I had no idea what to expect as I trotted down the hallways towards the Spark generator. I felt better than I had in weeks and after some more celebrating this morning in the shower I was ready for anything. I hoped that the position was mostly managerial instead of hooves-on but fate rarely took a fair form. With that thought staking its place in the front of my mind I inhaled deeply and prepared myself for what was to come through the doors standing before me.

The doors retracted upwards with a hiss allowing me the visage of what I would soon be responsible for. The room itself didn’t stand out much beyond a symmetrical layout with what I assumed to be power reading monitors dominating the front. To both sides were doors leading to the stables inner workings, if the signs above them were to be believed. In front of the array of monitors sat the only pony I could see in the room. She was sat in a chair typing away at her terminal doing Celestia knows what before she spun around to face me.

“Well hello there, you must be Sparks.” She was an elderly unicorn mare wearing comically oversized glasses and a stable lab coat.

“Uhh… hello?” I responded nervously. I held out my hoof to extend a proper greeting and when she took it a peculiar look appeared behind her timeworn eyes.

“Ah, I see…so…it’s you.” She looked into my eyes with a piercing gaze when she spoke and it almost sounded like she was in awe. I withdrew my hoof quickly.

“Excuse me?” she looked into my eyes again but this time she saw me.

“Oh, I was just… flustered! Yes that’s it…flustered.” What is with this old mare? “There is something you should go have a look at.” Her tone had gone from flustered to serious in ten seconds flat.

“What do you mean? I thought I was to receive an orientation of some kind.” I couldn’t quite figure this old mare out, was she keeping something from me?

“No time for that, we must get you down to the spark generator ASAP.” Now I was getting very suspicious. This crazy mare definitely knew something I didn’t. What was her angle? I thought it in my best interest to come up with an excuse.

“I may be the new chief engineer but as of now it is in title only. I don’t think it’d be wise to fumble with machinations I do not yet understand.” Nicely done me, way to pull that shiny new rank! Yet she was undaunted.

“I understand that but trust me dear, it would be best for all of us if you just go down there and do as I ask. You needn’t worry about how it works.” I was really starting to get frustrated now but before I could voice my annoyance I noticed a subtle glow from the tip of her horn.

Of course I would need to know how it works you loon. Is what I wanted to say but that wasn’t what came out. “I suppose I don’t need the details.

“You will go down to the spark generator and investigate.”

I will do no such thing. “Sure, what am I looking for?”

“Don’t worry it will all become clear once you arrive. Oh and once you get there forget we ever spoke.”

Like hell I will, this is going right to the Overmare. As soon as I was alone I would be sending the Overmare a message. “All right I’ll play along.” I nodded and made to move out the door, I’ll show this old bat what happens when you try to bewitch me.

The position was starting to seem like it was just for show, especially since the setup was mostly automated. Perhaps then it was just for appearance? Then what was the point? Lead the level with the most automated duties and one crazy old witch? I hate to admit that I didn’t actually know where the spark generator was but for the moment I was content to wander my domain and get a feel for things. Eventually I did find it and once I got a look at it I had the strangest feeling in the back of my mind. Wasn’t I supposed to do something when I got here? What did that mare say? Did she even say anything? I stood there staring at the device, trying to force a memory that just didn’t exist to surface with no luck. Finally frustration won the day and I gave up. I was about to storm out when something caught my eye. I loose panel had fallen from underneath the generator.

I bent down to peer into the gap between the generator and floor to see that it was a tight fit under there. The generator itself was a large circular device partially suspended over a semicircular indentation. For what purpose? Who the hell knows but that was where I found myself squirming. Once I was situated I saw that the panel that had fallen hid a power distributor. It didn’t take me long to worm my way under it and secure the panel back into place. Now that I was done I tried to shuffle back the way I came. Seconds later I was stuck. Well now I feel stupid. I had crammed as much of myself as I could underneath it in my curious haste to find the problem. It was as I was thrashing around that a thought sprung from the back of my mind. The indentation feels hollow underneath me yet my body was a little behind as I continued to thrash around regardless. After I don’t know how long I gave up my effort to free myself and just laid there. Real nice Sparks, look at you stuck under there like a… wait a second. I could hear something under me. Something below me clicked and part of the indentation dipped to one side. Goddesses it really was hollow!

