Rainbow Factory - The Closure

by BlazeGriff1n

This CreepyPasta is a sequel to the story "Rainbow Factory" and an alternative story to "Pegasus Device" by AuroraDawn. But in my story, there will be no Absentia...

2. Chapter 2 - The Old Dispatch Center

Chapter 2 - The Old Dispatch Center

This couldn't have been a dream! As I reached for my mouth, I noticed something moist on my wrist, which ran down my throat. I looked at my wrist and saw...blood. My blood. I stopped for a moment to look at it. I slowly felt my neck and noticed a small stab wound that hurt a lot. What had hit me there? It was very painful to touch the wound. Even if it was not deep, it was definitely not a mosquito bite.

I had to go home as soon as possible to get clear thoughts and to think about this day. So I looked for the main street to orientate myself. I was often in the city, but I didn't know this part of town so well because it was a bit further outside. When I stood at the main street I tried my luck by walking towards the city center, at the latest from there I would find my way back home.

I found myself next to the big main street in my town, which led to the city center. When I recognized my former job on the other side of the street, I had found my orientation again and knew how to get home from here. I walked past the large former dispatch centre. It was really a bit scary to see it standing so empty after the previous business in there had gone bankrupt. And since the building was a bit older, it was hard for the city to find a new tenant for the property. The huge front full of dark windows made it seem as if you were being watched. Especially now that it was night time I had a bad feeling walking alone through here. You felt really small when you walked past it. As I walked past the main entrance I noticed the big house number on the wall and I stopped immediately. With trembling hands I took the note and the key out of my pocket and I turned chalk-white when I read the identical house number on the note.

I had already reached the point where I had to accept that everything really happened. I didn't want to admit it, but the facts spoke for themselves. So to get through this night without going crazy, I decided to accept it. The train ride, Equestria, Glaze, the stab wound... it all really happened. I had really experienced it. And now I was holding a key to a huge, empty and old dispatch center where I didn't know what to expect.

I stood spellbound in front of the building and looked at it wordlessly. I wanted to go home, but my curiosity was stronger at that moment than my need to sleep...at least for now. I approached the entrance and looked at all the signs and boards on which the name of the former company was taped in black. That seemed a little strange to me, but that was one of the least of my problems at that moment.

When I stood at the entrance door, I took a look inside to see if I could recognize anything. But the corridor behind the door was dark as well and the only thing I noticed at the door was the old surveillance camera, which was not working because of the dirt on the lens. I briefly shook the door to check if it was open, but it was firmly locked. Should I try the key from my pocket?

I put the key in the lock and turned it. The door was difficult to open, but I tried to gently push the door open so as not to break the key. With a croaking sound it opened and I could enter the dark passage behind it. It led to a big floor where probably long ago there was an open-plan office. The moonlight fell sideways on the floor from the window front of the building. One could easily see where there were columns in the room, so I did not accidentally run into one. I went forward to the windows and looked out. From here I could see all the buildings near my old workplace and under other circumstances I could have really enjoyed this view, but I just wanted to go home. I would come back the next day to see what this building was all about.

Just as I turned around, I heard a door open in the hallway through which I had entered the floor. I stood motionless, probably a security guard was present in the building and heard me come through the door. Probably this person would ask me how I could get the key to the building and I would like to know the explanation. I saw a light shining from the room into the hallway. But I did not hear a word, not even footsteps. So I decided to slowly approach the passage. I was looking at the open door when suddenly a fluttering noise made me wince. It echoed through the entire empty floor. Maybe it was just a bird that somehow got into the building, since it had been empty for so long and apparently no one cared about maintenance. So I plucked up my courage and kept going towards the door, which was ajar, and I glanced in carefully. It was apparently an old storeroom, where some detergent, paper handkerchiefs and a covered mattress lay inside. It came to me now as if it was the right thing to do to lie on the mattress and falling asleep because it would have been a long way home. And even before I thought about whether I was really alone here, I did so and put my luggage aside.

The next day I slowly woke up again. That was quite a night. I slept so soundly that I did not want to wake up at all. Drunk asleep I got up and somehow hoped that the experience of the last day was only a dream. But I could not deny that I was still in the old dispatch building. What was my task? There was nothing here but empty corridors, what kind of project was this Dr. Atmosphere talking about? I didn't know what to do and decided to go home first. Outside it was already daylight and the sunbeams illuminated the corridor in front of the entrance door through which I came in last night. When I went to open it, I noticed that it was locked.

"Strange, did I lock the door behind me last night?" I asked myself.

