• Published 11th Jun 2013
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A Trusted Friend in Science and Ponies - Rethkir



A sequel to Better Living Through Science and Ponies

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Chapter 11: A Forgotten Memory


A pair of eggs floated through the air, held in place by beams of an electric-like force. They were smashed along the rim of a small ceramic bowl, and their gold and white contents were dumped inside. Following that, other liquid ingredients were added into the bowl as well, including buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla, and chocolate which GLaDOS had melted by setting her laser cannon to its weakest setting. A pair of egg beaters descended into the bowl, spinning very quickly through GLaDOS’s energy manipulation field. After the mixture became a homogenous paste, she poured it into a larger bowl where she had previously added the solid ingredients. She then proceeded to beat the entire mixture into a batter.

The meatbots walked into the kitchen area. Atlas, who was in the body of the larger one, hauled a large bag flour, and P-Body was carrying a bag of sugar. “Excellent,” GLaDOS told them. “Now, we are running low on eggs. You’ll have to go out and get some more. Actually… just grab some of Fluttershy’s chickens so that we can manufacture them on-site. She’s not using them anymore. We’re also going to need some more buttermilk as well. If you can find a cow that’s somehow small enough to fit through a portal, that would be helpful. If not, just get the milk. The orange earth pony who works the farm is probably not home, but the rest of her family is, so don’t let them see you.”

“Beewoool,” Atlas groaned.

“Yes, I know I promised some cake for you, but I cannot operate the machine unless Twilight is properly nourished. And channeling the cosmic energy of the universe consumes a substantial amount of calories.”

“Kleow petoweet!” P-Body responded.

GLaDOS’s voice became noticeably softer. “Why must I feed her cake? Because she is my guest. And since I brought her here against her will, and I’m causing her so much pain, it’s only fair that she have some delicious cake as grief consolation. I mean, she doesn’t deserve this pain. It’s only because she has such a special gift that I am doing this to her.”

“Gawoel pulunk!” Atlas sighed.

GLaDOS’s tone became cold and robotic again. “And best of all, I get to make her feel so bad for enjoying the cake, that she’ll never want any again. If she ever makes it back home safely, imagine how disappointed that pink one would be when she throws Twilight a welcome back party, only to have Twilight throw up at the sight of that beautiful cake that she made just for her. Petty lies and insults aren’t enough to hurt a pony. You have to break them from within. If the physical pain doesn’t do her in, then she will surely kill herself when she sees all the suffering that will occur because of her.” This though made GLaDOS snicker rather coldly.

“Squeelooo!” P-Body snapped.

“What was that? Of course I don’t care about her. She’s just a worthless, smelly equine who just so happens to be incredibly talented and intelligent… for a pony. There is nothing special about that. Once I’ve got what I need, it doesn’t matter what happens to her. As long as Chell’s friends suffer, that’s all that matters.”

“Pweeleep… beep?” P-Body asked GLaDOS.

“What I have against Chell is not your business!” GLaDOS fumed. “If curiosity were not so critical to your problem solving functions, I would remove that from your personalities, just like what those filthy humans did to me! Now, GET OUT OF HERE, and don’t come back until you’ve obtained those ingredients!”

GLaDOS lifted both the meatbots by their collars and threw them out a mechanical door onto the mountain side.

“Grulunkle. Flep shweep!” Atlas bickered.

“Foolweeble,” P-Body replied.

“I heard that!” GLaDOS shouted back before closing the heavy metal door shut. She went back into the kitchen and poured the batter into a pan and put it in the oven. Her CPU was overheating from her rage, so she temporarily shut herself down, only to reactivate after the time it would take for the cake to bake.


Princess Celestia stood on her balcony, glaring at the dark stranger. She never saw a unicorn with the power to stop time before, nor one that could appear out of nowhere or transcend the environment like so. “Who are you… and what do you want?” she demanded.

“A per—pony who speaks… back. That is a new… occurrence indeed. But it matters not… who I am… but what it is that I… have to tell you.” The way he talked made Celestia feel uneasy. His speech was painfully slow and drawn out, and he paused at the most unnecessary times. She was running out of patience with him.

“And what would that be?” she requested.

