The tunnel which led down to the facility, to neither Blue nor Coalburst's surprise, was unpleasantly damp. Water dripped from the rocky ceiling slowly in a rythmic, haunting pattern; it splattered on the floor in the puddles which Blue and Coalburst splashed through as they galloped.

Though hesitant, Blue ran ahead of the filly, spurred on by the promise of the lesser of two evils. Coalburst, by contrast, genuinely seemed happy—excited, even.

It didn't take long for the pair to reach their goal. With a gasp and a quiet yell they skidded to a stop—the door to the facility seemed to have appeared from nowhere—and glanced up at it. In truth, it was just like any other wooden door, coated with peeling white paint, and the only difference was that it was emblazoned with a single word: "Chameleon".

Blue cocked her head at the door and frowned. "What?"

Coalburst glanced behind herself quickly and, upon seeing no attackers, waved her hoof at the door. "Well, that's the name of the facility. The Chameleon facility."

"That seems pointless. Why not just... Why not just call them all facilities, or give them numbers? Is a name really necessary?"

Coalburst shrugged and gave a little giggle. "I think it's supposed to make them seem nicer. A number... It's pretty boring, isn't it?"

Blue considered that for a moment before she nodded slowly. "Well, I suppose," she said, then returning her attention to the door as the sound of barking returned. "So, uh, how we getting in here? We've only got a few minutes!"

Coalburst stood taller and raised her head into the air, grinning. "Easy!" she whispered as she then enveloped the bottom corner of the door with magic. The filly gave a drawn out moan and gritted her teeth; the smell of burning then filled the damp air of the tunnel soon after. The corner of the wooden door quickly began to turn to ash, forming a small hole in the base.

"Voila!" Coalburst whispered, a smile upon her muzzle. She gave a tiny buck before she then lowered to her belly and began to crawl forwards. "C'mon—oh, and mind your feathers. It's a pretty small hole."

Blue scowled as she lowered herself down; her legs trembled and her breath caught in her throat as she moved ever so slowly. "You couldn't have made it slightly bigger, huh?" she hissed with a wince as her shoulders got stuck. With a wriggle and a squirm, however, she managed to sluggishly urge her body through the hole.

The sight which met Blue's eyes was... surprisingly similar to her own facility. The entrance hall—a room which ponies passed through once and once alone—was simple, decorated with red ribbon and flowerless vases. There was no sign of struggle, no sign of neglect, no sign of disrepair; apart from the lack of flora, the space was pristine and looked about ready to welcome new occupants. So, then, why did Coalburst think it was it abandoned?

To ask the filly for her reasoning now, however, would have been futile. She was completely caught up in awe as she trotted about and let loose a stream of "ooh"s and "aah"s. Blue could swear that she had never seen the poor thing looking so excited.

"Oh my Cob, Blue!" she whispered as she bounced a little on the spot; her eyes darted about at one hundred miles per hour as she galloped across the wooden floor. "Just... Just look at this place! It's gorgeous!"

Blue looked about and shrugged. "Well, it's not that special. A nice change from the dirt, but it's the same as my facility. Though to tell the truth, I was in the coma when I passed through, so I've only seen brief glimpses."

Coalburst giggled a little and trotted to the side of the room, then nudging a vase with her muzzle oh-so-gently. "Well, yeah, maybe. But it's still great, even if it's a bit, uh, boring." Coalburst spun around and bounced back to Blue's side. "Just 'cos you're so lucky!  I've always lived out here and it stinks. I mean, it gets to you after a while and it's just nice to see a change from mud and blood, y'know?"

Blue, who had begun to make her way through the corridors once more,  paused briefly as her ears fell and she nodded solemnly. "I can't say I'm surprised," she whispered, her mind's eye picturing the bog-like mud around the tortoiseshell tank. With a shudder she pushed the thoughts from her mind and continued onwards. "C'mon, kiddo. Let's get on with this."

Coalburst nodded eagerly and leapt forwards; her eyes glimmered with each bound and her ears, for once, remained pulled forwards and at ease.

Blue found it hard not to succumb to the contagious joy.