I reached into my pocket to look for the key. It was no longer there, I got nervous. I couldn't remember having locked the door last night, very probably I had left the key in the door. It is possible that someone from outside locked the door and took the key with them. If that was the security service of the premises, why didn't they check why the door was open? They could have easily found me in my condition.

I had to get home, get out of that building. I wasn't allowed to be here, this was private property of the city, I could get a charge for trespassing. I shook the door, but it would not open. Outside, I saw people walking along the street. I saw the cars going past the building. I knocked loudly against the glass to draw people's attention to me, but they were too far away. Between the main street and the entrance was the big empty parking lot, no one would hear me from here, even shouting wouldn't help.

"Ok...Calm down again...", I said to myself. "...you're just locked up in a public building. You just have to wait until someone sees you and calls someone to get you out. Don't panic, you'll be all right."

Unfortunately, I owned a mobile phone that was produced in a very sustainable way, but already after 1 day without charge it was worn out. I looked to the side when I recognized an old house phone. When I picked up the handset, however, there was no dial tone. The cable seemed fine, but the line was dead. There was a little dust on the phone. Probably the line had been disconnected a long time ago. So there was no way I could get out quickly. So I had to find another way, because I didn't want to end up in a dusty dispatch building.

I started looking for emergency exits. Normally the emergency exits should never be locked, even if the building was empty. When I went to the back of the building I found what I was looking for. The emergency exit could be opened. Finally I could leave the building. But I could not rejoice for long, because a big fence stood in my way. This fence was much too high and was covered with barbed wire. Obviously the old company did not want that anyone else entered this property. Freedom was within my grasp, I could see through the fence to the old surrounding industrial park of the company. It was a pretty isolated area. I didn't have a chance to meet anyone here, but the fence was the only obstacle to my freedom. Outside, I could see a large tower that still had the logo of the former company. But that was not important now, something else seemed to become more important at that moment: I hadn't eaten since the last day and it was already noon. So now I had two problems: I had to get out of here as soon as possible and I needed something to eat.

I could think of one last way to draw attention to myself. I could go up to the roof of the building and wave down from there, someone would certainly see me. So I went back in through the emergency exit and made my way to the top floor. Since the electricity in the building was apparently still there, I decided to look for an elevator. But I didn't have to search for a long time, because all floors were empty and you could see to the other end of the hall. Furthermore the sunlight from outside illuminated the floor brightly. I got into the elevator and pressed the top number I could find. The elevator closed the doors and went up. It was in much better condition than the freight elevator in the freight depot.

When I reached the top, I looked into a sparsely lit corridor with many junctions, rooms and doors. Only the windows in the transverse corridors filled some light into the darkness. Again I felt uneasy at the thought of being all alone in this building. It would take me a while to find my way up to the roof, but it was my only chance to get someone's attention. I got off the elevator and the doors closed. Again I was standing in almost complete darkness, as probably only the most necessary fuses of the building were turned on.

I walked further down the corridor to find what looked like a staircase or a ladder. Some of the doors were slightly open and one could see the empty rooms behind them. The carpet was the only thing left of the office equipment. Some rooms were locked but the doors did not look very conspicuous. Probably there were also old offices behind it. But then I noticed something unnatural. Just like the last evening I looked in the corridor at a leaning door, where a weak artificial light shone through. The closer I came to the room, the more I noticed a smell in the air. It was the smell of... fried eggs.

I approached the room and as I entered it, I noticed that it was furnished with everything an office needed. There was an old desk there and the lamp on it was on because it was dark in the room due to the curtains being drawn. Beside the desk there was a small food trolley on which there were numerous kinds of fruits, bread and the fried eggs. At that moment I had concentrated too much on the food without noticing that I was obviously not alone in this building.

I went to the desk and wondered who owned the food here. But this feeling was soon outweighed by my hunger and I ate the fried eggs and the bread on what was lying there. It was really tasty and should give me some strength again. As I was reaching for the fruit, I heard something from the corridor. It was the elevator, someone had come up in the elevator. I went to the door and looked into the corridor outside towards the elevator.

"Hello? Is somebody there?" I shouted, but there was no answer.

I walked slowly forward to the hallway where the elevator was. But I stopped as soon as I saw a shadow coming out of the elevator. This was no normal human shadow, the shadow had the shape of a creature with big wings. Also the creature flew very slowly, I could hear the slow beating of its wings. Something had come out of that elevator and it was not human. I had the feeling it was looking for me, the wing beats were getting louder. When the doors of the elevator closed, the shadow disappeared. But I could still hear the wing beats coming closer and closer.

