First Day on the Job: The Outbreakby GakForBreakfastChaptersA Rude AwakeningFirst Day on the JobExperimentA Rude Awakening"Ugh..." The morning sunlight cut through the crack in the almost-shut curtains draped over the window in Twilight Sparkle's bedroom, and straight into her eyes. She rolled over, groaning, but the light continued to nag at her like an old mare telling their filly to wake up for school. Twilight of course, was dead tired. She had stayed up quite late the previous night, reading up on indigenous flowers and plants in Ponyville. She was going through a sort of phase, as she always does when she discovers a new scientific field she has yet to study and discover every little detail about. She was paying for all of that late-night reading now. "I already passed Magic Kindergarten, mom..." Twilight managed to garble out, shutting the blinds harshly using her magic. The light was gone, and the room was once again a comfortable shadow. Finally, some peace and quiet. And hopefully, Twilight thought, some sleep. Her eyes shut softly, and she was already drifting off again. "Twilight!" A voice called out. Twilight's eye's ripped open, bloodshot and irritated. She jerked her head up and yelled back. "WHAT?!" She shouted to the ceiling. When she looked back down, gritting her teeth, Spike was mere inches away from her bed. He was holding a letter in one claw, and covering his left ear with the other. He was still wincing from the sudden volume. "Jeez, sorry. I was just here to tell you you got a letter." He waved the letter back and forth, still holding his left ear. Twilight felt guilty for yelling at the poor baby dragon, and her face fell to a frown. "S-Sorry, Spike. Thank you." Twilight gave Spike an apologetic smile, and he returned it with an annoyed expression, lowering his eyebrows. Twilight sheepishly took the letter from Spike with her magic. "Yeah, sure, whatever." Spike turned and walked away, down into the living area. Twilight kicked the covers off her body, and managed to crawl out of bed. She levitated the letter gently in the air in front of her as she carefully took a few steps down the stairs, still a little tired and uncoordinated. She reached the ground floor, and sat with Spike at the breakfast table. She saw a cup of tea on the table in front of her. Realizing that Spike had made this tea for her before she had woken up, she felt even more guilty for her outburst, and her face sunk again. "Hey, I'm really sorry Spike." She somberly looked at Spike, sitting across from her. He just crossed his arms and let his eyes trail to the ground, an annoyed expression still covering his face. Twilight sighed, then perked up. "Hey, to make it up to you, why don't I make you your favorite breakfast?" She smiled at him, awaiting a response. He gasped in excitement. "You mean ruby pancakes?" Spike was nearly bouncing from his excitement. This was no surprise to Twilight, who knew Spike was pretty easy to please, and not one to stay upset for long. "Of course, Spike." She smiled a little wider, taking a sip from her tea. Still too hot. She blew on it a little to cool it off. "Yes!" Spike hopped out of his chair and scurried toward the kitchen entrance. "I'll get out the ingredients for you!" He turned and bolted into the cupboard. Twilight chuckled in amusement, and looked back down to the piece of paper before her. She unraveled the ribbon holding the letter, still using her magic. That was strange, Twilight thought. Usually the typical mail she gets comes in envelopes, not in scrolls. And letters from Celestia always get sent through Spike. What could this be? She heard something break in the kitchen. "Oops, I'll get that!" She heard Spike say. Twilight just rolled her eyes, and took a sip from her tea. She brought the letter to her face and began to read. Dear Ms. Sparkle, We at the Board for Equestrian Science have reviewed your application and information extensively, and we are proud to announce that you have been accepted! Here at the Equestrian Experimental Research Center, we need more ambitious mares like yourself! Thank you very much for joining us here at EERC. Enclosed in this scroll is a work schedule. We await your first day! Sincerely, Equestrian Experimental Research Center Executive Chairman and Head of Experimental Studies, Boris Beaker Twilight spit out her tea, making sure to move the letter out of the way before doing so. Spike started to say something as he was coming out of the kitchen. "Alright," Spike stuck out his thumb behind his head, pointed to the kitchen, "I already started on the first batch of pa-" He stopped in place. His mouth still hung open from speaking. "Y'know Twi, if you don't like my tea you can just tell me." "Spike! I've been accepted!" Twilight hopped up on the table, quickly and excitedly tapping all of her hooves on the tabletop. She smiled so wide, Spike was afraid her face might rip in half. "Uh, accepted into what?" Spike scratched the back of his head and looked Twilight up and down, a little thrown off by her behavior. Twilight's excited fit came to an immediate stop, and she turned her head frighteningly fast to face Spike, who was nearly horrified at this point. Her suddenly serious, wide-eyed expression became an almost exaggerated smile. It was official. Twilight had gone nuts, and Spike was definitely horrified now. She hopped down off the table and squished Spikes cheeks with her two front hooves, making his lips pucker out. Her intense gaze bore deep into Spike, who was frozen in fear. "Spike," Twilight's face once again fell serious, "I've just been accepted into the most prestigious laboratory in all of Equestria!" She smiled wide once more and shook Spike slightly, hoping to get some words out of him. "Uh, what laboratory?" Spike mumbled through his still smooshed lips. He raised a concerned eyebrow. Concerned as to what Twilight was talking about, and concerned for her sanity. She finally freed his face from her grasp. Spike rubbed his sore cheeks "The Equestrian Experimental Research Center, Spike! Do you not remember that application I sent in two months ago?" Twilight's tone became more annoyed as she threw a hoof to the air. She narrowed her eyebrows down at Spike, who was squinting and trying to remember what she was talking about. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word out, Twilight put a hoof to his lips. "Never mind. The point is I got accepted!" Twilight brought the letter over with her magic. With a large, ridiculous grin on her face, she read the letter over and over and over, her eyes moving alarmingly fast. Spike was still a little distraught, and took a small step back. "Can I see it?" Spike asked nervously, rubbing his arm up and down. Twilight blinked hard once, as if breaking out of a trance, and her expression became normal again. "Sure, Spike!" She gladly handed the letter to Spike, a warm smile appearing on her face. Spike took it carefully, and held it out in front of his face at a good enough distance to be able to read it. He looked over the letter, and his eyes met the bottom of the page, where the work schedule was disclosed. "Says right here you start tomorrow." Spike leaned over to Twilight so she could see where he was pointing to on the letter. Twilight narrowed her eyes to read the schedule, and gasped. She shot up. "Tomorrow?! Oh, I have no time to prepare! I have so many things to study up on! I'm going to have to go out and buy a new labcoat!" Twilight darted back and forth around the library, panicked, tearing various books off the shelf. Many books crumbled to the ground, their pages making the distinct flipping noise as they flew through the air and onto the floor. Spike had seen this sight one too many times. "Uh, Twilight?" He raised a finger, and lowered an eyebrow. "Not