Fear found its way deep into my heart, freezing my body despite my desire to run or crawl or anything. I screamed at the top of my lungs yet even I couldn’t hear my words as I slid down through the gap into the dark hole below. I reached out and tried to catch anything I could to slow my descent. My panicky flailing only got me scraped and bloody hooves as my body struck a flat surface and pain shot up my spine to my eyes where my vision had started to fade. I could hear my own haggard breathing and rhythmic heartbeat in my ringing ears. I tried to call for help but couldn’t find the strength to form words as darkness fully crept into my vision.

I awoke sometime later with a heavy throbbing in my head. It was a struggle to even open my eyes let alone try to stand. It was as I tried to find my balance that a sharp stabbing pain snaked its way up my right hind leg. The worst part of all was that I couldn’t focus on anything, where I was or how I got here.

I pressed on the only direction I could go and because of my bad leg I was constantly losing my balance as I clung to the wall for support. I could hardly keep my eyes open as irregular periods of ringing would assault my ears and when I did manage to keep them open it was like looking through a haze. I continued forward at a slow pace until I felt an indentation that I assumed was a door. I flailed my hoof around hoping I would bump into an access panel. I was rewarded with the sweetest sound of the door hissing open and then the thump of my body hitting the floor.

Despite my body’s every protest I managed to just so slightly peek through my squinted eyes. What I saw was almost enough to bring a tear to my eye if there weren’t some there already. Up on the wall next to the door was a yellow, pink striped box with three little butterflies in the center, the universal indicator of a first-aid box. With all my remaining strength, I managed to pull my crumpled form underneath the box and reach up towards it. A soft click later and a moment of pain as the box’s contents spilled out on top of me, one glass bottle breaking on my head and another just to the left of it.

Amidst the clutter one bottle survived which I immediately snatched, opened, and drank its contents greedily to the last drop. A warm sensation formed in my stomach and then gradually spread through the rest of my body. Within seconds the fog in my vision dissipated, the ringing in my ears vanished and my focus returned. The pain in my leg however was still there, not as severe but still there. Fortunately magical bandages don’t break on your head when they fall on you, so I scooped them up and wrapped them around my leg. Now that I had the ability to stand without help, I could figure out just what in Luna’s name happened.

The room I was in was poorly lit and had very little inside it beyond the first-aid box and a lone desk with a terminal on it. Now I’m normally not a pony who snoops through another pony’s things but after what I just went through I think I earned a snoop. I limped my way over to the desk, keeping careful to keep pressure off my leg and sat down. Now I may have said I didn’t snoop but I could get my way into a locked terminal, you know, for repair stuff. Working for the repair staff had its perks such as my special tools that granted me access to the terminals code, now all that remained was finding the right password.

Hacking the terminal was surprisingly easy, almost as if the protection was just a formality, like owner had one hundred percent confidence nopony else would ever read it. The password was “perfection” and appearing on the pale green glow of the screen read “Welcome Chief Scientist” and beneath that were three files I could view. I started with the first labeled “Prime Directive”.

I was in a whole other stable. The one I came from, the one I was born in, was nothing more than a breeding ground for the science ponies who lived down here in the true stable 63. Stable-Tec didn’t care about our lives. They only cared for their experiment, the one we were meant to die for. I was starting to sweat and hyperventilate. My very existence was nothing more than to be harvested by these scientists, or die a meaningless death above. In an attempt to prevent a panic attack I pressed on to the next entry, hopefully to occupy my mind despite my every wish that I could close my eyes and make it all go away. The next entry read “Staff Replacement”.

