Daring Do and the Prison of Portals

The world around Daring became a blur. A warm wind whistled past her ears and wrapped her body in warmth. The strong current kept her aloft, gravity unable to assert itself. Up and down no longer existed.

She was too exhausted to fight against it. Besides, she had no reason to escape. She was curious to see where this led. She had nothing to fear. Well, except deadly gasses but even then she hoped that was a one time event.

The glass distorted the world outside the tubes, the dim lights illuminating little of the dark hall she sped through. Ahead of her she could see a crude concrete box, faded, pink symbols in the center of each side. There was now the danger of smacking into the cube, but it seemed that some strange force kept their distance constant.

With the lighting as bad as it was, Daring did not see the branching tubes ahead and was suddenly yanked from the main path like a coin into a vacuum cleaner. Her flanks smacked against the frame as her inertia carried her forwards and sent a flash of pain through her already bruised body. It passed quickly, but now the young hunter questioned the safety of her journey.

The suction became less powerful as Daring delved deeper. As she moved slower through the tubes, it was now possible to see outside her ride.  Through the image-warping glass she could see that she was in the Robot Assembly room. The robotic limbs that had been dead and limp when she first encountered them now dutifully constructed the egg-like objects she had seen earlier.

When they weren't dead and rusted, the "turrets" looked almost cute. The filly toyed with the idea of having one as a pet. From her perspective, and the aforementioned distortion, Daring could not see the details of the construction but could see the main components being put in place. She had figured out that the robots had extendable sides. What they revealed was not clear to Daring, but she guessed she would find out soon enough.

She slammed against the glass one more time as she turned a corner downwards, gravity now assisting in her descent. The world outside was dark again, but only for a second.

The tattered traveler landed on an oversized cushion that covered the floor of a 15ft by 15ft by 15ft room. Almost immediately the walls opened up and revealed an array of tiny, robotic hands that took hold of Daring, pulling her up into a spread-eagle position. Daring's Danger Detector set off. She did NOT like being in this vulnerable of a position.

Another machine descended from the ceiling with a red light flashing from its centre. The lens zoomed in and out in an attempt to focus on Daring's face. With a satisfied beep, the machine ran a red beam across her entire body several times, the light bending around her. "Searching database. No entry found. Creating new entry. Subject name: Daring Do.” When it was done it retreated back into the ceiling.

Still dazed and confused, Daring did not react as fast as she wanted to as the robot arms began taking off her torn clothing.

"Wha- hey! No! What are yo- Ah! Ouch!"

The ragged clothes were tossed into another opening in the wall. from deep within she could hear the sounds of a crackling fire. She knew she would not be seeing them again.

Some of the hands broke free of the group and brought out a bright orange jumpsuit with the company's logo proudly pasted on its chest. Soon it was being fitted onto her body, the sleeves being conveyer-belted across the hands. Being dressed by the machine was... Really really weird, and Daring felt a little violated by the thing.

A male voice, robotic, began to speak to her. "You have been equipped with an Aperture Science Magic-Based Health and Sanity Restoration Jumpsuit! This mandatory testing uniform will provide you with medical salves, pain relievers, and adrenaline should the need arise. The Aperture Science Magic-Based Health and Sanity Restoration Jumpsuit is also designed to protect its wearer from: impact of up to 20580 Newtons, temperatures up to 200 Fahrenheit, flesh wounds, excessive blood loss, dehydration, and bullet impact. If you have any questions concerning the Aperture Science Magic-Based Health and Sanity Restoration Jumpsuit, please contact your official testing overseer." the speech came to a close with a sharp snap.

What?

Daring went through the list in her head. Why... Did she need protection from blood loss? And for that matter, why was she going to need protection from bullets? Warning lights were already going off in her head.

Not wanting to jump to conclusions, the young mare reasoned that perhaps they just wanted their test subjects to be safe. Maybe soldiers practiced here. Maybe they made them to follow whatever legislation was around at the time. She wouldn't let her guard down, but she wouldn't label this place a danger quite yet.

To distract herself she began studying her new fashion statement.

Orange. It didn't really... work for Daring. She was used to the forest green of her vest. Not this obnoxious orange.