now Spike! I've got a lot to do!" She gathered up all her things, shoved them into her saddlebag, put it on, and went barreling out the front door before Spike could even propose against her leaving. "What about the pancakes?" The smoke alarm went off. First Day on the JobTwilight Sparkle had, once again, stayed up all night studying. She could never learn her lesson. But why would she ever want to learn her lesson when she could be learning instead? Nobody else really understood. Nobody but Twilight. Barely staying awake, Twilight was lounging on the train set for Manehatten, wearing her entire science-y getup. Glasses, lab coat, the whole shebang. Manehatten was quite a ways to go for a job, but it was sure worth it! A job opportunity like this only came once in a lifetime. Spike would get some more alone time, 'Spike Time' as he called it, and Twilight knew he liked that. Plus, she would only be working three days a week. She just hoped Spike didn't get too lonely all by himself. She sat and worried for the little guy. No, he'd be find, Twilight told herself. She looked out the window and watched the world around her roll by. She loved the sights through the window on the train. So beautiful. It always relaxed her and made her feel at peace. She began to daydream about all the exciting things she'd be doing at her new job. As Twilight felt the train begin to come to a stop, she snapped out of her sleepy state. She couldn't just sleep on the job the first day! This was important! She shook her head a good few times to wake herself up more, and picked herself up off the seat. Walking off the train, she could already see the large water tower protruding from the enormous lab in the distance, surrounded by the endless city that was Manehatten. Twilight couldn't help but smile to herself giddily as she made her way down the busy sidewalk and to the facility. As she walked into the clearing where the building stood, she had to look almost straight up at the huge thing. Her mouth fell agape, and her eyes became wide. In big bold letters, it read EERC on the front of the building, and spelled out the words underneath. It wasn't just the building, there were patches of freshly cut grass surrounding it. It looked so futuristic. This was her new workplace. It was like a dream come true. She took a step towards the front doors, which opened automatically. Already so high-tech! The interior of the building was almost entirely white, except for the black and white checkered tile floor. White chairs, white walls, white everything. The receptionist desk even held a white vase with white flowers inside. Twilight was a bit thrown off by all the white, but hardly noticed through all her excitement. She took in the entire room, and then trotted up to a very tired looking receptionist at her desk. "Hello," Twilight started, "I'm Twilight Sparkle! This is my first day here!" She smiled wide and pridefully, teeth showing. She awaited a response for a few seconds. Nothing happened. With a still wide smile, she nervously looked at the receptionist, a tired look still full on her face. "Good for you." The receptionist rolled her eyes. Twilight was a bit confused. She looked around a bit. "Um... Aren't you supposed to sign me in or something? Or direct me somewhere?" She said through her teeth, still smiling wide. Twilight was becoming a little anxious. Was her schedule correct? Maybe she should recheck it. "Just head through that door." The receptionist pointed the hoof she wasn't leaning her face on to the back wall. There was a door marked 'EMPLOYEES ONLY'. Twilight laughed nervously, still through teeth. How had she not noticed that? She scolded herself, and began towards the door. "Hey kid." The receptionist spoke. Twilight turned her head. "Good luck." With an unchanging expression, she took a sip of her coffee. "Um, thanks! I suppose..." Twilight looked down at the ground, a little unnerved by that comment. She opened the door and stepped inside. The interior was the same as the previous room. In front of her was a pathway cutting through the sea of cubicles. There were a couple colts in shirts and ties, standing around a water cooler to her right. They looked like they were having a good time, talking and laughing. Twilight suddenly had the realization that she'd have to meet new ponies, and possibly make new friends at this job! Twilight was no stranger to making friends at this point, but in a workspace it seemed a little harder. What if there were ponies here that were smarter than her? What if EVERY pony here was smarter than her What if she turned out to be the laughing stock of the office? She shook the thought away. She would be sure to make some friends! After all, what good is a job if you have no friends to work with? She took a deep breath, and approached the two colts. "Good morning, gentlecolts! Do you think you can direct me towards the lab?" Twilight spoke, perhaps a bit too exaggerated, and smiled. Her eyes went back and forth between the two. The colts looked at each other, and just began talking again, ignoring Twilight. "I... Uh..." Twilight tried to ask again. Maybe they hadn't heard her or something? Just as she was about to say something else, someone behind her spoke. "Twilight Sparkle?" A colt's voice. Twilight spun around, and turned to see a middle-aged colt, wearing thick glasses and a lab coat. His black mane sprung every which way, and was littered with a few silver hairs here and there. He had a sort of beige-colored fur, and green eyes. Twilight sighed mentally. At last, another pony of science in this place! She approached the colt, who was sticking his hoof out to shake. Twilight gladly took the offer. "I'm Professor Beaker," he said, shaking Twilight's hoof, "but you can just call me Beaker." A smile spread across Twilight's face. "We were all very impressed with your work, Ms. Sparkle. We're glad to finally have you here at the lab!" Twilight couldn't help but smile wider. "Thank you for accepting me! You have no idea how excited I was to receive my acceptance letter!" Twilight stated, remembering the embarrassing episode she had yesterday morning. "Good to hear. Now, let's give you the grand tour!" Beaker gestured to Twilight, signaling for her to follow him. Twilight beamed and did a little dance when he turned away, then began to follow close behind. They wandered around the large cubicle area to the other side of the room, and to another door. This door needed a key card to open, as Beaker demonstrated. He inserted a card into the slot underneath the door handle, and the small light turned green. "In we go!" Beaker pushed open the door, and they entered a small hallway that only led to another door. However, this new door was just solid metal. Twilight was a bit confused. Beaker inserted his key card into another slot, and the door rose up, allowing them to enter. Inside was a completely white room. "What's all this for?" Twilight asked, looking around the room. "Well, Ms. Sparkle, this is a decontamination room. Anything that goes in and comes out must be decontaminated, as to not bring in any sort of unwanted bacteria, or leave with an unwanted 'experiment'." Beaker chuckled, taking off his lab coat and glasses to hang them up on the wall. "You might want to do the same, Ms. Sparkle." He said looking at Twilight, who was still in her lab coat. "Oh! Right!" She quickly removed her coat and glasses just as an icy shower washed over them. Twilight jumped in surprise, and shivered from the sudden blast of cold water. Beaker just shook his head with a smile. "Don't worry, ya get used to it." He chuckled again. The water stopped flowing, and a large blast of warm air filled the room from the fans embedded in the ceiling to dry them off. Twilight's mane was a little poofed out, but