I sat in panic at the corner and didn't know what to do. Should I run back to the office and lock the door? What should I do then? What did the creature want from me anyway? Why was it looking for me? Maybe it was a pony looking for me, an equestrian Pegasus, but its wings and stature were much too big for that. It had used the elevator, so it couldn't have been a bird. I had nowhere to go, so I slowly decided to look around the corner. I looked down the dark corridor and when the figure became visible through the light of a window, I realized what it was. It was really a pony.

"Hey, you! How did you get here?" I asked trembling.

The pony was scared and hid in a dark side corridor. I heard the violent flapping of his wings, just like I had heard it the previous evening in the lower level.

"Did Dr. Atmosphere send you? Is that why you are here?" I asked, but again I didn't get an answer.

I walked slowly forward and noticed the pony watching me from the side corridor, but it didn't come towards me.

"What in Equestria...are you?" it asked hesitantly.

"Listen, I'm a human being. I'm not gonna hurt you if you don't hurt me. Agreed?"

The pony came out of the shadows and I could see its appearance. But I noticed immediately that the mane had a different colour like the tail. This was very unusual for a pony. I knew the series well and normally every pony had the same colour of mane and tail. Because of the light in the elevator the shadow seemed much bigger than the pony really was. When I came closer, the pony picked up a letter with its mouth which it probably dropped because of the shock.

"A human being? So this is what you look like... and you seem to understand me." the pony stared at me briefly. "Sorry, I've never been this close to a human being before. You must be the one the Doctor sent for the project, right?"

I nodded. Then the pony became a little more relaxed and came closer.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Codi. I'm supposed to give you this from Dr. Hide Atmosphere. He said, it contains everything we need to know when you arrive," said the pony and handed me the big letter that was stuck in his wing.

On the letter was again the logo of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory. When I opened the letter, there were numerous other documents enclosed besides the letter from Dr. Atmosphere. It seemed to be some sketches or construction plans. But I couldn't read them because they were marked with strange signs and symbols that I didn't know. But the letter was apparently typewritten, just like the flyer in my mailbox back home.

"Dear executive,

We are pleased to inform you that you are now employed as the head of our newly founded EQUESTRIA Ltd. LLP subsidiary. We would like to accompany you on your first steps.

In your new company we have already taken precautions to ensure that you and your workers have the best conditions to meet our requirements.

Enclosed you will receive your first project, which you should complete with your team. If you complete the assignment as quickly as possible and to our satisfaction, you can expect more demanding tasks in the further course of the project in order to further expand your company.

Here's to a good cooperation!

This text was created using a template."

Of course, this letter had been created with the help of a template, which I had recognized even without the note. Atmosphere probably never could have been so friendly. But we knew nothing about the project, so I looked at the documents together with the others. The project was called "Pegasus Device". The name sounded tempting. It was probably the blueprint for a machine that would make the Pegasi in Cloudsdale's Weather Factory easier to work with. Personally, I was really into automation, which would give everyone in the factory more free time. I thought I would really enjoy this project, but I had no idea how wrong I would be.

On the back of the letter, I was told that I had to procure the materials needed to build the device myself, as these did not exist in Equestria. The payment, however, was taken care of, for the goods and also for me. The currency, however, did not tell me anything, according to the letter I was paid 1 Bit per day, of which the goods should be paid as well. Then I thought, in Equestria a Bit was the same as a gold coin. If I considered the current value per gold ounce, that was more money than I would have earned in any other job. Even if the project did incur costs, it could make me rich in a short time. Codi, however, seemed less impressed and advised me to renegotiate my salary after this project. Apparently 1 bit in Equestria was relatively little money.

There was no end date for the project, we should just finish it as soon as possible. Now I wanted to impress the company by everything in the world. And that doesn't change the fact that I was probably totally crazy to work with a pony to develop a machine to be used in a fictional world.

After I read the note, Codi wanted to show me something. He got into the elevator with me and pressed the button for the basement with his hoof. During the elevator ride down, Codi examined me from top to bottom. But I couldn't blame him. It was the first time he saw a human being that close. But since I first met Glaze, I had gotten a bit used to it. I just wondered what he wanted to show me so badly.

The elevator slowly stopped and opened the doors. Except for the bright glow from the elevator, you could see nothing but darkness. There weren't even windows on that floor.

"Codi, what are we doing here?" I asked him.

"Let me introduce you to the others." he said.

"What others?" I asked him again, but he didn't answer me.

