//------------------------------// // Arc #3: The Decent // Story: My Little Pony: Twilight's Requiem // by Pika53 //------------------------------// Chapter #11: As the group followed Wheatly, who they’d run across purely by accident along the way, through a labyrinth of corridors and catwalks, Jaden struggled to suppress laughter at the irony of the situation. The enthusiasm that Pinkie Pie had shown, along with Twilight’s embarrassed shudder, at the appearance of the eccentric metal sphere was enough to confirm that they’d met Wheatly before. Jaden made a mental note to ask Twilight about just how much fun she’d had during the previous testing experience. Like many of the other ponies, Tess had been confused by the whole thing. It took a colossal force of will for Jaden to reign in his amusement as the poor robo-pony tried desperately to process the grand scale of absurdity the situation seemed to offer them. She was becoming more like Twilight Sparkle with each passing moment; easy to talk to… and just as easy to irritate. That revelation in turn had given Jaden an idea for an amusing nickname for her; Twilight 2.0. Of course, he had no intention of using it until Tess knew what she was. Desi meanwhile, had remained relatively silent throughout the journey. Although he was still sore from the brawl that had occurred in the throne room, Jaden was pleased to note that he was healing quickly. Of course it wasn’t very long before they’d reached the turret production line. Navigating through the vast expanse of machinery, Jaden smirked to himself. He knew what had to be done but decided to let their guide explain the plan to the ponies. Crossing a catwalk, the group watched as a mechanical arm scanned every turret that passed by; launching the defective ones into a nearby hole. “Ooo!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed and rubbed her hooves together. “No Pinkie, we’re not getting on that thing!” Twilight snapped. Over the sound of Pinkie’s sad groan; Jaden watched Tess gape at the party pony in disbelief. Rarity meanwhile, began grumbling about the décor; sparking an argument with Applejack. Entering what appeared to a control room of some sort, the group quieted down as they continued to watch the never ending process from a slightly different position. In front of them was a wall of glass with buttons, knobs, and blinking lights sitting in front of it with a clear view of the production line they’d just passed through. In a corner to the right was a sealed door. “Alright, this is the control room for the turret production line. Ok, get a good look through that window.” Wheatly explained. The ponies murmured about seeing what was happening. Watching an endless stream of turrets passing by, Jaden was reminded of an old Pink Floyd song. He couldn’t help feeling amused as he watched Twilight and Tess sigh and roll their eyes in perfect sync as they looked on. “See that scanner over there? It’s deciding which turrets to keep based on that master turret over there.” Wheatly asked. Everypony present muttered they could see that. “If we pull out that master turret it’ll shut the line down.” he continued. “And just how are we supposed ta get past that there door?” Applejack asked. “Right. Hmm, I’m going to need to hack the door so that we can get at it. Technical stuff. Um… you’ll need to turn around while I do this.” Wheatly replied. “Uh, couldn’t you just…” Desi piped up. The ponies looked at each other with varying degrees of incredulity at this seemingly odd turn of events. Over the sound of the eccentric metal sphere’s pleading, Jaden ushered the ponies to turn around. Grumbling to themselves, the ponies complied. Moments later, the unmistakable sound of glass shattering could be heard along with Wheatly’s confirmation that he’d successfully hacked the door. Turning around, Jaden saw that the door’s window had been smashed and the door itself was dented as if something heavy had collided with it. He sighed as most of his companions gaped in disbelief at the carnage. “Aww, c'mon! I could’ve done that!” Rainbow Dash cried indignantly. “That explains sooo much.” Trixie murmured, sparking another argument. Jaden ignored them and lined up a shot through the window. He placed a warm portal in the room with the turret. Turning, he placed a cool portal on the wall in front of him. “Alright, just pull the turret out.” Wheatly reminded him. Crossing into the room, Jaden approached the turret and jerked it off the pad it rested on. “Here catch!” he called out, turning and tossing the turret through the portal to Tess. “I don’t want