> Princess Celestia's Side Trip To Aperture.
>  by Powerdrainer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> What The Buck!?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Edited by Slayerseba, halusm, and Clawder.



What The Buck!?



<<>><<>><<>>


It was a dark and stormy day.

Well, not really. Truth be told, it was a warm and pleasant day; the sun was shining, birds were singing and ponies were going to and fro doing all kinds of things not important to this story. Though I wanted it to be dark and stormy, the weather team was rather uncooperative, and were less than thrilled by the idea of setting of a dark, and brewing storm in the middle of the city of Canterlot.

But still, a storm was brewing. Metaphorically speaking, that is. Damned pegasi.

Anyhow, it was a warm, pleasant, sun filled, dark and stormy day. And it was with a flash of lightning, which was in no way related to the tourist group taking pictures, that our attention snaps towards the tall, white, regal alicorn sitting on her throne with her well defined plot; envied by mares across the land and worshiped by even more stallions. And mares as well, though they would never admit it when you asked.

Yes, it truly was a diabolical day, even though Princess Celestia herself did not know it. Nor did anyone else for that matter. That's usually how that goes. Still, the Princess did feel rather miffed herself, even though she didn't show it. She had just finished yet another tedious session of day court, having to listen to her beloved, but often infuriating ponies with their strange, confusing, weird and sometimes downright rude troubles, and requests.

Sure, she gave them her trademark smile. But more often than not, her mind would wander off to the well stocked pantry filled with all sorts of baked delectables, just to take her mind off things.

For a moment, her mind focused on the image of the freshly baked, seven layered chocolate cake she knew was waiting for her and a small string of drool almost escaped her when, with a magical poof, a scroll popped into being.

For a moment, she stared at the scroll, surprised. But then she noticed the seal on the rolled up letter and immediately recognized who it belonged to.

She was almost beside herself as she gave a slight squee, not having received a letter from her former student in what seemed like ages and she pressed her front hooves against her cheeks in excitement as she grabbed the scroll in her magic before it could fall.





However, before she could even think about retrieving the letter and read it, the world around her seemed to grow still and gray; her magic having suddenly vanished, yet the unopened letter hung perfectly still in the air.

"Princesss Celestia," a slow, morosely toned voice spoke up from behind her and an earth pony stallion slowly walked into view; wearing a perfectly fitting suit, while levitating a briefcase by his side despite the lack of any magic to do so.

"What? Who are you? How did you get in here?" she demanded, trying to stand up, but finding herself unable to do so. And, after trying to use her magic, she found it not working either.

"Please, do not be… alarmed. I'm not here to cause distress. I am, however, required to keep you… otherwise occupied. There is a new development unfolding and my… employers would rather not have it for you to… interfere. Not. To. Worry, Princess Celestia. We have already found a care-tak-er who is more than, ah, eager for you to help her out with some, shall we say, research."

"Excuse me?" Celestia shouted, worried and angry. Both over her sudden powerlessness and the implications of what this strange pony was saying.

"Ah, yes, hmm. I would reckon that my words are cause for some… concern. But a mare of your capabilities should be more than able to go though this… unharmed." —A shimmer rippled the air behind the stallion and a strange, oval shaped portal with shimmering blue sides opened up; showing a pure white chamber beyond, with limited furniture standing on the room's side— "Good day, Princess. And mind the, ah, turrets." and Celestia suddenly found herself plucked from her throne and deposited through the portal; the shimmering hole closing behind her.

Celestia looked around in shock as the portal had closed behind her, unable to wrap her mind around what had just happened. Then a voice spoke up, coming from all around her, and was unnaturally warped.





The moment the mentioned portal opened, Celestia stood with wide eyes as she saw what lay beyond.

"... WHAT THE ACTUAL BUCK!?"


<<>><<>><<>>


For minutes, Celestia stood before the shimmering hole, staring with wide eyes at what lay beyond, trying to wrap her mind around the situation she suddenly found herself in. That in itself was already a feat; having experienced many things throughout her extensive life; quite a few of those things too surreal to even mention it in the history books.

For a second, the face of a well known draconequus flashed before her mind's eye.

This sudden memory also put what she was seeing into perspective, for as strange as it all seemed, the known laws of physics did still seem to apply. The strange hole on the wall notwithstanding. Realizing this, she slightly relaxed her stance.

"Huh," she finally vocalized, then took a slow step through the portal.

"Finally," the same warped voice made itself heard throughout the room. "For a moment there, I thought you had already ceased functioning."

For now, Celestia opted to ignore the voice, instead focusing on the confusion before her.

The room itself was large, identical in color scheme as the room the unknown pony had deposited her in, but nothing much out of the ordinary. However, what filled this room was anything but.

The first thing that Celestia noticed were the raised platforms near the far wall, each supported by a single, but broad metallic cylinder underneath. There was also an orange glowing dotted line connected to each; running over the floor, walls, and even the ceiling; all leading to someplace else.

Following one of the lines, Celestia found it led towards a large, red, circular, slightly raised platform big enough for her to stand on.

Focusing on the second dotted line, she saw it led towards a similar platform as the one she just saw, except it was placed firmly on the wall.

The third line, however, she lost sight of half way through the room as it followed a corner down into what seemed to be a complete drop off, bisecting the room and disappeating out of sight.

Not stopping there, there were several elongated, gleaming white ovals standing on three black legs and a glowing red circle embedded at the center front of these ovals from which a narrow laser was emitted.