Daring looked at herself in a nearby mirror. For a brief moment she thought she was looking at the ewe again, until she saw that it was a pony that stared back at her. Then she noticed something else. Her hat. Or rather, her lack of hat. "H-What? Hey! Where's my hat?!"

"Any attire that does not meet Aperture Science's standard regulations is strictly prohibited from the testing area."

"But..."

"Test subjects who fail to comply with regulations will be terminated. And then removed from payroll."

Daring shut up.

Although her hat had a tremendous amount of sentimental value she was not going to risk her life for it.

Before she could fully "admire" her reflection another panel in the wall opened up, another series of tubes awaiting her. Unable to protest, she was sucked away.

The glass this time was more transparent than the last, providing the mare with a clear view of nothingness. She was still trying to adjust the outfit into a comfortable position and found that doing so in midair was... Difficult.

Looking down the tube she could see a bright light, growing larger as she sped towards it. In an eye-blink she was past the light and now in an endless room. The only wall she could see was the one she had emerged from, but it sank deep into the fog like a rock into a pond. She felt like vomiting again.

Below her was organized chaos.

Huge rooms moved along metal rails, the high pitch squeal of metal on metal piercing through the glass. Panels and tubes rode similar rails, zipping across like busy bees. Although a lot less erratic in their behavior. Steel rods rose from the fog below, linking together to form the frame of another room.  Panels were brought in on flying robots: spherical, jetpack wearing robots with several hands grasping several pieces of wall.

Another turn sent her headfirst into the glass.

This time she was greeted by a familiar female voice. "Hello, and welcome to the Aperture Science Aptitude Course. As required by equestrian law, all test subjects... oh wait... I forgot..."  the voice turned almost sultry. "You're not TECHNICALLY a registered test subject. That means I'm not required to read you your rights. Besides, I'm sure my records are out of date anyways. Well... I guess I'll at least tell you about these next tests out of the kindness of my simulated heart. After doing a quick brain scan I've chosen the best set of chambers to test your intelligence, agility, and adaptation. Your performance on these tests will help us determine your strengths and weakness, an assign you to an appropriate testing hall. My advice? Don't die. Good luck!" she disappeared with a loud click.

And then she was alone again. All that lay ahead of her was a circular door with an almost alien design. What challenges awaited her on the other side? The robot lady had said these tests would test her intelligence. What mind-bending puzzles would she have to outwit? What dangerous obstacles would she have to avoid?

Daring felt her heart race as she trotted towards the door.  The center rotated 180, skewing the image of the silhouette pony before the doors slid away to reveal...

A small room with a cube, a button, and another door. The only noteworthy thing about the room was that it was crumbling apart, pieces of the ceiling hanging open and several walls discolored with age.

Daring tilted her head and stood there a moment. This was her great challenge? Was this some sort of joke? She stood there, stunned, for quite some time. When she was sure that this was NOT a joke, she continued.

While the box was heavier than Daring imagined, there was no significant challenge. Upon pushing the box onto the button a satisfied chime rang out and the door opened. "Congratulations." the female voice returned. "Not on the test. In fact, you took longer than any other test subject on record. I was talking about your suit. It's a miracle you managed to fit into that thing. I suppose the designers never thought to make them in extra large. Oh well. Please continue to the next testing chamber."

Daring narrowed her eyes at the ceiling, unable to find anything to direct her anger at. It became apparent to the young adventurer that she was going to be a victim to this revenge-seeking robot. Seeing as how the original instigator was no longer around (or alive for that matter), all her anger would be directed at Daring. But now she was beginning to see why she was overthrown in the first place.

No. She shouldn't think like that. She didn't even know this "mother". More time would have to pass before she could solidify an opinion.

The hall she entered led to an elevator shaft, a flickering barrier standing between them. "Please take note of the... Oh... Looks like it's malfunctioning again. -sigh- I guess I'LL have to fix it."

She watched as the two oval-shaped contraptions shifted in and out of the walls, trying desperately to keep a magical barrier active. It flickered on and off pitifully, the thin layer of magic fizzing out before it could fully manifest. Before long, the machines locked into place and casted a bright blue wall of magic.