Pegasi? I remembered once, way back when I was in school that I was told that, even though it’s rare, two unicorns or two earth ponies or a mixed pairing can sometimes produce a Pegasus. My breathing had slowed to a manageable and much less panicky state as I eyed the last entry I could access. Unlike the other two, which were dated presumably before the stable was sealed, the last one was dated about 20 years ago.

-Chief Scientist Flash Freeze

The terminal indicated that the message was sent to both Overmares but that’s not what drew my interest. Somepony had escaped. I didn’t have to resign to the harvest. Although my chances looked dismal and if the message was to be believed, I wouldn’t be able to slip out unnoticed. Maybe I can get back to the top stable? Perhaps forget all that I learned and go back to my life as chief engineer with Winter.

Sadly I was denied action on either course as who I assumed to be the chief scientist walked in the room. He was an older white-blue Pegasus stallion with a white mane. His face was not one I expected to see on a pony who lived their whole life in a lab. He had deep wrinkles around his eyes and forehead. Upon seeing me his wrinkled brow furrowed in anger and surprise. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” he barked and punctuated each question with a hoof stomp.

My courage was nowhere to be found and when I didn’t answer he unfolded his wings and with a look of unbridled hatred leapt into the air and flew into me, knocking the wind out of me and for the second time today pushing me into unconsciousness.

I awoke in what definitely fit the bill for when I think lab. All around me were little desks and tables littered with the usual science paraphernalia; beakers and flasks filled with colorful liquids, microscopes and the like. Beyond those tables were terminals filled with years upon years of data regarding their gene project. Finally peppered between all those stations were several pegasi in lab coats, some resumed their work as if nothing was amiss and others stole glances in my direction.

I was sat in a rather uncomfortable chair near the center of the room. Near me was a large round table where papers and notes of all kinds were strewn about, their significance unknown to me. Above me was a circular balcony for what I assumed was another floor. In each direction on the far walls were collections of terminals. It was then that I noticed that each section of the staff wore different colored coats.

It dawned on me that this particular room must have been like a melting pot of sorts. Four teams of different sciences were working on whatever the hell was their focus and compiling their data on the center table. It was almost admirable to see them working so well together towards a singular goal. This was what I wanted for my stable but seeing it in effect now, down here, was eerie.

I went to rub the fog from my eyes when I realized that my forelegs were shackled together.

“Ah, you’re awake.” Spoke a voice from up on the balcony. A voice I recognized. Overmare Rose Thorn. After what I read it wasn’t a surprise knowing she was involved in the grand scheme. She smirked and let out a little chuckle.

“You weren’t supposed to arrive here for at least another week or so. I’ll have to teach our caretaker the meaning of patience.” I furrowed my brow.

“What do you mean by that?” Rose Thorn sighed and shook her head.

“Now Sparks, it’s not befitting of you to lie to me.” From behind her appeared the stallion from before who took a place beside her. “Flash Freeze told me he caught you snooping through his terminal.” I mustered as much strength as I could to respond.

“Why?” Was all I was able to manage. Rose chuckled again and continued her speech.

“When we find ponies like you with the desired traits, we move them to jobs that some would consider dangerous. That way when we tell the general population of their 'mortal accidents' they believe us. Then, we secretly move them here and the rest you know. Or you’ll find out very soon.” She punctuated her last remark with a smug grin.

She nodded towards Flash who nodded back and flew down to me. What was I going to do? They were going to harvest me! I had to stall for some time. I stood from my chair and pushed Flash aside. I looked up at Rose with determination in my eyes.

“Why!? Why do you keep this up? The world outside is destroyed!”

“That is precisely why. The world was destroyed by foolish ponies who lost their very natures. We have so many genomes mapped, we are so close to creating the perfect pony. Then we will rebuild and Equestria will be better than it was before the war.” She took a stance like she was reciting holy words.