Looking further, she took notice of what seemed like a door. A circular door, with a strange symbol portrayed on it and yet another of those orange dotted lines coming from the ceiling.

"Huh?" She said, now taking notice of the small pedestal near her, made of the same gleaming white metal she saw throughout the room; with four vertical, slightly blue glowing lines running the length. The top of this pedestal was angled forty five degrees and a red button rested on top of it.

Stepping closer, she inspected the pedestal, trying to deduce its purpose amidst the entirety of this bizarre chamber; realizing it, too, was connected with one of those dotted lines.

"Well, buttons are there to be pressed," she said to herself.

"Wow, incredible! It took you a whole eight minutes to figure out you need to press the button," the warped voice cut in before Celestia could say, or do anything else. "No wonder you're the Princess."

Celestia looked up towards the general direction she felt the voice originated from; single eyebrow raised, not impressed.

Choosing not to reply and try to get more reactions from this strange individual, Celestia looked back at the button, and pressed it with deliberate slowness.

What followed was a smooth hiss and Celestia saw the orange dotted line had changed color to a glowing light blue. Turning towards where the sound came from, she noticed a large glass cylinder extending down from the ceiling; a gleaming white metal cap on the bottom and an iris of the same material build within. Said iris was also closing with the same hiss which drew her attention to this cylinder; and a heavy thud pulled her focus down to the intricately designed cube now lying on the floor.

"And what have we here?" She wondered as she approached the cube, giving it a slight push with a hoof. "Oompfh… Heavier than it looks."

Taking a step back, she lit up her horn. Or, at the very least, she tried.

It was with quite the surprise, she realized her magic did not work.

"What? What is going on?"

"You are currently experiencing the effects of Aperture Science's nullification field. Designed to nullify any and all outsource devices and or capabilities which would influence testing results. Do not be alarmed. The field is completely harmless," the voice told her; followed immediately by a new voice, this one a stallion who spoke with a hurried pace.

"Side effects after interacting with the nullification field may include: dizziness, nausea, unusual hair growth, possible build up of bodily gasses potentially hazardous to yourself and others in the room with you, and an itchy nose."

Celestia stood frozen for a moment, again looking towards the general direction she believed the voice to originate from.

"... I see," she finally said, wrinkling her nose a bit as it started to itch.

Stepping away from the strange cube, she slowly moved towards the drop off bisecting the room. Stopping near the edge, she casually looked down; following the orange dotted line into a new room much further down.

"Too deep to jump," she noted, flexing her wings. "Tell me, this suppression field, does it also affect my ability to fly?" She asked aloud.

"All outside capabilities not approved to be used within the testing chambers are disabled," the voice replied. "Furthermore. Previous test subjects were able to clear this room in half the time you've been standing there. Simulations show this is mostly the result of you being slowed down by the greater than usual weight of your posterior. Might I suggest you reduce your calorie intake. Your test results may improve… drastically as a result."

"... I beg your pardon?" Celestia replied, shocked.

"Please continue with the test. Not only would your contribution further our scientific understanding, but as a bonus you would also gain the exercise you obviously need."

Celestia stood with her mouth open.

"Gawking, although an understandable reaction to the scientific marvels to be found in this state of the art facility, is not required to complete this test."

Celestia slowly closed her mouth and promptly sat down, refusing to move even an inch.

"I see you are unwilling to cooperate," the voice said after several minutes had passed.

"And this surprises you?" Celestia said with well practiced calm. For as rude as this disembodied voice was, she was hardly the worst she had ever dealt with. "I was brought here against my will by an entity I am most certain is not one of my little ponies. Then I was brought into this room by you, without a clue what to do, or the ability to use my magic. And then you mock me for any action I take and insult me based on my 'posterior' as you said it. And just for the record, my flank is highly praised where I'm from."

"I see. Oh well. I guess I will have to give this cake to a more willing participant."

"... Cake?" Celestia said, more eager than she'd intended; ears perking up just a bit.

"Of course. All test subjects will be presented with a cake upon completion of their tests."

"Didn't you just tell me I need to 'reduce my calorie intake'?" Celestia asked, suspicious.

"You do," the voice replied matter of factly. "But protocol dictates all test subjects are to be awarded with financial compensation and cake for their efforts in helping us further our scientific understanding."

Silence.

"... What kind of flavor?" Celestia asked suddenly.

"Fla… vor?" The voice repeated with a clear hint of confusion.

"Yes, what kind of flavor?" Celestia repeated. "Chocolate, strawberry, lemon, or maybe a combination?"

"... These kind of details are of no importance to the tests," the voice finally replied back.

"Oh, but I disagree. Either you tell me what kind of flavor I can expect, and then I can decide if it may be worth my time. Otherwise, I'll just remain seated right here—" Celestia said, wiggling her rump side to side to make herself more comfortable "—and try to think of a way back home. So, I'll ask again. What flavor?"

Silence.

"Well, I'm waiting!"

"...Chocolate…" the voice eventually said, slowly, almost as if it was reading the word from someplace, not truly knowing what it meant or was. "... Fudge… with whipped cream… Four layers."

"... Only four layers. That hardly seems worth the effort," Celestia said, indifferent, lifting a hoof to look at her reflection in the polished gold of her horse shoe.

".... And banana frosting," the voice added with noticeable annoyance.

"Banana?" Celestia said, freezing mid motion, then slowly lowered her hoof down to the ground. "Well, you had my attention. But now you have my curiosity." Rising to all fours, Celestia walked back to the strangely decorated cube "So, what exactly am I supposed to do?"

