COMA

As she was walking back to the gate, something caught Twilight's eye - A small, white filly with a pinkish mane was just rounding a corner near the crest. Twilight ran as fast as she could towards the little pony, but as soon as she rounded the same alleyway, it was gone. Like it'd vanished into thin air. With a disappointed sigh, she walked back to the crest as the voice in her head spoke again.

"What was that about, Twilight?"

"Nothing."

"By the by, where did you get that jacket? You didn't meet the foremare, did you?"

The jacket. So much had happened since she put it on that she'd completely forgotten it was even there. Come to think of it, now that she remembered it, she also noticed it was unbearably warm outside, with or without the jacket. Despite that she wasn't in one of the bright areas, the sun's heat was relentless.

"No, I did not."

"Yes, yes, of course not. Anyways. Make a left at the seal and you'll get to the elder district. I should warn you, though, the automatons have remained hostile for years. I advice caution."

"Uh huh. Sure." Twilight responded, annoyed at the fact that the voice knew exactly where she was but that she had no idea who she was talking to. Nevertheless, she began to move in the direction as told, though cautiously as the voice had said. It didn't take her long to understand why she'd phrased herself like that. At first, it was a pleasant stroll, watching the yellow stone tiles fade into streets and buildings of red brickwork. But, the further she got, it got increasingly more uncomfortable - shells of old robots and weapons stained in crimson littered the streets, as well as stained the walls. Whatever happened here, it wasn't pretty.

Twilight considered turning back by the time she reached what she could only assume was the airport. It seemed to have a dock for an airship, but nothing was actually parked there. This was an airport if ever she saw one. Only, the sight underneath was tremendously disturbing - Large crosses, ones used for crucifixion, were stood around the airport. Fortunately, no one was actually attached to them, but they showed signs of use. Weathered and old, it looked like they would fall over from the slightest gust of wind, but fortunately for them the air was unnaturally still. Maybe the high walls surrounding the city blocked it out. The doors leading inside were not locked, as it seemed the entire mechanism had been torn to shreds. With a hard shove, they slid open.

Much to both Twilight's surprise and dismay, it was pitch black inside, unlike the rest of the place. Even the darker spots in the city were lit up to the point where you could easily see. The same didn't go for this place. She couldn't even see her own silhouette in the ocean of black. The light of her magic was strong enough to light the way, thankfully. But she wasn't thankful. She was terrified. It was a given that her magic should be strong enough, she was a unicorn, and her magic was strong. The fact that it only lit up maybe a meter ahead of her was a sign it had grown weaker. That tumor really had taken a toll on her magic.

As she walked inside, she felt something in the atmosphere change. There was movement. She didn't know how she knew or where it was coming from, but she knew it was here somewhere. Trusting her gut wasn't something she'd usually do, but in a place like this, it may be necessary. She wasn't willing to take any risks. She began traversing the room as silently as hooves could, which admittedly, wasn't very stealthy. Her magic wasn't strong enough to silence her hooves anymore, either. As she moved throughout what appeared to be a library, just as she turned a corner, she saw something. Two floodlight-like eyes, scanning over the area. If she wasn't cautious, whatever was looking would most definitely find her. Twilight immediately darkened her horn and took cover behind a bookcase or shelf of some sort. It was difficult to tell in the near-pitch darkness. All she could see was the faint, excess light spilling out from the bright beams from the prying eyes on the other side.

After a few minutes of hushed breathing and stillness, the metal rattling of the machine was heard. Daring a peek from around the corner, Twilight realized the robot had wandered away. Once more, she began to scurry across the halls, staying low to the ground. She was loosely following the automaton, as it seemed to have some knowledge of where it was going. Without using it as guidance, Twilight would have to trace the walls to find places to go, and then she'd also need her magic to see. Sticking relatively close was her only option. Through her stalking, she'd also managed to see what it was - and to her surprise, unlike the rest, it was not a pony.

It was a dragon, seemingly built to resemble a juvenile one, maybe in its teenage years. It wasn't that big, but taller than her. It was made of bronze and iron and was carrying a sharp halberd of the same materials. Its mechanical eyelids showed much dismay and disinterest to the ongoing patrol. Despite all that, it was surprisingly nimble and quiet, more so than Twilight. However, it was at the disadvantage that actually utilizing those skills was difficult when you practically have two spotlights taped to your face. This benefited Twilight on the other hoof, as it was quite clear exactly what it did and didn't see.

Her plan seemed to be going smoothly, just following and watching the robot, until she spotted something else. For but a second, as the beams of light swept over the room she saw exactly what she'd feared - another robot. This one didn't have glowing eyes - or eyes in the first place. She couldn't tell what it was in the split second it was doused in light, all she could tell was that it was short and close to the floor. She stuck to the wall and slowly began shimmying across the room. The mechanical dragon had already left the room and continued elsewhere, so she was stuck in here with whatever the other thing was.

"Twilight. Don't respond, just listen. If you want to live, listen to me and don't deviate for a second. Go straight and left."

Twilight, initially startled, for once swallowed her pride and did as told. Slowly, she started making it across the black void, hearing metal parts dragging around her. And just as it seemed like it might work, the worst possible thing happened - a creaky floorboard. As soon as she stepped on it she heard the rustling parts get closer, and closer.

"Strafe right."

She silently slid in the indicated direction, hearing as the seemingly broken robot crashed straight into the wall beside her, just narrowly avoiding her. "Continue right." The voice said afterwards, and she followed suit. It seemed she was in a corridor. She could tell by the light spilling out from the room ahead of her as she approached, it became more clear that the dragon had stopped there in an attempt to force her out of the building. She couldn't get past without the robot seeing her, and making a run for it didn't seem that intelligent when you're stuck between a rock and a sharp axe. But alas, the robot behind her was inching closer and the one ahead still wasn't moving, so she had to do something.

"Stop." The voice said, and in that very same moment she heard something slowly start crawling behind her. "Stop as hard as you can, then hug the wall."

Twilight hesitated for a few seconds, but the scratching behind her was approaching faster than she could think. She closed her eyes, drove her hooves straight into the ground, and then stuck to the wall. Even though she couldn't see it, she knew the dragon didn't even flinch. She could clearly see the two beams staring straight into nothing in the room ahead. The shuffling noise, however, was sprinting as fast as something dragging itself over a floor can. Closer, and closer...

...And straight past her. It couldn't see her. It had no eyes. It only followed the direction of the noise, which happened to be in the same direction as the dragon. It crawled closer towards it, and once it got close enough to bathe in the spilling light from outside the beams, she could tell what it was. Another one of those mechanical ponies, except this one was missing all but the front limbs. Its head had mostly everything removed, too. It looked a lot more industrial than the rest, with various tanks and tubes stretching across its back.

Twilight watched as it drew closer to the light. Just as it got in the dragon's line of sight, the beams shifted straight to red and it went all out flailing with the halberd. The sounds of breaking wood and clattering metal was heard clearly, along with the sights of hectic friendly fire. It only lasted for a few seconds until it was quiet again. Twilight looked into the room, seeing the dragon's light had shifted back to yellow. She watched as it grabbed the malformed pony, dragging it and the halberd after itself into the room beyond. The smaller robot was no longer responding.

Carefully, Twilight snuck after the machines, following them once more through the vast halls. However, stealth wasn't needed for much longer, as the dragon shoved open a door, from which light was streaming in. Twilight remained in the darkness a while more, until she could no longer hear the noise of metal scraping against wood and stone. When the noise finally grew too distant to hear, Twilight stepped into the room beyond.