Descending into the metal tube at a sharp and uncomfortable angle, it seemed to be more of a maintenance shaft than anything. But then the floor flattened out somewhat and it opened up. It opened up into a very small room, just large enough to contain a set of doors. These were wide and flat, not curved at all, looking far more like something humans might use.

Sunset raised a doubting brow. "Almost normal. Hey! Anyone in here?" She put a hand by her mouth to direct her call, approaching the two doors slowly. "Hello? Anyone home?" She shrugged. "Guess we're going through here."

Susan caught up and pulled Sunset back. "Easy now. We don't know what's on the other side of those doors."

Rainbow trotted past them both. "There's only one way to find out. Heh." She reached out and pushed at the door. The first one slid aside without complaint, revealing a fairly long tunnel beyond. It wasn't totally dark, with a set of dull red lights running along the floor and ceiling, marking a path forward. "Hey." Rainbow scowled at the revealed tunnel. "If there are lights, then some of their technology didn't get fried."

Sunset slid up beside her. "Yeah, that's true." She hummed softly. "So maybe we're not dealing with an empty world, huh? Could be some survivors in here. Think there's some kind of atmosphere in there?"

Susan raised her rifle. "We are not testing that. Even if the atmosphere is perfectly fine, we have no idea what's in it."

Sunset grinned as she turned to face Susan. "I, if you didn't notice, am a robot." She opened her mouth, fans starting. "So let's analyze this air."

"Hey!" Casey appeared at the end of the tunnel where it started upwards, eyes wide. "You can't just run off like that! That was totally not cool!" She paused as she realized Sunset had some sort of a vacuum tube going into the hallway. "What is she doing?"

Sunset closed her mouth, the fans turning off. "This tube was hermetically sealed. The only contaminants are what we brought with us when we opened the doors coming in."

Casey grumbled under her breath and trotted over to them. "Just, please, next time wait for me? We have protocols and stuff for a reason."

Susan sighed softly. "Perhaps I didn't fully grasp the whole concept of being xeno-engineer." She nodded at Casey. "You are correct. For now, you are our expert, and I will be following your orders."

Casey caught up with them, looking between the two doors, and the red lights behind one of them. "Wow. Okay, assuming the lead." She fished out some tools and walked up to the closed door, tapping slowly. "Let's make sure there's nothing about to jump at us from behind the one you didn't already open."

Sunset scoffed lightly. "We've had it open for a few minutes and nothing came out at us."

Casey rolled her eyes. "That's the other door, now shoosh." She ran her instrument slowly along before nodding. "Entirely quiet, no heat, no motion. Should be safe. I say we head through the already open door."

Susan took a deep breath. "It's your call, but remember, our goal is to find ponies, not poke around abandoned buildings."

Casey slipped into the narrow hallway beyond, raising her light to look around. It wasn't technically needed with the low red lights providing just enough to see by, but her own light was far brighter. "Exploring abandoned buildings may turn up ponies, or a thousand other things. Be on guard."

They proceeded carefully down the tunnel. It remained small, and they had to go single file through it. After some time, it began to curve upwards, putting a bend in the path. There was an increasingly bright light at the end of the tunnel. Casey halted as she got close to the end. "Picking up activity." She jiggled her odd instrument. "Electricity in use, added heat. We're coming up on something."

Susan glanced down at her rifle. "Just so you know, I'm ready for anything. Got my weapon out and loaded."

Casey shook her head. "We're hoping there are still living ponies past here, so don't be too eager to use that thing." She then chuckled. "Not that we should go without." She gripped her own sidearm, a stungun with enough charge to render anything human-sized into a drooling mess.

Sunset pressed her hand against the wall as she arrived at her spot in the line. "Well, the door isn't opening itself, brave leader. You opening it?"

Casey slowly leaned towards the door, reaching out with her hand. "Everyone be ready for anything. One last time." She reached up and pushed at the large button that would trigger the door to open. The sound of rushing air could be heard, along with the heavy doors pulling apart.

Casey got out barely a squawk as she was bowled over by a large form. The members behind her rushed to her aid, but the thing crushing her wasn't some hostile alien. It was a pony, heaving weakly for breath.

"Casey!" Susan jumped forward, kneeling by the prone engineer. "Hey, you okay?"