He left the elevator and I walked beside him. Then he stopped until the elevator doors closed behind us and we were completely in the dark.

"It's me, he's here!" Codi shouted into the hall.

Then I noticed hoofsteps approaching from different directions. I tried to stay calm and stood there frozen. Then the hoofsteps stopped just before us and the mechanical bang of a big electric fuse made the hall shine in a bright white light. I looked at a dozen ponies staring at me with big eyes. Each of them had a special colouring and they were also different ponies. Some were Pegasus ponies, some were unicorns, and there were even some earth ponies among them. None of the ponies dared come any closer to me.

"Don't worry, he's all right. I found him upstairs in the executive lounge just as he was getting his strength back."

So the ponies had made breakfast for me, and I thought I was all alone in this building. It was a short introduction round, so that I was allowed to get to know each of the ponies. The fact that Atmosphere didn't like me had already gotten around, but that made me look nice to the ponies. As far as I understood the ponies correctly, however that was possible, they had not worked for the Weather Factory for long, but nobody really liked Atmosphere. We were a fun group and I had a great feeling about the project.

We decided to start the project the next day, as we spent the rest of the day getting to know each other better. Codi helped me with delegation tasks and took his role as my co-manager very seriously, I tried to observe his leadership style in order to be able to score later on in the Weather Factory. They didn't even want to be paid for their work, as it contradicted their morals in Equestria. They said that ponies in Equestria worked basically for free and only for the common good. Money would only be needed in Equestria if you wanted to own something that could not be achieved with barter objects. And you can get the money from any pony, if necessary all helped each other. What a nice attitude towards life, but unfortunately it would never work with humans. But this was not the time for daydreams. We had a project ahead of us and I wanted to finish it as soon as possible.

Codi showed me how to get unnoticed from the old dispatch center to the railway depot where the first deliveries were to arrive. Now it also explained how the ponies could get here unnoticed. The deliveries were to be made by freight trains, so I first looked for suitable suppliers and decided to accept the goods myself. Of course I did not want that someone noticed that fictitious ponies existed here! Even though some people might have wondered what I needed all the material for. But the questions were limited, because they had a strict schedule which they had to follow. With the help of the workers' ponies we managed to set up the scaffolding in the warehouse after only a few days and started to assemble the first metal parts from the ground. Now I also understood why this building was chosen for the assembly. It offered a lot of space and was no longer visited by people, since the last company that was based here went bankrupt. I only hoped that it would not happen to me the same way.

Whenever I stood on the platform and received the deliveries, it was wonderful to feel the wind, the warmth of the sun and the twittering of birds. This place was still a little scary at night, but during the day the silence was very relaxing. But there was also a pleasant atmosphere at work. In fact, I didn't have to do much as a manager, the ponies brought enough harmony to the work and worked eagerly. They often sang songs and Codi was always the first to take care of any problems between them. I got along well with him and we talked for a long time, some of which we had leisure activities and hobbies. I noticed that I had a lot in common with Codi, as if we had known each other for a long time. Hiring him as my co-manager was the only thing I was grateful for so far.

In a short time we grew together like a family. We talked more and more about private things while working. I sometimes had the feeling that they knew me better than I knew myself. And when the workers were particularly motivated, I even lent a hand myself. It didn't take long and we had the outer frame of the machine ready. It looked like a huge funnel. Now all that was missing was the technology inside. This was not marked with normal electrical symbols, but Codi was able to decipher the symbols on the building plan, so he also took over the planning and execution for this. It made me a bit queasy to burden these dear innocent ponies with such work. At the machine I always found sharp and pointed parts which we had to handle very carefully. I took meticulous care that nothing would happen to my ponies.

Then the last parts came by train. The larger parts consisted of a small combustion chamber and mechanical pistons, which would probably be operated by steam. So we were able to test the machine before putting it into operation in the factory. Safety seems to have been a top priority here. But I became suspicious when I saw the other components: among other things, there were razor-sharp circular saw blades. When I took a closer look at the manual, I saw that the machine should look like a big shredding machine at the end. Inside there was a big fan, but I didn't really understand its purpose. Maybe the hopper could be cleaned more effectively with it.

On the sides were six large pipes with viewing windows, which were marked with the colours RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, VIOLET. The colour combination reminded me of a rainbow, which I found a nice side effect. However, I was not sure for what the machine should be good. If Codi had read the plan carefully, the machine was designed to produce colours from "raw material". This would also explain the saws. Probably the raw material or mineral is very resistant and had to be crushed to produce the rainbow colours. Probably some crystals, but I should find out very soon why the machine was called "Pegasus Device".

