Mochi threw the thirtieth floor door open and ran out from the stairwell into the hallway, Scootaloo close behind. The mare's hoofsteps were strong and loud on the metal floor; she paid no mind as to how much noise she was making. It didn't matter—the guards already knew Mochi and Scootaloo were there. Sometimes what matters most is making an impression. Mochi stared forward, head unmoving.

Marching down the hallway behind the pink mare, Scootaloo's gaze drifted from side to side as she searched for a large door, a fork off the hallway—anything that would signify an exit. But so far it just looked like an exact duplicate of the floor below, the one they had just been in—except for the fact that there were no decorations on the walls, no potted plant on the floor, and no ponies in sight. Some of the side doors were open, for sure, and they even had pretty standard office setups inside with short carpets and desks with computer consoles but what connected them beyond their layouts was the fact that all of them were empty.

It wasn't that the rooms were empty that sent a shiver down Scootaloo's spine, but she wasn't quite sure what did.

"Hey, I think that's it," Mochi said. She pointed off to the left at a door that at first glance looked like any of the others, except it was closed. As they walked forward, however, Scootaloo could see that the white sign on the door had four red letters on it: ⫙ႿòO.

Scootaloo blinked. "Uhhh, I'll trust you on this one." She stopped alongside Mochi, in front of the door, and watched as the mare pushed down on the handle and pushed the door open. Immediately an alarm started blaring.

"Crud, that was the emergency exit!" Mochi exclaimed. "We've gotta move!"

"I mean, don't they already know where we are?"

"Oh, I guess. Still, no time to dilly dally. C'mon!" Mochi ran out the door and Scootaloo followed her, kicking the door shut behind them and it clanged loudly. The two ponies kept running forward and it was only a minute later that Scootaloo realised where they were.

It was now obvious that they were outside the metal hallways and passages of the South Pen by the fact that the tunnel around them was an excavation of dirt. It was obviously hewn from the earth by ponies from the unnaturally round shape of the tunnel and the way that it led up directly to the emergency exit, but the bottom of the path was lined with dust—evidently, nopony had been through there for a while.

"Guess Grey was right about this tunnel," Mochi said. "I wonder if this was used when they were constructing the building. Or maybe it used to be a mine shaft."

"Whatever it's for, I'm glad it's here," Scootaloo replied. She jogged alongside the pink mare as the tunnel curved downward. The tips of her mane brushed against the earthy ceiling.

And then, behind them, Scootaloo heard the door opening and the blaring of the alarm leaking out and the thundering of hooves behind them. "Faster!" she cried.

"I'm going, I'm going!"