Sunset Shimmer and Rainbow Dash walked up to the nondescript door. It looked like all the others on this similarly gray building. It looked more like a place they'd film a low-budget zombie movie than a laboratory.
“You sure this is it?” Rainbow asked.
“I think so,” Sunset answered, checking her phone again. “This place really is in the middle of nowhere.”
“Makes sense, I guess,” Rainbow said. “Probably so there's no one around to call the cops when something explodes.”
There was a brief pause as both girls considered the fact that that would mean if they were in the wrong place, there would be no one to call the cops for them, and it was likely they would never be heard from again.
“Yeah, I'm calling her,” Rainbow said, pulling out her phone. She quickly found it in her contacts and tapped. “Hey, Twilight, we're here. Open up!”
Thankfully, they were in the right place. Twilight opened the door, smiling widely, wearing her lab coat and her goggles pushed up on her forehead. “Hey girls!” she said, tucking her phone back in her pocket. “Thanks for coming over.”
“Of course!” Sunset said amicably. “Thanks for inviting us. But for the record, I don't think you have to worry. I’m sure whatever you cooked up for the science fair is going to be fantastic.”
“I certainly hope so,” Twilight said as she shut the door. “I'm hoping to change the world.”
Once her eyes had adjusted to the change in light, Rainbow realized just how big this place was. She dug her hands in her pockets and whistled appreciatively, spinning around and taking in the sights. “Wow. Digging the new secret lab, Twi.”
“Yeah,” Twilight said modestly, though she was clearly proud. “My basement was good, but I just needed a little more room to work, you know?” She looked up. “An old warehouse was just what I needed. Nice, tall ceilings. Plenty of room. And I haven't had any visits from law enforcement, not even when my experimental generator exploded.”
“Called it,” Rainbow whispered.
Sunset rolled her eyes.
"Anyway, I'm pretty happy with it. Moved all my projects over, and I still have plenty of room.”
“This looks pretty cool,” Rainbow said, pointing at a large box with a raised, rounded center. “It looks like that one slide projector Granny Smith has.”
“That right there’s the prototype of my Anomaly Source Sensor,” Twilight explained.
Rainbow paused. “The what, now?” she asked, suppressing a smile.
“It's the thing I used to sense and absorb magic, before, I, um, unleashed it,” she finished quietly.
Sunset could see that Twilight was clearly still uncomfortable about that whole Midnight Sparkle thing, and, having had a little experience with that kind of thing herself, quickly steered the conversation back to a safer topic. “Hey, old projects are great, but we came to see your latest work.”
Twilight brightened. “Oh, right!” She ran over to a more open area, where a white sheet covered something taller than her. “This is what I brought you here to see.” She dramatically pulled the sheet off.
“Ooh,” Sunset and Rainbow said in unison.
It appeared to be a giant egg, made of a white material with a transparent ring around it that served as a windshield. It was large enough for one person and maybe a few personal items. It sat on what looked like puzzle pads, like the kind used in martial arts studios, but thicker and with wide lines drawn to form an enormous figure eight. “This is the transportation of the future,” Twilight said excitedly. “I call it, the Single Human Independent Transport.”
Rainbow snorted.
Sunset jabbed her in the ribs with her elbow.
“What?” Twilight asked, her eyes flicking between them.
“Nothing,” Rainbow said too quickly. “I mean, it looks like an egg, and that was funny to me. Because you’re an egghead, and now you’re riding in an eggmobile.” She smiled widely.
Sunset glared at her. Nice save, she said with her eyes.
Twilight gave her a flat look. “The Single Human Independent Transport,” she emphasized, “is designed as the future of private transportation. Efficient, low noise, and introvert friendly.”
Rainbow had a sudden thought of Pinkie Pie trying to throw a party in this tiny pod. Talk about Squish City!
“The riders sit in this pod here,” she pushed a button and a hidden door opened. “You adjust your speed with this lever, so you can always go at your own pace. There's no need to steer, either! You just punch in your destination, and the Independent Transporter will transport you there independently!”
“Hence the name,” Sunset said, nodding.
“Speaking of, is that the official name,” Rainbow had to ask, “or just a placeholder?”
Twilight looked between them. “Is there something wrong with it?” she asked, confusedly.
Sunset and Rainbow looked at each other.
“Well…”
“It's, um…”
“I think what she's trying to say is, you'd probably better run it by a focus group first,” Sunset finally said as tactfully as possible.
“Oh, is that it?” Twilight said with a relieved chuckle. “I'm open to changing it. It'll need a new name for the double and family pods, anyway. Whenever those get designed, I mean. Actually, I was going to call it the Basic Universal Transport System, the Environmentally Conscious and Kind Solution,” Twilight admitted, “but that seemed like a bit of a mouthful.”
“More like ‘something else’ full,” Rainbow muttered.