"Ahead of you is a Material Emancipation Grid. This magical barrier will prevent any unauthorized Aperture Science equipment from passing through. It has, on semi-rare occasion, emancipated vital organs including, but not limited to, the liver, heart, and skin. Take care when passing through."

Daring got the sinking feeling that this place was going to kill her. She had tried to ignore the signs warning her of the facility's danger, but now it seemed unavoidable. However, this place was far less dangerous than the trap-riddled tombs of Pharaohs, or the vicious, predator filled jungles. She wouldn't give up on this place quite yet.

Our heroine quickly jumped through the field will all her organs still inside her. A small, personal elevator awaited her at the end of the hall. Surrounding it was the remains of a curved screen, the glass broken after years of disuse. It was a tight squeeze, the space obviously made for a smaller pony, but the doors managed to close and the lift descended. For a moment, Daring considered the robot's opinion of her size to be true. No, that was impossible. With all that running around, crawling through dungeons, climbing pyramids? Of course she wasn't fat!

While the the lift had been made to see through, there really wasn't much to see. The darkness hid most of her view, but occasionally a spot of light would escape between metal pipes. What it revealed wasn't too spectacular. Most of the time it just showed an empty maintenance shaft while other times it showed nothing. Despite being a short ride, it was painfully boring.

The lift stopped short of the floor and had to rely on the hydraulics, the power of the elevator having shut off. When the lift had leveled with the floor the doors slid open and deposited the feathered mare onto the ground. She let out a huff as her body tumbled onto the cold concrete. "Built by tiny ponies... " she muttered under her breath. The new space was entirely like the previous one, the only difference being that small sections of the screen were functional. From what she could tell, the video depicted a 2D silhouette of a pony being dressed in the Aperture jump-suit. The video was supposed to be stretched across the many monitors, but with so many of them in disrepair, this could not be achieved.

Daring was disappointed with the next room. In no time she was able to lift the box over the pit and onto the button. Granted, the pit would have been a problem for an Earth Pony or Unicorn, but with wings the puzzle was painfully easy.

"Well done." the voice praised her. Daring was hesitant to receive it as such. "I'm serious this time. You finished this test faster than any test subject on record. Congratulations. Please continue to the next test chamber."

Hunh. Alright. She did as she was told, squeezing into lift once more. Again, a boring ride down. It was very strange. So much of the facility seemed incredibly dangerous, while some parts felt incredibly dull. How were these tests supposed to test her skills? So far it only proved 2 things: she could pick up boxes and fly. Surely there must be harder tests further on. Otherwise it wasn't worth risking her life in such a place.

She reached the next floor, the elevator actually making it to the ground. The screens here were more functional, and statistics about the suit could be seen.

"• Built-In Heater/AC

• Lightweight Material

• One size fits all "

The rest was static. It sounded nice, though.

Test Chamber 3, said the white panel. She had seen them in the previous two chambers, but they were non functional. This one was, and showed little icons with the same pony silhouette. There was one drowning, one being hit with a Cheerio, one drinking from a fountain (apparently marking it as a bad thing), one being electrocuted, one being crushed, one falling into a pit, one having a box dropped on their head, one with lines going through their body, one being gassed, and a slice of cake. The lined one was lit. She could make out a "turret" in the image as well, and that got her excited. Now she'd finally figure out what they were.

She cantered over to the door. It happily opened for her, and led her into a room exactly like the previous one. A pit, a box, and a button. Daring sighed.

She was about to grab hold of the cube when a very peculiar thing happened. A panel in the ceiling gave way to a pair of metal claws. They each held an egg-like turret. Tilting her head, she watched them descend on the other side of the room.

The mechanical whirr of the machine provided the only ambience in the room. Slowly it lowered, the robots inactive until reaching the ground.

They both pointed their red eyes towards Daring.

"Hello?"

"Who are you?"

Daring was quick to reply.

"Hi! I'm Da-"

The room was filled with light and noise. Pain ripped through the treasure hunter's torso, white streaks of light piercing her body. It was like touching the embers of a fire. For the first few seconds she could feel nothing. Then came a balefire of pain. She let out a cry that could have reached the Goddess herself. Excruciating pain tore apart her limbs, surging up and down her body in a merciless assault. Her legs gave way as tiny holes began to appear on them, her body resembling swiss cheese. Blood was everywhere.