So we had the machine ready after a few months and were ready to ship it. The only question was how to contact the Weather Factory in Cloudsdale, but that didn't seem necessary. Apparently our work was being watched. In a letter I found in the business mailbox, Dr. Atmosphere asked me to test the machine on site. I would only have to check the machine to make sure it was working properly so that he could make sure we hadn't made any mistakes and that the machine would only be transported to Equestria if it was working properly. Therefore we used the provided steam engine to put the "Pegasus Device" into operation.

The installation went off without any problems. I inspected the huge structure of iron and pipes. I had a little uneasy feeling in case something goes wrong, but that was probably just my nervousness. I had never been given so much responsibility in my life before. Codi coordinated the power-up sequence. He flew around the structure making sure everyone was in place.

"Okay, everybody ready? Engineering Department? What's the steam pressure?" he shouted back to some ponies watching the gauges on the control panel.

"The steam pressure is constant, no variances."

"What about stability?"

"No external weaknesses or damage detected. The machine is oiled and ready for use."

I was relieved. There was green from all departments. Now was the moment. In a few seconds it will show whether we have completed the project successfully and whether the invention works.

The eyes of the workers were fixed on me. I didn't know what would happen when the power lever was pulled. I was nervous that the machine would not work and my future here would be over. And I would never get the chance to travel to Equestria again.

"Boss, shall I pull the lever?" Codi asked me.

I thought for a moment.

"No... no, I'll do it."

I looked around the room. For the first time in my life, I was in control of something big. It was a proud feeling, but also somehow uncomfortable. I decided to get it over with quickly.

Then I pushed the lever down.

The Pegasus Device began to hiss and the steam slowly set the pistons in motion. The engine had a small control panel with many glowing dots on it. The ponies knew which symbols to press and I followed the initialization. The machine got louder as the mechanism of pistons and saw blades in the machine started to move.

"Let's pray it works," I said anxiously to the workers.

Suddenly the machine stopped. Several red lights came on in the upper part of the machine. I panicked, something had gone wrong. The control panel apparently showed an error that Codi could decode. Apparently, the machine needed something to process. Only I had no idea what to take. I looked around and saw the wooden pallets and boxes in which the machine parts were delivered. Well, the machine looked pretty solid, so we tried a big piece of wood. Of course I knew that it would not be possible to make rainbow colours from wood, but to test the grinder this should be enough.

When two of my Pegasi workers rose into the air and held the large piece of wood over the opening of the grinder, I got a bad feeling. I did not want anyone to get hurt. They threw the piece of wood into the machine and it landed hard on the saw blades in the hopper, but there was no reaction. I didn't even know where this sensor for the raw material was installed, after all Codi had supervised the whole set-up. It was listed as a component and should be located at the upper mouth of the mill. Why didn't it respond to the object? The first doubts came up. Had we forgotten to connect the sensor to the electronics? Was the wood really visible to the sensor? Had we missed anything in all the private conversations at work?

I could not afford to make a mistake on my first project. So I ordered the two Pegasi to approach the shaft carefully in order to move the wood in the right direction. However, this was very dangerous as the machine was still running. But to shut it down, we would have to shut down the whole machine and start it again. I could not use this temporal setback shortly before success. When the Pegasi went into the funnel, I couldn't see her from below. I got a little nervous.

"Hey, everything okay up there? How's it looking? You got the bug?" I yelled out.

"No, everything seems normal here. Maybe the wood jammed the saw blades. We're trying to move it."

"Please be very careful, the grinder is extremely strong. If you end up in there, that's it for you. I don't want you to hurt yourselves."

"Yes, Mama. We can take care of ourselves." the two Pegasi laughed.

As they flew just above the saw blades, I noticed something on the control terminal. A red light slowly started flashing. Apparently the scanner was trying to restart.

"Hey, I think it seems to work! Keep trying!" I shouted up.

"Um...Chief? All of a sudden, a red crystal shines up in here. It shines right in our faces. What's that all about?"

"I think this is the sensor. Keep going, we're almost there."

"The crystal shines very brightly now. Shall we come out again?"

"Make sure nothing is tilted and then get out of there immediately." I shouted.

Suddenly the machine started to move, the saw blades apparently started to rotate and cut the wood like butter. Only sawdust came out in the collecting container under the machine.

"Whew, that was close. Boss, the machine is running again," said Codi and the worker ponies cheered visibly relieved.

The others marveled at the machine in awe, but I looked at Codi questioningly, who looked at the control desk in panic.

