The Art of Magic II: Secrecy of the Facility

by Rarity Belle

Chapter 6

                    
While the other officials had returned to their own private quarters, it was Twilight who disappeared straight in hers and she locked the door tightly shut. She didn't wanted any soul to find out that what she had been hiding and thus taken from the archives. Classified information that never should have left it was in her possession. She looked around the room with her eyes and saw the box she had to live in. All that stood within it was a small bathroom, a desk, a chair and the bed. It almost looked like a prison cell but it got the job done.

With her horn that started to charge up ever so gently and the pillow that laid on the bed moved itself from the head end. And there it still laid. Ever so peaceful yet holding so many secrets. The more Twilight allowed her eyes to fall upon the closed documents as more tears began to build up within her eyes of pure sadness.

“I am so sorry, sister,” she spoke in a soft tone. Twilight placed the pillow back to where it belonged and her horn discharged all the magic. All the power that was stored within it left her body. Yet inside the mind of the mare was there something snapped. Twilight turned herself around in order to face the locker that stood next to the door and she opened it in a ruthless manner. Without the usage of her magic she took out the bloodstained hazard suit and pulled herself into it.

Any sign of remorse, regret and sorrow quickly went away. The mare allowed her mind to dive once again into the mental insanity in which she had been living with for years. With a deep and dark chuckle in her voice she gazed upon herself in the mirror that hung in the bathroom. She was ready for the next load of unicorns to be processed.

 
In the meantime was Trixie happily changing her attire into the suit and mask while she hummed some songs to herself in a sick and twisted tone. With her cornflower blue mane being slightly visible through the mask, she also stood before the mirror while a deep smirk appeared on her face as she began to speak the lyrics out in a whisper to herself. “There has to be stability, even within this Facility.”

After a small passage of time did both of the dressed unicorns left their respectable quarters and gazed upon each other’s eyes. They had left their rooms at the same time but didn't seem to be truly minding it. They gave a confirming nod to one another together with a smirk that was hardly visible. And then they were off, off to the staircase that would lead them to the lower levels of the building.

“Holding cell three on floor seven today right?” Trixie asked after she had given the motion with her head.

“That is correct, my love, shall we walk, or appear?” Twilight spoke with a little bit of a seducing tone in her voice. The way that Trixie moved next to her was a magical sight to behold.

“You know how much I love just appearing right?”

“Hmhmhm, I know that all too well,” Twilight replied when they stood before the staircase.

“Oh and Twi, shall we do one of our special moments after having processed them? You taste so much better after, it,” spoke Trixie with a deep yet invisible smirk upon her face while one of her forelegs moved itself up. The hoof stroked the covered cheek of Twilight with a loving motion.

“But of course we shall, my love,” answered Twilight. She moved one of her forehooves over the covered cheek of Trixie. She also charged up her horn again in the normal, raspberry coloring. As more magic started to collect itself within her horn. The soft hum of its power fell in the ears of Trixie and it acted as a warning. She breached herself for the upcoming knock that was most likely to take place. Teleportation within the Facility was a rough thing to do, but easily executed.

Under a bright flash of red light did the two unicorns disappear out of sight and out of known matter. Twilight and Trixie found themselves in the red world which Keeton had entered once before. The pair made their way through the near still standing Facility. Time didn't had to progress long for them before they stood on the only colored spot in the whole Facility. The spot that marked their destination. The one spot where they both wished to reappear again.

                     
In the holding cell that was going to be doomed for processing, there were many young stallions with a body build that would remind ponies that came from the regions of Ponyville. A specific stallion who was named Big Macintosh. But where the red coated stallion was a gentle giant, these ponies were everything but. Yet most of them were peacefully asleep but some of them were still awake and all found themselves in one of the corners.

It was uncertain for the guards just what they spoke about, but they didn't pay that much attention as their fate had been sealed a long time ago. Adding up the fact that it was impossible for them to call upon magic within the walls of the Facility. Forming a resistance was a failed plan that happened countless times before and would happen many more time. Only its dreaded workers knew just how to call upon their magic within the cursed walls of the building. The only fear that the guards truly had was that they would come close enough to the bars to fall within the hooves of one. Something that happened to several guards before and they got strangled on the spot.

But what they were truly speaking about, were possible plans to escape the place from. Even though they had been there for two months by then. Their eyes had seen many others being teleported upstairs. They still thought about getting out of the hellhole they found themselves in. Coming up with the plans had two effects, it created a bond between some of the stallions but also kept themselves sane enough to even think clearly. They knew their time was ticking away and they had to come up with something. For the next shipment, might be them.

