Chapters Welcome to Equestria Laboratories
“Move over! Get into one straight line! Stop shoving!”
The excited ponies barely paid the noisy supervisor any mind. They were too engrossed in their own enthusiastic chatter.
“What do you think we’ll do first?”
“I don’t know, maybe we’ll start trials right away.”
“Oh, I hope so!”
“Let’s go! Let’s go! Everybody through this door!” barked the supervisor, glaring with distaste through his bushy brown mustache.
He lead the way down the rest of the plain hallway, then through a pair of thick, glass doors that slid shut behind them and sealed with a click . The four feverishly chatting ponies followed him, finding themselves in a small office room. It contained a few rows of metal folding chairs, and a desk with a projector resting on top of it.
The pony who had been leading them hissed out a sharp “Ssshhh! ” then proceeded to click the power switch on the projector, flip the light switch, and take a seat on a chair in the corner of the room.
A deep, rich voice began “Hello, volunteers, and welcome to Equestria Laboratories!” as a grainy image of the laboratory’s logo appeared on the wall.
The four ponies finally quieted down as they each found seats and stared at the whiteboard with anticipation.
The stallion with the pleasant voice continued. “Because of your unique and special talents, you have been selected from hundreds of volunteers for this portion of our unicorn testing initiative.”
The projector issued a quiet click and the image changed to the silhouettes of several unicorns with linked arms and stylized grins that spread across their faces.
“It is almost time for your trials to begin! You will be pioneering the way for some of ponykind’s most advanced technology! Please step into the next room now and put on your specially designed Equestria Laboratories Power Amplifying Coupler, or ELPAC for short.”
The mechanism inside the projector slid forward again, and cast a new image onto the board, this one a simple picture of a ring with lines showing light gleaming off of it.
“May you be guided by luck’s hoof in all of your endeavors!”
The projector returned to the first image of the Equestria Laboratories logo, then shut off. The supervisor stallion returned to the front of the room and flipped the light switch back on.
“You heard him, move on through that door!”
The four ponies returned immediately to their noisy chattering, now more enthusiastic than ever.
“We’re starting the trials already!”
“Did you hear what he said? Power amplifiers!”
“Of course I heard him. What do you think they’re for?”
They entered another room, this one more spacious than the last. On a table in the center of the room were four plain looking rings. They were solid white metal, except for a cloudy, off-white, oval shaped stone set in each of their centers.
“Now, each of you take one.” The supervisor commanded. “Put it onto your horn, and await further instructions.”
Each of the unicorns levitated a ring off of the table and lowered it onto their horns. They slid down easily to the base of the appendage, then made a high-pitched whirring sound as the gears inside them rotated and clamped down onto each of the ponies’ horns.
The unicorns each stared in surprise and wonder as the ELPACs affixed themselves to their horns.
“It tingles!”
“Is it supposed to feel so tight?”
“Mine Itches!”
The pony who had led them this far cleared his throat to bring the awe-struck ponies’ attention back to him.
“Follow me now, it’s almost time for testing.”
He lead them through another set of doors that opened as they approached, then slid shut behind them with the same click .
This new environment was a long corridor, with four doors spaced evenly along the wall, each numbered with a red LED display.
“Each of you step up to a door. You come over here. And you there, this chamber is for you. Good, now that you’re all ready for testing, remain here and await further instructions.”
He turned and swiftly went through the doorway, back into the room they had come from. He traveled no more than 2 steps before returning to the door and stuck his head through the entrance.
When he returned, his demeanor had changed entirely; he now looked completely shaken. He coughed and wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead as he said in a shaky voice “I’m sorry I can’t tell you more, I really am. You’ve got to be careful out there though. When you don’t know what to do, just remember your talents. Play things to your strengths, and above all else-”
“Your testing trials are about to begin!” That deep, melodious voice had returned, none of the unicorns could have mistaken its sound over the intercom.
“I’m sorry, I have to go. I hope to see you again.” The brown stallion ran back through the door. The doors slid until they met, and the usual click was heard, but this time, the supervisor pulled down a metal grate over the glass, completely obstructing the view.
“Did anypony else think that was a bit strange?”
Nobody was able to answer, because the buildings intercom system returned to life again.
“When your door opens, walk through, and complete the task that is assigned to you. May you be guided by luck’s hoof in all of your endeavors!” Then the hiss of the intercom ended.
“Well, that doesn’t seem too bad, right? Completing a task... What could it be?”
“I have no clue. And anyway, what was that supervisor guy saying?”
The four doors slid straight up with a hiss like pressurized air being released.
“No time to discuss now, we’ve got a job to do!”
The first pony ran through to his challenge.
“He’s right, you know. You two had better get to it.”
The second unicorn ran into her testing chamber.
“I suppose there’s no sense delaying it.”
The third one walked carefully through the entrance.
“What have I gotten myself into?”
And the final pony winced preemptively as he dragged himself with uncertainty past the threshold of the room, and into his new surroundings.
Welcome to Equestria Laboratories
Gravity Shift was the first of the ponies to enter his test chamber. He squinted as he tried to take a look around him. He heard the door slide down behind him as his eyes slowly adjusted to the uncomfortable amount of light in the room. The intercom crackled, and the stallion with the pleasant voice returned.
