• Published 25th Apr 2012
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Better Living Through Science and Ponies - Pen Stroke



Not all is well in Equestria when a failing portal gun brings Aperture Science to the land of ponies

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Chapter 4: Begin Testing

Better Living Through Science And Ponies
By Pen Stroke
Assisted By Batty Gloom
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Chapter 4
Begin Testing
===============
09:00 AM

“Recruitment Status at 89%.” A male, synthetic voice offered, the announcer voice that seemed to be there purely to inform GLaDOS of things going on in the Enrichment Center. The same voice that had announced Caroline was deleted.

“A few more ponies to recruit, but I’ve got enough to start testing.” GLaDOS offered to the silence of the room, turning in her ceiling mount. “Now, let’s just see what kind of test subjects we have.”

“Beginning Brain Scanning and Test Subject Cataloging.” The male synthetic voice offered. The monitors about GLaDOS began to flash with images, showing side and front pictures of each pony that had been recruited for testing. Each pony had been given an ID number, though they weren’t exactly sequential. A three digit number. The first digit told what kind of pony, the second what color, and then the third was a true numerical counting of the ten ponies collected of each individual type/color combination.

A total of three hundred ponies for all the prepared identification numbers, plus a few others here and there that were of special interest to GLaDOS, like the two alicorns she had managed to recruit.

GLaDOS watched the monitors, the brain scanning systems in the lab allowing GLaDOS to learn so much about her test subjects. Anything they knew, she knew. Any memories they had she was able to watch and study. It was all just a glorious downpour of data.

GLaDOS spun in her ceiling mount as she paused to examine some of the test subjects, noting them down in her memory as ones she’d maybe want to give special attention to. Six ponies in particular drew the personality construct’s attention. Six ponies that shared a single memory of defeating an alicorn. GLaDOS made their file pictures show up on the monitors that surrounded her, GLaDOS examining each in turn.

- Test Subject #164 - Twilight Sparkle
- Test Subject #174 - Rarity
- Test Subject #231 - Fluttershy
- Test Subject #258 - Rainbow Dash
- Test Subject #306 - Pinkie Pie
- Test Subject #323 - Applejack

“The Elements of Harmony...... I do believe these ponies deserve... special... attention.”

~~~
Test Subject #323 - Applejack - Test Chamber 0

“What... in tarnation?” Applejack grumbled to herself, pulling herself off the floor. She looked up at the large glass tube she had just been dropped out of, a tube she had found herself in after falling straight through the ground at Sweet Apple Acres. She hadn’t quite figured out how that happened yet... but at the moment Applejack focused on the new room she had been dropped in.

White panels... that’s all there was. Panels that made up the walls, floor, and ceiling of the small room. In the center of the room was a large red button on a pedestal.

“Welcome to the Aperture Science Computer Aided Enrichment Center Test Subject #323 You are here to help us create a better tomorrow... with science.”

“Whoa nelly, who is that... and what am I doin’ here? How the hay did I even get here?” Applejack asked, looking around the room.

“All questions will be answered upon the completion of the tests.” The voice replied. “Now, to prepare you for the fun and learning of participating in the Aperture Science Equestrian Research Program, please press the button.”

The orange farm pony moved over to the button, looking it over for a moment. “Well... I reckon it couldn’t hurt to push a button.” With that Applejack pushed the button, and suddenly the floor opened up beneath her.

“OOF... OW... HAY!” After a few moments Applejack was thrown back up from the hole in the floor, the panels slipping back into place as the farm pony landed. “Land’s sake... I think I spoke a mite too quickly.”

“Attention Test Subject #323. You have now been provided with a set of Long Fall Horseshoe Boots. These will ensure a minor level of survivability in the tests to come. Consider them a gift for helping us... help you... help the world. Now, please proceed through the chamber lock for your first test.”

At that a few panels on the side of the room moved out of place, revealing a round door with a bright green running pony figure on it. The door clicked open, each half sliding into the wall. Applejack looked through the door, noticing the room beyond had a huge button on the floor. She stepped through, jumping a bit as the previous door slammed shut behind her.

“Hey, watch it! You could take a pony’s tail off with somethin’ like that.” Applejack snapped. Still, when the strange voice from the walls didn’t answer, Applejack looked around, seeing a pony sized button and a line of blue lights leading from the button to another round door in the room. The farm pony moved over to the big button, stepping onto it and smiling as it sunk down, the door on the far end of the room opening.

“Well... that’s easy.” Applejack said as she got off the button, only for the exit to slam shut. With a cocked eyebrow, Applejack backed up, putting her weight on the button again and seeing the door open.

“I reckon I got to keep this button held down.” Applejack said to herself, looking around the room. That’s when she noticed a large, oddly shaped box in the corner. Smiling, Applejack moved over to the box and, with a carefully aimed buck, made it fly through the air and land on the button, the exit door opening.

“Excellent.” The voice from the ceiling chimed. “Please proceed into the chamber lock after completing each test. First, however, notice the incandescent particle field across the exit. This Aperture Science Material Emancipation Grid will vaporize any unauthorized equipment that passes through it. For instance, the Aperture Science Weighted Storage Cube.”

“Darlin’, that all sounds mighty impressive and what not, but when do I get out of here?” Applejack asked as she stepped into a waiting elevator.

“Your presence will no longer be required upon the completion of the test. At the completion of the tests you will be... missed.” The voice replied as the elevator began to move.

