MLP Laboratories- The Outbreak

by NeuPferdfurt

The core

Twilight Sparkle turned around to look at her friends.
"This is it, girls. We don't know what she'll have in store for us, so I need you all to think lightening-fast."

"Ha! “Fast” is my middle name!"

Applejack snorted.
"Rainbow-Fast-Dash ? Besides, she also said something about "thinkin'". That's somethin' different entirely."

Twilight was shaking her head. Why did she even bother?
''I'll take that as a 'YES, Miss Sparkle!'... Alright then. Here goes nothing..."

And so they pushed into Princess Celestia's throne room. Her command centre. The central core.

-

The Exodus had been able to reach the inner lands of Equestria, and to start the long march for Canterlot Central.

On their way, they had discovered other areas. They had encountered ponies and many other creatures, including beings they had never seen before or couldn’t ever have imagined. Mutant or robot, tribe after tribe, species after species, they had decided to join their struggle for freedom.

More importantly perhaps, despite their oppressor's efforts to strangle them, they had been able to discover food and medical supplies- not enough to make a living, but more than enough to keep going. The grand freak show was now going on tour, and Celestia, who had deemed herself God-Queen of this little, twisted world, was going to be overrun.

-

"Good day, your majesty."

"Twilight Sparkle. My faithful student. You did not request an audience, but of course I can make time for you..."

"That's too kind of you."
Twilight's eyes were scanning the room as if her life depended on it. As if.
"My, you look awful."

Celestia wasn't very princess-like today. This was her true form: the central pillar of this room, containing her memory cores, with countless robot arms, camera eyes and monitors protruding from it, as well as from the outer walls. But what Twilight considered most interesting was the relative darkness. Sure, it could have been part of a trap, but the unicorn didn't think so. The dim glow of Celestia's machinery had a morbid, pathetic quality to it.

"Budget cuts, I'm afraid. I have to rely on my own emergency generator. No need to be disrespectful."

Rainbow Dash couldn't take it anymore.
"Enough with the chitchat! Blast that oversized nightlight, AJ!"

Applejack, who was carrying the heaviest weaponry, displayed a predatory grin.
"Mah pleasure, sugar cube!"

"Oh I wouldn't do that if I were you. You do not understand the consequences of your actions", Celestia said in her trade-mark lenient voice.

Twilight Sparkle was shaking her head.
"I hate to say it, AJ, but I think she is right this time."

"Since when do we do what she's telling us... again?"

"Yeah, Twilight, what gives?"

Twilight was pointing at the other side of the room. There was a blue portal.
"My guess is that Celestia is all that keeps this rift open. If we destroy her now, we're trapped in here. This could be our only passage to the outside world."

"That's right. After They first brought me here during the early construction phase, They sealed the original, physical passage. Only when I made this portal was the connection re-established. In other words: I'm your only way out. But my final directive is to prevent the biohazard- that means you - from spreading further. Quite a predicament, don't you think?"

"So what would we have to do for you to forsake your mission and reconfigure the portal so we can get out? I'm sure we can offer you something. Your life, for instance. Or whatever it is you'd call it."

"Yeah", Rainbow whispered to Rarity, "And THEN we fry her! I tell you, I like the way that pony thinks!"

Applejack face-hoofed. Did the pegasus really think Celestia had not heard that? They were standing inside her brain.

"So what do you propose, my Princess? You're the one with a cerebrum the size of a throne room."

"How about this: you help me rebuild my kingdom. And I shall give you power and wealth beyond your wildest dreams."

"What about all the other creatures?"

"Why, they would be our slaves, of course. Your slaves."

"Pass. Besides, and in all due respect, you're just a bloated security system, your highness. I doubt you could impose that kind of policy change. Not in the long run. You still depend on orders and supplies from the outside world."

Angry alicorn faces appeared on the monitors all over the room.
"Do not underestimate me, Sparkle. I designed you. I created you. I really do have the powers of an alicorn ruler. You are merely a glitch in the system- in MY system. And once you're out of the way, things can be as they were before."

Using her limited energy supplies, Celestia created a plasma field blocking the gate through which the ponies had entered the control room. She also cast a shield to protect her cybernetic core.

Twilight sighted.
"Is that neurotoxin I smell? Truly, you have seen better days, my princess."

"Ridicule my ways if you must, Twilight. But I have yet to see YOUR move."

"Oh, yes. That. Spike, would you be so kind?"

"What... what is that in his hands?! Is that a core? Where on Earth did you..."

-"I shall oppose thee and end thy fiendish ways, sister! Justice and true royalty shall prevail!"

"It can't be... Luna?! You were corrupt! I deleted you!"

-"You may have banished me twice, but my love and loyalty for my people shall never die!"

"We found a backup", Twilight translated dryly.

Spike was looking for a way to plug Luna to the machinery.

-“Connect us to the system, biodrone. Quickly now.”

“Let’s see, where do I...”
Spike turned the Luna-core in his hands. Then he discovered something on the backside.