she carefully combed it back into place with her hoof. They both put their lab coats and glasses back on as the other door metal door opened. They stepped through. "This is the main laboratory!" Beaker said proudly, Twilight right behind him. She took a long gasp as her eyes soaked in all of the lab's glory. The door they had just exited sat on a heightened platform, which had two short steps to lead onto the main lab floor. As far as Twilight could see, there were ponies in lab coats. Unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies. Each pony seemed to have their own personal mini-lab. A small cuticle-like room, encased in glass so their experiments were visible. Each mini-lab held various scientific devices. There were countless test tubes and beakers with various liquids, papers scattered across desks. This was better than a dream come true! "So," Beaker turned to face a gawking Twilight, "how do you like it?" He easily read the look of enthusiasm on her face. "It's... Incredible!" Twilight managed to speak. She was quite literally awestruck. A place like this was perfect! "Oh please, this isn't even scratching the surface." Beaker said confidently. This only made Twilight more excited. Twilight made sure to trot very slowly through the lab area, turning her head left and right to see what each side held in store. So many wonderful, smart ponies. So many amazing experiments! Twilight just couldn't wait to start collaborating with others! As they approached the back of the large lab area, there stood yet another door only accessible with the master key card that Beaker held. He inserted the card, and they stepped into another narrow hallway. At the end stood an elevator door. Above it was a sign bordered in the telltale black-and-yellow caution pattern. 'DO NOT ENTER'. Beaker stopped and turned around to face Twilight, now with a rather serious expression. Twilight was confused by the sudden tension in his eyes. "Now, Twilight," Beaker came close to Twilight, his voice lower in volume than his previous proud voice, "I need you to stay quiet about what you're about to see. This area contains classified information unbeknownst to the ponies on this floor and others above it. If you can't do that, we'll be forced to remove you, and perhaps take even further measures. Understood?" He lowered his chin on the last word, eyes still locked on Twilight. She gulped. "Y-Yes sir, understood." She gave a nervous smile. What was down there that was so important that she wasn't even allowed to talk about it? Whatever it was, she was sure to stay quiet after that tense exchange. Beaker's expression changed from serious to happy in a matter of nanoseconds. "Great! Now let's go!" He hit the button on the elevator, and soon the doors opened. Twilight hesitantly stepped inside with Professor Beaker. The doors slid shut. Twilight looked around the elevator. Still the same white interior, of course. Why would she expect any different? She looked to the elevator pad to see there was a ground floor, three upper stories, and five going underground. Strange, Twilight thought. More floors underground than above? The thought chilled her a little bit. They must be hiding something big underneath the ground that deep. Not to mention Manehatten sat on the sea, so not only was this facility nearly entirely underground, it was underwater! This just chilled Twilight even more. She saw that the button marked 'B1' was lit up, and the elevator chugged to a halt. "The other elevators in the facility can only access the above-ground floors. This is the only one that can go underground." Beaker told Twilight as the elevator doors slid open, making a tiny squeak. As they exited the elevator, something was already throwing Twilight off about this place. Maybe it was the lighting, which was a tad darker than the ground floor. One of the lights in the corner flickered, making it even more shady-feeling. The ceiling was quite high, and there were three more doors. One in front of them, and one on either side of them. Beaker led Twilight through the door in front of them. They entered The room was shaped like a square, and in the center was a large glass tube, connecting the floor and the ceiling. She couldn't see what was in the tube, because it was surrounded by mobile curtains on all sides. Under the curtains she saw hooves, moving back and forth. Most likely scientists observing whatever was in the tube. Twilight was becoming visibly unnerved, and Beaker noticed. "No need to worry, Ms. Sparkle. Safety is guaranteed here at the EERC!" He made sure to hug the wall, which Twilight found rather strange, but she did the same. Twilight glanced up to the ceiling to see a security camera in one corner of the wall. Out of her peripheral vision, she spotted another in the next corner. Then another, and another. Four security cameras, one for each corner, all gazed to the center of the room. Beaker noticed Twilight's discovery. "We have live camera feeds being watched by our security department 24/7!" It seemed as if Beaker was trying every possible way not to reveal what was inside the tube. Twilight, again, found the situation unnerving. She finally asked. "What exactly is in that tube?" She sounded maybe a bit too demanding. Beaker looked to the ground, sighed, and raised his head. "I wanted to keep this experiment a secret, but for a mare as intelligent and seemingly trustworthy as you, I will show you." Beaker gave Twilight a smile. She felt a little flattered being called trustworthy. Well, seemingly trustworthy. "Boys, open it up!" Beaker called out. The hooves under the curtains stopped what they were doing, and the curtains were pushed out of the way. Twilight almost let out a scream. ExperimentWithin the tube was a grotesque, deformed filly. It had unusually twisted wings, and what looked like the beginning of a horn growing in it's head. It's eyes were shut, and it's dull color looked drained. It was huddled in the fetal position, suspended in a strange blue bubbling liquid. It had an umbilical cord protruding from its stomach. Twilight put a hoof to her lips, feeling nauseous. What monster would do such inhumane experimenting on a filly like this? After swallowing hard, she managed to finally speak. "What in the world is that?!" Her voice was extremely shaky. She wanted to look away from the abnormal form before her, but couldn't. "Calm down, Ms. Sparkle, it's only a clone!" Beaker said this rather proudly. Twilight was thrown off from the tone in his voice. She looked at him with concern. "Clone or not, what could we gain from such a... disgusting experiment?!" Twilight was beginning to grow a bit irritated. This kind of scientific study and experimentation was unacceptable in her book. "Oh, Twilight Sparkle. So naive." Beaker shook his head and chuckled. Twilight almost scoffed at hearing this. She felt offended. Beaker continued. "From this research, we can study the biological functions of alicorns! We're attempting to make an artificial one. We can't exactly study on live alicorns, and as you know, they're not known to die from old age." Beaker claimed. This was starting to make a little more sense to Twilight, but she still didn't like the whole idea. "In fact," Beaker began once more, "all of our research here is funded by Princess Celestia herself!" Twilight was shocked. Princess Celestia? As in the Princess Celestia? Why would she fund such a horrid thing? None of this added up. There was no way. "I find that a little hard to believe." Twilight stated with a concerned tone in her voice. The two scientist ponies pulled the curtains shut, they're hooves moving back and forth across the floor once more, continuing their work. Twilight sighed as the horrid display was put away. Her eyes directed back to Beaker, who was