“Well, you see… There has been a recent… interference from something which… does not come from your world. And more so, it seems as if she is… still alive. Hmm… My ehhhh… employers… have a desire to… address… this issue… before it can… cause further… damage.”

“I don’t have time for your riddles. I demand to know who you are. Who are these employers of her?” She tried to sense the stranger’s magical ability, but her horn did not function.

“Time? It appears as if you have… all the time… in the world. Now, I… took the liberty of dis–abling your magic. You’ll get it back in good… time. But my mo–tivations are no concern… of yours. But, if you would… rather me… cut to… the chase, then… so be it.”

The Princess reflected on her primary concern. “Tell me what’s happening to Twilight Sparkle.”

“Twilight is… a little busy at the moment. If it were not for her, I would… not be here… having this little… chat with you. As tragic as her… situation is, it is far from over.”

Celestia gave the stallion a scornful scowl.

He made some uncomfortable breathing sounds, then spoke, “It appears that… the time will come when… events… will unfold… that will cause great changes… to occur. Un–fortunately, there is nothing that… you can do to pre–vent it. However… there is one pony who… does not come from this world. She will try… to stop it… but she will only… catalyze this… turn of events.”

“Chell? What’s going to happen to her?”

“It seems as if you and your… haughtiness… will prelude her… death. While you sit com–fortably in your big white castle eating cake, she will be fighting a battle she can’t poss–ibly win. A shame too, since be–cause of your… actions, or lack… thereof, her sacri–fice will… go in vain. It really won’t make a diff–erence in… the smaller scheme of things, but she would be quite… a ter–rible asset to waste in… the long term.”

“How dare you talk about Chell that way!”

“I see not… why you care so much, but that is only to our… advantage, non–theless. I will continue to watch you over the course of the… foreseeable future.” He walked back seemingly into an invisible portal, reappearing in front of the still Princess Luna, who was suspended in midflight.

His voice still echoed around Celestia as clearly as it had when he was in front of her. “And tell your sister to—” he adjusted Luna’s tiara for some unknown reason “—watch the moon… tonight.”

The entire world flashed in a blinding white light, and time resumed again. Luna continued her flight, and the mysterious pony was gone. Celestia wanted to call out for her sister, but Luna was too far away before she could. Although Celestia wanted to cast the locating spell, she was too anxious to do so. She couldn’t help but wonder who that pony was, how he got his power, and how he knew of these future events. She presumed that it was very likely that he, like Chell, did not come from this world. She had never seen powers so alien and knew that it was well beyond unicorn magic. But what disturbed her the most was that she didn’t know what his true motivation was. He seemed to have his own reasons, whatever they were. The warnings he gave were meant to be taken very seriously.

But there was one thing that Celestia did know: worrying about it would accomplish nothing, and anger would cause her to act foolishly. For now, all she could do was meditate on the matter and clear her mind. Then she would have to tell Luna.


A dying middle-aged man sat in an upholstered swivel chair in a luxurious office behind a desk, which was adorned with a name plate that read “CAVE JOHNSON: FOUNDER & CEO.” By all rights, he should have been in bed, but he refused to lie down until it was his time. Although he was physically weak, he still commanded a strong air of authority, a presence that would be felt long after he was gone. And even though his life was leaving him, he refused to give up living. His secretary, a beautiful brunette woman, walked into the office.

“Sir, you called me in here?” she asked.

The man coughed painfully. “Ah, Caroline. Yes, I’ve been meaning to tell you something.”

“Yes, Mr. Johnson?”

Cave Johnson sighed, “I thought I’d be able to escape death and live forever, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. The lab boys say the neural mapping process won’t be ready for another… decade or so.” He coughed. “And I’ll be gone long before then. So, it’ll be off Valhalla for me, riding on a golden chariot pulled by Pegasus himself,” he said as his solemn tone became lively.

Caroline was confused about why he was suddenly sounding so optimistic. “I’m sorry, sir?”

“Did you know that Aperture Word doesn’t recognize ‘pegasus’ with a lowercase ‘p’? Crazy, right?”

“Sir? What is it that you wanted to tell me?”

“Oh, yes, sorry.” He took a breath. “Caroline, I’m not going to be around much longer. When I die, I want you to run this place.”

