In room 5 of the maintenance level personal quarters, all was quiet. However, it wouldn't last long as the sound of a blaring alarm clock broke the silence. A groan of slight annoyance followed as Gearshift opened his eyes, picking his head up from the pillow it had rested on for the duration of the previous night's sleep. Dragging himself out from underneath the bedsheets, he pulled himself to his hooves on the metallic floor of the room and promptly made the bed, ensuring to make everything smooth and presentable. After doing so, he turned and switched off the alarm and the clock fell as silent as the room had been before it began to ring. With an exhale, Gearshift turned to look at himself in the mirror.

"Looking good Gear, looking real good." he said aloud, chuckling softly as he ran a hoof through his deep brown mane. "Maintenance's finest."

Glancing below the mirror, Gearshift saw and picked up a small brush. The strap on the back of the brush allowed him to slip his hoof in and brush his mane with ease. After a couple of minutes of brushing and adjusting, he was almost ready. All that remained was his stable barding, which was in the spot he always kept it - Hung up in the wardrobe opposite his bed. Pulling open the door with a soft tug, the door squeaking quietly as it opened, Gearshift reached in and pulled out the hangar inside along with the uniform it held up. The dark blue Stable barding, accompanied with yellow markings and writing as well as the recognisable yellow number 54 on the back and on the collar, a similar shade of yellow to Gearshift's fur, was given to all Stable residents when they were young and they would be given a new set once they had grown out of their old set.

"Yellow really pops on here, huh?" Gearshift muttered to himself as he pulled the barding over his head, putting his front legs through the sleeve holes. Popping his head out through the neck hole and adjusting his collar, he took one more look at himself in the mirror and smiled at his reflection. With everything in order, he walked towards the door to his room. The door quietly hissed and slid open, moving upwards into the frame, allowing him to exit and coming back down again behind him once he had passed through it. It was time to head to work.

The walk was a quiet one, nopony being down in maintenance apart from those who worked down there, although Gearshift's attention was fully on his PipBuck as he gazed upon the small illuminated screen on the device. Checking the various panels as he walked, he found himself distracted and had to instinctively put out his hoof to stop himself from walking into the wall at the far end of the hallway. Turning, he moved down the PipBuck out of his line of sight and looked in the direction of the Maintenance office, where any other maintenance workers, if any were awake, would be to be distributed in order to work their shifts. Continuing walking, he headed towards the office where his ears twitched at the sound of voices inside. Two male voices.

Stepping towards the open door, Gearshift raised a hoof and knocked, getting the attention of the two stallions inside.

"Gearshift!" The first stallion, a baige coated earth pony with a dark brown mane, said with a smile as they made eye contact.

"We were just talking about you." The second, a silver coated unicorn with a black mane and tail, said with an equally pleasant smile.

"Oh really?" Gearshift asked the unicorn. "Dad been telling you the maintenance stories of old?"

The baige stallion chuckled and pulled Gearshift in close. "Nothing wrong with a good story, is there?"

"Not at all, mister Tool Box sir." The unicorn answered, only getting a sigh and then a chuckle from Gearshift in response.

"You see? Steel Tip appreciates my tales." Tool Box said with a wide and proud grin.

Gearshift smirked at his father with a shake of his head, another chuckle slithering out through his lips and out into the air. Looking around the office he found a box of ear pieces and picked one of them up, plugging the wire end into his PipBuck and placing the ear piece in his ear.

"So what's our jobs today? Reactor work? Leaking floors? Repairs?" Gearshift asked, still adjusting the ear piece as he spoke.

"The two of us will be working down here." Tool Box answered, gesturing to himself and to Steel Tip. "You're going to be up in security today."

The answer made Gearshift stop what he was doing and turn to face his father, a look of bemusement on his face. He pulled out the ear piece to double check if he heard the answer correctly.

"Security?" He asked. "How come I'm going up there?"

"One of their regulars is feeling under the weather so they need someone to cover for her." Tool Box informed.