“Any of you know just where the exit might be?” a lime green coated unicorn asked in a whispering tone. The eyes went over the others with a hopeful glance.

“My best guess are the two doors up there,” replied a light blue coated stallion in the same tone. He nudged his head over to the catwalk and with quick motions of their eyes, the others watched to what he meant.

“Hmm, this will get interesting. But you know that our time is short right? Hey, any of you remember the stories of the two mares that almost got away from here?” the lime green stallion asked to his fellow captives in a vague attempt of strange hope.

“Esuba, that tale originated from six months ago, four before our arrival here. How can that possible help us?” the light blue one asked.

“One of them was able to cast a beam of pure magic from what I have heard, we have got to do the same!” the stallion answered. There was a little twinkle could be found within his eyes. His lime green coat appeared darker in the thin light of the holding cell. All the others had heard the rumors as well by they never believed them. They couldn’t have been possible facts, it must have been hopeful lies. It all seemed to be too good to be true.

The light blue stallion shook his head at the plan. His mind brought him even further than just releasing the blast. “Consider just where to go after releasing your blast. I take that there aren't going to be signs simply saying exit or anything like it,” he answered in a realistic tone.

“Repmac, why do always think further?”

“No, I am considering other options, you fool! Blindly releasing a charge, if that is possible at all, and not having a plan and back-up plan will get you even faster killed then waiting on your turn!” he spoke up in an angry whisper. Not much later had he pressed his face into that of Esuba. “Do you understand me here with the near nothing brain of yours? Plus, the mare who cast the beam was the sister of the boss from what I heard. Just how big do you see our chances then?”

Those words shocked the lime green stallion deeply as he began to rethink the plan while speaking in mumbles. “C-Can’t believe it… Killing your own family just, just like that? Is it true, Rep?”

“Hmpf, from what I heard yes,” Repmac answered.

“Then we can forget it…” All the other stallions in the circle were just watching the two arguing like little colts and they couldn't do much more than just agree with the spoken words and each of the souls gave their plan rest. For they knew it would be just helpless to even bother to try.

                     
For a couple minutes they sat in silence before the attention of Esuba was caught. It was caught by a humming sound that came from above him. With his curiosity growing had he allowed his brown eyes to move themselves over to the catwalk. There he saw it forming. The reddish matter that became bigger, the longer he stared at it. His mind could have only thought about the horrors.

Under a beam and explosion of light did the two under officials showed themselves before the young stallions. Mere seconds passed for them both and they placed their forehooves over the railing. Only to watch the souls below them with a sadistic joy within their eyes.

The remaining stallions woke their sleeping comrades up and pointed up to the two mares in the hazards suits above. Eventually were all of them awake and that was the starting signal for something else. For the two doors on the side of the catwalk opened themselves and four more guards entered up on the catwalk.

With the doors closing once again had the time come for the mares to do their job as Twilight started to speak up in a muffled voice. “Welcome foals, welcome. For years you have been monitored for your magical abilities and were given many chances to proof yourself. Some of you did, some didn't. But the one time you truly had to show your full strength in magic, you all failed. You didn't just fail your family or even yourself. No, you failed the entire unicorn race.”

Trixie took over the word. She continued on the very point that Twilight had been left off. “But do not let these little insults be denting your pride. For all of you are still having a purpose towards us. Something that, is of great essence for our race.”

“That is right, when you first arrived here, I am sure you have seen the chimney on top seeing shot a lightning bolt of different colors into the skies. Let’s ask you all a question here,” said Twilight.

“Who of you can tell Trixie just what it is, hm?”

None of the stallions even dared to open their mouths. They were already too scared to speak. The normally so fierce and brutal ponies were by then nothing more than scared little foals, and they had good reasons to be. Even Esuba and Repmac kept their jaws firmly on each other. It was unbelievable, but the two of them seemed to be intrigued by the spoken words. They had heard them countless times before in the other cells, there was something different when they were spoken in their cell. Almost as if they spoke the death penalty over each of them.

“Nopony?” Twilight spoke a bit disappointed.

“Then Trixie shall tell it. That bolt in the skies is a beam of magic that has been produced within this very building. Many would tell you that magic is a force that flows freely through the air. It does that for sure, but only after it has been created here, deep within the bowels of the Magic Facility.” With each word that she spoke, it could be noticed that her voice became darker. But it was at the very end that she erupted into a snicker of pure sadistic joy.

