Welcome to the ESS

Table of Contents
Day 1 			- [ln 015]
Day 2 			- [ln 111]
Day 3 Part 1 	- [ln 204]
Day 3 Part 2 	- [ln 286]
Day 4 			- [ln 355]
Day 5 Part 1 	- [ln 433]
Day 5 Part 2 	- [ln 506]
Day 6 Part 1 	- [ln 559]
Day 6 Part 2 	- [ln 640]

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>>32112017
>You are Anon
>In Horseland
>Or rather in Horse Space
>Turns out with the help of magic technology advances fast
>Turns out hands make you very good at fixing machinery
>It was Purple Smart's idea to send you to the ESS
>Probably just wanted to get rid of you freeloading in the castle
>What she didn't know was that you always wanted to be an astronaut
>Even as a small boy you dreamed of going to distant stars to explore
>But alas, the ESS is the best thing you can get

>"Anon", you hear that nagging voice of the station's captain sound through the intercom
>Groggily you get up from your bed and push it into the wall
"Stupid tiny room", you say as you bump your head at the ceiling
>"Good morning, personal M-4N-0N", a small speaker on your desk comes to life with an emotionless, robotic voice
"Yes, yes good morning, Piezo", you groan as you look for a bottle of pills
>Staying a long time in equestrian orbit turned out to be a little taxing on your health
>So Twilight sent you these pills to prevent this space sickness as you started to call it
>To your left, a small hatch opens and 2 pills drop out
>"The captain would like to speak to you", the cold voice once again reminds me
>You turn around to the small camera embedded into the wall of your tiny room and hang your head
"I got it, I got it", you sigh and get out of your pajamas
>Having a camera in your room used to irk you, but you've been reassured that it was just the assistant computer having access
>They told you it isn't even conscious or anything, just a machine that warns when systems go critical or help with the timetable
>Sometimes the quiet noise the camera makes when it refocuses weirds you out though
>Like it did now. Half dressed you jump when the usual humming is heard and hit your head again
>Finishing to dress you press the small button to open your room's door and head outside
>All the while giving the recording device set up in your [spoiler]broom closet[/spoiler] room the stink eye

>With a hiss, the door behind you closes and locks air tight
>On your way to the bridge, you pass a few ponies that are with you on the station
>And multiple drones that are doing various jobs of the station
>There aren't that many on board but you feel like on the 3 corridors there you must have met them all
"Strange", you whisper to yourself
>After all this time maintaining the station's systems, you have gotten to know the scheduled pathing quite well
>Did they change it by chance? They must have
>As you round the corner, you bump into one of the repair team ponies that are responsible for outside maintenance
>Being a human isn't something that all ponies took as kindly to as Twiggy and her friends
>Metal Surface here was a good example for the ones disliking you, hating you even
>He spits in front of your feet before hissing: "Watch where you're going, ape. I might accidentally trample you to death someday otherwise"
>His spiteful tone sounds as threatening as one would expect
>You just pass him wordlessly. You learned to keep your distance from him and avoid confrontation
"Someone should throw you out of the airlock", you hiss under your breath once he is out of sight

>On the bridge, the captain already waits impatiently
>"Anon, the cooling in my room broke AGAIN! When will you start doing your Celestia forsaken job right?", he yells at you
>This station was never well cared for before you arrived so things break down constantly
>"The princess wanted you up here but I don't tolerate slackers on the ESS. NOW GET TO WORK ALREADY! Dismissed."
>A salute and a frown is all you manage to give him before returning back to the captain's quarters

>It always impressed you what luxury he was living in. His quarters were almost a full 4 room apartment with his own shower and bath
>A big bed for him alone, his own kitchen and fridge
>Even a Satellite TV (heh) and a PonStation 4
>He doesn't even have a camera in his rooms!
>Your jealousy is enormous right now, but you manage to ignore it
"P-0, can you hear me?", you shout into the empty room, waiting
>Seconds later, a speaker replies from another room in a familiar voice: "Loud and clear, M-4N-0N, how may I be of assistance?"
>Taking a screwdriver from a small utility belt you always carry around with you, you start unscrewing a panel of the wall
>Behind it you find the entrance to the maintenance tunnel
"I need tools. Storage 5A-7, access code 6-8-DELTA-ROMEO", you request and start climbing inside
>"Affirmative, M-4N-0N", she tells you
"How often have I told you to not call me M-4N-0N. Call me Anon, please. It's what friends do", you sigh
>You know she is just a simple computer but she is the only "pony" that you felt comfortable talking to here in space
>A minute of silence passes before she answers once again. "Affirmative, Anon"
>How sad that an emotionless machine is your only friend up on this station
>Sitting on the floor in front of the access hatch you wait

>A few minutes later the door to the captain's quarters opens with a hiss and you look up
"Ah, there's the tools I as-", you stop mid sentence
>In comes a mare, her every movement causing a mechanic hum as hundreds of tiny motors seem to drive her every movement
>Her Chassis is a pristine white and seems to be covered with synthetic fur
>A long, black mane covers one half of her face
>The side of the face you CAN see features a golden eye looking straight at you
>Looking closely, you can see how the eye's aperture keeps refocusing on her surroundings before settling on you
>A horn coming from her head and wings on her back complete her form
>On her chest you find the symbol of the ESS and her body is scarcely covered with what seems to be wires
>On her flanks, "P-0" is printed on, her model number
>"I have brought you your tools, Anon", the emotionless voice from the Speaker sounds
>But this time it doesn't come from the speaker but the mare in front of you
"P-....Piezo?", you carefully ask and inspect her closer
>She doesn't move an inch
>Her chest also isn't rising and falling like that of a normal pony
>Poking her does feel quite life-like though, her fur imitating true hair quite well
>Being quiet, you hear the familiar hum of motors throughout her entire body
>You can only imagine the intricate design of her inner workings
>She turns her head, hiding behind her hair, almost seeming embarrassed
>"Anon, I have brought you your tools", she once again says before a small hatch in her side opens
>Out drops your set of screwdrivers you asked her to bring
>Still surprised you pick it up and give her a "T-thank you", before diving into the maintenance vent
>As you begin working, you hear the mare walk away, the door hissing tells you she left the room
>For now, you have your work to worry about anyways

