//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Equestrian labs // by Shadow-Aura //------------------------------// After a small train ride where Eclipse questioned if it was worth it by bringing him along as he wanted to rest and drink tea and eat crumpets his niece wanted to fix the rift between Clipsy and icey but there was more chance of lightning striking the same place twice! “This is hopeless!” Sunlight said with a sigh as she looked out at the station that belongs to the town of ponyville. The archaeologist and the thestral hadn’t spoken the whole trip as an obvious dislike was growing between the two and Sunlight saw it as bright as day. As if that is what her cutie mark was telling her, at least if she had one it would, hopefully. Eclipse scooped Solar onto her back and disembarked from the train turning to Ice and said: “If you want to stay with me and my group you have to learn to show at least some professionalism.” “I did in my opinion and you still... “ Swift began getting hushed by Eclipse as he didn’t want to argue over that ‘incident’ again as he wanted to move on from that and continue his research into this Aperture fabled in the journal found on the site. There must be something he could find to figure out this unheard of facility that he could figure out if it’s real. It would put him in history books as if the book was right Celestia was covering something up and of so he would find out. Pushing those thoughts back Eclipse made his way towards the golden oaks library Solar and Ice following him as he knocked on the door “Spike please can you get that I’m in the middle of a huge break through here!” The voice of a certain lavender alicorn stated as a little purple dragon opened the door. “Um is Princess Twilight in?” Eclipse asked the dragon who looked a little confused at first then let them in “Twilight that grave digger pony is here!” Spike called gravely offending Eclipse in the process making Solar laugh quite loud and Ice even more so. “He’s not a grave digger but an archaeologist Spike I'm so sorry Eclipse but how is your expedition doing I do hope my funding has lead to some fascinating finds!” Twilight said turning away from a very old looking tome pre-modern Equestria and post-discord Equestria making it roughly in the time period of the journal Eclipse found. “Well that’s exactly why I’m here ma’am can we continue this in a private area!” Eclipse said as he pulled the journal from his satchel and gave Twilight a certain vibe that said all it needed. “Um sure Spike take Eclipse’s party, companions or friends to sugarcube corner tell Pinkie I'll pay whatever the bill is tomorrow,” Twilight said as the dragon confused and not at all bothered just shrugged and did as he was told. Twilight waited until she was sure they left before speaking “What did you find?” “A journal that reveals dark and haunting things and a theory that Princess Celestia has a deep dark secret called Aperture Laboratories!” Eclipse said handing over the journal and letting Twilight read through it letting the princess think of her own theories about said journal. “This seems illogical as it suggests we had technology then that was only invented recently but I guess you time placed it at the date said,” Twilight pondered as she did some tests on the book and every time came to the conclusion Eclipse had “Huh this is strange indeed… I’m reading something over here of conspiracies and legends from the same time period maybe this Aperture might get a mention!” “My thoughts exactly Princess!” Eclipse said as the two went over to the book and after Twilight lectured Eclipse to be careful with the ancient tome even though that was part of his job the duo began to comb through the texts for a mention of aperture and on a page halfway through there you had it. The legend of the aperture project! The aperture project was the conspiracy of a government, princess Celestia approved, lead project deep in the crystal mountains lead by a stallion millionaire called Lemon Cave. The project was supposedly a testing facility for ponies health and mental state by the government of our princess using ponies from the local prisons and asylums as the subjects for these tests. But that is all we are allowed to know as the common ponies we can’t just go there and anyone who has doesn’t come back the theorists among us say there is more to the facility than we know. This is just rumours and speculation but one day the mention of the facility disappeared all together no trace remained and the ponies never returned except for one who claimed impossible claims and we dismissed him as a loonie pony, metal giant killing ponies no such thing, he was as bad as the ponies who say the weather ponies use bad pegasi for rainbows but all this pony claimed made ponies theorise me included but if aperture is what he claims then something happened there but that is just a theory. An Equestria theory! Signed Common Theory ponies “So we need to find this place and stop reading this guy’s writing it’s annoyingly horrific!” Eclipse said taking note of the rough area given by Common Theory in his passage “I guess you want to come Twilight being the big science lover and daring do fan huh?” “It’s non-negotiable Eclipse don’t worry I keep a case packed for this sort of thing let me leave a letter for spike to allow Celestia or Luna where we are heading!” Twilight said writing a note with her magic and leaving it for spike who was still out with Ice and Solarbeam as she grabbed her case and practically dragged Eclipse to the station.