She protested, “But… sir, I…”

“I know what you’re gonna say…” Cave interrupted. “You’ll say you can’t. You’re modest that way. But I need someone to look after this place when I’m gone, and there is no one more suited than you.”

“Mr. Johnson, I appreciate the offer, but—”

“Ah, don’t worry about all the hard stuff. Science is easy!” He coughed a few times. “Just throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks. It worked for me. Heheh. You’ll get the hang of it! I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about, Mr. Johnson,” she corrected. “I meant, I don’t think I’ll be able to run the company. I have a daughter to take care of!”

“Ah, daughter, shmaughter! Don’t worry about her. Aperture will take care of her! All you need to do is take care of Aperture.”

“Mr. Johnson, she needs me. I can’t look after her and the company at the same time.”

“And I need you, Caroline. Even after I die, I’ll still need you. Because, everything that I have created, EVERYTHING I have worked for… will mean nothing if you aren’t there carry it on. I know how much you care about science.”

Caroline was becoming frustrated by Cave’s insistence. “I care about her more. I would do anything for Chell. I’ve already spent enough time away from her. The poor girl’s been so lonely. I promised myself that I’m going to look after her from now on, and this… place… isn’t going to keep me from her any longer.”

“That wasn’t a request, Caroline.” He leaned into the intercom on his desk. “Boys…”

“What!?”

Two armed security guarded stepped into the room and stood on both sides of Caroline.

“If I can’t be put into a machine so that I can live forever to take care of this place, then you are going to do so instead.”

Sir!” Caroline cried back at him.

Mr. Johnson! You can’t be serious!

Mr. Johnson, I don’t want this!

“Immortality! Everyone wants that. You’ll have all the knowledge in the world right in your head. Every single book on earth, every symphony ever composed, every masterpiece placed on canvas, every scientific theory. It’s all yours!”

Caroline was getting angrier.

No, listen to me, sir. I do not want this.My daughter needs me! You… you can’t keep me from her anymore!”

“Everything in the world! The entire collection of human knowledge! And you’re willing to throw that all away?”

“YES! Please, sir, Chell needs a mother. You can’t let me abandon her like that. All the knowledge in the world won’t mean a thing to me if I can’t be with her.”

“Hmm… how about this? I’ll sign her up for the testing initiative. Then, when you’re running all the tests, you’ll get to administer hers, as well.”

“YOU BASTARD! HOW CAN YOU BE SO HEARTLESS?! YOU CAN’T DO THAT TO HER!”

“Already did! Don’t worry, we’ll wipe her memory so she won’t remember any of this, and neither will you.”

Caroline smacked him hard across the face.

I DON’T… WANT THIS! Please… Don’t do this to me! Stop! I don’t want this!”

Cave Johnson put his hand over the stinging pain on his face, but was otherwise unfazed. “I think that wraps it up! Boys, could you kindly escort Miss McLain to her relaxation vault.” The guards dragged the woman out of the room. “See ya in the next life!” he gleefully called as he friendly waved goodbye.

“YOU MONSTER! YOU HEARTLESS, SELFISH BASTARD! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS! I HOPE YOU DIE AS PAINFULLY AND AS MISERABLY POSSIBLE! ALONE AND UNLOVED! BECAUSE I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!

She kicked her feet wildly, screaming, “I DON’T WANT THIS! I DON’T WANT THIS! Please, I don’t want this!” The guards mindlessly ignored her pleas as they carried her off. She collapsed into a miserable stream of tears. All she could think about was her dear, beautiful Chell. She would never see her again.

At least not with her own eyes…

“I don’t want this…”


GLaDOS powered up from her sleep mode in shock. She stood up from her kneeling position and looked around to see if the bots were still there. They were not. Good. She didn’t want anyone to see her right now.

Was that a… dream? she thought. How is it even possible for me to dream? Was that really me saying I cared about Chell? She pondered for a moment. Of course not! Caroline is gone.

She thought about how when Caroline was reunited with Chell in her last moments, she didn’t even recognize her as a pony. And Chell couldn’t even say her own name. Even so, Caroline had forgotten that experience with Cave Johnson entirely thanks to her memory being erased. Although, it seemed as if it only actually hid memories as opposed to truly erasing them. Perhaps she could unlock some of Chell’s memories.