“Your first task is simply to walk through the door on the opposite end of the room. May you be guided by luck’s hoof in all of your endeavors!” The hiss of the intercom cut out and the room was silent, except for the high pitched buzzing of the fluorescent lights in the ceiling.
He took note of his goal as he instinctively reached out with his magic, feeling for anything near him while he was temporarily blinded. His telekinesis had always been his greatest strength. He could lift more with his magic than anyone he knew, and that’s how he had gotten his cutie mark. When he was little, he had been watching his father move boxes full of metal pipes around his garage. His father had tried to lift a box that was too heavy and fell, but Shift had caught the box just before it hit the ground. From then on, Shift had an image of a dumbbell with blue magic swirling around it printed on his flank.
I never liked that cutie mark much, thought Shift as his mind wandered. Anyway, back to the matter at hoof.
As he reached around the room telekinetically, he estimated the length to be about fifty feet, with a sizable gap in the floor a few feet away from him. Strangely, he also felt hundreds of thin threads strung across the room in every direction.
He cracked open his eyes the rest of the way when they had adjusted to the brightness of the room. He looked around, observing that the walls were composed of rows of clean, white panels. However, the strings he had felt were nowhere to be seen.
That’s strange.
He reached out again, and felt the strings around him. They were definitely there, he just couldn’t see them. He gave one a slight tug. So involved was he with the strange threads that he didn’t even notice when the ELPAC on his horn glowed a dull white.
He experimentally grabbed two of the invisible strings and wrapped them around each other. This time, he felt a force. The spot in the air where he twisted the two strings had changed. The very air seemed to curve slightly, and he felt a gentle tug on his body from the point.
He let go of the strings, and they sprang back to their original positions. A slight quiver along the length of the threads was the only evidence that they had been tampered with. Everything seemed to be back to normal, and the ELPAC stopped glowing.
If two strings did that, then what would happen if I...
He reached out with his mind again, this time more confidently. He felt around for several of the strings, then pulled them all at once, bundling them up into a tight ball.
It hit him so quickly that he didn’t even have time to think as he sailed across the room. The change in gravity that the bundle of strings had created had thrown him from where he stood, towards the pit. He smashed into the edge of the pit, and just barely managed to get a solid grip on the ledge. His nose tickled and stung as he inhaled, and he smelt something foul, like burning plastic. He looked down into the pit, noticing its contents for the first time. It was full of a viscous, green liquid that churned, spewing droplets upward when the thick bubbles inside it burst. One of these droplets made its way through the air, and landed directly on the lower part of Shift’s leg.
He recoiled from the sharp pain, nearly losing his grip on the ledge as his wounded leg shook uncontrollably. He could smell singed hair and burnt flesh.
What is this, some kind of acid?!
He quickly tried to pull himself over the edge, but he couldn’t manage it without the help of his right leg.
He was losing his grip. Falling closer and closer to the acid. He only had a few seconds left. He didn’t have any good ideas, so he did the first thing that came into his mind.
He shut his eyes, and quickly harnessed the magic in his mind. He threw out a hoof of telekinesis, and grabbed as many of the invisible threads as he could. He had no idea what the consequences of this would be, but he didn’t have any other options.
Here goes nothing.
He twisted every string in the grasp of his magic as hard as he could, and the ELPAC shone brilliantly. The singularity he created pulled him through the air, away from the acid. He cleared the pit, then kept sailing. He saw the wall come flying at him, but there was nothing he could do.
He tensed his muscles, then smashed into the wall with his side. A moment later and he was falling down. He landed on the hard white ground with his back, and winced as his wind was knocked out.
He floundered on the ground for a moment before righting himself, then sat there for a moment longer while he caught his breath. When his breathing returned to normal, he looked down at his side. He could already see a bruise beginning to form, even through his midnight blue fur, he didn’t care though, he was ecstatic.
So I guess that’s what the ELPAC does, he thought excitedly. It lets ponies feel those strings, or whatever they are.
Then there was a tingling at his flank. A light shone from his side, so brightly that he had to squint just to look at it. After a few seconds, the shining stopped, and he could see his flank clearly again. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Is that even possible? he wondered, astonished.
Shift had received a new cutie mark. The image of the dumbbell swirling in magic was gone, and in its place was an image of three white strings crossing at a point in their center. There was a white cube next to the strings, but the shape was warped, as though the gravity created by the twisting threads had elongated it.
Shift continued on his way to the door on the opposite side of the room, limping slightly from the damage done to his leg.
A mischievous grin spread across his face as his mind exploded with ideas.
I never liked that old cutie mark anyway.
Welcome to Equestria Laboratories
Aura Shield ran into her testing chamber. Her eyes burned as she attempted to observe her surroundings through the glaring light that was assaulting her. She didn’t even realize when the heavy, metal door slid down behind her and sealed shut. The intercom crackled to life, and the familiar voice of the stallion returned.
“Your first task is simply to walk through the door on the opposite end of the room. May you be guided by luck’s hoof in all of your endeavors!”
