In the stone and metal encased walls of the Compound, all was dark. Small red emergency lights, much like ones would put in a Hearth's Warming tree, were encased in the smooth concrete floor, small holes allowing their light to escape. All of the Compound were sleeping.
Well, almost all.
Two sister Alicorns cantered delicately down the eerily red-washed corridors to the Laboratory. The eldest, tall and pure white, looked as if she were growing impatient. Her hooves, long having stripped their golden hoofware, grew all the more frantic and hasted as she slowly passed by her younger sister.
The two passed through a guarded iron door, forcing their legs to walk. Celestia's multicolored mane, despite its gravity-defying flow, looked frizzy and her eyes tired. Luna looked equally bedraggled. But this was important.
A beige-colored stallion dressed in black rubber hoof-protectors and a white lab coat turned to them. He smiled kindly to his princesses. "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna," he began, nodding respectfully to each of the tall mares in turn. "Thank you for agreeing to meet me at such a late hour. Please follow me." He turned, and swung the door closed behind them in a violet aura of magic. He led the two royal ponies to a metal-encased cacoon of a room. The wrrrring of machines and electronic devices Celestia couldn't recognise. In the very back of the room, in the darkest part of the room, stood six empty booths. In each were metallic helmets with black sunglass-looking shades where a pony wearing it would have their eyes. There were four empty cylinders for wrapping around four hooves, and both caps for a Unicorn horn and wires and pegs for Pegesi wings, each adjustable in width and length.
The Sun Goddess gaped, staring around like a curious foal. "What in the name of the Sun and Moon is this?" Luna breathed her older sibling's thoughts. The Unicorn stallion only smiled. "This is the PonyBot Control Center, IR the P.C.C., for short," he answered simply. "Pony... Bot?"
"Our newest success here in the Laboratory." he replied, voice giddy. "We, that is, the team and myself, have manger to create mechanical replicas of ponies, and a way to control them!" he beamed. Celestia's eyes widened. Luna looked almost overwhelmed. "Chemical Blitz... are you saying that...?" the former Princess of Day murmured, trailing off in utter disbelief. "Yes, Princess. It means we have a way to return to the Surface!"
