Growth Spurts and Hypnotic Face Lasers

by HyperRandomness

Chapter 4: A day of flying and failing.

A lone ember burned brightly in the dark, only just illuminating a book and quill. The flickering flame threatened to go out as melted wax pooled up around it, but it carried out its duty. This flame was quickly joined by another, yet this one was different. It shone much brighter than the candle, and shot forward much unlike its wax-encompassed kin.

Sparks emitted from beneath this flame’s weight, shooting off this way and that like tiny streaks of lightning. These searing specks rebounded off of a pair of goggles from time to time, underneath which were a pair of focused eyes.

It shouldn’t be much longer. A single thought floated through the room silently, invading only the mind of one pony. To be specific, a lavender Unicorn Mare, who had a welding torch in her telekinetic grip.

Twilight had been in her basement for hours, but this was not the only thing she had been doing for that time. Notebooks, papers and unfinished letters lay in disarray over many tables where there was not something to fill the spot, and a few were even scattered about the floor. The hard, stone floor of Twilight’s basement didn’t make the room more inviting, nor did the lack of lights. All aside from one nearly-burnt-out candle and her blowtorch, there was nothing to illuminate the room.

Other than papers and notes, there were other bits and bobs around the room. Machinery, wires and rough metal were stacked high in unorganized piles, some even reaching the ceiling. Many large machines, unfinished or otherwise, loomed over their neighboring parts without identified purpose. If anypony else were to walk in at that moment, they would just call it a mess and leave it at that.

To Twilight, it was so much more.

Twilight had been hard at work ever since Spike departed, figuring it would be better to save the letter to the Princess for later. She had more important matters at hoof, such as Spike’s temper. If she was going to manage that, then she would need help.

That help came from her project, of which she was so laboriously working on at that very moment.

To make a long story longer, it was a program designed specifically for Spike.

You see, Twilight had come up with an excellent idea to control Spike’s temper. Seeing as he could become out-of-hoof at any moment, she came up with two alternatives. She could either cope with it, or make something that could cope with it for her. The second option made the most sense, so she got right to drafting up ideas. Her first idea entailed mind control, but she deemed it too dangerous. Many other ideas floated around similar subjects, all of which were labeled as ‘too hazardous for operation.’

An idea finally presented itself, of which was a combat program that Twilight could design and tweak to fit Spike’s needs, particularly when he would need to vent his anger or other emotions.

By now, she had made great progress on it. She had a few failures, of which were recognized by various blast marks and damage in the room. These were paid no mind, however, as the only worker was hard at… well, work.

A bead of sweat rolled off of Twilight’s forehead. The torch went out, and was levitated over to an empty spot on a nearby table. The purple Mare turned her attention to what she had just finished, removing her goggles so she could see it better.

The machine itself was massive, taking up practically half the basement. Various gadgets, widgets, gizmos and sprockets were jutting out here and there, none of which were animate at the time. Controls and levers sat in front of Twilight, who then levitated a few screws and a screwdriver over to her. She set them in place and secured them, taking care to get everything juuuuust right.

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Spike was distraught, disoriented, disappointed in himself and completely unsure of his decision.

When we last left our hero the drake, he’d made a poorly-concocted decision about what to do. He knew he would have practically uncontrollable rage, as had been demonstrated before, but he didn’t know it could get so severe.

Many ponies looked up as a purple-and-green streak tore the sky, giving only the occasional powerful flap to keep him aloft. Fewer and fewer ponies looked up as he flew away from the town, leaving the residents of the village to ponder what had just occurred.

Maybe it’s for the best. Maybe I shouldn’t have been with Twilight in the first place… Spike thought to himself, allowing tears to form in his eyes.

He considered it fate that he was given to Twilight as an egg, yet he wondered where he came from originally. Maybe he’d been rescued. Maybe he’d been stolen. Maybe he was given as a gift from his actual parents. Regardless of the options he brought up, he could place no further idea than these three. He would have put more thought into it, but this was not the time for this topic.

Right now, Spike was concerned with finding those of his own kind.

Yeah. You heard me right. Spike was looking for Dragons.

Why, you might ask?

Well, let’s head back t-
Oh! Oh! I know this one! Don’t tell me, it’s-
Pinkie. We already had a discussion about keeping the fourth wall intact.
But… but that was in your other story!
I don’t care. Now, put the fourth wall back so I can resume my story.
…
Much better.

Anyhow, let’s head back to when Spike left Twilight’s tree.

Remember how he was thinking he was a huge jerk? Well, if you don’t, then you oughta get your memory checked. If you do, then keep reading.

Anyhow, Spike was extremely upset about how he had treated Twilight. He thought himself to be a huge jerk and didn’t deserve to be around Twilight, so he wanted to seek out a place that he would fit in. Almost immediately, the other dragons he’d met during the Dragon migration. They were huge jerks, and he now considered himself a jerk, so he immediately picked them for company.

It may have just been the emotion of the moment, but he had set out to find other dragons and integrate himself into their society.

So far, nothing. He thought with a sigh, scanning the ground below him for any signs of draconic activity.

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Alright. Back to Twilight.

Since I know everyone’s going to wonder, we’ll do a bit of an in-depth investigation.

First order of business, Twilight herself.