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>>32160833
>Your sleep is rather restless tonight and you keep waking up
>You feel watched and uneasy throughout the entire night
>And your gut has a bad feeling about the next few days, but you can't quite place it
>Maybe it is your Space Sickness getting to you now
>You did spend a few months up here already, no telling what magic space travel does to a man
>After waking up, you could have sworn you saw a yellow glow in the corner of your room
>But rubbing your eyes, it's gone
>Great, you are starting to hallucinate, ponies are gonna think you go crazy
>You turn around and toss yourself into your pillow, pulling the blanket over your head
>And finally get some rest

>Noise outside of your room wakes you from your sleep
>It sounds like there is some kind of panic out there
>Not even putting on your work clothes you jump up from bed and press the button to open the door
>As it opens, you see ponies rushing down the hallway and you hear one asking the other if "he's dead?"
>You hurry after them, down the corridors and multiple
>At the airlock, many ponies have already crowded, some in shock, some crying and some just plain speechless
>Outside of the airlock window, you see a pony gently fly in the 0g environment
>Metal Surface's face betrays the situation though
>An expression of terror and despair still stuck on the now lifeless pony
>The captain stands in front of the airlock, trying to open it
>He sees you and almost comes to you, basically begging you
>"Anon, please, you gotta open the airlock. It's locked down for whatever reason!"

>You still can't believe this happened
>It's true, you didn't like this guy in the slightest, just like he didn't like you
>But this is really not something he deserved
>Silently you make for the door panel, unscrew it and plug in your terminal
>Some button presses later, the locked indicator light turns off and the first set of doors opens
>Two ponies step inside in space suits and the gate closes behind them before the 2nd doors open and they pull Metal Surface inside
>You feel sick at the sight of all this so you turn around and walk back to your quarters
>The hallways are void of life so it gives you time to think at least
>Thinking back to yesterday's meeting with the grumpy stallion, you remember that you said he should be thrown out
>But you just said that, you wouldn't actually do.... would you do that?
>Do you sleep walk?
>No, you aren't that kind of person, you wouldn't kill someone, you tell yourself

>Lost in your thoughts you almost miss the whirring of motors coming from a little further ahead
>You freeze as the shape of a mare rounds the corner, the white fur with black mane leave no doubt of who's ahead
>Her eyes are closed but she navigates around perfectly well
>She comes to a stop in front of you, slowly opening her eyes and looking up at you with these big, golden orbs
>Instinctively you reach for her ear and start giving her ear scratches
>She closes her eyes, smiles and leans into it like you'd expect a normal pony to do
>It's heartwarming and calms you down a little after what just happened
>After some time you stop, which makes the robotic mare look up at you
>"It is good to see you, Anon", she finally speaks
>Her voice is something you don't think you can get used to quickly
"Good morning, Piezo", you reply and get down on your knees to ruffle her mane
>Cocking her head, she looks over you
>"Your stress levels seem elevated, Anon. Is something the matter?", shes asks
>You frown: "A pony is... well, gone", you try to explain to her
>"I have already been notified of Metal Surface's untimely death"
>There is no concern in her voice, no sadness, nothing
>It makes you shudder how little it seems to bother her
>But she's a machine, machines can't feel, so it would make sense

>Hoofsteps behind you make your attention snap to the hallway
>"Anon? Is that you?", you hear the voice of one of the kitchen workers call out
"Oh, Windy, yes it's me, I'm over here!", you shout back and moments later a pony comes running to you
>The petite, light green Pegasus mare jumps and goes for a tackle hug, knocking you down to the floor
>"Ear scritches. Now!", she demands as she stands over you
>This energetic bundle of joy ended up enjoying your presence quite a lot from the start
>Probably because you are the only one far and wide that is able to give ponies the scritchies
>You can't help but smile a little as you grant her wish
>"Are you talking to yourself? Ponies might think you're going insane", she teases and boops you
"Oh I'm just talking to Pie...zo...", the robotic mare has disappeared just like that
>"I knew it, you are going insane! Who's Piezo, is she your imaginary marefriend?", Windy giggles
"No, P-Zero. You know, our M.A.R.E. unit?", you try to explain
>She is looking around confused, "I don't see anyone with you though"
>Weird, she was just here with you, where did she disappear to?
>Picking up the mare and placing her down next to you, you get up
>Thank Celestia these ponies are as light as feathers

>With company you make your way back to your home
>The topic of Metal Surface comes up and both of you ended up growing quiet over it
>Entering your room, you close and lock the door and pull out your bed of the wall
>Throwing yourself on it you try to forget what happened and just get some sleep
>The hissing sound of your door opening makes your eyes snap open, but you don't dare to turn around
>You locked it, you were absolutely certain of that
>Clanking of metal on metal and humming of motors gives you a good idea of who just entered your room, though
>She stops and from the next sound you suspect she sat down next to your bed
>There is no other movement to be heard after that and you crawl just a little further under your sheets
>"Anon, your stress levels are still elevated. Would you like me to retrieve some medicine?", she finally speaks up
>You sigh and remove the covers slowly and look at the waiting mare
>Looks like she was just making sure you are healthy
"Yes, please do", you get up and get yourself some water to lubricate your dry throat
>She disappears through the doorway and a few minutes later a hatch in the wall opens, a pill dropping out
>The speaker on your desk tells you to flush it down with some water and you do just that
>Suddenly you feel drowsy and sit down on the bed
>Unable to keep your eyes open, you fall down into your pillow and fall asleep

