PONI

“Welcome to TREES, Tin.”

I had expected to enter a tram station like those of HOOF and MANE, just a little area that contained an entrance into the main complex. To my surprise, it was something completely different. The station area itself was small, but the ceiling was higher than anything I’d seen. TREES had one big dome ceiling that spread out across the entire zone. Light shined down from above, I almost believed we were out on the surface with the sun shimmering down upon us.

“This… This is really different.” I said as I hopped up out of the railway. I looked back to the tunnel and followed the curve of the domed ceiling overhead until my vision was blocked by buildings.

Walls surrounded the tram’s platform with a security booth near the exit. Blood had made visibility inside the booth impossible. A building was across the station as you passed the booth, metal doors were shut tight and lights remained off. A sign signified it was a loading dock meant for importing and exporting, though I’m not sure what that would mean for a science facility.

“Twilight, are we still underground?”

“Yes. The sun is just a projected video for night and day cycles.”

“How strange. Am I supposed to be following these walls?” I asked, the path being fairly linear in the directions I could go, unless I wanted to scale the three yard high walls that surrounded me.

“Just keep going. I believe you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” Twilight responded.

I shrugged it off and continued, believing I would exit eventually. The tram station was on my left, but behind the wall on my right were a decent amount of fairly large buildings. The buildings were definitely four or five times the size of the walls around me, but they were nowhere close enough to reach the ceiling. How high did it go?

“This place is pretty large. Should we worry about being quiet? Will there be more of the diseased?”

“Probably.” She replied.

With another turn I found myself free of the walled paths, and into something completely new to my senses. The cemented floor lead out into a seated area where passengers waited for the tram, but beyond that was a field of grass. Trees stood tall in the distance, spread out amongst the pasture with swing sets, jungle gyms, walkways, and ponds.

The grass had grown fairly tall and weeded from the inactive mowing, but it was beautiful nonetheless. It reminded me of my dream, though this time was far more pleasant. No falling, no melting, just peace and tranquility.

“Twilight. It’s… It’s grass.”

“Very good, Tin. And what color is the grass?”

I wish I could take off the helmet specifically to roll my eyes at her. “You’re just going to sass me the entire time until we get to PONI, aren’t you?”

“I’ve been cooped up in that security room for quite some time without any contact to another living being. So, yes. Yes I am. By the way, the color is green.”

“I know what the damn color is!” I yelled, stomping forward towards the field.

“There’s a sidewalk to the right of you that leads towards the business district, we need to access the command station of TREES. Wait, where exactly are you going?” She asked.

I pressed on into the thicket, grass barely brushing against my stomach plate. “I am going to enjoy the time I have right now. When is the next time I’m going to see something like this? If you’re to be believed, everything on the surface is dead, and virtual reality inside a computer really wouldn’t be the same.”

“Well, in the simulated reality you won’t be able to tell the difference. It’ll feel just as real as it does now.”

“Yeah, but it won’t be real. I can’t physically feel it, I’ll still know it’s not the same thing.”

An exaggerated robotic sigh echoed disappointedly from its place on my back. I continued towards one of the ponds, ignoring the brain that was raining on my parade.

“You do realize you can’t feel it right now, right? You’re trapped in a suit. What’s the point of wasting time here when we can just get to PONI?” She asked.

“The dream I had. I felt myself flying over grassy fields like this one. I don’t know if I can fly, or if I just really want to, but something makes me feel at peace when I think about it. It is the same feeling that I have right now.”

Twilight didn’t respond. Maybe she figured patience was a virtue, or perhaps she didn’t want to chance losing her only ride to PONI. Not that I would actually dump her off, I would get pretty lonely and her sarcasm wasn’t unbearable. But she didn’t need to know that.

As I walked the cemented paths of this little slice of paradise I began to wonder what the above ground was really like. I don’t understand much of the science mumbo jumbo Twilight ranted on about, but it couldn’t be that bad, could it?

“Hey Twilight. Do you think it’s safe to go to the surface?”

“Yes, of course. Though the water would be unsafe to drink without boiling or purifying it in some way, and I’m sure the areas around the reactors would still be irradiated, but I’d imagine it is still livable. Maybe even safe enough to farm crops depending on the area of production.”

I stopped at a pond to look out into the water, my reflection barely visible in the stagnant water. Algae formed around the edges, causing a mirage of where the pond and dirt connected.

“Are you contemplating on going to the surface instead?” She asked. A reasonable question.

“Maybe. I’d like to be able to cure myself and take off the suit, but being a brain connected to a machine seems safer. Though that sounds incredibly silly now that I’ve said it out loud. Removing my brain is safe, imagine that.”

“The cure is already made, but not physical. We’ve got the design on how it affects the pony body, and when we create new life they won’t be effected by the disease. I’m not sure we can create a serum for you and get it to you safely without compromising the creational rooms.”

The thought of them playing around with creating life was another reason I was unsure of joining their little utopia. I’d be unable to escape after I placed my brain inside their system, trapped forever not unlike I am in this diving suit.

“Do you miss your body, Twilight?”

“To an extent, yes, but I also know that I might have already been dead had I not removed my brain. I also doubt that we would have been able to convince the other members of the science committee to leave their body behind if I had not done it first.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“Tin, I don’t mean to rush your relaxing saunter through the park, but it seems the day and night system was not set to just day.”

As I looked up I noticed that the ceiling had changed to a slight orange hue, reminiscent of a sunset.

“Wait, I thought we were underground? Do you guys have a video feed of the sun above or something?” I asked.