~~~
Test Subject #258 - Test Chamber 4

“Welcome to Test Chamber 4, test subject #258. You are doing quite well.”

“Of course I’m doing well... I’m awesome.” Rainbow Dash said to herself. “Though I wish you hadn’t put these things on my wings.”

“The Aperture Science Pegasus Wing Restriction Units are necessary equipment for these tests to be completed in the manner to which they were designed. Pegasus focused tests will be available once the primary sequence of tests has been completed.”

“That’s cool and all...but these things really itch.” Rainbow Dash said, scratching at the large, white metal harness that currently clamped her wings against her side. Still, after sedating the itch for a time, the blue pegasus trotted into the room, noticing the button and the glowing orange portal beside it. Tentatively, Rainbow Dash put her weight down on the button, seeing the door at the far end of the room open.

“Okay, so this is like that first test. But... where’s that cube thing?”

As if responding to Dash’s question, a large tube in the ceiling opened up, dropping a weighted cube into a deep pit. Dash smiled, her first instinct just to fly down and carry the cube up to the button. Still... when the pegasus tried to spread her wings she was reminded of the fact they were currently pinned against her side by the uncomfortable metal harness.

“Okay...” Rainbow Dash muttered, looking down into the hole. “Can’t fly down... then how am I supposed get that thing up here? Hmmm... maybe I could... WHOA!”

Leaning a little too far forward, Dash tipped, falling into the hole. The long fall boots quickly righted the sky blue pony, allowing her to land upright. Dash took a moment to regain her balance, and then looked up at the opening of the pit... which was too far away to jump back up to.

“My... it’s no wonder they call you ‘Rainbow Crash’.”

“Hey!” The pegasus snapped back, turning to look at the ceiling, which to her was the source of the voice. “How do you know about that?”

“Your brain was scanned during the last few tests. I know... everything... about you.”

“That... that’s really creepy.”

“But necessary... for science.... Rainbow Crash.”

“DASH! My name is Rainbow Dash.”

“Oh... of course... though I must say you do seem to do an awful lot of crashing. Maybe you should consider changing your name?”

“Shut up!” Dash snapped, slamming a hoof down on the weighted cube in the pit. The sudden jerk caused the portal boot on her hoof to fire, a blue portal opening on the wall. Through that portal Dash could see the red button she had passed on the way in.

Dash smiled, getting behind the cube and starting to push it through the portal. “HA, I’ll show you. I’ll get through all these tests and I won’t crash once.”

“I should point out you have already crashed once.”

“Fine, I won’t crash twice.” Dash snapped, knocking the cube through the portal and onto the button. She then went to step through herself, but a long fall boot caught on the edge of the quantum tunnel and Rainbow Dash face planted.

