Harmonics: The Accidental Project

"Very well, we can now get into more of the details involved in this project, which we are calling... Project Insertion? Really, that's the best we've got?" We’re sitting in another conference room talking about the details of our project. "All right, then. We're going to have each head go through and give you a brief summary of what we're doing. First things first. Maggie?" Dr velchiek turns to Doctor Henson.

“Thank you, Paul.” Doctor Henson hands both me and Erin our own tablets, it looks like a standard tablet. “Those tablets have all of the data that we've collected from Ponyworld up to this point. All video, all pictures, all scientific data, as well as all of our best guesses as to what Pony society is like. Please study them in depth, and don't allow anyone else to see it. They’re keyed to your thumbprint. Please turn it on now." I probably won’t look through this all that much if it’s stuff I already know. Or things that they don’t know the full truth about. We both turn our tablets on and Identical text and logos pop up, I hear Erin thank Doctor Henson and I do the same.

"Oh, please, Now that we're working together, you can call me Maggie." she says with a smile.

“Thank you, maggie,” Erin Smiles back.

“You’re quite welcome, dear!” Maggie cheers back in response.

"You can continue to call me 'Doctor'," Dr. Edwards speaks up, "I'd like to get my part of this out of the way, if you don't mind. I have to get back to my labs as soon as possible, We're still developing the implants we're going to be using for this little field trip, and I will need all the time I can get in order to get them completed on time." Who spit in his cheerios.

“Certainly Dr. Edwards, please continue,” Dr. Velchiek affirms.

"Very well. Young ladies, open the tablet under the part of the index titled 'cybernetics'. I'll take you through a brief rundown of what we're hoping to accomplish." The man says in a crabby manner.

The man explains everything about our Implants and I listen intently, according to him we’ll be enhanced ponies. I just wonder if the enhancements they’re giving us will be enough, ponies there are already more spectacular than the ones on earth. The man finishes up his explanation and attempts to leave, but Erin stops him.

“Ah, yes, actually, I do have a question. Is there any way we’d be able to turn the recorder off for short periods of time? she asks.

"Why, in the name of all that's holy, would we ever make it so that the recorder could be turned off?" His voice is cold and piercing.

"Well... sometimes... A girl wants some privacy, you know?" I can see the blush on Erins face.

"My dear girl," he shot back condescendingly, "If you want to have some hanky-panky with the local stallions, I'm sure that's your own concern, but don't-" Erin’s shouts cut him off.

"No! No no no! God, no, are you kidding me? I was talking about normal things like having to go to the bathroom or whatever! I don't want you guys watching that! Good god, you thought I was talking about sex?! What is wrong with you?!" Everyone bursts in to laughter at that remark, everyone except Erin and Dr. Edwards.

“My dear, if you think that I’m going to cater-” he is cut off by Dr. Henson. I don’t listen to much of what they say next, but I gather that Erin just earned us a pause button. I was looking through the tablet and at the cybernetics again. I hop back into the conversation as I hear the Australian sounding man speak.

“Like Doctor Henson, I would like you two to call me by my first name. We’re going to be working together for a while, after all, and a little familiarity will go a long way towards making things go smoother. So, please, call me Hermann.” Dr. Fischer says.

“Thank you Hermann,” I can feel the mood lightening from it’s previous tension already.

“Of course,” Hermann begins to describe his crews complications during development and what enhancements we’ll be getting.

“From what I understand, dear, You will be allowed to pick whatever it is you like, from a pre-approved list that you should find on that tablet Maggie gave you,” I don’t suppose that my old cutie mark is on that list? maybe I can suggest it.

"That is, in summary, what we're planning on having as the end result. Did you have any questions?" Hermann asks.

"Um, yes. Can you tell me exactly how this is going to work? What are you going to do to us?" Hermann proceeds to explain the process to Erin and I watch her stare at him in shock. My mind latches onto the last part of his speech.

“All together, the process should take about two weeks." Hermann says.