"The fan... it's going the wrong way! It's not blowing, it's sucking in!" Codi shouted in panic.

I noticed that the Pegasi no longer came out of the machine. The ponies would be pulled directly into the saw blades by the suction, we had to prevent that. Probably the machine would be damaged during the emergency stop, but I didn't care. I had to help them! The engine was getting louder and louder and the steam engine was running faster and faster. I could not hear the Pegasi anymore because of the noise. The employees also noticed that something was wrong and tried to help. The ponies at the control desk together with Codi tried to switch off the engine with the lever, but the steam engine was turning too fast, so the lever could not be operated. In the corner of my eye I noticed the overpressure valves that I could use to extract the steam from the engine.

I took off my jacket and wrapped it around my hand to open the valves and release the steam pressure. The hot steam was pouring onto my arms and I cried out in pain, but I just had to save them. But I couldn't stand the pain for a second longer, my jacket was boiling hot and I had probably scalded my whole arms while trying. When I looked over to the terminal, I saw that the ponies were already disconnecting all lines from the control panel to the machine. But even without the control panel the machine kept on turning due to the steam power, it could not be switched off.

I looked up and suddenly I saw the two Pegasi approaching the edge of the funnel and trying to hold on to it.

"Come on, a little further! You're almost there!" I shouted.

Then one of the Pegasi looked at me with an exhausted look. The look told me that they were at the end of their tether. They wouldn't make it, the suction was too strong. My blood froze in my veins when I saw how they closed their eyes in mortal fear and exhaustion and stopped flapping their wings. My blood froze as they disappeared again into the funnel of the machine. Shortly afterwards, you could hear them hitting the bottom of the machine hard. The saw blades cried out and sawed through the body of Pegasi without much effort. Through the grinder you could hear and feel the cracking of the skeleton and its bones. It was a disgusting noise. The steam coming out of the machine smelled like boiled meat.

We could only stand by and watch. The last thing the machine emitted was a foul-smelling pile of meat and bone remains that fell into the collecting container with the wood shavings. A few ponies poured the remaining buckets of water into the combustion chamber, which we had previously fetched for the water tank. They managed to extinguish the fire in the combustion chamber of the steam engine, so that the Pegasus Device slowed down more and more and came to a standstill again with a metallic cave.

We remained in rigor for a few moments to understand what had just happened.

As we slowly approached the engine, we saw the full extent in the collection container. The skeletons of the ponies were almost unrecognizable.

They were dead. Two ponies were... dead. Killed by... by that machine... by me. We did not know how to deal with the situation. All together we stared at what was left of the two Pegasi. No one dared say a word, let alone approach the machine. I struggled between screams and tears, but when I looked into Codi's eyes, I could see exactly what he was thinking: "How could this happen, who was responsible? And I knew the answer to that, because it was me who had started the machine, I was the one who had pulled the lever.

I had failed, as a manager as well as a human being. How could I have allowed two innocent ponies from a fictional dream world to meet such a horrendous end? Why had I not seen it coming? I took responsibility, I protected each pony well so that nothing bad could ever happen to them. And now it had happened, my responsibility had brought nothing. I was irresponsible, and I would deal with the situation in the same way.

I did not want to take responsibility for what happened, I did not want to have to justify myself to Codi and the crew. So I decided to do the only right thing that seemed right in this case. Run away. As far as possible, run away.

I ran through the corridor that led out to the dispatch depot and out to the platform. When I got out of the building, I just wanted to get out of here as fast as I could. It was raining cats and dogs outside, but I didn't even notice that at first. I ran past the station, into the old industrial park.

I could neither scream nor cry. I just ran, but I didn't know where I was going. At the end of the industrial park it was over, I ran as if dazed against the fence, which surrounded the area extensively. I got stuck in the fence and just snorted. My gaze was stiff and cold, I couldn't bring out any emotion at that moment. It took a moment before I realized that I could not run any further away, not only because of the fence. It had happened, and no matter how far I ran, nothing would change. I desperately tried to find a way out of the situation and, out of frustration, I hammered against the fence screaming.

My screaming turned into a pitiful howling until I finally realized what had happened and burst into tears that fell with the raindrops into the puddles below me. Why could I not prevent it, what had I done wrong? I had never hurt anyone before, let alone killed anyone, how could I live with this guilt? Every pony he saw will never get these images out of his head for the rest of his life. What had I done?

It took a moment for me to realize that I had just abandoned the other ponies. They needed me at that moment more than ever and I cowardly ran away. They were certainly still shocked and did not know how to go on. Codi would certainly not be up to the task alone, probably he too was still in shock. But I didn't want to go back in... not in this building. I couldn't show my face there anymore after my performance.