No. GLaDOS reminded herself that she was NOT Caroline. She hated Chell with every circuit in her being. That’s what this was all about, after all. She lived to bring endless suffering to Chell. GLaDOS would not be happy until Chell was miserable. But misery was not enough. It had to be the worst kind of misery imaginable: seeing her friends and everything that she loved endlessly tortured right before her very eyes for the rest of her life, knowing that this all happened because she failed to stop it. The very thought filled GLaDOS with devious delight.

DING!

The cake was done! The pleasant sound of the chime made GLaDOS forget about everything else. She opened the door to the oven and pulled out a hot, delectable double chocolate cake. The aroma filled her olfactory sensors, making her almost wish she were organic so she could eat it herself.

But this was a very special cake for a very special pony. She deserved only the best for all her help. GLaDOS may be thought of as cold and uncaring, but she knew that if you’re going to force someone to do something, you should at least give them something in return.

She added the final touches to the cake: a ring of cherries on top and a lush moist coating of deeply rich hot fudge. The very sight of it delicately lathering the cake was indulging.

She levitated the cake onto a plate and prepared to present it to the little unicorn. She opened the refrigeral unit and took out the last remaining bottle of milk, at least until the bots came back with more. She took the cake and milk over to the table where Twilight was placed on, which was lying flat so that the mare could rest.

“Are you awake?” GLaDOS asked gently. “I made you another cake, even more delicious than the last.”

Twilight was indeed awake, although barely. She was relaxed, yet very hungry. Despite this, she thought only of how she had just betrayed all of Equestria. Her eyes were wet with tears, but the rich, chocolatey scent beckoned to her, and she could not resist the temptation. The pleasant aroma entered her nose and filled her head with euphoric desire. It was too delicious to resist.

“I don’t want any,” Twilight lied. Her expression, however, begged for the cake.

“Of course you want some, Twilight,” GLaDOS responded. “There is no shame in eating some cake, as long as you burn it off, of course. And I know how hungry you are.”

Twilight’s stomach growled. She tried desperately to deny the cake, but even only by smelling it, it was impossible to resist. Her mouth was watering.

“How about this? I won’t need to run the machine again ‘till later tonight, so I don’t need to keep you locked up like this until then.” GLaDOS lifted the dome off of Twilight’s head, replacing it with a magic-dampening cone. Once she was assured that Twilight couldn’t use her magic, she loosened the restraints on Twilight’s legs. After Twilight was free, GLaDOS lifted the purple pony off the table and placed her on the floor, but as soon as she was on her hooves, she fell to the ground, too weak to stand up on her own.

Twilight lay on her belly and stretched her whole body out. It felt so good to be free from that table. She then rolled over on her back, stretching her limbs outward. Her neck was sore as well, so she tilted it to the side until she heard a satisfying crack.

“Thank you,” she whispered. Twilight quickly put her hooves over her mouth. “NO! That’s not what I meant! I have no reason to be grateful to you! I still haven’t forgiven you!”

GLaDOS was taken aback. “But you still haven’t seen the cake.” She lifted the cake in front of Twilight’s face. “I made it just for you.”

If the smell hadn’t enticed Twilight’s appetite before, the look of it most certainly did. The chocolate was deep brown and topped with a thick layer of molten fudge and cherries. GLaDOS cut out a slice and put it on a plate, levitating it close to Twilight’s muzzle. The inside was moist and soft and filled with layers of chocolate frosting.

“Now, are you going to eat this like a civilized pony, or am I going to have to shove this down your throat again?” GLaDOS asked. She cut off a small piece with the fork and moved it nearer to Twilight’s face.

Twilight kept her eyes on the cake, tearing up as she tried to deny herself of the tasty delight. The attempt, however, was utterly futile, and she could no longer resist the temptation. She was just too hungry. “Celestia, forgive me.” She bit the piece off the fork and chewed it. The rich chocolaty flavor was overwhelming. The flavor was pure euphoria. It was so moist and chewy. After a few bites, she asked for some milk, which GLaDOS gave to her. Had she been an earth pony or a pegasus, she probably would have used her hooves, but she was so used to using her magic to lift things that she didn’t feel comfortable with it. And she was too exhausted anyway. Besides, GLaDOS feeding her made things rather simple, since she seemed to sense what Twilight wanted.