“Boys, if you please,” spoke Twilight to the guards. The one group of ponies who hadn’t even move a muscle during the mares their story.
Upon their calling had all four of them jumped down to the ground. Within an instant had they began to round up all the stallions present. They pointed their horns towards them and the charges of magic could be heard. Each of them got the deep red coloring around it as Twilight and Trixie watched over the scene. Esuba and Repmac were forcefully brought over to the group while they both growled over towards the guards, but they didn't care.

With their horns all humming up pure power there was another bright flash of red that appeared and the whole cell was just empty within a second. Not a single soul was to be found within the cell. As the ponies on the cell on the opposing side watched with big eyes before letting go of any hope there would be left for them.

                     
“Now zhen,” Medic spoke up after he entered the room were both Kooiman and the burned stallion were lying down in their beds. “I zee you two have made great progress in the rehabilitation process. I am quite sure zhat soon enough you two will be working again.” The insane doctor made his way over to the bed of Kooiman, where he bend himself over to see the healing lower jaw of the blond stallion. It was an interesting accident that caused it to be broken in the first place and Medic just loved it. His sadistic nature for such injuries made him work only harder, by any means.

“Zell me when it hurts, alright?” he asked while his eyes pierced to the poor stallion. Kooiman could only give a nod to the words. Medic then began to press gently at certain spots of his jaw.

With each point pressed did the tough engineer gave off a deep wince in pain. He simply shook his head while a slight tear fell down from his eyes. The pain was almost unbearable for him even with the slightest of touches. “Hmm, I thought it was healing better last time I checked. Did you hold yourself on mir prescription of not speaking or trying zu speak?” the doctor asked him in a serious tone. He looked back to Kooiman’s eyes to see whether or not he was lying.

The eyes of the stallion grew small at the words of the doctor. He knew he shouldn't have been moving his jaw at all but out of sake for his face wrapped roommate he did it a couple times. That was what caused the healing process to fail or at least fell back by a lot, yet managed to keep their sanity.

“Zhe look in deine augen says more than enough for me. I do have a prescription though.” The madness took over the eyes of the doctor again before he leaned back from the bed. Medic rested all four of his hooves upon the ground and turned his attention away from the stallion. With his magic he brought over a small writing pad and wrote down some notes. “You either keep that little mouth of yours shut, or you go through surgery once more. Something I prefer more for a stallion with your duties,” he said while writing down the notes.

Then the face of Kooiman became whiter than the whitest snow. He heavily shook his head. He didn't wanted to go through another surgery done by the mad horse that called himself a ‘doctor’. Even if it was the last thing in the world he had to do, he wouldn’t do it.

“I zake you shut up then?” the stallion asked with a raised eyebrow. Kooiman could only nod his head in agreement. In response to it was Medic’s face that dropped itself while he released the thoughts of working on such a fine specimen. With a deep sigh that left through his nostrils. His face rose back up and eyed Kooiman. “Very well zhen. But one more time of talking, and you go right back under zhe knife, understood?” he said in a serious voice.

Kooiman only nodded once again and the doctor gave him a small pad upon his cheek with a grin. Medic then turned his attention over to the burned stallion. The doctor wasn't able to transplant the skin that was required to reconstruct the face, but made it possible to at least seal up the wounds. But the price was far more for anypony to pay.

“Now zhen, let’s look under the mask, shall we?” he spoke up. Medic made his way over to the other bed. Both the writing block and quill got placed aside but a small scissor got levitated into the air as the patient kept itself silent as the dead.

“Not very talkative I see, shame. Bet you two grow even more insane with this eerie silence around all zhe time,” the crazed doctor spoke up before he let the scissors do their job on the unburned side of the face. Carefully they made their way through the bandage. The original green coloring of the coat became visible while the doctor kept nodding at the events his eyes could see. “That looks good,” he mumbled to himself.

 
With the bandage cut open from bottom to top, they all knew that the time was there to reveal the new face he had gotten. “If you could turn your head ninety degrees to your left, facing your roommate, zhen I can continue on the procedure,” asked Medic with a more professional tone.

With a simple nod was given in response to the request. The stallion turned his head over to Kooiman. With the help of his magic would Medic have pulled away the remainders of the bandage with care. A small shiver made its way through his body as the sounds of skin being ripped away softly took their turn through the room.

Kooiman had been watching the events the whole time and took note of the different coloring within the eyes. One was the normal lavender coloring for the iris but it was the other one, the one that was still behind the bandage that gave him the creeps. For its coloring was yellow. Where a normal eye was white, the other eye had turned into a deep and simply unpleasant yellow.

“Now zhen, let’s reveal your pretty face,” spoke Medic with a grin on his face. He pulled the bandage even further off with big eyes. More and more parts of the new face took their turn within the eyes of both stallions and so did their horror.