“No, no. They are fluorescent panels that simulate the sun, which is why the plants and parks are able to survive. It mimics life above ground with an active rotation of the sun and moon. It was supposed to be shut off and kept on daylight at all times, but it’s clear that somepony screwed that up.”

“Damn. I don’t want to be trapped out in the open after dark.” I said as I started to jog back towards the tram station, following the sidewalk as best I could.

“It seems daily life operation is still in full swing, which is slightly good. Except for the whole darkness part. That should mean we can get on the tram to PONI if it’s here.”

After reaching the HOOF tram station I followed the path Twilight first suggested. The park area was enclosed by a wall that followed the walkway I was on. There was another wall in the direction I was heading, with an opening in between the two. I didn’t really understand the point of segregating the park from the rest of the city, so I asked.

“Excellent question, Tin! TREES was the first facility built for me after we established the Alicorn Project. Things have changed a lot since then, and the park hadn’t always been here. After the destruction of the over world, we simply made room and built things as needed. Ponies love their grassy knolls and bright skies, so we made accommodations. Subjugating the park was necessary, as it gave ponies somewhere to go and take their minds off things.”

“I guess you didn’t come here often, then?”

“Actually, quite the opposite. I rather enjoyed spending my time reading on one of the benches. It reminded me of when I lived in Ponyville. I always seized the opportunity to walk the paths whenever I was here for performance meetings. PONI doesn’t have a park, unfortunately.”

Twilight hadn’t really struck me as the compassionate type until just now. Sure, she wanted to fix ponykind and help save the world. But she always seemed so calculated and methodical, a real introvert of the sort. Though now that I think about it, she’s a brain not a heart.

I reached the end of the walkway leading out from the park, the two walls opened into a street with buildings lining the sides. To the left, behind the wall, was another tram station.

“Is this the way to the surface or is it to PONI?” I asked.

“This tram will take us to PONI. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the carts were sent back, probably due to security protocols. That or somepony didn’t want to send it back.”

“Can we just walk it?”

She let out a short robotic sigh. “No, but I wish we could. Security gates are installed to prevent flooding in case the glass somehow cracks. They can only be opened from PONI, or from the tram itself. We’ll have to call the tram back to TREES.”

“Alright, so where am I going?”

“Headquarters, it’s that big building in the distance, opposite of the PONI tram. It’ll have my old office where I can call the tram.”

I began to walk away from this second station, staring at the buildings as I passed. Their HQ was definitely the largest building in the area, or maybe it just felt that way as the fake sunset casted shadows against the domed ceiling. Either way, MANE and HOOF were nothing compared to the size of this place.

“This place is gigantic, I’m honestly really impressed by all the hard work that was put into this place.”

“Actually, PONI is the largest facility out of all the Eclipse stations. So if you’re shitting bricks now, just you wait.”

Gooey piles were lining the street, though neither Twilight nor I mentioned them. Seeing blood was far more pleasant than the walking abominations I have come across. It did make me wonder, if this place was so large then there has to be some still around, right?

A fountain sat in the middle of the crossroads, a large statue of a pony sat atop with water spewing out from its horn. They had a set of wings, but one seemed to have crumbled and fell into the water below.

“Well, it’d be beautiful if it was still intact.”

“Hmm? Oh, that is a statue of Princess Celestia. I wonder how it got cracked.”

“You actually had a fountain made to look like her? Damn, she must have been some goddess.” I replied as I circled the fountain, a large shiny suit catching my eye.

“Yeah, she raised the sun, or at least used to. She was pretty important.”

“If she isn’t alive, how is the sun still moving? Is it even moving?” I asked while examining the diving suit that sat submerged in the fountains water.

“No offense Tin, but that’s a stupid fucking question. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were so powerful they were able to control cosmic objects. But they didn’t create the stars. Alicorn’s are mortal gods, not supreme supernatural beings. They’re going to continue to move regardless.”

“Geez, sorry. Don’t get your cerebellum twisted. If an alicorn is so powerful, does that mean you could move stars?” I retorted as I fished the body out of the water, dropping it onto the road.

A loud robotic groan came from my back, signifying I was about to be lectured, regardless if I wanted to hear it or not. “I was not born an alicorn, idiot. They were, and therefore they were able to do awe inspiring things from such a young age. That’s why they lived for millenniums and alicorns like me only live centuries. Well, centuries past the expected life span.”

“And what color was the grass?” I’m sure even as a brain she could feel the grin on my smug face.

“You’re a real asshole, Tin. I hope you know that.”

“I know.” I replied as I removed the cords from the diving suit’s helmet, plugging them into my foreleg.

The words popped up into my HUD. ‘Would you like to connect?’

“Yes.”

Sentences and texts clouded my line of sight like usual until it finished, giving me the information I desired.

Occupant – #594 Carmine Fizzle
Organic Cultivation Manager: Level 4
Eclipse Station: TREES
Status: SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION
415 Days remaining power.
Would you like to view last available holotape?

“Oh, cool. A holotape. Sure, I’d like to listen.”

“Having fun, Tin?”

“More so than being berated and lectured, yes.” I gave a simple jest as the tape loaded.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Begin holotape…

Dear Administrator Creeper, otherwise known as Coal Simmers.

I quit. I’m heading for PONI and I’m keeping a suit.

Everyone is sick or knocking themselves off before they turn into one of those mindless shambles, and you’re more concerned with mounting me. I knew I should have reported you to PR when I caught you slipping shit into my tea.

If I ever see you again, I’ll castrate you.

…End holotape

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

“Fuuuuck.” I said in a shallow breath as the tape finished.

“What’s wrong?”