Having stayed up all night, Twilight’s mane and tail were a mess. A small line of dried drool had been trailing from her mouth for most of the time, since she hadn’t bothered to stop for a break. Her thoughts, similar to her papers, had been scattered this way and that. Not one thing she’d been thinking had been a complete thought, yet she somehow managed to string them together into a comprehensible idea that she then channeled into the metal before her.

The machines themselves, although too numerous to list off, were often quite complex. Many focused around the idea of controlling the electrical impulses of the brain in order to control the body, but that idea was scrapped halfway through the night. Similarly, a couple of plates of food had been discarded as Twilight decided it would be more important to complete her task. Food could wait until she was done.

Twilight removed her goggles and looked back over her work. Everything had been put in place, so now all it needed was to be turned on.

…and it also needed a test subject.

Twilight face-hooved. How could I have left that out? She thought with a huff, quickly throwing her eyes about the room. Each and every machine here needed a subject and an operator. She was just one pony, so she couldn’t pull off both tasks simultaneously. Not to mention, if it was dangerous, she might end up hurting herself.

With no further options, she decided to venture… OUTSIIIIIIDE.

…

Yes, I know, that’s not very ominous or foreboding. That’s the best you’re gonna get for awhile.

Twilight huffed. She was tired and didn’t want to go outside, but an experiment not done isn’t an experiment at all. With newfound determination, coupled with the fact that she wanted to get it over with, she set out for the exterior world.

Creeeaaaak… the door to the library resounded, loudly groaning as it was opened slowly. Blinding sunlight streaked its way into the dim library, to which a lavender Mare responded by bringing a hoof up to shield her eyes.

Twilight’s vision hazed for a moment as piercing light entered her vision, but it quickly focused again as she grew used to it. Turns out it was the perfect time for Twilight to find a test subject, seeing as it looked to be during the hustle and bustle of the day.

Ponies trotted this way and that, some shopping or travelling while others stopped to have a chat. Twilight saw none of this. Instead, she saw all of the possible subjects she could make endure her torture tests.

This, however, would prove quite difficult in the next few minutes.

Twilight made her way outside, making quick note of the casual breeze that ran through her fur. She swiftly decided that the best approach for getting a test subject would be the direct approach, so she trotted up to the nearest pony available.
The pony in question was a tan-coated, brown-maned pony with a cutie mark resembling a golden leaf.
Being the sleep-deprived Mare she was, Twilight immediately ran up and blurted, “Hey there! Wanna take part in some experiments that toy with your mind and could potentially be crippling or fatal based off of machines that were originally designed for my assistant and could have unforeseen consequences on somepony like you?”

There are no words to describe the look of horror that crossed that stallion’s face.

There are words, however, for describing how he ran away.

He ran away screaming.

Twilight was left standing confused, unsure of what just transpired. Shrugging it off, she repeated this several times with other nearby ponies. She got the same reaction each time, regardless of whatever way she may have reworded the request.

Why is it so hard to get a guinea pig? The lavender Mare thought to herself, sitting on a nearby bench to start formulating a new strategy of approach.

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Spike had been flying for awhile, and he began to tire.

For all you smart-alecks out there, NO, this does not mean that he became rubbery and spherical. It just means he was exhausted.

Anyhow, he decided it’d be a good idea to land and rest for a bit. Once he’d regained his energy, he would take off once again and find those dragons.

Spike came to a stop atop a small hill amongst others, but not a creature was in sight. In fact, it was almost eerily quiet with having nothing nearby to make noise.

He glanced around for a quick moment, and made sure he was alone. With a short sigh, he plopped down on the ground and laid back. It felt nice to just relax, regardless of how short it may be.

Thoom…

A quiet rumbling caused Spike to sit up, now slightly confused.

Thoom.

Spike stood, surveying the scene. He was sure that something was up, considering he had felt it twice. What concerned him was the fact that it felt like it was getting closer.

THOOM.

The ground beneath Spike began to shake violently, as though some massive beast were approaching. Spike whirled this way and that, trying to spot it, but nothing appeared.

THOOM!

The ground in front of Spike exploded, flinging the drake across a large distance. The ground almost seemed to erupt with fire and smoke, spewing chunks of land every which way.

Spike hurriedly regained his footing as the smoke dissipated into nothing, as though it’d never even been there before. He hurried to the site of the blast, finding only small bits of rubble scattered around a large crater. From the size of the crater, which was roughly about twice as wide as Sugarcube Corner, he hadn’t the foggiest idea as to what could have caused it.

THOOM.

Another rumbling signaled what would have been obvious. Whatever it was, it was leaving.

Turning to take to the skies, Spike spread his wings and darted into the air. Whatever it was, it’d pay for that trick.

Comments

[HyperRandomness]

Well, now that I'm done vanishing off the face of the earth...

I've updated.

[KARLOS1234IFY]

1727774 Yay a new chapter! . :Why do you have to leave?!?!

[HyperRandomness]

1728197
I vary between being busy and VERY busy.

It's fun.

[Sky Charmer]

1728203
Seems like it's getting closer to the end. I'll have to re-read it because I can't remember if Spike and RD are dating yet (Thanks, short term memory loss).

[HyperRandomness]

1729596
Closer, yes.

Not that close, though.

Still got plans.

[spike the mustache]

4507648 beacuse you aren't