still staring at the large tube, smiling. Twilight found it rather disgusting for anypony to be smiling at such a thing. "Isn't it still a living, breathing pony? Aren't you creating a creature and giving it life for the sole purpose of experimenting and who knows what else?" Twilight's tone became much more irritated. This was an outrage. The life of other ponies was nothing to mess around with. She was still stunned from the thought of Celestia funding this project. She didn't believe it for a second. Beaker, still smiling, only put up a hoof to silence Twilight's angry questioning. "You ask too many questions, Ms. Sparkle." Beaker spoke while stifling a laugh. "I thought you'd like working here? What ever happened to all that excitement?" Twilight thought for a second, still a bit angry. Maybe she was overreacting. She did really want to work here, so she just decided to control her thoughts and emotions. If Celestia funded this, maybe it wasn't something to act so harshly about. "I'm sorry for my outburst, Beaker. This actually is quite interesting work that you're doing." Twilight admitted, a little defeated. Although gross and a little inhumane, this experimenting was rather impressive. "Don't worry about it. I understand your feelings. Now, I think this tour's gone on long enough, let's get you to work!" Beaker said while moving back toward the elevator doors. Twilight almost forgot, she got to do some experimenting of her own! Still, she once again noticed Beaker was staying close to the wall, and it was a bit strange. She was probably just over-thinking it. The elevator door quietly slid open again, and they stepped inside. Back on the ground floor, Beaker led Twilight to an empty mini-lab towards the back end of the room. Inside the lab was a lab table with a sink, some empty test tubes on a rack, and a burner. "Here's your own little lab! Since it's your first day, I'll be pairing you up with another newer member here!" Beaker backed away from the door entrance, and a yellow unicorn with a fluffy blue mane entered the room. She had a bored, tired expression, and it didn't change when her eyes met Twilight's. "Ms. Sparkle, this is your new partner, Sprout!" Beaker announced. Twilight smiled awkwardly. "Uh, hello!" Twilight said, trying to start a conversation. Sprout's expression remained. "Hi." Sprout spoke in a voice that matched her bored state. Beaker walked between the two mares. "Here are your key cards for the entrance to this lab. Don't lose these!" He handed a card to each of them, and walked over to the door. "Well you two have fun now!" And just like that, Beaker was gone. Twilight's eyes were still stuck on the doorway where Beaker once stood, then they snapped over to Sprout, who was still tiredly staring at Twilight. Twilight once again gave an awkward smile. "Soo, uhh... What kind of things do you like to study?" Twilight attempted to break the awkward moment of silence. She kicked a hoof into the ground, trying to keep herself occupied. Sprout continued to stay silent. Twilight wanted to make a new friend here, and she thought maybe she and Sprout could share a few laughs or something. She kept thinking back to that moment earlier that day. The two colts at the water cooler. She felt a little bit of jealousy. She wanted a coworker she'd look forward to seeing at this job, and she wasn't about to give up. Maybe Sprout was just shy. Twilight thought for a moment on what to say. She looked at the ground while she pondered, and noticed Sprout's cutie mark. It was a potted plant, with a leaf sitting at the top. Of course! She's interested in plants. Twilight felt a little silly for not guessing that from her name. This newfound information excited Twilight, she wanted to know plants a little more, and perhaps Sprout had information she didn't! Twilight smiled. "Hey, are you interested in plants?" Twilight asked. Maybe they could bond from this similar interest. Sprout's expression stayed the same, but she began speaking. "Of course. I love plants." Sprout said in the same monotone voice. Twilight smiled wider. "I've been studying plants a lot recently, how about we do some experimenting on that?" Twilight kept her smile, waiting for Sprout to respond. "Sure, why not?" Sprout said as she pulled out a small potted flower from somewhere. Twilight's eyes widened a little. Where'd she get that? "Great! Let's begin!" Twilight stomped her front-right hoof in approval. Sprout put the plant on the desk, and they began to examine it. "Wow, Sprout, that's amazing!" Twilight said, her eyes not looking up from the notebook she was jotting down information onto. Sprout was giving Twilight a nearly full-fledged lecture about plant life and its importance in Equestria. And of course, Twilight was eating it up. Twilight was surprised at how much of a talker Sprout could really be. When it came to plants, Sprout was all about socializing. Twilight finished up writing and looked to Sprout. "Thank you so much for all the information! None of my books elaborated that extensively!" Twilight said thankfully. Sprout still had the same expression, but something about it seemed different to Twilight than her previous bored look. "It's no problem Twilight. I'm just happy someone listened to me for once." She looked down at the ground, then back up to Twilight. "Y'know, I'd say I made a pretty cool friend today." Sprout said to Twilight, who was beaming. And for the smallest of moments, Twilight could've sworn she saw Sprout smile just a little. Just then, the lights in the building went out. Twilight blinked, trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness. "Sprout? Are you okay?" Twilight spoke blindly into the darkness. "Yes. I'm fine." Sprout replied, as mundanely as ever. Twilight's horn began to emit a glow at the tip, and the room lit up brightly. "Thank goodness for illumination spells." Twilight said, sighing. "I wonder what happened to the power?" She lowered an eyebrow and looked up at the ceiling lights. "I hope everything is okay." Sprout said, still bored-sounding, looking up at the ceiling as well. "C'mon Sprout, let's go see what's going on." Twilight motioned towards the exit of their lab, and Sprout followed her out the door. All of the other lab ponies were gathered outside of the labs, discussing loudly and slightly panicked about what was going on. A few emergency lights lit up the floor along the walls of the room. There was a loud beep, and Twilight realized it was an intercom. A voice began to speak. "Attention all employees: Please do not panic. This facility is now running on a backup generator. Main power will return shor-" There was a loud booming sound, and the entire ground started to shake. Ponies began screaming and running around the room in panic. Many started to run towards the exit door, which was for some reason locked. This just caused more panic. Twilight looked next to her to see Sprout, still standing there. Sprout seemed amused by all the chaos taking place before her. Twilight began to suspect foul play taking place, and thought of the experiments happening beneath her feet. Something must have happened down there, and she was the only one who knew about this. She thought back to what Beaker said about keeping it secret, and she sighed. She turned towards Sprout. "Sprout, I have to go. I'll be back, just stay here please." Sprout nodded in approval. Twilight quickly trotted to the door that was off limits, and slipped her key card in. For whatever reason, it worked. Maybe it was the power outage messing with the wiring. This hallway was a lot creepier without the light. Especially since the lights were dim now. Twilight walked to the elevator door, and with a bit of hesitation, she hit the button. The door opened, and Twilight stepped inside. She pressed the 'B1' button, and the elevator door slid closed.
