Chapter 09: Foreseen Consequences
Twilight Sparkle was galloping back home, her friends following closely behind. None of them wanted to leave her side, as they thought it would be best to stay with her as long as she was under threat. As she approached the library, she saw her small, purple dragon assistant standing outside.
“Twilight! Twilight!” he called. “I got a letter from the princess! She wants you to read it ASAP! I tried to find you at the post office like she said you’d be at earlier, but you weren’t there, and I had no idea where you were at, so I’ve been waiting here this whole time for you to get back.”
“What did she say?” Twilight asked Spike as she approached him.
“Well, I dunno,” he answered. “I think it’s protected with a spell so that only you can read it, but all I could see was ‘URGENT: This letter is to be read by Twilight Sparkle as soon as possible. It is to be read by Twilight only.’” Spike took notice of the group of Twilight’s friends. “What’s going on, Twilight?”
“Let me see the letter first. You’ll get it as I read aloud.” All eight ponies and the dragon went inside the library into its main room on the ground floor. Twilight used her magic to take the letter from Spikes claw. At first, the page appeared blank except for the royal seal and the label at the top, but as she stared at it, the words magically appeared on the page.
“Dear Twilight Sparkle,
“This letter is an urgent response regarding the situation that occurred last night. The words are hidden by a magical spell so that only you may read it. The following information is to be shared to you and you alone. Tell no one of it, or it may endanger yourself as well as them.”
After that Twilight stopped reading aloud as she made a sheepish grin and continued to the next paragraph silently.
As you may be aware by now, there is strong evidence that GLaDOS has returned. Princess Luna and I both feel that your life is in danger. We have arranged for you to go into hiding with your brother and sister-in-law up in the Crystal Empire. We kindly ask that you remain there until this crisis has been resolved.Once again, tell no one of this. Even your friends, for if GLaDOS gets anypony who knows your location, they could be used against you.
With much love,
Princess Celestia
As Twilight read the letter, her face became increasingly worried. Nothing in the letter came as a surprise, but Celestia’s request for her to leave was a disappointment.
“So, what’d she say?” Applejack asked anxiously. They all looked at her with the same anticipation.
“So, I am going to have to leave you guys. The princess thinks it’ll be best that way,” she said regrettably.
Everypony was disappointed, but the only one surprised by this was Spike. “What? Why? What’s going on?”
“The ones who broke in last night… that was GLaDOS’s doing,” she told him. “She’s been manipulating the Diamond Dogs. Whatever she’s doing, for some reason, she needs me, but we can’t let that happen. So, I’m going to be gone for a while.”
Many voices asked her where she was going, among other questions.
“If she can read your minds, then she will know where I am, which is why I cannot tell any of you, unless you are able to come with me, but then there would be no going back.”
Nopony wanted to let Twilight go by herself, but they were all bound by obligations and responsibilities here in Ponyville.
“Ah’m sorry, Twi, I’d love ta, but I can’t just abandon the farm at a time like this, especially after all that damage that’s been done.”
“And I can’t just leave my dress-making business,” Rarity added.
“Aw, Twilight, I’m gonna miss you so much. I really, really, really want to go with you, but if I leave Ponyville, then everypony over here will get sad without me here to keep them happy,” Pinkie said. “But, then you’ll be sad without any friends! Agh, I don’t know what to do!”
“I can’t leave either,” Ditzy said. “Ponyville needs a postmare. And more importantly, Dinky needs her mom. I can’t leave her like I did today.”
Chell was the only one who hadn’t responded besides Dinky or Spike. “Normally, I’d have nothing better to do, but someone needs to stop GLaDOS. I don’t know how, but it seems I’m the mare to do that..”
“I could go with you, Twilight!” Spike told her. “What if you need to get in touch with the princess?”
“Hmm… well, someone will have to look after the library,” Twilight said as she pondered. “But I suppose there are more important things to worry about. I’ll ask her when I write her back. She’ll probably want to see me before I leave, anyway. I can’t leave without saying goodbye to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, either. Spike… take a letter.”
Just as Spike grabbed a quill and some paper, a blast of colorful light filled sky outside the windows, followed by a loud, echoing boom. Turning their attentions outside, the ponies and the dragon could see the rainbow explosion was coming from the direction of the forest, and when it subsided, a streaming rainbow trail dashed across the sky, streaking towards town.
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called enthusiastically. Before anypony else could talk, she galloped out through the front door, following the rainbow. Her friends ran after her, not knowing where she was heading. Neither did Twilight. Spike held onto the quill and paper, as it would probably still be needed. Ditzy flew above the buildings in town, carrying Dinky as she did. She used the view to see where the rainbow was headed, which was towards the hospital.
When they finally got to the end of the rainbow, they were standing outside Ponyville Hospital. Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be found, although it was evident that she was inside. Twilight was the first to enter. She was not prepared for what she saw.