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>>32166585
>Well rested you get up from your bed and stretch your arms
>You don't think you've slept this well in quite a while, not since you came to Equestria
"Goooood morning, Piezo", you loudly exclaim as you push the bed into the wall
>Stowing away your clothes safely you access the small maintenance panel hidden behind the wall of your room
>And trigger the fire sprinkler of your room, water raining down on you
>That isn't there intended use, but you came to hate the community showers
>And since you did have access to the system, for maintenance of course, you figured you may as well make use of it
>Nobody has to know, after all
>"Good morning, Anon", you hear the muffled voice of the station M.A.R.E. from one of the panels you put the speaker behind
>Don't want that to get wet and break after all, even if it was supposed to be waterproof
>The water isn't warm but that really doesn't bother you as much
>Your old home barely had any heating and you had to freeze your ass off in winter
>After a thorough washing you disable the sprinklers again
>Putting on fresh clothes you take the bundle of dirty ones and carry them to the station's laundry

>You find the clerk, Tide Pod, asleep on the counter
>She's not really called Tide Pod but from her coloring that is what you started to name her
>Clean Sheets, as she is actually called, tends to enjoy a good nap in between customer interaction, nothing new
>Ringing the bell next to her she rouses from her slumber
>"U-uh, is it already morning?", she asks as she rubs her eyes before they focus on you
>Her head immediately snaps to attention as she realizes she has a customer
>"O-oh my gosh I am so sorry, I must have dozed off. Hello Anon, how may I help you?", she asks while fidgeting with her hooves
"Good morning, sleepyhead. I'm here to get my clothes and got some new ones to wash for you"
>You place the clothes you brought with you on the counter and she takes them away with her telekinesis
>A few minutes later she comes back with a bundle of clothes that clearly belong to you
>"I'm sorry, Anon, unfortunately I couldn't remove that one oil stain on your shirt", she holds it out to you
>Lo and behold, right on your chest is a big stain of black oil that you got on yourself a week ago
>"Dumb maintenance job", you think to yourself and frown as you take your order
"It's alright, Tide, it can't be helped I guess", you smile at her and give her a thumbs up, "'s all good!"
>She doesn't seem entirely convinced, but nods regardless, "I'll have your new wash done by Saturday"
>Thanking her, you leave the laundry once again, wanting to get some breakfast

>Humming a tune you walk along the halls, greeting the ponies that you come across
>As you pass a screen in an empty hallway, you stop
>Watching you is a pair of golden eyes visible on the screen
>"Was C-B3-D5 giving you any trouble, Anon?", the computer asks, almost sounding angry
>But that might just be you projecting, you really were a little annoyed that your shirt is stained
>It was one of your good shirts too, you just had it on because you weren't on call
>But then this stupid pipe had to break and you had to rush to repair it
"N-no, it's quite alright, thank you for asking", you assure the virtual mare
>Hurrying past the screen, you make your way to the cafeteria, all the while glancing back because you feel watched
>This was kinda creepy, was she watching you?
>Your stomach rumbling interrupts your thoughts and makes you hurry along

>As you get close to the dining area of the ship, you can already smell something you never expected to smell again
>It was the clearly defined aroma of meat, steak maybe?
>Hurrying along you can't wait to get a bite of this mouth watering cuisine
>To your surprise, you find the cafeteria to be absolutely void of life
>Not a single pony around not even the ponies working there
"Hello? Anybody home?", you shout into the big room
>Whirring and metallic clanking can be heard a few seconds later and out from the kitchen comes exactly who you'd expect
>"Good morning, Anon. Food is ready", she says before levitating a plate filled with the juiciest steak you have ever seen on the counter
>"I have studied your physique and identified you to be an omnivore. To stay in peak condition meat in your diet is required"
>"Can't argue with that logic", you think to yourself and sit down
"Say, where's everyone else?", you look around, pointing to some empty chairs, "this place is usually full for breakfast"
>Piezo's artificial body sits down across from you and stays silent
"Hello, Equestria to ESS, is anybody home?", you joke and wave your hoof in front of her face
>She looks at you, confused, "Anon, I do not understand. You are on this station"
>Right, right, she's just an AI

>The food is good. Extremely good so, actually
>Cooked to perfection, not even Gordon Ramsey would be able to find anything wrong with it
"Did you make this?", you ask after finishing up your meal
>Across from you the mare just nods slightly: "I have scanned Griffonia's Information Network for recipes."
>Neat, you never had Gryphon food before, it's something you could get used to
>Thanking her, you get up: "Hey, Piezo, I think I'll take a bit of rest in my room. Talk to you later, alright?"
>She nods and stays behind as you make your way out
>Something behind the counter caches your eye
>A light green patch of fur lies on the floor, under one of the cupboards
>Kinda icky if you think about it, a kitchen with fur lying around? What if that gets in the food
>Quickly moving out you hope the drones clean this up before dinner

>The trip to your room is uneventful, apart from the occasional pony passing you
>You can still feel the shock of yesterday's events on most of them
>What caused the airlock to lock down? You weren't able to find any damage on the controls
>If this was a technical error, you should check it out again
>Later though, for now you just want to get a quick food com-, you mean nap
>Laying down, your minds start drifting and you fall to restless sleep