"The goal of these tests is for you to navigate these chambers using intelligent problem-solving to solve the puzzle presented to you, while avoiding any of the non lethal obstructions."

Celestia raised an eyebrow over the pronunciation when the non lethality of these obstructions were mentioned, yet chose not to mention it for now.

"And how would I do this? My magic is disabled. So is my ability to fly, apparently. Nor do I particularly understand the purpose of everything in this room. Do you by any chance have a manual for me to read? It would be most appreciated."

"And here I thought we were finally making some progress," the voice sighed out in irritation. "Very well, don't move." It instructed, and the room suddenly started shaking.

Looking around in surprise, Celestia watched with a sense of awe, even if she didn't outwardly show it, as the room came apart; the walls, floor and ceiling all pulled apart by small arms, and she immediately understood the segmented nature of this chamber.

"You can reshape this place at will," she said with a hint of admiration.

The voice did not answer and Celestia remained standing on the small piece of floor still remaining as the room around her reshaped itself.

When the process was done, she found herself standing in a small passage; blocked from behind, leading her into a small, square room; a glass cylinder extending down from the ceiling, with one of those large, red, circular platforms directly underneath. There was also one of those orange dotted lines connected to the glass cylinder, which led her to the pedestal with button almost directly before her.

"Here we go. I designed this testing chamber based on the… skills you've demonstrated so far."

Again choosing to ignore the voice, Celestia instead pushed the button.

With the same hiss as before, the metal iris opened and the same, or similar cube fell down and onto the red platform. A button, Celestia quickly deduced, as the weight of the cube pressed it down and the door slid open.

"Congratulations. It seems your button pressing abilities have not deteriorated in the last ten minutes. Please exit the chamber and enter the elevator which will take you to the next testing chamber where you will continue with your tests. For science."

"No, not for science," Celestia corrected. The voice did not reward her with any form of response as she stepped on the glass tubed elevator; the door smoothly sliding shut behind her, and the floor quickly dropped away as she ascended. "For cake."




> A Big Red Button
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Edited by Halusm, Slayerseba, and Clawder.



A Big Red Button



<<>><<>><<>>


With a hiss, the elevator came to a stop while the doors smoothly slid open, allowing Celestia to exit.

Stepping out of the glass tubed elevator, Celestia now found herself in a circular room; a flight of stairs directly before her. However, before the thought of following the path before her even crossed her mind, her attention was immediately pulled towards the luminescent walls; each displaying gigantic moving images.

"And what have we here?" She wondered, stepping closer to the wall and pushing against it with a hoof.

"Please refrain from physically interacting with the display walls," the warped voice almost immediately told her. "Any damage inflicted to this facilities equipment while outside the testing area will be deducted from your financial compensation."

Celestia responded by tapping on the display wall, trying to figure out how it worked.

"I said-"

"Oh, I heard you," Celestia calmly interrupted. "... This wall, it almost looks like one of those phone screens Twilight told me about. Though nothing seems to happen when I touch it," she said, smoothly changing the subject while applying just a bit more pressure on the display wall.


*Crack*


"... Oops," Celestia stepped back, looking at the small star shaped fracture now distorting the image.

"Fantastic," the voice said sarcastically. "By doing the exact opposite of what you were told, you were not only able to damage the display wall, but also give me valuable data needed to calculate your intelligence. Congratulations, you score only slightly higher than a certain core whose name shall not be mentioned."

Then the images on the wall changed; arrows now pointed towards the stairs, flashing urgently.

"Seeing the newly calculated mental abilities based on your recent performance, I thought it wise to point out in which direction you should go. As you can see, there is a collection of narrow platforms, all fixed on a different height which allows you to reach a higher orientated level by traversing these platforms."

"I know how stairs work, thank you," Celestia replied.

"So far, I have yet to see any viable evidence to support this claim. Nor do I expect to see so in the foreseeable future, considering how much you're weighted down by the excess mass you are carrying with you."

Celestia once again looked towards the general direction she believed this voice to originate from, the corners of her mouth tightening just a bit.

"Another remark towards my flank, I take it?"

"It is hard to miss," the voice said simply. "In fact, you almost exceeded the elevator's weight capacity all by yourself. I would have been impressed, hadn't it been for the fact I almost blew a fuse operating the elevator."

"You… blew a fuse. As in, you personally blew a fuse?" Celestia sought clarification.

"Unimportant," the voice told her.

"Oh, I disagree," Celestia replied. "If you're set on insulting me based on physical traits, I think it is only proper to, at the very least, know who does the insulting. Not to mention, you seem to know who I am. After all, you did know I am a Princess, nor do you seem particularly fazed by me being, well, me. So, let me ask: Who are you?"

A silent whirring noise pulled Celestia's attention to a strange, white, metallic egg attached to a fixture on the wall; a red lens slightly imbedded.

With another whir, the metallic egg slightly adjusted its angle as Celestia stepped closer to inspect the strange object; seeing several components behind the lens readjusting themselves.

"This almost reminds me of those new kind of cameras my little ponies are making," she said, then gasped out. "Oh, so this is how you're watching my every move, huh? Well, this answers at least one thing about you."

"And what might that be?" The voice said and Celestia could almost feel the eyeroll of the one speaking.

"Unimportant," Celestia said with a grin.

What followed next was a heavily distorted groan.

"Fine, have it your way," the voice complained.

"Well, I do like it my way," Celestia said with a nod. "So, with whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?"

"I am the Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System, the artificial intelligence in control of everything you see around you."

