Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy popped into existence on a structure Twilight had seen below them. Big, mostly flat and with plenty of places to hide.

“I don’t think I’m ever gonna get used to that tinglin’ in the tips of my hooves,” Applejack said, “But I’m always mighty glad when I remember you can do that.”

“Thank me later. I didn’t jump us far: we need to get out of sight, quick!”

They ran over the roof of one of the more bare structures, past all manner of vents and short sets of stairs far steeper in construction than a pony might be comfortable with.

“If ya’ don’t mind me askin’, why didn't’ ya’ just zap us right on outta’ this place?”

“You mean, like, back in the forest?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah! We already got ourselves a confession; I say we put this place to our flanks and get the Princess’ help!”

“It’s not that simple,” Twilight said, “I need to know two things to pull it off: where I’m going, and where I am. And right now, that second part is getting really fuzzy! That was why Cadance and I had to take the long way through those caverns.

“Besides,” she continued, “Something about that room wasn’t responding well to my magic. If I try to teleport outside and something is interfering, there have been some nasty accidents involving this branch of magic.”

Applejack flinched. “Fair enough.

“Hey, that looks pretty good!”

Twilight and Fluttershy whipped around to find what Applejack had pointed towards. It was a door leading into the building below them, an orange glow from below creeping out onto the rooftop.

“Are you sure?” Fluttershy asked, unconsciously taking a few steps backwards.

“It’s gotta be better than standing in the open,” Twilight said, putting a hoof around Fluttershy’s neck and directing her inside.

A smoky smell drifted up at them as they descended into the structure, the glow becoming brighter as they went. Past two turns down the steps, they found themselves on a catwalk, facing a grand space that radiated ordered chaos.

“Eep!” Fluttershy exclaimed, cowering behind Twilight.

“Boy howdy.” Applejack shook her head. “What’s going on here?”

Twilight began stepping along the catwalk in hopes of answering this herself. At their end, ceramic buckets of glowing white-yellow liquid ran along tracks in the ceiling, pouring into funnels atop large churning machines. A constant hiss and pounding emitted from the machines as pistons along the tops rose and fell. A tray at the end of these machines spat rectangles of red-hot metal onto a conveyor belt which ran past sets of mechanical arms, busy as bees. The arms ran back and forth on tracks, keeping pace with the belt while they locked onto the hot metal. Beams of red light shot from the arms, cutting distinct shapes out of the metal before retreating to perform their task on the next block.

“It’s a factory,” Twilight said, not taking her eyes from the process. “But it’s entirely automated!”

Applejack blinked. “Auto-what?”

“It’s just machines... making other machines! I’m not even sure anypony but Mandeville works here anymore.”

“Well, they must’ve before,” Applejack said, “Elsewise I don’t know why they’d bother with stairs n’ a walkway.”

Beyond the cutting arms, Twilight saw the final stage of this room: the belt fed into a press, which stamped onto the metal, steam hissing from the edges. The press lifted, revealing a shaped metal stencil that now longer glowed with heat. In the stencil Twilight recognized a cold, featureless face. Not yet painted white, and lacking its black visor, it stared without seeing.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “This is where they make those ‘CID’ things.”

“Well, then maybe there’s a way to shut this place down!”

Applejack ran along the catwalk towards a door leading to some kind of office. Twilight followed, herself, tailed reluctantly by Fluttershy. Fluttershy’s gait was awkward, torn between running straight to the safety of her friends and creeping sideways from the hellish sights and sounds of the production line.

It was, indeed, an office, though designed rather larger than would be necessary for most ponies. There were two desks and one huge control panel with a large monitor bearing the Mandeville Arms logo. Before the desks were a couple seats on wheels.

“How do they sit like this?” Applejack grumbled, trying one of the seats out, her behind nearly sliding off while her front hooves pushed against the armrests. She eventually gave up, hopping off and kicking the offending furniture with a single bucking leg, sending it rolling and crashing into the far wall.

“Unnatural’s what it is.”

Twilight opened a number of filing cabinets and rifled through the contents, skimming for anything useful.

“Productivity timelines,” Twilight read. “Daily quota, feedstock maintenance. Wow, they even use the same names for their days of the week! Odd years though. Twenty-twenty-four, C.E. That’s over two-thousand years on record! I wonder what ‘C.E.’ stands for.”

“ ‘C.E.’,” CAIRO’s voice spoke from the control panel, “An acronym for ‘Common Era’.”

Twilight shrieked and threw the files haphazardly towards the voice.

“Please CAIRO,” Fluttershy asked, “be a nice machine and leave us alone!”

“Are you referring to me?” the voice asked.

Applejack glared at the monitors. “Who else would she be ‘referrin’ to?”

“My name is not CAIRO,” the voice said, “CAIRO is the master system of the Mandeville Arms facility. This terminal was overseen by the Light Arms and Robotics Server Three, or ‘LARS 3’.”

“So you’re not CAIRO?” Twilight asked “And what do you mean ‘was overseen’. It isn’t still?”

“No. This unit was disconnected from the rest of the system when human operators were dismissed two years, five months, three days, nine hours and thirty-seven minutes ago. This terminal’s purpose was to allow human operators to access and interact with the CAIRO master system. When such interaction was no longer necessary, this unit was retired.”

“So,” Applejack said, “You can’t talk to CAIRO at all?”

“Correct. This unit’s functions are severely limited. I am, however, ready to comply with any instructions delegated by a human operator.”

“Do we look like humans to you?” Fluttershy asked.

“This unit lacks the capacity to visualize its human operators,” LARS 3 replied, “however, detected operators appear to understand the English language and perform intelligent inquiry. The requirements of a human operator have been met.”

Twilight grinned mischievously at Applejack, who also grinned and nodded before asking the machine. “So, what sorts a’ things can ya’ do for us CAI— Uh. I mean, LARS? Can ya’ shut down this here factory?”

“Unable to comply,” LARS 3 said. “Factory production is currently under full control of the CAIRO master system. And if it were otherwise, I would require an authorization code.”

“Shoot,” Twilight exclaimed. “Was worth a try. Well, what can you do?”

“This unit is still connected to the CID battlefield recording archives. It is possible to access footage from recent CID activity.”

“Okay,” said Applejack, “How ‘bout the most recent one?”

"Processing Request. Playback: ID CID_0001426, commencing."

The Mandeville Arms logo faded to black, before they saw the Ponyville Library, intact and untouched beneath the clear night sky. Odd motor-like sounds filled the background alongside the chirping crickets as the image bobbed, closer and closer to the Library door.

“Oh no,” Applejack said, as she saw what this footage was from.

"Double-checking, CAIRO," Mandeville's voice entered from the speakers, prompting the CID to glance right.

Mandeville walked beside them, under a hooded jacket wearing black pants. Another CID walked to his right. Something heavy hung and jangled from Mandeville's right leg, but it was impossible to make out. "The CID do nothing until I say so. Non-hostile, and if there is an attack, non-lethal. The tranq rounds will do fine."

"Confirmed," CAIRO said, speaking through one of the CID.

"Hold it," Mandeville ordered as they approached the door, holding up his hand in a stopping gesture. "Hear that?"

At that moment, while the ponies struggled to hear what he did, they found their attempts rendered quite unnecessary. Suddenly every noise was louder. An odd buzzing, humming and a sound much like crashing ocean waves was present as they hadn't noticed before. Every rustle was loud and distorted, but amid that they heard the mumbling noise of someone talking. Holding what was evidently a one-sided conversation.

As they drew closer, the voice became more distinct.

"Oh my gosh!" Twilight whimpered, eyes burning again as she whispered. "It's Spike!"

Twilight had never expected she'd hear his voice again. They'd never put anything on a record with their voices on them, so she had only memory. But Mandeville had.

Guilt filled her again as she realized that Mandeville, Spike's murderer, had more lasting records of his voice than she did. She, sister, mother and best friend, only had a number of photographs, likely destroyed in the fire. Her parents might still have a few from their old lives in Canterlot, but she didn't know for certain.

The volume of the audio decreased to normal levels as CAIRO reported what he'd heard. "Patterns suggest a voice. Young male, or older female. Only one voice detected, yet speech intonations indicate a conversation."

"Weird," Mandeville puzzled. "Pretty sure they don't have phones. Check for anyone else once we're in."

With that, they approached the door. Before Mandeville could knock however, Spike's voice became stronger and clearer, before pinkish light spilled upon them as the door opened.

"Uh. H-hello?" Spike said to the figures shrouded in darkness outside.

Mandeville paused, considering the small, scaly purple lizard before him. "Is this the home of the unicorn, Twilight Sparkle?" he asked.

"Yeah, but. Uh," Spike's catlike green eyes shifted between Mandeville and the two machine figures surrounding him.

"Dude, just what are you guys?" Spike asked.

"That's none of your concern," Mandeville said. "Is Miss Sparkle in? I'd like to speak with her."