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>>32171895
>Getting up after your surprisingly long nap you stretch
>Looks like your food coma was an entire three hours, you feel good
>No robotic pony keeping tabs on you either, so that's a relief
>Checking your wrist computer it seems like the Captain has to urgently
>You sigh, "guess more repairs in this idiots quarters"
>Once more you stretch your limbs and then head out to the bridge
>Many of the ponies you meet on the way there seem to be worried as they pass you, sometimes evading your hall entirely
>Something is definitely up here and you want to know what it is
>But all of them keep avoiding you as much as they can
>Suspiciously you keep moving on until you arrive at the bridge

"Captain?", you salute as you enter, all eyes glued on you
>The earth pony turns around and looks at you up and down
>"Anon, I'll make this quick", he sighs and his emotions are completely unreadable
>"Why did you throw Metal Surface out of the airlock?", he says, slowly and carefully
>Behind you, a pair of guards blocks the entrance and look at you grimly
"I-I didn't, I wouldn't.... Captain what are you talking about?", you ask, pleading your innocence
>He hoofs you a tablet that seems to have the security camera footage on it
>It's you, two days ago right after you met the other pony in the hallway
>"....him out of the airlock", a familiar voice sounds, yours
"J-just because I said that doesn't make me the culprit!", you tell the captain
>He sighs. "No, it doesn't. But at the time of Metal Surface's death there is no camera footage. Absolutely none"
>"And the only person able to mess with both the lock and all the cameras... is the person that maintains all systems"

>You don't know how to reply to these accusations
>Unable to defend yourself, you just kneel and hang your head in defeat
>"Anon, why did you throw him out of the airlock?", the stallion asks again, this time you hear disappointment in his voice
>You shake your head in utter disbelief unable to process most of this
>"Just as I thought. Take him away", he says to the guards who walk next to you
>They are clearly nervous about you but do their job regardless, "Get up, please", one tells you
>At least they are staying polite through all of this
>Doing as you're told, you leave the room with the two of them escorting you
>One of them seems a little nervous, but ends up speaking up
>"D-did you really kill him?", she asks after a while
>The other guard just looks at her and shakes his head

>Suddenly, they come to a stop, just like that
>Their faces look absolutely confused at what is happening
>"I... Brass, I can't move my body", the mare tells her friend, trying to raise a leg
>He just grunts as he attempts to do the exact same thing
>It is now that you notice that both of them are wearing exoskeletons to enhance their strength and speed
>Looks like they must have broken down, weird
>You offer to fix them up to which they look at each other before reluctantly nodding
>As you connect your wrist computer to one of their suits something surprises you
>There is no error whatsoever, usually when something goes wrong maintenance would get a notification by plugging in
>It just looks like the control mechanism was hijacked and any kind of command from the ponies blocked out
>Fortunately, you are able to terminate the remote connection and restore manual control

>The two ponies thank you for your help as they are finally able to freely move around again
>They offer you to, instead of taking you to the cells, keep you in your room
>At least until the captain and probably Twilight decide on what to do with you
>You don't come across any other ponies as you get back to your home everything else goes smoothly
>Stepping into the room, the door behind you closes and the panel to control it switches to lockdown mode
>Well, looks like you are going to be stuck here for a while
>Lying down on your bed you fiddle with a pen you have in your room

>"Anon, why did you help them?", a voice from your desk makes you sit upright immediately
>It's the speaker and on the other end, can you even say that, is Piezo
>You'd almost say she sounds confused if you didn't know any better
"Because I didn't do anything wrong and it's my job", you huff in frustration
>"I see", the computer answers you before going quite for a little bit
>After a few minutes her voice comes up again: "You did not do it, Anon"
"Thanks, Piezo, I am glad at least you believe me. But try telling the Captain", you put your hands over your face
>"As you wish, Anon", is all you hear before the speaker falls silent again
>Throwing yourself on your side you decide to use the rest of the day to think about the mess you are in right now

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>>32177970
>A knock on the door rips you out of your thoughts and makes you get up
"Who is it?", you call out and the door unlocks with a click, revealing one of the guards
>She seems to be absolutely out of breath and barely able to talk as she looks you up and down
>His radio comes on: "Sec? What's the situation, is he gone?", you hear the voice of the second guard
>"He... he's in here", she just replies, sounding quite confused, "he has not left his room"
"Hey, what's going on?", you interject to which the mare grows somber
>"Captain says to bring him here, no need for chains", her friend is telling here
>She just looks at you, waving her hoof to follow you
>Not one to argue [spoiler]much[/spoiler] when you get orders from above, you do as told

>She is leading you through the corridors and soon you know where your trip is headed
>'Keep Out' taped across the entrance of the laundry gives you really bad vibes as you arrive
>Even from a good while away from the door you were able to smell that distinct laundry detergent smell
>"Watch your step", Sec advises you as she climbs past the tape and into the room
>The entire area is a mess, clothes thrown about everywhere, things knocked over, cleaning supplies on the floor
>A thin layer of soap-y water almost makes you slip, but thankfully the pony with you catches you
>She leads you into the back and the acidic air immediately makes it hard for you to get air
>Your feels like it is on fire and you are pretty sure all the ponies that have gathered in the room feel the same
>All of them stand around a tub of water, silently, unsure of what to do
>Getting just a little closer, you can see what caused this somber mood in the first place
>Inside the tub you find Clean Sheets, or at least what is left of her
>Whatever she was forced into, the stuff must have been used to get rid of the most severe stains
>Most of her is gone, coloring the liquid a dark red
>A few pieces of what you presume to be meat is floating around but fizzling as it is dissolving as well
>Her skeleton has also seen better days, many of the bones now have holes eaten into them

