. It can last about 10 hours but..” She turned away from and tapped her fingers together. “They often don’t last that long..”

“Ok...Well, how do I know how much I have.” Pixel said. It felt weird saying such things but it seemed like there were stranger things than what he was going through. He needed answers. He needed to be here if he was going to ask those questions.

Colgate put her hand on her head and thought for a few seconds. Then with a start, she did a waving movement. Satisfied she turned toward Pixel. “Ok, this is gonna sound weird but you need to extend your hoof out in front of you.”

Pixel obeyed and Colgate adjusted it until it was angled to his vision. “Now what?” Pixel inquired.

“Now you swing down to the bottom right of your vision. There should be an indicator in the top right of your vision..assuming it wasn’t damaged by your broken vision LCD..”

‘My what?’ Pixel thought. He shook his head and focused on his hoof again. With a swipe, his vision was filled with blue indicators that plentifully detailed the environment around him.

“I’m looking at a lot of stuff I don’t understand...Also trying not to freak out. How does anypony get used to these things?” Pixel laughed nervously.

“Yeah, the first rodeo is the worst. Anyways, what number does it say in the top right corner?”

Pixel’s eyes scanned the display before him and found a battery indicator in the corner where she said it would be. “Uh..15 percent? Is that bad?”

Colgate scanned around the area she was in and sifted through the heavy-duty cables that spilled out the back of the sphere. “Uuuuuuuuum..no? Not if we find a cable real soon. How do I describe this..” She turned back to him and pointed at the computers across the room. “You need a cable that is rather thick and has a conical ending. The cone should be plugged into devices made for it…Frekin Discord! Why didn’t we make it a universal plug...Look, just search over there and I’ll sort through the cables on this freaking thing. I’m pretty sure it's on this.. so many redundant cables sweet luna…just..look in case.”

Pixel backed away a bit and quizzically looked at the robot named Colgate as it went to work on the sphere. Shaking his head he turned around and walked over to the Robronco terminals.

Turning the terminal around, he pulled all the wires out and examined each one. He wasn’t really paying attention and simply went on autopilot as he examined the other devices.

Lost in thoughts.

‘Who was she..I know I've heard that name before...Colgate...Advertisement?’ His memory pulled up faded commercials that tried to escape him. Sorting through them he remembered something about toothpaste. ‘Wait. Was she that mare that lived in Ponyville? What's going on here? Lyra Heartstrings, Berry Punch, Colgate…Minuette! That’s right! She probably changed her name before she was hired here. But what is she doing here?’

Pixel finished unplugging the last computer terminal and started examining the cords before Colgate interrupted with an audible “Aha!”

“Find it?” Pixel answered. He walked over, watching Colgate hold a dagger-like cable end triumphantly.

“Obviously. Anyways, bend down. I need the back of your head.”

Pixel hesitantly submitted and felt the same ice-cold shock shoot through his spine. Shooting up, he took a few steps away from Colgate.

“Wait! Don’t go so far! You might break the cable!” She exclaimed waving her hands.

Pixel stopped. fearful of what was happening. Taking a few steps forward, the cable went slack again and the same cold feeling filled his entire body. He shivered.

“This is messed up…so what. I’m a robot. And..this….is charging my onboard battery.” Pixel carefully formed words that didn’t make sense when he said them.

Colgate nodded. “I know it doesn’t make sense. Honestly, when I first woke up I wish I had someone to explain what was going on..something is wrong here…something that drove myself to copy me onto this service droid.” Colgate turned around and dug through the compartment in her chassis. “I was given this audio recording but, well…” She moved her hand a little and the flat plastic card fell apart in two pieces, landing on the table in front of her. “It’s been rendered useless when you dropped me.”

Pixel hung his head. “Sorry..I..just was overwhelmed.” He looked back at Colgate and examined her as she swept the card into her hand again and deposited it in her compartment.

“No..Don't be sorry. Look I know that everything is just..un understandable...Not a word but eh, screw it. The only ones that might care are long dead.” Colgate stopped herself.”Ah, Tartarus.” She mumbled a few words under her breath but eventually stopped and sighed. “Look..I’m sorry...We got started on the wrong foot. Pixel. Nice to meet you.”