“You can’t do this to ponies, lie to us and keep us contained. We can’t live like that, waiting to die or being killed down here.” Rose scoffed.

“Bold words from a pony who just learned of the truth. It is no different than if you lived your entire life up above. This way your death at least serves a purpose. Your being will help shape the future of ponykind. Stable-Tec granted us that power and I WILL exercise it. Besides, no matter how many have to die for this cause, the cost is worth it to revive Equestria. These ends justify the means and these means will secure our future. Equestria thanks you for your sacrifice Sparks.” She had nothing more to say. Flash pushed forward towards one of the adjoining hallways but I had figured out what I needed. A distraction!

As we passed one of the tables with beakers on them, I shook off Flash Freeze and bucked one of the table’s legs as hard as I could. The weight of all the things that littered the table brought it down with a crash. Two different colored liquids met and instantly burst into flames. The flames followed the liquids to their source and exploded, sending globs of flame all over the room.

The staff members ran and flew back and forth across the room in a panic, trying to do whatever they could to save papers that were going up in smoke. Smoke that activated the warning klaxons, flashing lights and sprinklers on the roof. Flash stood there mouth agape in pure shock.

“What have you done?” He spoke softly. “What. Have you. DONE!” his pupils shrunk down to pinpricks as they simultaneously filled with rage. He reared back and brought his hoof down hard across my face, sending me crashing down onto the floor. I could feel a split in my cheek where blood now freely dripped. Flash reared back again to crush my skull but before he could a loud popping sound as well as the scent of ozone filled the room.

Flash looked back over his shoulder to see a screen on one of the terminals blow and then catch fire. He forgot me immediately.

“NOOOO! You fools! Save the data!” He screamed over the klaxons to rally his staff. I quickly rose to my hooves and shuffled my way up the stairs to the balcony where Rose was. As I crested the top of the stairs I saw her turn tail and gallop down a different hallway. Behind where she was standing was what looked like an access elevator. I had no idea where it led but given my surroundings, I doubted I’d survive if they got their hooves on me again.

I moved as quickly as I could to the elevator door and mashed the summon button over and over again. For fucks sake, when were buttons going to understand urgency!? A relief bringing *ding* sounded as the door slid open. Without skipping a beat I leapt inside and repeated the process on the only destination button inside. The ride up the elevator was an unsettling contrast to what I just experienced. While down below ponies were running to and fro trying salvage their life’s work in a flurry of dancing flames and here I stood in a box trying to calm myself with only my rapid heartbeat and some obnoxiously upbeat polka music to grace my surroundings.

Another *ding* sounded, announcing my arrival to… a dark hallway that ended in a staircase to nowhere. I stood in the dark for a moment before I remembered I had a light. Now that the hallway was illuminated I noticed a little access terminal mounted to the wall near the start of the stairs. Seeing no alternative, I plugged in my PipBuck’s adapter cord and got to work. The security on this terminal was substantially tougher than the one before, taking a good ten minutes to get in and once I was there was only one command ‘Open Emergency Tunnel’. The ceiling above me hummed with life as it was pulled away, completing the stairs to my escape. The room I stood in appeared to be the Overmare’s office but her desk was missing. Then, as if on cue, the mechanism that hid the secret elevator room moved back into place, reforming as the Overmare’s desk.

It was then that I knew my escape was not the end of my misfortune. I noticed that the warning klaxon and choking presence of smoke had never stopped, even as I exited the elevator. The entire stable was on high alert. The artificial lighting that illuminated most of the stables corridors were off and replaced by spinning, flashing warning lights which cast a dull orange glow through the smoke filtering in from the labs. I couldn’t just stand there, I had to find help. After some mental reassurance from myself I opened the doors and descended to the living quarters.

