They had gone up maybe fifteen floors without saying anything before Scootaloo, whose eyes had been sweeping across the ceiling, noticed something she hadn't before. She paused and, upon noticing this, Mochi stopped too.

"What does it mean with those little letters on that plastic thing up there?" Scootaloo asked. And indeed there was a small placard, not unlike the one with the up arrow that had been outside the shaft but for the fact that it was transparent and was printed with two white letters: 'IX'. The placard was affixed to the bottom of the landing above them, facing downward.

"Oh, um, that's Revan numerals," Mochi replied. "They used to be more common here when I was growing up, but I've heard the Gnostic numbers have been making a comeback. Anyway... that must mean we're on the ninth floor. We've got a ways to go, but that's good to know." The mare began walking again, and Scootaloo followed.

"How do Revan numerals work?" Scootaloo asked.

"Well, it all starts with that straight line which means one..." Mochi started, and she continued explaining. Scootaloo listened intently, only stopping Mochi to ask questions about odd cases like decimals and things like that.

"Ugh, this character interaction is so saccharine I think I'm going to puke," Velvet murmured. "That filly seemed smart when she was up here, but... now I'm really starting to wonder how well she can be fooled."

His gaze was still trained on his computer screen but his back had slumped forward and now his head was only propped up by the desk. It hurt his eyes a bit to be looking up so far at the computer screen in front of him, but he was really too lazy or apathetic or something to do anything about it. All he had the wherewithal to do was levitating that control sphere and clicking the button as he needed.

"At least I know where they are, now... it can't be too much longer until they get to the thirtieth floor..." He yawned. "Nnngh... and to think, it was almost bedtime. Damn these ponies and their need to escape."

"And I don't think there used to be a numeral for zero, but now they've started using the letter 'T' for it... I guess 'cause it's an empty circle, or maybe 'cause it looks like the Gnostic zero. I dunno."

"Wow... I can't imagine not having a number for zero..."

"Heh, you and me both. How else will I express the utter meaningless and worthlessness of my life?" Mochi giggled.

"Huh?" Scootaloo huh'd. "Is it really that bad?"

Mochi frowed. "Well, um... I dunno. It's hard to like yourself when you do shitty shit—and I mean shitty shit that legit is shit—and then you have to sit in jail for it as punishment for the rest of your life. Doesn't help when you friggin' deserve it, too."

"There's no way you—"

"Trust me, Scootaloo. You don't know what I did, and you prob'ly wouldn't like me all that much if ya did. I don't wanna talk about this anymore... let's keep walking."

They continued in silence but for the clinking of their hoofprints on the metal for floor after floor. A few times, Mochi asked to stop at a landing for a second to catch her breath; she wasn't exactly the spry young mare she used to be.

With each floor the ponies on his screen ascended, Velvet's eyelids drooped further and further downwards until they were squarely shut and his breathing slowed to a regular, rhythmic pace.