"Let me guess, Candy Cane not feel like working again today?" Gearshift asked in a snarky tone of voice.

"Not the case this time. It's actually Buttercream who's not feeling too great." Steel Tip answered, leaving Gearshift surprised once again.

"Buttercream? Wow, she's never had a sick day. Not that I can remember at least." Gearshift said.

"Well now she is, so they need someone to cover for her. With the fact that there are three of us down here, we can spare a pair of hooves to help them out." Tool Box said.

"Alright, I'll head up there now. Make sure to radio if you need me back down here." Gearshift said, before his gaze fell on Steel Tip and a smug look revealed itself. "That means remember to turn the radio on, kay bud?"

"Very funny, smartass." Steel Tip said, playfully punching Gearshift in the shoulder, the two chuckling softly.

"We'll be sure to let you know if anything happens or we need you back down here." Tool Box said.

With a nod of his head, Gearshift said his goodbyes and got on his way, heading back out through the open office door and back out into the hallway. His next destination was the security office, where he would get his instructions on what his cover shift would entail. Exiting the office and turning left, he continued down the corridor towards the stairwell at the far end. Glancing back towards the maintenance office, a smile crept onto his face once again as he briefly allowed his thoughts to take over. He always enjoyed the early morning chats with the other workers as it got him into the right frame of mind which allowed him to work with very little distractions or lapses in concentration. Remembering back to his first day in maintenance, starting on the same day as Steel Tip, he got the hang of tightening screws and adjusting panels quite easily and very quickly became one of the more reliable members of the team the older he got. His train of thought was interrupted as a sign above the door to the stairwell came into his line of sight:

Stairwell

Please use stairwell with care. Running may cause injuries.

The writing on the sign was accompanied by two small silhouetted images of ponies, both of earth ponies, one in the pose of walking with a green check mark beside it and the other of the earth pony in full gallop, accompanied by a red cross beside it. Ascending the stairs, his hooves getting a small clank on each of the metal stairs, Gearshift started to think of the last time he had worked security.

"I wonder if Candy will be there anyway." He wondered out loud, turning at the half way point of the stairs in their zigzag style.

Security was the only other position that Gearshift had worked in his time in the stable. He had only had to do it for covering as maintenance was his main place of work, his duo of cogs for a cutiemark a testament to that. He was capable of working the position and had been able to cover many areas of the Stable, much to his enjoyment.

Getting to the top of the staircase, another hallway presented itself. Gearshift turned right and continued on, coming across many more ponies on this floor who had begun their own mornings and were heading to work stations. A few of them acknowledged him with either a wave or a "hello" of some variety, to which Gearshift happily reciprocated. The smile had returned to his face as he continued down the hall and showed no sign of going anywhere. It didn't take him long to get to the security office after passing into the next hallway and approaching a black metallic door, bringing up his hoof to knock on it. A few brief moments of silence followed before the door was pulled open to reveal a unicorn mare in security barding, her white fur and stripey red and white mane a contrast to the dark blue fabric of her uniform.

"Gearshift!" The mare said with a welcoming and relieved smile. "Thank the Overmare you're here."

"Hey Candy, I came as quick as I could." Gearshift responded before she wrapped her hooves around him in a grateful hug. "Take me out to dinner first, doll." he added with a Manehattan style accent.

Candy Cane stepped back and kept her smile, letting out a soft giggle. "Come on in, I'll get you filled in."

As she turned and walked into the office, Gearshift followed after her and closed the door behind him. The security office was larger than the office down in maintenance and for good reason. On the wall opposite the door were 9 screens, each one showing a different area of the Stable thanks to a camera's video feed.

Camera 1 was monitoring the entrance hallway to the Stable and the main door, where a pair of earth pony guards were stood talking with one another.

Camera 2 was panning through the cafeteria area where many of the residents were getting their breakfast and chatting amongst themselves.

Camera 3 was monitoring the hallway that lead to the office Gearshift had been standing in moments ago.

