Doing Science

by dashie76

Chapter 16

She was crying again.

She fell off of the bench, writhing in agony. With each second that passed, the pain in her stomach grew more and more intense. She felt the train rumbling beneath her as she gazed up at her tormenter, tears streaming from her eyes and staining her coat.

"S-Stop it, Pinkie...I'm going to throw up..."

The party pony giggled and snorted, her own body wracked with laughter. "No! No, Twilight, it's like this-" Pinkie flattened her usually bouncy mane into bangs and fell down against the floor next to the prodigy. She closed her eyes, imitating sleep, and then "woke up" with a start.

"Right on it, Spitfire! I...uh...oh, it's morning..."

The train car roared with laughter from each and every pony within. Even Fluttershy, normally quiet and reserved, had to cover her mouth to keep her tears from falling into it.

"P-Pinkie Pie..." the timid pegasus managed. "T-That sounds exactly like Dashie..."

This sent a fresh bout of giggles throughout the room, and as the train carried the group of friends ever closer to Aperture Science Laboratories, their future shined brighter than ever. As the tracks rattled beneath them, the ponies slowly subdued their laughter into chuckles and snorts, and finally gained a moment to simply breathe.

An orange farmpony grabbed at a mug of hot cocoa sitting beside her. "Heh...You sure know how to tell 'em, Pinkie Pie..." She took a swig and set the mug back down again.

"Oh, I know that, Applejack!" Pinkie Pie leaped back up into her seat next to Fluttershy. "I'm the best in town when it comes to jokes! And I hadn't even started on you guys yet."

"I do hope you're joking, dearie." said Rarity. "Surely your, ah, collection isn't that extensive?"

Twilight Sparkle finally picked herself up from the floor and sat down next to the fashionista. "I think it would be best not to test her on that one, Rarity."

Pinkie gasped. "Collection? Are you kidding? I've got a freaking arsenal!"

"I'm sure you do, Pinkie," replied Twilight. "Anyways, what would you guys like to do now?"

Applejack yawned. "To be honest, Twi', I'm real tired. I think we should all get some sleep for tomorrow."

"I agree with Applejack," replied Rarity. "After all, look outside. It might as well be dawn."

Twilight glanced out the window, craning her neck. The night sky shimmered brightly overhead, the canvas of stars seemingly sweeping its way across the atmosphere. The full moon twinkled and sent a softly shining light through that canvas. It was a breathtaking sight to behold.

"Yeah...I guess you're right." The purple unicorn stood up and stretched, her neck cracking. "I guess I'll see you all in the morning, then."

A quiet murmur of agreement passed through the crowd and the mares began to trot back to their respective cabins. Twilight levitated the used plates and cups from earlier in the night onto a table nearby. I'll wash them in the morning, she thought. She turned back towards the couches, seeing that only Fluttershy remained. The pegasus was staring blankly at a wall, seemingly lost in thought.

Twilight frowned. "Fluttershy...?"

The pegasus blinked, her body jumping slightly. "O-Oh...Sorry, Twilight." She hung her head. "I was just, um, thinking about Rainbow Dash. It...feels like a long time since we've last seen her..."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Twilight sat down next to Fluttershy, smiling. "It really wasn't that long ago, but we used to see her all the time. Now that she lives so far away from us, I guess...I don't know. It's just strange. But don't think that way. We'll see her tomorrow. You should be excited!"

"Oh, I know that, and I am, really...i-it's just..." the pegasus gulped. "I mean..."

"...what if something bad happened to her...?"

Twilight tilted her head to the side. "Uh...what exactly do you mean?"

"W-Well...there's a lot of machinery where she works, right? I-I mean, what if something malfunctioned or went wrong when we were gone..." Fluttershy brought a hoof up to her face. "I-I almost wish I could be there right now...just to make sure she's okay..." She felt a hoof turn her face towards Twilight's. The unicorn smiled sweetly.

"Nothing happened, Fluttershy. I guarantee it. Honestly, I don't know why you're so worried all of a sudden."

She smiled sheepishly. "Yeah...I guess you're right. That was kind of silly of me."

Twilight stood up and trotted towards the cabin door against the far wall. She opened it and turned back around to Fluttershy. "Now let's get to bed. We really should get some rest."

The pegasus nodded. "Alright. S-Sorry about all that worrying. I don't know what came over me..." She looked up playfully. "You wouldn't happen to know some kind of mass teleportation spell, would you? To get us there quickly, I mean."

Twilight chuckled and grinned. "I'm just doing my best, Fluttershy."

She closed the cabin door behind her and stretched one more time. She plodded her way into her hammock and squirmed around for a few moments, trying to get comfortable. Finding a desirable position, she sighed and felt her mind slipping into the sweet embrace of sleep. As she drifted off into a land full of dreams and nonfeeling, she thought of the day ahead of her. She thought of her friends and smiled once more.

"I'm just doing my best..."

Author's Note:

Author's note: For those of you that are wondering, no, I am not getting rid of the script format. I wanted to experiment a bit with the traditional style, so I worked it into the story. Recording chapters will become more frequent again as time goes on, I promise. As always, thank you for reading and all of the support that you give!

Comments

[dashie76]

3759922
Oops...
3759865 Yeah, his ignorance made him a jerk in this chapter. But he's Cave, so it's forgivable.
3759917 Thanks, I'm glad you like it! Also, I have indeed seen This is Aperture.

[SpacelordVen]

hey, so your saying, from what i'm guessing is that Rainbow Dash is turned into GLaDOS? everyone is going to die?
cool beans truly intriguing
i welcome the next addition to my collectionc library

[dashie76]

3778280 Dash is not GLaDOS. Or is she? No one will die...or will they? Everything's fine...OR IS IT??? My hope is that the entire Act II will leave you unsure and guessing all the way. Then, when you finally realize what's been going on the whole time, you scream, reread the Act, scream again, punch the closest human being to you, then demand more chapters.
P.S. I now have motivation to attempt to write the next chapter. I already have one done, but they have to release in pairs from now on, so I'll finish the next one quick and then post them both for you.

[TheRand0mPony]

3760253
I should have figured it ou by the "You're not safe, in this place, all of us warned you of the big white face"
Also I see how you present The Doctor as Ratman, but Doctor, UGH THIS FREAGING ASSHOLE I WANT HIM TO PAY FOR TURNING RAINBOW DASH INTO GLADOS (I did it small and striked 'cause it's a spoiler.

[dashie76]

3790337 S'okay, I forgive you. I haven't listened to that song in forever myself, I should probably get onto that.

[SpacelordVen]

3778710
pretty sure about my facts, that for one thing, the portal gun SHALL BE SEEN.
or maybe it wont, that will be a bummer,
are you going to introduce some robot/turrets soon, or is this going to be a full lie and not have anything to due besides the love life of GLaDOS/RD and the Doctor.

anyways
i hate you
Keep it up!

[dashie76]

3799193 Not straying that far away from Portal, don't worry. SPOILERS FOLLOW. I think I'll introduce the gun, turrets, and aspects of test chambers in general soon enough and during this Act. I'm definitely pushing the romance into the backseat until Act III. I MIGHT put in a bit at the end of Act II, but I don't think so.
Anyways, it means a lot that guys like you still read it. So thanks a bunch.