A Rude Awakening"Ugh..." The morning sunlight cut through the crack in the almost-shut curtains draped over the window in Twilight Sparkle's bedroom, and straight into her eyes. She rolled over, groaning, but the light continued to nag at her like an old mare telling their filly to wake up for school. Twilight of course, was dead tired. She had stayed up quite late the previous night, reading up on indigenous flowers and plants in Ponyville. She was going through a sort of phase, as she always does when she discovers a new scientific field she has yet to study and discover every little detail about. She was paying for all of that late-night reading now. "I already passed Magic Kindergarten, mom..." Twilight managed to garble out, shutting the blinds harshly using her magic. The light was gone, and the room was once again a comfortable shadow. Finally, some peace and quiet. And hopefully, Twilight thought, some sleep. Her eyes shut softly, and she was already drifting off again. "Twilight!" A voice called out. Twilight's eye's ripped open, bloodshot and irritated. She jerked her head up and yelled back. "WHAT?!" She shouted to the ceiling. When she looked back down, gritting her teeth, Spike was mere inches away from her bed. He was holding a letter in one claw, and covering his left ear with the other. He was still wincing from the sudden volume. "Jeez, sorry. I was just here to tell you you got a letter." He waved the letter back and forth, still holding his left ear. Twilight felt guilty for yelling at the poor baby dragon, and her face fell to a frown. "S-Sorry, Spike. Thank you." Twilight gave Spike an apologetic smile, and he returned it with an annoyed expression, lowering his eyebrows. Twilight sheepishly took the letter from Spike with her magic. "Yeah, sure, whatever." Spike turned and walked away, down into the living area. Twilight kicked the covers off her body, and managed to crawl out of bed. She levitated the letter gently in the air in front of her as she carefully took a few steps down the stairs, still a little tired and uncoordinated. She reached the ground floor, and sat with Spike at the breakfast table. She saw a cup of tea on the table in front of her. Realizing that Spike had made this tea for her before she had woken up, she felt even more guilty for her outburst, and her face sunk again. "Hey, I'm really sorry Spike." She somberly looked at Spike, sitting across from her. He just crossed his arms and let his eyes trail to the ground, an annoyed expression still covering his face. Twilight sighed, then perked up. "Hey, to make it up to you, why don't I make you your favorite breakfast?" She smiled at him, awaiting a response. He gasped in excitement. "You mean ruby pancakes?" Spike was nearly bouncing from his excitement. This was no surprise to Twilight, who knew Spike was pretty easy to please, and not one to stay upset for long. "Of course, Spike." She smiled a little wider, taking a sip from her tea. Still too hot. She blew on it a little to cool it off. "Yes!" Spike hopped out of his chair and scurried toward the kitchen entrance. "I'll get out the ingredients for you!" He turned and bolted into the cupboard. Twilight chuckled in amusement, and looked back down to the piece of paper before her. She unraveled the ribbon holding the letter, still using her magic. That was strange, Twilight thought. Usually the typical mail she gets comes in envelopes, not in scrolls. And letters from Celestia always get sent through Spike. What could this be? She heard something break in the kitchen. "Oops, I'll get that!" She heard Spike say. Twilight just rolled her eyes, and took a sip from her tea. She brought the letter to her face and began to read. Dear Ms. Sparkle, We at the Board for Equestrian Science have reviewed your application and information extensively, and we are proud to announce that you have been accepted! Here at the Equestrian Experimental Research Center, we need more ambitious mares like yourself! Thank you very much for joining us here at EERC. Enclosed in this scroll is a work schedule. We await your first day! Sincerely, Equestrian Experimental Research Center Executive Chairman and Head of Experimental Studies, Boris Beaker Twilight spit out her tea, making sure to move the letter out of the way before doing so. Spike started to say something as he was coming out of the kitchen. "Alright," Spike stuck out his thumb behind his head, pointed to the kitchen, "I already started on the first batch of pa-" He stopped in place. His mouth still hung open from speaking. "Y'know Twi, if you don't like my tea you can just tell me." "Spike! I've been accepted!" Twilight hopped up on the table, quickly and excitedly tapping all of her hooves on the tabletop. She smiled so wide, Spike was afraid her face might rip in half. "Uh, accepted into what?" Spike scratched the back of his head and looked Twilight up and down, a little thrown off by her behavior. Twilight's excited fit came to an immediate stop, and she turned her head frighteningly fast to face Spike, who was nearly horrified at this point. Her suddenly serious, wide-eyed expression became an almost exaggerated smile. It was official. Twilight had gone nuts, and Spike was definitely horrified now. She hopped down off the table and squished Spikes cheeks with her two front hooves, making his lips pucker out. Her intense gaze bore deep into Spike, who was frozen in fear. "Spike," Twilight's face once again fell serious, "I've just been accepted into the most prestigious laboratory in all of Equestria!" She smiled wide once more and shook Spike slightly, hoping to get some words out of him. "Uh, what laboratory?" Spike mumbled through his still smooshed lips. He raised a concerned eyebrow. Concerned as to what Twilight was talking about, and concerned for her sanity. She finally freed his face from her grasp. Spike rubbed his sore cheeks "The Equestrian Experimental Research Center, Spike! Do you not remember that application I sent in two months ago?" Twilight's tone became more annoyed as she threw a hoof to the air. She narrowed her eyebrows down at Spike, who was squinting and trying to remember what she was talking about. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word out, Twilight put a hoof to his lips. "Never mind. The point is I got accepted!" Twilight brought the letter over with her magic. With a large, ridiculous grin on her face, she read the letter over and over and over, her eyes moving alarmingly fast. Spike was still a little distraught, and took a small step back. "Can I see it?" Spike asked nervously, rubbing his arm up and down. Twilight blinked hard once, as if breaking out of a trance, and her expression became normal again. "Sure, Spike!" She gladly handed the letter to Spike, a warm smile appearing on her face. Spike took it carefully, and held it out in front of his face at a good enough distance to be able to read it. He looked over the letter, and his eyes met the bottom of the page, where the work schedule was disclosed. "Says right here you start tomorrow." Spike leaned over to Twilight so she could see where he was pointing to on the letter. Twilight narrowed her eyes to read the schedule, and gasped. She shot up. "Tomorrow?! Oh, I have no time to prepare! I have so many things to study up on! I'm going to have to go out and buy a new labcoat!" Twilight darted back and forth around the library, panicked, tearing various books off the shelf. Many books crumbled to the ground, their pages making the distinct flipping noise as they flew through the air and onto the floor. Spike had seen this sight one too many times. "Uh, Twilight?" He raised a finger, and lowered an eyebrow. "Not now Spike! I've got a lot to do!" She gathered up all her things, shoved them into her saddlebag, put it on, and went barreling out the front door before Spike could even propose against her leaving. "What about the pancakes?" The smoke alarm went off.