Turrets. Pew pew. Wonderful.

With a burst of adrenaline Daring rolled behind the box, the white streams bouncing off the metallic surface. A sharp ringing sound filled her ears and made her head throb. She wanted to vomit.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" the young mare screamed as the blood literally flooded out of her body. She was going to die. She was going to die down here. Nobody would know. She'd rot here. All alone. They would look for her and find nothing.

The firing ceased, their red eyes searching.

"Warning! Blood levels have dropped to unhealthy levels! Administering healing spell: Closure." the voice cheerfully said.

A yellow glow surrounded her body. Slowly, and gruesomely, the many holes in her body closed and slowed the flow of blood. She tried to distract herself as she waited for the magic to fix her broken body. The pain tearing through her was unlike anything she had ever felt. It was as if pieces of her had been ripped out, a part of her missing. It was awful.

Her screams faded into whispered moans as her body healed. Tears were streaming down her face. Feeling returned to the rest of her body.

Soon, her breathing evened out. The pain ebbed away, the mental damage still there. She now had enough energy to pick herself off the cold concrete. A risky peek over the box proved the danger of the situations as they fired at where her head had been.

Now THIS was a challenge. The only thing keeping the adventurer from becoming Swiss cheese was the small box. Getting the box to the other side wouldn't be a problem if she held it between her and the machines. The hard part was getting to the exit without being detected. She was sure the suit could heal her if she ran, but if she were to get hit in the head or heart... Well... You can't heal dead people.

"Are you still there?" the homicidal robot asked.

Daring said nothing. She was too busy contemplating her next move.

Slowly, so as not to get the attention of the turrets, she dragged the cube to one of the walls and as close to the bottomless abyss as possible. She didn't want to risk too much time in the air: her wings made her a bigger target.

Deep breaths. In. And out. She looked across the gap. Just one big hop. That's all she needed. Right? In. And out. Just have to be speedy. In. And out.

Swallowing hard, she leapt off the platform and clumsily held the box as a shield. The additional weight suddenly became too much, and Daring dropped in altitude. She was forced to lean downwards to keep her hold on the box, making her an easy target.

"I see you!"

"Sentry mode activated!"

It was happening all over again! Bullets ripped through her wings and sent her plummeting. Fate had smiled on her, though, for she was able to release the cube onto the other side while she was able to latch onto the edge. The dangling Daring was out of range of the turrets and now risked falling into the darkness. Ignoring the pain only managed to make room for fears of falling. So now she came to a fork in the road. She could risk getting shot to death or falling into the pit.

"Extreme exhaustion detected. Administering adrenaline!"

Wait, what? Wasn't tha- OKAY WOW IT'S TIME TO GO, ALRIGHT.

Daring felt a gigantic wave of energy ripple across her limbs. With equal parts insanity and bravery the young hunter flipped herself into the air. The turrets below opened their compartment, readying the light and noise. Instead, Daring punched her forelegs through the face of the machine and effectively disabled it.

The other turret tried to target the hyped-up heroine. Unfortunately, he could not pivot far enough to get her in his line of fire. It soon became scrap metal. With a mighty kick, the metallic monster fell into the void.

Still riding the high of adrenaline Daring felt her emotions intensify. Rage managed to fight its way to the top.

"The hell was that all about?! You could have told me you were going to try and kill me!"

The female voice spoke with false innocence. "I wasn't in charge of building these chambers. They were made by the scientists before me. Take it up with them."

They both knew that wouldn't happen because they were dead.

"Anyways, I suppose you've deserved your mandatory congratulations. Congratulations."

Daring just continued to glare at the ceiling.

"Well, based on these results, the best position for you would be testing the Aperture Science Aerodynamically Enhanced Speed-Suit. It was originally designed for Unicorns so that they would be granted the same ability Pegasi have. Except better. I managed to make a few adjustments to it while you were wasting time in the Practice Courses, so now it will be SUITable for you."

The young adventurer tilted her head with a disgusted look on her face. She didn't get the strange emphasis.

"Hmm... seems my humor processor is out of date. I think I'll have enough time to update them at the rate you've been navigating these tests."

What was with her? First, Daring had been called fat, then filled with bullets, and now she's being insulted again. Who in their right mind would have THIS thing run their facility.

