Harmonics, Inc.-- No Volunteers Rejected

by Cyanblackstone

Awoken

Prince Blueblood first felt thirst. His throat was scorchingly dry—like he’d been in a desert for days.

Second, he felt hunger, his stomach growling fiercely, trying to digest itself.

The third thing was pain, a dull ache that persisted through his body but focused on his head, hooves, and chest.

He blinked a few times, waking up to a thoughtfully dim light. A glass of water was just to his right, on a table.

Levitating it over, he drained it in three gulps, smacking in satisfaction, before setting it back on the bedstand—wait. A bedstand? His bedroom had no such stand.

Oh. The firing. The company. And then the prick of a needle on the back of his neck.

He jerked upright, flinging his hooves over and on the floor—or tried to. With a painful clang, his twist was interrupted by four bands of hardened steel encircling his legs. A few more pulls confirmed that the bands weren’t budging. He was trapped.

He kept wrenching at his restraints furiously, but he added his voice to the noise of his tailored suit and shoes clanging against the steel. “I demand you release me at once! I will not stand for this outrageous treatment!”

Hoofsteps came calmly down the hallway outside, clacking with the enhanced sound only the most formal of shoes produced. The door opened, and a crimson-maned and white-coated stallion peeked in. “You’re awake,” he said calmly. “I expected you to be out for another...” he checked a pristine silver watch on one forehoof. “Fifteen minutes, at the least. Color me impressed.”

“Let me out of these dreadful shackles, sir!” Blueblood barked. “I thought your Hippocratic oath forbade harming anypony!”

“Those shackles aren’t to harm you or imprision you, Prince,” the stallion protested, sweeping into the bow customary for coming into a superior’s presence in a compromising situation. (There were over a hundred different bows, for varied situations, up to and including while-a-superior-is-eating-cake and while-a-superior-is-plotting-an-enemy’s-downfall.) “Quite the contrary, in fact. Those shackles are to keep you from hurting yourself if unprepared. Now,” he continued, ignoring the increasingly strident demands for release bellowed by the Duke of Canterlot, “I will release you on two conditions. One, you must listen to what I will say.”

Blueblood nodded, but he tensed, subtly preparing himself to spring out the open door.

“Second,” and with this the stallion pierced him with a serious look, “Don’t make any sudden moves.”

This second request was odd enough that Blueblood was taken off-guard, and the stallion took the break in his concentration to press a button on the wall. All four shackles popped off.

Blueblood threw two legs over the bed—which appendages proceeded to fly into the ground, painfully jolting the prince and sending him rolling to the ground. As he sprawled on his belly, the stallion tsked, “I told you, no sudden movements. You’ll hurt yourself.” He turned and motioned to the door. “Now, follow me. The doctor will see you for orientation.”

“Orientation? I’m not staying for your orientation!” Blueblood spat. “I’m going to your front desk and tearing up that contract, before I send a letter to Celestia informing her of your incredibly impudent—“ his eyes narrowed as he struggled to his hooves. “—And might I say, suspicious business practices!”

“A quarter-million bits says you don’t,” the stallion replied, trotting out the door.

“You’re challenging me to a bet?” Blueblood scoffed, incredulous. “Are you trying to outwit me through audacity? It’s nearly working.”

“No, it’s the cost of the procedures you’d be taking with you, which you’d have to recoup to the company,” was the reply. “Plus the fifty-thousand bit severance fee.”

“Procedures?” Blueblood put two and two together and got four. He gaped at the stallion. “Quarter-million bits? What did you foals DO to me?”

“The doctor will explain,” he got in reply. “After the other candidate wakes.”

Blueblood hurried angrily after the stallion, demanding explanations, but got only that single sentence in recompense as he was led through the halls.

“The doctor will explain.”

------

With a gasp, Trixie returned to awareness. That secretary had stuck her with a sedative! How incredibly rude!

And also very suspicious. Why would a secretary be using sedatives?

Trixie took stock of her surroundings. Her hat and cloak had been removed—they were lying on the floor nearby. She was in a bed, or maybe a table of some sort—and sure enough, she was chained to it.

“Trixie isn’t into this kind of thing!” she called, yanking at the restraints a few times to see if they’d give. They didn’t.

Sighing, she looked around the room, noticing a rather conspicuous button on the opposite side of the room, nearby the door.

Lighting her horn, she wadded up her cloak and threw it at the button, smacking it brooch-first.

With a snick, the cuffs holding her to the bed snapped open, and the magician floated her cloak and hat over, lovingly adjusting them until she was satisfied.

The door opened, and an immaculately-dressed stallion trotted in, humming. “She should be awake by now—“ He spotted Trixie, already dressed and glaring daggers at him. “Ah. You’ve gotten yourself out already? That was fast. Better than the other, that’s for sure.”

Trixie demanded, “Why was Trixie in a bed with restraints? Why would you use a sedative on Trixie?” and most strident of all, “and why, in Celestia’s name, would you remove my hat?”

The stallion seemed taken aback at the last question. “Because it was in the way?”

Trixie just snorted angrily.

“Anyway, if you’ll follow me, orientation can answer all your questions.” The stallion opened the door wider. “This way, please; do try to be more considerate than the other candidate.”

Slitted eyes regarded the stallion suspiciously. “Trixie isn’t sure why she should trust you.”

“I’m not going to hurt you!” was the reply. “Certainly not! You are far too valuable of an investment to harm now. That would be poor business.”

Valuable investment? Something was up. There had to be a reason why she’d been knocked out and strapped to a table.

The only thing she could think of with those two together (other than kidnapping) was—

Her eyes darted around the room, noting the bed. The nightstand. The various machines tucked in corners. The ceiling lights.

It looked like a hospital room.

The pieces clicked, making a picture Trixie knew she didn’t like.

“Trixie is not happy with you right now,” she growled, stomping a hoof. “Why should she come with you?”

The stallion sighed. “You’re going to make this difficult, aren’t you.” It wasn’t phrased like a question. “I told you, orientation will explain everything. The doctor will be there soon, and he’ll walk you through it.” He noticed, a bit nervously, that Trixie looked very much like she was preparing to charge at him. “Now, come on, we didn’t sink a quarter-million bits into you to have you try to gore the employees!” he cried, tugging at his collar.

“Quarter-million bits!” That was more money than Trixie had ever seen—ever earned in her entire career, for that matter. What could possibly cost that much? And why would they say she was worth that many bits?

Intrigued, she calmed marginally. “Trixie will go to this ‘orientation,’” she sniffed. “But if she isn’t satisfied, Trixie will find you.” She went out the door, head high.

The stallion gulped nervously. Much of his apprehension was dispelled, however, as Trixie asked a bit sheepishly, “Now, which way is this orientation?”

Author's Note:

So, here's another chapter. Also, I just got a new job, so the updating pace may slow down again. I start Monday.
Also, I've written a new oneshot! See it here.

--Cyan

Comments

[Lag Incarnate]

Well it's a far smaller number than I'm accustomed too, but I'm not sure what the exchange rate of dollars to bits is.

[BenRG]

"Hello again and welcome to the Harmonics Incorporated Computer-Aided Enrichment Centre..."

[HeatherIsBestPlayer]

Wow. I wonder what was done to Trixie and Blueblood. Were they given cybernetic implants? Genetic modifications? Are they under some kind of spell? I must know! Update!