“This mare had to deal with some creep I guess. It’s pretty brutal stuff. Somepony named Coal Simmers seemed to really be into her. Wonder how she died.”

“Fuck Coal. Only reason he became an admin was because we were short staffed and he knew the science behind terraforming.” Twilight responded, guess he had a reputation. Hope I didn’t have a run in with him too before I lost my memory.

Before I removed the helmet, I laid her body against the wall of the fountain. I began lifting the latches to release the helmet. After I removed it, I noticed she was like the other pony that I had seen in MANE, she still had hair and was uncorrupted by the disease that plagued this place.

Blood had encrusted on her lips and mouth, it hung agape with more blood covering the teeth. Her light red hair was greasy, covering a portion of her eyes. I raised up the hair to get a good look at her eyes, but was immediately startled by the pupils staring back at me.

“Holy shit!” I yelled as I backed up, letting go of the hair and almost falling on my ass.

“What’s wrong?”

“I-I think she’s alive!”

Lifting the hair back up, I slowly moved my body to see if the eyes would follow the movement. Sure enough, they did.

“I can’t believe it. She is. How? How are you alive?” I asked.

No response.

“Twilight, is there a way I can help make her talk? I doubt she’d be sitting in a fountain if she could do it herself, or even move for that matter.”

“Tin.”

“Maybe I can get her to some sort of medical station and help getting her talking. I might be able to bring her with us to PONI.”

“Tin!”

“I could always try to…”

“TIN!”

“What!?”

“She’s a fucking vegetable.”

I didn’t have a response to that. I didn’t even take time to think that she may not even be cognitive. Her eyes seemed to follow me without any clear emotion behind them. What does it really mean to be alive?

“Twilight… W-What should I do?”

“You cannot help her. Even if she isn’t brain dead, there’s nothing you could do to heal her bodies trauma. The best thing for her would be to end her suffering.”

“You already asked me to kill a foal, now you’re asking me to kill a pony that’s still normal? Are you that much of a brain that your compassion is completely gone?”

“She is going to die if you try to help her. She is going to die when her suit runs out of power. Either way will be long and painful. You’re denying her peace by not killing her right now. Where is YOUR compassion? Or did you forget that too?”

“I… I…” I wanted to argue. I wanted to scream at her, but I knew she was right. “Damn it!”

“Take your baton and bash her skull in or put the helmet back on her and let the suit eventually run out of power. Either way, make a decision quickly. Personally, I wouldn’t want to become one of those things.”

I moved myself closer to her face, our muzzles pressed against each other but only to be blocked by the metal of my suit. “I’m so, so sorry.” I whispered to her. Tears began to run down her face, showing that she understood what we were saying.

“S-She can… She can understand, Twilight.”

Twilight didn’t respond. I was unsure of what I should do, so I did what I thought was right. I reeled back and bashed the lonely soul with my baton.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

Blood stained my cudgel and speckled my suit. Her head had become concave down the middle, split open like a centerfold with bone and gore spread to the sides. I watched as the blood drained down onto her suit, covering the ground beneath the metal corpse. The red mane had only turned to a darker shade than what it once was.

I threw the baton as hard as I could over a building's roof. A beautiful tool, now tainted by the life of another. No words were spoken by Twilight as I placed the helmet back onto the battered head, sealing it back with the latches.

“T-Twi…” I tried to choke out her name, but my voice simply stuttered and cracked. “Twilight.”

“What is it, Tin?”

“Will the suit allow her to decay? You know, like a normal pony?” Turning into a monster or ooze seemed far worse than a skeleton or ashes.

“No. The suit will keep the body fresh until it runs out of power.”

“So, she’ll be a miserable pile of goo just like the rest?” I’m sure Twilight could tell by the lilt in my voice that I was holding back a burst of tears. Maybe she does have some compassion, enough to know when to say the right thing.

“You already freed her mind and soul. Her body may become ooze, but she won’t be eaten by maggots or burned in an oven. She’s not like the rest, because she’s no longer miserable. You saved her.”

Her words helped ease the burden as I stood up, staring over the lifeless metal suit. A pony I did not know and yet mourn like a sibling. I’m not sure what made me more upset, honestly. The fact that I murdered somepony or the fact that I’m trying to rationalize it to where I’m not the bad guy. Pathetic.

We didn’t speak to each other as I made my way to the main campus of TREES. I don’t like silence, now more so than ever. Though if Twilight had said anything, comforting or not, I’m sure I would have been unable to hold back the tears.

It wasn’t until we got to the locked gate of the headquarters that I was forced to speak. Not that I didn’t try following the fancy stone walls to find a different way in. I was trying to avoid any form of communication as best I could, but to no avail. The tone of my voice was quieter than it had been.

“There’s a chain on the gate and a padlock. I don’t think I can scale the walls either.”

“You could always…” She paused. I’m not sure what she was going to say. “Wait, never mind.”

“Any suggestion would be helpful.” I spoke up a little.

“You could find some boxes and build a platform up? Though, getting back over would be a big issue. Smashing the lock, maybe. None of the other buildings are close enough to the walls for a small leap. Not unless you didn’t plan on walking anymore.”

I stood there patiently as she rambled on inarticulately. Maybe I’m bitter, but the fact that she can switch from deadpan to compassionate and then back to her nerdy usual self, well, it really pisses me off.

“The sewage system!” Her exclamation snapped me back from my harsh brooding thoughts.