Pixel shook her clamp hand and laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. “I feel like I’m in some weird sci-fi film! Ha, ha.....names Pixel.”

Colgate looked up at him again and motioned toward the sphere. “Here, If you could help me attach into this thing I might be able to help you more.”

Pixel shrugged and turned the sphere towards Colgate. “Don’t know how this is gonna be useful but I’m willing to help. I guess you also technically saved my life.”

“And you mine.” Colgate turned towards pixel and softly grabbed his hoof. ”I’m just…glad to have another person to talk to.” She turned his hoof towards him and tapped on different indents built into his hoof.”All right, now I need you to think about extending your hoof without moving it. This will unlock your H.A.N.D.I. unit. Just, don’t freak out.”

Pixel looked at his hoof and back at Colgate. “You gotta be kidding me. There’s a thing in my hoof? Also, what's a handi.. it sounds weird.”

Colgate laughed. “Multiple things, I didn’t add them to the suits...Blame that on my coworker slash boss Lyra. That pony was obsessed with a race called humans..apparently, they were upright animals kinda like the DEV-X suit that had digits on these things called hands that they used to craft things. They didn’t have wings, magic, or any means to conquer the skies. Just…look they are kinda like my own.” She said, holding up her hand. She separated the three fingers and Pixel quizzically examined them.

“Weird. All right, I’ll try to use my…hands.” Pixel smirked but tried to follow her instructions anyways. Soon enough five small squares rose from his hoof. “Is this supposed to feel natural?”

He automatically used the fingers, clenching and releasing them, as if they had always been a part of him.

“Yeah, the instructions on how to use them are hardwired into the suit to make sure ponies aren’t confused by trying to relearn to use their own hooves. Gives you a bit of vertigo when you hop out of the suit though because you suddenly no longer, well..have..those digits. Also, that reminds me of why its called h.a.n.d.I.”

“What, a clever ploy on it being a clever way to grab things?” Pixel retorted.

“Helping assistant for non-digited individuals. I freaking hate you Lyra.” She replied under her breath. “She had us memorize that part since she built it herself. You would have though Celestia had come and kissed her she was so excited.”

Pixel chuckled but decided not to press the subject too far. He messed around with them a bit more and tried grasping a wrench which sat beside the sphere. Slipping away from him once because of the split in his vision, he managed to grab it and swing it like a sword. Returning it to the table he turned back towards Colgate and flexed the fingers in curiosity.

“So what’s next.”

Colgate pulled a few cables away from the main sphere and untangled the ribbon cables that were lying on top of the main wires.”Um, let's see.” She held up a wire with a nut on the end of it. “This needs to be attached to you. You have a port on the side of your head. Just press around its general area and it should come unsealed.”

Feeling around the area prescribed, a small hatch opened in response to his efforts. Being handed the cable by Colgate he plugged it into an accepting slot after a few tries. With a spin and tightening, the cable solidly locked itself into the side of his head.

“Now comes the hard part. Celestia, please forgive me.” She quickly plugged two cables into the front of her chassis and pressed a square outline on the side of the machine. With a whirr, the machine lit up with multiple LEDs. Mechanical parts interacted with the electronics inside and beeped in response. “Device ready. Data transfer has begun.”

The words echoed in Pixels mind. ‘Wait, she’s still going to be here right? What did she mean?’

Pixel worriedly looked at the device and then at Colgate. “Are you sure your gonna be OK?”

Colgate didn’t respond but stared blankly at him.

“24%”

“Pixel, I don’t want to forget you...I was so lonely.”

“53%”

“It’s cold.”

“78%”

“I don’t want to die..who are you?”

Pixel stared at the robot and shook the chassis of it.”Colgate, you still there? Colgate! What’s going on!?”

“99%”

“I’m……DUWIUB!!IUU$%^…..cold.”

“Finished data transfer.”

“cold….cold….coooooooooooooooo.

With a small hum, the robot before Pixel lowered its head. Nothing was in it anymore. Stunned, he set the bot back on the table.

“Colgate…why did you leave me alone? Why…” Pixel picked up the empty shell and held it to his chest.

“Hello?”

Pixel heard the voice. Startled, he immediately dropped the robot in response. With a crash, the cables unplugged and the metal became even more dinged up. He cringed but searched for the voice regardless. “Hello? Who’s there?”