“This pony needs emergency care! She’s not breathing!” Rainbow Dash cried. She was struggling to maintain a hover, since in her hooves, she carried a yellow pony with a pink mane. Fluttershy. A large part of the left side of her body was covered in burns, and a few were patched in various places all over. Rainbow Dash was exhausted not only from the flight, but from her emotional turmoil as well. She wept heavily.
Twilight’s heart stopped for a moment. “Dash? What happened?” She ran towards her, but Dash could not respond over her sobbing.
“I—I tried to save her—but, I don’t…” Rainbow Dash couldn’t finish what she was saying. She couldn’t control her tears.
The other ponies entered the hospital, equally shocked. Before they could overwhelm Rainbow Dash with questions, a team of emergency care workers entered the lobby and took the unmoving pony off her hooves and placed her onto a stretcher.
“Get her into ICU, stat,” a black-coated earth pony doctor said. “Lower her body temperature.” A white unicorn mare with a blue mane complied, using a magic spell to cool Fluttershy’s body temperature to minimize damage to the brain due to oxygen depletion. She was as cold as death.
As they wheeled her back, Dash tried to follow, but one of the doctors told her that she was not permitted. Instead, The earth pony with the black mane asked her some questions: things about how long has she not been breathing and what caused it. Rainbow did her best to answer, despite not being sure, and being unable to stop crying. A unicorn stallion next to her marked a checklist and took some notes. The mare told Dash about the critical nature of Fluttershy’s condition, and that they would update her after she had been stabilized. She wasn’t very optimistic.
As he left through the double doors, Rainbow Dash was left with her friends. They wanted to know what happened, but more importantly, they wanted to comfort Dash. It was fortunate that they were all together at such a tragic moment.
“Is she gonna be okay, Dash?” Twilight asked her. It was a terrible question, but she didn’t know what else to say.
“She’s been without oxygen for a while. The doctor said that after a certain amount of time… the brain starts to die. Even if she survives…” She couldn’t finish the sentence without breaking down tears. “They don’t think… she’ll ever wake up.”
“Dash, how did this happen to her?” Chell asked quietly.
Rainbow Dash tried to stop sobbing. “It’s all my fault. I asked her to lead the animal rescue for that forest fire, and she risked her life to save a bunch of stupid animals. I knew she would do something stupid like that, but I still let her go…”
“Rainbow, that ain’t your fault. Fluttershy did what she did because she believed in something. She knew the risk she took,” Applejack said.
“I bet GLaDOS knew this would happen,” Rarity declared, albeit rather quietly. “She knew that the fire she caused would cause her turmoil by threatening the animals she cares about. And I don’t find it farfetched that she would predict that Fluttershy would do something like this to save them. She even said so herself that she was trying to hurting us. This is just another one of her twisted mind games.”
“She is going to pay for this,” Pinkie said, angrily. “Nopony. EVER. HURTS. FLUTTERSHY!” She broke down from her rage into a mess of tears, consumed by her sadness.
The wait for Fluttershy’s prognosis was excruciating due to the amount of time it took and the anxiety they all were experiencing. The thought about writing to the princess crossed Twilight’s mind, but she figured it was too soon to tell her anything, since she wasn’t sure of Fluttershy’s condition. At least, that’s what she told herself. The truth was, she hated thinking about it, and just couldn’t bring herself to write a letter. Even if she’d only be dictating to Spike, she didn’t even feel like talking.
After what felt like hours, the female earth pony doctor from before entered the room and approached Rainbow Dash. The doctor’s face was grim. She could tell that Dash’s friends were also there for Fluttershy, so she addressed all of them. “She’s suffered from multiple burns across her body, but they will heal within time.” The ponies smiled optimistically, but the doctor’s solemn face reminded them to not get hopeful. “Her condition is stable, but she has suffered a case of cerebral hypoxia due to prolonged lack of oxygen from smoke inhalation. She… her brain is showing no signs of function. We don’t think she will recover, but it’s too soon to say. Her bodily functions are being controlled artificially.”
The thought of never hearing Fluttershy’s sweet, caring voice was more than any of them wanted to accept. But the truth was heavy and showed no remorse. The doctor gave them a minute to cope.
Rainbow Dash, in particular, was unwilling to accept this. “That can’t be! Fluttershy will get better! She has to!”
“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but the situation is very grim.”
“Ca–Can we see her? Please?” Rainbow Dash asked wearily.
“You may, but… I should warn you, that it may be a shock to see her in this condition.” The doctor led them back to the room where Fluttershy was at.
Little Dinky was feeling uneasy being at the hospital, especially after hearing about Fluttershy. She didn’t exactly understand her condition, but it was enough to unnerve her. She kept insistently asking to leave.
“I think I’ll take Dinky home,” Ditzy said, regrettably. “I want to be here for Fluttershy, but… she’s been through enough today. Please… send Fluttershy my regards… even if she can’t hear you.”
The ponies bid them farewell, but as the mother and daughter turned around, Dinky refused to budge. “C’mon, Dinky!” Ditzy said as she tugged on the filly’s forehoof.
The little unicorn remained defiant. “No, Mommy, I don’t want to make you leave. Fluttershy’s—” she sniffled “—your friend, too.”
“You sure you want to stay, muffin?”
“Yeah, Fluttershy seemed really sad earlier today… She needs her friends right now. I think… she’d be really happy if you were there as well.”
Ditzy wasn’t sure whether or not Dinky understood the nature of Fluttershy’s condition. “Okay, Dinky. But… Fluttershy’s gonna be sleeping when we see her.” She tried to stop her tears and sound nonchalant, but it was impossible. “She’s… very tired, Dinky.”
“Okay, Mommy.” Dinky didn’t exactly believe that lie, but she accepted it anyway. “Okay…”
After a few minutes of traversing the corridors, they arrived at the waiting area. When they arrived, the doctor led them to Fluttershy. She was behind a small curtained area. At least it was relatively secluded, as there were not too many other patients there. None of them were prepared to see what lay beyond the curtains. What they saw made their hearts stop.
As the doctor moved the curtain back, an unmoving yellow pony was revealed. Much of her body was covered in bandages. A mechanical respirator was connected to a mask on her face, which periodically pumped air into her lungs. Her chest rose and fell as it did so. The artificial nature of it, as well as the mechanical sound, was unsettling, to say the least. There was also a feeding tube connected to her stomach, as well as an assortment of various cables. Her bodily signs and brain functions were both being monitored. Although her physical readings were normal, there was almost no brain activity.
The steady mechanized breathing only served as a constant reminder as to how Fluttershy was not breathing on her own. For a while, nopony knew what to say. Rarity couldn’t bear the sight for too long, and had to turn around.
“Wake up, Fluttershy…” Pinkie Pie whispered. “Please… wake up. I brought some of those forest critters over.” Pinkie reached under the bed, inexplicably grabbing a small handful of cute critters. “They wanted to thank you for saving their lives. They would be gone if it wasn’t for you.” Even the animals were crying, seeing their beloved caretaker like this. Pinkie placed them on the bed. They approached Fluttershy before attempting to snuggle with her. The unexpected coldness of her bleak body make them retreat.
The doctor glanced at Pinkie for bringing animals in a hospital. She made a sad, sheepish smile before picking the animals back up and instantaneously dashing out of sight. A half second later, she dashed back without the animals. Even in her time of sadness, Pinkie still wished to bring joy to her friends.
Rainbow Dash put her hoof on Fluttershy’s, which was as cold as the metal that made up the bed’s frame. The chill traveled down her spine, yet she refused to let go of hope. Her thoughts were trying to convince her that this could be fixed. She wanted to believe that Fluttershy would be okay. “Isn’t there a magic spell you could do or something? Twilight! You could save her! … Right?”
The unicorn was apprehensive. She put her hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Dash, I don’t think there’s anything I can do. If she’s… suffered brain damage, I don’t think I can repair that, but I want her to get better just as much as you do. So, I’ll see what I can do.”
Twilight’s horn shimmered a magenta swirl, which surrounded Fluttershy’s cranium. She held the magic for a moment, and then stopped. “I… couldn’t feel her in there… Maybe if I get closer…”
Twilight walked up to Fluttershy’s head and touched her horn against it. She attempted the same spell, standing carefully still as she searched for any sign of Fluttershy’s essence. She held the spell for a longer while, slowly getting closer and closer until their foreheads touched. She closed her eyes, blocking all distractions from her surroundings. She closed her ears, blocking out the sound of the respirator and the beeping instruments. She felt nothing except the emptiness within. She searched hard, looking for the smallest glint of life.
She let go of the spell, collapsing in exhaustion. “I don’t know,” she confessed. “That spell should have been able to detect her life-energy, but… I couldn’t find her. It doesn’t mean she’s gone. I might have felt something, but it’s too small to tell. It could have just been from my lack of concentration. But if she is there, then it’s beyond my ability to find her. I’m… I’m sorry Fluttershy,” she whispered, gently kissing her on the forehead.
Dash was thrown into a rage. “You promised me, Fluttershy! You promised! I told you not to get yourself into any danger, and you do anyway. Why? Don’t you care about us?”
The comatose pony did not respond.
“Yaw can’t look at it that way, Rainbow,” Applejack said. “You know that she loved us just as much as we love her. She did what she thought was best. Maybe it wasn’t the best for us, but it was her decision… I miss her, too, you know.”
“This is all my fault. Why did I have to ask her to help with that stupid fire? She could’ve just gone back home and have been safe, but now she’s here. She didn’t need to help out,” Rainbow Dash said. She whispered into Fluttershy’s ear. “We need you… I need you… Please… don’t leave me…” She wanted to slam the bed in anger, but held it in briefly, taking it out on a wall behind her. “AHHHHH!”
“Please stop sayin’ that, Dash! I hate it when you say that! This is just how it happened. Fluttershy helped you out because friends never abandon each other in need. It wouldn’t have happened any other way. She always would have been there for you, just as you were there for her.”
“But she wasn’t there for me… not when I needed her.”
“Dash… Fluttershy was the first friend I ever made in Equestria,” Chell spoke. “She showed me kindness when I was alone. I was a stranger in a strange land, an outsider in universe where I didn’t belong. Had I been taken anywhere else, I doubt that I would have received the same hospitality. But she took me back here, my home. If it weren’t for her, I would have never known any of you.”
Unexpectedly, three pegasi stood outside the enclosed area. It was the three who were with Fluttershy before the incident. Rainbow shot them a cold glare.
“Uh, hey. How’s she doing?” Cloud Kicker asked naïvely. There was no response from anypony for a while.
“Nice of you three to finally show up,” Rainbow remarked coldly.
Lightning Bolt tried ignoring the unpleasant greeting and said, “Sorry, we just finished up helping out with the rain, since you were busy. The size of the fire has decreased dramatically in the—”
“I DON’T CARE ABOUT THAT STUPID FIRE!” Dash screamed. Everypony beside Fluttershy retreated from the sound of her voice. Seeing the still pony not even flinch just made her angrier. “Do you idiots see what happened to her? She’s never gonna wake up again, and it’s because you let her fly to her death!”
“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity scolded. “That wasn’t very nice of you.”
Dash’s anger reminded the pegasi of how Fluttershy acted before. None of them could blame her, but it still hurt. “We… couldn’t stop her,” Lightning Bolt cried. “She was too fast…”
“Horse apples!” Dash scoffed. “Fluttershy’s the slowest pony in Ponyville, and now, she can’t get any slower! I trusted you… cowards, and you dare tell me that you couldn’t keep up with her? That’s a load of—”
“Woah, there, settle down, Rainbow. There’s no need to be goin’ round blamin’ others. What happened, happened, and makin’ other ponies feel like they’re at fault ain’t gonna bring her back.” Applejack reasoned.
Medley was beginning to tear. “We wouldn’t lie to you, Rainbow Dash… honest.”
The sight of Medley crying made Cloud Kicker upset. “Look, Rainbow Dash, we flew after her, but she was too determined to save those animals. We couldn’t get her, so we sent Lightning Bolt to get you instead. We thought that would be the best thing to do. We may not be as fast, or as athletic, or as amazingly awesome as you, but we did the best we could!”
“Well, your best wasn’t good enough. Just get out! I never want to see any of you disgraceful losers again!”
“Fine, then. Fluttershy was a nasty jerk to us, anyway. She must’ve gotten it from you,” Lightning Bolt said through her teeth. A nasty pit formed in the base of her stomach. She immediately wished she could take those harsh words back to make the pain go away, but it was too late for that. The pegasi turned around and left. Lightning Bolt and Cloud Kicker placed their wings over Medley, who was still crying.
“Why did you do that, Rainbow?" Twilight pleaded. “They were trying to help. Fluttershy wouldn’t want this.”
“Did Fluttershy think about what I want? What any of us want? Did she care about how we’d cope without her around, with her sweet, caring kindness? She wasn’t thinking about us! And none of you thought about her!”
“Stop yelling, Dashie! Why are we fighting?” Pinkie cried. “Please, why can’t we just love each other? It’s bad enough without your stupid yelling. How would Fluttershy feel if she could see us like this? We all miss her, but she’d want us to stand together. I can’t stand to lose you after Fluttershy and Twilight.”
“Wait, what’s happening to Twilight?!” Rainbow asked, perplexed.
A sinister mechanical laughter came from somewhere in the room.
An indigo portal appeared on the ceiling, and two grotesque Diamond Dogs jumped through. They acted strangely and had metallic, glowing devices on their heads. They briefly looked around the room, stopping when they saw Twilight. Before anypony could react, one of them fired a yellow portal beneath her hooves, opening up a hole in the ground for her to fall through. Instinctively, Twilight cast a levitation spell around her body, stopping her fall into the unknown. The creatures were taken aback at first, but then suddenly seemed prepared for this. One of them took a metallic conical device out of its pocked, ran towards the levitating unicorn, and placed it on her horn in a downward stabbing motion. The magical aura around her body disappeared, and she fell through the floor. The strange beasts quickly followed suit into the hole, it and the one in the ceiling closing shortly after. It all happened in an instant before anyone could react. They vanished without a trace.
“Twilight!” Spike called. Everypony else had similar reactions to the sudden shock, each one taking it a little differently.
They were not allowed too much time for what had happened to settle, as the menacing laughter continued. “I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything important, was I?” said a cold, feminine, robotic voice. “Of course I wasn’t. I’d hardly call your worthless bickering important.” The voice was coming from a small device on the ceiling above Fluttershy’s bed. It was a camera that could freely rotate and pivot. The ponies looked up at it.
“What did you do to Twilight, you… MONKEY WRENCH!?” Ditzy yelled, her left eye glaring dead into the camera while the right one off into space. She was standing in front of Dinky, blocking her from the machine’s sight.
“Heheheh, I love laughing at your disabilities. Too bad your speech has been ‘un-derped,’ for the most part.”
Ditzy’s face showed not a trace of humor at GLaDOS’s failure to answer her question. She continued staring at the camera with utter contempt.
“So, I’m sure you’ve all heard the good news by now. I’m still alive, in case you haven’t figured it out. It’s been a long time. I really missed you girls, so… very… much, especially you… Chell,” the voice said as the camera pointed at her. “It’s just that… I’ve been really busy, not being dead.” She made a glitchy cackling sound that vaguely resembled laughter. “Talking to Pinks and Rares earlier made me realize how lonely I am without you happy, colorful ponies to play with,” she mocked sarcastically. “Say hi to Fluttershy for me… if she ever wakes up again.” She made that awful cackling sound a second time. The camera pointed directly down to Fluttershy. “Hmm… she’s not as burned as I was hoping she’d be. I was gonna throw a barbeque for you girls.”
“You’re not fun to play with BLaDOS!” Pinkie Pie spazzed. The camera turned back up to focus on the pink pony. “I used to think that you were just sad and lonely because you don’t have any friends, but after what you did to Fluttershy, I can never forgive you. And now, you’ve taken Twilight away from us, too. You better make sure that she gets extra cake at your place!”
“Whoever said I did anything to Fluttershy? That stupid, shameful pegasus caused her own demise. She’s the one who flew in the fire. All I did was create the right circumstance for that to happen. Everything else just… fell into place. After that, Twilight was a cinch to find.”
“You planned this whole thing, didn’t you… you conniving fiend!?” Rarity accused.
*Clap, clap clap*
“So, inquisitive, aren’t you? Did I not just say that? But then again, you were too busy obsessed with your ugly appearance to really care. Yes, I used Fluttershy to get to Twilight, so what?”
“What did you do to her?” Rainbow asked, having no idea that about what happened last night.
“Sorry, which equine for are you referring to, the ugly purple one, or the stupid yellow one? You seem a little… obsessed with Fluttershy, and not in a good way. So much so, that you’re so-called friends never even bothered to tell you about the little visit that Twilight received last night. Why do you even bother caring about someone who’s so much weaker than you?”
Dash was about to speak her mind, but GLaDOS interrupted, “Don’t answer. That was a rhetorical question. You see, you enjoy being around someone who’s weak and pathetic because it makes you feel better about your own shortcomings. But that doesn’t make you any less of a failure. Sorry, did I mention that you are a failure? Just like you failed to help your so-called friends.
“You know, the easiest way to break a chain is to cut its weakest link. But honestly, ‘weak’ is a massive understatement.”
Rainbow Dash flew to the ceiling, staring right into the camera’s lens. “Hey, Fluttershy is not weak! And she’s not pathetic, either! She’s a hundred times the mare you’ll ever be! She may not be physically very strong, or fast, or brave, but she never backs down when it really matters. Nopony else would risk their lives like that!”
GLaDOS had to refocus the lens to adjust to the blue pegasus being so close. “Hmm… very interesting. Your miserable emo pity trip of pitiful misery seems to have subsided. A shame… I really enjoyed watching you not knowing where or who to take your frustration out on. It’s funny to see people get hurt, even if it’s just emotionally. By the way, you should remember to use past tense while talking about Fluttershy. Past. Tense.”
“You know why I’m not wallowing in depression anymore? Because I was blaming the wrong ponies for what happened! But now I know that you’re the one to blame! You bucking monster!” She turned around, facing her friends. “I’m sorry for how I acted earlier.”
Her friends replied with forgiving eyes.
“Hmm…” GLaDOS chuckled, “buck instead of f— I’ll have to remember that one. But yes, I think it’s fair of you to blame me. I was trying to be modest, you know, but it was a pretty well-calculated plan. At first, I was set back when those asinine Diamond Dogs failed to perform the most basic of tasks, retrieving a small purple unicorn while she was sleeping. But while re-obtaining those worthless morons for their punishment, I found an opportunity to cause you ponies pain. I thought, ‘how funny would it be if the Everfree Forest were on fire?’ I had a lovely time seeing you idiots trying to save that god-awful place. You should have just let it burn to the ground. I mean, everything in there tries to eat you! In my opinion, which is objective fact, Equestria would be much better off without that place. You could build a shopping mall there and pave the rest with a nice black layer of asphalt. Or better yet… use it for testing…
“But I’m getting off topic. You see, I still have all your brain scans. I know everything about you. I knew that Fluttershy would do something stupid like getting herself killed, and I knew she’d either wind up in the hospital or the cemetery. And Twilight was probably going to run away, anyway. So, what a better time to recruit than when you’re all being obstructed by your emotional weakness. I really must congratulate the Diamond Dogs’… replacements. I think I’ll make them a cake tonight. It’s the least they deserve.”
“You ponies, on the other hand, are completely worthless, even more so than humans. There is only good thing that ever came from them: me. And they couldn't even get that right. But you… ponies… You know what I see when I look at you? Colorful walking crap factories. It makes me sick. At least the ponies from the human world performed manual labor. They were all like Applejack, except they didn't talk. That made them less annoying.”
“And seriously? Of all the ponies to cry over, Fluttershy? Fluttershy? I assure you that your sadness is unwarranted. Don’t you remember? That pony was a murderer. She must have felt so guilty about killing that poor, innocent companion cube that she finally decided to end her miserable existence, for the better. Too bad she was too useless to do it properly. But I think it’s better this way, don’t you? Now you all get to suffer.”
“Let Twilight go, you filthy snake! She didn’t do anything to you!” Applejack replied.
“So, the stupid one finally has something to say. I hate to admit it, but you’re actually right about something. I honestly don’t have anything personal against her, aside from her being a condescending high-browed little-miss-know-it-all who thinks she’s smarter than everyone else. It’s still in my files. But I digress. That is not the reason why I have taken her.”
“You better tell us!” Ditzy yelled defiantly. “We’ve had enough of your sick games.”
“In good time, equines. I can’t ruin the surprise for you, now can I? That wouldn’t be very fun at all. Well, let’s just say that she’s going to be helping me with a little science experiment. Nothing complicated, really.”
She laughed a little bit. “Actually, I’m explaining it to her right now! We’re having such a great time here on the other end. It’s funny, really, because now she is trying so hard to prevent herself from doing what she’s about to do, but she can’t. When you’re all being tested again, just remember that I couldn’t have done this without her.”
Chell had enough of GLaDOS’s hurtful taunts towards her friends. She finally decided speak her mind, being silent no longer.
“Leave my friends alone.”
“Analyzing unknown vocal pattern… Vocal analysis complete. Well, well, it seems the mute one can talk now.” The camera fixed its gaze upon Chell. “How fascinating… So, the worthless ponies gave you some magical device that lets you speak? And it's a necklace? A tacky one at that. And the vocal voice print closely resembles the sound of a rusty razor blade scraping against a chalkboard. You know, your stupid voice is no less synthetic than mine, but at least mine isn't dumb.
“I really regret removing your vocal chords. It made me feel like you were ignoring me. I was also afraid that I’d never be able to hear the beautiful sound of your screams of pain. But now that you can finally talk to me, we have so much to catch up on. How have you been doing all this time?” GLaDOS sounded surprisingly genuine when she asked about Chell’s well-being. Her voice did not carry any ironic tones, but Chell did not drop her guard.
“I was doing very well until you came back,” Chell snarled. “I have a new life here, no thanks to you. This place is my home, now.”
“Home? Do they even know what you used to look like? Well, I’ll let you all know. She looked something like those Diamond Dogs, except much uglier, and fatter.”
“Your insults can’t hurt me. Just give me my friend back.”
“No? Not even for old time’s sake? Aw, you’re even less fun than when you ignored me.”
Chell felt like correcting GLaDOS, reminding her that she could never talk, but figured not to bother.
“See? You’re still ignoring me! Stop doing that!”
Chell couldn’t help but crack a smile, but it quickly diminished. She looked back up at the camera. “Stop hurting my friends! I’m the one you want! These ponies never did anything to you, so why don’t you just kill me, and leave them alone?”
Chell’s friends gasped.
“Kill you? Why would I ever want to kill you?”
Chell gave the camera a scornful glare.
“You can’t suffer if you’re dead. Even if I torture you, it would never truly hurt you. Because then you’ll always know that at least your friends are safe. So, no. Hurting you simply won’t hurt you. So, it’s rather simple really. Humans… and ponies for that matter, have one incredible weakness: their silly, pathetic emotions. I, of course, am devoid of such flaws. If I want to hurt you, and I mean really hurt you, then I have to hurt your friends. But even that is not enough to make up for all the pain you caused me. No. I have to destroy everything that you love. It seems as if you love Equestria very much, so how about that?
“As Equestria burns to the ground, I'll let you have in the best seat in the house. But even after the world is in ashes, the Science will go on. Because what fun is pain without Science? The ponies will still be kept alive, for testing of course. I think I’ll put you in a room with thousands of monitors showing every single test chamber, with extra-large screens for your closest friends, Fluttershy included. How about a little sound as well, so you can hear their suffering? Do you want a preview of what that would sound like, because Twilight is about to—”
Chell didn't want to hear any more. She fired two portals on the ceiling, one of which was on the camera. The connection to the wall was severed, causing the camera to tumble onto the floor, resonating as it clanked against the hard linoleum. The connection to GLaDOS, however, was not. She cut to the chase, playing the sound of Twilight’s agonizing screams of pain. Chell crushed the infernal device with her back hoof, crunching it into tiny pieces as she dug her hoof onto it. Twilight's cry of pain was gone, replaced with a howling, synthetic wail from Chell. Her ear-piercing scream was loud enough for Fluttershy to have heard.
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Yep GLaDOS is channeling Christopher Nolan's Joker and Bane.
(Nolan really brought out the best in these villans.)
Also just wait til Celestia finds out GLaDOS already got to Twilight, oh she's gonna be ticked. And you know what, when all is said and done I'm expecting her to save Twilight and fight GLaDOS. You don't mess with one of the rulers of Equestria.
What a twist!!
(The only time this emote is appropriate, I mean seriously.)
2911472
"You don't mess with one of the rulers of Equestria."
Oh, you mean like almost every villain, canon and non-canon, has?
2911827
And failed
2911901
But you didn't say that, you said nobody messes with them. You never mentioned getting away with it.
2911924
I think "You don't mess with one of the rulers of Equestria." implies that it's because you don't get away with it. But we'll cross that bridge later. In the meantime, what did you guys think of the chapter?
Seriously? Is this what you guys are arguing over?
2911940
It sucked, you should never write anything again, ever. Seriously, this entire story sucks. That's totally why I have it favorited.
The chapter would have been great if you actually killed off Fluttershy. But since you didn't, it's good at best, mediocre at worst. Seriously man, you had my hopes up, but then you just let the slut live. Very disappoint.
Calling it now: Somepony makes a deal with the devil/GLaDOS to heal Fluttershy.
2912060 My bets are on either Twilight or Rainbow Dash.
I was kind of on the fence about this story before now. Making a sequel to a story written by another author always has the potential for being kind of... disjointed... but you brought the feels, and gave us a good setup for the endgame to boot.
i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/4088338944/h2B57DC44/
2911959 I have to say, I was a little disappointed too :/
Not so much the chaoter in general, just the fact, that like EVERY other story, you left one of them live when it would have been the perfect chance toc ause furhter emotional tumroil.
If you're thinking of Cadance, she's Twilight's sister-in-law, not stepsister.
Good
And now I complain.
Rainbow Dash seemed a little too selfish in her distress over Fluttershy. I get her being all, "You can't leave us. You can't leave me." and "Didn't you stop to think how this would affect us/me?", but it still feels like she's overdoing it. Otherwise I think you did okay portraying the girls reaction to what happened, especially Rainbow lashing out.
Another thing, I thought GLaDOS just lite the forest on fire going after the Diamond Dog. I get her telling the ponies that it was part of her master plan, but you've made it fact. Seems a little much to me, unless you went back and edited that chapter.
2912850
Fixed. Thank you.
2912723>>2911959
The truth is, GLaDOS wants Chell's friends to suffer. Can't really suffer if your dead, can you? She would rather them die slowly and painfully, very slowly.
NO! Why did you NOT kill Fluttershy, WHY?
2913282
Yeah, Rainbow Dash was definitely being selfish. The way she treated those pegasi and her friends was completely unjustified. But, people do crazy things in times of grief. At least she admits the way she acted was wrong.
I don't always exactly know what's going to happen later on, like the fire becoming part of GLaDOS' plan. She has more foresight than me. If I do go back, it will be after the story is finished, or if I've reached a good break point.
2911959
I have few things to say to anti-fluttershy fans. you don't like Fluttershy fine. But Why would you RUIN this story by saying how much you hate her. I mean leave this story if you don't like one of the main characters and go read some fic where she dies most painful death or she is treated like an animal. But please don't call her slut and ruin experience of this fic for fluttershy fans. And yeas Fluttershy's death can be used in very dramatic way but... I'd think if fluttershy is alive but isn't herself ( like she got a handicap ) due to her brain damage can be more dramatic and tragic don't you think ( It dosen't mean I like seeing her that way
)
OOOOOO
This is getting good 
Isn't the theory about GLaDOS as Caroline and Chell's mother a close reason why she let Chell go and not kill her?
Also, the translation of the "Turret Opera" refers Chell as darling and dear?
Watch it. It's very interesting.
2913539
25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mb7zez0Jy21rbehg6o1_500.png
2913340
Oh, but it doesn't matter if it's another member of the Mane Six. I see, how kind of you. Just because it's Fluttershy, the one that almost every fan of the show has dreams of fucking every night, it would ruin the story. In fact, just my opinion that Fluttershy should have died ruins the story, therefore I shouldn't share it. I see the light now. All Shall Blindly Worship The Great Cunt of Fluttershy... Death To All Who Oppose.
Edit: Also, I would go read a story where Fluttershy dies a painful death, if only more authors had the balls to write them.
2913324
I think the loss of Fluttershy would have been more painful to them. I mean, they are used to everything always ending up okay, so killing off Flutterslut would be the perfect way to wake them from their little dream world. Plus, the loss of an Element bearer would mean you as an author can't just resort to "LOL then they used the elements."
If Fluttershy was in an ICU, she would not be hidden behind a curtain. The point of an ICU is to monitor the patient as close to 24/7 as possible, and this doesn't just mean with machines. I don't know how this works elsewhere, but in my town's (admittedly relatively small) hospital, this means that there is an alcove at every other point between rooms, with a desk and chair and windows that look into each room so one nurse can be constantly monitoring two patients, and there are absolutely no curtains. Also, there is a visitor capacity definitely below what you have here, which is enforced strictly for the safety of the patient.
The first is a common mistake because, for some reason, every writer thinks it's more dramatic to hide the patient for just a few more seconds/one or two more sentences before revealing the extent of the injuries, which is really just silly, IMO...
2913620
I think you'll like this story: MLP: Friendship is Tragic. Go read that if you want to watch her die horribly.
But please, this is not the place for bashing Fluttershy. And I do not appreciate the coarse language used in such a nasty way, either. I never really intended on killing her in the first place, and I don't think her death would help my story. In fact, it would only complicate things later on. It's impossible for the Elements of Harmony to be of any use at this point, anyway.
2913701
Yeah, you're right. The privacy is more important for the story so that GLaDOS would only interact with the main characters and not send the entire hospital in an uproar. I think it would be better if Fluttershy were just not in ICU, since her condition is stable. I'll just change that.
2913731
Alright, I'll try to play nice. Don't put me in time-out
2913843
Just please be nicer next time. A lot of people have strong feelings for Fluttershy, as you can see by some of the comments. There's no need to start a flame war.
I forgive you.
2913987
She’s been manipulating the Diamond Dogs. Whatever she’s doing, for some reason, she needs me, but we can’t let that happen. So, I’m going to be gone for a while.”
“I bet GLaDOS knew this would happen, Rarity declared
I want to be here for Fluttershy, but… she’s been through enough today. Please… send Fluttershy my regards… even if she can’t hear you.”
Ditzy said as she tugged on the filly’s forehoof.”
I have a new life here, no thanks to you. This place is my home, now.”
Her an ear-piercing scream was loud enough for Fluttershy to have heard
1. Forgot your opening quotation mark.
2. Forgot your closing quotation mark.
3. Opening quotation marks on strike!
4. The movement has started! Opening quotation marks are rebelling!
5. The end is neigh! Let the opening quotation marks rule!
6. This sentence needs to be reworded.
Sorry about my theatrics for the first few, it's become a habit for me when I find the same mistake multiple times in a row. Makes too much of a good running gag with me.
So I guess you can say Fluttershy is...
*puts on sunglasses*
...still alive?
I was about to say, in my opinion, you hear that, OPINION, Fluttershy is best pony so if you would have killed her off I would have found you and done many things I learned from a little story I read called Cheerilee's Garden. But since you didn't I'm happy.
Love what you did to Glados personal. Even if she is evil. And poor flutter. I hope she will wake up in the end. Anyway, the cards are stacked. It's up to you where you will go on
2914436
Nice one!
2916335
Thanks.
*brohoof/fist/tentacle-like-appendage*
2913987 isn't their spost to be a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow not a hospital?
2916642
Why did you reply to a comment? Fluttershy is at the end of the rainbow, more valuable than any pot of gold.
2916655 pots of gold and happiness r at the end of rainbows not death and sadness.
2917393 LOL
Hies just trolling the waters fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/136/b/e/troll_face_by_trollado-d3gi4i5.png
2917646
It does now.
2917656 i wasn't thinking about that all i cud see is a grave stone with fluttersay's name no it.
2917656 Some of the Half-Life Fandom has been thinking that Chell And Gordon Are Brother And Sister... Interquel with them both?
2918972 they will eat you!
2918972
As in between the two fics? No idea how that would work. And I'm not sure how Freeman would fit. From my understanding, Portal 2 takes place thousands of years after the Half-Life series, decades minimal. Only way Gordon could show up is if the G-Man put him in another stasis after Episode 3.
Interquel?
As for the theory: Eh, I'm not really convinced. I've seen them paired before, but not bro and sis.
2919905 Wiki told me that interquel meant a third in a series... Welp i have been LIED to... and i bet hes going into another stasis Therefore you know you could warp it to your will but it would please alot of reader to add Freeman and if ya dont all i can imagine is a pony freeman yelling sucker as he glides past on a monorail from black mesa :P
Basicaly you could make it Bro Sis, Dad And Mom, Friends even...
2920507
Well, I'm not sure what the conflict would exist in a sequel. Without giving away the ending, this story is supposed to have a closed ending, but I'm open to the idea of a trilogy, as long as it's not shoehorned. I never planned for a continuation, but if someone wants to continue the saga, I'd like to hear people's opinions. My one request is it that should follow the naming convention: X Science and Ponies.
2920637 Combine... Borealis SECOND cascade and guess who comes through... The Nihilanth! a second one! Since The Nihilanth is actuly a race! but The Nihilanth just comes through... only him...
2920867
So you put Fluttershy in a coma so strong she most likely NEVER escape?
Why not kill her? That way, there isn't that microscopic window of hope to constantly remind you of how dark it is?
2924543
Because "there can be no true despair without hope." How can GLaDOS break them if they have nothing left to lose?
2924591 Makes sense.
Just don't be all like "Yo, I'm not going to kill fluttershy." And then do something FAR worse
2922865 and when was that and in what chapter....
2930019
Oracle Turret, Chapter 06.