[Story] Gordon Freemane in Hoof-Life 1

[Skye]

I think I'll plan to release this in chapters as I write it. I'd love feedback and I'm interested in what anyone has to say about it!

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Gordon Freemane - Hoof-Life 1

2011 Shawn Winnie

http://canterlot.com

Gordon Freemane - Hoof-Life 1

Chapter 1) Entry

Chapter 2) Questionable Understanding

Chapter 3) Escape

"Welcome to BlankFlank Mesa. On Track One From the Section A Dormitories to Central Processing. This train is inbound..." the mare leading the team pulling the tram from the station began her often-repeated diatribe. Gordon had heard it all several times as he settled his rump into the seat and glanced out the window. Today was a nice day, almost too nice to be heading into work, but he had to show up on today of all days, or he risked losing his employment. While his bosses were unusually lenient with every accident he'd ever been involved in, he was sure that mere absence from the job would certainly be grounds for dismissal.

The countryside passed quickly from the nearly flat, barren drylands just outside Talonopolis on its way to the largest industrial complex in the region. BlankFlank Mesa was the largest iron mine in Equestria, spanning nearly a mile on a side and almost a half mile beneath the surface. New mining techniques allowed them to reach these depths and process the ore virtually on-site with an experimental technology recently invented by the finest griffon minds in the city. Gordon was proud to be a part of it, even if ponies were typically treated with less than perfect respect, but at least his employers seemed to tolerate him.

Gordon had begun to think about his days past when the tram shuddered, switching tracks. "This tram is...inbound." the mare paused, resuming her customary commentary. It was all she ever did all day every day, even if the train was virtually as empty as it was today. He tried his best to listen to her pleasant, even voice as she spoke, but it often had an almost dream-like quality that tended to lure one to sleep. Perhaps that was its intended effect, to lure unsuspecting ponies into falling into slumber in which case they could be accused of sleeping on the job. Nobody ever passed out on the tram if they could help it.

The stallion sighed. The ride from the dorms to the central processing station was almost obnoxiously long, which didn't help matters. And even with the windows open, the warm air was nearly still, making the inside of the tram seem quite hot. There was little to see now as the tram passed into a tunnel, surrounding them on all sides with darkness. Yet the heat was pervasive as several moments went on with only the glow of the oncoming chamber. Even in the shade it was hot, but at least it was several degrees cooler than it had been in the blistering sun.

"The temperature is a balmy Seventy-Five degrees. There are no expected weather deviations..." she continued, plodding along at the nearly sluggish pace as they entered the next chamber. Curiously this station was devoid of any ponies either coming or going. But due to the day it was, there was no surprise there. In fact, Gordon would have been surprised if even an administrator had been present. The mare at the head of the team fell silent for several minutes while she caught her breath, he presumed. Soon there was a shudder as the tram switched onto another track.

She continued speaking now, about the Triathalon and other team-building activities that were not only encouraged by the Administration, but also enforced. Those ponies with the quickest reflexes were rewarded with continued employment at Blankflank Mesa. Gordon didn't think much of the name, it was considered an insult where he had come from but here, it referred to the fact that the mesa itself was devoid of pretty much any features. Save for the nearly completely hidden underground mine that ant-hived its interior with tunnels.

Soon passing into another chamber, Gordon noticed a tram parallel to the track they were on. Coupled to yet another team of ponies, though curiously absent of a similar guide to the one heading his car, the opposite tram had just two ponies in it. One was a pony in a white lab coat, and presumably was from one of the research stations closer to the surface of the mine. The other was a griffon in a blue business jacket, adjusting his tie. They eyed Gordon for several moments as he passed, then vanished as Gordon's tram passed into yet another tunnel.

There was a pause as his tram passed through one of the great doors. This was entry into the mine proper, where all of the actual digging and work too place. This door was designed to prevent catastrophe to the rest of Talonopolis, should they accidentally hit an active vein of molten magma. Ponies were the only life sighted this far down usually, though occasionally some griffon supervisors could be seen barking orders to workers that were underperforming or just happened to be in the way.

A guard griffon was pounding on a door in the middle of the tunnel, presumably he'd gotten stuck on the other side. His gruff voice was indistinguishable amongst the noise of the tram and the pony's hooves clopping on the hard ground beneath. As they passed, Gordon distinctly heard 'Open Up!' before the lone guard disappeared along with his island of light from his torch around the curve of the tunnel. "Now arriving, Section D Blast Chambers and Experimental Technologies." came the voice of his guide as they slowed to a nearby extension that jutted out towards the tram.

"Please stand back from the door and wait for the guard to verify your identity." said the guide pony. "Check beneath your seats for any belongings..." her voice faded as the another guard griffon approached the door.