this!” she shrieked; tossing the turret aside moments before it exploded. “Template missing. Continuing from memory.” A male computerized voice spoke up over the intercom. “Ah, it hasn’t done it. Ok, let’s figure out how to stop this turret line. So, anyone got any ideas? Any ideas at all?” Wheatly muttered. “Is he fer real, ya’ll?”Applejack grumbled darkly. Nopony answered her question. Jaden meanwhile, thought about how to tell the others his plan. Applejack immediately noticed his conundrum and asked “What’s on yer mind?” “I think I know how we can do this.” Jaden replied. He certainly had everypony’s attention now. “Hey, Dashie, can you fetch me a crap turret? That’s the messed up ones dear.” he continued, turning toward the cyan colored pegasus. Realization crossed the ponies’ faces at the idea; Wheatly however, still hadn’t caught on yet. “I’m on it!” Rainbow Dash replied before darting off. Moments later, she returned with a crap turret. Jaden accepted the turret and quickly took it to the scanner. As he placed the turret, the same computerized voice spoke up. “New template accepted.” Wheatly finally figured out what was happening and congratulated his handiwork. “Ok, let me get the door.” the sphere said before disappearing again. The ponies exchanged looks as Jaden spotted another nearby door. The group quickly walked over to it. “Ok, I’m about to start hacking… it’s a little more complicated than it looks from your side. It should take about ten minutes. Keep an eye on the door.” Wheatly called out. A collective groan rang out as the door opened seconds later. Wheatly however, yelped in surprise when he saw them. “Was there like an announcement or something? Like a buzzer or a hacker alert? Well, I suppose fair is fair, what with the door being open and everything, but next time let someone know. Cough or something.” he commented. “Gesundheit.” Dash offered helpfully as Wheatly began heading off around a corner. Groans rang out as the group began following him. “Alright, she can’t use her turrets so let’s take care of that neurotoxin generator as well.” Wheatly remarked as they traveled. “I’m pretty sure we’re going the right way… just to reassure you.” he continued after a pause. As they walked, Jaden noted that the ponies were staring at their little guide with varying degrees of incredulity. Rainbow Dash actually flew through the air with her forelegs crossed and heaved a sigh; a scowl etched upon her face. An hour later, they reached another cavernous chamber. In the center of this room was a large tank of some sort. A long staircase connected their platform with another one located higher up within the room. As soon as Wheatly saw the tank, he became excited. “Ha! I knew we were going the right way! This is the neurotoxin generator. Bit bigger than I expected. Not able to just push it over… gonna have to apply some cleverness.” he exclaimed. “I could take that thing down; no problem!” Dash boasted, puffing up her chest. “Dash; there are easier ways to do things than knocking yourself out against big poles; assuming you’re not into the whole ‘getting knocked out by big poles’ thing.” Jaden countered cheekily. A collective blink passed among the ponies at the statement. “There’s some sort of control room up top. So, let’s go and investigate.” Wheatly spoke up. Jaden meanwhile, merely waved a hand and cocked his head to the side; a slight smirk crossing his face as the group made its way up the stairs. “...Shut up.” Dash growled over a chorus of giggles. Rounding a corner at the top, the group spotted the results of their sabotage as turrets tumbled out of a nearby conveyor belt and were crushed by what looked like gears at the bottom; some of the turrets actually squealing in delight as they entered free fall. Looking on, Jaden noted that the ponies seemed disturbed by the sight as Wheatly babbled on about their ‘handiwork’. Letting his gaze drift, Jaden spotted a small lift nearby. “Looks like we’ll have to make two trips with the lift.” he remarked; turning back to his companions. While the others exchanged looks, Jaden noted that Tess was glaring at him. “What?” “Don’t even think about it.” Tess answered. “Think about what?” Jaden asked. “Nopony wants to hear you whine. Got it?” Tess snapped, pointing a hoof at him for emphasis. It took a colossal force of will for Jaden to restrain himself from breaking out into another impersonation merely for spite. “Why whatever do you mean?” he smirked. Tess’s left eye twitched before she turned away and marched toward the lift, grumbling to herself. Twilight regarded him for a moment before