Camera 4 was filming at the top of the main stairwell at the far side of that hallway, looking down at it as residents went to and from their jobs.

Camera 5's view stretched across the maintenance hallway, a brief glimpse of the office visible in the corner of the screen which became more visible when the camera panned.

Camera 6 was watching the personal quarters entrance, the occasional sleepy eyed pony walked out to start their day of working or walked in after a long night shift.

Camera 7 was locked in position. The Overmare's corridor. The camera was on the ceiling above the hallway that lead to the Overmare's office. The corridor was quiet, barely any life to it but at the end of it, in her office, she was there.

Camera 8 was in the storage area in the lower levels. The supplies that aided in keeping the residents alive; food, water and clothing were all visible.

Camera 9, displayed on the final and largest screen, was watching the reactor room of the Stable. Two large contraptions connected to one other by pipes, cables and a small vat along the side of both of them. Hunched over beside the left reactor, Gearshift could make out the shape of his father working away and keeping everything in shape.

"Working hard isn't he?" Candy Cane asked, looking over her shoulder at Gearshift with a smile.

"He never stops. I don't think I've ever seen him take a day off." Gearshift answered, a soft smile on his face.

"I see where you get it from." Candy muttered. "Anyway, let's get to it. We've already got the rest of the security out doing their rounds. Your route will be to go through the garden and up to the cafeteria and back round the main stairwell once again then back here."

With an affirmative nod, Gearshift stepped towards a silver locker resting against the wall. Putting in the code 7-9-5-1-6, he pulled open the locker up. Inside was a black retractable baton along with a black protective vest that went over his stable barding. As he put on the vest on, Candy Cane illuminated her horn, a light blue aura surrounding it. The baton floated out of the locker and gently tapped the top of Gearshift's head, making him turn to look at her.

"You're under arrest, sir." she said, smirking at him.

"I'm innocent officer." Gearshift said.

"That's what they all say, now get going." Candy said, spinning the baton and giving Gearshift a quick slap on the rump with it, which in turn made him whinny in surprise.

"Gimme that!" Gearshift said, swiping the baton out of Candy's grip with his hoof and clipping it to his belt.

"Whilst your on your rounds, could you see if Fresh is in the garden? I've not seen him on the cameras for a little bit and he's probably gotten talking with Tulip again."

"You got it." Gearshift nodded his head.

"Have a good shift." Candy said before turning back to catch him as he stepped out of the door. "Hey! Thanks for helping us out today."

"Don't mention it, CC." Gearshift said with a smile before heading off down the hallway in the direction of the main stairwell.

The walk over towards the garden was brief. A walk down the hallway before walking up a floor and to the far end of the following hallway brought him to a sign pointing him in the right direction. Taking the directions, he walked around the corner to a large green set of double doors. Putting a hoof on the right door, he pushed on it and the door gradually moved open. Stepping through, he looked around at the various growing fruits, vegetables and plant life. The garden was more of an indoor greenhouse, accompanied with heat lamps and a sprinkler system to ensure all the produce was properly kept and looked after. Walking past the vegetable section, he briefly examined them and licked his lips as he walked by.

"Don't even think about it." A voice said from close by, getting his attention.

Looking in the direction of the voice, he soon found its owner. A purple coated unicorn mare with a light pink mane trotted over. The two of them locked eyes and smiled at one another.

"Lavender Blossom? Didn't expect to see you down here." Gearshift said, looking at the plants near to the mare as she walked by them.

"So my job as a florist and gardener flew over your head did it?" Lavender Blossom asked.

"Not at all, just surprised to see you away from Snowball for more than thirty seconds." Gearshift said.

"She's working in the cafeteria, mister I can work multiple jobs." Lavender said with a gentle shove, which earned her one in return.

"You seen Fresh Canvas anywhere? He's apparently got caught up chatting with Tulip again."

A simple point of a hoof from Lavender Blossom directed Gearshift's attention to the other end of the room and gave him his answer. Sitting on the floor beside the flowerbeds was the unicorn that Gearshift had been looking for, who wasn't currently sitting alone.