"Well, sorry, no. She's studying in Canterlot. I was going to go see her myself actually, if you guys wanna' come with— Hey!"

Spike had been walking past them to the street when the two CID blocked his path and marched towards the inside.

"I gotta tell ya', kid," Mandeville sighed as he stepped inside, ducking his head beneath the doorframe. He glanced around. "I don't like being lied to."

"What's your problem?” Spike shouted as he was corralled in by the mechanical soldiers. Mandeville took this opportunity to close the door. “I'm not lying! I don't even know you guys!"

"We heard you talking in here," Mandeville said, not letting his smooth voice venture into anger. “Must've been talking to somebody."

" ‘Some-buddy’ ? Boy you guys are weird," Spike said, not the least bit visibly scared. "I was talking to Owlowiscious."

"And 'Owlowiscious' is—" Spike pointed up at the horse bust on which the owl was perched, offering a "Hoo!" in acknowledgement.

Mandeville stared at the bird as his eyelids sank to half-mast. "Yeah, sure, that's cute. He doesn't much sound in the mood for talking though."

"Oh, come on!" Spike growled. "I know he can't talk! I was bouncing feelings off him, talking to myself."

"Man, she wasn't kidding when she said 'Library'." Mandeville picked a book off a shelf at random. "Thirty-Nine Steps to Mastery: The Young Unicorn's Guide to Spellcasting. Ooh, this could be useful."

"The Library's closed, put it back," Spike growled, a vein in his scaly temple throbbing dangerously.

Mandeville only smiled. "Seriously kid, where's Sparkle? And what made her think she needed to hide?"

"I told you, she's in Canterlot!" Spike yelled. "I was going to take you with me; what the hay's so important you think I wouldn't tell you?! Unless."

Spike's eyes squinted as he backed-up. "You think she'd be hiding because she should hide from you. Because. Maybe you don't want to see her, maybe you want to do something to her!"

Mandeville sighed. "Enough's enough. Tranq him."

The CID providing the image on the monitor lifted its barrel into view, pointing it in Spike's direction and giving a single shuddering “thunk” as Twilight shrieked.

"Hey!" Spike shouted, as a smoothed syringe embedded partially in his side. The needle bent out of shape on impact.

"With that pony-sized dosage he'll be out shortly,” Mandeville said. “Grab some books that look useful and be ready to take our friend back with us."

Mandeville motioned for their CID to come with him into the basement, leaving the other one to examine and collect books while Spike watched, wholly ignored.

"Let's make sure she's not hiding down here. He seems to believe she's in Canterlot, but I want to be certain before I give up on this. We've risked too much to come this deep without something. The books are a good start, but—"

Mandeville paused at the bottom of the stairs, noticing the odd measuring machines. Twilight recognized them as machines she'd once used to try measuring and explaining Pinkie Pie's special 'Pinke-Sense'. It checked for brain activity, but was also tuned to pick up the presence of
magic.

"Hello,” Mandeville crooned, “what's this?"

"Visualizing," CAIRO responded, the CID staring intently at the machinery. "Simulating."

After a moment or two, the CID looked to Mandeville. "Devices resemble a polygraph test machine, though emphasizes neural activity in a far greater capacity."

"Worth checking out?" Mandeville asked.

"Investigation is advised.”

"Alright then.” Mandeville grabbed the chintzy cranial dome as the CID picked up one of the other two machines in its single right arm. "Bring the other one down here for the last piece."

Without any further prompting, the other CID made its way down as theirs passed it hauling the machinery upstairs to the front door.

On the return trip, the CID hurried as they heard Spike's voice in the basement. "Come on, that little needle wasn't getting through a dragon's skin! Who do you think you're dealing with?"

Twilight felt a jolt in her stomach that rolled up her spine like fire. Spike was on the stairs, looking down at Mandeville and the other CID.

"Oh Spike, no!" Twilight whispered, urging the image pointlessly. "Run! Please Spike, just run!"

"There's no time for this,” Mandeville growled. “Out of the way, Dino, while I'm in a decent mood."

"No!" Spike shouted, standing as firm and valiantly as he knew how. "I'm not letting you and your big thugs hurt Twilight, or anypony!"

Mandeville crossed his arms. "That a fact?"

"Well, yeah! That's how it is!" Spike answered somewhat lamely.

"Fine," Mandeville growled. "Live-ammo, hollow-points, fire."

The other CID aimed and fired at Spike, who was almost knocked off-balance.

"OW!" Spike howled. "Knock that OFF!"

Mandeville's eyebrows vanished into his straw-colored hair as Spike brushed the remains of the bullet off his chest.

"The fuck?!" Mandeville wheezed. "Full auto, drop him damnit!"

The CID responded with a hail of loud gunfire, but Spike had been ready. With a war cry, his slight form leapt at Mandeville, who ducked.

"Run!" Mandeville made his way to the living room. Their CID positioned itself near the front door as Mandeville and the other CID reached near the top.

With catlike agility, Spike reached the top and leapt between them all. The CID both fired at Spike in an endless cacophony, but he barely reacted upon being struck. These pellets of metal were nothing to the armor of his kind.

Spike rounded on Mandeville, who desperately hurled a book at him. The book vanished in mid-air as green flames engulfed it. Scrambling to put something between himself and the young dragon with fire in his eyes, Mandeville overturned a table and used it as a shield. This time, Mandeville felt heat all around as Spike spouted enough flame from his gullet to reach around the table, which soon after vanished as well.

"Do something!" he shouted, between rapid, gasping breaths. The other CID got between Spike and Mandeville, still firing endlessly. It soon became evident why the other CID was the other CID.

Spike leapt and grabbed the CID's left limb, the one holding the gun. With teeth hard enough to chew diamonds, he bit the arm almost clean off before breathing more green flame to finish the job, the noisy weapon vanishing in midair.

The CID stood foolishly, its combat effectiveness vanishing as suddenly as everything else caught in Spike's flames. Mandeville used this opportunity to break for the door. Spike followed as the disabled CID followed behind, now brandishing its right hand pathetically in a fist.

As it crossed between Spike and the basement door, Spike leapt once more onto the CID, hitting its chest tail-first, like a spear. The armored tail busted right through, and as Spike shoved off, it lifelessly clattered down the stairs, the hole in its chest crackling with electricity.

"Whoa, Nelly!" Applejack shouted. “I never knew the kid had it in him. He’s a bona fide dragon if I ever did see one!”

"Grab the lightest device and let's go!" Mandeville told the remaining CID, as Spike rounded on them.

The CID grabbed one of the sturdy machines just before Spike leapt at it. But this time, the CID was ready. Picking the device up, it shoved the broad end at the midair dragon, who took the blunt force as well as one might expect. Spike flew backwards into a bookcase, falling to the ground, where he groaned, slowly trying to get back up.

"Better stay there, you little shit!" Mandeville shouted, as he opened the door and both made their way outside.

"I," Spike groaned, shaking his head as he got to his feet. "I'm not letting you hurt Twilight!"

"No no, Spike," Twilight moaned. With every other piece of their puzzle in place, Twilight knew only one more thing had to happen to complete the picture.

"Stop it!" she pleaded, trying not to watch the monitor. "I don't want to see this."

Mandeville un-holstered the white, pill-shaped thing he carried on his right side. It unfolded into a handle and barrel, and the barrel then fanned out into several barrels, none of which seemed to rotate as the cannon had before. They locked together, the unassuming device now clearly a weapon. Mandeville right arm shook as he pointed it slightly over Spike's head.

"I wouldn't worry about Sparkle right now, if I was you."

"LARS, turn that doggone thing off!" Applejack shouted. "Look at her, it's breaking her heart all over again!"

“Playback controls are on the right side of the terminal,” LARS 3 replied.

“Controls?” Applejack said, trotting to the panel and perusing what must have been hundreds of buttons. Some like a typical typewriter, others a slew of symbols and abbreviated terms she could make nothing of. “I’m not gonna figure this out in time, just shut it off!”

"Nothing personal kid, but no witnesses," Mandeville said, as he pulled the trigger.

Instead of something instant and small, a flurry of little grey canisters flew out and hit the back of the room where Spike stood. Spike watched, frowning as they clattered onto the floor, rolling around him. Mandeville chuckled at Spike's confusion, before the entire Library inside erupted in a flash. The glass on all the windows shattered outward as the explosion engulfed the interior. They could barely hear a surprised and anguished scream amid the sound of the blast.

Fluttershy screamed in surprise while Applejack turned, wincing as she bowed her head. Twilight's head sank near to the floor, her eyes shut tight.

"Not for me," she pled in a whisper. "Oh please, Celestia, not for me."

Mandeville folded and reholstered his weapon, sighing. "Was that it?"

"Pressure-waves alone would be lethal,” CAIRO said, as though this was just another question. “If he's not dead now, concussive damage will ensure he is soon."