Sunset jabbed her in the ribs again. “The name’s fine for now. Go on, Twilight.”
“Right! The Single Human Independent Transport runs on these magnetic rails, which cuts down the force of friction to a fraction of that of other transport options. Upgrading infrastructure will be a snap, literally! The Automatically Networked Articulated Line is a set of shielded rails that snap together like interlocking blocks. Easy to transport and repair, since it's all modular. Just swap out any damaged square! It's all shielded by what I call the Plastic Encapsulated Networked Integrated Solution, so someone with a pacemaker or cochlear implant could lay down on the rails and not be affected. Not that we want that or anything,” she said hurriedly, “but even in that worst-case scenario, there's a built-in security system, Variable Option Restraint in Emergencies, that will stop safely or swerve around any obstruction.”
Rainbow leaned in towards Sunset. “She’s doing this on purpose, right?” she whispered. “She has to be.”
“I… don’t think she is,” Sunset whispered back uncertainly.
Twilight glanced between them. “Doing what?”
“Nothing,” they said in unison.
She gave them a sideways look, but continued. “It's currently on a small test track, but I'm building more and hopefully I'll have ‘stations’ by the time of the competition. But first… the maiden voyage.”
“Sounds like a momentous occasion,” Sunset said, always happy to share in a friend’s triumph. “What do you want us to do?”
“Make the difference between science and just messing around: documentation!” Twilight said gleefully. She retrieved a few things from her desk. “You'll need these,” she said, holding out two pairs of goggles, a clipboard with attached pen, and a radio.
“What's wrong with a cell phone?” Rainbow asked, reaching for her pocket for hers.
“It's not very scientific,” Twilight explained. “Radios have been used for all the great tests. It wouldn't be right to change that now.”
“Use my phone watch cat videos whole world, tell me it's not science-y,” Rainbow grumbled under her breath, but she took the radio. She took a few steps back and passed the clipboard to Sunset, and they put their goggles on.
Twilight put on her own set, then shut the door and held up her radio. “Comms check,” she said.
“Sparkle One, we read you loud and clear, you are ready for takeoff,” Rainbow said into the radio, holding her nose for a little authentic distortion.
Twilight grinned. “Standby for take off!” She pressed a button, and the pod began to move. It followed the figure eight path.
“Looking good so far,” Sunset said, making a little note on the clipboard.
“Yeah,” Rainbow agreed. “It’s kinda cute.” She paused. “But it really needs a better name,” she added under her breath.
“Can’t argue with that,” Sunset said.
But as they spoke, they noticed that the pod seemed to still be gaining speed, and it didn’t seem to be slowing down.
“Is it supposed to be going that fast?” Sunset asked apprehensively.
“I don’t think so,” Rainbow said. “That's going, like, me fast.” She held up the radio. “Sparkle One, what's your status?”
“Doing fine!” Twilight said, though she certainly didn't sound fine.
“You're going a little fast there,” Rainbow observed.
“I may have misconfigured the default speed and the top speed. Not to worry,” Twilight said in a tone of voice that showed she was worried, “I can just slow it down!”
The two watched, but…
“I don’t think it’s slowing down. I think it's going faster,” Sunset said, squinting.
“I think you’re right,” Rainbow agreed.
Twilight threw in the towel. “Abort! Abort the test! Rainbow! Help!” came screeching out from the radio.
“I- I don’t know what to do!” Rainbow said, suddenly distressed. Could she run and catch up to it? Open it? Pull her out and somehow be fast enough to avoid the eggmobile of doom on the return trip?
But before she could even cement a plan, the magnetic forces finally lost against the rotational forces, and the Single Human Independent Transport pod flew off the rails. It flew like a, well, giant egg, and crashed into a shelving unit, sending projects and papers flying.
Sunset and Rainbow were there in a flash. With her super speed, Rainbow poked at every part of the transport she could until she finally hit the right spot, and the door opened with a soft hiss. Sunset helped Twilight out. She seemed shaken, but could stand.
“At least the protective features in the transport seem to work,” Twilight said, slightly dazed. She adjusted her glasses. “No permanent…” Her voice trailed off as she saw the destruction he pod had caused. She let out a quiet shriek of desperation and dug into the mess. Sunset and Rainbow looked at each other nervously.
“Oh, no!” She pulled out a device that looked like a helmet with multiple wires coming out; or, what was formerly a helmet. “My Facsimile-Activating Neurally Networked Node!” She bowed her head in mourning, touching her forehead against it. “It turned brainwaves into colors, made all kinds of patterns; and now it's toast!” Her lower lip trembled. “I won my first scholarship with this,” she sniffled.
“Oh, I'm so sorry, Twilight,” Sunset said empathetically, coming up and resting her hand on Twilight’s shoulder.
“Me too,” Rainbow said comfortingly, coming on her other side. “It’s never any fun when the S. H. I. T. hits the F. A. N. N. N.”
