Long ago, in the magical land of Equestria, there was a city called Whinnyapolis. This city provided Equestria with all the lumber and grain the nation needed to grow. When the Crystal Empire returned, it became the gateway city between the two countries, fostering trade and friendship. When war came to Equestria, Whinnyapolis was vital in keeping the ponies and war machine fed, using its vast open planes to grow crops and build factories where ponies would work.

With the increased demand for workers came a growing population, and plenty of money needed to be spent with them. Capitalizing on this, the city would build the Mega Mall, the largest shopping center ever seen, filled with the latest technologies and consumable products. But such an endeavor required a lot of money, and materials that could go to the war weren't so easily obtained.

Both receiving investment from the Ministries and the Blackroot family, the Mega Mall would change, becoming fully automated and themed around the popular Molly Manticore Pizzeria. A place of joy where families can go and have fun, shop, and forget about their troubles, all while a robotic staff tends to their every need. No place would be safer from the war aside from a stable.

So when the bombs dropped, and ponies rushed to the safety of the Mega Mall, none suspected that no place was more dangerous than into the claws of Molly Manticore. And as Whinnyapolis burned in bailfire, the mall was painted red, cleaned, and prepared for its next batch of victims.

Slowtrot never liked Molly Manticore, and now, two hundred years in the future, his opinion has not changed. But to the Mega Mall he goes, and the closer he gets, the more his past returns, and the closer he gets to the answer to a question he had long forgotten to ask.