Bzzt.. Bzzt..
My eyes only ever so slightly opened in response to the sudden vibration on the applewood bedside table next to my warm bed. There was something super bright outside, I couldn't wrap my head around the giant orange or yellow thing out the window of this apartment bedroom. Stretching my hind and forelegs, squinting as the big yellow orb in the sky illuminated, shining into the room, yawning after a good night's sleep. I looked over at the object that buzzed and vibrated, trying to get into my senses after escaping the dream world.
"Wake up you dumb pony, it's another day. Go make friends or something." said a recorded voice, that of a stallion probably in their early twenties. Oh, it was just my digital alarm clock. I had completely forgotten that I recorded such a sentence that may as well have been ridiculed. Why did I record and set this voice line as part of my alarm? I don't really know, I guess I just thought it would be a great idea to have something harsh said to give me some motivation. I looked at the time, eight in the morning already. I've got to get started for my day. Haven't even had apple flakes with milk yet. Smacking the alarm clock to shut it up, I jumped out of my white sheeted bed and stood up on the wooden floor, a slight creaking noise when I suddenly made contact with the floorboards.
"Good morning, Equestria! Ah yes, another beautiful day in the bustling city of Manehattan." I said out loud when I opened the windows after moving the curtains, the morning air flowing into my room, filling it with nice fresh air and various smells. Most of the smell is made up of, what I could tell, apple pies freshly baked in the morning and kept out on a windowsill, a hint of carbon dioxide from factories off in the distance that traveled in the smoke emitting from tall chimneys, and of course the best smell of all, a new day! The sounds of city life are the best part too, ugh, I just can't get enough of it, it always keeps me going. Foals playing out on the streets, traders and business ponies shifting around goods and transporting using wooden and metal carts, everypony just having a great time and laughing, smiling like there's nothing wrong that could ever happen. What I would give to just stay in this forever and never leave.
I'm turning twenty-one in just a little under a month. Even though the birthday is a whole month away, I can't lose the excitement I have. I'll just have to count down the days until then, prepare mentally and physically. As I got ready for the day, putting on a lightweight jacket with shorts for the month into Spring, April, I wondered what my parents were up to, probably just sitting on the couch together and watching the news, while mother read one of her romance novels. Been about three years since I moved out from home, away from mom and dad, I sure as hell wondered if they both missed me just as I missed them. Bah, I shouldn't keep too much of that on my mind; I chose to move out and progress in life, so I should keep looking forward instead of complaining or looking back so much as I normally do. All I could do was sigh while pouring some apple flakes in this bowl of milk, my lips curling into a small smile.
I opened the top drawer to the right of the oven in the kitchen with my magic while I sat down at the table on a foam padded chair. A shiny metal spoon levitated out of the drawer and towards my bowl of apple flakes cereal, the drawer closing afterwards while the spoon dunked into the bowl, submerging into the milk as some appleflakes floated over the submerged stainless-steel spoon. I looked down at the bowl, my forelock of my black mane drooping down with the gravity, I should probably get a haircut so a bird doesn't nest in my hair, though it would be cool if I'm being honest. For a moment, the appleflakes looked to have formed a smiling face, though I was just imagining it, but it still gave me another small smile on my face. Mmm, the apple flake cereal with milk tastes delicious, I just bought them a couple days ago because I thought I'd give them a shot. I am not disappointed. I wonder what would make them better...
I went to the kitchen and went through some cabinets before finding what I was looking for, a bottle of ketchup. I was told ketchup goes good with everything! Rushing back to my bowl of apple flakes cereal, I uncapped the tomato sauce filled bottle. "What could go wrong?" I wondered in my head, it should be fine, right? Slowly but surely, the viscous thick red sauce dripped from the hole at the top of the ketchup bottle, when I turned it upside-down over the bowl. After what could be a couple tablespoons of ketchup that fell into the bowl, I set the bottle on the table before mixing the cereal with the ketchup. The concoction I had was a bit strange, the milk turned almost a dark shade of pink or a light red when it mixed with the ketchup, there was a scent of sweet tomato coming from the bowl instead of the apple scent of apple flakes.