First Day on the JobTwilight Sparkle had, once again, stayed up all night studying. She could never learn her lesson. But why would she ever want to learn her lesson when she could be learning instead? Nobody else really understood. Nobody but Twilight. Barely staying awake, Twilight was lounging on the train set for Manehatten, wearing her entire science-y getup. Glasses, lab coat, the whole shebang. Manehatten was quite a ways to go for a job, but it was sure worth it! A job opportunity like this only came once in a lifetime. Spike would get some more alone time, 'Spike Time' as he called it, and Twilight knew he liked that. Plus, she would only be working three days a week. She just hoped Spike didn't get too lonely all by himself. She sat and worried for the little guy. No, he'd be find, Twilight told herself. She looked out the window and watched the world around her roll by. She loved the sights through the window on the train. So beautiful. It always relaxed her and made her feel at peace. She began to daydream about all the exciting things she'd be doing at her new job. As Twilight felt the train begin to come to a stop, she snapped out of her sleepy state. She couldn't just sleep on the job the first day! This was important! She shook her head a good few times to wake herself up more, and picked herself up off the seat. Walking off the train, she could already see the large water tower protruding from the enormous lab in the distance, surrounded by the endless city that was Manehatten. Twilight couldn't help but smile to herself giddily as she made her way down the busy sidewalk and to the facility. As she walked into the clearing where the building stood, she had to look almost straight up at the huge thing. Her mouth fell agape, and her eyes became wide. In big bold letters, it read EERC on the front of the building, and spelled out the words underneath. It wasn't just the building, there were patches of freshly cut grass surrounding it. It looked so futuristic. This was her new workplace. It was like a dream come true. She took a step towards the front doors, which opened automatically. Already so high-tech! The interior of the building was almost entirely white, except for the black and white checkered tile floor. White chairs, white walls, white everything. The receptionist desk even held a white vase with white flowers inside. Twilight was a bit thrown off by all the white, but hardly noticed through all her excitement. She took in the entire room, and then trotted up to a very tired looking receptionist at her desk. "Hello," Twilight started, "I'm Twilight Sparkle! This is my first day here!" She smiled wide and pridefully, teeth showing. She awaited a response for a few seconds. Nothing happened. With a still wide smile, she nervously looked at the receptionist, a tired look still full on her face. "Good for you." The receptionist rolled her eyes. Twilight was a bit confused. She looked around a bit. "Um... Aren't you supposed to sign me in or something? Or direct me somewhere?" She said through her teeth, still smiling wide. Twilight was becoming a little anxious. Was her schedule correct? Maybe she should recheck it. "Just head through that door." The receptionist pointed the hoof she wasn't leaning her face on to the back wall. There was a door marked 'EMPLOYEES ONLY'. Twilight laughed nervously, still through teeth. How had she not noticed that? She scolded herself, and began towards the door. "Hey kid." The receptionist spoke. Twilight turned her head. "Good luck." With an unchanging expression, she took a sip of her coffee. "Um, thanks! I suppose..." Twilight looked down at the ground, a little unnerved by that comment. She opened the door and stepped inside. The interior was the same as the previous room. In front of her was a pathway cutting through the sea of cubicles. There were a couple colts in shirts and ties, standing around a water cooler to her right. They looked like they were having a good time, talking and laughing. Twilight suddenly had the realization that she'd have to meet new ponies, and possibly make new friends at this job! Twilight was no stranger to making friends at this point, but in a workspace it seemed a little harder. What if there were ponies here that were smarter than her? What if EVERY pony here was smarter than her What if she turned out to be the laughing stock of the office? She shook the thought away. She would be sure to make some friends! After all, what good is a job if you have no friends to work with? She took a deep breath, and approached the two colts. "Good morning, gentlecolts! Do you think you can direct me towards the lab?" Twilight spoke, perhaps a bit too exaggerated, and smiled. Her eyes went back and forth between the two. The colts looked at each other, and just began talking again, ignoring Twilight. "I... Uh..." Twilight tried to ask again. Maybe they hadn't heard her or something? Just as she was about to say something else, someone behind her spoke. "Twilight Sparkle?" A colt's voice. Twilight spun around, and turned to see a middle-aged colt, wearing thick glasses and a lab coat. His black mane sprung every which way, and was littered with a few silver hairs here and there. He had a sort of beige-colored fur, and green eyes. Twilight sighed mentally. At last, another pony of science in this place! She approached the colt, who was sticking his hoof out to shake. Twilight gladly took the offer. "I'm Professor Beaker," he said, shaking Twilight's hoof, "but you can just call me Beaker." A smile spread across Twilight's face. "We were all very impressed with your work, Ms. Sparkle. We're glad to finally have you here at the lab!" Twilight couldn't help but smile wider. "Thank you for accepting me! You have no idea how excited I was to receive my acceptance letter!" Twilight stated, remembering the embarrassing episode she had yesterday morning. "Good to hear. Now, let's give you the grand tour!" Beaker gestured to Twilight, signaling for her to follow him. Twilight beamed and did a little dance when he turned away, then began to follow close behind. They wandered around the large cubicle area to the other side of the room, and to another door. This door needed a key card to open, as Beaker demonstrated. He inserted a card into the slot underneath the door handle, and the small light turned green. "In we go!" Beaker pushed open the door, and they entered a small hallway that only led to another door. However, this new door was just solid metal. Twilight was a bit confused. Beaker inserted his key card into another slot, and the door rose up, allowing them to enter. Inside was a completely white room. "What's all this for?" Twilight asked, looking around the room. "Well, Ms. Sparkle, this is a decontamination room. Anything that goes in and comes out must be decontaminated, as to not bring in any sort of unwanted bacteria, or leave with an unwanted 'experiment'." Beaker chuckled, taking off his lab coat and glasses to hang them up on the wall. "You might want to do the same, Ms. Sparkle." He said looking at Twilight, who was still in her lab coat. "Oh! Right!" She quickly removed her coat and glasses just as an icy shower washed over them. Twilight jumped in surprise, and shivered from the sudden blast of cold water. Beaker just shook his head with a smile. "Don't worry, ya get used to it." He chuckled again. The water stopped flowing, and a large blast of warm air filled the room from the fans embedded in the ceiling to dry them off. Twilight's mane was a little poofed out, but she carefully combed it back into place with her