What I saw was chaos. There were ponies everywhere fighting, wounding and killing each other. All the commotion, the klaxons, lights and smoke must have finally ignited their paranoia into the explosion of madness I saw before me. A myriad of security ponies were scattered throughout the masses, quelling the fighting as best they could. Pure adrenaline spurred me on as I ran as fast as I could through the carnage with the shackles still binding my legs.

As I ran I saw Crescent Wrench fighting with an earth pony stallion whom he struck on the head with a security baton. My first light of hope in a sea of despair.

“Crescent!” I tried to shout over the din of conflict. I made a beeline straight towards him. I was out of breath when I reached him. I panted heavily between words. “Crescent can… you please… get these shackles… the fuck offa… me?” His mouth was dripping with fresh blood and his expression showed little empathy.

“You’d better get the fuck outta my face RIGHT NOW!” He swung his baton at me in his telekinetic grasp then charged past me and yelled. “If I see you again I will kill you!” Why was he angry at me? Before I could ask another question I lost him in the crowd of ponies. In front of me, behind where he was standing was the body of an earth pony mare who had had her throat tore out. Disgust welled up in my body, which I violently released on the floor. The discomfort hit hard, but not as hard as the realization that Crescent had done this with his teeth. The blood from his mouth wasn’t his. Another convulsion hit my stomach but what little I had in my body was already out so I was just retching up nothing as my body was racked with pain.

The fatigue set in quick as I shakily got to my hooves and just kept running. Turn after turn I ran, seeing the same scene again and again. I turned another corner ran headfirst into sompony’s hoof. I fell back and hit the floor hard as stars started crowding my vision. Then I saw a pony shaped form hovering over me, a security baton in their mouth. “Spahks?” the voice spoke around the baton. My assailant spat the baton down with a clang and lifted me to my hooves.

My vision cleared revealing my would-be attacker: Summer Blaze.

“Sparks, I’m so glad you’re ok! I can’t believe I found you.” She pulled me into a tight embrace.

“I’m… glad…” Was all I had breath for, the rest had been hugged out of me. She released me from her hold and pulled my face to hers, gazing intently into my eyes.

“Tell me you had nothing to do with this. Tell me this isn’t your fault.” The relief in her voice melted away, replaced by worry and concern. How would she know I was even involved? The fire only started about 15 minutes ago.

“What are you saying Summer?” It looked like she was just barely containing tears.

“The Overmares put out an alert that you are to be captured or killed. They say that you started the riot.” Summer shook me slightly, her eyes never straying. “So tell me! Tell me you’re innocent!” Her grasp tightened around me, her eyes welling up with tears. I reached out and touched her cheek.

“Summer, I would never do anything to hurt my friends.” Summer released me and wiped away her tears, a small smile appearing on her lips. It may have been the truth but it was a partial truth, I was still responsible overall and lying to her cut me but it wasn’t my fault.

“I knew it, I just knew you would never put my sister in danger… Oh?” She looked down to my shackled forelegs. “Here let me get those off.” The shackles hit the floor and I sighed in relief.

“That’s so much better… uh what are you doing?” Summer was stripping out of her security barding.

“You’re going to need this.” She said as she shoved it into my hooves.

“I don’t understand.” I looked at the barding in my hooves, then back to her.

“Somepony’s got to be held responsible for this. If it’s not going to be you, you are going to need this to get out of the stable. The other guards probably won’t let you go if they catch you.” I checked my PipBuck’s auto sorting spell to see fully what I had been gifted. Besides the barding itself, she gave me her pistol in its holster and some ammunition.

“Aren’t you going to need some of this?” I said, trying to give her the pistol back. I had never fired one before and even if I kept it I doubt I could make much use of it.

“Keep them, you’re gonna need ‘em more than me. The stable door’s override code is in the saddlebags too.” She picked up her baton and took a strong stance. “Now don’t worry about me, I can handle the rabble. Now go, get going, the stable door isn’t far.” I couldn’t speak. I was afraid, afraid of leaving my home, afraid of what might happen to Winter or Mother. But I couldn’t stay they would kill me or harvest me if I did. I couldn’t risk their safety and maybe, just maybe I could find help outside so I could come back and free them. I choked back some tears of my own, my voice cracking.