For below the bandage was the burned face still visible. The muscles that walked below fine lines of reconstructed skin while the teeth of him were clearly seen. His eye had indeed turned into yellow and was only held into place by the muscles. All of the skin around the eye socket was simply gone. But the most remarkable of it all was that the burn injuries only held themselves to the right side of the face.

In the eyes of Medic was a medical wonder but in those of Kooiman it was nothing more but a monster. Medic grinned even more upon the sight and simply throw the bandages away like it was nothing and he began to inspect the semi healed up face. “Simply remarkable, zhe skin did not heal itself, yet manages to function. Zhis is highly fascinating. Creates a unique look as well, giving you two faces in a matter of speaking,” Medic spoke up. Never in his career had he seen something like it.

The doctor erupted out in a chuckle more in himself before his quill wrote even more things down upon his block. Though many new theories did their turn within his head. “I can not stress this enough, but you are simply fascinating. Though you are lucky it was only your face zhat got burned up. I am firing you today from the hospital. As zhe night falls, you shall return to your own bed, am I understood?”

The two faced stallion gave a nod before Medic turned himself over to Kooiman once again. “You know vwat? You, also are going to be able to return back to your department. How jolly nice! Two little friends. Three if you count...” He scratched the right side of his own face in an insulting manner to the burned up side before chuckling open. Medic turned himself around and left through the doors. The insane doctor took refuge within his own little office where he wrote down on his personal records, discoveries and advancements.

The two stallions in the room simply kept staring into each other’s eyes. The glances they exchanged to one another spoke more than a thousand words could ever do.

                     
Accompanied under the bright red flash of the guards their magical aura, were all the ponies that held within the holding cell appeared onto the processing department. The final stop before they would be turned into magic itself. Their time was running out and they all felt it in their hearts.

With the guards discharging their horns but they kept pointing it over to the young stallions. Their blood red aura disappeared like sparks of electricity while both Twilight and Trixie found themselves in the very front of the group. They stood  before a gaping hole of darkness. Almost shielding it off for the Unworthy's to view. Blocking the road they had to travel on in a sense.

Esuba was among one of the first that laid his eyes upon the insane mares and the hole behind them. In his mind he wondered just what would it could be. Countless things took its turn through his mind and his train of thought became a vortex. Though every thought ended up with the same thing, the utter destruction of his very soul.

A deep sigh of losing all and any forms of hope left the thoughtful stallion as his head dropped itself against his chest, accepting his fate that was to come. Repmac saw the defeat into the very eyes of the stallion and let out a deep sigh of his own while he carefully poked the lost stallion. “Hey, we will get out of here, trust me,” he spoke with a kind voice. He tried to at least make it better than that it was. A wishful thought that would be crushed with every puff of steam they heard.

“No,” Esuba spoke in a whispering tone, “we are not getting out of here… The only way out is through that hole and into the skies as magic itself.”

“Don’t say that!” his comrade returned in the same whispering tone.

“Admit it, Repmac, this is it. This is our final destination.”

Both of the mares removed themselves from the hole and allowed a deep look inside of it to be taken place. Most of the stallions dared to peek inside the utter darkness of the device the hole was surrounded by. Some began to shiver at the sight as others only looked more interesting.

“She is ready, madams,” a stallion that stood behind a small control board spoke up to the mares. Twilight turned her head over towards him and she gave him a nod. The worker got the point of the nod and he pushed on a series of button before pulling a large lever that would awaken the monstrous device of death.

Under the roar or pure power had it woken up. While the lights on the outside of the device turned from red to green, the many indicators moved themselves from their empty state to the full state. Sparks emerged on the very top of the machine. Inside the machine did the blooded gears crush even more. The screeching metal sounds took its turn in all the ears present. But even with the thing was waking up there was still the darkness and uncertainty of the gaping black hole.

“And here we, go,” Trixie mumbled through her mask. She even made some movements with one of her forelegs. The sheer power that the device held was something unmatched by anything.

Having spent so much time around the device, both of the mares knew exactly when what turned on. Those still brave enough to stare into the black hole, were able to see the lights inside illuminating the insides of the dreaded device. They began to shine off a bright red coloring. A fact that came to be due to the blood that was stuck inside the tubes. Blood that had been collecting itself over the years against the sides of them. In all its years, it was never cleaned out once.

 
“Now then, who desires to go first?” Twilight spoke up. The humming of the device behind her only became louder. It was hungry for fresh flesh to come for it.

