By Ultra1437
“Ugh. My head…” Celestia blearily woke to find herself strapped to a table, several diodes attached to her horn, wings, and hooves. Craning her neck, she noticed the leads trailing over to a machine several meters away from her, on the other side of a clear panel. Comprehension was slow to come to her. “Where… am I?”
“You’re in my lab,” a voice answered her question. Celestia’s head whirled toward the voice’s source. A short, purple unicorn stood, eyeing a checklist floating in her magic. A small pair of rectangular glasses sat on the bridge of her muzzle as she scrutinized the paper. “I’ve brought you here to help me with some science.”
“What… why?” Celestia’s mind was lethargic. Thoughts came, but before she could vocalize them, they slipped away.
“Because performing experiments on myself isn’t the best idea.” The mare turned and looked behind herself, her lab coat fluttering as her tail twitched.
“Who…” Celestia’s voice trailed off as her muscle control failed entirely. Her neck slowly slipped back against the table.
“I am Twilight Sparkle. And you are my pretty little test subject.” Twilight finally moved, over to the machine. She picked up a sheaf of paper the machine was steadily recording on, analyzing the results.
“Your vitals are good, despite the anesthetic. Good. That means my first experiment was a success!” She hopped excitedly, lifting her body just scant inches off the ground. She turned back to Celestia. “Now for the other ones…”
She approached Celestia as the older mare shivered.
“Why… me?” Celestia managed to whisper.
“Why not?” Twilight replied casually as she stepped behind Celestia. Something clanged loudly.
Something cold prodded her flank, just between her cutie mark and her left wing. Twilight muttered, more to herself than to Celestia, “I should take some samples first… just to establish a baseline.”
A prick of pain flooded Celestia’s senses. She managed to raise her neck and crane her head around to see Twilight had jabbed a needle into her and was drawing blood into a vial.
Satisfied with half a vial, Twilight removed the needle and smiled. “That’s a good sample.” She stored the vial away, out of sight.
Twilight looked to her checklist and ticked off two items. Another floated up, with a blue liquid in it. “Now, this should restore your energy, but not your mind.” She floated a second and third vial, yellow and orange respectively. “The yellow should restore your mind, but not energy. The orange one should restore both.” Twilight floated the blue and yellow ones to Celestia’s face. “I’m giving you the choice. Pick which one you want to try first.”
As the unicorn waited for Celestia to chose, she moved back and behind the clear panelling. Celestia, meanwhile struggled to remember which was which. Eventually, her nose bumped the yellow one. Twilight floated the blue one away and retrieved a new needle. She spoke as the needle was fit to the vial, “Experiment One - Part Two: Alicorn test subject chose mind restoration vial. Administering now.”
The needle jabbed into Celestia’s side, exactly where the previous one had drawn blood. A cool rushing sensation filled her and after a moment, the fog on her mind lifted. Celestia’s energy hadn’t returned, but she could think freely now. The mare spoke, struggling lightly at her restraints, “Why are you doing this?” Celestia struggled to light her horn, and the machine next to Twilight started beeping.
Twilight shrugged as she turned to look at the readings. “Because I’m not an alicorn, and I want to know more about them.”
Celestia shot back, “You could have just asked!”
“Would you have agreed in the first place? I want to see how much more powerful an alicorn is than a regular pony. The amount of anesthetic I needed to successfully neutralize you would have killed ten ponies. Would you liked to have known, and spoiled a control group?”
“It would have been nice!” Celestia struggled at her restraints. “When I get out of here…”
“Don’t count on it.” Twilight snidely replied. “I’ve enchanted those restraints myself. There’s only one way to get out, and that’s if I release you.” The machine beeped more frequently. “The table is more likely to break than those restraints. You’re here until I’m done with you. Provided you survive, I will release you.”
A slam on the table signalled Celestia’s change of tactic. Her hoof impacted the table, denting it. Twilight’s surprise was apparent as the glasses fell off her muzzle. “How is that…” she quickly turned to the machine, pouring over its results. Reading for just a few seconds, her ears pinned back.
A growl emanated from the center of the room. “I will not be held here against my will. You will not cage me!” Celestia didn’t know where the energy was coming from, but eagerly used it. There was a muffled pop and the beeping stopped. Each hoof slammed into the table, denting the six-inch thick steel. “These bindings will not contain me!”
Terrified now, Twilight backed up. Her perfectly-enchanted restraints snapped exactly as Twilight reached the stairwell. She quickly raced up the stairs, the machine’s readings following behind.
“Run all you like, Twilight Sparkle. You cannot hide from me.” Celestia’s wings unfurled and flapped powerfully, shaking off the various devices attached to her. She looked up and took wing, straight into the ceiling. It crumbled as Celestia slammed into it, letting the alicorn pass through with naught but a thought.
Twilight emerged from the basement to a sight she never expected. As the door opened, the floor exploded. Where her desk usually was, now was the alicorn from the basement. The alicorn’s flowing hair now raged as she stalked forward.
The unicorn cowered in fear as the larger alicorn almost literally towered over her. “I’m sorry. I’msorry I’msorry I’msorryI’msorry!” She curled into a ball and covered her head with her hooves!
Celestia craned her neck down, sternly glaring at the cowering unicorn. She lit her horn and removed the needle, making sure Twilight saw.
Twilight clenched her eyes shut as the needle aimed at her. She knew this was it, she was dead.
Something tapped her on the nose gently. “Gotcha! I win!” floated to her ears. She opened her eyes to see the back end of the vial up against her nose. She frowned as she uncurled from herself.
Celestia stood there, her mane and tail no longer raging in their unknown wind, smiling. “I must admit you almost had me beat, Twilight.”
The little filly cheered. “I’ll get you next time, Princess!” She hopped, eagerly hugging Celestia’s leg.
“I’m sure you will, Twilight.” Celestia’s horn lit again and both the basement and the room they were in returned to their original states, before Celestia had crashed through.
After cleaning up and calming down, Celestia and Twilight cuddled on a big blanket in Celestia’s room. The larger mare spoke softly, “Now, what was today’s big lesson, Twilight?”
“Never just take things from others. Always ask first.” Twilight replied simply.
“And?” Celestia quirked an eyebrow.
Twilight ‘hmmed’ and thought for a moment before responding, “Always make sure to ask before performing any experiments on anypony.”
“Or anything. With Equestria, never know what might actually be alive.” Celestia’s horn lit and suddenly the blanket covered them both completely. Twilight squealed in joy as Celestia tickled her in their confines.