"Fresh Canvas, stop right where you are and reach for the sky." Gearshift said, putting on his security voice as he walked over.

"I'm sorry sir, I was just leaving!" The stallion exclaimed, bolting upright from his conversation and putting his front hooves in the air.

"Now turn around, slowly." Gearshift said, keeping the voice of an officer.

Fresh Canvas slowly turned around and made eye contact with Gearshift. If his coat wasn't already red, his blush would've been more visible.

"Gear! Don't freak me out like that!" He exclaimed, putting down his hooves and scowling at the stallion across from him.

"Candy told me to come and find you, she said you'd be in here chatting with Tulip again. You weren't flirting just now were you?" Gearshift said with a cheeky grin.

"Mind your own business, nosey."

"I'm just curious, that's all."

"Don't hate me cause you ain't me."

The two of them stood their in silence before chuckling and bringing up a hoof for a hoofbump.

"U-Um. Excuse me?" A mare's voice came from behind Fresh Canvas, making the two stallions turn to look in her direction as Lavender Blossom walked over to join them. The mare stood up and smiled apologetically at the group, dusting off her cream coat as she did so and running a hoof through the fringe of her white mane, the tips a light pink which matched her eyes.

"Sorry to disturb you, Tulip, just coming to grab Fresh here to continue his rounds." Gearshift said.

"No no, I kept him from going. I was enjoying our talk ever so much and lost track of time. I'm really sorry." Tulip responded, bowing her head in apology.

"You don't have to apologise." Fresh Canvas said, placing a hoof on her shoulder. His attention soon turned to Gearshift and the look on his face showed he knew what was coming next.

"Time for us to head out, bud." Gearshift said.

With a nod of his head, Fresh Canvas turned to face him. "Alright, let's go."

The stallions said their goodbyes and made their way back towards the doors to the garden, Fresh Canvas and Tulip waving to one another until the former was out of sight and the two stallions were back in the hallway once again.

"So? How long you both been a thing?" Gearshift teased.

"Oh shut up, we're not a thing!" Fresh exclaimed as the two walked.

Their next stop on their rounds was the Cafeteria. They continued walking down the hallway and in the direction of the cafeteria. Their conversation went from talking about Tulip to the garden and then onto the topic of the Stable itself. Their friendship was an interesting one as they had met before during their classes but they didn't begin talking to one another until both had gotten their cutiemarks and started to get into the working life of the Stable. They had worked on security before together on multiple occasions and once had to deal with a situation between some youngster who were bickering with one another but that was all. Gearshift usually thought back to this moment whenever on shift with Fresh as it was the moment that made their friendship grow into what it was now.

Approaching another stairwell, the two of them headed up in the direction of the Cafeteria. Simultaneously, the sounds of voices could be heard getting louder the higher up the stairs they got. Upon reaching the top, the voices increased in volume even more so. Down the hallway ahead of them, several ponies were going in and out of the entrance to the cafeteria although more were coming out than were going in. The two security stallions walked towards the entrance, stopping just before it and looking in. Long tables lined the room, with multiple chatting ponies sitting at each one. At the far end of the room, a line was formed which ponies waiting to get some food and on the other side of the counter a stallion was taking orders from the first pony in line.

"Think Snowball is back there?" Gearshift asked.

"What's it to ya?" Fresh Canvas asked, nudging him.

"I'm just curious." Gearshift answered.

"Oh yeah? Not funny the other way is it?"

"Touché."

Fresh Canvas lead the way into the cafeteria before Gearshift followed, the pair looking around as they walked. Gearshift turned his attention back towards the counter and caught a glimpse of a white coated earth pony mare who was helping out.

"Snowball?" He asked aloud before waving a hoof. "Hey Snow!"

Snowball poked her head up and looked in his direction. "Gear!" She said with a smile, waving to him.

"I'll catch up with you later." Gearshift said, gesturing to the security vest he had on. "On duty."

Snowball nodded her head and waved to him once more before getting back to work.

Gearshift turned away back towards Fresh Canvas, who was chatting with a couple of colts and fillies who were all to happy to meet the security stallions. Walking over to join them, he smiled at the group and adopted a relaxed but composed attitude.

◇◇◇◇◇

After a short while of staying in the cafeteria, it was time to move on. Gearshift walked to Fresh Canvas, nudging him softly and nodding in the direction of the main entrance.

"Time to go?" Fresh Canvas asked.

"Yeah, come on." Gearshift nodded, nudging him.

Gearshift lead the way back out into the hallway, turning in the direction of the stairwell they came from earlier. Travelling back down the stairwell, the two engaged in small talk once more, bantering with one another before coming through the next hallway and to the main central stairwell. Gearshift glanced up at the camera and gave a brief salute, assuming that Candy Cane had been watching through the cameras. Looking back over his shoulder towards Fresh Canvas, about to ask a question when a sharp crackle of static assaulted his ears, making him flinch. The earpiece connected to his PipBuck sprung to life and a voice came through on the other side.

"Gearshift. Are you there? This is Candy Cane. Are you close to the office?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm here. We're a short walk away, just coming down the stairwell now." Gearshift answered.

"Alright, could you get to the office quickly please?"

"On the way. Out."

Gearshift and Fresh Canvas shared a nod before picking up the pace with their walk to get to the security office. If something was being radioed about then it had to be important. Scenarios began to race through Gearshift's mind of what could be going on. Someone in trouble? A fight need breaking up? The Overmare is coming? What could it be? The thoughts continued to plague his mind, his head beginning to spin from all the possible outcomes, some much so that he didn't even register the fact Fresh Canvas was trying to get his attention.

"H-Huh? What?" he asked, shaking his head to regain his composure.

"I said are you feeling alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." Fresh Canvas repeated.

"Oh, y-yeah. I'm fine, Fresh. You have any ideas what it could be we're needed for?" Gearshift deflected.

Fresh Canvas only shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me, but I'm sure we'll find out when we get there."

The answers would not take long to come as soon enough they arrived back at the security office and stepped inside. Candy Cane was moving between screens, checking the cameras.

"What's going on?" Fresh Canvas asked, looking at the frantically moving mare.

"Camera 9 isn't responding and I'm getting nothing from maintenance!" Candy Cane exclaimed, her eyes meeting Gearshift's.

The words rang in Gearshift's head like a blaring alarm, the world briefly going still. Worry and concern washed over his face and the feeling of unease dropped to his stomach, giving him a nauseous sensation. Images of his father in the reactor room with all sorts of gruesome details flooded his mind; blown to pieces, trapped in the reactor room with a fire raging, crushed by the metallic structure. Each one equally as horrific. The more he thought about it, the sicker he felt.

"We've gotta get down there." Gearshift said.

"What are we waiting for?" Fresh Canvas asked, turning towards the door.

"Fresh. Gear." Candy Cane said, both stallions turning to look at her. "Be careful down there."

"We will." Gearshift said, Fresh Canvas nodding in agreement.

"Keep me posted!" Candy called to them as they left.

"Will do!" Fresh called back.

As they bolted from the room, Gearshift broke into a gallop down the hallway, leaving Fresh Canvas a few feet behind before he could react.

"Hey! Gearshift, wait up!" Fresh called as he rushed off.

Gearshift didn't hear him, too focused on getting to maintenance and more importantly his father. He reached the end up the hall and rushed down the stairs, jumping from half way down and landing in a roll to cushion the impact. His baton clattered against the ground but remained attached to his belt as he scrambled to his hooves and got back to galloping through the maintenance corridors. Turning the corner, Gearshift saw the doors that lead to the reactor staircase. He was almost there. Continuing on as fast as his legs would carry him, he crashed through the door and hit the wall before running down the stairs and to the reactor room. On the other side of the door, at the bottom of the stairs, was a very stressed out looking Steel Tip, who was trying to get the main doors to the reactor room open.

