Meanwhile...

***Connection established to network hub 93Y

***Accessing systems

"Keep up the good work Seven.  Let me know when you can get into the network drives and figure out what the hell happened."

The AI was strangely silent after I blocked off the only way we knew to get out of the complex.  Then again, those horses seemed to be a little homicidal so keeping them away would be a good thought.  A thought that led to my assembly of a sentry gun in the hall near my section of the vault.  If anything wanted to get in the hole I blasted through the door, they would have to get past this gun first.

At least whoever designed the units was smart.  Even a cook could put this together.  Roll the cart into place and deploy the armored tripod, Check.  Six dull thumps later, the brackets for the turret had locked against the ground, rooting the matte green unit in place.  Now was the fun part.  My armored fingers fumbled around in the base trying to find the connector for the wiring, as the little bastard kept slipping out of my grip.  Eventually, I got a decent grasp on it and pulled the wiring harness free.  A soft click later and it was attached to the main gun that I was slowly lowering in place.  I couldn't help but grin a little evilly at the design of the gun, black and green were my favorite colors after all.  It was even topped off with a three barreled pulse cannon.  Sexy indeed.  Only one thing left to do, I opened a panel on the side of the unit and pushed the big red button labeled "START."

----Power supply on emergency reserves.  External charge needed to start reactor.  

"Son of a bitch," I muttered under my breath as I popped open a panel on my thigh with a dull click.  From within I teased out a section of cable and locked it into the matching port in the controls for the turret.

----External power online.  Reactor coming online in 5...4...3...2...1...

----NAF M230 Sentry unit is now online.  Linking to network for command and control.

With a grim smile on my face, I unplugged from the unit as the panels and lenses lit up.  Someone was going to have a big surprise.  Now that my back was covered, time to see what I can find out.

"Seven, tell me you are making headway on the networks.  I need to know something while I check the other pods in this section of the vault."

***One moment please.  Network connection nearly complete.  Severe damage to systems on ***opposite side of collapse.

I just shrugged as I climbed through the hole I had melted through the blast door, armor scraping slightly against the jagged and rough edges.  While Seven worked, I might as well do the same as there were a few stasis units around my vault.  Time to defrost some allies.

Slightly over an hour later, the lights in the vault began to flicker.  Shadows began to twist and contort as a purple light started to fill one of the antechambers.  At first it looked nothing more than lights short circuiting, but that quickly changed as a lavender ring formed on the floor.  From the edges it flowed upward like some kind of water possessed,  Flowing and trickling together to form a sickly colored dome in the heart of the room.  As one, the lights went out and from the darkness a stream of ponies ushered forth, led by the behemoth in ebony armor.

Out of the room they spilled, dozens of them searching the halls and rooms looking for one specific thing.  The creature that had hurt them so.  The creature that could save them from damnation.  Multicolored magic dimly illuminated the oncoming horde as they crossed boundaries again and again, following hoofprints in the dust toward a solitary corner of the complex.  Through the concrete catacombs they traveled, slowly, cautiously, constantly weary of traps, not expecting a metallic monotone voice to erupt from the speakers.  

"Wait.  I know you are here, I can see you.  All of you, including the purple one who tried to kill me.  There...I... I have no fight left in me.  If you want to speak, come down the next hallway alone.  If not, all of the ponies with you will die down here."

The mass of ponies only looked at each other, slowly parting for the Princess to pass.  This was something they had hoped to happen.  There had already been too much bloodshed, let alone the fact that nopony truly knew what was going on.  With nothing more than a nod, Big Mac stepped aside from Twilight's path and watched her round the corner into the darkness.

All alone with little more than her magic to protect her, Twilight felt utterly isolated for the first time in years.  Hoofsteps clicking gently against the artificial rock of the floor, every detail of the hall thrown into harsh contrast from her magic.  At the end of the hall, a trio of glowing eyes followed her movements with a slight whirring noise.  As she neared, a blocky, foreboding shape resolved into view as the voice spoke again.

"Ignore the sentry.  It will do the same to you."

Gently she passed the silent device, expecting it to swivel and watch her passing, but the thing lay still.  Gingerly she stepped though the hole missing in the door, sour memories and thoughts tainting every moment with regret.  All of that was forgotten as she turned the final corner to see something unexpected.  The creature that normally towered over them was sitting against the wall defeated.  Eight small metal tags lay on the ground between it's feet, while a single tag dangled on a chain from its clenched hand.  A blank slab of metal lay where it's face should be, plates and straps covered nearly every inch of the creature, her eyes taking it all in, completely forgetting it watched her in return.

"Dead.  They are all dead or gone.  Out of over ten thousand, and I'm it.  You need something from here, that much is obvious, and to be honest I am tired of watching my back and killing little horses.  Help me find out what happened to my people and I won't give you any trouble."

As the final metal tag clattered to the ground from the creature's hand, Twilight could see writing on the surface of it.  Writing that eerily reminded her of Iron Will's letter...