After a short time, Twilight finished the entire cake, as well as the milk. “Feeling better?” GLaDOS asked caringly.

Twilight nodded.

“You can relax for a little bit until tonight,” GLaDOS calmly said. “Would you like me to show you around? I’m sure you’re dying to know how this machine works.”

As curious as Twilight was, she was feeling uncomfortable with how close GLaDOS was becoming with her. As far as she was concerned, she wanting nothing to do with that wretched machine. Despite these feelings, she declined politely. “No… no thank you. Please, I just want to go home and see my friends again. I don’t want this…”

This, for some reason, sent GLaDOS into a rage. “Fine, then! Go rot in your cage, you ungrateful horse! I’m done making cakes for you, so I hope you enjoy dog food!” She grabbed Twilight by tail and dragged her across the floor. She opened the gate to the cell and threw Twilight against the stone wall in the back. The impact hurt her back and head. Twilight rolled onto the floor and sat upright, rubbing the back of her head. Fortunately, nothing was seriously injured.

GLaDOS slammed the door shut, then yelled, “You know why nobody likes you? Because you can’t stand being around others, even when they work tirelessly to make you a beautiful, delicious cake… two, in fact. And what do I get in return? A ‘thank you’ that you immediately took back? So, why don’t you stay here by yourself? Because I’m not going to keep you company anymore. I hope you enjoy being alone, you ingrate!”

As GLaDOS stormed away, Twilight tried to figure out what it was that got GLaDOS so upset. Not that she really cared, but it just genuinely baffled her. Why is she acting so friendly? And why did she seem so hurt by my rejections? Is she really that lonely? she thought to herself. Ugh… None of this makes any sense.

She sighed in frustration. She had a terrible throbbing headache and an aching back. Perhaps if she closed her eyes, the pain would go away…

It didn’t.


The two royal sisters were back on the balcony they were on before at the castle. A faint sliver of light still lingered above the mountains in the west. The older sister had just told the younger of the experience she just had. Luna was shocked, to say the least.

“So, he just froze time as I was flying away?” Luna asked. “How is that possible?”

“I do not know, but something about him suggests… that he may not even come from our world.” Celestia said.

“Do you think he originates from the world of Chell and GLaDOS?”

Celestia pondered for a moment. “It seems unlikely, considering how mundane Chell’s world seems. They don’t have things like magic… but… I wouldn’t even know what he was doing. Either way, he seems to be aware of that world, and he seems to know what will happen in the future.”

Luna closed her eyes in a brief meditation. “This pony sounds strange indeed,” she stated. “Did you sense any malicious intent from him?”

“No, but he was very unnerving, and that’s what bothers me the most. I have no idea what his intention is. Something else is motivating him. He referred to these employers of his, whoever they are, but what concerns me the most is what he said regarding Chell. Apparently, she is going…” Celestia paused for a moment, daring not to utter the next phrase. “…to die.”

“What?!” Luna gasped.

“He didn’t say how, except that it would be in vain,” Celestia explained. “…unless I stop it.”

“Now I see why you wanted to have this discussion in private. How will you handle this with Chell?”

“She has a right to know. However, it’s clear that I must live up to my responsibility as the ruler of this land to protect it. Too many times, I have sent Twilight and her friends to do my bidding. That is not an option anymore, and I cannot risk Chell’s life.”

Celestia paused and took a deep breath.

“But, there is one other thing… He told me that you should look at the moon tonight. I can only imagine that something important will happen there, and you’re the only pony who can get to the moon.”

“Do you trust him?” Luna asked with concern.

Celestia “Well, no… but I take these threats seriously. Luna, you must do this for me.”

Luna sighed. “The moon… I haven’t been back there since my banishment.”

Luna paused and looked over at her sister, pleading with her eyes. “Alright, sister. If it will give you comfort…”

The two sisters stood outside watching the golden shimmer of waning twilight fade into the dark veil of night. They watched as the moon rose higher into the indigo sky, accompanied by the multitude of stars, which slowly flickered into existence from the otherwise lonely darkness. Celestia was proud of her sister’s beautiful night.

They both gazed quietly at the moon, which was bright and shining in its entire splendor. The moon… a pool of light in an otherwise dark expanse of emptiness. It made them think… perhaps… there was hope…

Author's Note: