Chapter Thirteen
Deep below Autobot City, several rooms had been built, partially isolated from the rest of the city. They were 'clean rooms', used for the study of contagious diseases and other harmful substances that could be devastating if unleashed upon the world. They lay behind airlocks, force fields, and fire doors that could seal shut with a moment's notice.
Wheeljack, Perceptor, Twilight Sparkle, Albert, and Chip were in one of the rooms. Wheeljack and Perceptor stood in front of an observation window that spanned nearly one entire wall, while the other three stood on a large table in the center of the room near a pair of human-sized workstations. A large holographic projector dominated the center of the table.
On the other side of the observation window was a remote-operated laboratory. All the vials of potion in their possession were in there. Five were mounted on a rack, while the sixth was held by a manipulator arm. Sensor wands extended from the wall and surrounded the vial, each one designed for a specific function.
The holographic projector flared to life as the sensor wands sprang to life and swept over the vial of potion. A shimmering light show formed, briefly reminding Twilight Sparkle of Trixie's performances or Celestia's mane. She shook off the thought as the light coalesced into a greenish swirl, bright bands of iridescent light laced through it. Charts, graphs and scrolling paragraphs of text appeared alongside the image. She raised a hoof to her chin, but stopped, remembering the form-fitting quarantine suit she, Chip and Albert wore.
Chip paced about the hologram. “Okay, looks like there's nothing here but a fluid and those strands of energy. Twilight, Albert, what are we seeing?”
Albert walked around the hologram. “Those strands, I'd bet anything each one has a specific part of the overall transmutation spell. No way something this insanely complex and invasive can be one spell.”
There was a brief period of silence as everyone turned to Twilight Sparkle. She eventually noticed the stares and let out a soft yelp of surprise. “Okay, okay, he's right! Sweet Herd, I figured my not correcting him was enough of a confirmation!”
Chip stifled a laugh. “Okay, so we know it's transmutation. Very complex transmutation. Anything else?”
Twilight Sparkle turned to the observation window. “Wheeljack, could you give me a lift over there? There's no ledge to teleport onto.” She waited for Wheeljack to place the palm of his hand on the table, then trotted onto it. Wheeljack slowly stepped over to the window and held her in front of it. Twilight Sparkle's horn lit up and a glow enveloped the vial. Her eyes half-closed as magic wavered around her horn. She suddenly gasped. “That is definitely magic like Princess Celestia's!” Her brow furrowed. “And... mind-control spells, too. Subtle, but they're there.”
Perceptor rubbed his chin and paced back and forth. “There must be some way to be able to reverse the transmutation spells and mind-control, so we can convert a newfoal back into a human and undo Celestia's control over them.”
Twilight Sparkle swallowed. “I think I can figure out a way, but I need to be closer.” She turned and looked up to Wheeljack. “As in I have to be inside the remote lab.”
Wheeljack's vocal receptors lit up. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! No can do, little lady! There's a reason we're on this side of a triple-paned window and we're using remote manipulator arms on that side of the window! We've got sensors that can tell us plenty.”
Twilight Sparkle shook her head. “There's something about handling it with my own magic that tells me what sensors can't, Wheeljack. I wish I could explain it, but it's instinctual. I can look at the data and readings all I want to, but there's nothing that can substitute holding it my own aura. Come on, guys. You all know what I'm talking about!”
Perceptor finally spoke up. “I am afraid I must concur with Twilight, Wheeljack. We can observe the potion and take all the readings we wish, but there is no true substitute for direct experimentation.”
Wheeljack's vocoder let out a brief burst of static. “All right, all right.” He looked down at Twilight, still in the palm of his hand. “But you be careful in there!”
Chip shook his head. “I never thought I'd see the day when Wheeljack is the voice of reason.”
Twilight Sparkle paid him no mind. “Okay, going in.” She vanished from Wheeljack's hand and reappeared on the table inside the remote lab. The top half of her helmet glowed and the stopper on the vial of potion uncorked itself. The lightly-iridescent liquid floated out. “Okay, guys,” she said, her voice coming through the room's intercom. “Please tell me what the sensors are saying as I work. I wanna make sure this is right.”
Chip, Albert, and Perceptor huddled around the hologram projector, while Wheeljack stood by the observation window. Albert gasped as one of the strands subtly shifted color. He glanced at a graph. “Twilight, if I'm reading this right, you just successfully reversed the process on one of the spells.”
Perceptor's optic sensors brightened. “You read correctly, young Albert. The atomic restructuring process has been successfully altered to produce the opposite effect intended.”
A grin crossed Twilight Sparkle's muzzle. She concentrated once more on the potion. Another strand slowly changed color. One by one, the strands of spells in the potion changed. Each one, though, was slightly slower than the last. After nearly thirty minutes, a panting, sweating, and drooping Twilight Sparkle finally dropped her head and extinguished her horn. “O-okay. T-that single vial i-is done. And pardon the use of human swear words, but that took a hell of a lot out of me!” The potion flowed back into the vial. Twilight Sparkle then teleported out of the remote lab and back onto the table, collapsing to the steel as she materialized.
Chip and Albert were by her side in an instant, while Perceptor and Wheeljack hovered close by. Chip glanced to the remote lab, then back to the panting unicorn. “I'm gonna risk it!” He undid the seal around her helmet and pulled it off. “Twilight, Twilight? Can you hear me?”
Twilight Sparkle sucked in several breaths and blinked rapidly. She raised her head and looked to the window. “Too much... power,” she finally said. “That false Celestia, she dumped so much magical energy into it. It's like trying to swim up Neighagara Falls!”
Perceptor's right hand retracted and a sensor wand extended from his wrist socket. He ran it over Twilight Sparkle and his optics flashed. “Physically, you're perfectly functional. However, your thaumic energy reserves have been depleted.”
Wheeljack looked to Twilight Sparkle, then around at various pieces of equipment in the room. “So you need more power, right?” He picked up an energy emitter from one desk and brought it over to the table. “I think I can hook this up to Autobot City's main generators and then mainline it right through you. You'll have all the power you'll need!”
Albert stared at him, open-mouthed. “You're... you're kidding, right? Do you have any idea how dangerous that could be? You could burn out her entire nervous system!”
Wheeljack shook his head. “I'll be monitoring her throughout the operation and I'll have my finger over the cutoff switch. Besides, it's not like I haven't done this before!”
Chip slapped his forehead. “Wheeljack, it's a little harder to attach one of Twilight's limbs if it gets blown off than you.”
Perceptor grabbed Wheeljack by the shoulder and pushed him away from the table. “I am afraid their concerns and rebuttals are valid, my friend. This plan is far too risky.”
Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat, gaining everyone's attention. “I appreciate the concern, but I really don't think we've got time to take the safe route. Not that we even know what the 'safe' route is.” She pointed to the observation window. “I'm going back in there, and I'm going to alter those vials of potion. And I'd appreciate all the help I can get!”
The other occupants of the room were silent for a few moments, the sounds of the machines in there almost too loud. Finally, Chip and Albert turned to the projector in the middle of the table. Chip flipped a few switches. “All right, we'll continue to monitor the changes to the potion. Wheeljack, you good to install that thing?”
Wheeljack walked over to an airlock embedded in the wall next to the observation window, emitter in hand. He entered the clean room, pulled down a ceiling-mounted arm, and spent several minutes hooking the emitter into the arm, double-checking the connections, and testing it. He exited the clean room, flashing a thumbs-up. “All set, Twilight.”
Twilight Sparkle nodded. Her horn flared as she teleported back inside the room. The intercom squealed as she spoke. “Okay, Wheeljack. Hit it!”