“Take care of Mother for me would you? A-and tell Winter…t-tell Winter I lo-” She placed her helmet over my head, silencing me.

“I will.” She gave me one more hug before pushing me where I needed to go. “Now get going, I’ll do what I can to get you to that door.” I turned and headed down the hall towards my destination. I stopped and turned back to her with a forlorn look. I blinked away my tears and pressed on.

The disguise worked well enough, most guards I ran past didn’t give me a second glance and it pained me to pass by so many scenes of violence but I couldn’t help them, not now. The stable door was in my sight. A gear-shaped door, four feet thick emblazoned with a giant yellow 63. Guarding the access panel stood two guards who were either unaware of the riots or were very steadfast in their duties.

I ducked out of sight and slipped around the left side of the door behind the release mechanism. Just below me where the guards stood I heard a crackle of static.

“Yes Captain?” One of them asked. His voice was low and gruff.

“Stonewall, I need you and your partner to help suppress the riots. Get your flanks down to the living quarters.” From behind my cover I could hear them shuffle around, unsure how to respond.

“B-but Captain we can’t leave our post, the Overmares-”

“Are nowhere to be found.” Summer cut them off. “And in their absence, I am commanding you to assist me to prevent further loss of life, or do you want that blood on your hooves?”

“Understood Captain.” The sound of clopping hooves disappeared out of the room, leaving me all alone. I exited my cover and stood before the massive steel door of Stable 63. I brought up my PipBuck again to access the sorting spell and find the override code. I found it and entered it into the access panel, it was CMCRS2. More klaxons started sounding as the giant metal arm above me lowed and extended. It grabbed the center of the door and pulled back. I was forced to cover my ears as the klaxons were drowned out by the vicious sound of metal scraping upon metal.

Once the door was fully recessed, the metal arm pulled it to the right revealing before me a wall of darkness. I took the smallest baby steps I could towards the black abyss. I closed my eyes and thought of my Mother, Winter and even Summer. Then I charged forward headfirst into the unknown.

After a brief moment standing still just beyond the doors edge with my eyes slammed shut, I opened them and saw a cave. I switched my PipBuck’s light on and saw that the rock walls and floor of the cave inclined slightly upwards and led to a wooden door at the end. I took a few tentative steps towards it as the klaxons sounded for the final time and the Stable door was loudly pushed back into place. I looked back at the Stable I called my home. The cave smelled of damp, rotting wood and scattered across the floor were pony skeletons that didn’t look as old as they should have been. It was then I noticed that the skeletons were dressed in strange garb and that two of them had holes blasted out the back of their skulls. Those ponies were killed after the bombs. What happened to the ponies out there? I suddenly felt very small and frightened. I broke and ran back to the Stable.

“I change my mind I don’t want to be alone!” I screamed at no one, clambering over a few rocks to get to the outside access panel. Ok ok CMCRS2… Denied!? “Oh no, oh shit, shit, oh fuck.” Goddesses no, the entry code was different! After several moments beating on the steel door I collapsed against it and just laid there for Luna knows how long, feeling sorry for myself. After a bit I finally stood up and wiped some tears from my eyes. “Won’t do much good if I just stay here and cry.” I whispered, trying to pump myself up. I reached the door and grasped the handle. Ok here it goes, just like they did, the escapee mentioned from the terminal. I inhaled and sighed deeply, threw open the door and took my first steps into the Wasteland.

Footnote: Level Up!
New Perk: Egghead – Your Stable smarts mean you gain an extra +2 skill points per level up.

Next Chapter: Chapter Two: Wasteland Welcome Estimated time remaining: 32 Hours, 6 Minutes