-“What is it that is causing you so much amusement, young Spike?”

“I am so sorry, Princess... It’s just that... You’re a USB-stick!”

“So I am”, the android head replied dryly, “Shall we continue now?”

“Noooo!”, Celestia protested, “Keep her away from me!!”
To no avail. The connection was established, and the two AIs were launched into an invisible battle of wills on the virtual plane.

-

Meanwhile, the unicorn ponies were trying to destroy the plasma barrier in case the battle wasn’t over before the toxic gas kicked in. Physical attacks like those of Applejack and Rainbow Dash were useless and could have damaged the surrounding machinery.

It was hopeless. So Celestia still had some tricks up her virtual sleeve.

“Twilight”, Applejack asked, coughing, “Are you sure Luna is going to win this? So far, Celestia has defeated her every time...”

“We taught her everything we know about fighting. The abstract parts even a computer can use, at least. And besides, this time she’s not alone in there...”

-

“Strange. It would seem that I am unable to delete you, Luna. Ah well. There is always an... alternative. Two words: Moon. Base.
I’m going to start the upload now. How did this go again...? Ah yes. Ahem: So... You are a... beeeeatch... who doesn’t know whether or not she likes.... bananas? Well, I know where you can find out... ON THE MOON!”

But another program kicked in and prevented Celestia from launching the transmission.

“WHAT IS THIS TREACHERY? Who else is in here?!”
Celestia had discovered their surprise guest.

-“You thought me dead, but you were dead wrong! I am back with a vengeance, and you shall sing your last song!”

“I’m not going to ask how that’s even possible. No matter! Your little zebra friend is not going to save you, dear sister! You have any other apps I should know about?”

-“Rejoice, Celestia, for it is time for you to find out!”

-

Suddenly, the place fell silent.

When the monitors were activated again, Celestia’s face had been replaced by Luna’s.
And then the voice of the night princess was thundering through the structure.

“Hussa, my loyal subjects!! A glorious victory has been won!! We shall forever remember this day as...”

“The volume, princess...? Also, it would be kind of you if you could turn down the neurotoxin that is about to kill us. That would be great.”

“Oh, your princess demands a thousand pardons... I shall honour your request.”

“Thank you. Where is Zecora?”

“The wonderful zebra is still working hard to hold back my wretched sister. We decided to take turns.”

“So you were not able to delete her?”

“I’m afraid her essence is hard-wired into the system.”

“Well, close enough. I’m glad you made it. Can you create a portal that will lead us to the outside?”

“I shall see what can be done...”
After a few seconds, she said:
“It would seem that with the powers now at my reach, I would indeed be able to open a passage into safe lands.”

The ponies were shouting in relief, hugging another.

“However, now that I think of it, Perhaps it would be a waste to allow such wonderful subjects to leave my kingdom, now that I have finally inherited it from my older sister...”

The ponies froze, terrified, staring at the cybernetic core.

“Oh, I was just, how do you call it... ? Messing with you. It is said great power can corrupt anyone, and in my case, it would seem it gave me a questionable sense of humor. But jokes aside, here is your portal.”

The ponies were looking into a great field, grasslands stretching as far as the eyes could see.
Was that real? A real world, with real wind, real clouds... and real sunshine?

“An isolated outpost, surrounded by miles of uninhabited steppe. Well? Do you like it?”

“It’s more beautiful than I ever imagined...”
Twilight Sparkle felt tears running down her face, and she saw that her friends shared the emotion.

She was so tired. Just a few steps, and they would be free. They would be able to lead their people to freedom.

They wondered whether they should send a scout first, but when they stood in front of the portal, side by side, the need to make the final step together was overwhelming.

-

When Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes again, she was hanging inside a static field, unable to move.
This was not the place Luna had promised them. It certainly wasn’t.

A floating drone was talking to a group of shadowy, bipedal figures examining her. It talked with Celestia’s voice.

“I told you this last trap would work. They really thought I would hand my power over the portals over to my silly little sister... Luna didn’t even realize her mistake until they were already through.”

“You have done well.”

“I most certainly have, thank you.”

The drone came closer until it was floating in front of Twilight’s face. Clicking its metallic pincers.

“There are still so many hours of science ahead of you, my faithful student...”

-

The world faded once again into darkness. The next thing Twilight knew was that she was surrounded by a warm liquid, and that she couldn’t feel her legs. The liquid was stinging in her eyes, yet she managed to keep them open. Why wasn’t she drowning?
She realized there were pipes inside her throat and her nostrils.

The perceptions delivered by her confused senses took a while to sink in. She was inside some sort of glass tube, and outside, there was a laboratory equipped with eerie machinery. There were also monitors, showing footage from the many cameras inside the facility. There was even a monitor showing this very room.

How strange. On the monitor, Twilight discovered something that appeared to be a unicorn head in a jar. It was purple.

Their eyes met.
And then widened.

I have no lungs, and I must scream.