"Steel! What's going on?!" Gearshift exclaimed.

Steel Tip turned to look at him, panic covering his face. "Gearshift! It's the reactor, there's something wrong with it!"

"Something wrong with it? What are you talking about?!" Gearshift asked in confusion.

"I don't know but your dad's in there with some of the other technicians and the doors won't open!" Steel Tip answered.

The words hit Gearshift like a freight train. He immediately turned to the door and got to work in helping Steel Tip pull on the door, pulling like his life depended on it. He wouldn't lose his father to this, he just couldn't. As the two continued to pull on the doors, something changed. The lights in the room all changed to an ominous shade of red, which only increased Gearshift's level of panic.

"Why won't this damn door open?!" Gearshift growled, pulling harder, threatening to pull the door off its hinges if he had to.

"You won't get it open pulling it like that." A mare's voice said from the staircase Gearshift had just ran down.

Turning to look at who had spoken, Gearshift went wide eyed at the sight of her. The Overmare. She was standing at the entrance to the small hallway they were standing in with a half concerned half disapproving look on her face, Fresh Canvas standing behind her and peeking into the hallway.

"O-Overmare?" Gearshift asked before saluting her, Steel Tip doing the same.

"The reactor room has become hazardous and the Stable has initiated the lockdown protocols." The Overmare answered, looking at the two stallions and then noticing the earpiece in Gearshift's ear.

"What do we do, ma'am?" Gearshift asked.

"Your radio, use it to get in contact with those inside."

"Oh yeah, that's right. Of course ma'am." With a nod, he placed a hoof on the earpiece. "Dad? Dad, can you hear me?!"

Static crackled back in response.

"Dad? Dad!" Gearshift called out again.

"Gear-*crackle*. The reactor needs *crackle* fusion core." Tool Box's voice came through.

"A fusion core? Where am I supposed to find one of those?" Gearshift asked, looking at Steel Tip who shrugged, equally as confused.

The Overmare's ears perked up upon hearing the question. "A fusion core? The only place to find one of those is TRL."

"TRL?" Gearshift asked.

"Trottingham Research Laboratories." The Overmare answered, moving a strand of her cyan mane out of her face.

"Wait.... Laboratories? You mean outside?!" Steel Tip exclaimed.

The Overmare nodded her head solemnly.

As Steel Tip and the Overmare got to talking with one another, Gearshift's radio crackled to life in a burst of static.

"Gearshift- *crackle* I can stabilise- *crackle* for now. But I need *crackle* core!" Tool Box called.

"Don't worry dad! I'll get that core!" Gearshift exclaimed. "I promise!"

"Ge-*crackle*... I lo*crackle*ve you, son." Tool Box said.

"I love you too, Dad." Gearshift replied, his voice wavering slightly.

The Overmare took a step towards Gearshift, placing a hoof on his shoulder. Gearshift looked at her, their eyes meeting and then both nodding.

"Overmare.... I request permission to exit the Stable. For the safety of my fellow ponies and for the future of Stable 54." Gearshift said, composing himself.

"Like hell you're doing this alone!" Steel Tip chimed in, stepping forward.

"Steel's right. We're in this together." Fresh Canvas said.

"Steel, Fresh, I can't ask you to do this." Gearshift declined, looking between them both as Fresh Canvas walked over.

"Who knows what's out there?! We would need a small team before we even thought about going outside." Steel Tip protested.

"The three of us aren't good enough?" Fresh Canvas asked.

"We'd be good enough with more of us." Steel Tip answered.

"He does make a valid argument." The Overmare said, Gearshift looking back towards her.

A century of silence stretched between the four, only stopping when Gearshift's eyes met the Overmare's once again.

"What are your orders, ma'am?" He asked.

"The three of you will assemble a team and venture beyond the threshold of the Stable, towards the Trottingham Research Laboratories and retrieve a fusion core in order to repair the Stable reactor." The Overmare instructed.