Nothing answered him for a while until a small white rectangle appeared in his vision. ‘Can you see this?’ the message stood out like a text message.

“Yeah! I heard you a bit ago. Colgate is that you?” Pixel said as he swung his arm to try and open the displays again. He examined the battery life in the corner, 84%.

The message deleted itself and was replaced by another. ‘Good, I’m working on creating a visual for myself. Don’t worry about me. I’ll talk in a bit.

Pixel stepped toward the table, hooves resting on the cold metal. ‘What…what is going on?’

He eyed the dead robot that lay on its head. The wheels that it used to attach to a rail greeted him. It was still on, the fans inside almost being drowned out by the louder ones installed in the sphere, but nothing on it moved. It was like a discarded toy that sat dejected by the foal that used to play with it.

Pixel bent down, making sure he didn’t unplug the charging cord that was becoming entangled in the mess between the sphere and his own head and picked up the robot shell. He shoved a couple wires out of the way and nestled it where it used to be.

“You..I..” Words didn’t fit the questions he wanted answers to, “Colgate this doesn’t make sense..” Pixel fumbled over his words trying to put a cohesive sentence to what happened.

The white box stayed empty for a few seconds before words started appearing. “Look…I’m sorry. If I had explained what would happen you would never have let me do it. I don’t know you and you don’t know me.” The words expanded the white box to accommodate the increasing text.

They deleted themselves and filled with text again. “I didn’t know how you were going to react… just…give me a sec.” The words ended at the edge of the white box.

Sighing, Pixel turned away from the sphere and picked up a loose wire bundle that sat dejected next to the sphere. Using the digits that extended from his hoof, he pulled them apart and twisted them together as practice. ‘Well, at least they’re fun to use.’ A laugh escaped his mouth but it quickly died in the eerie quiet.

The text box responded with a simple “What?”.

Pixel set the cables on the table and look out at the horizon of the room. “Nothing...I just was thinking how much my friend Shadow would freak out if he saw these..handi things. He loves new technology…he’s too young to know the dangers that come with them.” He sighed and held his hoof in front of his face again, contrasting it against the fluorescent bulbs on the ceiling.

‘robot huh.’ Pixel thought. "Could be worse I guess. Remember the balefire bomb that Fluttershy dropped? You're involved with the higher-ups so surely you should know about it." He said to Colgate.

The white box answered with a simple yes after some time.

“I was just thinking that if this is what we can do, what's stopping the zebras from doing the same?

Silence greeted him and Pixel mentally added it to a list of questions to ask later. ”Never mind then.”

As he pondered, he emptily stared past his hoof and into the pale light. That is until a black box suddenly blocked his vision.

Pixel snapped out of his trance and focused on the now intrusive darkness. “Uh, Colgate. I can’t exactly see through this.”

“Yeah.I know, smart plot.” Colgate voiced in his ear.

He spun on his feet and looked over to his right but found nothing. “Oh..man I thought..” He wanted to say he wished she was still there but he couldn’t finish his sentence.

“Thought what? That I would suddenly have my old form again? Well! Introducing me!” Colgate triumphantly exclaimed. The black box disappeared into a small green dot in the middle of his screen. It soon spread and formed a pixelated version of the corpse he saw before of Colgate. Walking triumphantly she tested moving her hooves and shaking her mane. “All right! I guess this works! Awesome!”

Pixel watched the pony in his vision with inquisitive eyes. “You are…in the overlay then? You created basically an additional…UI that edits my current vision screen..” Saying such complicated words felt weird to describe this situation. He didn’t exactly fit it into the correct description but it seemed to satisfy Colgate as she nodded in response.

“Kind of. Basically, I am in your code..though I do have to say a lot of it is filled with errors. It's almost like your not a copy…your like, source code data.”

“You just said a lot of words that mean nothing to me.” Pixel laughed. The Colgate in his vision sat and huffed in response to him.

”You don’t have to understand it to recognize how awesome it is that I could do it though. A little praise would be welcome.”

“Thank you?”Pixel smiled as he stared at Colgate.

“Works, for now, …hey..look…now that we have time, why don’t we start over? I don’t know.” The animation nervously scratched her mane and looked away. Amusingly small red pixels appeared on her cheeks which Pixel pretended to not see them.