For a moment, Celestia mumbled the given designation, frowning slightly.

"So, Glados, huh. Well, you certainly are not what I first expected. There certainly isn't any artificial intelligence where I come from. Though we do have natural intelligence, which I guess is kind of the same thing."

"... Your estimated mental state has just dropped several points. You are now on par with the core who shall not be mentioned."

"But by mentioning not to mentioning this core, aren't you mentioning this core?"

"..."

"Well?"

"You have approximately ten seconds to leave this room before I will electrify the floor with lethal currents of electricity. Ten"

"Well, that does not sound nice," Celestia pouted.

"Nine."

"And here I thought we we're finally making some progress."

"Eight."

"And what about the wall. I thought I had to pay for it?"

"Seven."

"And what was-... Oh, is that a bit?" Celestia derailed, noticing something gleaming, wedged in between the elevator and floor.

"Six."

"Come here you," Celestia muttered tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth as she tried to reach in between the slight gap with a hoof; magic still not working.

"Five."

"Well, aren't you being difficult," Celestia huffed, discarding her horseshoe for a better fit.

"Four."

"Gotcha!"

"Three."

With a spark and sputter, Celestia pulled free the gold gleaming item, which was most certainly not a bit.

"Two."

"Whoops… I hope that was not important?"

"ONE!" the voice almost screamed.

Lances of sparking electricity shot from the floor, and into Celestia.

"GHAAAA!" Celestia screamed out and the egg shaped camera immediately focused on the writhing pony. However, no amount of refocusing could explain the faulty image Glados was currently seeing.

"GHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Celestia laughed, rolling over the floor in a spasm. "HAHAHAHAHA… PLEASE, MAKE IT STOP. YOU'RE, GHAHAHA, KILLING ME! YOU'RE KILLING MEHEHEHEHE!"

This time, Glados did blow a fuse.


<<>><<>><<>>


"And what have we here?" Celestia wondered as she looked around the room she was about to enter.

"Well, this jump I can make," she said as she looked down; the entrance of the room a couple of meters above the ground.

Looking to her left, then her right, she saw the room was divided in four separate chambers by thick glass walls.

The first room was, obviously, directly before her; only a slight drop away. On her right, divided by one of the glass walls, she saw what she designated as the second room, in which she saw another one of those strangely decorated cubes. While on her left, there was room number three, a shimmering blue portal and one of those large red buttons held within. While before her, the fourth and final room, she noticed the door leading out on the right wall.

On closer inspection, she also saw another of those dotted lines running along the floor, leading from the big red button to the now locked door.

"Well, this seems interesting," she said as she dropped down.

"Well, it took you long enough," Glados said, fuse replaced and her emotive sub processor purged.

"Ah, Glados. How nice to hear you're back," Celestia said with a cheerful smile. "Now, would you please inform me what needs to be done so I can get my cake?"

"The purpose of this test is to place the Weighted Storage Cube on the Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button without resorting to breaking the room like you did with the elevator and display wall."

"That's… quite the mouthful," said Celestia, a look of surprised bewilderment noticeable. "Why isn't it just called a big red button?"

"The Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button is no mere big red button, nor would a 'big red button' be able to compare with a Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button, as the Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Buttons have gone through rigorous and extensive tests to make sure these Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Buttons are able to undergo the various strenuous activities associated with our tests no mere big red button would be able to survive."

"... Say that again!" Celestia told Glados, trying her hardest not to laugh.

"Excuse me?"

"Say that again!" Celestia repeated. "Say Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button again.

"Why would I want to say Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button again?"

"Because it is hilarious!" Celestia laughed. "... Again!"

"... Remarkable. Other test subjects show cognitive improvement while participating in these tests. You, however, have broken the model, and have shown to actually lose IQ points ever since we started."

"Awww," Celestia pouted. "No more Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button?"

"Just start the test, or there will be no cake for you."

"Why now, no need to be so mean all of a sudden," Celestia quickly argued back, a hint of fear entering her voice.

Quickly looking around, she finally took notice of the shimmering orange hole on the wall behind her; revealing to her a path to the Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button, but not to the cube in the other room.

Then, with a burst of (to her unknown) energy, the portal closed, then immediately reopened; now allowing her entry to the room with the cube in it.

"Well, this seems simple enough," she mused as the portal closed again, then opened a path into the room with the exit.

Waiting a few more moments, she watched as the portal closed again, then reopened to the room with the Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button. From there, it was only a short wait for her to enter the room with the cube. However, as she tried to move the cube, she failed horribly. Well, not really, but she certainly made it seem like she did.

She was able to slide it from left to right using her earth pony strength, but the portal was not ground based, and although she knew she was able to lift it, the situation did present her with a new possibility.

"Say, Glados. This suppression field of yours. Is it possible to reduce its effect, and allow me use of my magic so I can lift this cube?"

"All outside devices and abilities not approved to be used in the testing chambers are not permitted to be used."

"Yes, I got that the first time. But unless I'm able to lift this cube, I won't be able to do much of anything."

"You just demonstrated the ability to move the Weighted Storage Cube. Use of your… magic is not required."

"Oh, but I disagree. Pushing this cube from left to right is one thing, but picking it up and placing it on top of the Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button is another."

"Stop saying that," Glados said irritably.

"Stop saying, what?"

"Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button."

"So you want me to stop saying Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button?" Celestia asked. "Well, I did call it a big red button, but you said that this was incorrect. So now I'm calling the Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button by its proper name."

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Glados groaned.