"I think I'm going to pass. As much as I love having near-death experiences, I think I've had enough of them today."

There was a unsettling silence.

"So... Yeah. If you could just point me towards the nearest settlement..." Honestly, anywhere but there sounded pleasing.

The voice was low. Dangerously low. "I'm afraid you can't do that."

"Uh... Why not?"

"Because I won't let you. I'm not sure you get what's going on here. I know how small Pegasus brains are, so I'll put this as simply as I can. You are not leaving."

"B... But" She had been caught off guard by the sudden turn of events. "I have to go home. There's somepony waiting for me. I can't just..."

"But Daring. This IS your home now."

So... She was trapped? Is that what was happening?

"You can't keep me here!" she said with a wave of fury washing over her.

"Oh, but I can" a pair of spheres, identical in shape to Cutesy, emerged from the walls with bright green lasers trained on her head. A tube-like device sprouted out from its side and loaded a rocket.

Daring gulped. The wave of fury broke against the rocks of fear.

"I think we understand each other now. Please proceed to the next test chamber."

She took very slow steps towards the elevator, staring up at the missile-toting robots like a convict to a judge. The hideously yellow eyes watched her every move. Waiting. Just... Waiting.

This was bad. This was really bad. She had made a mistake. A big mistake. A gigantic, life-threatening mistake. Now she was trapped in this death trap of a laboratory with a possibly... No... Positively psychotic robot. Oh Daring, why must you always waltz into danger?

The "Aperture Science Aerodynamically enhanced Speed-Suit" was... Trendy. It looked very similar to the Wonderbolt's suits in a solid white. There were two flaps on either side that mimicked wings. At least, wings with razor sharp feathers. There was an obvious spot on the head where there had been a pocket for the horn, now a black patch.

It was posed on a pony manikin, the faceless creature staring back at her.

She didn't want to do this. She really didn't. She wanted to go home. Why did she trust that pink thing? Never trust robots. That was her new rule. Never.

"Alright look. Since you're going to be here the rest of your short, miserable life, you might as well TRY and enjoy it. We can get better results if you're much more willing."

Daring scowled at the ceiling.

"Fine. Be that way. It doesn't matter either way."

The young hunter studied the room around her. It was big. And empty, save for her and the suit. Well lit, and extremely sterile. The plants that had overgrown the previous chambers were not to be seen here.

"To demonstrate the suits abilities, we must first recognize a typical pegasi's."

At both ends of the room the walls parted, revealing at one end a giant fan, and at the other a wall of spikes. It wasn't difficult to put 2 and 2 together. Already knowing how close to death her last encounter was, she dashed towards the nearest exit. The way she had come in was now sealed and the only other exit was at the base of the large fan.

But she had not made it halfway when the fan screamed to life. The huge blades spun slowly, gathering momentum with each rotation. Daring picked up her pace. Faster and faster the fan spun until a light current made its way through the room. Adrenaline spilled into her veins, and gave her a boost of speed. The exit was just ahead. Her hooves slammed against the ground with each step. Breathing came in short, panicked bursts. The fan was getting faster, and faster, until it reached the strength of a small tornado.

Still persistent, Daring tried to fight against the wind. Each hoof came down with the weight of her body. Her mane and tail were lifted into the air, flapping wildly in the heavy wind. She bared her teeth as her struggle continued. She was so close. So close. But the blades spun faster, pushing her back towards the wall of spikes. The time in between her steps grew wider.

Before long, she was moving backwards more than she was forward.

Her hooves left the ground. Her body was lifted high into the air. The gale threw her at the wall of jagged metal. Instinct taking control of her body, her wings folded open and tried to break the flow of air. It would have worked, too, if the force were not so strong. For a while she was able to keep herself from going back any further. But every minor move she made became increased 10-fold. Each time she tried to realign herself she was sent further back. Even worse: it felt as if her wings were being pulled off her with the wind as strong as it was.

She looked back. She ended up regretting this.

The wings caught the wind and sent her flying backwards. Closer and closer the wall came, the long, sharp spikes reaching out to greet her. She closed her eyes and waited for Death's touch.

The next thing she felt was hard metal.