“Well, then I can start it with hello. I’m Pixel. I am lost, don’t know what's going on most of the time, I am standing for some odd reason, and the only pony I know is alive around here is an animated GIF that lives in my vision. Does that work for a greeting?” He said and laughed at himself.

Colgate looked at him for a bit and eventually shook her head. She smiled.”Idiot.”

Time seemed strange to the two ponies trapped in this predicament. Something about their company seemed to spark a bit of light in the dark rooms that were crushed under metric tons of water.

“So what’s next?” Pixel said. He turned back to the sphere.

“Well, first let's check something.” She trotted to the corner of his vision and tapped where the battery indicator was to summon it. In response a 100% greeted her.”Good. Well, first we need this cord for the future. All DEV-X suits have a bar that is built into their backs. I’ll activate it so just unplug your charging cable and wrap it up.” In parallel with what she said, Pixel felt something move on his back.

He moved the sphere gently to the side and pulled the cables out of the wall. Wrapping it over his hoof he eventually pulled the other end out his skull with the same electric feeling he had felt before.

Moving it over his shoulder he found the bar and tied it on with a loose cable. Blindly doing a knot he finished eventually and noticed the sphere sitting on the table.

“I’m assuming..I’m assuming that you are- that you live in that thing now? How do we bring it with us?” Pixel said while stumbling over his words.

Colgate pondered a bit but then triumphantly pounded her hoof into the air. “I got it! Ok just hold the sphere for a sec over your shoulder,”

Pixel nodded and picked up the sphere tentatively but firm. Raising it over his shoulders he heard a hiss and then the sphere pull itself out his hooves. A small weight tugged him backward and Pixel stumbled in response.

”Woah! OK. a bit of a warning before you do something like that!” Pixel exclaimed.

Colgate appeared embarrassed again. “Sorry! Regardless though I’m not going anywhere. I just secured the clamps on the sphere onto the back bar. As long as your neural cable isn’t unplugged I should be able to stick around,”

They shared a smile.

“I appreciate that.” Pixel didn’t know what he would do without some…one being with him. His brain rejected it in an effort to say “something”. The world didn’t make sense before he woke came here but now it needed an explanation. And Colgate was the mare with answers.

“Now, I need answers.” Pixel replied.

“All right, I am assuming you want to know how a pony can be put into a device, right?” Colgate began as she started to pull out an animated board from the middle of his vision.

“I guess. We can start with that, sure.” Pixel said.

“Well, our souls are interesting. Rarity did-, you know Rarity right?” Colgate pulled up a picture of a white pony with diamonds for a cutie mark and a fashion choice to match it.

“Roughly, I worked in the news so I’ve seen her picture before. She’s a ministry mare right?”

“Correct. But, she wasn’t exactly-..she wasn’t always; a ministry mare. She worked on a project of soul fracturing. She found out that she could split her soul and transfer them to different objects. The only reason we know this is because equine synthetics work heavily with Goldenblood, a pony whom you do not want to meet unless you want your secrets used against you.” The animated sprite scratched its head and then threw up a picture of some ponies huddled around a chair with cables strewn around and flowing out of its back.

“We worked on the concept of soul transferring or temporary soul distortion. This chair, once you’re plugged in properly, of course, detects the magical energy that our soul naturally puts off and sort of moves it with more energy. If you have another device that can catch that soul before it snaps back to its original position then you get what is known as temporary soul transfer” More pictures transitioned on the board between Colgate as she gesticulated what she said. A pony with a large Robronco logo floated by along with simple artificial hooves that bent back and forth without a host. “We tried it on small things first in order to make sure that the soul would return to the body after we had released it from the form it was pushed into. The process…was agonizing. Soul transfer felt like some part of you like your own heart was being ripped away from you in a split instance. The process itself took just a few seconds, though it felt like hours. I know this myself...I can’t begin to-…” Colgate sat distracted for a while before turning back to me. "One person lost access to his front hoof after a failed soul return made him think it didn’t exist. It was like his body didn’t want to believe that his body still had four legs so we made a replacement for it. When we got ready for full body tests we….thought, we thought...that we had every variable checked. Except for one thing. When we showed the device to a bunch of big folks, even the mares from Stable Tech, they demanded a trial run. So, we set up a standard Robronco service pony in the middle of the room and hooked everything up to the chair and it. Then we elected our new-er coworker Cotton Swirl to try it out. She was always antsy about the whole underwater bit of our laboratory but she knew how to take orders well.” Colgate gave a half-hearted laugh while Pixel added to his list of how. “She was so…innocent. She didn’t deserve...” Colgate looked away from Pixel and sighed. The board automatically filled with a video that played from the point of view of Colgate.