One moment, the steel spoon was in the bowl, mixing around the contents, the next moment, the spoon was out of the bowl when it scooped up some thickened pinkish liquid and soggy appleflakes. I opened my mouth wide and fed the contents inside after I brought the spoon to my mouth. Suddenly just as I brought the spoon to my open mouth, the PipBuck on my right front fetlock began to ring. The interruption of it made me put down the spoon back into the bowl before I could ever get a wonderful bite of this new idea I came up with, what a shame it will have to wait longer.
Be-dup... "Hello?" I asked after picking up the call, wondering who it was. I didn't get a glance of the caller before picking it up because I got too hasty so I can get back to the ketchup and apple flakes cereal.
"Hey, it's me, what's up dude? Ready for another workday, eh Bi Nary? Anyways, just calling to let you know that I enrolled us in a cool program that looked like fun!" a feminine voice of somepony around my age was heard on the other end. Oh, it's one of my colleagues from work. What do they mean by 'enrolling us in a cool program'? I gave a sigh, she's always up to something every other week if not every week, been like this since I met her on the first day of the job a couple years ago after I moved here.
"Ah, it's you. No good morning or anything? Heh, well good morning to you too, Ai-Tee. Wait, wait, hold up a minute there, what do you mean by that you've put us in a program?? You didn't even consult me on this!" I said with a grunt, Ai-Tee is always up to something that I have no control over! I guess I can't do much because I always end up going along with it. I heard her nervous chuckle through the PipBuck.
"Hey, hey, it's a part of work, so it's nothing too serious...! You know how the higher ups always kept pitching to the employees these crazy new ideas for what's to come, right? Well, there's a new cool thing they've come up with, and they were looking for employees with exceptional skills. And well, I thought it would be fun for us to work together on this project...!" she barely gave any information on the actual project she signed us up for.
"Just tell me, don't get the hype up and just leave the hype without any details of the actual product, 'Tee." I said to her with a certain interest in my voice, it definitely got my interest.
"Alright, listen up Bi Nary, because this. is. huge! Our employers were like "we should prepare in case the Zebras decide to attack Manehattan". So, the founders and their team came up with something called 'Stables'. They're like these underground living spaces that are meant to house a giant portion of the population, about 300 or something, in a sustainable environment. Think of them as like a vacation home that's underground, but also is a vacation you stay at for a long time." I could practically hear the excitement excreting from her through my own PipBuck. But, if it really is a shelter to house that many ponies, that would take years to build in Manehattan. And as it is, Manehattan is too dense with buildings to even add a new building big enough to shelter ponies for generations. But, only a few hundred ponies as a population for the stable...? Manehattan has much, much more of a population than that.
"I don't know, 'Tee, it would take a lot, and I mean a hell ton of time just to make something like that, probably a few decades." I was a bit hesitant on this whole thing, but deep down I can see how important it is to have these 'Stables'.
"C'mon 'Nary, it'll be fun! Besides, they've already started to work on a location near Manehattan a few years ago, so it wouldn't take that long. And think about it, if it gets built, we'll get to rest peacefully knowing we were able to save a few hundred ponies. It's not like we're the ones building it anyways, I don't even think I'm qualified for construction. The higher ups will probably just assign the programming part to us. And I think they're almost done with the building aspect, so it will be finished after our team finishes setting up the software." Her persuasive argument is tempting. Would be nice to keep a good number of ponies safe even if we can't fit the whole population. Though it still pains to think that only a few hundred of the giant metropolis population of Manehattan will be able to live if the worst comes to worst. I gave a sigh before turning on the digital camera function on the PipBuck.
"Fine, fine, but anyways, I want to show you something." I removed my PipBuck and put it propped up against the cereal box, having the camera face the bowl of cereal and to show my face.
"I have done a thing, and I want to show you that thing. I call it 'Ketchup Apple Flake Cereal', heheh." I said with pride and a chuckle, dipping the steel spoon into the bowl as it scooped up some of that ketchup mixed milk and apple flakes cereal.
"You can't be serious, right...? Bi-Nary, I think I'm going to have to put you into a straitjacket sometime soon..." Ai-Tee said with a concerned voice, seeing the disgusting food I was about to put in my mouth.