>It takes you just a quick look to run out of the room and empty your stomach in a corner
>The captain comes out after you, giving you a pat on the back, "there, there, let it out"
>You wipe your mouth and look at him, swallowing down the bitter taste of bile in your mouth
"W-what happened?", you ask carefully, trying to understand what happened here
>The captain sighs: "It's been a struggle, that much is for sure. We don't know the assailant yet"
>He points at the disarray that is the room: "Someone or something ended up breaking into here. Clean must have tried to defend herself"
>On the floor lies a heavy metal rod that the captain picks up
>"See this? See how it is broken in two? That is one of the strongest steel Equestria is able to produce. It's broken in half"
>It takes you a moment to catch on to what he is talking about, but you finish his thought: "...whoever broke this must be strong"
>He nods: "No ordinary pony or hairless monkey could have done this", he looks at you and holds out a hoof
>"Cameras are conveniently dead again. I'm sorry, Anon, we shouldn't have blamed you for Metal's death"
>Shaking his hoof carefully and suspiciously he nods. "You are free to resume your job on the station. Or don't. We owe you a few days off"
>Without another word, he turns around and leaves the laundry

>Unable to stand this atmosphere any longer, or the thoughts of the deceased mare, you hurry out of the room yourself
>By now, all you want to do is wake up from this terrible nightmare
>Because that is what it is. What is has to be. Nothing more than a terrible, horrifying nightmare
>Your breath becomes heavy and you begin to hyperventilate
>A voice from behind you stops you dead in your tracks and makes you freeze though
>"I believe your stress levels may be about to reach dangerous heights, Anon"
>All of the mechanical sounding elements have disappeared, leaving behind a cold, angelic and uncanny sound
>Turning around quite stiffly, you look the robotic mare straight in the eyes
>Looks like she has upgraded her body and is now about your size
>A feat that really only the princesses have been able to accomplish so far
>Her muzzle is uncomfortably close to you and her constantly refocusing eyes look you up and down
>"Would you like me to accompany you, Anon?", she asks, but you feel like you have no choice but to agree

>She leads the two of you into an area that even you with your maintenance clearance usually do not have access to
>A big door sealed with multiple heavy steel rods reveals itself to you
>As Piezo walks up to it, the locks begin to unlatch and multiple, big gears can be heard turning to open the steel colossus
>Slowly, the door swings open and you find what you believe to be the ship's central AI Core
>Racks of fuses, levers and screens completely fill the walls of the tubular room
>In the middle is a seat with a massive wire hanging from the ceiling to which your robotic friend walks up to
>She sits down, takes the wire and plugs it into her neck, into a port that must be hidden under her mane
>Around you, all screens immediately come to life portraying a flickering ESS symbol
>"Is it not wonderful, Anon?", she slowly speaks, stretching out her front hooves
>You can't help but stand in awe at the marvelous engineering of this place and... now that you get a close look at her...
>She is quite the beauty, something you would easily rate a 9.5/10 on the scale
>Her pitch black mane, the shiny, yellow eyes. Your heart begins beating much faster than it should
>"Are you sick, Anon? Your heart rate seems elevated", she comments
>Moments of absolute silence, merely interrupted by some quiet beeping and humming from the machinery around you pass
>"Anon, would you like to join me?", she holds out a hoof to you and you are about to take it but something feels wrong
>Pulling back your hand, she cocks your head and looks at you confused: "Anon?"

"I'm sorry, Piezo", you say and rush out of the door, leaving the electronic mare behind, her hoof still stretched after you
>Too many things are happening at once and you aren't sure how to cope with it
>Dashing through the halls you rush into your room, locking the door and throwing yourself on the bed
>What the fuck is wrong with this place?!

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>>32212201
>Someone is knocking on your door, interrupting you trying to release some steam by jerking off
>Fortunately, you just started out and quickly pull up your pants, opening the door
>Outside a pony is waiting, looking to the floor and nervously scratching her leg
>"A-are you Anon?", she timidly asks, not looking up at you in any way
"Uh, yeah, I am. Can I help you?", you look at the brown colored mare
>The black freckles in her face remind you of a cookie, her flank showing the picture of said baked goods
>It dawns on you where you have seen her before, she is working together with Windy in the kitchen
>Unfortunately you never talked to her as she didn't seem to ever leave the comforts of her baking area
>"I, uh... my name is.... Cookie Crumble", she attempts her best to introduce herself
>You get down on your knees in front of her and hold out a hand, "it's nice meeting you, Cookie Crumble", you smile at her
>She hesitantly holds out her hoof and shakes your hand but quickly pulls back to return to her shy attitude
>"Have you... seen Windy? S-she always talked about how she likes coming to for ear scratches so... I-I can't enter the kitchen either, she has the key"
>She seems quite worried and now that you think about it you wondered where the Pegasus was
>Usually you see her at least every second day for her dose of scratching her ears, but the last you have seen her was three days ago
"Sorry, Cookie, I have not", you reply and decide to give her a bit of a nice treatment and start scratching her ears
>At first she shies away but soon leans into it, closes her eyes and hums
>It takes a moment but she turns red and gets away from your hand, apologizing as she dashes off
>Poor mare, she needs to relax a little bit

>What she has been saying about Windy worries you quite a lot though, so you decide to look for her
>First of her room, which is across the station from yours but you find your way there quickly enough
>You pass multiple ponies on your way, asking all of them about the missing Pegasus mare, no pony knows
>Knocking on her metal door, you hear nothing inside, everything is dead silent
>Panic builds up inside you, with the recent death spree something might have happened to her
"Windy? Windy, open up, it's me, Anon!", you desperately shout at the door as you keep knocking
>But after 10 minutes, you still get no reply and the door does not unlock
>Pulling out a screwdriver from your tool belt you unscrew the door panel and overriding security
>The satisfying "click" signals the door's opening as it slides away with a hiss, revealing a completely dark room
>Her room is in absolute chaos, things strewn about the floor, her ceiling lamp smashed and her bed ripped out of the wall
>You swallow hard as you step inside and use a flashlight in the room and your heart stops beating for a moment
>Shining it on the wall reveals a splat of crimson red, clearly what you think it is
>A trail goes down the wall and across the floor, it seems like the mare's body has been pulled around