Opening her eyes, she saw that there was now an ordinary wall replacing the previous death trap.

"Wha-?"

The fan stopped, and she fell to the ground with a mighty THUD.

“As you can no doubt see, a pegasus is not suited for such extreme weather conditions.”

No shit. Daring glared up at the voice.

“Please approach the suit.”

Daring didn’t move. She just let herself lie on the floor.

“I should remind you that I have the means to make you comply.”

“Yeah? So what if you kill me? What will you do then, with no test subject?” she spat.

“Oh, I’d probably just throw your brain inside a robot. I’m sure no-one would be able to tell the difference. Well, they may notice you were a lot lighter.”

The beige pony grit her teeth. Despite the overwhelming threat of death, she was more than willing to escape if she got the chance. She wanted to punch whatever SHE was in the face. If it even had one. She had been tricked. Deceived. Fooled. What she had once thought a place of wonder and excitement was now a prison. How fate loved to tempt her so.

“Please approach the suit.”

Daring did as she was told, stomping down each hoof as she went.

She had expected to be treated similarly as when she was first equipped with the Aperture Science Whatchamajig Suit. Instead she experienced something beyond bizarre. When she got within reaching distance of the suit it broke apart into millions of tiny lights. Shocked, and still on edge, she leapt back as they swarmed her. She was prepared to outrun them. Unfortunately they were a lot faster than she was and she was soon covered in the multi-colored lights.

They spun around her body as if trying to make a tornado. Her eyes started to water as the intensity of the colors increased with their speed. The rosy red iris spun around and around as they tried to follow the light. They failed, and only managed to make her dizzy. Yet they continued to spin faster and faster until they became an impenetrable barrier of color.

Then she blinked.

When she opened her eyes, the lights were gone. So was the suit.

Her head whipped around frantically to find where both had gone, realizing - as she looked down- that the suit was now on her.

“Buh, wah, hunh?”

“As you can no doubt see, the Aperture Science Health and Sanity Restoration Suit has coupled with the Aperture Science Aerodynamically Enhanced Speed Suit. This feature, credited to the brilliant mind of Motion Reflux, allows quick and easy installation of most Aperture Science equipment.”

The young hunter lifted a hoof and examined the new suit. It felt no different than wearing the original outfit. All that seemed to change was that she now wore a bright white instead of the annoying orange. That and she had razor-sharp wings.

Stretching out her wings, the daring pony admired the suit’s addition. The feathers were sharp and thin, snugly fit over her originals. The design seemed altogether more flight-worthy than any other pair of wings she had ever seen. They were, in a word, amazing. All thoughts of distrust and anger faded from her mind. All her attention shifted to her new pair of wings.

At least, until the robotic voice returned.

“Let us continue with the demonstration.”

The walls opened again. This time, Daring was ready. She ran as fast as she could towards the exit, knowing that she could at least get a head start before the fan started up.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. The fan seemed to be even FASTER than before, and before she could even make it 1/4th of the room, she was airborne. Again, her pegasi instincts kicked in and unfurled her wings for her. And then something amazing happened.

Using gravity as a kickstart, Daring shot across the room in the blink of an eye. She was a streak of white and brown, a comet. So fast, in fact, that she ran face first into the ground just past the fan. She didn’t even see the turret guarding the entrance-way.

SHING! WHAP!

Her head stuck to the ground like silly putty thrown against a window. It took several forceful tugs before she successfully peeled herself from the floor, a long line of blood dripping out her nose. Her eyes spun like clothes in a dryer. Little turrets with wings spun around her head, tweeting and chiming as they taunted her.

“Well done. As you can see, the suit’s combat capabilities are far beyond that of any other pegasus.”

Confused, Daring looked around for what she was referring to.

Just behind her was another turret. This time, it was inactive. The reason for that being that a horizontal cut had been made through it, and now lay in two pieces. Tiny sparks flickered from the corpse of the robot like last breaths. Did... Daring do that?

She unfolded her wings and looked at the edges again, once more noting their sharpness. That was …amazing. Maybe... maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. At least now she had a way to defend herself.

“Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s continue on with the tests. I guess I should warn you now that failing these next tests will result in more than just a bad mark on your papers. Regardless, it’s time to test. For Science.”