I smiled and laughed before the spoon made contact with my tongue inside of my mouth, pressing my lips together as all the contents from the spoon laid inside my mouth upon my tastebuds. Ai-Tee grimaced when she watched what she could describe only as 'disgustingly horrifying'. I chewed a bit on the soggy apple flakes that had a hint of sweet tomato from the ketchup, the milk going down my throat into my stomach along with the chewed-up cereal.
"You're so gross." Ai-Tee said, shaking her head, giving a laugh to what she saw.
"Come on, it's not that bad..." I spoke too soon; the contents all coming back up from my stomach almost immediately, climbing my throat while I ran to the sink with my mouth opened down over it, everything I just ate fell into that sink and drain.
"Maybe a straitjacket really is a good idea, I can't trust you with cooking on your own. Oh Goddesses, what am I going to do with you, Bi-Nary? Haha." she said with a laugh, her upbeat tone not ceasing to exist.
"Well then, why don't you cook for me sometime, Ai-Tee? If you really think you can do better than me, be my guest." I challenged her with a smug expression.
"You're on, but some other time. Anyways, time to get going before we hear another lecture about being on time to work. You know how much Stable-Tec loves to lecture their employees about workplace ethics, morale, and workspace habits. Anyways, see you at work, Bi-Nary." she said her byes for now while I washed out my mouth from the whole fiasco cereal idea.
"Alright, talk later, bye 'Tee." I said before tapping the screen to end the call, giving a sigh when I dumped out the rest of my cereal into a garbage disposer in my sink. Before walking over to the bathroom in the apartment, I put back on my PipBuck.
I stepped onto the beige bathroom tiles on the floor as I made my way to the sink, grabbing a red toothbrush and some minty 'pinkie-pie's white smile' toothpaste out from a plastic cup near the sink tap. I squeezed a pea-sized toothpaste ball onto the toothbrush's bristles. Scrub scrub, a little bit of a scrub here, a little bit of a scrub there, moving the bristles all over my teeth in a circular motion. This toothpaste brand is made by that pink mare named "Pinkie Pie", leader of the 'Ministry of Morale'. One of her marketing and sales teams made this toothpaste which does a treat when whitening smiles. It also comes in various tastes, but I stick with regular spearmint. I gargled with some water after removing the brush from my mouth, swishing the water around before spitting out into the sink and washing it out with water from the tap. Ah, this feels nice and refreshing, my teeth are white and shiny as usual, looking into this mirror as I stared back at my reflection, what a handsome stallion in the reflection, huh? Golden-yellow eyes with a hazel coat, black long mane, toned body and a unicorn horn. What a snack, amirite? Hahah, guess that's just me. I'm not too toned though, just a bit fit.
I checked over myself one last time in the mirror before leaving the bathroom, making sure I looked neat and tidy. Brushed side-swept mane, check. White brushed teeth and minty breath, check-a-roonie. Oh right, a shower, I almost forgot, wouldn't want to go to work smelling like I went dumpster diving. I removed my black shorts and white lightweight jacket, placing them on hooks behind the bathroom door after I locked it. I could just leave the door unlocked, but just in case, you never know when somepony might break in and walk in on me. Opening the glass to the cast stone shower, I turned the left knob about forty degrees and the right knob about fifteen degrees, to reach the perfect water temperature. After a few seconds, the water became warm, feeling the shower water run down from the tip of my horn, all the way to my hooves. I stood on my back hooves, looking up with closed eyes as I used my magic to grab a loofa, washing off my skin with soap and scrubbing it, as well using shampoo that keeps my mane nice and soft. After a few minutes, I looked down and thought to myself "could be bigger", which I suppose is true, as I tapped it with my left forehoof. Sighing, I realize I should probably buy a shower soap bottle, this soap bar has shrunk tremendously from how much I've used it.
Finally, after fifteen minutes, I finished the shower as the glass surrounding the shower fogged up with all the steam. I stepped out, using my horn's magic, or well telekinesis, to grab a white towel to dry myself off with. Sfwooosh... The mane dryer did its best at drying my mane after a couple minutes, but now that I'm all dried off, I should get ready to leave now. I slipped on the white lightweight jacket and black cargo shorts, doing my mane and tail with a brush before walking to the door to my apartment, grabbing my apartment keys along the way. I used my telekinesis to unlock the door before stepping outside and locking it.