“Woah, hold on. You’re not about to suggest…”

She interjected. “Yep! The headquarters was the first section built for TREES, and it has a very large set of pipes. Lucky for us, we became so large that a waste management plant was built much later and it just so happens to connect to the old, pony-sized pipes from HQ. I’m certain the pipes run along one of the streets.”

The thought of wading around in sewage only made bile more prevalent in my throat. I was already on the verge of tears, and now I was going to be submerged in the sewers like the garbage I became.

“Yes… Lucky us.” I said with the swallowing of my pride, and some stomach acid.

“The plant is on the other side of the surface access, but we won’t need to head there hopefully. Just try and find a sewer grate, there has got to be one on the street or maybe in an alley. It’s a circular, metal covering in the ground that you can climb down.”

A small groan left my lips as I began the search, knowing full well that I was going to have to sift through toxic waters. The blood on my suit would soon be washed off and replaced with something far worse. Nasty.

The liquefied remains of dead ponies were around every corner, inside every alleyway. Seeping into the cracks and cement grooves of the worn down streets. The bronze coloring shadowed the grey pavement. It was pretty clear that the slime was dissolving over time, only leaving the discolored shade as any evidence of something being there.

Well, somepony being there.

It was slowly becoming nightfall as the virtual sun continued to lower. Twilight talked on and on about things relating to TREES, but I wasn’t listening. I’m not mad at her, I’m just mad at myself. I don’t even know who I am, how is it fair that I get to judge another for what they are? Even if I become a brain like Twilight, will it matter since I don’t even know who I was in the first place?

Will my memories even bring me peace? Once I leave my body, it’ll become goo just like all the others. Gone like my past and everything else in this world. The only important thing left is Twilight’s last ditch effort to bring back pony-life.

“…And so that’s when we figured out we could build underwat- Hey, are you even listening?”

“Huh? Yeah, no, sorry. Just… a little stressed out.”

“I’m sorry about being so blunt earlier, Tin. But hey, we’ll be at PONI soon. That’ll cheer you up, right?”

“Not really. I’ll become a brain once we get there, how is that supposed to cheer me up?”

The darkness of the fake, timed sunset had been creeping in steadily. The little detour with the mare in the suit had cost us a lot of time to find a way in, and now trying to search for a sewer grate was becoming impossible.

“Flashlight.” I said, brightening up my view.

“We may actually be forced to head to the sewage plant. I could have sworn grates were installed to help construction ponies get easier access to blockage.”

“This is becoming a trend. Can’t get into one place, so find a second path. I’m beginning to think your facilities were shitty holes in the ground.”

“Hey! This was a sanctuary for some of the greatest minds in all of Equestria and I will not have you degrade all our hard work.”

“Yeah? You gonna stop me, brain in a jug?”

She didn’t respond. I felt kind of bad, but I wasn’t wrong. This place is shit.

The moon had followed the virtual night sky, allowing for limited visibility in the distance around my flashlight. I walked back to the fountain, trying to ignore the metal suit lying against the outer ring. Water had to have a way of getting into the fountain, so a grate close by seemed logical. Just had to hope it was for sewage.

My instincts were right. A circular, pony-sized, moveable grate sat at one of the corners of the intersection. Using the suits telekinesis I lifted up the grating and moved it aside. As I climbed down the ladder I could hear the water quietly sloshing below.

Once I reached the bottom I noticed the piping was larger than I perceived. With the term ‘pony-sized’ I figured it would be barely large enough to stand, but I was able to move comfortably without Twilight or my helmet scrapping the ceiling of the iron tube.

I headed in the direction of the headquarters, water barely hoof level. I could tell this was definitely sewage from the disgusting walls, but it’s probably been a long time since anybody was around to actually use the lavatory.

“See Tin, this isn’t so bad.” Her voice echoed against the pipe.

“I don’t know. It could be worse, sure, but this isn’t exactly fun either.”

“There should be an exit hole inside the basement of the complex, from there we need to head to my old office.”

The echoing was starting to give me a headache, or maybe it was the stress of the whole situation. I didn’t reply to her, mostly because I still didn’t want to talk.

“At least it’s not stairs, right?” I’m not sure if her sense of humor is good or bad, but she got a chuckle out of me, I’ll give her that.

“Yeah, I’m just hoping that once we get there, we don’t find a spleen in a jar controlling the entire system.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Tin. A spleen? Come on. Now a liver on the other hoof, that would make more sense.”

“Got me there.”

A few japes lifted my depressed spirit, I guess she does know how to have a good bit of sympathy. Though the pessimistic side of me believes she’s only doing it to get me, and by extension her, to PONI. At least she was no longer condescending, that’s a plus.

Large steel bars blocked my path with another ladder to the side that I was able to climb up. It’s hard to believe, but climbing a ladder in this suit is actually really easy. You can slam your back hooves against the steps and it won’t even hurt, making it a breeze to climb. Though it does leave a ringing in the ears.

All this time I’ve been itching to get out of the suit, never had I thought about how useful it has been. Though if I wanted to get sappy, I could say the same for Twilight. Without either of them, I probably wouldn’t have made it out of MANE.

The basement was dark and musty, I could almost feel the sour air that filled the room. Barrels and unique machines lined the area, but thankfully no nightmarish hell demons. A thick layer of dust saturating the fixtures had removed any color from the room. I’m pretty sure this was normal though.

The room opened up into the main basement where I immediately headed for the stairs. Just a simple few steps with a twist of a door knob and we were on the first floor.

It was a very different feel compared to the other buildings I had been in over at MANE and HOOF. No space was squandered, every area was occupied with some form of furniture or boxes. I pushed open the front door to the headquarters and wandered out into the grassy courtyard. Any tool to break the lock off the gate would have been helpful, but to no avail.