But what else could I have done? Go home and pretend that nothing had happened? It would devastate me mentally, just the uncertainty of what would now happen to the ponies from Equestria. No, at that moment I had to show leadership. Even in war, when faced with death, you had to keep a cool head and get the situation under control again, provided I could get myself under control again.

I stayed outside for some time and tried to cool my aching arms under the rain. Even though the rain had soaked through my whole suit, I didn't want to move one inch. I had sat down right next to the fence and thought carefully about my next steps. Even though every hair on the back of my neck stood up at that thought, but I had to get back inside, it was my job as a manager. And even if I could not undo what had happened, I would at least be able to contain the consequences.

Then I slowly walked back towards the main entrance. Since I was in the old industrial area, nobody noticed me. And that was a good thing. I didn't want anyone to know what had happened here. I entered the building through the emergency exit door at the back and closed it again. When I stood in the elevator again and looked at the key panel, I became a little nervous after all. I tried to push myself to push the button to the basement, but as soon as I came out of the elevator, I would look at the huge bloodstained structure just before my eyes would fall on the dead remains of my employees. I could not do that, I was not ready for that. So I chose the button for the executive floor. I just wanted this horrible evening to end.

I walked upstairs through the hallway to my office. I noticed that many doors suddenly opened and sobbing and crying could be heard. Apparently my worker ponies slept here, if they could sleep at all after this event. It was unforgivable what had happened. When I arrived in my office, it was still raining outside. The lightning from the thunderstorm brightened the office even through the curtains, creating a spooky atmosphere.

The desk lamp was the only light source in the room. I found Codi having just brought me the mattress up from the room on the ground floor. Apparently, he also wanted me to spend the night here. I could see it in his eyes, he didn't want to be alone. He needed me now more than ever, just like every other pony in this house. I saw his eyes watering and wanted to hold him, but he turned away from me. I had abandoned them when they needed me most.

He left the office without a word and disappeared into the corridor. I looked after him and could see that he stopped in front of the window where the rain pelted against it. He turned to the window and stared out into the storm. Perhaps he was now thinking about how it would continue.

But I could not help him with that for the time being, first I had to collect myself again. Tomorrow I had to find a way out, for all of us. Even though I had never experienced anything like this in my life before. I took off my wet suit, switched off the desk lamp and lay down on the mattress. I cuddled up in the blanket and tried to fall asleep trembling and had to listen again and again to the disgusting noises in my head, which the bodies of the ponies made when they were hacked up by the enormous power of the machine. These images would probably haunt me for some time.

I woke up in the middle of the night when I heard a noise coming from the dark corridor. The thunderstorm had stopped by now and some moonlight was entering the office. I got up from the mattress and looked slightly sleepy into the corridor in front of my office. But there was nobody to be seen. Then I heard the elevator being operated. Apparently the ponies could not sleep and were moving around the building to clear their heads. But as I passed the adjoining rooms, I noticed that a few beds in them were used, but empty. Maybe they were running around in the building to clear their heads a bit. Maybe I could keep them company. I called the elevator and took it down to the ground floor, I didn't want to go down to the basement at this time of night. I would find nothing but death and sadness down there. I got out on the ground floor and inspected the floor. It was completely empty, so I took a look around. They had to be somewhere, maybe on the other floors? Or did they go out for a breath of air? I decided to go to the backyard to check on them. They would hardly have gone out the front entrance, someone could have spotted them.

Outside, the moon shone brightly over the backyard of the building. It had stopped raining and the sky was starry. I walked around a bit and looked at something unsettling. Some bloody hoofprints were visible on the ground towards the rear of the terrain. I was panic-stricken to follow this hoofprints to its source, but I was also afraid that something might have happened to the other ponies. I slowly followed the trail, which shimmered reddish in the moonlight. Without the clear sky it would have been pitch dark here.

It led a little further to a bunch of big black garbage bags piled up against a wall. As I came closer, I had to start coughing. A bestial smell of decay crept up my nose and dozens of flies had already gathered around it. I didn't have to open the garbage bags to know what was in them. Just the sight and the smell made me throw up. I knew that these were the last remains of the ponies that had fallen victim to the machine.