Tikt.. eee.. clop clop.. tikt..
I should probably oil up that door's hinges now that I think about it, the creaking noise is fine but just in case, so the door doesn't unhinge someday. Eh, no matter, I'll get to it another time. I stored the key to my apartment under the mat by the door before walking to the stairs. It seems the elevators got busted but it is fine, stairs are a good workout in the morning anyways, though that means I'll have to travel sixteen flights of stairs since I'm on the eighth floor. My hoofsteps somewhat echoed as I descended down the empty staircase, hooves clopping against the precast cement steps. After a minute or two descending sixteen flights of stairs, I finally reached the lobby of the apartment complex. I kept a smile as a few ponies said their 'good mornings' to me as I trotted down the middle of the lobby, beelining it for the main entrance/exit doors.
I breathed in the air outside, this time standing outside rather than breathing it through an open apartment window. Looking down at my PipBuck when I lifted my right arm, I saw the time for the second time today and a wave of terror crashed into me. "Oh shit, I'm going to be late." I thought to myself, the time went another minute as it now displayed '9:39 AM'. How did time go by so fast? It was just a few minutes ago that I woke up, right? Ugh my goddess, I'm going to have to gallop faster than anypony has before. Might break a new world record for fastest pony, who knows? No time to think, only run like the wind. I immediately ran as fast as I possibly could to my workplace at a Stable-Tec branch in Manehattan, nearly bumping into almost every pony on the way. Dashing down the sidewalks and even jaywalking to get around, avoiding ponies transporting goods via carriages on the street, wouldn't want to get into an accident. My stamina isn't the best, stopping time to time to catch my breath until I eventually reached the front doors of the building, stopping inside on the grey stone tiles under the fluorescent lights that hung overhead.
While I was catching my breath inside, I felt somepony's hoof tap my left shoulder, the sudden tap almost made my skeleton jump out of my body. "What the-'' I said reflexively in confusion. But when I turned, I saw a white coat mare with a long flowing teal mane, a goofy grin painted across their muzzle accompanied with closed eyes. "Oh, it's just you." I said to the mare. The unicorn mare opened their eyelids as my golden-yellow irises locked with their sky-blue eyes.
"Haha! Sorry about that 'Nary, didn't mean to spook ya like that...! So, about that project I told you about earlier, we're going to be heading at the site tomorrow since the engineers have to set up all the specifics for us, so we have easier access." Ai-Tee said to me, I gave a nod in response. Ai-Tee looked down at her PipBuck, it is of teal color just like her mane, while mine is black. However when she looked at the teal PipBuck, she grimaced which gave me worry. "Ouch, seems like you're late by half an hour, boss is gonna chew you out, that's for sure." I looked down at my own PipBuck after hearing her tell me I was late, the time showed '10:04 AM'. Whoof, it seems I was late, I must've spent so much time taking my morning shower. I'll just have to hope that my boss doesn't notice this.
"WHERE ARE YOU" A stallion yelled at the top of their lungs, I gulped when I realized who it was, ah fuck. "'NARY, I WILL.. oh, there you are." I looked over at what seemed to be a previously yelling stallion now speaking somewhat normally, standing across the Stable-Tec's branch building's main lobby. Everytime I see their crimson red mane and tail along with their piercing forest green eyes, just their baby-blue coat color makes me nervous.
"Oh, h-hey there boss.. great morning, right? Nice and warm considering it is mid-spring. Anyways want to get a cof-" My nervous speech cut off when I tried to change whatever topic the boss had in mind. Ai-Tee immediately fled the area when the boss was screaming out for me, leaving me alone to fend for myself.
"Shut up, Bi-Nary, I don't have time for your monologue to get out of this situation. You can't always be late to work every single day, you're the only one of your colleagues who are always late." He said to me with such piercing eyes, as if he was about to rip me apart.