Twilight let out a sigh, the mechanical tones were extremely exaggerated. It was clear that she was unhappy with me taking the time to place precautions in case I needed a quick escape, but one can never be too prepared. I probably shouldn’t have thrown the baton, my only weapon.

“If you just get me to the administrative office, I can set it to day time and you can find something to break the gate in the daylight.”

It was hard for me to argue, though I had hoped to find something that could defend me in times of crisis. After heading back inside, we ignored the rooms of the lower levels. The third floor held many rooms, but seemed to be one of the darkest levels of the whole building. The basement was more pleasant than this floor.

The light from the false moon couldn’t penetrate the windows like it had of the other two floors. Steel panels covered the windows, almost like a security precaution that had failed to be lifted; or perhaps failed to finish.

This level was a bit more barren in its halls. The admin’s office was at the front of the building in the dead center of the hall with a receptionist desk right outside the door. I expected it to be more reclusive since Twilight had said she use to be the administrator. She wasn’t a socialite after all.

“Shits locked.” I blurted aloud as I twisted the knob.

“Under the computer monitor, spare key.” She replied.

I walked over to the receptionist desk only to see that bronze ooze had covered the chair like it was part of the upholstery. I’ve already swallowed plenty of my own vomit to not feel any abhorrence towards the slime. I simply pushed the chair out of my way carefully and went to grab the key.

Slamming the monitor back down, I shouted in frustration, “Just my fuckin’ luck! The key isn’t here!”

“What? Are you serious? Lovely. Well, just buck the door down. It’s only wood.”

“Buck? The fuck is buck?” I asked, too disgruntled to appreciate the rhyme.

A mechanical gasp that sounded relatively close to a tin can having its lid be pulled back came from the brain on my back. “You don’t know what bucking is? You really DO have amnesia if you don’t know that basic pony function.” Another scoff at my limited knowledge.

“Some things are clouded while others aren’t. It’s not my fault.”

“Yeah, sorry. Basically it’s just kicking your back legs, just rear back and slam them against the door.”

It seemed easy enough. I turned my ass to the door and kicked my legs back, barely tapping the wood.

“A little closer.” She directed.

I inched closer to the door and then reared back, smacking my hind legs against the wood like a hard knock. “Damn it! Okay, maybe if I put a little bit more force in the push back.”

With another rear and a kick, the door swung open. “I did it! Holy shit!” The moon shined into the room from the one window that remained unblocked by the metal barrier. A desk sat in the middle of the room, lit up by the light. The only other light came from the administrative panel and a monitor.

“Good job. Head over to the left wall, there should be a computer setup that I can plug into.”

Filing cabinets lined the right wall, all opened and empty. Papers scattered amongst the floor and on the computer system. I pushed them out of the way and placed Twilight onto the panel. Knobs and buttons were scattered across the board.

“What am I looking for to plug you in?” I asked.

“Auxiliary wiring near the top of the board, just plug it into the opposite side of my speaker.”

Wiping away the dust revealed some of the words on the board, allowing me to find the wiring, though it is very difficult to move dust around with a metal hooves. After hooking her up, she went dark for a moment. The sun began to return to the sky, light bellowed through the window, brightening up the entire room.

I turned off my flashlight as I waited for Twilight to give me some more instructions. The purple alicorn’s face popped up on the monitor in front of me before disappearing once more. It flickered on once more as I assumed she needed to adjust to her new power.

“There you ar-“

“TIN, RUN!” She yelled over the speaker system.

The shrill voice struck a spike of fear straight down my spine. I was too hesitant to simply turn and run, confused by her words. Suddenly, my back legs were grabbed and I was tossed across the room and onto the desk. I slid over the top of it and onto the other side.

I pulled myself to my hooves as I tried to focus on what abomination had followed us up. It stood there in the light, hulking and brutish. Smaller than the one I had seen in MANE, but it was definitely one of the biggest I’d seen. Its head had sunken down into his neck, or what little neck he had left. Tumors had filled his veins, bulging out of his skin like roots in the ground.

The worst part? It wasn’t blind.

“GET OUT TIN!” Twilight yelled as the sprinkler system went off.

The hell-spawn looked up, unsure of what was berating him. As he did I took the chance I was given to rush past him and back down the stairs, almost slipping and sliding from the water the entire way. I could hear the monster stomping after me with his colossal body. Hopefully the stairs would be too complicated for him to maneuver at a quick pace.

“Twilight! Where do I go?!” I called out, hoping to get a response. Water showered the suit, leaving me vulnerable to slipping as I made my escape. I had only one option, to hide until I could sneak back up to Twilight.

Through the front door and out into the courtyard, I booked it to one side of the building and hid against the wall. I patiently waited, not making a sound, in the hopes that it would wander back upstairs long enough for me to break the gate open.

Glass shattered into the lawn as it burst through the doors of the headquarters. I had wondered if it saw me move to the side of the building, but it headed for the gate instead. With a quick snap the chains were broken and it pushed through the gate, drifting off into the city.

I cautiously moved back inside the building, careful not to cause any noise, and rushed up the stairs to Twilight. I had to, needed to, make sure she was okay. My heart was in my throat as I trotted through the hall and rushed into the office.

“Tin! You’re okay! Thank Celestia!”

I took a second to catch my breath and stop panting before I answered her. “He-hey. Glad he didn’t smash you.”

“I was so worried. There are no security cameras in HQ attached to this panel, so I didn’t know if that thing had gotten you or not.”