hoof. They both put their lab coats and glasses back on as the other door metal door opened. They stepped through. "This is the main laboratory!" Beaker said proudly, Twilight right behind him. She took a long gasp as her eyes soaked in all of the lab's glory. The door they had just exited sat on a heightened platform, which had two short steps to lead onto the main lab floor. As far as Twilight could see, there were ponies in lab coats. Unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies. Each pony seemed to have their own personal mini-lab. A small cuticle-like room, encased in glass so their experiments were visible. Each mini-lab held various scientific devices. There were countless test tubes and beakers with various liquids, papers scattered across desks. This was better than a dream come true! "So," Beaker turned to face a gawking Twilight, "how do you like it?" He easily read the look of enthusiasm on her face. "It's... Incredible!" Twilight managed to speak. She was quite literally awestruck. A place like this was perfect! "Oh please, this isn't even scratching the surface." Beaker said confidently. This only made Twilight more excited. Twilight made sure to trot very slowly through the lab area, turning her head left and right to see what each side held in store. So many wonderful, smart ponies. So many amazing experiments! Twilight just couldn't wait to start collaborating with others! As they approached the back of the large lab area, there stood yet another door only accessible with the master key card that Beaker held. He inserted the card, and they stepped into another narrow hallway. At the end stood an elevator door. Above it was a sign bordered in the telltale black-and-yellow caution pattern. 'DO NOT ENTER'. Beaker stopped and turned around to face Twilight, now with a rather serious expression. Twilight was confused by the sudden tension in his eyes. "Now, Twilight," Beaker came close to Twilight, his voice lower in volume than his previous proud voice, "I need you to stay quiet about what you're about to see. This area contains classified information unbeknownst to the ponies on this floor and others above it. If you can't do that, we'll be forced to remove you, and perhaps take even further measures. Understood?" He lowered his chin on the last word, eyes still locked on Twilight. She gulped. "Y-Yes sir, understood." She gave a nervous smile. What was down there that was so important that she wasn't even allowed to talk about it? Whatever it was, she was sure to stay quiet after that tense exchange. Beaker's expression changed from serious to happy in a matter of nanoseconds. "Great! Now let's go!" He hit the button on the elevator, and soon the doors opened. Twilight hesitantly stepped inside with Professor Beaker. The doors slid shut. Twilight looked around the elevator. Still the same white interior, of course. Why would she expect any different? She looked to the elevator pad to see there was a ground floor, three upper stories, and five going underground. Strange, Twilight thought. More floors underground than above? The thought chilled her a little bit. They must be hiding something big underneath the ground that deep. Not to mention Manehatten sat on the sea, so not only was this facility nearly entirely underground, it was underwater! This just chilled Twilight even more. She saw that the button marked 'B1' was lit up, and the elevator chugged to a halt. "The other elevators in the facility can only access the above-ground floors. This is the only one that can go underground." Beaker told Twilight as the elevator doors slid open, making a tiny squeak. As they exited the elevator, something was already throwing Twilight off about this place. Maybe it was the lighting, which was a tad darker than the ground floor. One of the lights in the corner flickered, making it even more shady-feeling. The ceiling was quite high, and there were three more doors. One in front of them, and one on either side of them. Beaker led Twilight through the door in front of them. They entered The room was shaped like a square, and in the center was a large glass tube, connecting the floor and the ceiling. She couldn't see what was in the tube, because it was surrounded by mobile curtains on all sides. Under the curtains she saw hooves, moving back and forth. Most likely scientists observing whatever was in the tube. Twilight was becoming visibly unnerved, and Beaker noticed. "No need to worry, Ms. Sparkle. Safety is guaranteed here at the EERC!" He made sure to hug the wall, which Twilight found rather strange, but she did the same. Twilight glanced up to the ceiling to see a security camera in one corner of the wall. Out of her peripheral vision, she spotted another in the next corner. Then another, and another. Four security cameras, one for each corner, all gazed to the center of the room. Beaker noticed Twilight's discovery. "We have live camera feeds being watched by our security department 24/7!" It seemed as if Beaker was trying every possible way not to reveal what was inside the tube. Twilight, again, found the situation unnerving. She finally asked. "What exactly is in that tube?" She sounded maybe a bit too demanding. Beaker looked to the ground, sighed, and raised his head. "I wanted to keep this experiment a secret, but for a mare as intelligent and seemingly trustworthy as you, I will show you." Beaker gave Twilight a smile. She felt a little flattered being called trustworthy. Well, seemingly trustworthy. "Boys, open it up!" Beaker called out. The hooves under the curtains stopped what they were doing, and the curtains were pushed out of the way. Twilight almost let out a scream.
ExperimentWithin the tube was a grotesque, deformed filly. It had unusually twisted wings, and what looked like the beginning of a horn growing in it's head. It's eyes were shut, and it's dull color looked drained. It was huddled in the fetal position, suspended in a strange blue bubbling liquid. It had an umbilical cord protruding from its stomach. Twilight put a hoof to her lips, feeling nauseous. What monster would do such inhumane experimenting on a filly like this? After swallowing hard, she managed to finally speak. "What in the world is that?!" Her voice was extremely shaky. She wanted to look away from the abnormal form before her, but couldn't. "Calm down, Ms. Sparkle, it's only a clone!" Beaker said this rather proudly. Twilight was thrown off from the tone in his voice. She looked at him with concern. "Clone or not, what could we gain from such a... disgusting experiment?!" Twilight was beginning to grow a bit irritated. This kind of scientific study and experimentation was unacceptable in her book. "Oh, Twilight Sparkle. So naive." Beaker shook his head and chuckled. Twilight almost scoffed at hearing this. She felt offended. Beaker continued. "From this research, we can study the biological functions of alicorns! We're attempting to make an artificial one. We can't exactly study on live alicorns, and as you know, they're not known to die from old age." Beaker claimed. This was starting to make a little more sense to Twilight, but she still didn't like the whole idea. "In fact," Beaker began once more, "all of our research here is funded by Princess Celestia herself!" Twilight was shocked. Princess Celestia? As in the Princess Celestia? Why would she fund such a horrid thing? None of this added up. There was no way. "I find that a little hard to believe." Twilight stated with a concerned tone in her voice. The two scientist ponies pulled the curtains shut, they're hooves moving back and forth across the floor once more, continuing their work. Twilight sighed as the horrid display was put away. Her eyes directed back to Beaker, who was still staring at the large tube, smiling. Twilight