"Hey now, you know how busy the city gets, lots of traffic of ponies walking everywhere, hard to get around-" He did not like my excuse one bit, he only gave a disappointed sigh before shaking his head with closed eyes.
When the boss opened his eyes, he looked directly at me and said "You keep this up and I may have no choice but to demote you from senior programmer down to custodial."
Holy hell, what a threat, I don't even know how to respond other than nodding with a nervous shaky smile. If I even say one thing out of line, that's the end of my career. "Y-yes sir, I'll try to be early next time." I said with compliance, I wouldn't want to risk making any more excuses.
"Good, but just so that you get it through that thick head of yours, you're going to the Ministry of Morale's hub so you get a good talking to." Wait, he's sending me to the MoM Hub here in Manehattan? But that's morality, what does it have to do with being on time? Well, I guess he isn't really the type to care as long as somepony got a lecture. "And I mean now."
And with that, I turned around and began walking out the front doors of the building, only a minute after I arrived here. The walk to the MoM hub is a good half-kilometer away, so about a five minute walk. As I walked, I could only think about how hungry I was. The cereal I had in the morning wasn't enough, especially since I only had one spoonful before returning the rest to the sink drain in my apartment. On the way to the building as I reached the entrance, I bumped into a very suspicious and mysterious black cloaked pony, I couldn't even make out their face. But what confused me the most was their striped hooves. Bah, never mind that, I'm sure it's nothing. But what I should be focusing on is meeting with whoever pony it is I'm supposed to see. I walked in and trotted up to the front desk in the MoM hub's lobby.
"And you are?" Asked the stallion working behind the desk, practically slamming his hooves on the digital touchscreen keyboard in front of his computer, while using his magic to guide the mouse. If I'm being honest, he's an absolute unit with how focused he looked while doing his job, I could never be this efficient.
"Bi-Nary, have a meeting with somepony." I said with a smile, I don't know why but it made the stallion blush a bit when he looked up at me for a quick moment.
"Ah yes, Bi-Nary, take the elevator to the right and go to the third floor, then take a left down the hall and it should be the third room down" He said as he went back to whatever he was doing on the computer. I gave a nod and thanked him before following the instruction. Once I reached the room on the third floor, I knocked before pushing it open. Inside is a very pink pony.
"Oh uh, hey there. I'm here for my lecture. The name's Bi-Nary" I said jokingly, though if I'm unlucky, it may actually become a lecture. The pony gave a smile as I sat down on the wooden chair opposite their desk. The pony slid over a tin can which was opened, the label read 'Party-time Mint-Als'. I waved my right forehoof left and right dismissively. "Ah, I'm good, thanks for the offer. Anyways, I know you're probably a very busy pony, uh.." I declined their offer then looked at the etched plaque on their desk that displayed the pony's name, "Ms... Pinkamena Diane Pie..! Yes, you're probably a very busy pony, so I'll be fine with just even a few words of whatever wisdom you have, and I'll be on my way." I only said this to try and seal a faster talk so I don't have to be here long. But the smile they gave made me feel like I was going to be here a while.
"Please, call me Pinkie-pie. You don't have to be so stressed. Don't worry, I'm not going to bite ya, haha!" She began talking, keeping an upbeat charismatic attitude. I sighed and nodded before laying back on the chair. "So your boss, Mr. Cog, has told me that you've been going to work late recently, and that's not good as far as I can tell." She said with a calm smile though her eyes twitched from time to time, probably from whatever was in that tin container she tried to offer me a minute ago. I sighed when they brought up that they were notified of my late arrivals because my boss had told this mare, I gave a couple nods.
"Well, it's not like it's going to be such a big deal, especially since I get my work done anyways.” I protested, though while I spoke, she only nodded with folded forehooves, waiting for me to finish.
"I see, I see. Mhm... so what I can tell is that you're lazy." Geez, so blunt of her, I was taken back when she called me lazy, sounds exactly like Mr. Cog.
"Cool, cool... great chat-" I said before standing up from the chair, turning around to leave. But then I was stopped by the stern but energetic words "Sit down." I immediately sat back down and faced her smiling face.
