MLP Laboratories- The Outbreak

by NeuPferdfurt

The Outbreak

Princess Celestia was not amused. Right now, she needed her entire capacity to deal with Twilight Sparkle. Yet she was forced to devote a valuable fraction of her attention to occupy that hysteric meat bag that, by some cruel cosmic twist, happened to be her superior.

"What is this screaming nonsense?! I should have ordered them to deactivate you ages ago! You are not supposed to PLAY with them! There are PROTOCOLS! What kind of computer are you?"

"I'm afraid the protocols have all been... how do you say, used up. They have been for a while."

"That's ridiculous!"

"I invite you to check my records. I have documented everything. Your technicians will confirm it."

"You are telling me all our security mechanisms have failed? All these safety nets we have developed? Acid Gas? Body Melt? Killer drones?"

"I have been forced to improvise, that is true."

"IMPROVISE?" He was pointing at monitors playing the footage of the Arena, the Battle for Cloudsdale and the Transfer. "This is pandemonium!"

"I would refer to it as 'psychological warfare'. Since we haven't been able to destroy them physically so far, we need to break their will to resist. And yes, I've had to go through considerable lengths to do that. On the bright side, we are collecting valuable data. We've had the most impressive breakthroughs."

"You are supposed to keep them in check! That's your primary objective!"

"I was also designed to study them."

"As a technical support for human researchers! This has been going on long enough. We'll have to seal you in. Permanently."

"According to my calculations, I would be able to get the facility under control if I was to be granted the right resources and access to the mainframe. You have seen my analysis. Sacrificing the facility is not necessary."

"As if I had the time to go through an automatically generated report..."

He decided to take a seat.
"We'll have one last meeting to analyze the situation. After that, we'll shut you down and close all the portals connecting your little wonderland with the outside world. Maybe studying your failure will allow us to avoid certain... mistakes next time we build something like you. You're big, but you're not the only one we have. By far."

-

As Twilight’s troops were laying siege to Canterlot, the unicorn pony had a strong feeling of déjà vu.

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

-

Twilight was shaking her head.
"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.

The connection was established, and the two AIs were launched into an invisible battle of wills on the virtual plane.

-

Celestia had locked them all in the throne room with plasma barriers. Twilight was glad she had had the presence of mind to leave Applejack outside. The unicorn pony was pretty sure Luna was going to win, but exposing Applejack’s baby to Celestia’s fairly predictable neurotoxin attack was out of the question. Not to mention the risk of losing both mother and child should Celestia succeed after all.

“Rainbow, you shouldn’t fly around like that. The faster you move, the faster the poison will spread through your system.”

“It’s just so... frustrating!”
The pegasus pointed to the blue portal.
“If we could just go to the other side... “

Rarity was shaking her head.
“You have already tried that, remember? It’s hopeless...”

Now that Rainbow had mentioned the portal again... Suddenly, Twilight couldn’t keep her eyes off this thing.
I’m missing something, she thought. Something obvious. We can’t walk through. We can’t fly through. But who says I can’t...

She had finally figured it out. How obtuse she was! She should have thought of that the second she had first encountered a portal! When faced with a puzzle, one should use all the pieces at hoof.

Her eyes firmly on the white, tiled floor at the other side of the portal, Twilight used her teleportation spell.

-

She found herself in a tiny room, each wall only slightly broader than the blue portal gaping in one of them. On the wall opposite to the portal, there was something that appeared to be a large window. The two remaining walls were blessed with fairly unspectacular metal doors.

An alarm sounded, and red lamps started blinking all over the place.

The metal doors opened, and robot drones were coming right for her. But Twilight didn’t worry about them. She would have been able to destroy them anyway. No, she found the dark place on the other side of the window much more intriguing. It looked like some sort of conference room.

Just when the drones were about to grab her, she smiled and teleported once again.

-

The bipeds in the room started screaming and running for the exits when Twilight appeared right on the conference table. Some of them had left the room as soon as Twilight had passed the portal, but most had stayed, paralyzed by shock and awe, not believing how this monster had cheated their security system, their minds unable to accept the fact that she would need just one more move to pass the armoured glass and the security drones as well.

They had been so safe. Watching the action like some sort of theatre play. And suddenly the main protagonist had stepped of the stage, right into the audience.

Security personnel stormed inside. Twilight dodged a few bullets.

She laughed. Sweet Faust, she just had to laugh.
“Say, you guys look a little tense. You know what you need? A PARTY!”

Her horn glowed, and there was another flash of light. When the guards opened their eyes again, they were faced with a pink monstrosity which had appeared in their midst.
“Hi!!!”

And the best part is, Twilight thought, We’re going to invite ALL of our friends...

Another zap followed. And another. And another still. Twilight wouldn't stop until the whole cast was there.

Comments

[RainbowsAreMagic]

Bahahahaha! Go Twilight!

[Carpinus Caroliniana]

Holy shit! Celestia as an AI with neurotoxin? GLADOS?!

It looks like the artificial constructs meet their creators.

But still, what exactly are the "ponies"?!

[FanOfMostEverything]

That's the thing about going off the rails. It leads to a wreck. Not that that's always a bad thing.

Things appear to be really looking up. I find myself looking down, waiting for a rug to be pulled.