MLP Laboratories- The Outbreak

by NeuPferdfurt

The head

Twilight Sparkle frowned. Yet another strange dream.
Everything was green. Tiny bubbles appeared and disappeared randomly in front of her face. She thought she was hearing the ocean. Twilight had never been to the shore before, but she remembered how her father had once told her to press her ear against an big, colorful shell when she had been a filly. It was probably a false memory, an implant, but it was still strangely soothing.

"If you listen carefully, you can hear the waves, Twilight. The memory of the sea."

Of course by now Twilight knew that this was just a ponytale. You couldn't trap the ocean in an empty shell.
Or a jar.

Was this a jar?

And more importantly, was this even a dream?

The young pony honestly couldn't tell. Everything seemed so unreal...

We are floating, she thought, we are all floating down here...

She was so tired.

Have to focus.

-

This unicorn pony certainly was a fascinating specimen.

The young researcher looked into the microscope again. He had never seen brain cells mutate at a ratio like this. If he and his colleagues were right, they had stumbled on the biotechnological equivalent of a goldmine. This brain alone compensated Them for all the losses suffered through the collapse of the 'Ponyville'-sector...

He turned around to check on the head. It was floating in a jar full of nutrients, connected to several cables and pipes.
The eyes were closed. It almost looked like she was sleeping.

"You're a pretty one, aren't you... A cute little freak show..."

The researcher grinned. One thing was sure: This pony wouldn't give Them any more trouble. Which was a good thing, too. She and her little friends had been surprisingly feisty. Not feisty enough, of course. The mere thought of a bioconstruct outsmarting its creators was preposterous.

Now her smart little head was floating in a jar. Was it still alive? Of course- at least in a way. This unicorn's brain was too precious to be simply plucked apart. Still, for this little pony, the adventure was over. Lights out.

He nodded at the guard who was standing next to the door. The man nodded back.
Just two men working late at night.

-

Something bothered the guard, however. A tiny noise coming from a desk on the other side of the lab. The scientist didn't seem to notice, but it was driving the guard mad.

Finally, he gave up. He left his post at the door and went looking for the source of the annoyance. It sounded like someone was scribbling frantically on a piece of paper. But he and the researcher were the only ones supposed to be here at this hour. And the guard didn't see anyone else. Yet the noise was there.

Mice? That was highly unlikely, considering how sterile this place was.

The noises were emanating from the top drawer of a desk. So it was something tiny. Maybe they did have vermin after all.
He pulled it open.

At first, his brain was unable to process what he was seeing.
It was a piece of paper with a pen on top. Only that the pen was moving on its own. Writing a message.

Ghosts are real, was all the guard was able to think before he was knocked unconscious by the back of his own rifle.

-

The scientist was completely lost in his work. He didn't see the guard fall and being dragged behind the desk, even though his peripheral vision might have allowed him to notice the movement. He didn't hear anything because of his earplugs.

He only noticed that things had gone terribly wrong after something had poked him in the back.
He flinched and turned around, frustrated by the prospect of having to interrupt his research.

What he saw was the guard's rifle floating in the air, pointing directly at his head.
Then he heard an all too familiar sound. The gun was cocked.

The man didn't dare to move. He had already peed his pants.
The gun came closer until it was gently touching his cheek.
The scientist started to whimper.

The rifle started poking him again. Apparently he was supposed to turn around and look at his desk.
And sure enough, a piece of paper came flying across the room, landing right in front of him.

Due to the circumstances, it took him a while to decipher the note.

-

My name is Twilight Sparkle.

I know what you have done to me.
You will die unless you do exactly what I tell you.

First of all, you will have to fix this.
I know you can do it. The rest of me must be around here somewhere.

Don't try anything funny.
I am watching you.
I am watching you through my eyes, and even through your own.
I can see everything.

Sincerely yours,

Twilight Sparkle

The researcher looked at the ponyhead floating in that jar. It had opened its feakishly large eyes now. Looking at him.

He knew they should have removed the horn.

Author's Note:

Transfered this from 'MLP Laboratories - Freak Show'.