silently shaking her head and following the irate alicorn; Applejack and Fluttershy hot on her hooves. Rainbow Dash meanwhile, had her hooves clamped across her muzzle; desperately struggling to suppress laughter, as was Trixie, as Rarity cast them a questioning look. Pinkie Pie was also giggling as she bounced around nearby. “Alright, off we go than.” Wheatly said as he disappeared into a nearby hole while the lift slowly began to ascend. As he watched the lift go, Jaden couldn’t help giving an eerie and, to Rarity, evil chuckle of his own. Twenty minutes later, everyone was reunited on the upper platform. Tess purposefully ignored him while Wheatly went to check on the door. Glancing around, Jaden noticed that a laser hung suspended from the ceiling on the opposite side from them. This laser in turn was cutting through a line of huge metal panels being pulled across a conveyor belt to their right; a portable surface was on the wall where the laser intersected it. “I’m afraid the door’s locked; just checked it. No way to hack it as far as I can tell.” Wheatly said as he returned. “Then what do we do?” Fluttershy asked. Jaden didn’t respond as he made his way toward the door. As he arrived, Jaden saw a nearby control panel of some sort. Walking over, he gaged the distance to the portable panel with the laser before launching a cool portal at it. The portal connected and Jaden quickly pushed the button on the panel before him. “What are you doing? You don’t know what that button does!” Wheatly screamed. “Uh, it just opened the door.” Dash replied as she and the others began filing through the opening. Jaden was the last to enter. As he did so, he saw most of the others gathered around another doorway. From the doorway, he could hear Wheatly babbling about how some equipment he’d found could help… if he could hack it. While most of the group looked on in boredom, Rarity was glancing around the room disdainfully. Jaden couldn’t help but smirk as he imagined a random heap of soot colored dust suddenly dropping from the ceiling onto the fashionably-sensitive unicorn and freaking her out. Tess meanwhile, was descending from a nearby room and rejoined them. “Ugh! He doesn’t know what he’s doing!” she groaned, shaking her head in exasperation. “Well, if it makes you feel any better you can always go hack that computer while I go hack the one up there.” Jaden replied; pointing first to the computer Wheatly was currently conversing with before pointing up the stairs. Tess blinked, shook her head, and gaped at him. “You know, you could curdle milk with a face like that.” Jaden remarked. Once again, Tess’s left eye twitched as a series of strangled noises and half formed words spilled out of her mouth. “You’re bound to pull somethin’ if ya keep that up.” he continued ever so helpfully. “Agh! Fine!” The furious alicorn hissed, turning away. Jaden watched in amusement as, excluding Trixie, who’d sighed and entered the adjacent room, and Tess herself, all eyes turned to Twilight. Twilight blinked. “What is everypony staring at me for?” she asked. “Nothing!” the others quickly chorused. Chuckling, Jaden quickly ascended the stairs and entered the next room. From his new vantage point, Jaden could see just how vast the main chamber really was. A series of pipes he hadn’t seen before connected the neurotoxin generator to the ceiling. A series of portable panels, meanwhile, seemed to travel along the ceiling above him. Another series of portable panels were traveling in the opposite direction along the top of the wall to his right. Lining up a shot, Jaden launched a warm portal at one of the panels above him. The portal connected and a laser beam began to slice through all the pipes connected to the left side of the neurotoxin generator. Over the wail of sirens and Wheatly’s conformation that something was happening, Jaden lined up another shot with the panels on the wall and the entire process repeated itself once again. “Warning! Neurotoxin is at dangerously un-lethal levels.” A male computerized voice spoke up over the intercom while the sound of breaking glass could be heard and the tank imploded before him. Quickly making his way back to the others, Jaden saw that a large pipe in the adjacent room had ruptured and appeared to be sucking up everything nearby. Trixie and Wheatly could be seen desperately struggling to keep from being pulled in themselves. Moments later, the light blue unicorn barely avoided being struck by the room’s door as it was torn away and enveloped by the tube. “Whoa! That can’t be good!” Jaden murmured. “What did you do?” Twilight asked; eyes wide with shock as she and the others struggled against the incredible suction. “C’mon, isn’t it obvious? When in doubt… break something.” he replied. Over Tess’s annoyed groan, a collective blink passed among the group. Nopony made a move or said anything. Moments later, both Trixie and Wheatly were yanked screaming into the hole. “This is where the fun begins.” Jaden smirked as he charged after them. Moments passed as Jaden hurtled through the tube before he heard the yelps from the others as they followed him. As they traveled, Jaden couldn’t help noting that the experience was just like the game… and more. Surprisingly; as they continued to tumble through the tube, only Wheatly, Pinke Pie, and himself were enjoying the trip. The others were shrieking in fright. While they traveled, Wheatly commented about the size of the facility. Jaden was inclined to agree as he let his gaze drift; the sheer scale of how massive the place really was couldn’t be quantified… or ignored. All around them for as far as the eye could see, grated walkways, pipes, test chambers, tubes, and various other things seemed to spread out in all directions. Beneath them Jaden could see a nearly-bottomless darkness. “This should take us to her. I can’t believe I’m finally doing this!” Wheatly cried out. “We should be getting close. Oh, I can’t wait to see the look on her face. No neurotoxin, no turrets… she’ll never know what hit her.” he continued excitedly. Moments later, both Wheatly and Trixie were shoved into an adjacent tube by passing cubes. As Twilight screamed Trixie’s name, Wheatly babbled about how they were going the wrong way. “Get to her! I’ll find you!” he called out as the tubes went separate ways. Ten minutes later the ride came to an abrupt end as Jaden landed on a platform. A short distance away was a staircase leading to another room. Quickly stepping aside, Jaden watched as Desi and the ponies crashed onto the platform in a heap. Over the sound of the eccentric metal sphere’s spouting of nothing more than gibberish, Jaden watched as Rainbow Dash and Tess slowly crawled to their hooves. “Whoa, what a rush.” the cyan colored pegasus breathed, swaying back and forth on her hooves as she fought down a sense of dizziness. “Let’s do it again!” Pinkie Pie squealed. Jaden chuckled to himself as a series of protests from the pile erupted in response to the party pony’s statement. “Ugh… why am I always on the bottom?” Twilight groaned. “Hey, I hear being on top is highly overrated.” Jaden replied. He really did have to fight back laughter this time as a collective blink passed among the ponies. Tess meanwhile, planted her face in a hoof and uttered an exasperated sigh. A few minutes later everypony was once again standing. Twilight levitated Desi, who was just returning to normal, back into her saddlebag before emitting a long suffering sigh of her own. “I hope Trixie’s okay...” she mumbled worriedly. “Well, let’s get moving then.” Jaden said, quickly mounting the staircase. The ponies followed him. A short time later, the group arrived at a corridor intersection that had obviously seen better days. Smashed glass, large chunks of the ceiling, and broken walls littered the area. As Twilight moved to explore a damaged footpath nearby, Jaden walked around a corner to his right. He hadn’t gone more than twenty feet when the passage ended abruptly; a huge chasm looming before him. Glancing to his left, Jaden suspected that the wall beside him could hold a portal. Another portable surface was on a portion of ceiling above a platform of some sort suspended in the middle of the massive chamber. Sanding at the edge, Jaden craned his neck and noticed that the path Twilight had probed earlier was actually a destroyed bridge that had once connected the hallway they occupied with the chamber in the center of the area. “By Celestia...” Rarity breathed behind him. Jaden couldn’t help a small smile as the ponies crowded around him. “Well? Now what?” Tess asked. “I could get over there in ten seconds flat!” Dash boasted, puffing up her chest once more. “And how pray tell do ya recon the rest of us are supposed ta get over there?” Applejack countered. Rainbow Dash cast a sheepish glance downward and rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. “It’s a trap.” Jaden spoke up. “Next move?” Tess asked. “Spring the trap.” he answered grinning. A series of blank stares were the only response he received. “And…” Tess prodded. “You still have much to learn my young, Padawan geek.” Jaden replied, grinning wider at Tess’s exasperated glare. “Basically, Tess and I’ll go first. Once we’re inside Gladdy’s ebil lair, I’ll set up another portal and you guys can get in.” he continued. The ponies looked to one another, exchanging their opinions between themselves without uttering a single word. “I don’t know… this sounds awfully risky. We really should stick together.” Twilight muttered. “Why Twi, what good would it be to avoid a trap if everyone gets caught in it?” Jaden retorted, rubbing the mare’s cheek and eliciting a snicker from Rainbow Dash. “Oi. Fine! Let’s just get this over with!” Tess snapped, rolling her eyes as Twilight vigorously rubbed her cheek with a hoof. Chuckling softly, Jaden placed a warm portal on the wall to his left and a cool portal on the ceiling above the distant platform. Giving his companions another smile and a two-fingered salute, Jaden passed through the portal. Seconds later, he landed on the target platform. The platform itself was unremarkable; but walled in to prevent a view of the surrounding area… or escape. A small metal door was also present on one of the walls. Stepping aside, he awaited his partner’s arrival. He didn’t have to wait long as yelping in surprise Tess performed a perfect belly-flop onto the platform. “Nice landing, chief.” Jaden smirked, over a chorus of snickers from above. “Oh, don’t start!” Tess snapped, painfully crawling back to her hooves and looking around. “So, what now?” she asked. Jaden nodded toward the door. “This way to GLaDOS shut off and cake dispensary.” Tess read aloud; cocking an eyebrow dubiously. “Looks like someone has a sense of humor.” Jaden said as he moved toward it. As he grasped the handle, Jaden was hardly surprised when the door suddenly fell to the floor. At the same moment the walls around them began to move inward; startling Tess. “One things for sure, we’re about to be a whole lot thinner.” Jaden remarked dryly. “Great…” Tess murmured sarcastically. “I really, truly didn’t think you’d fall for that.” An unseen speaker hissed in a familiar, cold voice. “If I’d known you’d let yourselves get captured this easily I’d have dangled a turkey leg from the ceiling.” The voice sneered. “That reminds me, I was promised cake. Where’s my cake? Pinkie got hers!” Jaden retorted, earning another long suffering groan from Tess. Moments later, the poor robo-pony yelped as the floor beneath them suddenly dropped away. Jaden noted that the impact of the fall was thankfully softened by his Long Fall Boots. Tess meanwhile, wasn’t as fortunate as she landed rather ungracefully on her flank with a squawk. The room they’d dropped into was dark but enough light filtered in from above to reveal that they were in a small room, walled off by glass panels, in the middle of a much larger room. “Nice trick of using a clone to oppose us earlier by the way.” he commented, knowing that their unseen hostess was listening somewhere nearby. Tess sighed as the ‘room’ they were in began to move toward a wall in front of them that opened to reveal another chamber beyond. From what he could see, the room they were approaching resembled the GLaDOS AI Chamber from portal 2. The room itself was like an arena with large walls coated in a mixture of gray and white. Except for a large mechanical device suspended from the ceiling and half a dozen large computer monitors, the room appeared relatively empty. As their little ‘room’ passed through the door, Jaden saw a small platform erected beneath a suspended hunk of uninspired metal with a single eye-piece. Standing on the platform was a rather familiar looking dark alicorn mare. “Well, it seems you found me. Was it worth it?” the alicorn greeted snootily while glaring at them as their enclosure came to a halt. The machine above seemed to almost mimic whatever physical movement the dark pony made. “I hope you brought something stronger than a portal gun. Otherwise I’m afraid you’re both about to become the past presidents of the being alive club.” she sneered. “Yep. I is got da portal gun, the bunny stomper, and a whole can of whoop-ass.” Jaden replied, smirking. Out of the corner of his eye, Jaden saw Tess gape incredulously at him. GLaDOS seemed equally taken aback as she blinked at them for a full minute before responding. Moments later, half a dozen turrets were placed in a loose circle around their enclosure. Jaden’s smirk grew as he noted that the turrets were all products of their earlier sabotage. After each turret had spouted out nothing but total nonsense, they all caught fire. After smoldering for a few moments, the turrets began exploding in rapid succession; cracking the walls of their enclosure and leaving a frustrated dark pony in their wake. “You’ve been busy.” GLaDOS said after an extended pause. “Like a bee.” Jaden replied as Tess moaned. GLaDOS meanwhile, continued to regard them with disdain, and a touch of anger. “Well, I suppose we could just sit here and glare at each other until one of us drops dead, but I have a better idea. It’s your old friend, deadly neurotoxin. If I were you, I’d take a deep breath… and hold it.” she said as a tube extended from the ceiling. “Why… ma’ lady, are you trying to seduce me? Say, are you lonely? I’m sure you could find the stallion of your dreams if ya got outta the house more.” Jaden retorted. “WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?!” Tess roared. Jaden struggled to stifle a laugh as he regarded his companion with the best innocent expression he could. “Why are you antagonizing her?!” she shouted. Jaden merely cocked his head to the side; a slight smirk crossing his face as he did so. A series of strangled noises and half formed words spilled out of Tess's mouth in reply. “I give up!” she barked, waving a hoof and turning away. GLaDOS meanwhile, continued to glare at them as the tube finally connected with their enclosure. Seconds later, Wheatly tumbled into view followed closely by a shrieking Trixie. As the pair hit the floor, most of the surrounding glass panels shattered. Wheatly however, seemed to be incredibly cheerful about the situation as he greeted them. Trixie meanwhile, not so much. “Ugh… Trixie feels like Trixie’s going to be sick.” the magician moaned, standing up shakily. “That’s nice dear. There’s a toilet over there.” Jaden replied; pointing to the object in question. “I hate you so much!” GLaDOS snapped. “Yeah, well the feeling seems to be mutual!” Tess retorted hotly. “Alright, who’s antagonizing who now?” Jaden asked, cocking an eyebrow. “...Shut up.” Tess bit out. Stepping forward, Jaden chuckled as he watched the dark alicorn in front of them snarl as she tried to watch them all at once as he and Tess began to spread out. Out of the corner of his eye, Jaden spotted a single portable spot on the wall to his left; apparently something that had been missed by the night-mare before them in the otherwise sterile room. Wheatly meanwhile, was begging to be picked up and was promptly ignored. “Well, luv… I think we got off on the wrong foot… hoof.” Jaden spoke up, doing his best impersonation of a certain charismatic movie pirate. “See, we all just want to go home; but perhaps you can help answer the age old mystery of which came first… the chicken or the egg.” he continued cheekily as Trixie finally recovered. Over the sound of Tess’s pained shriek, the showmare blinked in confusion. GLaDOS meanwhile, appeared to be in just as much agony as she gasped and swayed back and forth on her hooves on the platform; eyes swirling in her head. The ominous sound of a muffled explosion could also be heard as the dark pony struggled to regain her bearings. “Oh, you think you’re doing some damage?!” she screamed, finally regaining control. “Two plus two is…” A male computerized voice spoke up over the intercom. Static filled the air briefly before a somewhat disembodied version of GLaDOS’s voice could be heard. “Ten.” “In base four! I’m fine!” The furious nightmare shrieked. “I’m just messin’ with everyone today!” Jaden crowed in delight. Moments later the furious alicorn summoned a pair of rocket turrets. One turret seemed to focus solely on him while the other targeted the ponies. “Oh, bugger!” he continued, once again returning to his pirate impersonation. Over the sound of his companions’ startled yelps, Jaden did his best to dodge incoming rockets that streaked toward them at a phenomenal rate. Reaching a chamber wall, he turned and returned fire with the Combustible Lemon Launcher he’d received. In response, a series of panels appeared from the floor and ceiling and began deflecting his shots wildly around the room while another barrage of rockets were unleashed. While continuing to dodge the stream of ordnance and flaming citrus, Jaden rejoined the ponies as they attempted to take cover behind the remains of the enclosure that had previously held them captive; Trixie desperately using her magic to reinforce the glass. Meanwhile, Wheatly’s pleas for help intensified as the onslaught continued. Knowing that, despite Trixie’s best efforts, their makeshift shelter wouldn’t hold up much longer, Jaden did his best to catch his breath and reload. “Ok, bad idea.” he gasped, craning his neck around their barrier to judge the distances between their location, the portable wall, and the rocket turrets. "Ya think?" Tess drawled before turning and firing a burst from her own weapon; receiving similar results to his own. “I think somepony needs a hug.” Jaden replied cheekily. “Don't touch Trixie!” the magician barked. Jaden laughed as he lined up a shot and fired a cool portal at the wall. The portal connected. Moments later, he unloaded another salvo from his launcher; only targeting the rocket turrets this time. He was met with similar results to his first attempt as GLaDOS retaliated with another volley of rockets. Craning his neck, Jaden watched as another small band of ponies entered the chamber. “Whoa! Did I miss something?” Dash squealed as she dodged a burning lemon hurtling through the air. “It’s citrus baby!” Jaden replied cheekily. As the sextet rushed to cover, GLaDOS’s snarling suddenly transformed into cackling; escalating into a bellowing, evil laugh as yet another volley of rocket fire erupted. “What happened?” Twilight asked; eyes wide with shock. “What do you think happened? Numb nut happened!” Tess bit out, pointing a hoof at him for emphasis. “Wa… I’m a smart nut.” Jaden defended cheekily. “Hey, left nut…” he called out. “Yeah right nut?” Pinkie answered, grinning. Twilight planted her face in a hoof and uttered a long suffering sigh. Moments later, GLaDOS’s laughter was cut short. Turning, Jaden saw the dark pony stammer and blink in confusion as the rocket turrets suddenly deactivated and retracted into the ground. Jaden cocked an eyebrow as the ponies looked to one another, exchanging opinions between themselves without uttering a single word. “W-what happened?” GLaDOS cried indignantly. “Warning! Central core corruption detected at 80%.” A male computerized voice spoke up over the intercom. “That’s funny, I don’t feel corrupt. In fact, I feel pretty good.” GLaDOS murmured. “Alternate cores detected. To initiate core transfer please place substitute core in receptacle.” the computerized voice said again. “Core transfer?” “Oh, it’s talking about me!” Wheatly piped up “And me.” Desi added somberly. “Oh, you are kidding me!” the dark alicorn roared; eyes wide with disbelief. “I’ve got an idea… do what it says!” Wheatly piped up. “DON’T YOU DARE STICK THAT LITTLE IDIOT INTO MY MAINFRAME!” GLaDOS shrieked. “Go on; stick that idiot into the mainframe!” Wheatly retorted. As the pair continued to bicker, Jaden couldn’t help but chuckle over the chorus of evil snickers coming from the ponies beside him. He’d always enjoyed watching this moment in the game. Seconds later, Dash swooped down and grabbed Wheatly with her fore-hooves. She than lunged forward and deposited him in the proper port. “Alternate core accepted. Alternate core are you ready to continue the procedure?” the computerized voice spoke up. “Yes!” Wheatly replied. “Corrupted core are you ready to continue the procedure?” the computerized voice asked again. “Yes! She’s ready!” Wheatly piped up. “No! No-no-no-no-no!” GLaDOS answered, shaking her head and stomping a hoof in frustration. “Stalemate detected.” the computerized voice said. “Procedure cannot continue unless a stalemate associate is present to press the ‘Stalemate Resolution’ button.” it continued as GLaDOS and Wheatly murmured in worry/relief. Moments later, a portion of the right wall began to descend. Inside the newly revealed chamber was a familiar button-on-a-pole setup in the center and its walls were made of portable panels. As Wheatly and GLaDOS continued to beseech them, Jaden was once again amused with how much the scene mimicked the game. He couldn’t help grinning once more as he heard the evil snickers coming from his companions. Moments later, Dash darted toward the opening only to be swat aside by an extended floor panel. “Not so fast. You need to be a fully trained stalemate associate to press that button.” GLaDOS snapped as Tess met a similar fate seconds later. Lining up a shot, Jaden fired a warm portal into the chamber. He then positioned a cool portal on the floor near his companions. Twilight smirked as she realized his plan and charged toward the hole. Seconds later, she hurled into the chamber; smacking the button as she reached it. In response, the black pony before them seemed to fizzle out of existence as the large mechanical device suspended from the ceiling hung limply with a groan. Tense seconds passed as the group rejoined one another before the computerized voice spoke up. “Core transfer initiated.” “Oh, what if this hurts? I didn’t think about that part.” Wheatly murmured. “Oh, it will. Believe me it will.” GLaDOS’s voice hissed from the suspended hunk