Gearshift, Steel Tip and Fresh Canvas stepped to attention and saluted her, receiving a salute of their own.

"We won't let you down, ma'am." Gearshift said.

"You can count on it." Steel Tip added.

"We will succeed." Fresh Canvas said.

"Do you know who you will select?" The Overmare asked.

The three stallions looked at one another, smirks growing on their faces.

"We know a few." Steel Tip said.

◇◇◇◇◇

"Outside?!" Tulip exclaimed, almost dropping her gardening tools.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Lavender Blossom asked.

"This is not a joke. The Overmare has given us specific orders to leave the Stable and go to Trottingham Research Laboratories to gather a fusion core for the reactor. Dad said he can stabilise the reactor for now but we have to find that core." Gearshift answered, gesturing in the direction of the garden's entrance and in turn the hallway he was in earlier. "I trust you guys with this and wouldn't be coming to you if I didn't want you with us."

"Th-This is big." Tulip said, trying to process what they were being told.

"Is it just the three of us?" Lavender Blossom asked, to which Gearshift shook his head.

"Steel and Fresh are grabbing a couple more of us who we believe are the right choice." he answered.

Tulip looked more comfortable with hearing this, a gentle sigh of relief escaping her.

Lavender Blossom looked down at the floor in thought, pacing back and forth for a few moments.

Gearshift looked between the two mares, thoughts of his own flowing through his head. I hope everyone agrees to it. The situation and hoof needed everyone to be on board, time of the essence.

"Can I count on you, ladies?" he asked.

A deafening silence followed as the two mares looked at one another, as if talking psychically. Gearshift held in a breath as they pondered the question, however, it didn't take them long to come to an answer.

"We're in." Lavender Blossom said.

"Oh thank the Overmare." Gearshift exhaled, almost doubling over.

Tulip softly giggled and nodded her head. "You came to us, it's only right that we help you."

"Okay, the sooner we get going the better. Make sure to take only the bare essentials with you." Gearshift explained, turning towards the door.

"Where should we meet up once we're ready?" Lavender Blossom asked.

"Meet by the Stable door, once we're all there then we can head out." Gearshift answered.

All in agreement, Gearshift went on his way. He headed to his room, passing by other ponies who were completely unaware of what was going on in the reactor room. Making sure they succeeded was Gearshift's main priority but for now he had to gather the essentials. Stepping through the door to his room, which slid closed behind him, Gearshift walked over to his bed and reached down below it, pulling out a set of grey saddlebags. Dusting them off with a hoof, uncovering the number 54 on one of the pouches, he placed the bags on the bed and went to work grabbing what he needed.

Water

Extra set of stable barding

Small box of carrots

Screwdriver

"That should be everything." Gearshift said to himself as he pulled on the saddlebags, adjusting the strap and pulling it tight against his sides, making sure not to get it caught against his stable barding and the baton still attached to his belt. Stepping out of the doorway, he headed in the direction of the entrance to the Stable. Ascending the main staircase, he headed back the way he'd come in the direction of the cafeteria. Coming up the next staircase and passing the cafeteria, Gearshift glanced inside and scanned the room. There weren't as many ponies there as there were earlier as many were now working. Continuing on down the hallway, Gearshift checked his PipBuck and went over everything he had to make sure he was all set. The quiet hum of the Stable lights kept him company in the hallway until the sound of hoofsteps trotting up behind him gradually got louder.

"Hey Gearshift!" A voice called, making him look over his shoulder. Upon doing so, he was greeted with the face of someone he'd spoken to earlier that day.

"Hey Snow." Gearshift said. "All prepped?"

"Sure am." Snowball answered with a nod. "Fresh filled me in about everything. Are we really going outside the Stable?"

"We are. We have to. The Overmare herself has entrusted us with this mission and I'm not going to be the one to let her down." Gearshift said.

"We won't let her down, Gearshift." Snowball said, smiling at him.