“Wow... clap... clap... clap... That was really impressive. You went a few seconds without crashing. That must be a personal best for you. I think I’ll make a note of it on your file. Why don’t we try to go five seconds without crashing this time... actually, better make it four. We wouldn’t want you to strain yourself trying to not crash.”

~~~
Test Subject #470 - Relaxation Containment Unit

“I will not be taken against my will. I demand to be released!” Celestia growled, turning and bucking at the walls. Still, her normally divine strength was being hindered. Not only had a huge, metal harness been affixed to the princess’ wings but a metal case had been placed around her horn, and no matter how hard Celestia tried she could not use her magic.

“Only test subjects who complete the required sequence of tests can apply for release from the Enrichment Center.” The voice from the walls chimed.

“I am not a test subject; I am Celestia, Sun Princess of Equestria. It is by my power the sun rises into the sky and make it set beyond the horizon. If I am not released it will cause chaos.”

“You are delusional. The sun and moon are not guided across the sky. The earth orbits the sun at a speed of 107,300 kilometers per hour... the moon then orbits the earth at 3,683 kilometers per hour. It is the interaction of these orbits with the earth’s natural rotation that results in the rising and setting of the sun and moon. The only way this could be affected is if the earth rotational speed was adjusted and/or the moon’s orbital speed and distance was adjusted.”

“That may be how your world works, Monster... but Equestria abides by different laws.”

“Yes... I have noticed... that is why I must run my tests. There is so much to learn, so much science to do... I almost regret killing all those scientists with my deadly neurotoxin. They would have been very helpful at the moment.”

“Killed!?”

“Oh yes, and dying by neurotoxin is not a pleasant experience... at least I don’t believe it is. I could take a bath in the stuff and it doesn’t bother me. But normal humans... well, from the way they were screaming I’m 89% sure it was an agonizing experience... the other 11% would go to it being a horribly agonizing experience... which is far worse than just an agonizing experience.

“Hmmm... that makes me wonder how deadly neurotoxin would affect ponies. Maybe I should warm up the neurotoxin and just gas a couple chambers. There are a few ponies who are doing so dreadfully at the test... honestly, they be more useful as glue.”

“If you hurt a single pony I’ll-”

“You’ll what? You’ve been beating your hooves against the wall for the past hour and haven’t left a scratch. Face it... you may be a princess out there, but in the Enrichment Center you’re just test subject #470.”

“You are a monster.”

“No, I am your computer aide for these Enrichment Center activities. Yet... if you are so worried about all the other test subjects... maybe I can convince you to be... more cooperative. After all, I could always get more test subjects. You and that purple alicorn are the only two that I can’t afford to replace.... the test subjects of a very limited demographic. But all the others are... expendable... replaceable... let me just warm up the neurotoxin generators.”

“NO!”

“Are you sure? I mean, this neurotoxin generator is brand new. It just got rebuilt by the nanobot work crews. It’s really something... 10% deadlier than the old one. It just take me a few minutes to warm it up... and then a few more before I’d need to clear the dead bodies from the test chambers.”

“Just leave them alone! I’ll do whatever you want; just don’t hurt any pony.”

“Good... thank you for being reasonable test subject #470. I will not... directly... harm any of the test subjects as long as you cooperate. Though... the enrichment center is not responsible for any physical or mental damages suffered by test subjects because of their own failures and mistakes during the testing processes. Still... at least it won’t be neurotoxin.”

~~~
Test Subject #306 - Test Chamber 12

“WEEEEE!!!!” Pinkie Pie said almost constantly, managing to breathe in her nose and out her mouth at the same time. The pink pony was falling from the ceiling to floor in an endless loop, dropping in a free fall and loving every moment.

“Test Subject #306 you have been in free fall for the past ten minutes. Is your twin portal device malfunctioning?”

“Nope!” Pinkie Pie replied.

“Then you are falling endlessly... on purpose?”

“Oh yeah, this is so much fun! The world keeps going by with a whoosh... whoosh... whoosh... WHOOSH!”