found it rather disgusting for anypony to be smiling at such a thing. "Isn't it still a living, breathing pony? Aren't you creating a creature and giving it life for the sole purpose of experimenting and who knows what else?" Twilight's tone became much more irritated. This was an outrage. The life of other ponies was nothing to mess around with. She was still stunned from the thought of Celestia funding this project. She didn't believe it for a second. Beaker, still smiling, only put up a hoof to silence Twilight's angry questioning. "You ask too many questions, Ms. Sparkle." Beaker spoke while stifling a laugh. "I thought you'd like working here? What ever happened to all that excitement?" Twilight thought for a second, still a bit angry. Maybe she was overreacting. She did really want to work here, so she just decided to control her thoughts and emotions. If Celestia funded this, maybe it wasn't something to act so harshly about. "I'm sorry for my outburst, Beaker. This actually is quite interesting work that you're doing." Twilight admitted, a little defeated. Although gross and a little inhumane, this experimenting was rather impressive. "Don't worry about it. I understand your feelings. Now, I think this tour's gone on long enough, let's get you to work!" Beaker said while moving back toward the elevator doors. Twilight almost forgot, she got to do some experimenting of her own! Still, she once again noticed Beaker was staying close to the wall, and it was a bit strange. She was probably just over-thinking it. The elevator door quietly slid open again, and they stepped inside. Back on the ground floor, Beaker led Twilight to an empty mini-lab towards the back end of the room. Inside the lab was a lab table with a sink, some empty test tubes on a rack, and a burner. "Here's your own little lab! Since it's your first day, I'll be pairing you up with another newer member here!" Beaker backed away from the door entrance, and a yellow unicorn with a fluffy blue mane entered the room. She had a bored, tired expression, and it didn't change when her eyes met Twilight's. "Ms. Sparkle, this is your new partner, Sprout!" Beaker announced. Twilight smiled awkwardly. "Uh, hello!" Twilight said, trying to start a conversation. Sprout's expression remained. "Hi." Sprout spoke in a voice that matched her bored state. Beaker walked between the two mares. "Here are your key cards for the entrance to this lab. Don't lose these!" He handed a card to each of them, and walked over to the door. "Well you two have fun now!" And just like that, Beaker was gone. Twilight's eyes were still stuck on the doorway where Beaker once stood, then they snapped over to Sprout, who was still tiredly staring at Twilight. Twilight once again gave an awkward smile. "Soo, uhh... What kind of things do you like to study?" Twilight attempted to break the awkward moment of silence. She kicked a hoof into the ground, trying to keep herself occupied. Sprout continued to stay silent. Twilight wanted to make a new friend here, and she thought maybe she and Sprout could share a few laughs or something. She kept thinking back to that moment earlier that day. The two colts at the water cooler. She felt a little bit of jealousy. She wanted a coworker she'd look forward to seeing at this job, and she wasn't about to give up. Maybe Sprout was just shy. Twilight thought for a moment on what to say. She looked at the ground while she pondered, and noticed Sprout's cutie mark. It was a potted plant, with a leaf sitting at the top. Of course! She's interested in plants. Twilight felt a little silly for not guessing that from her name. This newfound information excited Twilight, she wanted to know plants a little more, and perhaps Sprout had information she didn't! Twilight smiled. "Hey, are you interested in plants?" Twilight asked. Maybe they could bond from this similar interest. Sprout's expression stayed the same, but she began speaking. "Of course. I love plants." Sprout said in the same monotone voice. Twilight smiled wider. "I've been studying plants a lot recently, how about we do some experimenting on that?" Twilight kept her smile, waiting for Sprout to respond. "Sure, why not?" Sprout said as she pulled out a small potted flower from somewhere. Twilight's eyes widened a little. Where'd she get that? "Great! Let's begin!" Twilight stomped her front-right hoof in approval. Sprout put the plant on the desk, and they began to examine it. "Wow, Sprout, that's amazing!" Twilight said, her eyes not looking up from the notebook she was jotting down information onto. Sprout was giving Twilight a nearly full-fledged lecture about plant life and its importance in Equestria. And of course, Twilight was eating it up. Twilight was surprised at how much of a talker Sprout could really be. When it came to plants, Sprout was all about socializing. Twilight finished up writing and looked to Sprout. "Thank you so much for all the information! None of my books elaborated that extensively!" Twilight said thankfully. Sprout still had the same expression, but something about it seemed different to Twilight than her previous bored look. "It's no problem Twilight. I'm just happy someone listened to me for once." She looked down at the ground, then back up to Twilight. "Y'know, I'd say I made a pretty cool friend today." Sprout said to Twilight, who was beaming. And for the smallest of moments, Twilight could've sworn she saw Sprout smile just a little. Just then, the lights in the building went out. Twilight blinked, trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness. "Sprout? Are you okay?" Twilight spoke blindly into the darkness. "Yes. I'm fine." Sprout replied, as mundanely as ever. Twilight's horn began to emit a glow at the tip, and the room lit up brightly. "Thank goodness for illumination spells." Twilight said, sighing. "I wonder what happened to the power?" She lowered an eyebrow and looked up at the ceiling lights. "I hope everything is okay." Sprout said, still bored-sounding, looking up at the ceiling as well. "C'mon Sprout, let's go see what's going on." Twilight motioned towards the exit of their lab, and Sprout followed her out the door. All of the other lab ponies were gathered outside of the labs, discussing loudly and slightly panicked about what was going on. A few emergency lights lit up the floor along the walls of the room. There was a loud beep, and Twilight realized it was an intercom. A voice began to speak. "Attention all employees: Please do not panic. This facility is now running on a backup generator. Main power will return shor-" There was a loud booming sound, and the entire ground started to shake. Ponies began screaming and running around the room in panic. Many started to run towards the exit door, which was for some reason locked. This just caused more panic. Twilight looked next to her to see Sprout, still standing there. Sprout seemed amused by all the chaos taking place before her. Twilight began to suspect foul play taking place, and thought of the experiments happening beneath her feet. Something must have happened down there, and she was the only one who knew about this. She thought back to what Beaker said about keeping it secret, and she sighed. She turned towards Sprout. "Sprout, I have to go. I'll be back, just stay here please." Sprout nodded in approval. Twilight quickly trotted to the door that was off limits, and slipped her key card in. For whatever reason, it worked. Maybe it was the power outage messing with the wiring. This hallway was a lot creepier without the light. Especially since the lights were dim now. Twilight walked to the elevator door, and with a bit of hesitation, she hit the button. The door opened, and Twilight stepped inside. She pressed the 'B1' button, and the elevator door slid closed.