"Good Morning, Mr. Freemane. You're running late today, they're expecting you in the blast chambers." The door clicked as the Barney Clawhewn unlocked it, sliding it open. Gordon's hooves clanged on the overhang as he stepped out of the tram, closing the door behind him with a click. The guidepony resumed speaking to herself, commenting about something on the surface that escaped his earshot as the tram passed around another bend.

"Hey, catch me later, I'll buy you a beer." commented the guard. Gordon waited patiently before the second biggest door in the complex. This one required turning a huge wheel to move the doors on tracks. Just like the other door, this was designed to contain a catatrophic failure of the blast chambers even further below. Barney spun the wheel seemingly effortlessly despite the door's great size, and Gordon stepped inside the airlock-type corridor inside.

Facing another door, he waited yet again as Barney closed the door behind him. A few moments later, another guard opened the door before him in the same manner, revealing the expanse of a lobby and a number of individuals milling about. To one side of the chamber was a large bulletin board with any number of large charts, maps, and figures that were meaningless to anyone who wasn't versed in their purpose. Nothing on them related to the tasks that Gordon was to perform today, so he stepped up to the desk where yet another griffon guard that looked much like Barney in the same outfit.

"Sorry, Mister Freemane, we've had a bit too much excitement today and I'm still waiting for the messenger to find her files. There's been a bit of a backup in the mail room. You better go on ahead. The administrator's last message told me to let you know your suit is ready in the locker room, so you might want to head in there first."

Gordon left the guard desk behind and turned down the passageway. Everything was painted bright white to help illuminate the chambers with the meager lighting they'd manage to generate. The Geothermal energy tapped beneath them really helped with this, but even with the marvelous technology they'd created, the lights were still only marginally more reliable and functional than torches. At least they didn't smoke, usually. The air was much cleaner since they'd switched to the electric lamps that buzzed as he passed by, however.

Down yet another corridor and into the breakroom, where a chocolate-pelted pony wearing another white lab coat was having lunch. "Morning, Gordon." came his passing remark, and promptly ignored Gordon for the rest of his meal. A strange smell wafted over from the countertop and Gordon could tell it must have been a casserole of some kind. He moved it from the burner before it scorched, hoping that whomever it belonged to would get too it before long.

Seeing as there was nothing else in the breakroom, he headed out and down the seemingly endless corridors until he came to the locker room. Here, was his private little place amongst the small cubbies of his co-workers. Researchers and Industrial workers alike shared the locker room, and there were always only just enough lockers for everyone. Presumably in different parts of the complex were other similar rooms, as there were far too many employees working in Blankflank Mesa for this small room to provide for them all.

In the corner of the room, hanging from its mounts on the wall was his armor. Tailored specifically for him for the tasks he was to undertake, it was one of the strongest pieces of equipment in the complex. Virtually (But not completely!) indestructable, it had been foundried with the most advanced machining techniques the Blankflank Mesa team had developed yet. It was comfortable, light and sturdy, and very very strong. Gordon frowned as he realized one of his co-workers had painted his cutie mark on the front of it. He rubbed at it with his hoof, but it wouldn't come off. Must have been that new paint they were experimenting with on one of the upper levels. Oh well, at least nopony would mistake this armor for anyone else's.

As Gordon maneuvered himself beneath the cradle and slipped his head into his armor, he mentally hummed his own little theme song as he shrugged it into place. It settled onto him like a second skin, the padding and buckles neatly clipping into place as if of their own accord. He gave his shoulders an experimental shake to ensure that everything was seated properly and comfortably, and was satisfied by the fit. This armor was most definitely made to fit his sturdy physique, there was no question about that!

[Skye]

Gordon stretched, his joints popping and making sure that his armor was settled properly into place. Its comfortable fit and padding had to be settled just so to be properly effective. Inside was a new type of padding the researchers in upper levels had developed. It was sort of a mix between wool and some kind of new fibrous material they'd discovered from hardy plants that lived near the edges of volcanoes. It was designed to shunt the heat and wick away moisture from his body while wearing the armor, as well as provide just enough give and comfort for long periods of wear. In this, he could stand a nearly direct blast of steam or spatters of hot material for short moments as long as he got out of it quickly. Of course, it wouldn't protect him from a fall into molten iron, but nothing had been invented yet that could.

But for most of the dangers of the steel works, the armor was incredible protection and very expensive to make. There were only a few of these in existence, and only for particularily highly trained individuals. Gordon was honored to have been chosen to wear one. Of course, it also meant that he was to go into the most dangerous parts of the foundry. So he was thankful of the expense, naturally. There had been plenty close calls already with some of the steam valves, and his armor bore the marks and scoring of a few nearly fatal moments as it was.

