The Factory Psychologist

The registration process was quick, name and date of birth alongside a feather from Thornbred's wing. It was a strange requirement, but Crowhop insisted that it was just a form of identification for other staff and security - such as the two masked ponies by his side.

Before long he was roaming the halls of Subsection 7R. Long strips of colour lined the hallway, all indicating pathways to different parts of the facility. Different areas passed by as Dr Crowhop and the guards marched Thornbred towards an unknown destination;

Raw Material Storage, Spectre production, Rainbow Assembly, Waste Disposal.

They all seemed relatively unremarkable - no special indicators or designs on the doors or walls around them. However, the smell emanating from the rooms was hardly pleasant - reminiscent of wet wood and leaves. It was like anything he had smelled before.

Other ponies also walked past in the opposite direction, varying in age, gender and attire. There seemed to be 3 attires that the ponies appeared in:

Ponies wearing white lab coats, goggles, masks and gloves that are always stained with different colours of the rainbow. Thornbred could only assume they were the ones who assembled the rainbow.

Boiler suit ponies that carried toolboxes around on their back. By the toolbox and the deep oily red stains all over their uniform, they were mechanics of some kind. It was a factory after all. But alas they seemed far less common than the other ponies, only appearing once in a dozen

These were all something Thornbred had seen before however, mechanics and doctors were common enough in Manehatten and even in Equestria or the nearby Ponyville. The third however was something that seemed to be restricted to Subsection 7R.

These ponies wore all black, no determining details except for a string of numbers on the side of their jumpsuits. They wore a full facial mask that made it impossible to see their faces - alongside a hood that made it even more difficult to see their identity. The final detail of their strange attire was a device strapped to their side, completely black with metal prongs sticking out of one end.

The closest Thornbred had ever seen to ponies like these were security ponies at events and meetings of royalty - it would make sense as they were also the ones that Dr Crowhop had following behind him. But they seemed to do a lot around 7R: pushing carts full of trash bags into the waste disposal section and pulling carts into the Raw Material section. Their anonymity made them seem almost unpony-like, like robots with no personality or identity.

His thoughts were interrupted as he gently bumped into the back of the guard in front. Dr Crowhop had stopped in front of a door labelled "Meeting Room 4."

"Come Mr. Thornbred. Let's discuss what tasks you're going to do here in Subsection 7R."

Thornbred nodded, walking into the room and sitting down on one of the few chairs around a small table - a small pile of papers already on its surface. Dr. Crowhop and the guards followed afterwards, closing the door behind them.

"So Mr. Thornbred, what do you already know about Subsection 7R?" Crowhop questioned, locking eyes with Thornbred.

"I know that it's where rainbows are produced... And... I've... also heard that there is a small phenomenon with the ponies that work here... c-called FSD." His voice shook as he spoke. Dr. Crowhop's stare bore into his brain like a nail. He couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Yes, FSD is what the workers around here call it. It has always been an issue here due to the stressful nature of our work. But recently rates have begun to rise. Originally, we only had to replace one to two employees every dozen moons. But now we are going through seven to eight per moon." Crowhop finally broke his one-sided staring contest with Thornbred to look down at the stack of papers - handing them over to Thornbred

"We called you here to find out a way of reducing - possibly even stopping - the development in this 'FSD', if it even exists at all."

Thornbred looked down at the paper. It was the start of a lengthy contract of the terms and conditions of his work in the factory; a long list of points stating what he could and couldn't do and lots of other legal jargon. All ending with a request for a signature.

"Whilst you do your research, we will provide accommodation within the factory workers' living quarters alongside food and water. You will also receive payment upon completion of your task. All you have to do is sign it, and you can begin your research."

Normally Thornbred would read through the entirety of these kinds of documents. There were plenty of stories from across Equestria about how these can go wrong if you don't read them. But the stares of Dr Crowhop and the mere presence of the two guards made the situation feel urgent as if there was no time to think about the decision. His eyes skimmed over the several pages of words before finally landing on the signature line. It was now over never.

He pulled a pen from his bag with his teeth and scribbled his signature down just above the line. Quickly sliding it back towards Dr Crowhop.

"Good. I'm glad to have you assist us with this issue Mr. Thornbred. 40 will lead you to your room where you can begin your research." Dr. Crowhop stood up and walked towards the door, not even looking back at Thornbred as he spoke to him. One of the guards opened the door, allowing him to leave.

The other guard trotted to Thornbred's side, awaiting him to follow. The stitching on the side of the uniform indicated that this was the number 40 that Crowhop mentioned. There was very little reason to stay in this room after Dr Crowhop's departure, so Thornbred followed after 40 towards his quarters where he would likely be staying for a few moons whilst doing his research. The question was of course...

Where to start?