"'Mad', eh? I'll show them 'mad'!"
Inside a dark laboratory where the only light emitted from arcing generators and various colored lights from control panels of cluttered machines. A white mare unicorn with patches of tan, brown, and khaki, connected and tightened cords wildly to a metal platform. Six pillars curved and radiated outward from the center of the platform.
"Soon they will see! Then who will be mad?!" the mare cackled maniacally.
Canterlot
"Dear sister," Princess Luna addressed the elder diarch, "Was it truly necessary to say such things to her?"
"Absolutely," Princess Celestia stated confidently. She stretched her alabaster limbs on her royal bed. "Factual Theory needed to be put in her place. She continually fails in her experiments and I will not waste tax pony money on her endeavors anymore."
"As you say, sister," Luna makes her way to the door to leave, "But what if she is right? What if there are other worlds out there with different sapient organisms?"
"Lulu," Celestia sighed, "As fantastical as that is, it is all science fiction. Now, good night."
"Good night, sister," Luna bade downcast.
Unknown Location - Factual Theory's laboratory
The mad mare meticulously checked the wires on her delicate machine and her equally delicate calculations. Clothed in her white lab coat, she strapped on her black goggles with her gold magic. Her hoof rested on the switch to turn on the machine. A few thoughts ran through her mind: What will happen if her experiment succeeds? How will it change the world? Will it change the world? Will it succeed?
"Or will it just blow up in my face again?" she thought aloud. "No!" She shook her head, "It will work!"
And she flipped the switch.
Earth, United States, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh - 2018 A.D.
"After President Trump's State of the Union address," a male anchor spoke, "emotions flare from the new border being built and the distrust between Mexican and Hispanic-"
Mason turns off the TV with a huff. He heard his brother getting ready in the other room, "What a wonderful time and age to be born," he thought contemptuously. The footsteps on the stairs told him his brother was ready to leave for school. He grabbed his cane and backpack and headed for the front door. He suddenly felt tingly all over and he could hear an electrical buzzing. He heard his brother scream.
"Jason!" He cried out and he felt electricity coursing through his body, which caused him to cry and scream in pain.
Pyae, Pillot Empire, Rohn Kingdom, Massonville - Fifth Era, Fourth Age, 284
Worthless, failure, mistake… just a few words heard all too often from his mother. Why did she say such things? Why did she neglect him? Geoffrey could not begin to understand why this woman who gave birth to him treated him worse than a stain on a shirt. His father, on the other hand, loved him.
Geoffrey looked up to him, not only because he was nearly seven feet tall, but Willem Tarsus was a war hero. Captain Willem Tarsus of the Imperial Army led the final charge against the Iventry Republic which yield a treaty and new land for the Pillotan Empire. Geoffrey had inherited his jet black hair and golden eyes. In Geoffrey’s eyes, his father was the perfect man: strong, confident, compassionate, empathetic, loyal, and just; an overall wonderful man.
At one time, his mother thought the same about her husband. Vicky Castle, daughter of Lord Perigan Castle of the Kingdom of Allhz. Willem had been a lowly soldier, born of commoners, but his chivalry and valor raised him quickly to the rank of Knight.
When Iventry seceded from the Empire, Willem patriotically signed up for the Army. The campaign lasted for four years and Willem emerged as a Captain and war hero. Two years later he married the love of his life, Vicky, and in two years his son was born, much to her chagrin.
Vicky always was a selfish and jealous woman, which only intensified when her husband’s love and affection waned from her and passed to the son Willem always wanted. She spent the two years after their holy matrimony praying to the Saints that she would not bear any children. She took all the contraceptives and followed all the rituals but she, unfortunately, found herself pregnant. While she enjoyed the attention he fawned over her during her nine months of torture, she truly loathed the child for putting her through eight hours of painful agony. Perhaps her nature towards children stemmed from the way her mother treated her and ignored her?
Vicky felt that Willem had a new mistress, his work, and while still being in her late twenties and prime of her life, she sought the affection and attention of other men, which she received every night, multiple times. Willem died suddenly during a training accident. Apparently, one of the new recruit’s gun was jammed and when Willem checked the rifle, the bolt fired back out of the gun and impaled him in his brain, instantly killing him. At the same time, Vicky’s infidelity was brought into light and was disowned by both families and forced to take the child with her out of the castle and into the urban area of Luk, a small city in the Kingdom of Fard, the kingdom furthest away from the capital where no one would know of Vicky’s business.
Geoffrey did not know why he had to leave the castle and the pristine cities of Capitol City and Vertrucian, but Geoffrey looked at life through a glass half full. He noticed how his mother became even more vicious and spiteful and he tried to stay on her good side, walking on eggshells around her and only bringing home A-pluses. No matter what he did, though, he always managed to receive her full wrath and anger. During one such time when his mother had locked him in a dark closet, a tiny voice spoke up to him.
“Never stop loving and caring for her,” the voice said to him.
The voice sounded a lot like his father’s but somehow more warm and comforting. Geoffrey was fourteen years old and he asked the voice, “Only if you can give me the strength to do so.”