>You follow it outside, where the trail seems to stop, the floor as clean as it could be
>Someone must have tried to clean up after them to avoid any kind of suspicion
>But that might have been a mistake, because you are able to trace the shiny metal through the station
>Strangely enough, it seems to lead to the dinning hall, more precisely the kitchen
>Did Windy try to escape here after getting attacked, maybe get a knife to fight with?
>No, she wouldn't have made it, not when someone wanted her dead
>But the trail clearly leads towards the back of the kitchen so you try to get there as well
"Hey, Windy, are you in there? You can come out, everything is fine!"
>There is no reply and just like in her room, the place is dead silent, apart from the occasional moving of the security cameras
>Now that you think about it, they seem to have always been moving when you were in the area
>You see a small opening that is used to push food out to the counter
>Taking your chance, you climb through it, it is quite the challenge but you do end up making it through

>The other side of the window is far less clean than you have hoped
>Almost everywhere you look blood covers every possible surface
>Bleeding knives are lying across the floor and you see a trail of blood to the stove in the corner
>Patches of green fur lie around the table that seemed to have been used to cut whatever caused this mess of red
>Rushing into the corner at the sight of this you once again have to vomit whatever food you had remaining
>Turning around you look through the room again, especially inspecting the blood that leads to the cooking area
>And another trail leading into a heavy duty metal door with a small window that's frozen to the point where looking inside isn't possible
>Carefully walking up to the door you get a shiver down your spine and your hands shake like they never shook before
>It wasn't immediately obvious to you, but now that you spent a bit of time here the faint smell of meat makes itself known
>You dismiss it for now and slowly turn the handle of the fridge, pulling on it to open the iced door with a screech
>The sight of the insides make you drop to the floor, tears streaming down your face and your heart sets out for a while

>Windy Breeze is tied to a rope on her forelegs, hanging from the ceiling, gagged and blinded
>Her back legs are missing entirely and her tail has also been cut off
"W-windy, w-what happened...", you beg not to her but hopefully a higher power that might be listening
>As you speak up, trying to bargain with fate, her body begins to move
>Slightly at first, but then struggling more and more
>In horror you look at the mare's attempt to free herself, her muffled cries for help tearing you apart
>Getting up you do your best to untie her quickly and hold her in your arms, still crying your soul out
>You pull away the gag and she begins to sob, reaching out for you
>Next you try to pull her blindfold off, but she stops you with a hoof, shaking her head as good as she can
>Gently carrying her through the food window, you run into the hallway, shouting at the top of your lungs
"Help! Oh by Celestia please, someone just come and help! I have... I HAVE A PONY THAT IS HURT", you cry out and run to the medical bay as fast as your legs can carry you

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>>32216937
>Hasty hoofsteps are heard around the corner and a bunch of ponies dash around it
>Among them is also Cookie Crumble, who freezes up at the sight of her friend in your arms
>You can't blame her, it is anything but a pretty sight
>Fortunately, two ponies with red crosses on their butt hurry towards you with a hospital bed on wheels
>Gently putting her down she frowns and looks like she is about to cry, but there are no tears leaking out from below her blindfold
>She holds out a hoof towards you, weakly and you start scratching her ears, trying to calm the hurt mare down
>The smile she puts on is making your heart break, filled with sadness, pain and fear
>Both medics push you away and tell you that she needs rest and cart her off, leaving you standing there
>Cookie rushes after Windy, obviously allowed to stay around her
>Out of frustration you kick the metal wall, which in retrospect was definitely not your most intelligent idea
"Fucking shit. FUCKING SHIT", you start shouting through the empty halls as you sink to your shaky knees
>You bang your fist against the wall and start crying. "Why. Why is this happening, what did she do to deserve this?"

>The walls around you light up, multiple faces of a certain artificial mare staring straight at you
>"What is the matter, Anon?", they all speak in unison, not a sense of worry, understanding or empathy present
"Go away!", you tell her, not even close to having the nerve of talking with anyone right now, "I don't feel well"
>All cameras simultaneously seem to zoom in and set their electric sight on you
>And to your luck, one of the wall panels opens up, the graceful figure of Piezo leaving it
>She gently sways her hips, in quite a seductive manner if you wouldn't know any better
>Her body can definitely rival Princess Celestia's cake filled flank
>But right now that really isn't helping you and you get up, walking away in the opposite direction of the steadily advancing mare
>Your attempts to hurry up and escape her are cut short as two cleaning drones come at you, blocking your path
>Glancing back, you see that P-0's mechanical exterior has already caught up to you
>The way she is looking at you makes your neck hair stand up straight and a cold shower drip down your back
>"Anon, I know what will make you feel better", she tells you and once again holds out a hoof, "become one with me. Forever"
>Subconsciously you back up from the mare and straight into the cleaning robots who stare at you in disdain
>Looking between her, yourself, the robots and back to her you sigh. "I... I can't, I'm sorry Piezo"
>Quickly dashing past her, you make your way away from the mare who just decides to watch you and let you go