Pixel remained silent as other voices invaded his hearing. The video blew up to fill up his entire vision, while the silent Lyra simply sat, watching it with him in the corner of his view.

Lyra stood next to Colgate and adjusted a complex table of knobs and dials with her magic. She appeared well kept on the outside but the lines under eyes indicated the stress she was under. Sweetie Belle, one of the Stable-Tech head, turned toward Colgate and nodded towards her with a smile. She pulled herself a bit closer and audibly spoke to Colgate with a soft rich voice. “Don’t worry. I know everything is gonna go fine! You still have our funding no matter what the results of this are.”

Scootaloo grumbled but said nothing as she turned away from them and talked to Applebloom quietly. Whatever they agreed upon seemed to trouble the southern speaking pony but she said nothing to interject. A bunch of fine dressed business ponies filled the edge of the circular room: all dressed in casual suits while a few with pieces of notes that they scribbled on intensely with their mouths or magic. In sharp contrast to the rest of the ponies was one dressed in a sharp blue suit, almost as if it came from Canterlot itself. The strange part came in the pink stripes that stood in contrast to his white fur.

‘A zebra? What’s a zebra doing at a conference like this and why isn’t he being beaten to death?’ Pixel wandered through the list of zebras that actually survived the prejudice against their kind, but the number could be counted on his hoof. ‘Well…actually, now that I have those digits I guess that isn’t correct anymore..shoot.’

“Who’s that?” He inquired.

“Goldenblood. Now watch.” Colgate’s reply cut in spryly.

A mare with light blue fur and pink hair sat nervously in the chair but smiled at the many business ponies. She turned toward Lyra and then at Colgate. “We, uh, ready?” She nervously broke into the graphite-filled silence.

In response, Colgate trotted over to Lyra and checked the dials for her. One was a small bit off so she adjusted it to the right position before smiling to Lyra.

“Don’t worry, we got this.” She whispered.

Lyra sighed and whispered a thank you. Then with a nod to Cotton, she increased a lever installed on the far left of the station.

A loud hum filled the room. Dark pools formed in front of the device whilst the fluorescent bulbs flickered. A few turned off on the outside rim of the room and a couple of the business ponies worriedly backed a few steps away from the machine. The back of the chair filled with life as countless cables started to pour energy into it. The noises filled the air like an unchained animal. It felt strange but familiar.

Cotton swirl sat in this strange machine as the dark pools lengthened forward until it wrapped around the feet of the Robronco pony. With a sharp crack the energy from the chair pulsed again. In the air appeared a strange white mist that floated between Cotton Swirl and the robot body. It spilled into every crevice of the robotic surface. Obviously in pain, Cotton Swirl writhed in the chair but didn’t make a noise. It was as if she physically couldn’t scream.

Eventually, something seemed to be shut off in Cotton Swirl. Her head fell limp and the dark pools retreated away from the body. The last of it escaped into the robotic body and with a start, the body came to life with audible gasping. The room was quiet besides the heavy gasping, then an uproar of clapping ensued. Everyone was fascinated with the experiment…everyone except Goldenblood.