Easy enough. “Now if only one of you could turn down these freaking lights, I could get started with finding this door!” she shouted to nopony in particular.
The lights began to dim.
People will always listen if you assert yourself, she thought to herself with a haughty laugh. Now I can f inally see.
She rubbed her eyes gratefully. The lights in the room had faded to a comfortable level, and she could easily spot the door on the far side of the circular room, only fifty feet away. She stuck her chin into the air proudly, and began the short walk to the door.
The room continued to get darker.
“That’s enough, you can stop now!”
She increased her pace, panicking slightly, and sped up to a moderate trot. When she got near the center of the room, she slowed down to a stop. The lights had gone out completely.
“Hey, that isn’t funny! Turn those back on!” She continue, “I liked it better when they were burning my eyes out!”
She waited there in half-expectation, but the lights remained off.
“Fine, I’ll find it myself.” she mumbled, her chin now pointing at the ground in an attempt to spot her own hooves.
She had set off in the direction that she believed the door to be in when there was a low fwip and something whizzed by her ear. There was another fwip , and she felt a sharp pain on her flank as something pierced her skin.
Oh, you have GOT to be bucking kidding me.
Another fwip quickly followed, and another, and another. She could feel sharp pains on her back now, and her ear, and her leg. She turned her head sharply to assess the damage and try to figure out what was being fired at her. She couldn’t see through the extreme darkness, so she cast a light spell, summoning a small, glowing ball of soft white light to the tip of her horn. When she saw her side, she gasped. Sticking out of her body were numerous thin, feathered darts. She couldn’t be sure just how deeply they were imbedded, but they seemed to be about 3 inches long.
Aura quickly got down as low to the floor as she could and closed her eyes. She searched her mind for the usual supply of magical energy, but it felt different now, like she had dipped her hoof into a puddle, but had felt the strong currents of an ocean. She couldn’t couldn’t be bothered to figure out just what the change was, so she shrugged it off and continued with her magic. She prepared the necessary amount of energy to cast her usual barrier spell.
Aura Shield had always been a master of defense magic, and her cutie mark showed it. On her flank was an image of a pony standing inside of a magical barrier that stood out in bright pink against the yellow of her fur.
She waited until she heard one of the projectiles’ customary fwip sounds, then spun around and swiped her hoof through the air, creating a small pink shield that blocked the projectile at the last moment. The ELPAC began to glow very slightly.
Aura focused all of her attention on her surroundings, listening for the slightest indication of another incoming dart.
Fwip . She spun a quarter circle and threw up another translucent wall of energy to block another one of the small missiles. Another one pierced the skin on the back of her leg while she was busy with the first. Three more fwips came by in rapid succession, but this time she only managed to block one. The other two struck her, and she felt two new points of pain radiating from her neck.
“Stop it!” she cried, as she felt a sting at her hoof.
“Stop!” she cried, getting pierced again and again. She had lost count of how many times she had been hit.
Aura felt herself growing faint, and knew that she wouldn’t be able to use much more magic. She scoured her mind for the last bits of energy that she had, and again, felt that strange difference in her mind. She reached deeper into the mysterious ocean that she felt earlier, and realized that what she was feeling was a massive store of energy, but it wasn’t within herself. For as long as she could use magic, she had only been able to feel the energy that she possessed. Never before could she detect energy outside of herself. She reached out with her mind and took some of the energy for herself, and the ELPAC began to glow more intensely. She held within her more magical energy than she had ever commanded in her life, and there was plenty more where it had come from.
“I.” She stamped her hoof down hard into the floor.
“Said.” She reached into her mind, preparing the huge ball of energy.
“STOP!” She released the intense blast of magic, and it radiated out from her in a sphere. It blew dozens of the hellish projectiles out of the air, then reached a point 5 feet from her body, and remained there, completely still.
The orb of light that she had cast earlier was now blazing brilliantly, illuminating every surface of the room like a small sun. The huge, pink, translucent shield that she had created floated around her and blocked the tiny darts that were flying through the air.
Tink tink tink tink tink . The onslaught of the tiny darts continued, but Aura was safe within her shield, and the darts only bounced away from her harmlessly.
She felt something on her flank, and looked back at it, anticipating nothing but bloody holes in her side with darts embedded halfway into her body. What she saw was even more shocking.
There was a bright flash of light, then when it cleared, there was a new cutie mark on her flank. Her old mark, a lone pony with a small shield, had been replaced by a new image of four ponies standing together, with a shield protecting all of them at once.
The unicorn gasped as she sucked down air, just realizing now that she had been holding her breath the whole time. She took her eyes off of her cutie mark for long enough to realize that the ELPAC was generating enough light to see the room clearly. She was able to find the door, and she cautiously approached it.
Shield doesn’t seem to travel with me, Aura thought to herself.
She reached out with her mind and brought in even more energy. Aura Shield cast a larger barrier, this time in the shape of an archway spanning the space between herself and the door.
As the unicorn proceeded through her pink archway, hundreds of the miniature darts tinked against the shield and bounced onto the floor.
A condescending chuckle found its way onto Aura’s previously grim visage.
“I told you I’d find it myself.”
