//------------------------------// // Test Run // Story: Humanic Park. AKA: Stupid Will Find A Way. // by FoalsHalf //------------------------------// Chapter Three: Test Run Cloud Dreamer was in full pitch mode. The imported Trottomann oats sat disregarded at present. “For the more adventuresome, they can take what we call the ‘Downtown’ tour. That’s not ready yet. We will open with the basic tour you’re about to take. New attractions will come online every six to twelve months or so. The designs are simply spectacular! We’ve spared no expense!” “And we can charge anything we want!” Flim declared in satisfaction. “Two thousand bits a day. Ten thousand! And ponies will pay it! And of course the merchandising!” “Now Mr. Flim,” Cloud Dreamer chided. “This park is not meant just for the super rich. We have created wonders everypony, the whole world has a right to see!” “Of course.” Flim hastily agreed. “We can have a coupon day or something.” “I’ve heard more humility at a Rainbow Dash Fan Club meeting,” Big MacIntosh muttered. Cloud Dreamer tilted his head. “I’m sorry?” He questioned at the non sequitur. Big MacIntosh chuckled without humor. “You’ve taken the greatest power of all, the power of creation itself into your hooves and you treat it like a toy!” “Come now Doctor MacIntosh! I’d say things are quite different from what we had feared.” Flim offered in protest. “Yup! They’re a whole lot worse!” “Really… I don’t think it’s necessary to…” Cloud Dreamer cut Flim off. “No Mr. Flim. I want to hear what he has to say. I truly do! Please Doctor. Continue,” He invited Big Mac. “Alright then. Here’s the thing. That knowledge… that power… You got it cheap. You didn’t earn it so you don’t respect it! You took what others done and you went from there, but you did it with no concern, no concept, and therefore no ownership of the responsibility for that power.” He banged a hoof on the table. “The only concern I see here is how many bits you can milk out of this!” “I don’t believe you are giving us fair due here,” Cloud Dreamer answered him. “Our scientists are doing things nopony has ever done before!” Big Mac leaned forward. “They’re so wrapped up in what they can do but none of them stop and think if they ought to. Sometimes learning and progress is realizing what road not to travel,” Cloud Dreamer paused in thought and then pointed a hoof at Big Mac. “Rocs. If I were to create a population of Saddle Arabian Rocs, then you would have nothing to say.” “It’s not the same thing at all,” Big Mac disagreed. “We’re not talkin’ about critters in danger from lost habitat. Humans had their shot and they blew it… literally!” Cloud Dreamer.shook his head. “I just don’t understand how you as a scientist can turn your flank on the possibilities! Can you not see the potential for discovery ahead of us? How can we look at this opportunity and not act upon it?” “One,” Doctor MacIntosh replied. “Discovery tends to be a rather violent and messy business. Sometimes the very act of discovery destroys the subject of its intent! Second is that true discovery is inherently unpredictable. You are so certain of how this will all work out but you have no real idea because that’s by very definition unknown.” Fluttershy shifted uncomfortably. “Well… I’m worried. Do you really think you know nearly enough about an extinct world that you think you can control it? These creatures don’t know it’s our world they’re in and I’m not sure they’ll really care. What I am sure is that if they feel threatened, they’ll respond. Maybe violently,” Cloud Dreamer turned to Lyra imploringly. “Doctor Heartstrings, if anypony here can understand what I’m trying to accomplish here?” Lyra leaned forward, her expression a war between her concern and undeniable fascination. “This has all happened so fast! It’s all so overwhelming. I don’t yet know what to think. I don’t want to jump to conclusions but… Humans and Ponies… Two species separated by eons of time and now you’re throwing them together. How can we have any clue what to expect?” Cloud Dreamer shook his head in disbelief. “The only pony on my side is the blood sucking lawyer!” Flim sighed. “Thanks,” At this juncture, a steward trotted in and whispered a message to Cloud Dreamer, who nodded and dismissed him as a smile grew on his muzzle. “Ah! They’re here!” Cloud Dreamer led his guests back down the spiral staircase and down the steps of the visitor