Project: Chrysalis

5. The Beast of Lab 28

Across the dreary plains on a cloudy, drizzly spring day, Celestia led seven ponies to lab 28. Uncertainty nearly overwhelmed the solar diarch as she dearly hoped the issues would be cleared up by the time they arrived. For reasons of security and to ensure that very important work was completed, secrecy must remain intact. The truth behind the laboratory wasn't something even her favorite student needed to know about, let alone her five best friends, and some nosy stallion out here for gods know what.

Directly behind her was a purple unicorn, deeply concerned as to what was going on. It was unlike the Princess to threaten ponies in the manner she did, even if he first aimed a weapon at her. Still, Celestia acted in a way she would never have wanted Twilight to see. She hardly knew this Dr. Antlion, but what he said about the lab...it stuck with her. What dark secrets was her mentor hiding? She must have a good reason.

Lost in thought, Twilight barely paid attention to her friends. Applejack walked besides the Dr., balancing his shotgun on her back. She took it, with Antlion's permission. The farmer's life had taught her when you don't know what's going on, sometimes a good gun comes in handy.

Rarity took note of the large, unnecessary firearm. "Applejack, why are you carrying around that brutish weapon?"

"Y’all never know what lurks up here in this wild country."

"And do you know how to use that gun?"

"I've had a bit of practice on the acres, what with the Everfree Forest right there..."

When she said this, Applejack noticed Fluttershy's eyes grew huge in her endless compassion for animals.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy. I fire warnin' shots. Most critters know enough to stay away after that...though some of the more ornery varmints like to test me."

"So long as you don't harm any of us, I suppose I'll accept that." Rarity said, a bit of disapproval for Applejack's violent lifestyle in her voice. She felt the drizzle become heavier. "Ugh...why must it rain?"

Rainbow Dash, flying alongside chimed in. "Yeah! Aren't there any pegasi on the weather patrol, doc? Who controls the weather?"

"Nopony controls the weather. It's far too remote out here to justify a team. And pegasi don't control the weather...control is an illusion. They merely direct it."

"What do you mean? I help control the weather every day! It's my job."

"You simply move the clouds to where they are needed. Left to their own devices, the clouds would do as they pleased."

"Yeah...well..." Dash, not having anything to retort, crossed her hooves in a huff. "...You're an egghead..." She muttered.

Antlion sighed, feeling remorseful. He had a tendency to be a bit of a show off and know-it-all. "I'm sorry if I offended you. I didn't mean to belittle the importance of your work."

Rainbow Dash, still a bit aggravated, "I guess it's ok."

Pinkie Pie, until then distracted by the nonexistent scenery, took the opportunity to cheer Dash up. "Oh don't be such a frowny wowny! Look! There's a building up ahead! We're almost there!"

Sure enough, at the top of the hill they were on, a little more than 100 yards away was a concrete complex of several buildings surrounded by a chain-link fence. Celestia spoke up, announcing to the group. "This is Lab 28. Nothing special. They just conduct environmental research out here. Now please go home. No sense in wasting a perfectly fine day in this empty place."

Curiously, it was not Antlion who objected, but Twilight Sparkle. "Actually, Princess, would it be alright if we got a look on the inside? I've always wanted to know what goes on inside this lab."

"Um...well..." Thinking about the consequences of potentially compromising everything, and betraying the trust of her student, Celestia's mind engaged in a civil war. Against her better judgment, she felt she could fool them a bit longer, and hopefully stall them enough. Everything would be fine, she assured herself. "I see no reason why not. Follow me."

A short time later, the group came to the gatehouse, attended by a guard. Upon seeing the Princess, the gate was lifted, allowing them to continue to the large automatic doors. Celestia inputted a code with her horn, and the sound of locks disengaging and servos whirring intrigued everypony. They stepped through as the doors closed, locking tight.

Inside was a large room about three stories high with several desks and a fountain in the middle. Several ponies in white coats stood huddles around something. Before anypony could ask, a mare in a black suit run up.

"Princess! Wha...who are these ponies?"

"Vixen, these are my student Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Twilight, this is Chairpony Vixen of the Royal Scientific Society."

"So you're Twilight Sparkle? Pleasure to meet you." The green pony stuck out a hoof. The lavender unicorn reached to shake it.

"Nice to meet you too. I'm interested to see what you do here."

Vixen's face went pale. "Um...uh...you see there's a lot of clearance to get through..."

Celestia's eyes widened. She mentally facehoofed for not having thought of it sooner. "Yes! There's an obscene amount of paper work and bureaucracy somepony needs to fulfill before they can access the laboratory facilities." She noticed the corpses will still there. "A...anyway, since we'd have to go to Canterlot for all of that, no point in remaining her."

Antlion however wouldn't go so easily. "What a second! I’m not going anywhere until I know why you always wanted me gone, and what do you have to do with it, Princess. Why are you even here?"