“I managed to hide quickly enough. It, uh, smashed the gate. I was actually really surprised. Though I can’t say I don’t have a broken rib or something, it threw me like a carton of eggs.”

The purple alicorn’s picture flickered on the monitor as I caught a moment to breathe. “Don’t make too much noise, I don’t want to draw it back.” I asked. I knew it could see, but noise was definitely going to draw it back.

“Don’t worry, I’m turning on the alarms at the tram station to HOOF. That’ll hopefully anger it enough to stay over there.”

Looking out from the open window of the office showed no signs of the mobile giant. Too many buildings were in the way for me to actually see the station itself. We’d have to hurry if we wanted to leave for PONI peacefully.

“Are you done with whatever you are supposed to be doing? If we can, I’d like to be leaving, like, now if possible.”

“Fuck!” She yelled.

I apologized immediately, thinking she had directed it towards my impatience.

“No, no. Sorry. There is not enough power on the circuit to bring the tram back from PONI. It’s being redirected elsewhere.”

“Can’t you just open the gates to PONI and let us walk there?” I replied.

“That’s just it, the only thing that can open the gates is the train itself. That and somepony over at PONI, we’re stuck here without one or the other. It’s a defense against flooding, but worked to keep out the ponies of the other stations just as easily.”

“So, can you un-redirect it?”

“No, I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t?”

“It means I fucking can’t! It’s locked, some asshole forced power to go directly to the surface access elevators. Something is there preventing the switch over. Maybe things became far worse than it seemed after HOOF.”

“That sounds like a story for another time, but for now is there anything I can do?”

A view of the surface elevators popped up on the screen. I trotted over from the window to take a look. Blood covered the doors and ooze stained the floors. Not a pretty sight.

“I’m not even sure what could be blocking it, I can only see the elevators themselves. I need you to go over there and find out what is diverting the energy and break it! Nothing is ever fuckin’ easy.”

She was more pissed than I was, and I was the one having to go back out with the fleshy atrocity wandering the streets! She was right though, it wasn’t going to be easy, not with us being so close to our goal. The last stretch was here, just had to do one last thing.

“Am I going to regret this?”

Twilight popped back up on the screen. “The only thing you should regret is not becoming an engineer!” She cried out with mechanical laughter.

“I don’t get it.”

“Ah… It’s an inside joke I guess. Listen, we are so close to PONI I can almost taste it. I know that analogy doesn’t make sense now that I’m brain, but trust me, I can. This should be a breeze as long as you move quietly and quickly. Don’t stop for anything, okay?”

“Alright. I’ll do it. Keep an eye out for me, would ya?” I asked as I walked to the door.

“Tin… I…” She paused. “Will do. Good luck.”

I headed back downstairs and out into the yard, carefully avoiding the glass shards. Even from this distance I could hear the alarms of the tram station going off. Hopefully that meant I would be clear to hurry without worry of what might be around the corner.

That didn’t mean I wouldn’t be cautious though, I’ll take Twilight’s advice to heart. I jogged with care along the street, making sure to look down the alleyways I passed, and keeping an eye on my behind. It wasn’t until I reached the fountain that I noticed something was changed.

A pool of blood was strung out against the ground and the wall of the fountain. It took me a second to realize that it had been where Carmine laid. I had a mission, but I couldn’t help but take a second to look around the fountain. Did I not actually destroy her brain?

The water inside the fountain had become light red with blood. I peered over and gazed into the water, only to see the crushed helmet sunken down to the bottom. It was crumpled like a wad of paper and thrown away, the body nowhere to be found.

I couldn’t help but start to tear up. It made sense that the walking horror had assumed that it was me lying against the fountain. Our suits matched after all, they were from the same facility.

Mourning would have to wait though, I had already done enough when I, well… Yeah.

My goal was as close as ever, the surface elevator in sight. The fact that TREES was just one big intersection made it really easy to navigate. No bullshit to worm my way around. As long as I didn’t run into the thing that broke out of headquarters, it should be a safe journey.

Sunlight and clouds were overhead, or at least virtual skies were. It reminded me of the dream I had back at MANE. Flying without a care in the world, at least until it was interrupted by the plummeting and melting of my body. I just had to hope that wouldn’t turn out to be a premonition. Spiritual shit isn’t my thing.

Once I was closer to the elevators, I noticed that a blockade was set up in front of them. The blood and goo sat against the wall, ponies apparently wanted out of this hell-hole. I can’t blame them, honestly. I kind of just want to get inside and ride one up to the surface, leaving behind this nightmare.

Actually, it wasn’t just a feeling, it was a real option. I could leave right here right now and be done with this place. I didn’t owe Twilight anything, I got her further than she was. Saving the world wasn’t my duty. Hell, I already killed one living pony, why not doom the rest of my kind?

Coming up to the blockade I stopped and looked up towards the ceiling of the dome. The surface was right in front of me. If I cut the power, I could never leave through these means. I’d be stuck with plan A, sticking my brain inside a machine for the rest of eternity surrounded by ponies that were way smarter than I was.

Twilight.

She had a clear view on the elevators. If she saw me entering one, she’d know that I wasn’t coming back for her, that I wasn’t going to PONI. I couldn’t just abandon her, could I? She might be an asshole, but ever since I woke up, she’s been there for me. A real, true friend.

The serum.

I could have been her chauffeur and taken her to PONI, only to be trapped and eventually die down there. Used and tossed away like a paper towel. She didn’t have to tell me about it, she could have lied to me, but she didn’t. When it came right down to it, she was even willing to teach me how to make the serum.

“Fuck it!” I yelled with a snarl and the stomp of my hooves.