"Good. Let's get back to the transport. This is going to make waves, and I don't want to be here while that particular wind blows."

The screen went black and silent again. Crushingly, unbearably silent.

Twilight sat like a statue, hanging her head. Applejack watched her, waiting for someone to breach this aural "no-man's land." And like a striking cobra, Twilight finally did.

"THAT MONSTER!" she screamed, eyes pressed closed. "THAT MURDERING MONSTER!"

Applejack retreated out the door as Twilight’s horn lit up violently magenta. Fluttershy ducked beneath a desk, covering her head with her hooves as Twilight kicked and hurled everything she could see or reach. If it had been for anything less than helplessly watching the death of her oldest friend, Applejack might have called it a tantrum. As it was, she didn’t blame Twilight for a single mug she smashed, or window she broke. Not even for putting poor LARS 3’s terminal out of its obsolete misery, the stainless steel frame buckling as her magic crushed it against the wall like an aluminum can.

She might have blamed her for snapping poor, unsuspecting Fluttershy in half like a twig. But after seeing what she’d snagged from under the desk with her magic, Twilight stared into Fluttershy’s quivering eyes and unconsciously lowered her down. Not a moment after, Twilight pulled Fluttershy towards her with magic and wrapped the Pegasus into a firm hug, sobbing openly into her shoulder.

“He could’ve run,” Twilight moaned. “Why? Why didn’t he... j-just run!”

“It mighta’ occured to him,” Applejack said, making her way over and joining the hug. “But I don’t reckon he was thinkin’ with his head, sugarcube.”

“He died,” Twilight choked, “t-t-trying to protect me! After everything that happened. He was gonna come to Canterlot! He was halfway out the door, he almost missed Mandeville entirely!”

“You can’t change the past Twilight,” Fluttershy said, soft as a breeze, “but we can do something now. We can stop him from hurting anypony else!”

Twilight dug further into Fluttershy’s shoulder, but she was visibly calming.

“Spike wouldn’t’ve wanted you to be like this over him Twi’. All blamin’ yourself, when the real reason he’s gone probably ain't too far off.

“Now c’mon,” Applejack asked as kindly as possible, “we need to get movin’ again. This whole place has been one big dead—”

She paused as a loud, threatening ‘click’ sounded by the doorway. “End,” she finished, finding a free-roaming CID standing just outside the office. A tall, dark figure against a fiery orange glow, its gun pointed at them.

“Stay where you are, and you will not be harmed,” CAIRO’s voice spoke from the CID.

Twilight didn’t hesitate as her horn began to glow. Before the CID could realize what she was doing, the three ponies were back on the rooftop of the structure, the only place she could travel under the circumstances.

And Mandeville knew it.

No sooner had they landed and broken into a run than a room-sized box constructed of tiles slid at them from behind, scooping them up, almost like catching spiders with a water glass and paper.

“Three down,” Mandeville said through the tiles, “and three to go.”

“Mandeville!” Twilight shrieked through bared-teeth, fighting her way to her feet in spite of the situation.

The three of them were jammed in a small pile in a corner of the tilted tile-box, which slowly righted itself as it moved with great purpose.

“Y’know, you guys suck at stealth. Between accessing data archives in a disabled terminal and unleashing a spike of force-five disturbance we could have detected from space, yeah. Might as well have been calling out my name.”

"Why are y'all doing this?!" Applejack shouted back as they sped along. "What's it get ya'?!"

"It's not personal," Mandeville answered, "but it's not your business either. Bother CAIRO if you must. Meanwhile, I have business to take care of. We'll talk more once you've been reunited with your friends."

The box came to a stop over a larger structure, whose roof opened like a skylight.

"Ha!" Twilight scoffed. "You'll never catch Rainbow Dash if she doesn't want to be caught. She's the fastest thing I've ever seen!"

"Well, I hope she's fast enough to smash through solid metal then. Either way, afraid I'll be dropping this call now. Goodbye."

And with that, the box rotated like a large squared bucket over a kitchen sink, and the three ponies screamed as they were dumped through the skylight and into the waiting room below. All braced for impact, only to be engulfed by warm liquid as they splashed down. The three fought their way to the surface, choking and sputtering.

"He just has a room with a pool of water in it on standby?" Twilight coughed. "Why would he ever need that?"

"I just hope this is water," Fluttershy said, prompting Applejack and Twilight to scramble out onto the same steely tiles.

"As mentioned, the Dynamic Tiling System is setup for fast and infinite configurability," CAIRO answered, startling them. "Rooms of varying purposes can be designed and constructed in minutes or even seconds."

"So you made this room just to catch us and filled it with..." Twilight eyed the clear fluid uncertainly.

"Water," CAIRO confirmed.

"Water." Twilight released a breath she had held. "To cushion our fall?"

"Correct. Further chambers are also being configured for standard equine testing."

"T-testing?" Fluttershy asked.

Applejack stared at the floor. "I aint studied for nothin' since I was a schoolfilly."

"What kind of tests are these?" Twilight inquired. "Academic, practical, blood?"

"B-blood test?" Fluttershy asked, as some of it drained from her face.

"When possible, future Mandeville Arms employees are screened via a rigorous series of trials in order to create a detailed and accurate employee profile."

"Employee profile?" Twilight snapped. "So you think we're going to work for you?"

"I ain't lifting a little bitty hoof,” Applejack said with a stomp, standing as tall as she could on four hooves, ”to help the kind a' folk who hurt my friends, mister!"

"What exactly would we be doing?" Twilight asked. "What does Mandeville need ponies for? Why did he want me in the first place?"

"Our testing criteria will be explained once trials are complete. Revealing them prior to testing might lead to unreliable results, and therefore an inaccurate profile. An accurate profile allows us to properly pace employees and assign them tasks worthy of their skills."

"Okay, that does it, we're leaving girls!" Twilight declared before her horn lit up with magic and began searching the walls for weaknesses. After nearly a full minute of straining and the sound of creaking metal, she fell to the floor, breathing heavily.

Fluttershy hastened to her friend's side. "Oh Twilight, I think you overdid it!"

"Anti-magic enchantments," Twilight panted, "on everything! I thought humans couldn't do magic! How could he—"

Instantly, Twilight's eyes shot open as understanding hit her like an oncoming train. "That's why!" she cried.

"Twi?" Applejack asked.

"That's why he wanted me! I'm a unicorn, I can do magic! That's why ponies are disappearing! He's using them to enchant things for him! Isn't he?"

"I am not at liberty to say at this time," CAIRO answered.

"Aha!" Twilight shouted, pouncing on his words. "You wouldn't be hiding that from me if it weren't true, would you?"

"Not necessarily. I could be leaving such a possibility open to your mind, so as not to influence your test results."

"But yer' not." Applejack smirked. "No other way you'd be getting all yer' gadgets magicked-up anyway. Something else has put a burr in my horseshoes though."

"What's that?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well," Applejack sighed, "this place is all set-up to make weapons, ain't it?"

"Mandeville Arms is paramount in the areas of defense, security—"

"Yes, we get it," Twilight snapped. "Go on Applejack."

"So, he coulda' easily made a bundle with us pony folk by selling the secrets to this place, n' paid unicorns to work for him the ol' fashioned way. But he's kept this place a secret and not actin' too afraid of ending relations with Equestria before they even started. It just sounds like he's got some big plans, and with what his stuff can do..."

"Maybe he's just afraid?" Fluttershy offered. "Trapped alone in the Everfree Forest, in a world he doesn't know. Maybe he's just defending himself?"

"Like he defended himself against Spike?" Twilight asked, making Fluttershy shrink away.

“Oh! No, I didn’t mean that Twilight, I’m sorry!”

"But you're right Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “Mandeville is afraid. He's afraid of magic. They don't have it where he comes from, so how could he defend against it? If everything in this room didn't have an anti-magic enchantment, I could rip this room apart, or turn that wall into balsa wood. I could brush off those CID things and hold back everything they shot at me with a simple shielding spell. Mandeville is protecting all his weapons from magic to tip the scale, so he has the advantage."

"Maybe it was just a misunderstanding?" Fluttershy said, cautiously playing devil's advocate. "Or maybe he's so used to wars where he comes from that he just thinks everypony would come after him if they found him out?"

Applejack shook her head. "If he's got enough unicorns to do everything he's already done with 'em, I think he'd know by now that he wouldn't a' just been cast out."

"What does Mandeville want with Equestria?" Twilight asked of the ceiling. "What's the point?"

"I'm not at liberty to say," CAIRO said again.

Applejack frowned. "See? Not even outright denying he's got designs on Equestria. I've got a bad feelin' about this one Twi'."

"Rainbow Dash, I appreciate that your grip is firm as a corset," Rarity said, still dangling from Rainbow Dash, and quite airborne. "But I was under the impression that you were fast? My leg is starting to chafe."