Wheeljack pulled a lever down. The emitter's tip brightened for a moment before a dazzlingly bright beam of violet energy shot from it, striking Twilight Sparkle and enveloping her. Her mane, tail, and every hair on her coat shot out straight. Her horn sputtered and her eyes glowed purple. She opened her mouth and a bit of smoke came out. “I'm... fine!” she finally said. “I think.”
Perceptor bent over a console mounted on a wall. An image of Twilight Sparkle's body appeared on a screen, along with several readings. “Her vital signs are stable. For now, at least. I strenuously suggest doing this as rapidly as possible with the least margin for error!”
Another of the vials floated up from the rack and uncorked itself. The iridescent potion floated out. Twilight Sparkle ground her teeth together. “Much better!” she said.
Chip let out a whistle as the holographic readout of the potion changed much more rapidly than before. “Twilight, you're doing it!” he half-shouted.
Wheeljack studied the energy output of the emitter. “Hey, wait a second. There's something wrong.” He pointed at a graph. “There's a drain somewhere. I–”
“Don't worry, Wheeljack! I'm siphoning some of the energy into my own magic reserves!” Twilight Sparkle shouted, her voice audible even through the glass.
Wheeljack's optics brightened. “Now that's a mare after my own laser core!”
The potion flowed back into the vial, fully altered. Twilight Sparkle uncorked the next vial, working her magic just as quickly over it. “Now that I know what I'm doing, this is almost easy.”
Albert snorted. “Don't jinx yourself.” He turned to the window, started to turn back, but stopped and adjusted his glasses. “Hey, Chip?”
Chip glanced up. “Yeah, Albert?”
Albert pointed to the energy crackling around Twilight Sparkle's body. Some of it flared off her in waves, flapping about in a nonexistent breeze. “Is it just me, or does that look like... well, like wings?”
Chip leaned back. He rubbed his chin. “Well...” He tilted his head slightly. “Maybe?”
Within a few minutes, the final vial of potion had been altered. Wheeljack cut the power and the beam disappeared. Twilight Sparkle's hair remained standing for a few moments before it slowly started to settle back down. Her horn flared and she teleported back to the table. “That was fun!” She glanced at the hologram, eyes narrowing. “And... holy Herd, it worked!”
Wheeljack and Perceptor walked over to the table. Albert slowly smiled. “Most impressive, Twilight! You have indeed altered all five vials of potion, reversing the spells. We can use this to change newfoals back to human begins and cut that Celestia's mind-control.”
Boom...
Everyone's head shot up. “What was that?” Twilight Sparkle asked, ears drooping slightly.
The intercom buzzed and crackled as it activated. “Yo, this is City Commander Blaster blasting out to you! We got some really nasty knockoffs incoming from the barrier, along with a lot of those evil pony doppelgängers. All civilians are to head to your closest shelter. All military personnel, report to your duty stations. And everyone, get ready. This city's about to shake and quake as it converts to battle-station mode! And maybe the big M will make his appearance, too! Stay tuned for further announcements. Over and out!”
Twilight Sparkle's head darted back and forth, ears swiveling about. “Ho, ho boy! Ah... what do we do? I wasn't briefed on what happens if we get attacked.”
Wheeljack and Perceptor exchanged a glance. “Well, we've both got duty stations to report to,” Wheeljack said, his voice hitching slightly.
Perceptor crossed the distance between him and Wheeljack. He reached out and patted him on the shoulder. “Will you be all right to attend to your station?”
Wheeljack stood there for a moment. His hands clenched. “Scrap it, I will.” He looked up and locked eyes with Perceptor. “Thanks, buddy.”
Twilight Sparkle turned to Chip, a questioning look on her face. Chip swallowed. “Bad datatrax for Wheeljack. About seven years ago Autobot City was attacked. He and Windcharger got hurt pretty badly, nearly went permanently offline.”
Wheeljack nodded to him. “Yeah, but I'll be scrapped to the Pit if I don't do my part, here.”
Twilight Sparkle glanced to Chip and Albert. “What about you two?”