Casey wheezed softly. "I, yeah, I'm okay. Little help?"

Sunset slowly eased the pony up off of Casey. "Woah. We got a princess." She carefully pulled the dazed and confused creature back. "You are in the hands of a professional. Pinkie's around here somewhere, probably."

The princess' eyes were wide as she looked over Sunset. "What are you?" she got out as if her throat hadn't been used in over a month and she hadn't had a sip in about as long.

"A robot." Sunset pointed at herself with a wink. "I'm gonna ease you over here." She lifted the mare up with ease and set her down next to the wall. "Can you sit up?"

The princess groaned with misery. "Please tell me you have a drink. Please."

They pressed past the princess into the larger room beyond. Within, several lumps decorated the ground. It only took a moment to confirm the worst. It seemed most of the ponies there did not survive, and the princess was teetering on the very edge.

Sunset fished out a small canister of water. "Here, slowly. No matter how much you want to drain it all in one go."

The princess grabbed for the water, but Sunset pulled it away. The mare growled at her. "No! I need that!" She leapt for it again, getting a little closer this time. "Please!"

"Shhh." Sunset pushed her back easily, her robotic form more powerful than the nearly dead princess. "I'll feed you. You're too desperate to be trusted to do this yourself." And Sunset did just that, giving the princess a sip at a time.

Susan crouched by one of the dead bodies. "This one's been dead for a while." She reached out and touched it. It was cold, yet it was still oddly wet. "Do we have any idea how long?"

Casey picked up another dead body with a frown. She waved her instruments over it. "This place having been so sealed muddles the results, but at a guess." She put the body back down gently. "They were dying slowly. We're a few months late, if we wanted to rescue the rest of them."

Susan watched as the princess nearly choked on the water she was getting, only to have Sunset catch her and hold her up. "Then we can't really do anything for them. You alright, Sunset?"

Sunset looked over. "Yeah. Have to do this nice and slow, but I think she'll be okay. I'm no doctor, but I've read a few books." She laughed nervously as she returned her attention to her ward. "You want a little nibble to eat?"

The princess turned away, pressing her head against the wall. "Starving, yes."

Susan couldn't help but stare at the strange creature. Her shape wasn't all that odd, but the wings, and more so the horn on her head, were quite curious. A pony could have one or the other, but only Twilight had both at the same time. This princess was a dull and faded pink color. She appeared to have a tiara resting limply on her head. "Is this really what they look like?"

Casey stood up from the dead pony. "So far, the two pony princesses we met have tiaras. A communal tradition? I've heard of far worse. It could be their form of rank insignia." She rubbed at her chin in thought.

The princess grimaced as Sunset slipped a few crackers into her mouth. She chewed quietly a moment, licking at the salt. "Even these." She sighed softly. "They taste so good right now. Did you mention Twilight? Is she truly safe then?"

Sunset nodded slowly. "Yeah. Last I saw her, she was happy as could be, living it up as part of our crew. We're looking for ponies who were stuck here."

The princess rested her head back against the wall. "I am a miserable failure of a leader."

Rainbow sat nearby. "What makes you say that?"

"What?!" She waved over the dead ponies in the room, being covered respectfully as they were. "I am the leader of nopony. They followed me, and I led them to their end." She choked, tears stinging at her eyes. "My own husband, loyal to the end, refused to eat or drink, knowing it meant I could survive even a few more days."

Sunset stroked her side. "You survived. You don't have to suffer for them. And now we're here. We're going to help you get home."

The princess sagged a little more. "I know you're trying to be kind, but I cannot just put aside his death that easily." She took a slow breath. "I'm being rude." She forced herself upright. "I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or just Cadance. Cadance would be fine. I don't feel like much of a princess right now. Twilight knows me. You said she's with you?"

Susan nodded at that. "Yes, she is. She's actually the ship."

Cadance blinked at that. "What?"

"Long story." Susan moved to one side, Sunset the other, and they helped Cadance to her hooves. "I think it's time we got you to evacuation. Feel strong enough for a few steps?"

Cadance sighed softly. "I suppose I will have to be."

Sunset glanced over at Susan. "Just getting this out of the way now, do we get to keep her?"

Cadance seemed alarmed by that.