My decision hadn’t been made if I was truly going to be a brain in a jar, but I knew I was going to help Twilight regardless of the outcome. There couldn’t be just one way to the surface, others had to have been installed. I’ll get her to PONI, and then decided. Hell, I might even be okay with only option one.

With a nod and a grin I headed for an off shoot of the elevators. A few steps lead down to an open metal door, big lettering above the entrance read ‘Surface Elevator Maintenance Room’. The ground was dirt and the walls were thick cement. A single light was lit dimly overhead.

There was no telling what exactly was causing the diversion of power, on a hunch I hoped that Twilight could hear me from somewhere close.

“Twilight? I don’t suppose you know what I’m looking for, do you?”

No response. It was worth a shot.

Relying on Twilight was becoming a common trait, but I knew I was smart enough to figure this one out all by myself. Though, unplugging the mini-fridge probably wasn’t going to solve the power crisis.

The room was filled with all sorts of different devices, computers, multiport plugs, and servers.

I eventually noticed the dusty, small device that was plugged into the side of a server. It was right before I almost unplugged the entire server cabinet, but its blueish hue caught my eye. It reminded me of the power pack I picked up for Twilight, except this had a little screen on the casing. I pulled the connectors out from the server and threw it to the ground.

Just as I did, the light went off overhead, followed up by a loud screeching.

“Tin? Tin! I can see you! Well, sort of. Why are you in the dark?” The voice called out.

“Twi? Well shit, that was a lucky guess. The light just went out as I pulled some weird crap that was plugged up into the electrical cabinet. Guess I’m not as dumb as I look, huh?”

She giggled. Glad to see we both still had a sense of humor.

“Well don’t let it go to your head. I wanted to tell you, I’ve been looking over the system. Once you get back here, I’ve actually found a diving suit dock that’s still functioning. If you hook yourself up to it I can view your suit details and we’ll actually be able to find out who you are.”

“WHAT!?” I screamed. I couldn’t believe it. It was like some sort of cosmic being looked down at my choice to help Twilight and bestowed upon me something greater than surface life. A memory. Or, at least the possibility of a memory.

“I am on my way back, right fucking now. Wait there!” I didn’t even think about what I said, I had to get back to the headquarters. Of course she wasn’t going anywhere.

With a bounce in my step I rushed out of the room and up the steps, I passed the blockade only to be stopped in my tracks. Pure unbridled terror filled my body straight to the core. My heart sank as I saw the beast walking towards me.

The hellish brute was back for more. Blood was running down his chin, or what was left of his chin. He was worse in the light, his peach colored skin was covered in boils and blisters. Muscle had been inflated, popping the skin open with tissue deteriorating from the inside out. Even the hooves were curled slightly.

I was frozen with fear. There was no way I was going to be able to run past him this time, I had no weapon to fight him, and he wasn’t blind like the others. Why couldn’t he be blind? What made him so special? Was this my luck finally running out, or perhaps karma for the fountain?

As he got closer to me, I almost felt at peace. Death was here, it was unavoidable. Fate, destiny, purpose. Whatever you call it. It truly fucked me. One thought kept running through my head.

That cosmic being bullshit can go fuck itself.

Closing my eyes, I waited for it to grab me and sink its teeth through the suit. The vibrations of the stomping had ceased, I assumed it was about to grab me. I waited for what felt like forever before opening my eyes again.

The giant had stopped. It stood directly in front of me, towering overhead. Two flesh appendages wrapped around the forehead and jawline. I wasn’t sure what I was looking at, then I noticed the shadow from behind the atrocity. There wasn’t just one abomination, there were two.

It was Malignant. The creepy bastard managed to work its way over from HOOF, through the rubble and destroyed tram. Why was it following Twilight and I? I stood there, confused about the whole situation, wondering what the two creatures were going to do to me or possibly each other.

Blood began to pour from the giant’s neck as Mal ripped its head straight from the base of the spine. It was clear they weren’t working together. I didn’t pass up the chance to escape, quickly booking it past the enlarged monsters. As I made my way back to the fountain, I took one last look to see what was happening.

Malignant lifted the larger monster up by the hole it created and tore the body in half with one quick yank. Blood, organs, and tumors piled onto the floor. I looked back to the road in front of me, I was not going to stop and thank it for saving me especially after that show of display. Though, Twilight’s name for it was right on the fucking money.

I closed the gate to HQ behind me, not that it would have done any good against that thing. “Twilight! Did you see that shit!?” I shouted as I climbed the stairs.

“Are you joking? I’m still watching it eat the entrails!” The speakers responded.

She had the camera pulled up on screen by the time I entered the room. It truly was the most interestingly horrifying thing to watch as it pushed the organs out of the way and specifically ate the tumors.

“Why is it doing that, Twilight?”

“I really couldn’t tell you, to be honest. We need to get out of here before it comes for us, and fast.” The monitor turned back to the picture of her.

“What about the diving suit dock?” I asked.

“Damn it, I knew you wouldn’t leave before asking about it. Let’s just hurry up with it before that thing decides to have dessert with a side of brain! Head down to the second floor, make it snappy!”

“Oh come on, you don’t want to wait around for the thing to come eat us too?” Even though I jested, I was incredibly terrified of that absolutely real possibility.

“Chances are, it’ll eat you and not me. I’d rather not lose a friend, or my ride to PONI.”

“Aww, it almost sounded like you cared there for a second. Alright, I’m heading down now.”

Down the stairs to the second level, third door on the right just like she explained. I flipped on the light to see where I was going. It was a series of lockers, jackets and other apparel hanging inside, in the back were the docking stations for suits. There were only two suits left, still waiting to have a handler.

“Hey Twilight, can you live in a suit without a body?”

“Oh, of course I can. I just enjoy being carried instead.” I imagined that her sarcasm would only triple once we were both in the virtual world. I could only hope that the other scientists were at least somewhat nice, or at least she would bother them with her sass instead of me.

“You’re a real riot. Just tell me what I have to do.”

“Go ahead and walk into one of the docks, I’ll perform the rest.”

I slowly entered into one of the stations. “This isn’t going to remove the suit, is it?” I asked, only just now realizing that this may have been an incredibly poor decision on my part.

“I’ll stop the process before it gets that far, don’t be scared.”

“I’m not worried, not at all.” I sat down comfortably on the seat, waiting to be connected. Metal claws and wires sprung out from the wall and attached themselves to my suit, opening panels and linking together. “Okay, now I’m a little worried.”

“Just relax. Soon you won’t be called Tin. That should calm your nerves. Well, actually it’ll probably make you more anxious since now you’ll have two personalities vying for control. So, never mind. Be worried.”

The idea hadn’t really crossed my mind since she gave me a name. It’s going to be pretty weird being called something completely different. Tin did have a nice ring to it, after all. Though calling her Scarecrow still seemed a little far off.

“Alright. Systems online. If you want to back out right now, this is your chance. You won’t get another.”

“No. No! I’m ready. Tell me everything.” I responded, confident I could handle it.

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Here it goes. Let us see what is up with you and your suit. Diagnostic scan reveals heart rate is normal. No damaged bones, that’s good after that beast threw you against the desk. Wait, your cognitive test failed. Strange.”

“What does that mean?”

“Hold on, it’s going through the rest of the scan. Magiclear core is running smoothly, all suit kinetic stabilizers are functioning properly. Hey, you’ve still got one thousand seven hundred sixty-four days left of power. That’s pretty good.”

“Yeah, yeah. What about the cognitive test?”

“It seems your brain wasn’t set up properly when the suit was placed on. That’s pretty normal if you put on the diving suit without being at a docking station. Guess you had the suit with you when you lost your memory.”

“I didn’t think you could put on the suit without the station.”

“Of course, that was their original design. My assistant was actually a big part in the building of these suits. Oh hey! It’s checking for immunity and disease levels.”

“Am I going to make it, Doc?”

“Nope. You are one hundred percent infected with the disease that killed all of Eclipse Station. Congratulations.”

“Damn. Not really surprised but, I was hoping.”

“Oh! The DNA test is next!”

“What is that?” I asked.

“It’ll tell us who you are, birth date, family history, what type of pony you are, and much, much more!”

“Well? What does it say? Don’t keep me in suspense!”

It felt like decades before she finally said something, though in reality it was probably only a few seconds. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my throat.

“Let’s see. You are… Occupant three thirteen!” She paused. “Wait, that can’t be right.”

“What is three thirteen? Give me a name! Something, damn it!”

“Just give me a second! Three thirteen has to be incorrect. That doesn’t make any sense. Let me run the DNA test again and see if it gives the same result.”

I waited impatiently for a response. “Well?”

“Uhh, well, I, uhh.” She stuttered, her voice had become mechanical. She seemed to be more than a little nervous about this new revelation. Was I somepony she hated, or maybe somepony that had been an annoyance before the disease?

“Twilight. I can handle it.”

“Right, right. Well, you are nobody. Three thirteen is the code for somepony who has yet to be entered into the system. Not sure how it’s possible, but I guess you’ll have to jog your memory some other way.”

“Wait, so I don’t even belong here? I’m not even from this place?”

“You were probably just deleted from the system. A safety precaution so outsiders can’t get our data in case there is a breach in protocol. We built plenty of safeties in case the Changelings ever managed to learn of the Alicorn Project.”

“Damn it!” I screamed, smashing my hooves against the wall. “Every damn time! Why can’t it just be simple for once!?”

“I’m sorry Tin, I shouldn’t have suggested it. It’s my fault.” Her tone was sincere, but it wasn’t her fault.

“No, Twilight. You tried. This isn’t your fault at all. At least you thought of something that might help. Thanks for that. I really wish this had worked though.”

“I’m here for you, Tin. I’m so sorry. I wish there was more to go on, but the DNA analysis doesn’t show anything else.”

The station pulled itself back together, letting me exit the dock. “It’s alright. Hey, who knows, maybe the removal of my brain will jog my memory. It’ll scream ‘no no, please don’t remove me, I’ll tell you everything!’”

“You’re so funny, Tin. It is really glad to see you sticking with your sense of humor after all that has happened.”

“Woah, was that a compliment? You know you don’t have to sweet talk me, right? I’m pretty sure I’m sticking with you regardless of what happens. You’d be lucky if you found a way to get rid of me.”

“Seeing as how you almost died to get me to PONI, the least I could do is be a little nice.”

I strolled back into the administrator’s office, a smirk hidden behind my helmet. “There’s still plenty of time for that to happen. Can’t keep pressing my luck forever.”

“As long as we avoid Mal, I’d say we are home free. Though I doubt he’ll want to avoid us.”

“Is the tram already here, or is it still on its way?”

“Let me check.” She paused for a few seconds before answering. “It’s at the last gate, so it should be there right as we get there.”

“Sweet. Let’s get moving.” I said as I unplugged the wiring connected to the base of her jar. “Do you think PONI is still in working condition after all this time?”

“Of course.” She replied.

“Good.”

This can’t be for nothing.