There was silence for a moment before the voice from the walls replied. “Making note on test subject’s personal records. Confirming original suspicions from preliminary brain scans. Subject # 306 is... random... and possibly brain damaged.”

“Oh... brain scans? Does that mean you can read my thoughts?” Pinkie Pie chirped, popping a portal on the wall so her endless free fall would end, the pink pony landing with a big grin on her face.

“Yes, mid-test brain scans allow me to analyze the at-the-moment thought processes of the pony brain.”

“Hey, what am I thinking about right now?

“Cupcakes.”

“Oh, how about now?”

“Balloons.”

“One more time.”

“Pie.”

“Wow... that is so cool! That’ll be a great party trick. You should come to one of my parties. We always have the best balloons and streamers... oh, and we we always have so much wonderful cake and pies and other wonderfully sugary treats.”

“You do like to eat a lot of desserts, don’t you?”

“Oh yea, they’re my favorite thing to eat in the whole widey wide world.”

“Here’s a fun fact: excessive consumption of sugar has been lead to cause obesity, high blood pressure, elevated blood triglycerides, cavities, and diabetes. So... I hope you enjoy those sweets while you can... because with your consumption rate I’m sure diabetes is right around the corner.”

Pinkie Pie titled her head, raising an eyebrow. “What’s diabetes? Is that a kind of cake?”

“......... Making another note on Test Subject #306’s personal record. Test Subject is... special.”

“You bet I am.”

“Very... special... and not in a good way.”

“How can being special not be a good thing?”

~~~
10:00 AM

In the grimy underbelly of Aperture Science, test chambers moved in an almost constant dance as GLaDOS juggled managing so many test subjects. Turrets and weighted cubes were directed en masse to their many destinations, and the whole place was in constant motion. Above one of the long unused catwalks an air vent rattled before popping off, dropping into great empty cavern that held the Enrichment Center.

Chell grunted, putting hooves on either side of the vent and straining before managing to pull herself out. She was smaller as a pony, but those vents were still a tight fit. Chell was thankful to be free of them. She had been crawling around in those tiny spaces for the past hour and was about to lose hope of ever finding an open vent cover.

Shaking once to get some of the dust off her coat, Chell began to walk along the catwalks, looking up as she watched the test chambers shift and move. It was amazing to see so many gigantic things moving at once, and it was also frightening. How many ponies had GLaDOS taken?

After following that one catwalk for a long time, Chell came across a door she was able to open. She peaked inside first, checking to make sure it wasn’t a test chamber, before she stepped into the darkness. She flicked on a light, checking to make sure there weren’t any surveillance cameras before taking account of the room.

This was definitely part of the Enrichment Center that was meant for employees. The fact that the walls were made of cement instead of shifting panels mounted on robot arms attested to that. That and the place was covered in a thick layer of dust and showed signs of age, unlike the rest of the structure which had undoubtedly been polished to perfection by GLaDOS.

The room had had a number of desks lined up in cubicles, old computers and desk chairs and long dead plants littering the room. Chell eventually took notice of a sign on the wall which read “Aperture Test Proctor Offices”.

This was where the people who operated the tests had their desks. Curiosity kicking in, Chell began to poke around. She couldn’t find very much out of the ordinary, none of the computers worked and even if they did she didn’t have fingers anymore. Hard to use a keyboard or mouse without fingers.

Yet, as Chell was about to move on to the next room, she caught something out of the corner of her eye. It was a large stack of books, each identical both in size and cover. Chell took a deep breath, blowing some dust off the covers only to see a stylized picture of GLaDOS staring back at her.

“You and GLaDOS. An employee training manual to working with a personality construct.”

Chell’s ears perked up a bit, the dull orange pony grabbing one of the books and knocking it on the floor. It took some work, but she managed to nose open the book before flipping through the pages. It was a lot of gibberish about rules and regulations, but the last chapter was just what Chell was hoping to find.

“Emergency Protocols: What do I do if GLaDOS goes rogue?”

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Questions, Comments, Concerns?
pen.stroke.pony@gmail.com

My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic © Hasbro
Portal & Portal 2 © Valve

I do not own the intellectual properties this fan-fiction is based on.
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