of uninspired metal. “You’re making that up aren’t you?” Wheatly stuttered. Any further protests were lost as he was jerked into a hole. The sounds of GLaDOS’s protests however, were quite clear as her core was grabbed by mechanical arms as a wall arose from the ground. The shrieks intensified into an unholy wail that had the group gasping and holding their ears as the procedure finally drew to a close. Minutes later, the wall retracted revealing the large mechanical device with Wheatly attached to it. Nearby, GLaDOS’s ‘head’ lay on the ground silently. Wheatly meanwhile, was marveling at his new form; and even began to celebrate much to the annoyance of most of the ponies present. Jaden snorted in amusement as Wheatly began uttering gibberish in what had to be the worst ‘Spanish’ he’d ever heard. “I don’t even know what I just said… but I can look it up.” Wheatly cheered. “Great… when ya find out let us know.” Jaden replied, earning snickers from Pinkie and Dash. Out of the corner of his eye, Jaden saw that Twilight and Tess were once again sighing and rolling their eyes in perfect sync; prompting him to grin. “Oh, right. Let me call the lift for you.” Wheatly said. “About time.” Applejack drawled, rolling her eyes. Moments later, a lift appeared in a nearby tube that hadn’t been seen before. As it came to a stop, Applejack cheered and headed toward it. “C’mon everypony!” she called out. A short time later, Jaden found himself struggling into the lift alongside Applejack, Fluttershy, and Tess. The rest of the group had clustered around the base of the lift tube. “Alright pardner, let’s get movin’.”Applejack said. “And away we go.” Wheatly replied. He then began babbling about how he was supposed to get into the lift with them. “Dude, you do realize you’ll need to summon another lift before you can do that, right?” Jaden commented as the lift ascended. Wheatly meanwhile, began reflecting on his newfound power; actually cackling madly at one point as the lift continued its ascent. “Why do we have to leave now?” Wheatly asked as the lift came to a halt just beneath the ceiling. Over the sounds of his companions’ confused gasps, Jaden sighed. Looking down, he could see confusion on the other ponies faces as the lift began to descend. Minutes later, they were back where they had started. “Do you have any idea how good this feels? I did this! Tiny little Wheatly did this!” Wheatly remarked, prompting a series of raised eyebrows. “You didn’t do anything. They did all the work!” GLaDOS retorted. “Oh, really is that what the lot of you thinks? Oh, maybe it’s time I did something than!” Wheatly replied. “What are you doing?” GLaDOS asked. Seconds later, she was dragged by mechanical arms into a hole. “And don’t think I’m not on to you too mate.” Wheatly snapped, turning back toward the lift. “Dude, what did I do to you?” Jaden asked. Wheatly meanwhile, began to rant about how everyone had taken advantage of him; which included something about not catching him. Over the sounds of his companions’ confused gasps, Jaden grunted in bewilderment. Twilight in particular, was staring at Wheatly with a look of incredulity that bordered on fury. Moments later, a chime was heard as the pit GLaDOS was dragged into opened. “Ah! See that? That is a potato battery. A child’s toy; and now She lives in it!” Wheatly exclaimed, turning to the hole as a mechanical arm held up a potato. “You; I know you.” the potato hissed in a familiar, cold voice. “What was that?” Wheatly asked. “The engineers tried everything to… make me behave. To slow me down!” POTaTOS snapped. “Just h-h-how long has this place been around?” Fluttershy asked. Jaden shrugged as he had no answer to that. “Once, they even attached an Intelligence Dampening Sphere to me. It clung to my brain like a tumor; generating an endless stream of terrible ideas.” POTaTOS continued. “I’m not listening!” Wheatly snapped. “It was your voice. You’re the tumor.” POTaTOS growled. “Well, it seems we made it in time for dinner and a show; a family reunion.” Jaden remarked, prompting another groan from Tess. “You’re not just a regular moron… you were designed to be a moron!” POTaTOS snarled. “I AM NOT A MORON!” Wheatly roared, slamming the potato repeatedly into the lift. “YES YOU ARE! YOU’RE THE MORON THEY BUILT TO MAKE ME AN IDIOT!” “Oh, not good!” Jaden said as POTaTOS crashed into the lift with them. Much to the horror of everyone and everypony present, Wheatly then began punching the lift as he continued to rant. Tense seconds passed before the battered lift finally succumbed to gravity and plummeted into the abyss.