The two continued on their walk, eyes forward and set on their destination. In the distance, the entrance chamber was just visible and Gearshift could just make out the shapes of a group of ponies standing together. Upping their walking speed to a trot, it didn't take them too long to join up with the others in the entrance chamber, the others all looking at them with their own bags packed. They were ready.

"Is this everyone?" Candy Cane asked, looking at the group.

"This should be it." Gearshift answered, looking at the group. Each of them was chosen to take part in this mission and he was pleased with his decision.

Fresh Canvas
Steel Tip
Candy Cane
Snowball
Lavender Blossom
Tulip
And Gearshift himself.

"Are you all prepared?" The Overmare's voice said from behind the group. Turning to look, the Overmare would be standing there with two earth pony guards, one on either side of her.

"Yes ma'am." Gearshift said with a salute, the rest of the group following suit.

"I'm putting my faith in the seven of you, for the sake of our home. I wish you all good health and good luck." The Overmare said, turning to the stallion to her right. "Captain, please open the Stable door."

"Yes ma'am." The stallion said, stepping over to the control panel and pressing a couple of buttons before pulling a small black switch.

A hiss of steam came from the large steel door as an amber light began to flash and a soft siren began playing, making the group turn towards the door. The group shook themselves off, limbering up for whatever would lie beyond the door. The mechanism of the door was pulled out from the wall and slotted into the hole in the door, gripping on tightly. The large steel door was pulled, rolling to the side and the darkness on the other side of the door hitting the group like a battering ram. The wall of darkness only slightly illuminated by the lights of the inside of Stable 54.

"Ready guys?" Lavender Blossom asked, looking down the line.

All eyes fell on Gearshift, in the middle of the group. He just stood and stared into the darkness, both in wonder and with determination. The goal was simple: Get to TRL, find the fusion core, return it to the Stable and insert it into the reactor.

"Let's go." Gearshift said, taking the first step out of the Stable. The metal felt cold under his hoof, the coldest it had in his entire time of being within the Stable.

One by one, each member of the group took their own steps through the threshold of the large entry way.

Gearshift's hoof set down on stone, making him stop in his tracks. He shuffled his hoof around, taking in the texture and taking a moment to get himself adjusted to the feeling, then glancing around at the others who were doing the same thing. Focusing back on himself, he continued to walk further and further away from the light of the Stable as his surroundings got dimmer and dimmer. Keeping his eyes straight ahead, he saw an opening, the shape and structure of their surroundings became clear. A cave. Gearshift kept walking, the feint sounds of hooves clipping along the stone floor informing him the others were doing the same. His focus was broken when a hissing sound came from behind them, making Gearshift look back. The last time he would look back at his home until they would return. He saw the Overmare, standing in the entryway to the Stable and saluting them. He hadn't even noticed how far they'd already walked as he could only see her mouth moving but couldn't hear the words. Saluting back in her direction, for a few moments, he waited until she lowered her hoof before lowering his own. As they both did so, the large steel door that kept the ponies of Stable 54 from the outside world slowly rolled closed, an audible *kachunk* coming from it. Looking forward once again, he caught the shape of one of the group passing him on his left side. The seven of them had each other and would need each other for whatever awaited them in the Wasteland of their once powerful nation. Approaching the opening, Gearshift took a breath to steady himself, contemplating everything that led to this and what would happen from this moment on.

"I won't fail you, Dad."

Author's Note

HELLOOOOOOO EVERYPONY!

Sorry for the long wait with getting this first chapter of Gearshift's story out to you guys but with Christmas, my birthday on the 30th and my mum's birthday on new year's day, I've had a lot going on. But nonetheless, I really hope you enjoy this first chapter and I can't wait to hear what you think of it.

Also, little detail I added. For anyone wondering about the passcode Gearshift entered in (7-9-5-1-6) each number had a mean to it.

7 - 7th letter in the alphabet is G. G for Gearshift.

9 - His name is 9 letters long.

5 - 5th letter is E

1 and 6 make 16 - 16th letter is P

EP - Earth Pony

Here's the stallion himself: