Iridescent Plant

"Ewww! It’s disgusting!"
"Nope. You don’t need toilet paper also."

Eugene Jbond Vasilchenko, "Twilight's growing up"

* * *

"Here we have seen everything," Sweetie Belle whispered, even whispering was not necessarily: the pipeline and the rustle of the butterflies muffled any sounds. "Let's see what a stall it is."

Friends nodded and slipped out into the corridor. Looking out and making sure that the staircase is unoccupied, Cutie Mark Crusaders cautiously came out and looked at the pointer over the stairs. There were four arrows:
Left down – "Stable of 1 western terminal."
Right down – "Stable of 2 western terminal."
Left up – "Laboratory".
Right up – "The Office."

"Come to the left," offered Apple Bloom. "There surely everything works. But be careful! The staff also will be there."

They ran two spans and saw the wide double doors on both sides of the site.

"Thank Celestia!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed and pointed to the windows in the doors. "We can try not to meddle inside, if there is also glass."

"I do not know how Celestia thank," said Scootaloo doubtfully. "Rainbow was going to tell her about us. Maybe she came back from her long ago."

Cutie Mark Crusaders passed on steel floor to the stalls of the first terminal. Looking inside through a dark glass, they haven't firstly figured out what was going on under the conveyor. Then they saw transparent vessels, dangling and filled with butterflies and twined frostiness tubes. In the hall steel floor was laid only in the middle, in all other places were regular clouds. Anyone except pony wasn't in stalls.

"No, I will not go there," said Sweetie Belle. "I can see everything from here."

On the edges the hall was divided into narrow pens with metal grid. In pens were placed pegasi, or sometimes earth pony tied with belts in the side walls.

"What being done to them?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Looks like… on force-feeding!" Sweetie Belle was horrified. "But why? Then they, got weight thrown into a meat grinder and make a rainbow?.."

Before each of the pens were hang television, unreachable for ponies. On the TV was some capital news. Flashed Celestia Luna, and then came a respectable emcee in the suit. Pony in stalls seemed disoriented. To their croups were connected pipes.

"Come from here," said Scootaloo grimacing. "Horrid place."

They went back to the stairs and saw another pointer: the down arrow and the words "Concentrate rectification."

"We need to check," Sweetie Belle showed the arrow.

They ran down to the factory basement and saw a huge hall, laden with giant cisterns. On the ceiling continues pipes, some had the labels "pure blue", "concentrate", "1000‰".

"Look!" showed Sweetie Belle. "What a great barrel!"

On the east side behind the ladder was seen giant base metal pail. Blue lettering on it was written strange word «DeLaval». On the edge could see some devices with arrows.

“Apparently here treated rainbow," said Apple Bloom and accidentally pulled her leg off the bottom stair. Nearly falling, she jumped back with a shudder.

"At least, it is clear why most in the stalls are pegasi," said Scootaloo. "They really need alive."

"Come on, check the lab," said Sweetie Belle.

They quickly went upstairs. On the floor of the conveyor they lingered.

"Very strange," Sweetie Belle said quietly. "As if no one is here."

"Maybe they go home at the evening?" Apple Bloom asked doubtfully.

Friends moved up on the right span. They heard footsteps on the left and darted up and tried to hide behind the railing. On the left span walked down a pegasus in a white robe. He groaned and tried tuneless whistle. He did not turn his head, and Crusaders did not notice that he squinted eye on them. Later, pegasus threw back his head, whistled and went to the left of the conveyor.

Cutie Mark Crusaders quickly went upstairs and saw the broad white glowing door under the sign "Laboratory". On the opposite side was a small single door marked "Office and the Directorate".

Without saying a word girls went to the lab. As below, there was a robust steel floor. Only a few lamps poorly lit tables with microscopes, tomographs, distillers, spectrometers. Of course, our little pony had no idea what kind of devices are on the table, but in this they aren't really interested.

"I'll look for documents," said Sweetie Belle, and ran to the tables without instruments. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom walked slowly, looking at the apparatus. Suddenly all the lights were lit, and there was an unkind laugh.

"Gotcha, kiddies!"

Trinity turned, startled.

At the entrance to the laboratory stood wrinkled pale unicorn in a white robe.

"Dr. Zephyr!" Sweetie Belle screamed at the office table.

"Yes, fillies, it's me," hopefully smiling, said Doc, known to most ponies under the nickname the Angel of Death. "Do not be afraid, I will not cut you to pieces," unicorn predatory licked his lips. "I want to talk to you. And then let you go. Of course, if you do not want to participate in my experiments."

Sweetie Belle suddenly ran to the Doc. He did nothing, looking surprised to young unicorn. In just a few yards from the old colt her horn glowing, there was a clap, and Sweetie Belle found herself upside down a few feet to the right. She collapsed with a crash into the trash.

"It is necessary to be more careful for the first time," with an imaginary compassion shook his head Zephyr. "You could fall into the basket with glass… with toxic chemicals… or even infection. At this time, you're in luck. Still, do not understand how most children survive childhood…"

"Show your nipple, geezer!" Scootaloo exclaimed, running up to the unicorn. "Let's see how much life of you left!"

She flew up into the air and aimed hind legs to the head of the Doc. But before it reached two feet, she hung helplessly in the air.

"Oh-oh-oh, just like Rainbow in youth," clucked his tongue Zephyr. "In the battle with the unicorn the suddenness is essential!" And he threw Scootaloo back.

