Chapter Three: Know Thine Enemy

I heard the rattle of my cell door. That same colt from yesterday escorted me out. Didn't understand why I couldn't see his face or anypony else's clearly. But it was something to wonder about. I didn't expect much trotting into that small, dusty room. When they turned on the lights, I realized why it was do important. The room couldn't have been bigger than a living room in some shabby apartment down in Hardplum. But, it was anypony's guess why it was equipped with a memory lounger.

I immediately asked Sargeant Chapel 'is that a memory lounger?'

And, without a problem, he said "Yes, but modified."

We went further in till he laid me down inside and got on top of me, fixing various wires and loose portions on the door piece. We shared a few glances here and there, me enjoying myself and him scoffing at my immaturity. What could a mare do but flirt the pain away. After all, my husband had been murdered years ago. I had to cope somehow.

"It reads traces of certain EM frequencies from a portion of someone's brain matter. These EM signatures are what we use to pinpoint where exactly to trace the time trail. That includes alternate realities, too, so we're still working out the flaws and dead ends. Instead of letting us see the submitted brain's memories, along the time trail, this let's us retrace the trail to similar neurobiological structures-"

"Sargeant Chapel, will you please not tell a convicted felon the secrets of our technology!"

One of the eggheads stopped him dead in his tracks. Smart stallion, too. Had a sense of skepticism about him. I grinned lithely and rest my hooves against his chest. Made him blush a few shades.

"I don't mind you on top of me. But maybe you should keep the eggheads calm. I hear nerd rage is dangerous."

"Just think of it as a time travel video capture for now..."

Sargeant Chapel stepped away when he hot glue'd a few wires together and completed a circuit or two. I stared up at the mobile door, realizing the screen wasn't a suspended monitor, like in most memory loungers. This time, the screen was a curved display monitor stretched across the door itself. We got started when some egghead gave Chapel the O.K.

We had a bot to host the brain matter. And, for whatever reason, they had some material from Stained Glass. I wouldn't ask how, or why, but the disembodied brain itself was floating inside the dome of the bot skull. They booted up everything and a few of the eggheads had to scramble around hitting different switches and turning dials.

I stayed quiet as the screen flashed white and overtook my vision.

Inside the time trail, I found myself walking along a narrow hallway. Along it's walls I found an infinite amount of doors. And none of them, I knew, would have memories of Pane. If they did, the few she had would be about a baby; a foal still in infancy didn't do much at all.

Over the roof and even outside the walls, I heard a voice guide me.

"You can go wherever you want, Calypso. This part is about what you see and how you take it. I can guarantee you it won't leave you the same mare. So go on. Take your pick."

Sargeant Chapel. Of course. His voice, out of all the ponies in the laboratory, I'd recognize clearly.

What else could I do but take the first door that called my name. Clicked the door handle in and stayed loose, yet aware of my surroundings. I wasn't prepared to see what I did.

In front of me was a mirror. The glass was covered in steam, fogged up with the rest of the bathroom. I concentrated on my oncoming reglection. I realized I wasn't alone, since there was a stallion staring over my shoulder. His lips curled upward, proud of me. Proud of what he saw. My reflection wasn't mine, but her's; it was Stained Glass' face. Had the same, milky eyes and thousand yard stare. I found my lips moving, even if they really weren't. Then, the words escaped my mouth.

"War never changes."