Susan snorted at the idea. "She is a grown sapient. She 'belongs' to herself. She can stay with us if she likes. Come on, let's go."

Casey gave one last glance at the dead ponies as they started to leave. "It's too bad we couldn't find more alive. Twilight might know them."

"One survivor is better than none." Another pony moved to help in the body retrieval. "And a princess at that. Still, a pity. If only we'd been faster."

A pony bumped into the first. "We were as fast as we could be."

Rainbow nodded at that. "Yeah, look, we can't go backwards, just forwards." She flared her wings as she reached for another clothed bundle. "Let's get these ponies a proper sendoff at the very least."

They carried the dead ponies out of the buried shelter, and laid them gently on the ground outside. It was the best they could do under the circumstances. Sunset started her communicator without motion. "Hey, Pinkie, you there?"

"What's up?!" Her enthusiasm was as bubbly as usual. "How's it going down there? You find a thousand awesome things?!"

Sunset took a deep breath as she looked at the dead bodies in front of her. "We found a whole lot of something."

Pinkie's voice dropped. "You found something bad. One second." Without pause, Pinkie's form appeared in Sunset's vision, turning to look at the bodies. "Oh, mmm. That's no fun." She sighed softly and sagged. "Gimme just a few minutes." She vanished from view.

Sunset fidgeted as she stared at the ground. "You can do this. You can do this." She looked up to the other ponies. "Morale officer Pinkie will be here shortly. She'll lead us through what has to happen. None of you panic until then, okay?"

Rarity settled her hooves on the ground. "I don't really need a morale officer. I am an actress after all. Just don't expect me to break into song."

Rainbow touched Rarity's shoulder with a wing. "Hey, it's okay to be a little sad right now, okay?"

Rarity sagged and flopped over into a holographic couch that couldn't hold her up, but she could fake falling into it. "Well, since you're giving permission."

Sunset nudged Rarity with her leg. "It'll be okay."

Rarity tossed her head. "Pinkie will get us through this." She peered around. "Wait, where did Susan go?"

"Right here." She was right next to Cadance, gently petting the princess. "I won't abandon you."

Cadance sighed softly. "Thank you for that." She forced herself to a proper sit. "This is the last duty I can perform for them."

"No!" Sunset pulled back with a shocked expression. "You're our guest! We take care of you, not the other way around."

"Still." Cadance carefully got up and hobbled over to one of the bodies. "While you may care for me, I must care for them. This is the absolute least I can do, as their friend. As their princess." She looked away sharply, tears flowing freshly. "Please, let me."

Sunset grumbled under her breath. "Fine." She motioned to the others. "All of you stay here. I'm going to make sure there aren't any more, uh, problems inside." She nodded at Rainbow.

Pinkie appeared in Sunset's vision. "Hold up there! My turn. You mind if we swap places? I kinda need to be there. I can't help them much just being a funny image only you can see, and it'd take too much bandwidth to broadcast me to all of you at once."

Sunset glanced at Pinkie. "Um, right, okay." She turned back to the ponies and held up her hand. "Hold on a moment. We're getting some fresh help from home." Then she could see nothing but a slowly filling bar. Just above it, she could see 'transfer' as a label, rapidly swelling to fullness.

Then things changed, she was just an image.

The robot she had been in fell to all fours, erupting into bright pink as Pinkie took control of it. "There we go!" Pinkie waved around at everyone. "Sorry for the delay. Had to get the commands from up top." She skipped over to the princess. "Here. You need some help?"

Cadance shook her head at that. "Hello, Pinkie." She gently gathered Pinkie up. "I really messed up."

Pinkie nestled warmly with Cadance. "Shh. You all did your best. They wanted you to be here, CayCay. They did it, and you're here. Don't make them sad by not appreciating what they worked so hard to do."

Cadance held Pinkie tighter. "They sacrificed themselves so I could live."

Pinkie reached up and gently stroked Cadance's cheek. "Then don't waste their efforts. You have a life to lead, the one they wanted you to have. That'll make them so happy." She gently released Cadance. "But before that." She turned to the shrouded forms. "It's time to say our final goodbyes."

Author's Note

A somber chapter. I think we'll skip the proper ceremony. Pinkie will do her best to lead that. It's time to head back to the ship, at least with Cadance. Some Xeno Engineers likely want to continue nosing about.

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