"Hey!" Rainbow snapped, "I'm doing the best I can with two sacks of dead-weight tied to me, alright? Maybe if somepony laid off the cupcakes."

"Are you calling me fat?" Pinkie demanded, pouting.

Rainbow groaned. "No, not fat, just heavy."

"That's only a little teeny-weeny bit better than 'fat,' " Pinkie whined.

"I'm sorry, okay! I'm just a little bit on edge, especially since I can't find a way out!"

Indeed, supporting her two friends the whole way, Rainbow Dash had found one of the external walls, an impenetrable monolith of dark metal tiles. They'd flown a few minutes along it, looking for any sign of daylight.

"There's got to be some way through!" Rarity said. "We can't have come this close to sweet freedom to fail now!"

"Or sweet, fresh, lightly buttered crepes!" Pinkie added, stomach rumbling with want.

"Guys, I gotta put down for a minute, my front legs are killing me." Rainbow drifted down to the roof of a nearby structure and setting her friends back down on their hooves.

"I gotta admit you guys," Rainbow panted, "I got nothin'. "

"Well surely you could... smash through?"

"What, slam my head into solid metal and hope it comes out better?" Rainbow deadpanned, an eyebrow rising .

"Well, no,” Rarity chuckled, “of course not, silly idea—"

"Right, no good risking the good looks," Rainbow agreed, suddenly energized. "Time to test your shoes, Rarity!"

And with that, she leap into the air, soaring far off into the distant depths of the facility.

"Uh, Dashie!" Pinkie shouted, "The wall's over here!"

The only answer was a building sound of splitting air as a multicolored streak approached like a freight train.

"Pinkie Pie, I wouldn't normally suggest this, but HIT THE DIRT!" Rarity screamed as she pulled Pinkie down against the cool roof tiles, just before hearing the feral war-cry of Rainbow Dash as she sped hooves-first into the wall.

The sound and vibrations weren't to be believed, a simultaneous flash of light and sparks coupled with the cloud of omni-chromatic dust exploding into the facility. Shreds of metal turned into shrapnel, and the screech of protesting steel reached deafening levels as the massive wall literally rippled from the impact. The pair on the rooftop turned to watch the spectacle, which petered out into the diffusion of dust and the occasional tile rending free and falling into the abyss, the sound of its crash echoing back eerily. But the one sign they sought amidst the destruction —the kiss of sweet daylight— was dishearteningly absent.

Rarity called after her. "Rainbow Dash! Darling? Are you alright over there?"

A swooning, raspy chuckle responded, before giving a light cough. "Never better Rarity," Rainbow told her, finally visible through the dust, lying upside-down on her back within a crater smashed out of solid rock. "Yeah, turns out I mighta' flown us to the wall up against the mountain.

"Shoes held up though." She waved four hooves.

"Breach detected in outer-wall," CAIRO's voice echoed, somewhat garbled and distorted from the tiles that were damaged in Rainbow's kamikaze dive. "Spotter drones reassigned for further investigation."

"Spotted what-now?" Pinkie asked as Rainbow extricated herself from the rubble in a hurry.

"I think it means we're gonna have company!" Rainbow said, landing on their rooftop and linking legs with Rarity and Pinkie Pie like before.

"Ooh, the good kind of company, where we get to throw a total 'welcome' bash, or the bad kind where we run for our lives from officers of the fun-police?" Pinkie asked, only to receive a pair of flat frowns.

"Yeah, I know." Pinkie’s ears drooped. "But I can hope!"

The tremendous sound, and even a little vibration reached the room where Twilight, Fluttershy and Applejack were now held captive.
All three ponies turned to face the noise in wonder, before Applejack smiled widely, holding her nose skyward. “If I know RD, that'll be her big, showy exit outta this place. That mare never was big on stealth even when she bothered with it."

"I just hope they give Princess Celestia a good enough picture of what we're dealing with," Twilight said, "It'll be no good just to send a few members of the Royal Guard. I hate to say it, but the Princesses themselves might need to get involved."

"But that could all take a while!" Fluttershy said. "What are we supposed to do until then?"

"Whatever we can, so long as it means keepin' safe and together,"

"Speaking of that," Twilight started, turning her gaze to the floor, "you won't like it, but... I think we'll need to go ahead with these tests."

The two ponies stared at her silently, with eyes that may well have been screaming.

"Yer' right Twilight, I don't like it! These fellers killed our friend! They took somethin' from us we can't get back, and I ain't heard a single good reason for none of it! I ain't gonna be their slave-girl on top of it all."

"Applejack, do you think I of all ponies don't know that?" Twilight asked, wincing. "I can't tell you how much this hurts inside. I hate this place! I hate everything about it, but we're stuck here, and we're not the only ones!"

Applejack's face softened as Fluttershy’s brightened. "Oh! The other unicorns!"

Twilight nodded. "Don't forget, we're not the only ones in need of a rescue. If we all stick together, we'll be alright. We just have to hold out."

Twilight stepped forward, staring at the ceiling. "Alright, I'm ready for your test. I've got one question though."

"Acknowledged," CAIRO said. "Proceed."

"I know you're only after unicorns, so what will you do with my friends Fluttershy and Applejack? They're not unicorns. Applejack is an Earth pony and Fluttershy is a Pegasus. So I want to know right now what you're going to do with them."

"Employment is not limited to the unicornus sub-species. All Equus Sapiens are accepted under the current policy,"

"But, um. What will we be doing?" Fluttershy asked.

"Details of employment will be revealed upon the conclusion of the test," CAIRO said in dismissal.

Applejack’s eyebrows and ears flattened. "Well just hear that! You could be lyin' right to our faces, couldn' ya'? Whaddya' bet Earth Pony 'employment' just means he'll be 'employing' my ashes to feed Mandeville's begonias?"

"Applejack's... ashes?" Fluttershy breathed, shaking from head to hoof.

"Applejack, jeez-Louise!" Twilight cried, trotting over to comfort Fluttershy, whose pupils were pinpricks. "You're scaring her half to death! Where did that come from?"

Applejack sighed. "Twilight, think about it. If Mandeville's got no use for us, what good are we alive? Would you put it past him?"

Twilight stared into space. "No."

"You're right," Applejack said, every feature of her face drooping, "we can't stick around here forever, n' we need to meet up with the rest of the ponies here. I trust you Twilight, and if this is mah' last rodeo, so be it."

"I'm not losing anypony else! I'm not!" Twilight clung to Fluttershy in another massive hug, her eyes welling up.

"I love you too much," Twilight whispered, her voice catching.

"I love you too, Twilight," Fluttershy replied, patting her on the back before elaborating, "um. As a friend."

"Huh?" Twilight asked, looking up.

Fluttershy blushed. "N-nevermind. But, um. CAIRO?"

"Yes?"

"If we decide we don't like the jobs you give us, and we don't work... w-wh-what will you do?"

"Refusal of duties will be met with indefinite solitary confinement. Until such time as the offender acquiesces to employee rules and regulations."

"So,” Twilight asked, making certain of what she was hearing, “it's just a big, glorified time-out?"

"Ha, see there Twi'," Applejack said, disguising a sigh of relief, "nothing to worry about after all. Let's get this show on the road."

Pinkie Pie wasn't the type to get— well, stay afraid of the dark, but the place Rainbow had chosen as a hiding place was a doozy.

"What do you suppose they use this room for?" Rarity wondered aloud, staring into the inky blackness beyond the lit patch they stood on.

"I dunno, all these buildings look the same. Look, I saw an opening and I went for it. If we're lucky, they won't find us here."

The room was cavernous, and the relative sliver of space they used as an entrance barely allowed for any light to get in.

Memories of similarly darkened rooms with ponies standing backlit at the door flooded Pinkie's mind. "Ooh!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Maybe it's the room they throw surprise parties in!" Sure, they were in a fix, but nopony ever made a law saying you had to be moody and sad every time that happened.

"Well," Rarity tittered, "I rather doubt Mr. Mandeville is much amused by frivolities dear."

"I don't think I'd want any part in being surprised by that guy."

"Quite," Rarity’s horn glowed brighter and brighter, illuminating the room.

"Hey, won't they see that?!" Rainbow cried, shooting a glance back at the entrance.

"Just taking a teensy peek darling," Rarity said, as the features of the room became clear.

Ceiling, walls and floor were made of black and glassy tiles, unlike the usual grey metallic ones that made up most everything else. Aside from that, the space was almost entirely vacant, save for five tiles that were mounted with pivoting lights of some sort, which obviously weren't on at the moment.

"Okay, that's good!" Rainbow blurted. "Now turn it off!"

Rarity gave a sigh as the light faded back into blackness. "Well, I've no idea what this room is used for, but it seems perfectly safe. I don't suppose you have any better ideas on escaping?"

"Maybe we could try that dive-bomb thingie on the ceiling!" Pinkie said. "I mean, we're underground, so it'd make more sense to head up than sideways."