Goldenblood smirked which somewhat startled Pixel as he stared at his face. He broke from the crowd and caused many of the celebratory remarks from the other ponies to quiet. The room transformed back into silence again aside from the hoofsteps of Goldenblood and the nervous breathing of Cotton. As he neared Cotton the robotic body shrank away instinctively. His imposing presence dominated the air as he inspected her up and down.
" Interesting...Tell me, what happens when...hm, let's say she loses her head? A standard unit with a Robronco CPU and memory cards can easily be transferred in-between bodies-correct?"
Goldenblood stared around and locked eyes on the representative for the company questioned.
Clearly intimidated he replied to Goldenblood;" Well theoretically, yes. But most times we find these units missing their heads entirely due to leaked intelligence...were worki-" He stopped mid-sentence as Goldenblood raised a hoof. He turned his attention over to Lyra and looked at the abandoned body.
"And her body? What of it? Is the mind completely transferred so that if the main one is destroyed she can simply stay unaltered in the robotic supplement?" His eyes dug into Lyra and Pixel watched as Colgate wrapped an arm over her shoulders. With a deep breath, she looked at Goldenblood.
"Look, I know you want to use this somehow for your war. I know our funding comes from the princess herself. However, isn't this too far?! The implications of what your propos-" Colgate cut off as Goldenblood once more raised his hoof.
With fire in his eyes, he spoke once more. "Yes or no. Simple answer- please."
Colgate and Lyra looked at each other while Cotton Swirl looked visibly scared as she took step after step away from him. With a gulp, Lyra raised her eyes to him again.
"We don't know. Nor, do we want to know." She said.
"Fascinating." He replied as he turned quickly and marched towards the active Cotton Swirl. A small meep escaped the metallic face whilst the lights behind the plastic visors that served as eyes glowed with surges of unfiltered power. The surges quickly blew one of the light bulbs out and Cotton Swirl screamed in pain. It was an empty, hollow scream that sounded like it came from the inner recesses of the machine instead of from the installed speakers.
"I-i- mmaaAAH! Wha-? Why! My eye! I can't see! I ca-" She was hyperventilating if her voice gave any credence to what she was actually doing. All Pixel and the rest of the ponies could see was a Robronco machine hysterically fighting its way into the cables that tangled around her hooves. She lurched towards Lyra and Colgate and they instinctively held her in their hooves.
"Help m....heel...please...I don't want to do this anymore..please." Cotton begged.
"Don't worry we will.." Lyra said as she brushed a cord off of the shoulder guard it was caught on. She looked at the Goldenblood. "We are going to continue with our demonstration-sir. This will return her to her original body."
They pulled the cords off her and stared defiantly at Goldenblood. He stood silent and watched them plug in the proper set of prongs and wires. They returned to the console and they set the dials to assorted numbers labeled next to them. More scratching filled the room as pencils filled in and edited previous statements that they had made about their work. Lyra simply sighed and looked at Cotton again.
"We're ready to begin. Confirm consent on your side Cotton." She said. She watched the robotic body fidget a little but ultimately locked eyes with Colgate.
"I-...I am ready. Do it." Cotton replied in a hushed tone.
As the lever was flicked into a secondary slot and pushed forward, a small unicorn in similar garb trotted forward out of the crowd. The unicorn mare stood beside Goldenblood as they watched the humming electricity spark reactions in both bodies. The lights flickered and shut off. Held down by straps the flesh body of Cotton Swirl breathed again. Her eyes and mouth filled with a bright white glow. With a hush, the stream of shadows grasped the robotic pony and seemed to claw away at the soul inside. Then it retreated back into the body of Cotton Swirl.
As the lights flickered back to life Lyra ducked out from behind the console and quickly undid the restraints on Cotton Swirl. But something was off. Lyra shook the breathing body and forced her eyes open. But something was wrong.