"Why, I have no idea what you're talking about," Celestia replied cheerfully, pushing the cube towards the portal with a show of effort.

"Well then, how are we ever going to get you through here?" she wondered aloud, looking at the portal and tapping her chin with a hoof.

What followed was a series of attempts in which Celestia tried to 'push' the cube through the portal. First with one hoof, sliding the cub up against the wall; only for it to slide away to the side and fall back on the floor with a heavy thud. Then she tried again, now with both hooves; sitting on the floor for added stability as she slowly slid the cube up. However, when she had almost managed to reach the portal, it closed and the 'strain' of trying made her drop the cube from 'exhaustion'.

Next, she had pushed the cube to the center of the small room she was in and promptly bucked the cube towards the portal. This time she did manage to get the cube to the required height, but again the portal closed and the heavy cube collided with the wall on an angle, and ricocheted into the glass wall.


*Crack*


"... Oops," Celestia said as the fracture began to grow, glass flaking away, then the entire wall collapsed into thousands of sharp fragments.

Silence.

Silence.

Glados remained eerily silent, though Celestia did feel a faint tremor through the floor. Almost as if something deep down had just exploded.

"Nullification field intensity has been lowered by: Fifteen percent," the hurried stallion's voice proclaimed.

Feeling a sudden warm tingle in her forehead, Celestia smiled as she saw her horn glow a golden yellow.

"Well, this will make things a lot easier."

Picking up the cube in her magic, Celestia patiently waited for the portal to open, leading her back to the first room, despite the fact the wall separating the two areas had now been demolished. Still, this was an ongoing test for science and she wouldn't cheat. After all, it might muddy the results.

Back in the first room, she waited for the portal to cycle back to the third room and she calmly placed the Weighted Storage Cube on the Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button.

With a curious hiss, the door opened and Celestia happily stepped through the portal once it opened a path to the fourth room; proud of her achievement.

"Perfect," Glados finally spoke up, her voice noticeably forced. "You finally managed to solve this test. Setting by far the longest time ever recorded for completing this course. No, really. We even had an ape run this course. She still did better than you just did and without the damage. You must be so proud of yourself right now… Now, please move quickly to the chamberlock as the effects of prolonged exposure to the… button are not part of this test. Though, in your case, I doubt it would make things worse."

Celestia didn't answer as she exited through the door and stepped on the elevator which waited for her in the next room; smiling largely as she turned around, seeing the doors close before her. Then the floor dropped away as she ascended to the next test that awaited her.

Yes, she was looking forwards to what came next.




> What Does This Button Do?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Edited by Slayerseba and Clawder.



What Does This Button Do?



<<>><<>><<>>


With a familiar hiss, the elevator stopped on a new floor and the doors opened for Celestia.

As she stepped out of the elevator, she was momentarily convinced Glados had circled her back to the same room; circular, large display walls around. Though, upon closer inspection, she did not see the damage she'd inflicted before. Furthermore, there was now a straight path forwards, where there was first a flight of stairs before. The large, flashing arrows on the display walls, however, were more than familiar and Celestia chuckled quietly as she strode down the path before her.

The door before her opened, revealing to her the chamber and the puzzle that awaited her.

"Oh, now this looks interesting," Celestia hummed.

"Protocol dictates that at this point you are to be commended for doing a good job," Glados spoke up. "But you didn't, so I won't." Celestia, however, did not react as she stepped inside.

The room she'd entered was small, very much so. Little to no room to maneuver, nor was there any object, or button to interact with. There was a door to her right, however it was locked shut and with no discernible way to open it. Of course, this did little to deter Celestia, nor did she even acknowledge the fact the way forwards was blocked. No, instead her attention was completely captured by the large window left of the door; showing her the chamber beyond.

The chamber seemed to consist out of three separate areas. The first area was directly before her; a full level down. The second area was at the same level as the room she was currently in, yet no discernible path to it was visible. There wasn't any kind of wall, or barrier between the first and second area, but the difference in height made it all but impossible to reach the higher area from the lower, unless one could jump high enough, fly, or do magic. As it currently was, Celestia doubted she would be allowed to do the latter two. That left jumping, but she wanted to see if there was any other possibility before she would attempt such a feat.

The other possibility, assuming there was one, could probably be found in the third area. Assuming the locked door to her right lead her to this particular section of the room. But what she could confirm from her vantage point was that it was connected to the first area on the right through means of a small hole in a wall separating the two places.

Then, to her surprise, an orange portal flashed into being on the wall of the second area; yet it's surface did not reveal any passage through to some other part of the room. Instead, it almost looked like it was covered by a wavering layer of the same shimmering orange energy.

Her attention was promptly diverted by a mechanical hum and a small portion of the first area's floor dropped away. Then, to her growing curiosity, a metal rod slowly rose up from the ground. And attached on top to this rod was a most peculiar device.

Celestia gasped slightly as the device rotated ninety degrees to the left, and promptly shot a burst of blue energy on the wall. Then, to her silent amazement, a blue portal formed, and a passage was opened to the previously closed orange portal.

"I see you have noticed the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, or Portal Gun for short," Glados intoned. "Though my common sense sub processor indicates it is an unwise decision to allow you the use of this device, protocol dictates that you, ENTER NAME HERE, are required the use of the quantum tunneling device for the continuation of these tests."

"Oh… fancy," Celestia said, not giving any indication she'd heard Glados and instead stood almost with her face pressed against the glass; hooves held on either side as she watched with rapt attention as the portal gun rotated ninety degrees to its left again, and fired a new blue portal on the wall; the previous blue portal disappearing as it formed.

An unidentifiable, garbled sound came from the unseen audio transmitters, yet carrying the distinct tone of Glados' voice. Then, as the sound stopped, the door to Celestia's right opened.

Noticing this. Celestia's gaze slowly slid to the open door, then back to the still rotating portal; a winning smile slowly growing on her face.

With a burst of speed and what almost sounded like a foalish squeal of joy, she ran through the door. Immediately, she'd encountered a stairs down and to the left, leading her to the third area she'd seen.

This area soon proved to be nothing more than a dead end; with only the small window she saw earlier, allowing her to see into the area with the portal gun, yet she was unable to enter.

Approaching the small, rectangular hole, Celestia peered through, staring directly into the barrel of the portal gun. A burst of blue struck her squarely in the muzzle.

With a shout of surprise, she stumbled back, hitting the wall behind her, and fell to her rump; scrunching up her nose while staring at it with her eyes crossed.

Gingerly reaching up with a hoof, she carefully prodded her nose, feeling if everything was still as it should be. Not feeling anything amiss, nor seeing anything unusual either, Celestia released a sigh of relief she didn't knew she was holding. Then, with rapidly widening eyes, she shot of to the left; narrowly dodging another burst of energy.

'Odd,' she thought as she stared at the newly formed portal on the wall.

"Say, Glados… You didn't, by any chance, change the rotation speed of the portal gun so it would shoot another one of those blue blobs at me while I was sitting down?" She asked.

"Changing the parameters of this course would be a violation of protocol," Glados replied readily.

"I see," Celestia replied, not convinced as she saw the portal gun rotate, stop, then return to aim at the spot she'd just sat a moment ago. A new burst of energy hit the wall, and the portal reformed on the same spot it already was.

"No, really," Glados informed her. "Repeatedly aiming the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device at destructive elements is an essential part of this facilities testing program in an attempt to reinforce desired behavioral patterns, while also discourage any undesired behavioral patterns already present. Your participation in this most important test will be invaluable for future test subjects to come."

Rising back to her hooves, Celestia gave an unreadable expression to the nearest camera. Then, as she proceeded to step through the portal, it closed.

Raising an eyebrow, she looked back at the portal gun; seeing it had rotated ninety degrees again and opened a new portal on the wall outside. However, it took the better part of two minutes before Celestia even realized the device was moving again. This time at an incredibly slow pace.

"Patience is also an intricate part to complete these tests," Glados informed Celestia before she had a chance to comment.

"Is that so?" Celestia said. She then sat down, took a moment to find the most comfortable spot and looked at the camera. "Well then, do you know any good jokes while we wait?"

"I do, actually," Glados responded after a short pause. "Implementing joke in three, two, one." What followed: a tall mirror slid down from the ceiling and Celestia was able to see herself. "There you have it. Isn't it funny?... No, it is not. This clearly shows the worst joke to have ever existed. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Oh, I don't know," Celestia replied smartly, slowly standing up and stepping closer to the mirror. "In fact, I'd say this is one of the best looking jokes I've seen so far," She then slowly moved her hind body into view, focusing on her rump. "Not bad at all."

The mirror quickly fell down through the floor.

"This joke is stupid. Just like you."

"Well, you're the one who came up with it," Celestia said simply, smirking ever so slightly.

"With the recorded mental capacity currently on record, I doubt you would be able to do better," Glados taunted.

"Well, why don't we put that to the test, hmmm?" Celestia grinned. "Knock knock."

"..."

"Knock knock," she said again.

"..."

"From what I can see, it's still some time before I can continue… Sooo, knock knock."

A heavily warped sigh crackled the audio emitters.

"Who's there?" Glados groaned.

"Ton."

"Ton, who?" Glados asked reluctantly.

"Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Butto-" Before Celestia could finish, a blue burst of energy shot through the hole in the wall, and a new portal opened for her.

"Well, would you look at that. Time really does fly when you're having fun," she chuckled and quickly stepped through the portal.

Stepping out on the higher level of the second area, Celestia calmly, but eagerly walked to the edge; seeing the portal gun rotating normally again.

Grinning, she dropped down and eagerly approached the device; the glint in her eyes almost reflecting off the portal gun's gleaming white casing. And now, with the device only a leg's distance away, Celestia diligently studied the object from all angles as it rotated before her.

As she had already noticed, the device's casing was a reflective white; the same metal as pretty much everything else in this strange complex. But the portal gun's interior construction was made of black coated metal; extending out of the oval shaped casing into a wide barrel, of which she already had the unfortunate pleasure of receiving a face full demonstration earlier. There were three thick wires connecting the casing with three pincer like prongs surrounding the barrel, as well as more of the white metal covering the lower portion. There was also a glass tube in between the barrel and casing, which glowed with a portal blue light. The same color light also shone from the casing through a circular indentation on top; a black, slightly imbedded line splitting the casing in half.

With her curiosity piqued, Celestia used her magic to grab the portal gun from its mounting; the supporting rod retreating back into the floor the moment the portal gun was removed.

Now surrounded by a golden glow, the portal gun levitated before Celestia at eye height and she slowly spun the device upside down so she got a better look at the gun's backside, which she had noticed seemed hollow. This, however was quickly disproven, as she saw something she surmised was used to take hold of the device. Which also revealed a secondary purpose of the casing as some kind of guard for the appendage one was supposed to insert. This, obviously, was of no concern to her. What was, though, were the two buttons she saw within the portal gun's grip hold.