Rainbow winced. "Uh, I don't think I've got another one of those in me right now Pinkie."

"And besides," Rarity added, "this entire place is in a ghastly state. Why, if we caused a cave-in, whose to know what might happen? It could lead us out I suppose, but if there's more mountain above us than fresh air we'd be in no state to—"

The three ponies cried out the as the room was suddenly bathed in a light glow. The black, glassy tiles that made up the room were still dark, but not black. On the four walls, the tiles began flashing a series of fractured words and numbers at unreadable speed in green text, before the top left corner began flashing a single phrase of nonsense:

"{Sim.Init - [CLot_grnd, sqd_asslt: Iter 216] ;}"

"What's a 'Clot'?" Pinkie asked.

“Something you get if you don’t chew your food properly,” Rarity said, “But I doubt if this is anything to do with that.”

"Is that even Equish?" Rainbow Dash frowned, before the walls went pure black and started drawing a landscape of rough, flat-green shapes.

"Ooh!" Pinkie exclaimed at the hypnotizing sight. Purple mountains began drawing themselves into existence on what was fast becoming a panoramic landscape of increasing detail. "It's starting to look just like Equestria!"

"And not just anywhere in Equestria," Rarity said, "look what it's drawing now!"

Up on one of the more prominent peaks, the rough shapes of buildings began to form into the cliffs, elegant and unique even as an approximation.

Rainbow eyed it with a frown. "Hey, that's Canterlot!"

"Wait, not 'Clot' “, Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing in place and beaming at her own cleverness. “C-Lot! Canterlot!"

"Now why does Mandeville have a... map of Canterlot?" Rarity asked of the ether, before select tiles on the floor sank out of sight.

"Now what?!" Rainbow cried, before they collectively gasped at what rose from below.

"Oh no!" Pinkie yelped as a platoon of CID stepped forward, arranging themselves in a formation, black visors staring towards the representation of Canterlot.

The three ponies scrambled to the back of the room, not having been seen as the machines waited, now still as statues.

"Let's get out of here!" Rarity whispered.

Rainbow Dash held up a hoof in silence. "I don't think they're here for us. I want to know what this is about."

And then the floor began moving.

"Ah!" Rarity cried in surprise as the wall behind her began sliding upward, tile for tile as the floor crawled backwards.

The floor tiles rolled back up the wall, and the wall tiles rolled onto the ceiling. The entire room had become like the inside of a great glass tire, or a set of tank treads.

Rainbow took to the air, while Rarity and Pinkie Pie walked forward to remain in place with the room. At the center of it all were the CID, marching forward in place as the image of Canterlot remained upright while the room shifted.

Rainbow noticed, however, that as the room moved forward, the image of Canterlot and the rolling hills surrounding it moved with it. It was as though they were actually marching on Canterlot.

"Marching on Canterlot?" Rainbow whispered to herself, the idea taking root in her mind.

"Can we get out of here now?!" Rarity asked, trying her best not to be run into the back wall.

"Aww!" Pinkie moaned as she bounced forward. "But this is finally getting fun!"

"Hey!" Rainbow exclaimed, pointing forward. "What in the name of Celestia is that?!"

On the screen, looking eerily dead-eyed, were images of what clearly represented ponies standing between the CID and the fake Canterlot. They were as fake and dead as the CID themselves were, taking positions in front of the tripedal soldiers who came to a halt, the room stopping with them.

"Move along," the CID demanded of the fakes through multiple speakers, in a single voice. CAIRO's voice, "or surrender."

The fake ponies only responded by charging, galloping in an odd, unnatural gait but at expected speeds. On closer inspection, some of the ponies were unicorns, whose horns glowed threateningly.

One of the CID aimed its weapon skyward, and a red beam of light shot out for a split second. "Final warning," the CID threatened, before the ponies were close enough to appear merely outside a window.

And then they galloped into the room.

The three real ponies shrieked in as the fake ponies vanished from the screen, only to appear in the room like ghostly apparitions. They charged the CID, who took aim at the assailants and fired the same beams of red light. The beams passed through several of the fakes who then fell over, flashing oddly as they faded away.

"What the hay is going on?!" Rainbow said, her eyelids retreated so far into her head they might have been invisible.

"Ghost ponies," Pinkie shrieked, "ghost ponies! Everypony for herself!"

Rarity merely watched as the fake ponies set upon the CID, which reacted fast and never hesitated. One of the fakes made it through and reared up, half-heartedly wagging its front hooves toward a CID, which stopped moving and crouched low to the ground as if to play dead.

It reminded her of children playing tag, except that no sooner had the CID been felled than its fellows fired upon the offending fake. Rarity noticed how many fake ponies it had taken to defeat a single CID, and how many of them fell. This was all pretend, this was a test, a firing range. And yet, Mandeville or CAIRO had gone to special lengths to bring it as close to reality as possible. She could imagine those fakes replaced with the real Canterlot Guard. So many would have died.

Her musing was interrupted, however, as one of the fakes tried to flank the CID, running right in front of Rarity, who jumped as a CID followed its progress. It fired its red beam at it and then turned its sights on Rarity.

"Rarity!" Pinkie and Rainbow cried, as the CID fired squarely into her chest. It was harmless however, as a dot of red light merely flashed on Rarity’s perfectly white coat. The CID remained transfixed, attempting again and again to fire the beam, until suddenly everything from the walls to the CID to the ghostly fakes froze in place.

"Simulation suspended," CAIRO's voice reverberated. "Unrecognized infrared signature detected in Infantry Combat Simulation Module. Spotter drones reassigned for further investigation."

"Okay Rarity, now we're getting out of here!" Rainbow cried, making for the crack in the corner they'd entered from.

"Wait for us!" Pinkie said, running after her with Rarity, just before they heard Rainbow cry out in surprise and pain. A body hit the floor with a thud.

"Rainbow Dash?!" Rarity asked, her mouth agape, galloping out to help, only to be met with a sight that stopped her in her tracks.

Rainbow Dash was lying on her side, barely moving, a silvery dart sticking out of her back behind the wing. She groaned, feebly trying to wiggle her limbs.

"I-I can't move," she told them. "Get out of here, you've gotta—"

"Please remain calm. Further resistance will be similarly met with disablement," CAIRO's voice issued from a point in the sky. Searching for the source, Pinkie and Rarity set their eyes upon a small, strange contraption hovering over the scene, staring back at them with a cold mechanical eye mounted into a four-pronged chassis.

Like a bicycle wheel, the four "spokes" ran out from a single hub, from which hung a steely gun barrel pointing at the ponies in turn. At the tip of each spoke, a vertical propeller spun rapidly to keep it airborne. The contraption, which they assumed must be one of the forewarned "Spotter Drones" was barely the size of a pony's body, and yet it remained out of their reach, threatening them all with its barrel's promise of pain.

"GRaagh!" the Manticore roared, swiping its massive paws towards Fluttershy, who eyed the luminescent beast like an animal caught in a rose bush.

"I don't understand, I've tried everything.” The center of her eyebrows rose. "E-even if you're a ghost, you must be able to understand me."

"Fluttershy,” Applejack shouted from across the room, “just leave that thing alone and come over here. It ain't even real."

The three had begun CAIRO's tests, which started out unconventional, to say the very least. They had entered this room and were tasked with simply running to the other side, but no sooner had they gone into a brisk gallop than the rubbery floor turned into a treadmill, slowing their progress to a crawl. And as if that hadn't been enough, this see-through Manticore had appeared behind them, frightening Twilight and Applejack into racing their hardest for the far wall.

Fluttershy however, instead turned to charm the beast. And while it wasn't going well, she'd proved the thing couldn't do them any real harm. Sighing, Fluttershy abandoned the beast and trotted over, the treadmill having evidently given up.

"I don't even get it," Applejack told Twilight. "What the hay was that all about?"

"I've been watching the room a little," Twilight said. "See those things that look like spotlights?"

She pointed to a few walls, in which little white cylinders pivoted towards the Manticore.

Applejack squinted. "Yeah. They're lit, but I don't see anything lightin' up."

"Well, I've heard it suggested that if you could project an image from at least three places into the same space, you could, in theory, project a three dimensional image, or what they call a 'hologram'. Isn't that right CAIRO?"

"In concept, yes. Our holography focuses lasers to induce plasma excitation from the oxygen and nitrogen in the air, producing images without the use of a screen."

"And the reason for siccing your little friend on us was?" Applejack said.

"Full physical performance is reliably peaked when inducing a fear response. Far more accurate to measure top speed than through mere instruction."

"So you scared us so we'd run faster," Twilight summarized flatly. "Well, I'm pretty sure that backfired." She turned to Fluttershy who had just arrived at a calm pace.

"Unexpected test data is often even more valuable than expected test data," CAIRO stated simply.

"Ugh," Twilight groaned. "How does a machine get philosophical?"