The pony took one last look in his locker and smiled at the picture of the foal of one of his friends. She really was such a cutie, born just a few weeks earlier. Gordon had no offspring of his own, but he hadn't really had the time for dating. But little Alex looked almost like a perfect mix of her mother and father. Gordon would be seeing him shortly further down in the test labs anyhow.

With a thunk, he closed his locker and turned to head out the door back down the way he had come. It was almost like a rabbit warren, despite the whitewashed walls and the tile flooring, but there were corridors and passages virtually everywhere, many of which he'd never explored. It didn't take him long to find the security station that took him further into the complex.

"Morning, Mr. Freemane. They're expecting you in the cooker today." said the guard, who looked suspiciously like Barney from the front gate. Maybe they were brothers, but Gordon had never thought much on it.

The guard reached into a hole and gave something a nudge, presumably a button. The security here was pretty good, but in an emergency the doors were still designed to be operated by anypony. Well, on a good day, when they worked that was. They seemed to have a surprisingly large number of malfunctions at the strangest of moments for nearly no reason whatsoever. As the doors hissed open (presumably those new pneumatics they'd been playing with in R&D), Gordon could detect a hint of a shudder, as if the door really didn't want to do its job. But it wasn't long until he was able to pass, and into the corridor beyond.

This one was about as nondescript as the rest of them, of course, though more like the giant eyehook of a overly large needle when seen from above. Gordon always wondered why they'd designed the chamber like this, with the elevator on the far side where the guard couldn't see it. Perhaps it was for safety should anything come up the elevator shaft, but he couldn't say. There were plenty of other passages and hallways yet to come that had their own safeguards. The chances of them all failing at the same time were slim to none, at least that's what he'd been told during orientation.

Gordon stepped into the elevator and pushed the button. There was a hiss from the hydraulics as the elevator began to sink down through the shaft. This one was rather tall, given how deep the chambers below were in the complex. And yet, further down was where he was headed, the main test chamber. Located at the heart of Blankflank Mesa, his journey was far from complete, but he was definitely in the last leg of his trip. With a shudder, the car came to a halt at the bottom of the shaft, and the gate opened with a squeal.

As he stepped out and looked down the new corridor towards the door at the end, he was aware of a couple of researcher ponies that were talking amongst themselves near a piece of equipment. Gordon's hooved sounded almost hollowly on the floor as he walked along it, losing the researchers behind a bend. As he approached the door, another researcher opened it for him.

"Ah, Gordon, we've been waiting for you." the darker pony tending a control panel looked up as Gordon entered the room. "The administrator is concerned about the results of today's test, so we're going to be watching this very closely. It took a lot of effort to get the samples for today. Go right on in. They're waiting for you, Gordon. In the blast chamber."

Outside a little window, Gordon could see the actual test chamber itself, a seemingly senseless mishmash of pipes and girders that made sense only to the researchers operating the equipment. Below the chamber itself was almost a direct tap into one of the deeper lava tubes that provided heat and power to the equipment. Gordon turned towards the door on the last step of his trip. Yet another elevator led down into the main entrance of the chamber itself, and two larger ponies stood on either side of the massive wheel that was used to screw the elevator down into the entryway.

This one was designed so that if something went wrong, the elevator itself could be used as a 'plug' into the main entranceway and prevent any escaping material or pressure from erupting up into the complex. As sturdy as if it had been poured into place, Gordon entered the elevator and waited for his descent into the main room. Around one more bend and he found himself standing in front of another great door, this one operated by cranks on either side of it.

"We'll be deviating a bit from standard procedure today, Gordon." said one of the researchers waiting for him at the door."

"Yes, but with good reason. This is a rare find, and we want to make sure we don't waste it. Because of its apparent purity, we're going to try a few new and potentially unstable techniques." said the other.

"If you follow standard insertion procedures, everything should be fine." said the first.

The second shook his head, looking dubious. "I don't know how you can say that, but the possibility of equipment failure at this crucial stage is extremely unlikely."

"Now, Gordon doesn't need to hear all this, he's a highly trained professional." retorted the first. "We've assured the administrator that nothing will go wrong."

"Ah yes, you're right. Gordon, we have complete confidence in you." replied the second researcher.

"Well, go ahead, let's let him in now." said the first as he took up a station near the one of the wheels. He was joined by the second researcher, and with some grunting and effort, managed to turn the great wheel that opened the massive door in front of Gordon.