Chip waved a hand at the door. “I've got a station at the command center when I'm here. Albert on the other hand...”
Albert shrugged. “I'll be kind of useless in battle.” He dug his hands into his coat pockets and turned them inside out. “I don't have my magic hat with me, so I'm heading to the closest shelter.”
Twilight Sparkle's brow furrowed slightly. “Wheeljack, if it's all right... I'd like to accompany you to your duty station.”
Wheeljack leaned back slightly. He scratched his head. “Are... you sure about that, Twilight? Could get a bit dangerous. And you're a bit squishier than I am.”
Twilight Sparkle smirked, and her eyes narrowed. The tip of her horn flared. A translucent sphere formed around her. It evaporated as she teleported onto Wheeljack's shoulder. “I can take care of myself in a pinch.” Her expression softened. “And I'd feel bad if you got hurt again and I wasn't there to help. Friends try and help each other out.”
Although he had no mouth, Wheeljack seemed to smile. “Okay, Twilight. Welcome aboard.” He looked to the others. “No time to be idling our motors, everyone. As Optimus would say, 'Roll out!'”
Stats
Page generated in 0.022 seconds
Total duration
941 users online
1,225,858 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
YAY, It's BACK
Wow, imma have to start from the beginning again, its been so long.
Yes! Yes! YES! YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES!
OH YEAH, IT'S ALIVE!
So I got to ask, now that they got the potion to return the humans to normal, will they use it on Megan first or will she wait to go last since she is an Alicorn and could help them out if need be.
8588986
Apperantly not.
w00t!
Glad to see this back up and running!
Holy crap it lives!
So a full on attack on Autobot city?
Metroplex! Metroplex! Metroplex!
Really cool idea with the energy emitter
So Mirror Celestia basicaly bruteforced the potions? It make sence, she is the powerful sister not the one really good at magic.
8597902
Being an alicorn is like being a Dungeon Master, even if she becomes fully human again some of that power will remain.
All of the
Hurrah, welcome back! Also, oooooh, go Twilight!
IT STILL FUNCTIONS!
Sorry, couldn't resist. Awesome to see it coming back!
Awww, I was expecting Presto to be able to do some stuff even without his hat. He's had about three decades to practice, after all.
Wondering how large Metroplex is compared to Omega Supreme, Fortress Maximus, and the combiners. The show was always so inconsistent with size. Each new season of toys meant a bigger "Autobot last line of defense" to sell.
It's back! Oh, it's great to see this back.
This is why I love the tracking tab. Even fics that haven't updated in *peers* over a year suddenly pop up on your front page.
Now to re-read it first to get back into the swing.
Nice, I was just rereading this story and I find that the story has updated.
This story seems to be moving on at a pretty rapid pace. They already have a way to reverse the potion (yay!), they've been winning all their battles, and it won't be long until they find a way to teleport at will to and from Equestria Prime. So unless Queen Celestia pulls another trick out of her non-existent sleeve her days are numbered.
This chapter feels like a rain after an unusually long dry season.
...because it is.
8597902
Probably change her back, since Xenolestia can take control of her mind with it.
It just goes to show why the TCB attitude of superiority makes them less effective than their foes. It took humans to capture the potion samples, an Equestrian to figure out how to reverse the effects, and Cybertronian tech to give her the power she needed to do it.
If evil Celestia was not made before then she will be now
And with foreshadowing to bot too.
It's ALLLIIIIIVVVVVEEEEEE!!!
8598332
Metroplex himself probably isn't all that big (relatively speaking) compared to Autobot City as a whole. Most of what comprises him right now is likely just whats been built up on and around his "Main Body", and is hooked up onto him like equipment. Still fucking huge compared to normal bots, though.
Can we all get more?
Yes, make the antidote, Twilight! Show Neo-Equestria what true Harmony can do!
Hmmm. I think this chapter was giving us hints about how Twilight will ascend to Twili-corn in this fic. Niiiice.