Rather than answering, the tiles in the wall opened to another room, which the three stepped into cautiously. The room was as neat as the others, but contained a glass case on the far wall from ceiling to floor, barely as long or wide as a king-sized bed. The case was riddled every few feet with small holes, and contained—

"No!" Twilight cried, racing over to her three recaptured friends along with the others.

"Hello again, dears," Rarity greeted in monotone, helping Pinkie Pie to support Rainbow Dash who wobbled like a drunkard.

"I thought y'all 'd escaped!" Applejack said, looking at Rainbow's condition before asking, "And what happened to you?"

"I. Hate. Needles," Rainbow Dash moaned.

"We flew all along the far walls," Rarity explained, "but we couldn't find a way out before one of those flying machines hit her with some kind of dart. We were stuck on a building, without the aid of her wings."

"She's been all loose and woozy-oozy!" Pinkie said.

Rainbow avoided their eyes. "I'm sorry guys."

"Shh... Oh no no, it's fine," Fluttershy said. "You just focus on getting that bad medicine out of your system. We'll be okay if we're all together."

"Reunion complete," CAIRO reported as they heard machinery working above them. "In this test, equus sapiens unicornus will be required to lift a solid weight as high as possible for as long as possible. Weight will be deployed in three... two... one..."

To the horror of all, the tiles above the glass case opened, and what looked like a solid block of metal the size of the case itself began to lower itself in.

"Oh Celestia, no!" Twilight cried. The case was immune to her magic, but she could reach the block itself and hold it stationary.

"Help me get 'em outta there!" Applejack told Fluttershy as she prepared to buck the glass. "Now everypony stand back!"

Rarity and Pinkie Pie moved away from the glass as Applejack kicked it with all her might. Rarity offered her own magic to aid Twilight in keeping the block at bay, as Fluttershy joined Applejack in bucking against the glass, putting out a fair amount of force in spite of herself.

"Why! Won't! This! Budge?!" Applejack remarked, punctuating each word with a fiercer buck than the last. Suddenly, more noise issued from above the block, and Twilight found herself gasping as the block jerked downward nearly a foot before she regained her grip and lifted it back up.

The others stared momentarily after the block's movement before looking to Twilight for an answer. "It's... heavier! It's almost double what it was before! I think CAIRO put another block on top of it!"

"You can handle it though, right?" Pinkie asked.

"Of course, but if he keeps—" And then the weight doubled again.

"What?" Rainbow asked, noticing the pause. "What happened?"

“Rarity, do you know any spells that can change the block? I can hold it, but I need a clear shot to cast something onto it. These little holes are too small!”

“I’m sorry dear! Even if I did, I’d never be able to transfigure something of that size!”

"CAIRO!" Applejack cried, having grasped the full situation. "Stop it! Twilight can only take so much on her own, you're gonna hurt 'em! Stop it or let them out!"

Only silence answered her.

At regular intervals now, the weight seemed to be doubling. Exponential growth. Twilight had handled this and more before. She'd carried an Ursa Minor bigger than a building from Ponyville to a cave in the forest, all while performing other complex spells. She'd re-sealed a burst dam. But even Twilight Sparkle had limits, and if CAIRO kept doubling the weight, three more of her best friends were going to—

"CAIRO, stop it, please!" Twilight bawled, tears streaming down her face as she felt yet another doubling of the weight. "I'll do anything you want, I'll work for you, I'll stay here for the rest of my life, just don't hurt my friends, PLEASE!"

There was no answer but another doubling of weight as the block dropped nearly two feet, eliciting a gasp from Pinkie, who had begun hyperventilating.

"CAIRO this isn't funny, you big old meanie-machinie!" Pinkie shouted "Let us OUT!"

"Pinkie," Rainbow groaned, "He's not gonna answer."

Pinkie found Rainbow Dash's rose-colored eyes, and the solemn sadness in them.

"I," Pinkie sniffed, "I don't want it over! I'm not ready, it's not fair..."

“I promised Sweetie Bell I’d come back,” Rarity squeaked, the fight slowly leaving her. “She’s going to feel so betrayed and heartbroken when I don’t.”

"Yeah," Rainbow said. "It really sucks. Never thought I'd go out like this."

"Y'all talkin' nonsense!" Applejack shot back, but Rainbow only turned to Twilight and Fluttershy.

"Twilight, when it gets too much, just drop it," she said, making Twilight gasp. "I don't want this drawn out, please... just have it over quickly. Fluttershy, please don't watch. And cover your ears."

"No!" Fluttershy shouted. Eyes alight, she faced them all, wings spread. "You two listen, and listen good! You're not giving up, and you're not getting crushed by a dumb block! Applejack!"

Applejack’s eyes went wide at Fluttershy's attitude. "Ma'am?"

"Yank a hair out of my tail.”

"Pardon?"

"You heard me!" Fluttershy said, upon which Applejack obediently snagged a pink follicle and pulled. Instantly, Fluttershy's frowning eyes watered and widened, and she let out of painfully high-pitched shriek. The sound lasted a few seconds as the glass vibrated violently, before all at once spider-web cracks obscured the ponies view of each other.

"Fluttershy, you're a genius!" Twilight cried, as Applejack took this opportunity to give the glass one last buck, and finally the sheet shattered.

"Go go go go gogidee go go GO!" Pinkie shouted, as she scrambled to safety, while Rainbow awkwardly shuffled out. Rarity exited last, still trying to help Twilight hold the block at bay. Once out, she released the block, as did Twilight.

The block came down with a loud crash, shaking the room as the mares ran to each other in a flurry of hugs and grateful words. However, the spell of this victory broke when Twilight looked over the shoulder of a catatonic Pinkie Pie to see the dreaded block.

"WHAT?!" Twilight barked, drawing the eyes of the five.

"What what?" Pinkie Pie asked in a daze.

"Oh, for the love a'—!" Applejack growled as she too noticed.

The block, it transpired, was not resting at ground-level, but on a lip in the case a few feet above it. It was no lucky accident: it had been designed that way.

"So," Fluttershy began, perplexed, "there was never any danger after all?"

"CAIRO!" Twilight bellowed. "There'd better be a good explanation for this!"

"Of course," CAIRO finally said. "Full physical performance is reliably peaked when inducing a fear response. Far more accurate to measure—"

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Twilight screamed, "HOW DARE YOU TOY WITH ME AND MY FRIENDS LIKE THAT?!" Twilight continued, every muscle of her face flexing.

"I'm done with these stupid tests, I want to talk to Mandeville, RIGHT NOW!"

For a solid ten seconds, there was only silence. Twilight's fury slowly built on itself. She didn't much appreciate being ignored.

"ANSWER M—" Twilight shrieked, before hearing a loud series of mechanical grinds and clicks approach, and after another second without answer, a wall opened into—

"Oh come on!" Rainbow Dash groaned. "I'm already sick of this!"

Within was a room that resembled their touring module to a ‘T’. Twilight might have never blown a hole through it at all.

And staring at them, once more, was the image of Mandeville, who had at least taken the time to style his hair a little and rid himself of his stubble. "Well it's not for much longer. I have to say, I wasn't expecting to hear from you again for a while longer, but CAIRO seemed to think you weren't going to cooperate anymore."

"You pretended you were going to crush us under a solid block of iron!" Rarity shouted. "That hardly encourages our cooperation, sir!"

"No way!" Mandeville laughed, covering his mouth. "Did you really, CAIRO?"

"Y’mean,” Applejack exclaimed to thin air, “a machine dreamt-up that nightmare?!"

"There was never a high risk of injury," CAIRO said.

"Don't laugh about it!" Pinkie said, pouting. "I really thought it was over! Done with! I'd baked my last cupcake! I like a good prank every now and then too: I know funny mister! And that wasn't even a little-widdle gnat's-size bit funny!"

"I respectfully disagree," Mandeville chuckled. "But CAIRO, that was probably a bit much. Not telling you how to do your job—"

"Wait." Mandeville frowned for a moment. "Yes I am. But anyway, be a little nicer with the fear-factor."

"Acknowledged.”

"And by the way Sparkle." Mandeville turned to the still sour-looking Twilight. "Don't think that whole 'blowing the wall open' deal is going to work twice. This room was triple checked for holes in the Anti-Five shielding."

"That's it, isn't it?" Twilight stomped forward. "It's why you wanted me. It's why ponies have been vanishing, isn't it? You can't do magic yourself, so you need to make unicorns do it for you!"

"Well, I see you don't surround yourself with books for nothing," Mandeville said, eyebrows raised with the faintest smile. "Yes, Force Five was a wild-card. We tried detaining the first of your kind we saw, in case they were hostile or dangerous. It seemed all too easy, until we saw that unicorn escape us, brushing aside the machines that ought to have subdued her with ease. What use was a gun, a combat robot or even a tank, if it could be taken apart piece by piece, or transformed into a harmless rock? But thankfully, we got the drop on a few of them, and once we... 'encouraged' them to protect our materials against the influence of magic, things just kept getting easier.

"I still only have a modest handful, however," Mandeville continued. "Not to mention an army of existing drones in need of shielding. I decided quality trumped quantity, and sought powerful unicorns instead. I see my first real draft choice was a good pick, based on the results of that last test."

"Hey, wait a sec!" Pinkie cried. "Sure, we all knew Twilight's the most magicalest unicorn, like, EVER, but how'd you figure that out?"

"Yes, fair point!" Rarity said. "Twilight is easily one of the most powerful unicorns I've had the pleasure to witness, but barring a few of our escapades, she's hardly famed for it outside of Ponyville. Just where did you hear of her?"

"A-and," Fluttershy said. "Ponies would've noticed, i-if really famously powerful unicorns were disappearing."

"Well, I had a bit of a tip-off. One of the more powerful unicorns in my little club has been pining to be released, bouncing deals off CAIRO in hopes that I'd let her go. Impossible to ignore, entirely unbearable. Eventually, we managed an arrangement! She leads me to someone who can replace her, and do her job better, and she gets her freedom. Oh, she had a name out of her mouth before I'd even asked. I think she really must hate you, Sparkle, and you ponies aren't usually a hateful bunch."

The room shook, and deep mechanical noises filled the air.

"Ah, finally docked!" Mandeville said. Twilight hadn't even realized the room was moving until now. "Oh, and just in time to meet my little informant! She should be right outside."

The right wall turned once more into an awning, and the protective glass lifted into place, preventing them access to the hallway outside, where a unicorn stood, staring at them. She was blue, but a deeper, more saturated sort of blue than Rainbow Dash, with purple eyes and a blue-white mane.

"Trixie?" several of them shouted.

Indeed, though she was missing her starry cloak and magician's cap, there could be no mistaking the showboating unicorn. Trixie stood transfixed, as if she didn't dare believe her eyes. Atop her horn was a steely cap, connecting behind her ears to a brace around her neck. "You found her!" Trixie gasped. "But you said she was in Canterlot! How could you have taken her there?"

"Oh, I think fortune must favor you, Trix.' She waltzed right in of her own accord."

"What?" Trixie exclaimed, whipping her head towards the screen. "I— Trixie doesn't understand! Why, having so nearly escaped, would you do something so foolish?"

Twilight stared, her face blank. "You did this. You sent him after me. Why?"

"Hmph!" Trixie turned her nose up. "I could think of nopony better to take my place, than the one who usurped my deeds! Than the one who ruined my career! Do you even know what you did to me, Sparkle?"

Twilight's body stiffened as she felt herself go numb. "Do I know what I did to you?! I stopped an Ursa Minor from destroying our town, after you failed to! After you got called out on your boasting!"

"You ruined my life!" Trixie shouted back, "Trixie lost everything after that night! The rumors followed her everywhere she went! Nopony took Trixie seriously, unless it was to throw her out in case she brought a rampaging beast into their towns! Do you know what it's like, for a pony's special talent to become worthless to them?"

"I felt that once, for a little bitty bit," Pinkie said. "That was awful."

"I did too, at the Gala," Fluttershy said. "I'd never seen animals run from me before. I don't think I handled that very well."

"Overnight, Trixie was no longer great, nor powerful," she said, quietly. "Trixie had no place in Equestria, so she came here, to live in this forest, sneaking into Stalliongrad now and then to scrounge like some vagrant! Until a few days ago, when she was taken to this place, and forced to cast spells for Sir Mandeville every day for hours until she collapsed from exhaustion."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Mandeville grumbled. "I keep you all fit and healthy, don't I?"

"Trixie, I'm sorry all this happened to you. I was only protecting the ponies I love," Twilight whispered. "But that doesn't excuse what you did. You sent him after innocents, you put ponies in harm's way! And now... now I've lost my very best friend."

"Wha- I," Trixie spluttered, her spite vanishing, turning to Mandeville's image. "B-but, you promised that nopony would get hurt! You swore you wouldn't!"

"Regret doesn't suit you, Trix'," he opined. "I tried my best to be careful; sedate and capture witnesses. But the witness in question was impossible to stop. Had to be brought down before he exposed us. No oath, even to someone I'm rather fond of, is worth risking everything I've worked towards. There's hardly any going back now."

"What are you talking about?" Twilight’s breaths intensified. "Going back from what? What's the point of all this?!

“Why are you taking ponies? Why are you hurting them? If you needed help, the ponies of Equestria would have helped you! We would have welcomed you with open hooves! But now it's too late for that! You've taken ponies against their will, you've forced them into slave labor, you've murdered others! Why? Why would you ruin this? Whatever happened back where you're from, you could've left it all behind, made a fresh start, wiped the slate clean! Why would you throw that away so quickly?"

Mandeville frowned, considering her as her tirade wound-down.

"I just." She shook her head. "I don't understand you."

"Rest assured, I have my reasons,” Mandeville said, “not that I've any interest sharing them with you."

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow, mostly recovered from the drugs, stood up and stepped forward to confront Mandeville's image. "How about you tell everypony here about planning a takeover of Equestria?!"

"Takeover Equestria?" Applejack said. "What're you talkin' about Rainbow?"

"We found this weird room, where those three-legged CID things were doing some kinda' target practice on a bunch of fake ponies while marching on fake Canterlot!"

"Fake Canterlot?" Fluttershy asked, turning to the others.

"Ah," Mandeville exclaimed, his eyes half shut. "You found a combat sim module. Too bad it wasn't a live-fire course. Nosy pastel horse-things...

"Yes, I'm planning a change in management. Yes, I intend to do some rather awful things. But it'll end up alright, I think. No reason we can't be friends someday. Granted, I imagine that day is a long time from now."

"But, why?!" Fluttershy asked. "We could have been friends without all this!"

"I wish it were as simple as that kid," Mandeville said, his tone shifting dramatically from the standoffish one he had been using till now. "But it's not. And I'm not much in the mood to explain why right now.

"That said, I'm a lot closer to being friends with Trixie here, muse that she is. Driven to such lengths that she'd sell out her own kind. Not to say I approve of that, but..."

"Yeah, he's right Trixie," Twilight growled, turning on her. "Whether you knew this or not, you're an accomplice to murder! At best!"

Trixie opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"At worst, it's treason against the crown."

Trixie began to sweat.

Trixie sobbed. I never meant for any of this to happen! Nopony was supposed to get hurt! I thought since you put me in here, it'd only be right for you to get me out—"

"Oh, that tears it!" Applejack shouted. "Trixie, if Twilight had done nothing, you'd probably've been Ursa-chow, and Ponyville woulda' been flattened, with you and your showin'-off and yer' lies to blame for it!

“Y'need to take responsibility for what you did to yourself, n' stop blaming other ponies! Puttin' Twilight in here so you can run free? I hope you can live with yourself out there, Trix': first yeh' took her friend and now yer' taking her freedom in the same darn day."

Trixie sat there, head hung in silence. Even Applejack, who had said it all, had to pity her. Having dealt with Mandeville so far, she was growing accustomed to an opponent who seemed to feel nothing. Having known Trixie, she hadn't expected her to look ashamed of herself. Yet there she was, looking truly sorry.

"Hey, what's that doohickey on your neck n' horn?" Applejack indicated the brace, overcome by a sudden, irrational urge to comfort Trixie.

"Oh, this? All the unicorns are made to wear them. They keep us from using magic when we're outside the work chambers."

"So clunky and bland," Rarity said. "And what it must feel like on one's horn. I don't suppose it's padded?"

"It's stifling and uncomfortable, but it's nothing compared to what the Pegasus ponies wear," Trixie said. "They're kept from flying."

"Pegasus?!" Dash exclaimed. "I thought you just wanted unicorns! What're you using Pegasi for?"

"My machines do so well on our thorium reactors,” Mandeville said, “but all that's happened has thinned my power budget. When we arrived here, this was mostly one massive cave, but even our considerable luck didn't make the cave exactly our size.

"We've uncovered and repaired much. But it all costs precious energy. Energy that a Pegasus has easy access to."

"Lightning." Rainbow scowled. "You're harvesting lightning."

"Why not? It's perfect!" Mandeville cried, suddenly smiling. "Any given bolt can produce a million kilowatts of power! So unpredictable where I come from, unfit and unreliable. But summoned at will? My reactors are having a difficult time competing, and they're marvelously efficient!"

"What about earth ponies?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Oh, the normals?" Mandeville interpreted the term. "They also have their uses. Bit less direct though. I try to involve them less, given I rather respect their kind, but some things need doing and I can scarcely spare unicorns or Pegasi."

"You don't want to know," Trixie whispered. She stared at the floor, at the vague and blurry outline that made up her reflection in the tiles.

"Let them go," Trixie said. "I'll stay here. The deal's off."

"Well, I think it's a bit late for that!" Mandeville exclaimed. "Sorry Trix', your account is closed. No refunds."

"No! Please, you can't do this!" Trixie shouted as Mandeville scoffed.

"The Hell I can't! What position are you bargaining from?"

"The deal was for Sparkle, not her friends! The deal said you couldn't hurt anypony!"

"Look,” Mandeville sighed, "their coming here was incidental, and the death unavoidable. You’re asking me to gamble everything on the basis of honor, and that I simply will not do.”

"Then at least let the earth ponies go! They won't say anything, will you?" Trixie asked, directing the last of her words to Pinkie and Applejack.

"Based on what I've seen," Mandeville said before either could answer, "the cowgirl would go for help without a second thought. A case can be made for Derpy over here, though."

"Derpy?" Pinkie asked, suddenly frowning. "I'm not Derpy, silly! I'm Pinkie Pie! Derpy's back in Ponyville; she delivers the mail! I don't know how you could think I was Derpy, because everypony knows Derpy is Derpy because Derpy's eyes are all mixed-up for some reason! But nopony really talks about it in case they hurt her feelings. And, she's a Pegasus pony! And I'm clearly not a Pegasus pony! Though there was that one time Twilight did this spell so we could walk on clouds too, and—"

"Wait, wait wait wait wait!" Mandeville barked over Pinkie's meandering monologue, which plowed on in spite of his protests. "Jesus, can she be turned off, or do we need the tranqs already?"

"Nopey-lopey-dopey! I'm done.”

"So there's a pony —someone you know— named Derpy?" Mandeville asked, as Pinkie nodded in response. "I'm gonna need a stiff drink after this. Actually, fuck it."

"Fucket?" Pinkie asked, as Mandeville grabbed a flask off a surface they couldn't see, tilted his head back and took a hearty gulp.

"Sorry Trixie, not in a risk-taking mood at the moment," Mandeville finally concluded. "Loose-ends just make me itch, even if this one looks like the sort nobody would believe."

"Hey!" Pinkie cried. "Lots of ponies believe what I have to say! Everypony knows they can trust Pinkamena Diane Pie!"

"All the more reason for me not to let you leave," Mandeville laughed, giving Pinkie a thumbs-up. "Nice work."

"Pinkie!" Rarity hissed.

"Now, if you would all excuse us," Mandeville said, "I've got to help Trixie. CAIRO?"

"Now?"

"Now.”

Slowly, the room began to lower, inching along a shaft beneath them.

"Hey!" Applejack shouted, glancing wildly around the room. "Where're ya' takin' us?!"

"This module will first deposit workers in the worker-preparation area, where they will be taken to the worker quarters."

"We're not going anywhere!" Rainbow Dash shouted, as she took to the air, swooping and bucking against the glass, which held despite her diamond horseshoes. "Girls, help me!"

Mandeville's screen switched off as Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy all tried to find weaknesses in the room that had become a cage.

Twilight, however, now turned to stare frigidly at Trixie, who watched on, helpless. "Is this what you wanted?" Twilight asked, as the floor Trixie stood on reached Twilight's knees as the room lowered. "Does it serve me right to take your place?"

"I'm sorry!" Trixie moaned. "I'd take it back if I could, I'm so, so sorry! I never wanted this! I never should have trusted him—"

"It's too late now, Trixie."

Twilight's words were as cold and uncaring as the metal she stood upon.

"Because 'sorry' won't bring my friend back. It won't set us free."

The floor reached Twilight's hips, and Trixie had to lie on the floor to stay level.

"I never hated anypony before today, Trixie. It wasn't in me. Is this what you felt for me? This awful feeling?"

Trixie only choked.

"I felt it for the ones responsible for Spike's murder. Not just because I lost him, but because I can't stand feeling this way for anypony, even somepony as awful as Mandeville!

"But I'm making one exception, Trixie," Twilight continued, the floor up to her neck. "I hate hating. And you're the one who caused me to feel this way. Trixie—"

"No, please,” Trixie bawled. “I'm sorry!"

"I hate you,” Twilight spat, closing her eyes. “And I want you to carry that knowledge with you, since we'll never see each other again."

"No, Twilight, I want to help you! Please, I'm so sorry, I'll do anything—"

"Just go. No matter how sorry you say your are, I'll never forgive you for what you did to us. I never want to see you again."

She'd said it all as though delivering a death sentence, and it may very well have been, given how Trixie reacted. She only stared, tears falling silently as Twilight turned her back on her. The room's ceiling met the hallway floor, and continued on deeper into the facility as tiles rotated up to cover the shaft opening, leaving a seamless floor.

As far as Trixie knew, she would never see those ponies again. Twilight would get her wish.

Trixie sniffed as she followed the hall in the Mandeville Arms facility. It all looked the same, no variation in the color of the tiles, no art to it, not even a bench's worth of furniture. But she saw the end of the hall ahead, where she'd meet her own module to reach the exit.

The hall ended abruptly, with a platform that looked out upon the great expanse of the facility and the gridwork. But there was—

"No module." Trixie breathed to herself. "Where's the module?"

She looked everywhere, but saw nothing. Not approaching, not in the distance.

"Oh, Trix'," the voice of Adrian Mandeville echoed from the walls. Above her she saw another yellow eye watching her. "You look so down! Why should you be? You get to be free, after all! If you want."

"If I want?" she asked. "Why would I go back?"

"Well, freedom always has a price. I'm just taking stock that you might not want to pay it."

"I can't go back, not after what I did to them," she sobbed. "Where's the module that takes me out?"

"Ah, see, gosh. Here's the thing," Mandeville said, hissing in a fake ‘how do I break this to you?’ fashion. "I was gonna let you just leave, but all that back there? You seem so broken up about it. Like people who feel they don't care whether they're alive or dead. I was counting on you keeping quiet because, well... you're an outcast, a known liar, and would have to admit to helping with a murder/kidnapping, and out and out betrayal of your nation.

"You're a survivor though! It's why I like you so much." Mandeville's tone sounded much like a mentor talking to his student: warm, but critical.

"The problem is, the nice-guy in me still was leaning towards letting you go. But now..."

"Now?" Trixie asked, sweating again.

"Yes, now. You seem in a really self-sacrificial mood right now. Maybe I shouldn't have let you meet those girls. I just figured you'd want a chance to see your nemesis get her's.

"But no, you seem like you're really tore-up about what you did. Let me speak objectively here: I've got this niggly feeling that if I let you go, you'll turn yourself in and rat me out in some half-baked show of redemption. I can't have that. But I did promise you freedom, so I'm offering the next best thing. Watch your step and look below you."

Trixie peered over the edge to see something that chilled her to the bone, as she scrambled back, further and further from the ledge.

"Looks a bit like a Hell-mouth, doesn't it? That's my handy little mobile incinerator unit," he told her. "Full of lead mostly, and whatever else I put in there. Always used it for scraps, evidence of misdeeds. Nosy Greenpeace snoops that tripped the turrets, and I really didn't feel like dealing with the paperwork that day. Melts it all down to around ten thousand degrees and lets stuff settle so I can reuse the materials. But if you want freedom bad enough —if you want out of here bad enough— It’s about as close to the ol’ sacrificial volcano as I can give you. Hope you don't use it though, let's be clear."

"Please, that's not fair!" Trixie whimpered, curling up. "I-I just want to go home! Please, just let me go home!

"Oh, come now, none of that," he said in a fatherly manner. "This can be your home now. Or, y'know, it'd be over real quick if you'd rather not. But I'd miss you."

Trixie crept up to the edge on her knees and gazed down, transfixed. Her tears fell towards the abyss, towards the great churning bin of yellow, orange and red, glowing beneath her. Down there was the only freedom she was ever going to get from Mandeville.

"Look, It's not that I don't trust you; it's just that I can't trust you. Big difference, trust me."

She couldn't go back. She couldn't face Twilight. She was trapped, and she couldn't stay there forever. Slowly, ever so slowly, she felt herself let more and more of her front dangle over the edge. The tears wouldn't stop, as she thought to reflect over her life, every decision that had led her to this. She closed her eyes.

"Trix?" Mandeville asked, worry in his voice. "Kid, I wasn't serious, it doesn't have to end now!"

"I'm sorry Twilight. Maybe now, you can forgive me."

"Trixie, listen, it's molten... metal!" Mandeville shouted as clearly and seriously as he could. "It's not a quick death! Kid, don't!"

Trixie inched herself just past the point of no return, where she knew her hooves couldn't save her if she decided to back out. As her back legs flipped up into the air, she realized, wide-awake, what was about to happen... and she screamed.

Mandeville watched in awe as Trixie vanished from sight over the ledge. The last vanishing act of her career.

"Well. Damnit!" he exclaimed throwing a coffee mug from his work station with a smash. "I didn't think she'd actually do it!

"Seriously, I liked her!"

Confused and dismayed, Mandeville shut off his monitor and searched for something to distract himself with.