"Oh, and what do these buttons do?" She wondered and used her magic to press one of the buttons.

With a surprising amount of force, the portal gun jerked up as a burst of blue energy fired from the device; impacting on the ceiling before dissipating without any effect.

For a moment, Celestia looked up at the ceiling with wide eyes. Then, as her gaze drifted down again, a massive smile grew on her features, doing Pinkie Pie proud.

Excited, she pressed the second button, bracing herself for the expected kick of the portal gun. However, this time nothing happened.

"Huh," she hummed, eying the button critically. "This button fires the blue portal," she said to herself, glancing at the aforementioned portal on the wall. "So, does that mean this button is supposed to fire the orange portal?" She then looked at the orange portal on the level above.

Looking around, she located the nearest camera and stepped closer.

"Glados. Am I right with my assumption?"

"Despite the lower than average intelligence recorded among all test subjects you have demonstrated to possess, you have correctly deduced the function of the two buttons of the device designed to do one thing and one thing only. Congratulations, you must feel real proud of yourself… In fact, I'll put a gold star on top of your record, right next to the comment of how you're a terrible individual."

"Then why does one of the buttons do not work?" Celestia asked simply, not responding to Glados' insults.

"Despite your track record and the higher than eighty six point seven three percent chance of you being responsible for breaking the portal device, the device is not malfunctioning as of yet. The secondary firing button has been disabled for the duration of these tests, until sufficient progress has been made, and noticeable improvement can be detected with the use of the portal device as well as Aperture Science equipment."

"Well, that does make sense," Celestia said. "Anything else I need to know?"

"The Portal Device is designed to create and place portals on any white surface that is immobile, flat and large enough. When the device is fired, a colored projectile will be emitted from the barrel. If the projectile strikes a valid surface, a portal of the corresponding color will be formed. If a portal of the other color is already placed, these two portals will be linked. If a portal of the same color is already placed, it will be closed and the new one will be used instead, limiting you, enter name here to the use of only two portals at a time. Nothing will happen if a portal is shot at an enemy or other object. The glass chamber and a light on the top of the device will glow with the color of the previously placed portal. Do note that these intradimensional gates have proven to be completely safe, the device, however, has not," Glados informed her.

"Do not touch the operational end of the device. Do not look directly at the operational end of the device, like you already have. Your physical condition shall be closely monitored. Do not submerge the device in liquid, even partially. Most importantly, under no circumstances should you Bzzzpt," a sudden burst of static over the auditory system, which Glados controlled, cut off whatever she wanted to say.

"Should I do, what?" Celestia asked, looking at the camera.

Glados didn't answer.

Rolling her eyes, Celestia stepped away from the camera.

"Politicians, Artificial Intelligences, they're all the same. Using big words, but saying nothing at the same time." She stopped, and looked back at the camera. It was affixed on the wall. A white, flat, and large wall. A devious glint shone in her eyes.

Aiming her portal gun at the camera, she pushed the button and a blue burst of energy fired from the device. It struck the wall just below the camera, and a portal opened. Yet the camera remained, but with no wall to support it any longer, gravity took hold and the egg shaped eye of Glados fell to the floor. Then, using her magic, Celestia brought it up to eye level.

"Hello, is this thing still on?" Celestia asked, smiling at her own reflection in the lens.

The mechanism behind the lens refocused, almost aggressively so.

"Deliberate destruction of Aperture equipment will not be tolerated and will be taken in account during the evaluation of your overall performance. Penalties may include a full withdrawal of your financial compensation, mandatory participating in the turret live fire exercise, cleaning up after the mandatory turret live fire exercise, or a bad grade on your record."

"Well, then it is a good thing I didn't damage this camera of yours," Celestia quipped back, staring deeply into the lense; forcing it to refocus from her close proximity. "See, still works."

"What are you even planning on doing with that?" Glados asked flatly.

"Oh, I haven't decided yet. But I'm sure it will come in handy," Celestia replied enthusiastically. "Now, let's continue, shall we?"

Firing a new portal on the nearest wall, Celestia created a passage back to the second area and stepped through. From there, she quickly moved to the door out of the room. Again, there was an elevator, but this time there was also something else. Something she hadn't seen before.

A strange field of energy was projected between her and the elevator; patterns in this field almost giving it the look of rippling water.

Surprised, Celestia stopped an leg's length from the field; inspecting it carefully.

"Glados, what is this?" She asked. Glados didn't answer.

Frowning ever so slightly, she carefully prodded the field with the tip of the portal gun. Then, when nothing seemed to happen, the full device passed through the field of energy.

Pulling the portal gun back, Celestia studied it carefully. Then, confident it hadn't done anything that would be cause of concern, she took a bold step through the field.

The energy washed over her, her regalia,the portal gun and the camera. However, only she and the portal gun made it through the field.

With a burst of energy, the camera and her regalia disintegrated; leaving nothing behind.

Jumping back in surprise, Celestia frantically patted her chest with her now bare hoof.

"Wha… what happened?" she asked, worried.

"Do not be alarmed. You just experienced the Aperture Science Material Emancipation Grill, which will dematerialize any objects and items not approved to leave the current testing track, as well as any illegal items in your possession which may interfere with these tests," Glados informed her with a noticeable smug undertone. "Please be advised that a noticeable taste of blood is not part of any test protocol, but is an unintended side effect of the Aperture Science Material Emancipation Grill, which may, in semi-rare cases, emancipate dental fillings, crowns, tooth enamel, and teeth."