As he stepped through and turned to watch the door closing behind him, Gordon felt a flutter of anticipation in his chest. It was always exciting to be trying new things, but at this particular point, some of them had been downright dangerous. They've had several close calls, and if it hadn't been for his armor and his astounding good luck, he might have been killed long before. Gordon turned to regard the new equipment in front of him. It was fairly shiny, having been installed and revamped just weeks before, but he could also see the tarnish and wear of the older equipment some of it had been coupled to. The heat in here was nearly stifling, despite the massive fans at the top of the chamber attempting to duct the heat away to places elsewhere.

A megaphone startled him as one of the voices of the researchers called into the chamber. "Alright, Gordon, your armor should keep you comfortable through this. The new ore will be delivered shortly." there was a hiss, and a hum as the equipment began to stir to life.

A roar echoed through the chamber as the great door to the lava tube below opened the inferno, and the heat began to work its way through the pipes with creaks and groans. The predictable sound of pops and squeaks as the equipment expanded from its cooler state made his ears twitch from place to place, but he was used to these sounds. Gordon waited patiently by the delivery system for the cart that would be sent to him with the new ore.

"Stage Two engaging." there was a groan as massive gears began rotating the grinders that would smooth and shape the ore as it was processed through the chamber, and the rattle of conveyors. A hiss of steam escaping a fitting nearly startled him. "Gordon, we cannot predict how long the system will hold at these levels, or how long it will take to process, so work quickly."

A crackle from the new electrc system sent an arc into the chamber as the door opened. They'd begun experimenting with electromagnetic fields, and some of the coils were incredibly dangerous, especially with the door open. Gordon was thankful for the metal shielding of his armor that ducted the current down and away towards the floor. Special connecting strips to his metal horseshoes allowed him to stay grounded and safe from any rampant electrical charges, but there was still the danger of being electrocuted in the wrong circumstances.

"I've just been informed the sample is ready, Gordon. It should be coming up to you any moment now. Look to the delivery system."

Another elevator similar to the one he'd used to ride down to the chamber itself brought up the strangest-looking ore he had ever seen. It was much like regular rock, but it seemed to glow with an inner light. For a moment he was apprehensive, but his instructions rang in his ears, so he did as directed and attempted to work quickly. Taking the handle of the cart in his mouth, he grunted with effort to push it towards the blast chamber. The great door hung open like a cavernous mouth awaiting its first meal. After turning a few cranks and some effort of shoving, the sample soon found its way into the holding crucible. With a kick, the cart returned to its delivery system and soon sank its way out of sight.

There was a strange hum in the chamber, but Gordon dismissed it as normal as he secured the ore. After he backed out and closed the door behind him, he noticed that there seemed to be a rather unusual vibration in the floor. A high pitched squeal came from the blast chamber as it began to process the ore, and his nervousness grew. Gordon began to back away towards the great door as the sense that something horribly wrong began to overwhelm him. He'd had this feeling before; just before everything bad that had ever happened took place.

"Oh dear! Gordon! Get away from the..." came a cry from the equipment room.

"Shutting down...no, attempting shutdown! It's not shutting down!" another screamed.

Suddenly, the blast chamber seemed to heave, and a blast of heat flung Gordon against the wall of the chamber. A horrible groan echoed through the large room, and a massive shudder sent rock from the walls cascading down. A great rent tore the floor in half and suddenly a fixture broke, sending steam hissing through the room. Gordon ducked and tried to avoid the debris as the blast chamber rolled in its moorings, and nearly jumped off the floor. Suddenly, it seemed to explode from one end, rocketing itself over his head and slamming into the great door. The force was so great, it actually knocked the door out of its track, leaving it hanging half in and half out of the entryway. The entire facility seemed to quake with the sudden explosion as the whole place appeared to come apart!

A massive lightning bolt struck the center of the chamber, then arced into the blast chamber itself, which had seemed to take on a life of its own. For a moment, Gordon's life flashed before his eyes, along with several images of things he was sure he'd never seen before. Including some of strange pink creatures that walked on two legs, to creatures that had no legs at all. Others seemed to float, and inhabited worlds made of ice cream or hair. All of these images jumbled through Gordon's mind as he tried his best to avoid the heave and roil of the floor beneath him, trying to make it to the great door. Another rent tore the floor into another piece, and a sudden eruption of steam caused by one of the high pressure water inlets began to fill the room with clouding gas.

The blast chamber sank out of sight through the new rift, though the constant stream of rushing water soon sent a wave of coolness through the room, instantly solidifying the lava at the surface of the lava tube beneath them while electricty arced and crackled all around him. His mane stood up on end and flickered with static charges, though most of the current was clearly directed down into what remained of the floor. Suddenly, with a squeal, a pipe tore away from the wall and swung in Gordon's direction. He attempted to avoid it in time, but failed, spiralling down into darkness as it struck him in the head.