I turned around and followed a big trail of blood back. It led back into the building and ran down the floor to the old freight elevator that was on the side of the building. I went up to the elevator and opened the door. The elevator was pitch black and the smell of rotting flesh rose again into my nose. I held my shirt over my mouth to avoid vomiting again, breathing was difficult because of the acrid stench. I scanned the wall to find the keyboard in the dark elevator. Something greasy stuck to the wall when I pressed the lower floor button that started the elevator and turned on the light. I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked around.

I saw blood, there was blood everywhere. I tried to stay calm and breathe slowly to avoid inhaling more putrefactive gases. The elevator went down to the basement, I wanted to get there last. But it seemed to be the origin of the blood trail. The elevator stopped and I opened the door. I got out of the elevator with a cough and closed the door behind me again. Now I was here again, at the scene of the incident. The lights in the hall were all off, except for a red light that shone from the opening of the Pegasus Device and a set up spotlight that illuminated the rest of the machine. I slowly walked towards it to see what it was all about. My shoes were stuck to the large blood trail leading from the machine to the elevator.

Something was in the machine and moving, I could hear small knocking and wiping noises.

"H...Hello? Is anybody there?"

Suddenly there was a loud rattling noise coming from inside the machine. I stopped in horror and looked trembling up at the funnel.

"Who...who is there? I asked in a trembling voice.

Then a few ponies appeared from behind the machine, covered in blood. Their sight horrified me.

"You shouldn't be here!" said one of the ponies that flew down from the funnel to me.

I could tell by the wings that it was Codi. But his face had turned pale and his mane was all disheveled. In it were hanging individual pieces of meat, which coloured his green mane red. He looked at me with a serious look, almost angry.

"Everything is as good as done. You don't have to help us," he said softly.

"Codi, I'm so..." I said before I was interrupted by Codi.

"You're so what? That you just ran away when this happened!? What kind of boss are you if you can't even be the manager you say you are in case of emergency, huh?

I didn't know what to say to that.

"I...I didn't know...how was I supposed to know that..."

"No one could have known that this would happen! The machine shouldn't work like this! But you didn't feel the need to control the work we did for you."

"I..." I stammered.

"So this is what you humans are like? "Letting the little ones do the dirty work so you can..." said Codi, until I lost my patience.

"SO WE CAN WHAT? You don't know shit about humans, Codi!" I yelled at him.

He took a step back and tried to say something, but I wasn't done yet.

"No, now you shut the fuck up! You think you're the boss around here, belittling me after everything that's happened? I'm the manager here, remember? What gives you the right to go out of character like that?"

He looked at me somewhat questioningly as I started to walk in circles around him.

"I'm not referring to your role as co-manager. I've come to know you ponies as sweet and kind. I didn't know what this incident would do to you, so I ran away. I didn't know any better!"

"If you didn't know any better, why didn't you just ask me for help? But apparently you don't care about the opinion of other beings," Codi said and slowly walked towards the elevator.

The other ponies looked at me questioningly. My sympathy for him had vanished but I couldn't blame him for what he had done for me. I decided to finish the cleaning work with the ponies at the machine. The machine still looked like a bloody meat grinder from the inside, but Codi and the other ponies had already done most of the work. When we finished cleaning the accident tracks after hours, we took the elevator up and saw the first rays of the morning sun shining through the upstairs window.

I was exhausted from work, but I couldn't sleep. The sunlight came into the office as I drew the curtains. When I sat down in the executive chair by the somewhat dusty windows, I could still feel the warmth of the sun's rays on my skin. At that moment I tried to recharge my energy to be able to continue. Some questions went through my mind: How would it go on now, with Codi and me? What would become of the project, the chance to come to Equestria? Did I still deserve it at all?

Behind me I heard a pony slowly entering the office.

"You've been down all night to help the others?" I heard Codi's soft voice behind me.

I didn't say a word because I didn't want to hurt Codi again. I could tell by his voice that I had frightened him yesterday even though I didn't want to let it happen.

"Like I said, you didn't have to, but...thanks for doing it."

I slowly turned to him and saw that he approached the desk with his head slightly bowed.

"I'm sorry, I overreacted a bit yesterday. The events had just taken me by surprise. I've never been in a situation like this before and if you hadn't run away... I would have. I was so scared," he said and started to cry.

I got up from the chair and went around the desk to hug him. This time he let it happen and pressed himself firmly against me to cry on my shoulder. At that moment tears came over me too and some fell on his fur. I knew that in this moment we had forgiven ourselves everything that had happened the previous evening. And I never wanted to feel such anger again.

"I promise you: Whichever pony commissioned this machine must take the blame for what happened," he said.

And we seemed to know exactly that the invention could only come from one pony: Dr. Hide Atmosphere.