“Two weeks?!” I sympathize with her franticness, but I doubt they’ll keep us awake the whole time. “Will it hurt?” Erin asks

meekly.

"Oh, no, my dear, of course not! For you, the time will pass like nothing. You will be unconscious the entire time, while we tend the process and make any adjustments needed. You will simply go to sleep on one day, then wake up on another, as a pony. The process to reverse the change will work much the same way, only this time we'll have a template to go off of, so it will be much smoother. We would be able to return you to your current form in about a week or so." He assures her.

“And if you like, we can include some of the upgrades that you will have had as a pony. The enhanced reflexes, strength, and so on. Consider it a positive side effect, if you want.” Dr. Velchiek adds.

“I’ll… think about it,” Erin replies.

“Well that’s about it for the presentations, did you have any other questions?” I don’t have any, but it seems Erin has plenty for the both of us. I half listen, half scroll through the rest of the information on the tablet. As the meeting wraps up Dr. Velchiek insists on walking us back again and praises us for our courage and bravery the whole way.

"This is important work. You'll see. You're doing a great service to your species, and I thank you, most sincerely." This man sure is persistent, I’ll give him that.

We both walk back into the dorms to see Richard and Adam are sitting on the couch, now they’re watching a football game on one of the big screens in the room. Adam mutes the TV to speak.

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting to see you two again, at least as a human. Aren’t you supposed to be ponies now? Or did you chicken out?” Adam and Richard snicker at her reaction.

“We didn’t chicken out!” she says hotly, “It’s going to take a few days for them to get ready, and in the meanwhile, we have to study!” Erin states matter of factly.

“Oh, okay, fine. Erin, I‘m sorry I made fun of you. I really, honestly think this is an amazingly brave thing that you’re doing. Crazy, but brave.” He holds his hand out and Erin hesitantly shakes it in return.

“There are about eight rooms here, all pretty good sized. No doubt they were hoping for a lot more in the way of volunteers, but we’re the only ones they got. Go ahead and find the room with your stuff in it, they moved it all while we were stuffing our faces with cake earlier. And if you don’t like the room they gave you, go ahead and move into any of the empty ones.” Crap, what do they think they did with my stuff? I don’t have any stuff here last time I checked. Maybe they just shrugged it off, or maybe they’re suspicious. I’ll have to play it safe for a while, they might be keeping a close eye on me.

“Sounds good. Um… thanks Adam.” Erin replies.

“No problem,” I roll my eyes at their awkward social skills, if that’s not the sign of a scientist I don’t know what is. I look into all of the rooms. Erin finds her room and the rest are empty, so I just claim one and try to figure out how I’ll fix my dilemma. I pull out a couple of outfits to serve as my belongings, so I don’t raise any suspicion and drain myself trying to pull out one outfit every day. I’m running out of magic fast, I’ll have to be extremely frugal with it’s use, if I use it at all. I lay my head down to try and comprehend the day I just had, I almost immediately fall asleep.

~~~~~~~

The next few days pass by without much conflict, I mainly spend my days looking over their information. I hadn’t planned on actually studying, but I have to know what to say and what not to say. I’ve not used my magic once the whole time, I’ve been cut off since the second day. I’ll feel short bursts every now and again, but it’s not enough to do much more than float something for a minute or so.

Hermann and Dr. Velchiek had been pestering me and Erin about our flank tattoos. Eventually Erin told them what her choice was, she even changed the name of the project to match it. I had no objections and the name of the project was changed to Project Sunflower officially. I realize now where I recall that name, I had heard it once while looking through stories. I never read it, so I don’t know what’s supposed to happen. I know enough about alternate dimensions to know I’ve probably changed everything in this timeline, so I brush it off. I’ve only created an alternate dimension, that means that the regular storyline is still out there somewhere.

I eventually get my old three hearts with a sparkle and band-aid cutie mark approved. from this point I’d given my final goodbye’s to Richard and Adam and I’m about to step into the nutrient bath. I’m so nervous-cited about the change!