center. “The five of you will be sharing the tour with a couple of special guests I’ve arranged for to represent our target audience as it were,” A carriage pulled up and the driver stepped out and opened the passenger door, standing aside for the small brown Earth Pony colt who practically jumped out in excitement. A curious unicorn filly with a white coat and pink and lavender mane followed somewhat more sedately. “Grandpa!” The colt embraced Cloud Dreamer enthusiastically. “Button Mash! You’re getting big!” He looked at the filly. “And who do we have here?” “Oh! Grandpa, this is Sweetie Belle! She’s my friend!” “I see!” He turned to the filly. “Hello there! It’s a pleasure to meet you Sweetie Belle!” Behind him. Big Mac smirked. Fluttershy suppressed a smile of her own. “So, how was the trip Button? Did you both enjoy the airship?” “Oh yeah! It was great! Oh! Mom says you need to come visit soon!” “Ah yes! It’s been quite the while since I’ve had her Brown Betty and I know I certainly owe her seeing how hard I’ve been working your father lately. And I fully intend to make it up to her! But today, you and your friend are going to see what your father’s hard work has helped me create! All of this! And I wanted you to be the first to see it!” Cloud Dreamer then led the group down to where two carriages sat above a rail. “Look at them! Remarkable aren’t they?” “No drivers?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Are they magic?” “Oh no! No my dear! All the more remarkable! They’re electric! The most sophisticated technology! No expense was spared! They’ll be your transport for this afternoon,” Sweetie Belle looked over the carriage and noted a small thing that resembled the screen on a video game console. “What is that?” “It’s an interactive CD ROM This is one of the things my dad was working on! Look!” Button Mash poked it with a forehoof. “It responds to touch and it tells you what you want to know,” “Well come on then!” Cloud Dreamer directed. “Miss Fluttershy, You and Miss Bon Bon here in this car. Flim… You and Miss Heartstrings in the front car.” Cloud Dreamer directed. “I need to get up to the control room and I’ll see you after the tour!” He said as he trotted up the steps back into the visitor center. Big Mac gave a mild chuckle. “I think I’ll ride in the back car. More leg room,” He told Lyra as Button Mash tossed his saddlebag in back of the front car. “Come on Sweetie Belle! This is going to be so cool!” Sweetie Belle nodded and then quirked her head as she recognized Lyra. “Wait! Aren’t you Lyra Heartstrings? I have your book!” Lyra quirked an uncomfortable smile. “Um… That’s great. Really great!” “One thing I really don’t understand,” Sweetie Belle told her. “Why is it that some books say that humans had a small brain and other books claim humans had a large brain capacity?” Lyra paused. It was actually a fair and considered question. “Well, it had us confused for a long time but then we found out it was gender dimorphism! You see, the female humans normally have large brain cavities while the males generally had brains the size of walnuts. The males compensate by having a larger second brain lower down!” In the control room, Cloud Dreamer was met with the concerned face of Spitfire. “Looks like the weather ponies have decided to dump a load on us. Heavy rains and gale force winds,” “I thought we had that scheduled for thursday?” Cloud Dreamer objected. “Not the best environment for our first tour and I thought that they were still setting the walls over at paddock fifteen?” “They are,” Trixie Lulamoon answered in annoyance. The Operations Manager passed a work schedule to Cloud Dreamer. “Trixie will be having words with somepony and Trixie has not seen Flam all day! Trixie is going to plant her bucking hooves into his bucking hide!” Cloud Dreamer nodded, wondering once again why he tolerated the behavior of the park’s chief programmer. Unfortunately the answer was that no matter how irksome the pony was, only a few ponies could match his programming skills, and the ones that Cloud Dreamer had (such as Button’s father 8-Bit) were sorely needed in his R&D labs. Still, Cloud Dreamer had high hopes that soon, he could dispense with Flam’s services.“There will be time for that later Trixie. In the meantime, start the tour if you would,” Trixie nodded and her horn glowed as she input the commands to start the tour. “Hold onto your flanks…”