Pixel turned away from the scene and centered in on Goldenblood. Soon everyone else did as well as a familiar voice echoed out from the now floating head of the Robronco unit. A thick bundle of cords hung below it like some kind of spinal cord. From the speaker came a question...filled with tears.
"Colgate....why can I see my body?" Cotton said from inside the somewhat separated head.
"No...no you....monster." Lyra shook with rage and Colgate froze in a horrified gape.
"Science came with a price. Many times it wasn't money. Since the dawn of ponykind, we made fire. We burned in the inferno it made. Recently, we were able to make a Megaspell. She decided to allow us to fight that same war over again. I don't want those same mistakes." He turned towards his assistant and motioned for her to move the head higher. With a tug, the cords tightened. Audible groaning and stretched plastic came from the bundle.
"NO! I don't want to die! No, don't do this!" Cotton Swirl cried in desperation. Lyra rushed forward quickly stopping before Cotton. "Goldenblood this is murder! Luna is going to vaporize you if she knows you are doing this." She grit her teeth as she faced down the strange zebra. He took a moment to relish the moment, then turned towards cotton with a smile writhed in mirth.
"Loyalty is an attribute that is found way too little. Of course you wouldn't know that..would you?" His words hung in the air. Those words could only mean one thing and with realization; Cotton Swirl froze. Lyra turned away from Goldenblood and looked in confused sadness at her.
"What does he mean? Please don't tell me you're...you're a spy?" The room hung on those words and with desperation Cotton cried.
"I had to Lyra! They have my child...I didn't want to! Please, believe me!"
Applebloom looked away from Cotton while sympathy riddled the faces of everyone else. Colgate spoke up after what felt like ages.
"But... she needs to be judged in a court of law...Goldenblood, please. I feel the same way you do about this, this needs to be taken care of...but not like this!"
Without skipping a beat he continued his speech whilst slowly trotting around Cotton.
"Who is to say that these soldiers won't just turn around after a transfer and blast away our troops? Now we must kill those traitors but what about the moral costs? Were killing someone, not something. Someone hesitates, and we have dead ponies on our hands." Slow methodical evil drooled into his every words as the floating head of Cotton whimpered. This wasn't right but the way he held himself implied that anypony that crossed him would meet a grisly fate as well. Powerless, the crowd watched him complete a full circle around the pony.
"So! Since you refuse to get your hands dirty. I'll do it for you." He nodded at the unicorn and again the bundle of cords stretched upwards, even further than before.

"No. don't!"
"You'll kill her!"
"Someone help me!!"
"Why are you doing this!?"

Shouting erupted around the room but no one moved against Goldenblood. A high pitched scream ripped through the air as the body of Cotton Swirl ran blindly at Goldenblood with its head limp and lifeless. It almost made it before a loud snap signaled the cable breaking. With a clunk the head hit the ground, it's remaining eye-light fizzling out.
Everyone held their breath as they watched Cotton Swirl get up from the ground.
She turned around and Pixel gasped in unison with the other ponies. A large white ring solidified around itself around the neck of Cotton Swirl. She smiled and breathed a sigh of relief and then trotted towards Colgate. "Look! I'm fine! I'm al-thunk" She said before her head rolled forward towards Colgate.

Through the screams and crying of the few that dared to cry with Lyra and Colgate, Goldenblood could be heard. " Your new assistant is a mare named Berry Punch. Don't disappoint me."
He started to trot away before a final sob forced one word from through Pixel's and Colgate's mouth. They seemed to breathe it as one.
"Monster."
He stopped in front of the exit and looked over his shoulder at them. Actual remorse seemed to seep in. Then, in an instant, it was gone. He turned away and tossed a final few words over his shoulder.
"Sometimes, this world needs monsters to fight monsters."
__________________________________________________________________________
With a start Pixel's vision returned back to the stark white room they were in before. Weakness was all that was left in him and so he simply slumped against a table. The suit automatically compensated and locked his legs in response. He wanted to fall over...he wanted to leave this Tartarus.
Colgate's pixel avatar slowly trotted into his focus and sat in silence. She was giving him time to process it but the silence only angered him more.
"why...... Why? Why??!........... WHY?!" Pixel turned around and picked up a computer monitor. With a thrust, he hurled it across the room and listened to the glass shatter against another monitor. "Why! WHY! WHY!?" He shouted at the empty air. He tossed the table at the door and kicked at the metallic computers towers that cascaded off of it. Another thrash at a tower turned the rectangle into a bent U which sailed into a light that hung from the ceiling. Sparks flew and Pixel threw his hooves into another table.
He stopped and simply cried. He couldn't physically but whatever way his brain processed it he tried to feel sorrowful.
"You can't feel anything. right?" Colgate broke in as Pixel stared emptily at the dented table.
"why..." He muttered.
Colgate sympathetically looked at Pixel and simply sighed again.
"We never had a reason to put any sensors on these utility bodies. They were never meant to be lived in...I'm sorry...I don't know if it means anything anymore but I am truly sorry that you were brought here. We.....aren't alive. Just a disposable copy that could be turned off anytime and turned back on with no repercussions. Surely now you have to realize that the war did things...horrible things to ponies and we had to change with it. " Colgate looked at anything but his eyes, then shamefully hung her head. "We aren't even a type of life...and I built it this way." She turned away from him and disappeared into the orb that served as her body.
Pixel had only one word that was able to escape his mind.
"Monsters."