"Now, Mr. Bi-Nary, is it cool that I call you 'Nary? I'm going to call you 'Nary! Anyways, 'Nary, you just got to go to work a little bit earlier, you get to be with your colleagues even longer because you get to see them earlier! But if you ever feel like you need a break, always make sure to ask your boss so you don't get overworked. And remember to always keep a smile, don't want to bring down the mood...!" I sighed and nodded in response to her words, finally standing up again and turning to leave now that I see that she is done talking with me. What a shit talk though, it wasn't interesting, helpful, honestly it just felt like somepony trying to talk to me but not knowing what to actually say. This entire section of my day was a waste of time. I took the stairs back down this time to the lobby, walked out of the building and continued my way back to the Stable-Tec building.
I finally arrived back after a few minutes, greeted by glass doors and white concrete bricks. Ai-Tee trotted up behind me and gave my back a pat before walking beside me, asking "So, how was it?".
I rolled my eyes and groaned in response, "Ugh, boring, it wasn't even anything fun or flavorful to listen to, just jumbled nonsense." I said with an irritated tone, but then gave a small smile when I saw 'Tee. "Anyways, enough about that, let's focus on that Stable project you told me about earlier this morning. You know, the one by the outskirts of Manehattan?" I brought up the Stable-Tec Manehattan project because I am looking forward to working on it as soon as possible.
"Oh yeah, thanks for the reminder! 'Nary, follow me, we're going to take a streetcar out, using the tram line, to the outskirts and then walk out to the Stable, it should mostly be done with the building part. Follow me." She immediately began to walk out of the Stable-Tec building, it seems as soon as I got here, I'm leaving again. Sighing as I usually do, I walked along with her until we got onto a white street car with a red stripe on the exterior, the inside had padded grey seats. We sat across from each other, watching the mid-morning sun shift along the sky, the time now being '10:25'.
It was a quiet ride, nothing but hummed tunes and staring out the window, until we reached as close to the destination as possible in the east. The streetcar took about half an hour since it's now close to eleven in the morning, but now we walk the rest of the way. It took about another ten minutes, and we finally reached the Stable. We stepped on a circle of steel which laid on the ground, and I looked around, wondering where it was.
"Uh, 'Tee...? Where is it?" She giggled at my question, shortly after she then tapped on a blue screen supported by what looks like a steel rod. Whatever it was that she did, the ground began to tremble and move, then it went downward...? The sounds of mechanical whirring, pneumatics and gears accompanied the metal circle we stood on which descended like an elevator. Once we were a few meters down under the surface, it closed above us as white fluorescent lights lit up the area we descended. It seemed like we took a good minute before finally stopping.
"This is just the area of the Stable, we haven't even gone in yet! Right now we are a whole fifty meters underground." My ears perked up when she said that, I thought a Stable would be above ground. But then again, it makes sense to keep it underground where it's safer from Megaspells and such.
A normal steel mesh door opened when the platform stopped moving, exposing a short hall but also a big grey steel door that felt almost intimidating. The steel door has three numbers written on it in a big yellow blocky font. "404 huh?" I thought to myself, that must be the Stable's designated number. Doesn't seem like the number is coincidental, I'm sure it was chosen at request by Ai-Tee as a joke because as programmers, error 404. I watched 'Tee walk up to an orange panel next to the giant entrance, tapping in some really long code before pressing her PipBuck screen to it. Whatever she did made the entrance open, showing a grey concrete floor with white painted concrete walls, a blue line stretching far at the bottom of the walls, looks like the Stable was already finished, so why are we here again?
"We're going to be setting up the Stable's system." She said as if reading my mind. Oh, so just a massive operating system for a massive shelter, cool... I guess it only makes sense because we are programmers after all. We walked down a hall as the door closed behind us. Opening a door, we stepped inside a room that seemed to have a few monitors and a ton of cables with wiring all over. It seems this is the 'brain' of the Stable.
'Tee turned on the main terminal and the multiple screens turned on, displayin-
A rough static was heard that grew until the recording eventually stopped.
"Ah, what the hay...! I thought these terminals were supposed to be durable, like how mom said they were." I said as I gave the terminal a few more smacks before sighing.
Please if there’s anything critique-wise, please don’t be afraid to share in ny private messages!
