"Rarity," said Twilight simply.

No words had been spoken since the robot incident, the most recent incident that is. The more of these robots I ran into the more I realised it was perhaps hopeful to believe that where ever Twilight had hidden herself away was any safer than out here. This place was infested with the things, and even the most placated of them was hazardous to my health. It made me wonder what the rest of the world was like. Would there even be somewhere to run to once I had found Twilight? How long could we run for?

"Where do I go next?" I inquired in a whisper, patently ignoring Twilight's implied request for discussion.

The sigh on the other end did not go unnoticed, "Just through the server room coming up, there should be a back door you can get through. Take the door at the end of the corridor, then there'll be an open area for deliveries. I'm at the top floor of the building across from that," Twilight directed as I mentally visualised the path I would have to remember. When I was sure I had it, I stepped into the server room.

Lengthy walls of screen-less computers stood side by side, forming an array of parallel alleyways. The floor was pocketed with a pattern of perforations, although I couldn't see anything beyond the solid second layer beneath. The door closed automatically behind me with a pressurised swoosh and a click and immediately I noticed how warm the room was. Not just warm, but hot, and uncomfortably so. "Is this room supposed to be on fire?" I asked to myself, forgetting Twilight could hear me regardless of how loud I spoke.

"Not at all, that room is actually designed to be one of the coolest in the building. There's a whole system dedicated to allowing a constant flow of air to run through it. The flow's probably been blocked up somewhere. So with those servers still running the heat is just building up," Twilight answered, "Hopefully it shouldn't get any worse, those servers aren't exactly being used anymore."

"What are...were they used for?" I asked, stopping to examine the nearest box. A solid chartreuse light stared back, awake and ready. The smooth dark grey exoskeleton of the device reflected the red warning lights throughout the rest of the room.

"I never taught you that? Well, servers are basically filing cabinets that anyone can request information from, so long as they have a connection to it. They can also do some more advanced stuff like officiating games between two ponies, or solving complicated problems," Twilight explained, "The ones in that room, though, are just storage to hold all the patient, medical and research data that comes through here." She hummed knowingly, "And before you ask I already have backups, so don't worry about that."

To be brutally honest I wasn't worrying about that at all, the mention of information had piqued my interest. "Information, you say?" I poked my head around the corner of the servers for some way to access the information stored on them. Perched on the far wall was a computer screen. Just the computer screen with no box. It had to be the access to the information.

I had just started to step over to the screen when I noticed several alien-looking glowing lights in the peripheral of my vision. The source was a series of small aquamarine lights embedded into a bunch of featureless vine-like growths. Only these...didn't look natural. They were more like computer wires than vines. They unnerved me. This was some sort of non-organic plant? The glowing implied there was energy flowing through it. It definitely wasn't placed here by anyone. It had clearly grown up through the cooling vents to reach this room. At least of all the things I had seen come out of a vent recently this looked pretty harmless.

It twirled around one of the closest server boxes. I eyed one of the vines which had grown up along the wall, and was now collecting on the sprinkler system along the roof. It was also leaking some sort of black, oily goop onto the ground. It didn't look particularly safe. I decided not to touch the goop, for the sake of both my coat and health.

"Well, I believe I've found your problem, Twilight."

"What did you find?" She asked, "The camera doesn't have an angle of that corner of the room."

"There's some sort of strange vine growing up through the vent. But it looks...I'm not quite sure...artificial?"

"Oh! I know what you're talking about."

"What is it?" I asked, curiousness overtaking me.

"I have some theories, but nothing solid. I've been watching it grow on some of the monitors, it's all over the place. I'm not really sure what it's doing but I think it might have something to do with one of the A.I.s we had running on the systems. The behaviour lines up pretty well to the model at least. It seems to be attracted to anything electronic. Which is probably why it found its way into that room. How an AI managed to form into those vines I have no idea. It's strange though, they kind of look like..."

"The Everfree vines that took over Ponyville a few years ago?" I completed.

"Exactly."

"What is an...A.I.?" I asked.

"It stands for Artificial Intelligence, basically a really smart computer program." I still wasn't really sure I understood why that was significant, but I moved along for Twilight's sake.

"Is it dangerous?" I took a step back, realising how close I carelessly had walked to it.

"Uuh, maybe? It probably wont hurt you, if it actually is the same A.I.. In fact it's more likely to do the opposite. Still, I've seen bits of it stuck to some of the birds that are still flying around so it's probably best not to take the chance."

I nodded, deciding to leave the vines alone. Instead, I made my way over to the console and started tapping at the keypad.

"What are you trying to do?" Twilight asked.

I sighed, "I'm sorry, Twilight. It's not that I don't trust you but I just want to check a few things myself." If Twilight had any disagreements, she voiced none of them. Although I had the feeling she was worried about upsetting me any more.

This computer was a lot like the previous computer, with a nice visual menu instead of that text version from the room I arrived in. The options were pretty straight forward, and within moments I was viewing a list of files. There was a lot. Many thousands at least. Simply far too many to look through, it would take hours, if not days. There had to be a faster way to search through these.

I spied a magnifying glass icon in the upper corner of the screen. Instantly I was reminded of Shadow Spade. The sneaky detective would always have a magnifying glass on hoof in their search for answers. That must be what it was, a search! Oh yes, this was all perfectly doable. So long as I kept my wits about me. I smiled to myself, despite being a little disappointed I didn't have my detective outfit.

A few taps later and I was able to type into the search field. Although now I wasn't quite sure what it was that I should actually search for. I thought over what could provide me with answers. Perhaps 'Equestria'? It was a tad generic, but it would be a start. After typing into the field I pressed ENTER. Just as many results as before appeared. Apparently nearly every single file had 'Equestria' written into it somewhere. Which was not surprising at all now that I thought about it.

Maybe something a bit more contained would work. I tried 'Ponyville'. This time the results narrowed down to the hundreds. Progress, but still too many to manage in a timely manner. I would mostly likely have to search for individuals to cut down the results enough.

I thought about checking for Twilight. But stopped myself. Twilight did say the server stored medical records. It would be a breach of privacy to look through her files. I couldn't do that to her, even while being upset. I couldn't do that to any of my friends. Actually, I just couldn't bring myself to do that to anyone.

Which meant there was only one choice, myself. With a little trepidation I typed 'Rarity' into the search. Then I pressed the ENTER button. Immediately the search returned only five files. They were displayed on the screen in order of date created. The first four files included:

'E:\patients\unicorn\rarity001\birthcertificate.pdf'
'E:\patients\unicorn\rarity001\scan\0008-05-03.scn'
'E:\patients\unicorn\rarity001\braindamage\0050-01-16.txt'
'E:\patients\unicorn\rarity001\amnesia\0050-06-16.txt'

The last file, however, caught my complete and utter attention. As I read the filename, I felt myself pale.

'E:\patients\unicorn\rarity001\deathcertificate.pdf'

Death...I wasn't dead. No that wasn't possible! How could I possibly have a death certificate when I was right there?! I was right there! Once again, nothing was adding up. Twilight believed I was old, when I had not aged a day. This server claimed I was dead, but I clearly wasn't! And yet the dates revealed a story written in light. One that was impossible to ignore. If I...Rarity...was really dead, then how could I be here? Who was I?

With a tremble, I highlighted the file, and opened it.

MEDICAL EXAMINER'S - CERTIFICATE OF DEATH

SECTION ONE
1. DECEASED NAME: RARITY
2. SEX: FEMALE
3. DATE OF DEATH: MARCH 08, 0059
4. COUNTRY OF DEATH: EQUESTRIA
5a. AGE-LAST BIRTHDAY: 80
5b. DATE OF BIRTH (MONTH, DAY, YEAR): APRIL 16, 0979 ANN
6a. CITY, TOWN, TWP, OR ROAD DISTRICT NUMBER: PONYVILLE
6b. HOSPITAL OR OTHER INSTITUTION: PONYVILLE MEDICAL CENTER
7. MARRIED, NEVER MARRIED, WIDOWED, DIVORCED(SPECIFY): DIVORCED

8. CAUSE OF DEATH: INTERNAL BLEEDING CAUSED BY IRREPARABLE BRAIN DAMAGE

I stopped reading. I simply couldn't continue. My head felt light. Brain damage? And that amnesia file? That amnesia was the only part with any merit because I certainly couldn't remember when any of this happened. When did I get married for pony's sake?!

I felt myself fall back onto the cold floor. Could...Twilight have been telling the truth? How far would anyone need to go to set this all up to trick me? Not even the Pinkie and Rainbow prankster team could pull something this elaborate. Although that was largely because they simply wouldn't have the patience to fill out all these forms. But it just didn't make any sense, otherwise! I had to know more.

Unfortunately I wouldn't get that chance. As I reached out to select another file, Twilight spoke up, "Rarity, you've got to go," her voice was hushed and quickened, "There's something coming from the hall you entered through."

I didn't need to be told twice. My eyes flew around the room, looking for the way out. The room wasn't too large, fortunately, and I managed to spy the exit door on the same wall as the console, just a few meters away. Without another thought I sprinted over to the exit. My hoof was just about to tap against the glowing 'open' panel when the door I had entered through opened. My vision instantly started to flicker and blur. I didn't know what was causing the disruption, but it wouldn't go away when I closed or rubbed my eyes. Even my hearing struggled to work properly. Through the strange distortion, the creature's steps were slow and heavy. I wasn't sure if it'd come over to this side of the room but I didn't want to take the chance. I could already feel myself starting to shake again.

When I pressed the door button down, it let out an electronic beep and the door shifted open with a jolt. I cursed at myself for forgetting how loud the doors were! Immediately the robot ceased its stomping, let out a deep, broken, screech and quickened its pace towards me. Each step rhythmically pounding the floor and sending tremors through the room. With no more hesitation I bolted through the door and down the corridor beyond.

Now I don't consider myself a track runner by any means, in fact I can't stand running in general, but anypony will sprint for their lives when the adrenaline is pumping. Unfortunately robots must have some equivalent because it was faster still. The stomping was catching up, getting louder and louder. It screamed out in some garbled yell. I braved a quick look behind myself. It looked like the first one I had seen. Bulky and squared off with a single eye stalk tracking me like an eagle would a mouse. Only where the first one was hurt, this one seemed complete. Two large piston powered legs carried the whole creature. It towered above me, at least double my height. The light from its 'eye' bathed me in crimson.

I tried to scream but it caught in my throat. My vision worsened the closer it approached, the bright flashes disorientating me. The cans in my basket only made things worse as they knocked around my balance.

Just ahead I could make out the door I needed to enter. Just as it was about to catch up, I darted into the entrance, and just in time. I heard the air rush by as it missed by millimetres. The robot wasn't expecting the turn and I heard it stumble and crash in the hall. I didn't stop to see if it was down and out or getting back up for another round. Instead I shot around a few of the large cargo containers in the open dock to remove any line of sight with the door.

The dock was huge. The largest area I had been in so far, and completely open on one side to allow airships and ponies to travel in and out. The sky beyond was dark thanks to the cloud layer, but some of the nearby clouds and buildings were lit up by the powerful, if sterile, industrial dock lights. Yellow safety lines had been drawn here and there along the ground, partitioning off specified areas and marking potential dangers.

I peaked over the smooth concrete edge, now very glad for the spell infused floor holding me up. There was nothing below but more clouds. Visions of my horrid fall at Rainbow's Best Young Flyer's Competition flashed through my head. I shook my head to clear away the ghastly images, and ducked into the nearest steel shipping container and pressed myself against the dark inside.

I hardly had a moment to contain myself when the robot reached the room, having righted itself and turned around in the hall. The cargo crates blocked it from being able to immediately seek me out. I just hoped to goodness that it didn't have a sense of smell because, after spending all this time in this horrid, bath-less, place, my scent alone could alert an entire town to my presence.

It wasn't moving. I only knew this because I couldn't hear the haunting steps. I waited with baited breath. Not willing to let myself make even the tiniest of sounds. The only noise was the wind gently passing by, whipping through spaces between the storage, and the fluid pulsing through the veins in my ears. The pulse was so strong that my body involuntarily rocked back and forth in time to it. Then, finally, thankfully, the robot started moving again, apparently satisfied that I was no longer a threat. It didn't return to the door, but instead calmly walked to one of the loading bays opposite the open wall to continue doing...whatever it was that these things did.

I decided to wait before moving again. If just to fight off the shakes that had returned, and clean myself up.

Breath in.

Breath out.

---[626c61636b626f78]---

It may have been minutes, it might have been hours. I wasn't really sure. But at some point I had calmed myself enough to start moving again. Twilight had been as quiet as usual. Just some gentle prods to remind me how close I was to her location. After the third time, I decided to make my move.

With a quick hoof-groom of my mane, I poked my head out of the container and checked for any killer robots. I couldn't hear it anymore, but I was still weary. Finding none, I slipped out and along the path between the containers and the edge of the dock. The wind was cool on my coat. Twilight was just up ahead. I could see the building and mentally guessed where she might be. I hadn't felt this good since before I arrived. Everything was looking up.

It didn't take long for the door to the next building to come into view. I was about to pick up the pace when a bizarre sight caught my attention through one of the parted container doors. I slowed, and gently prodded the door open wider to get a look inside. Light poured in, and my face fell as my brain parsed the horror I was looking at.

"Oh..oh, Celestia no..." was all I was able to get out. My throat closed up and breathing became difficult as my widened eyes refused to move from the sight in front of me. Leaning against the crate wall, staring into nothing, was the decaying body of a stallion. It was bathed with dark red. Multiple deep lacerations cut across it's frame, exposing the insides. The mane and tail had long fallen out, and the faded bronze coat was half way along. It had clearly been here for a long while. It wore a ripped and dirtied uniform that was reminiscent of a mail pony. The remains of a wing stuck out from the stitched wing-hole, hardly a feather remaining. A name tag hung limply from the front pocket.

A body. My heart thudded against my chest. A dead body. I started hyperventilating. I didn't know what to do. I had never seen a dead body before. My jaw refused to work and my legs locked up. I did the only thing I could think of, I reached out with my magic and plucked the name tag from the suit. There was a picture of the pony in their non-dead form. A boxy looking stallion that didn't look too pleased to have his photograph taken stared back. According to the tag, his name had been Sky Tracker. ID was 4058. I placed the ID into my basket.

"Are you going to be okay?" I heard Twilight say, "I know that can't be easy for you." I had seen the cameras lining the roof, opening the door had revealed the body to my watching friend as well.

It certainly wasn't easy. As I stared into Tracker's soulless eyes I thought about how dangerous this place was. So many times I could have died, myself. This could have been me...this could still be me, if I wasn't careful.

"It's easy for you?" I asked, no strength in my voice.

"No," she replied, "And I hope it never is. There's a lot of cameras in this facility, they see a lot of things. Some are...more difficult than others. But it's never easy." I wasn't sure she was talking to me right now. It didn't bother me if she wasn't. How could I let anything bother me when ponies were meeting their fate like this. Huddled in a transport crate, alone and scared for their lives.

This was it. Of everything I had seen: the robots, the technology, my death certificate. It was this body that sealed my fate. I didn't know how, but Twilight was right. This wasn't my time anymore. I had to believe that now. For this stallion's sake, I refused to believe this was just a joke. Or that this was a dream. My dreams didn't sink this low, and Luna would be here to help if this was a nightmare. No, this poor pegasus deserved my belief of his existence, and by extension, this world. If only because nopony else knew they were here, knew of their struggle and their demise. It would be a disservice not to.

I blinked away the tears that had formed and tried to take a deep breath in, but it just caused my body to painfully shudder. My legs wouldn't comply to the demands to start moving. Instead I just kept looking, at all the blood, at the tattered clothing. I wasn't even sure why anymore.

Something was nagging at me. A small twinge, a feeling of...something, that was right there. I couldn't see what, but I knew it was just in front of me. I reached out and gently pressed my hoof against the stallion's face.

uy76=6sd9-s<-3dfgu88332?/

"Hey Gear, is this the last of them?"

"Yeah, we don't need anything more."

"Alright, let's grab the others and head out."

metal screeching

"What was that?"

"Shhh!"

loud clanging

"AARG!"

"TRACKER!"

"GAAAARrrrprpr"

electronic screeching

s9iuhoi33__sds!@ref3t%w34

My senses returned, the strange audible scene having finished playing through my ears.

"What was that?" I asked.

"What was what?" Twilight returned.

"I just-" But I was interrupted by a disturbingly close roar. "Oh no...oh no no no no no," I whispered frantically, jumping from the container. It had heard me, returned, and was now stalking closer, somewhere from the other side of the room.

The body was not forgotten but I pushed it out of my head to run for the exit door. But it was too late, before I could reach my salvation the machine barrelled from between a gap in the crates with its unholy sounds and slammed into my side. All I could feel was blunt pain. With no safety rails I flew off the side of the dock. I sailed downwards, flailing about trying to get a grip on anything. But there was no stopping my descent.

The distorted screech of the robot disappeared somewhere ahead of me. It hadn't even tried to stop, it might not have even known the fall was there, and followed me down. I didn't see where it went, however, I was too busy screaming and trying to stop myself from falling faster. There were a few clouds below me. I braced to fall through them. Shockingly, however, instead of passing through, I instead slammed into the closest cloud at full speed.

There was surprise, confusion, then pain. Then nothing.

Author's Note

Went through a few iterations of this chapter, I wasn't sure how much information to include.

Also could someone please let me know what the pacing is like? I have this constant feeling it's moving too fast. But I dunno if that's just me. Thanks in advance!