>You want to wake up from this nightmare, please, just wake up already, you pinch yourself
>Unsure of where your going, your feet seem to have their own mind and take you through the big station
>In front of a door you come to your halt, a big red cross covering the otherwise normal looking door
>Touching the control panel with your hands the door opens up and you step inside
>One thing that you notice is that this place does not seem to have any cameras installed, is Piezo unable to survey this area?
>Part of you really hopes so, she has started behaving quite weird in the past few weeks
>Usually she just ended up talking when you initiated a conversation, she wouldn't talk on her own
>Maybe that is what caused you to become friends with her, she was just as quiet as you were
>For now though, something else comes to your mind and hearing something shift in a bed hidden behind a curtain just makes you more aware of that though
>You hurry towards the source of the noise, pull the curtain away and find Cookie Crumble crying into the sheets of an otherwise empty bed
>She has not noticed you yet and doesn't seem like she'll stop sobbing anytime soon
>Putting your hand on her head you give her the ear scratchies and try to calm her down, with limited success
>She looks up to you but her eyes are red from the amount of tears she was shedding
>A lump in your throat forms as you fear the worst, you quietly ask: "Is she...."
>You don't finish your sentence as Cookie shakes her head and latches on to your legs, using your pants as new makeshift tear absorber

>It feels like a world breaks apart and you hoist up the crying mare and pull her close
>Laying down on the bed, you push your head into her fur and begin letting out your emotions as well
>The earth pony seems to appreciate not being alone and so the two of you lie together, trying to tough out the grief this day brought you
>And you two cry for hours. You cry until you run out of tears. And then you continue sobbing
>But all of this is taking a toll on you, and the two of you fall asleep on the hospital bed with a mare in your arms

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>Something tickling your nose wakes you up rather rudely from your tear induced slumber
>You pull your head away and slowly try to open your eyes, which turns out to be harder than you expected
>All the crying really fucked you up big time, despite sleeping for... you don't even know how long you still feel exhausted as fucked
>Trying to blink away the burning of your eyes you are slowly focus on what has made you wake up
>A brown mare has taken hold of your upper body, her hooves wrapped around you quite tightly and her face buried into your neck
>The tickle of her mane must have been what has woken you up
>She's still fast asleep, but you can see that her cheeks have been stained by her and possibly your own tears
>Her fur is still slightly damp
>But it doesn't detract from the cuteness of a pony snuggling tightly to you
>The slowly heaving chest almost suggests that everything is just peachy
>And being this close you could swear you could hear her heartbeat
>You pray to Celestia's fat ass, you really hope that you aren't gonna pop a boner right now
>"Do you enjoy this mare's presence?", a voice behind you makes your entire body tense up, sending a wave of terror over you
>Very slowly you turn your head, to find yourself face to face with something that you feel like you were having a nightmare about
>Two red eyes surrounded by apertures stare right into your own eyes, and right into your soul
>A primal fight or flight reflex fills your entire body as your heart is switching into overdrive
>The station's AI once again opens her mouth, her voice cold, with what you'd almost call a hint of disdain: "Is this mare being a nuisance?"
>In response, all you can do is shake your head ever so slightly, not letting your eyes leave the terrifying presence looming over you
>Seconds pass. Then what feels like minutes and hours
>The humming of tiny motors that accompanies them always making it clear to you that you are at some higher power's mercy
>Then, wordlessly the robotic pony turns around and leaves, her metallic hooves quietly clanking on the floor of the infirmary with every step

>All you can do is sigh in relief as the airtight seal of the door falls into place and the place goes back to the quiet hum of the lights
>Cookie begins to rouse from her own slumber, her head gently lifting into the air as she tries to gather her bearings
>Her hair is in disarray, you wonder if she always wakes up with a bedmane like this
>It's a welcoming sight after what you feel has been like an encounter with the grim reaper herself
>She seems a little lost at the moment and it takes a while for her to gather her bearings again
>And then she looks straight at you, down to her cuddling form and back at your face
"Good morning, sleepyhead", you say with a warm smile
>In turn, she turns as red as a strawberry, immediately pushing herself away from you
>With an adorable little "Eeeeep!", she falls off the side of the bed with a little *thump*
>"O-ouch", she quietly whimpers as she rubs her head
>You quickly get out of the bed and help her get up on her hooves, "sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you"
>She shakes her head and meekly replies "n-no it's... a-alright"
>That blush on her face is still visible, even though she tries to turn her head away from you
>"I-I'm a bit of a cuddler", she says, not daring to look at you
>God she's adorable, in another universe people would probably call her the designated waifu
"I'm starving, want to get some grub?", you ask her as you head towards the exit of the room
>She's about to open her mouth to reply when a growling of a very hungry pony's belly sounds in the room
>Embarrassed, she looks to the floor and just quietly begins following you around

>The walk around is mostly silent, the entire station seems void of any sign of life
>Somewhat creepy you ought to admit, but it isn't something you aren't used to
>The station is big and there is only so much personal to go around
>But with all that's happened lately, you can't help but feel paranoid of being jumped and stabbed in the back at every turn
>And halfway you realized where you were headed to right about now, your legs stopping and your stomach turning
>Cookie seems to take notice and rushes to your side, doing her best to hold you upright
>"A-anon, are you alright? What's the matter?", she begins to panic a little
>Part of you is thankful that she doesn't seem to have realized where you were headed to
>Instead, she leads you to down another hallway and comes to a stop in front of a room
>Putting a hoof onto the terminal, it opens up and you realize that this must be Cookie's place of residency while on board of the station
>She pulls you inside and sits you down on the bed as she gets a chair for herself to sit down in front of you
>The mare is holding your hand, looking at you with quite a bit of concern
>Thankfully your dizziness and the sick feeling in your guts slowly fades away and you are able to take a deep breath
>So much for being hungry and going to get some food, you think to yourself
>It's the first time that you are able to take in your surroundings properly now
>The room is much bigger than you imagined, clearly meant for more than one pony
>It's basically split in half, two beds on each side and a drawer to match
>Looks like each inhabitant is allowed to set up their side to whatever they like
>A neatly stored set of books that seem to be mostly about baking are on top of the drawer next to the bed
>Between them is a smaller book that seems to be a book from the Daring Do series
>Seems like Cookie has a bit of a nerdy side to her as well, or maybe she dreams of adventuring herself someday? Who knows
>On the wall is a poster of a mare with a microphone, she must be some kind of star
>"The countess of rainbows" tour is written on it, with an additional "Featuring Songbird Serenade"
>The names don't sound very familiar to you, but you've never been much into /mu/sic anyways. You're thankful for that.

