Prologue: Test Tubes and Needles
"Ready to begin the procedure on Test Subject One, Doctor?"
"Yes, Sir!"
"Begin processing the elixir first, please!"
The two scientists began by using their magic to power a large, mysterious machine, which stood eight feet tall. Gears started to turn as the steel beast made a whirring noise with its pumps slowly moved in synchronization, pushing air up and down. In another part of the machine, an odd gear was used to operate blades inside a large cylinder tube, almost like some sort of giant blender. Near the top of the machine was a room where the control panel was located. The large room had a complex array of buttons, gears, and knobs; most of which either flashed, beeped, or had some weird scientific jargon labeled next to them. Another side of the room had a surveillance system where a group of assistants monitored the test subject at all times.
The blades in the machine began to move progressively faster as the two scientists prepared to process their mix. A large, black crystal was first carefully lifted into a funnel at the side of the processor. Immediately, it was sucked upwards through the machine's large tube and down into the processing chamber, where the crystal was quickly sliced into one million shreds. Next, following the same fate as the black crystal, a large unicorn horn was swiftly dropped into the machine, which, after it was unmercilessly shredded apart, was powder-like in its texture. The blades spun for ten minutes straight until the machine suddenly stopped.
The two objects were now one in their form.
In an adjoining room, an earth pony lie on an operating table, unconscious, in a deep, peaceful sleep. Hovering over her operating table was an ominous-looking device.
"Is the elixir ready, Doctor Isotope," the first scientist asked almost impatiently
"Yes, we can begin the operation as soon as possible" the other scientist nodded.
"Please secure the subject!"
"Secure the subject", a nearby assistant shouted.
Two aides quickly rushed to the operating room to secure the earth pony in place, strapping her limbs down with no resistance from the young mare, deep in her slumber. The two scientists headed to the control room to begin their experiment.
With the push of a button, the machine in the consecutive room powered up again and it started to make its whirring noise, but the high-pitched sound was even louder than before. With the two scientists manipulating their oversized gadget like a crane, machine that almost floated over the mare began to make its move. The many parts on the connected machine accelerated as the adjoining device above the operating table moved downwards toward the sleeping mare, sharp metal appendages spreading outwards, moving closer and closer.
One thousand needles pierced through her flesh, injecting her body with the strange elixir.
For about three hours, mysterious scientific brew slowly pumped through the mare's body. New blood coursed through her body and her veins began to glow shades of dark red and black. The mixture, which went in from one room, to the next, and into her body, became diminished, And the machine that had its many needles slowly lifted and removed itself from her, closing itself up and leaving a multitude of tiny holes on her skin, almost invisible to the eye.
Immediately, nurses hurriedly rushed in after the procedure to check the mare's vital signs, hoping that she had made it through the harsh procedure. A headband was placed around her head, hooked up to an EEG scanner, which kept track of her every brainwave. An IV was given to her as the water was filled with vital nutrients to keep her alive. A heart monitor was quickly beeping.
Although the mare was in a medically induced coma, her heart rate spiked from the sudden stimulation in her nerves. At her side was the second scientist, his brows furrowing at the thought of another malpractice. This, by far, being one of the most important experiments.
"How are her vitals, Nurse Redheart?," the one scientist asked.
"The computer hasn't given me any information yet, but we have gotten a pulse, and a quick one at that! Let's just hope that her body won't reject the mixture. Changing blood like this always has its dangers, but I'll keep you informed if anything happens", she looked at him calmly."Thanks, Nurse!"
The scientist left the room shortly after.
Later in another part of the facility, an earth pony colt lay on an operating table in an unconscious state, happily dreaming away, similarly to the mare. His procedure, although slower, would be much less harsh and not as seemingly painful.
A tube inside of his operating room released a smoky gas which was made of a substance that was thought to be lethal.
As the colt lay in his state of dreams, Doctor Isotope, who was wearing an oxygen mask, took a large sheet of plastic and lay it over the colt's body for sterilization purposes, leaving his mouth and nostrils uncovered. Cutting a large piece of plastic by the colt's chest area, Doctor Isotope then took a small scalpel and made a large, deep incision through his chest. Afterwards, the Doctor would chisel off a couple of the colt's ribs to access the heart with ease. And the colt's heart was hooked up to a pump, which would be crucial component that would aid in the overall success of the operation.
