Hybrid
Chapter 2 - Welcome to HDL

I heard the door to the grey room finally unlock, and my ears perked up. As it swung open, I saw the pony that was obviously my roommate. Her cheetah marks and looks were obvious.

Her hair or mane and tail were a simple blank white, and her fur was a pale yellow with various brown marks and splotches. But the most obvious feature about her was her lime green eyes. They sparkled brightly and were very attractive. She had paws instead of hooves, and her collar had a cheetah face.

That was when I looked down at my collar. I hadn't realised, but I had a wolf on mine. Obvious why.

Yellow Spots looked me up and down, taking in my features, then noticed my abnormally large wings. "Don't you wanna... fold them back in?" she asked.

I stuttered. "Ah, they're... just a bit cramped."

Yellow turned to the dark rectangle mark on the wall, knowing that the stallion was looking through it, meaning I was correct. "Hmm, another one in my room? When was the last one, a month ago?"

"Bah, who cares?" the stallion grunted. I was confused, but didn't take much note to it. "Just... lead her to her room. Your room."

Yellow rolled her eyes. "Whatever. But you brought a filly this time?"

"Hey, I'm a new teen," I pouted playfully, tilting my head.

"Yeah, okay. Just follow me."

I followed Yellow out of the room, and was led to the outside world, and to be fair, it was really pretty.

Bushes overlapped us in an arc shape, flowers blossoming in the sunlight. The violets were the most obvious. The arcs continued down a stone path, sided by lush patches of grass. But to put off the feeling, I noticed a fence of barbed wire, small sparks retreating the metal and proving its power.

"What's the fence for?" I asked simplistically.

"To keep us in," Yellow replied matter-of-factly. "Think of us as babies. Would you want your baby escaping your house?"

"Of course not, I wouldn't know where they went."

"Exactly. As we're the subjects, or hybrids, we need to stay inside. Oh, as for your wings? That cramp feeling should go soon, but when it does, your wings will be buckled to your sides to stop you from flying over."

"How would you know that?" I asked suspiciously.

"I've seen it happen many times. There was this one blue colt, probably aged seven, he had wings and just learnt to fly, so he didn't have buckles. Next thing you know, the lab's guards tackle and swarm him, and bring him into isolation for a day."

"What's isolation?"

"If you do something 'terrible', such as trying to escape or hurt somepony, you'll be put in isolation for a certain amount of time. Isolation is kind of like a time-out, but you've been isolated and stuck in a metal box like a prison cell until your time's up."

"That... sounds scary," I said, scrunching up my nose. My ears lowered wimp-like and my wings drooped lower.

"It is. I've only been in there once but that was as a filly. That's when I knew to keep listening to the rules."

"Oh..." I imagined a filly version of Yellow huddled in what seemed like a small metal box with grey poles, curled up in a ball and shivering in fear, her pupils dilating. "Oh! That leads me to one last question; how old are you?"

"24 years old," she replied, but she seemed obliged to share this information. "It's my 25th in a few weeks too. When's your birthday?"

"The tenth of October," I smiled in reply.

"Cool, so you're...?"

"Oh, 13."

"Oh yeah. New teen."

Eventually, we reached a row of what looked like small wooden cabins. There were two windows on each side, but nothing else, even for decor.

"After you," Yellow spoke up, staring at the door.

I nodded, and yanked on the door, but realised it was a push. Laughing nervously, I pushed it open, and a boring room was seen.

There were two beds, one on each side, accompanied with a bedside table and a wardrobe. There was also a small bathroom, but nothing chic.

"What about food?" I asked, my foodie side showing up.

"Well, the bell rings when breakfast, lunch or dinner is ready," Yellow replied. "Besides, we don't know whether you like meat or not."

"I've never eaten it, so I wouldn't know," I added. "I've treated myself like a normal pony."

"Well, more the reason to find out, huh predator?" she chuckled.

Yellow clambered onto her bed before grabbing what looked like a phone. I tilted my head in wonder, and she noticed my curiosity. "It's not a real phone. It's HybridPro. Ask at the till for one if you want."

"Till?"

"In the reception. I'll show you round soon. As for now, you should probably get some rest. Your wing cramps and confusion are a bit too much. I'm surprised you're not frantic like the others were."

That caused me to pause. Why didn't I act that way? Why didn't I panic? I was so... calm.

I didn't let my mind wander, so I crawled into the free bed, claiming it as my own. Without saying 'goodnight' (it wasn't even night), I began to doze off.