“She acts only in the way she knows how; honor her and your father, and I will give you all the strength you need to overcome all obstacles.”
“Are you a Saint?”
“I am God.”
“Everyone says the Gods are bad.”
“I am not a god; I am the God. Do not be afraid to speak to me and call out to me. I will always be with you. Do not listen nor worship the Saints, they are false Gods and spout only lies.”
“Okay!” Grey chimed. He was happy to be talking with someone who did not act coldly toward him, “Are you my friend?”
“Yes. I am your friend and confidant, your protector and your teacher; I am the light and the way.”
The door to the closet swung open quickly, flooding the dark closet with blinding white light. His mother’s silhouette soon filled the door frame. Her violet eyes glared down at him.
“Who are you talking to?” she spat.
“God,” Geoffrey replied innocently.
She huffed annoyed, closed and locked the door.
“Many have forsaken and abandoned me, but I still love every one of my children.”
“I will not abandon you, God,” Geoffrey claimed.
“I know you will not. Nor will I abandon you—especially during troubled times.”
Geoffrey did not know how much time had passed but God had spoken to him again, after hours of silence.
“Wake up, Geoffrey! You need to leave!” the voice said in alarm.
“What?” Geoffrey asked groggily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Smoke burned his nostrils and choked his throat. He suddenly jumped up and tried to open the door but the knob burned his hands. He began to pound on the door, “Mom!” he shouted.
He did not hear a reply.
“Open the door,” God ordered.
“But the knob is hot!” Geoffrey protested.
“I said to open the door,” God replied sternly.
Geoffrey swallowed the lump in his throat and quickly opened the door. Much to his surprise the doorknob was no longer hot but thick gray smoke and orange flames roared before him. Fear paralyzed him.
“Go and walk outside now.”
“But the fire will burn me!”
“Did the knob not burn you? Trust me and you will not be burned.”
Geoffrey stared at the raging inferno, “O-okay, God.” He stepped out with hesitation and clenched eyes and began to slowly walk. After not feeling the heat of the flames, he opened his eyes and was amazed at the flames licking his body and feeling no pain. He continued his trek through the flames and reached the hallway to the front door.
“You can not look back not matter what, Geoffrey,” God instructed.
At that time, Geoffrey heard his mother call out to him, “Geoffrey! Come help me!”
Geoffrey hesitated. On one hand, God had told him to not look back on the other; God had said to honor her. God noticed his hesitation.
“You are almost out of the fire, Geoffrey, keep going and do not look back,” God spoke.
“Geoffrey!” he heard her blood curling scream and he looked back to her voice towards the kitchen. He was engulfed in flames and an explosion made him unconscious.
Canterlot Castle
Princess Celestia sat in court waiting ever so patiently for pompous stallion before to finish telling her how all her guards should be fired for not arresting the colt that "rambunctiously tackled him to the ground". She already read the reports: a young colt accidentally knocked into him and Uptight Knickers grossly exaggerated the hit.
A strong surge of magic grabbed her attention but before she could pinpoint it an explosion of magic erupted before her. A vortex of electrically charged magic rotated in an orb before her.
"Guards, get everyone out of here!" the princess ordered. She got to her hooves and cast a shielding spell around the vortex. It appeared to be a teleportation spell but it was unstable, so she used her magic to try and stabilize the field.
Once the courtroom was void of citizens the Royal Guard entered the chamber again waiting and ready for something to happen.
The blue electrical vortex collapsed on itself then exploded. Princess Celestia had closed her eyes, only opening when she heard a thud. She opened her fuchsia eyes to see a burnt creature sprawled out on her once immaculate marble floor. She levitated the crispy creature with her magic and galloped to the medical wing.
Factual Theory's Lair
"Yes!" she cackled, "Yes!" The machine had actually turned on and was working. She monitored the enchanted crystals which powered the machine to make sure they were holding up. A sapphire had a small crack but overall, the seven crystals were fine.
The blue electricity began to condense on the platform. She waited expectantly. Then she heard a horrible, piercing scream above the buzz of electricity. The ball of energy died down and a creature wailed in the center of the platform. She put on ear plugs and observed the creature from behind the protective glass.
It looked. . . like nothing she had ever seen before. That is to be expected, of course, since this is a creature from a different planet and/or plane of existence. A quick sleeping spell silenced the crying creature. She trotted over to it to examine it further.
"Hmm. . ." she held a quill and parchment with her magic and drew a quick illustration of the animal. To her, it appeared deformed: its four limbs were mere nubs and it only had hair on the top of its head, the rest of his body was bare. "Preliminary conclusion," she wrote, "Male, deformed, and traces of unknown magic within."
A brown hoof opened one of its eyes which was a milky blue. She opened the other eye with a white hoof and grunted curiously: milky green eye. "Heterochromia," she jotted down. She flashed a light in his eye but got no response, "Possibly blind. Will need to ask him if his deformations were due to birth, an accident, or the experiment."
She rolled up the parchment and levitated the creature with her magic. She placed him on a cot in a makeshift cell and locked the door.
"Not like he could escape anyways."