In another room, a device similar to that of the blender-like machine, only much more box-like and compact, was doing its work. Doctor Isotope rushed out of the gaseous room to light his horn and produced a powerful blast, which trapped his aura inside of the cubical object. The box itself was important, as it could compress special, magical DNA. A cooler in the opposite part of the room preserved the most important element of his mixture: plasma of another, powerful species. The compound itself would be very unstable, and both Doctor Isotope and the colt would both die if the procedure wasn't carried out properly.
Through a thin tube, the magical box slowly pumped out its contents, emptying itself into the subjects body. The process was surprisingly quick. Afterwards, assistants cleared the toxic gas from the room, and nurses were able to sterilize the colt's body and put a large cast around his torso. Like the mare, he was hooked up to an EEG scanner, an IV, and a heart monitor.
"How's the process with Test Subject Two", the other scientist asked.
"Fortunately, his vital signs are normal, but I really don't know what kind of side effects crossing genetics will have on an older colt. There may be some noticeable physical changes on his body. Otherwise, he will be okay," Nurse Redheart shrugged.
The scientist sighed with relief, and left the operation room.
"Operating on a colt is rather tough! When do you suppose he'll be able to get out of the coma?", Doctor Isotope asked, relieved to have finished the colt's complex plasma injection.
The other scientist, looking dazed and engrossed in calculations regarding the colt, Two, three weeks, if we're lucky", the other scientist said, examining the colt from a window outside the operating room.
"Thanks, Isotope!"
At the very end of the facility was one small room, not even large enough for two ponies to stand in. It was like a morgue, creepy, odoriferous, and looking as if it had the possibility of finding a dead pony or two. Inside there was a small coffin-like containment unit, oxygenated, which held a very young colt, not even small enough to have his cutie mark. But he slept, like the mare and the other colt, in a medically induced coma. This colt, however had a breathing mask hooked up to his face.
Since his mutation would take longer than expected Doctor Isotope and the other scientist would have to keep a careful watch over the colt. Exactly five hours ago tubes in the walls had released an odd jelly-like fluid, which closely resembled the type of gel that insects could excrete. After the fluid had finished filling the narrow chamber, the breathing mask was removed from the colt's face. Not to the scientists surprise, the colt could easily breathe in it. Already, Doctor Isotope and the other scientist noticed the small changes in the colt's physical features with the high level of exposure to these fluids.
"They will be ready soon", Doctor Isotope said to the other scientist, sitting in a small quiet room with each other.
The other scientist, now assured, grinned.
"In the meantime, make sure that nothing goes wrong."
"I'll will do my best!"
"Thank you."
The two scientists departed out the small room, and left back to the facility, so that they could closely monitor their test subjects, as their work seemed to never cease.
"Help, guards! Someone, help, please!", a pony frantically screamed in the middle of the night.
Two Lunar guards overheard the screaming from their posts at the castle. Immediately, they flew down and confronted the pony who was panicking at such an unearthly hour. The two guards sped downwards to the pony who was quickly galloping towards the Canterlot castle. The mare slowed down when she noticed the two batponies hovering over her. "What's wrong ma'am?", the first guard asked. The mare, distressed, turned to the two guards but refusing to speak. "I'm Leo. That's Silver, and we're here to help you, lady", Silver impatiently asked awaiting her answer. The mare replied a semi-inaudible sob, "I-I w-woke up to go to work and wake my children up for their school", her throat was closing up, "And I-I looked inside their room." The mare could barely breathe, "And now they're gone!" She fell on the stone pavement and cried, "THEY WERE STOLEN!"
The two guards landed, "Can you please describe them for us", Leo said, now listening to the mare with utmost legitimacy.
"Two colts and a filly, two earth ponies and a unicorn- they all have brown manes, and two of them have blue coats. B-but t-the filly has a pink coat, n-not like mine, slightly...", the mare, now hyperventilating, " It's brighter!", stuttering, but still very loud.
"Any cutie marks it distinguishing features", Silver asked.
"One of my c-colts doesn't have one, but the older one has a mark that looks like two bits. And the f-filly has a yellow jigsaw puzzle piece," the mare almost screeched in her state of hysteria.
"Thanks, ma'am", we will contact you in forty-eight hours. In the meantime, we will report your missing children to the princesses for further help in finding your children. We can escort you home so you can get some rest. But be assured. We will find your children." Leo stated with his utmost confidence.
"Thank you s-sir," the mother said still hysteric and worried, crying to herself.
The mother sluggishly made her way back her gravely quiet home to try and rest, hoping that her children would come home soon.