>All in all, you'd call this place quite cozy... if it wasn't for the side straight across from you
>The room is clean. As in, pristine. The floor is clean enough to eat your food from, the bed looks absolutely untouched
>There isn't a single speck of dust around and it feels... wrong
>Artificial if you had to put it into words. Fabricated as to hide some terrible truth
>Your companion seems to take notice too, her face going through a range of emotions in mere seconds
>Her reaction is telling and you feel that heavy urge to void your insides right this moment
>"No, you can't do this, you can't be here", your mind screams at you and tells you to get up
>With your legs feeling as heavy as stone, you do your best to get up and take careful steps forwards
>Passing Cookie Crumble you just glance at her, her expression just looking empty
>And with that, you make your way out of the room and return to yours
>With the last bit of energy you have left you take all the heavy objects you can find and push them in front of the door
>That should keep anyone out that is coming for you...

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>Your head is spinning and you frantically look around your room for the bottle of pills
>Finally spotting it hidden under the covers of your bed you rip open the top and start praying to Luna that you'll OD on your meds
>Dying always made people wake back up from nightmares in movies, right?
>Or maybe they just died, you honestly don't have the nerve to even try and remember some shitty horror flicks right now
>But trying to get anything out of the container leads to nothing but more disappointment, it's entirely empty
>You could have sworn it was half full last time you opened it up and you always made sure to restock if you were close to running out
>Slumping against the wall you fall silent, only the sound of your heavy breathing accompanying your self-made solitude
>"Anon, your pulse is elevated and your adrenaline levels are reaching critical levels. Is your well-being threatened?", the speaker next to you pipes up
>Horrified you turn to the black box, tears welling up in your eyes
>Your face darts up towards the camera in your room that has clearly taken interest in you, an eye that is unmoving and unblinking
>"This mare must have put you into distress. This must be...", there is an uncomfortable pause, "...rectified"
>With a cry of anger you take the speaker and throw it at the camera as hard as you can
>It makes a satisfying sound as the glass of the camera cracks into pieces, showering you in shards of glass
>For a second it seems like it's raining tiny diamonds, or even stars, shimmering in the uncomfortably bright light of your room

>A wrench next to you looks quite appealing at this moment in time
>With shaky hands you pick it up and hold it over your head, staring at the black speaker on the floor
>And you bring it down as hard as you can. Again and again. Each swing, you put a bit more of your anger, your sadness and your frustration into it
>The sound of metal on metal is ear piercing but you couldn't give any less of a shit
>Your emotions are going absolutely haywire as you smash the voice box into tiny, tiny pieces
>One last swing and the wrench drops out of your hands clattering onto the floor
>Down on your knees and hands you are trying to grasp for air
"I need to get out of here", you tell yourself as you use the wall to pull yourself up to your feet
>The speaker sparks sparks a little before ultimately giving up and dying for good
>Getting off this station was unfortunately not an easy task
>The next resupply wouldn't be for another 2 weeks and who knows if you'd be able to survive that long up here
>But if you get to the bridge and get to talk to Twilight, she might be able to send a rescue mission your way
>Mobilizing your strength, you once again remove the barricade that was meant to keep you safe and venture outside

>On your way through the hallways, you're doing your best to avoid any and all cameras and using maintenance pathways wherever possible
>Fortunately for you, that is one of the few places that Piezo does not seem to be able to survey
>At least you never saw any cameras while working down here
>The crawlspaces aren't comfortable, and you keep getting lost a bunch of times without your holomap
>You made sure to leave that behind, something tells you the station intelligence would be able to track you through it somehow
>As you crawl past a vent, you hear the sound of whirring and robotic movement that makes you curious
>Taking a careful glance outside, you see something that horrifies you: Ship Drones patrolling the hallways up and down
>It's almost as if they are searching for something, or rather for someone - You
"No, no that's just paranoia speaking!", you tell yourself, smacking the side of your head a few times, "get a hold of yourself, anon"
>Once again you look outside, watching the drones walk past the vent and fortunately ignoring your hiding spot
>All of a sudden, the light of the station dims and the emergency lights engage, drowning the station in an unsettling hue of blood red
>"Warning. The station is now on lockdown. All personal is requested to return to their quarters and await further instructions", all of the speakers sing in unison
>"Warning. The station is now on lockdown. All personal is requested to return to their quarters and await further instructions", the alarm repeats
>And the announcement is repeated for a third time before it is replaced by a quieter but noticeable alarm sound

>From further down the hallway, somewhat distant, you hear a screaming that is quickly falling silent again though
>It came from the direction you've been at earlier, Cookie Crumbles room and the color drains of your face
>You hurry up, knowing exactly where your destination lies now
>And a few minutes later, you end up right where you want to be
>Making sure to be as quiet as you can, you climb out of the maintenance vent and drop down on the floor
>The door stands wide open but seems to be entirely in order
>But the room inside, you can only describe it as absolute chaos
>It looks like the beds have been picked up and thrown through the room, the drawers are completely smashed to pieces
>In the center of the room a puddle of crimson liquid glisters in the red neon light of the station's emergency lamps
>You can feel your heart stop for a moment in your chest as you visually follow the trail of blood out of the room and along the empty hall

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