The Princess was really starting to loathe that stallion. She fished through her mind for an answer. Before she could land one, though, Rarity caught sight of a reddish mass on the floor. She could see it through the legs of the ponies. Upon closer inspection, she leapt back.

"W...what the hell is that! Is that a pony??"

The others raced towards the circle of ponies. Each of them felt nauseous at the sight; a pony that had been flayed, made devoid of its skin. Next to it was another body. This one had skin, but was cut open and gutted. Fluttershy and Pinkie were shuttering, fixing to go into shock. Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Applejack stood mouth agape. Rarity rushed to the nearest trash bin and threw up.

Antlion turned to face Celestia. "What did this? What's going on here! I want answers! No half-truths, no lies, no excuses. Something killed these ponies."

"An accident has occurred, which tragically killed these two innocent ponies. It's been contained now."

Before the Dr. could ask another question, the Princess cantered to Vixen for another scolding. She leaned in and whispered fiercely. "Why were these bodies not removed?! Dammit, Chairpony, you may have compromised the entire project. And has the aggressor been stopped?"

"We were about to move them. As for the containment..."

She was cut off from a door opening, leading to the bowels of the compound. A tattered guard-looking pony came in, looking exhausted and horrified.

"Seal the doors! Now! Do it now!"

"What? Why?" Vixen asked.

"Just do it!"

The button was about to be pressed when a voice called out from the hall. It was full of pain and fear, giving everypony an uneasy feeling. "Help! Please! Help!"

Applejack and Rainbow Dash moved towards the hall, but the guard objected. "No! Close it! Do it!"

Nopony did. They wanted to save this poor stallion. AJ and RD crept closer, calling out. "It's ok. Help is here."

Thoroughly disgusted with what they saw, the earth pony and pegasus run as far back as they could. Through the dimly lit hall they saw a pony stumbling and crying weakly. Something was very wrong with him. Everypony went to see what was going on, and they repeated the actions of the former two. A pony came across the threshold, legs broken and twisted. But worst of all his face and back were skinless. He yelled to the horrified group of ponies. "Help! Please!" He broke down in tears at the sheer pain.

The covered guard spoke up morbidly, "What have you all done?"

The implications of allowing the skinned stallion through were felt almost immediately. Hoofsteps got louder and louder down the hall as a dark shape began forming. Everypony ran back to the center of the lobby. What came next, nopony was prepared for.

A large black claw lashed from the door, impaling the skinned guard through the chest. He was slung up, vomiting blood and yelling in pain. Three more legs crept out into the room, revealing a large, hideous creature. Its long segmented neck had a holed teal mane, strange enough. It walked on four razor sharp limbs, and looked at the world with horrible green eyes, the kind only seen in nightmares. On the base of its neck were two small arms with ugly hand-type structures. The leg with the guard gave him to the hands, and the arms moved him closer to the creature's toothy maw. It shrieked, declaring its kill.

Then, the neck began to split open, revealing its veins, arteries, and other innards. Boning protrusions started forming, quickly developing into sharp smaller legs. Their claws dug deep into the wailing stallion, still barely alive, and pulled apart, ripping his rib cage open. The monster's tongue slithered out and separated into three smaller tentacles. They wrapped around the organs of the vivisected pony, and snatched the fleshy morsels from his viscera. The beast fed on the corpse of the pitiful pony, tearing his flesh of with its long teeth. It crunched down on the bones, and sucked out the marrow.

She finished her meal, slipping from her bestial daze. Already the cracked appearance of her carapace was going away. Her terrible eyes scanned the room, and saw a group of ponies huddled together, trembling in fear at her. She stepped closer, staring at her prey-to-be. She hesitated when she noticed a tall white pony with a long flowing mane.

It had actually worked. The alicorn came. She would not die unfulfilled. She needed to seal their fate, fight them on her terms. She looked at the box over by the door. Perfect.

Meanwhile in the crowd, Applejack shook herself from her daze. She held out the shotgun and aimed straight for the monster's leg. In one hit, it was blasted clean off. The black beast yelled in pain as red tendrils grew out and began regenerating a new limb. Dr. Antlion, woken from his stupor as everypony else was after the shot, noticed the limb had a shell and a bone...

Applejack didn't care to notice. She pumped the shotgun and aimed again. Before she could fire off though, the monster rushed to the door and with a swing of her razor-blade of a limb, shattering the control box. She did as much damage to the machinery as she could. But she was sneaky about it. Appearing to be stumbling as a result of her wound, the creature seemed to have accidently broken the door.

Now she needed to make a tactical withdrawal. Sucking in the power of the pony's fear, she made a mad dash for the door, just as Applejack’s slug hit a light, and Celestia's horn was about to blow.

Thus the beast receded into the depths of Lab 28