Sweetie Belle scrambled out of the garbage and discerned mark of Zephyr. It was a microscope on some background of blurred colored spots, more looked like birthmarks.

And then in the forehead of professor came heaviest steel dewar. Apple Bloom took aim and threw a glass flask, then a box with glass slides, scalpel, reference book… there weren't more convenient things to throw around, and she ran to another table. With a growl and swearing Zephyr appeared in front of her, Apple Bloom smashed into bony chest of the old colt and flew back. Angel of Death loomed over her, frown threateningly.

"Girls, run!" Shouted Apple Bloom and tried to kick Doc, but he immobilized her as Scootaloo before.

"Hush! You seem to want to know what's going on here? So listen, and don't wave your hooves."

Apple Bloom curled up in a ball, her friend came closer.

"Actually, Rainbow told only follow you, but I'm too curious," professor smiled. "Besides, I do not want you here pitched much." He shook his head. "If I left you alone, imagine what a rout would be here!"

"You'll… dismember us?" With the concealed fear asked Sweetie Belle.

"Phew, as usual!" winced Zephyr. "Rustic rumors! There would have to come up with something new. For example, zebras composed about me, that at night I grow a wings and fangs and fly to them to drink the blood of foals. Well, crap, I tell you! I tried once, and did not like. Although, maybe it's because the blood was poisoned. Why are you looking so? Snake bit, and he needed me alive. Well, let's talk about why you came?"

"You are feeding ponies to dismember them!" desperately shouted Sweetie Belle to the professor.

"A mistake again. And why should I dismember them? To make meat pies? Interesting idea… uh-uh… no."

"You make a rainbow from killed pegasi," said Scootaloo.

Zephyr laughed. Laughter was unexpected – almost not evil and a little tired.

"You've probably heard plenty of horror stories about how the factory grind ponies into mincemeat and make a rainbow? And of course, pegasi of which make the stuffing should be defenseless young foals! You know how to count something?" Zephyr knocked hoof on Scootaloo forehead. "Clearly, you have been taught, but have not learned anything. Roughly speaking, one-third of the population Equestria are a pegasi. In fact, 29.8%, but it does not matter. Total number of all pegasi is 43,816 (at this morning), the natural growth rate is 2.43 per thousand ponies per month, a total of 106 whole winged ponies per month (now we have started to use not only pegasi) and rainbow made 3264 dekalitres per day ie about 98,000 decaliters per month. Hence, there should be no Huge Mincer, but Huge Squeezer! From single pony we need to squeeze 923 dekalitres of rainbow! Almost 56.5 barrels! Just imagine! No, there is only one way to draw population growth to increase production – use pony in production as the generating force itself, not as a raw material!"

Professor paused and took a breath.

"How do they make a rainbow?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Very simple. Here, of course, not managed without demonic technologies from the underworld, but the fact that we are by nature adapted to this. Have you tasted a rainbow?"

"No…"

"Doesn't matter. If you stupid kids fress a rainbow, you'll be very funny fart with butterflies. And we just invert the process! Poor bastards, sometimes I even feel sorry for them."

Suddenly the phone rang in a pocket of Zephyr. There were heard the ominous chords and lyrics:

Now a rainbow's tale isn't quite as nice,
As the story we knew of sugar and spice.
But a rainbow's easy once you get to know it
With the help of the magic of a Pegasus device…

Zephyr telekinetically took out his phone, pressed the answer and put the phone to his ear.

"Yes. Yes, they're here. No, they here wanted to make a rout, and I had to bring them to heel. Of course intact! This I'll have a bump on my forehead. All right. Now I finish the lecture and send them to you. And tell small with wings to stop use expressions whose meaning she does not know! Better use nozzle instead of nipple!"

Prof put the phone away and turned to Cutie Mark Crusaders:

"So, recently climate stability was broken. We were looking for ways to improve the efficiency of the plant. First, we tried to increase the extraction of the rainbow. To this were added impurities to butterflies. But it did not give the desired effect. There is some progress, but work for years, and time leaking as an acid from the broken bulb. Then we tried to chemically increase the effectiveness of rainbow. There are good results, but, again, the potential for improvement – a maximum of 15%, less than one-sixth, and the climate deteriorates too quickly. I'm not talking about a department for the production of clouds, which had to be completely redone by the destruction of the clouds. So now we are stopped on increasing of producing staff. Put new sensors of the extraction of the rainbow in the arsehole, hooked them up to the central nervous system, now anyone who tries to tell you about stall feeding, smashed to pieces! Haha!"

Fillies flinched.

"You might be glad to know that we have reduced the guard by half and that half put into stalls. In some ways, the harsh justice. Security here is not particularly bill and coo with producers."

"No, we aren't glad!" said Apple Bloom.

"Why there is a TVs in the stalls?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Well, it's simple. If you'll just do only yum-yum and po-po, very soon you will go mad, and performance will fall dramatically. Simple calculation and common sense. By the way, every week Celestia writes a new appeal to our employees. She is now under tremendous pressure of… evil forces." Zephyr grinned. "What do you think – the real evil is me? It's not so simple. Go to the Rainbow Dash. Last door on the left side in the offices. And I need to clean up." Doc turned and began to restore order.

"So what?.. You will not torment us?" Appleblom asked incredulously.

"Why?" asked Doc, looking at her. "I always have someone to torture; I just do not have time. Although you would be my pleasure to torment!" Zephyr grinned and Apple Bloom recoiled.

Slowly retreating fillies moved toward the exit.