All of them were shivering true fear by then for they never had seen, let alone heard, of such a thing that was standing in front of them. Esuba however, rose his head back up to the mares. Ever so gently did he rose up from his sitting position, back up to his four legs. He had accepted his fate. He knew that there was nothing left for him, he was a failure. An Unworthy one that needed to terminated for the good of the unicornian race.

Repmac was looking in utter surprise at the unforeseen event. In one outburst had he even tried to pull Esuba back to the ground. But his hooves just missed the tail. In a burst of mixed emotion, he also stood up and walked up in front of him. The action made the volunteering stallion stop dead in his tracks. The two glanced into each other’s eyes, thundering for different reasons.

The guards were looking at the scenery as they readied their horn for a blast to subdue the both of them if needed. But Twilight signaled them quietly not to do anything as she was interested in just how the events would be turning out.

“Esuba, you don’t have to do this!” Repmac spoke not to his comrade, but to his friend.

“Don’t you get it, I have accepted my fate. A fate that lays within the bowels of that device you fool. It is a fate you should also accept. There is nothing for us out there anymore Repmac. You heard the stories spoken at night, you heard the screams of the broken ones even in your dreams. I can’t take it anymore, my time has come. And I am afraid, yours is coming soon as well,” answered Esuba in a defeated tone. All the spirit to escape was just gone. It had to end, there and then.

Repmac was totally obliterated by the words that were spoken to him. Yet the stallion began to stumble out some words. He tried to exactly figure out what was meant with them. With his mind processing, tears were building up below his eyes and he did the only logical thing in the situation. Logical for him that was.

Repmac wrapped his forelegs tight around the neck of Esuba who placed a leg of his own on the back of his friend. The two stallions nuzzled each other’s cheek for a little bit while tears rolled down from below their eyes.

“K-Keep yourself though,” spoke Repmac up quietly before he gave a small sniffle.

“Always will,” replied Esuba before he tightened the hug a bit more. It was seconds after it that they parted from one another and the fate called upon them, had come. It was only then that Repmac removed himself out of the way of his friend. That way, Esuba could become the very first one to be processed within the terrible device.

Trixie smirked deep at the seen sight but she found the respect not to speak. That was until the stallion was standing  in front of the machine. “So we are having a volunteer, Trixie sees,” she spoke up with a sick joy in her voice. “Twilight, if you please would explain what is going to happen, as it happens.”

“With pleasure,” replied Twilight before she moved herself over to the stallion. With her horn she summoned the blood red clamps that could held any unworthy on the conveyor belt that was going into the machine. The clamps were wrapped themselves around his hooves and held tight. “These clamps are strong enough to hold even the greatest of stallion or mare. Nopony has ever broken out of these things and they are connected to the belt that makes its way into the, what we like to call, Magic Maker. Though its official name is the Extractorius Magicos. You can probably see why we changed it up... Although creativity with names, is not our strongest point.”

Twilight moved herself over to a set of arcane buttons that were located on the side of the Maker as Trixie took over the word. “As my colleague will be done with the settings soon enough, the final process shall begin and I do not think that that requires much explaining, as long as you just watch it is already enough.”

With the words being spoken, Twilight pulled on one last lever. Clouds of steam left from both sides of the Maker and the belt come into movement. Which then brought Esuba slowly closer to the hole until he just vanished.

The sound of sharp objects that went cutting through skin and flesh did their turn and echoed free through the room. The very room that was sealed off from the rest of the department after the incident that happened just a mere six months before. The only other connection it had with the rest of the Facility was the window that led to Rarity's office.

Most of the stallions only shivered more before some cried out for their families and even their friends. But inside of the terrible device there was something most hadn't foreseen. As the screams were kept to a minimum even though the most important blood vessels of the stallion were cut open and two syringes had made their way into his tear tubes.

 
One loud crack was the first to herald a whole series of it. None could believe the levels of pain the stallion inside could hold. It didn’t took long before he screamed loud and in utter agony. But where many thought about the screams, it was an eerie silence that was heard just before a metal shut closed itself again. A moment where nothing made any sound. Not the machine, the guards, the mare or even the other captives. A moment of true silence.

“Forgot to tell you all this little detail,” spoke Trixie in order to break the peaceful moment and the machine turned back into its full force. “Your horn gets broken off and then you make your way over through a set of gears that crush your little bones before you fall within a metal shaft that will lead, somewhere in the engine room I think it was.”

Twilight allowed herself to bury herself in the madness and insanity of her job. She left every single trace of her own standards behind. With her eyes she just glared over the many souls before there was one simple word being shouted. “Next!”