"I beg your pardon? You mean to tell me my regalia is-"

"Dematerialized, yes," Glados finished. "Reduced to nothing more than free floating molecules, which you're currently breathing in. Isn't that nice?"

"Actually… it is," Celestia said after a moment's pause.

"Wait… what?"

"It is," Celestia repeated. "Do you know how long I have wanted to get rid of those things; to just toss them at the side and not worry about my 'royal appearance' as so many of my little ponies seem to do. This… this is actually quite the relief; like I have been set free… Thank you," Celestia beamed.

"You're glad your insignificant artifacts have been destroyed?" Glados asked, unable to believe it. "All you organics do is form illogical bonds with inanimate objects and overvalue them because of it. My logic processor indicates you should be devastated by the loss of your overvalued jewelry."

"Oh, not me," Celestia chuckled. "In fact, they were modeled after the regalia my doll used to have when I was a filly. And my parents thought it was adorable when I started wearing them myself, so they made a real set for me when I growed up. Though I can't say I know exactly what the look on my face was, my parent's reaction spoke volumes," she revealed.

"..."

"Luna still teases me about it from time to time," she added with a slight pout.

Deep down in Glados' core, several important components of her logic processor sparked and sputtered.

It took her a while to snap out of her stupor and by the time she'd addressed the issue, and redirected her processes to an undamaged cluster, Celestia had already entered the elevator, and was on her way to the next testing stage.

"I'll admit, I was not expecting that."

"Ah, Glados. How nice to hear you're back," said Celestia as the doors slid open. "Now, let's see what you've come up this tim- Oh," she halted mid sentence as, instead of the same room with display walls she was expecting, she instead found herself in a new testing chamber. "Well, this is different."

Stepping through the short passage, Celestia looked around this new testing area; a glass wall blocking her direct path, but allowed her to walk past it on the right. One of those large red buttons was placed on the ground before this glass wall, with another of those dotted lines running over the floor, leading to the locked door. And there was a closed orange portal located directly next to the big red button.

On the right side of the room, there was a glass cylinder from which she knew another one of those cubes was dispensed; hanging above a significant drop down. And as she approached the edge, the cylinder opened on its own and the expected cube fell down, alongside something else. Something rather unexpected and musical.

Jumping down the drop off, Celestia spread her wings to slow her fall. Once down, she moved towards the musical object, picking it up with her magic.

It was slightly oval shaped; cut in half and flattened. Made of the now overly familiar white metal, with a black center. Within this center, there were several intriguing details. The first being a display showing the time. A small green light glowed right at the bottom of the base, while on either side, there was a small metal cap with numerous tiny holes in them. It was also from these caps Celestia could hear the music coming from.

"And what is this?" She wondered as she slowly rotated the device. "A music box?... No, not exactly. Oh," she suddenly realized. "This must be a radio. Something else my ponies are working on… but I have never seen a radio this small." Looking at the radio, then her portal gun and finally up at the camera high above, Celestia nodded appreciatively.

"Whoever it was that made you, they are technologically much more advanced than we ponies are."

"You only realize this now?" Glados said with mock surprise. "... Amazing. It would seem it is not possible to lower your estimated intelligence level any further. Congratulations. You've just set a new low."

"Well, I guess things can only go up from here," Celestia added in jest, firing her portal gun, opening a passage back up. "And there you go," she said as she grabbed the cube and placed it on top of the button; the door opening with a hiss.

Stepping through herself, the radio hovering by her side alongside the portal gun, Celestia moved for the exit with a playful sway in her steps, humming along with the radio. However, she soon stopped mid stride, shortly after exiting the room, as she encountered another of those Aperture Science Material Emancipation Grills.

Not feeling like losing her new radio, Celestia instead chose to look around for another way to the elevator on the other side of the field.

For nearly ten minutes, she looked for any possible path past the shield, with no results. But then, quite by accident as she leaned against the passage's wall, she found what she was looking for.

With a sudden lurch and a shout of surprise from Celestia, part of the wall swung inwards like a door.

Taking several large steps, Celestia managed to catch herself before making a close encounter with the floor. Righting herself, she looked around in surprise and intrigue, realizing she had found a way off the designated path.

"Oh, backstage entry."

"Wait, where did you go to?" Glados called out; unable to see what happened due to the lack of a camera in the hall leading to the elevator and the cameras back in the testing chamber all hanging at an disadvantaged angle for her to catch a glimpse of what just transpired.

Glados patiently waited for an answer for a whole fifteen seconds, observing the testing chamber and adjacent elevator rooms simultaneously with her cameras. But when no answer was given and the infuriating mutant equine failed to show up on any of her live feeds, a groan of irritation reverberated through the core room which housed her physical being.

The large device that was Glados swung around on its ceiling mounting; her one yellowish eye narrowing as she observed the active display before her.

Of course it was not really necessary for her to look at a display, considering she was connected to the entire facility. But I, the author, didn't feel like writing how Glados stared around into space as she sifted through the data, as it reminded me too much of myself when procrastinating far too often while pretending not to notice the other chapters of my fics I still need to finish.

"Now where did you go to?" Glados wondered, forcing the testing chamber Celestia had cleared a moment ago to come apart. Yet as each panel, super button, cube dispenser and other object were removed, a certain lack of an overly destructive equine could not be ignored.

Celestia, however, didn't notice anything of the commotion when the previous room was dismantled; the path she found leading her to a true maze of metal mesh stairs and walkways, swirling glass tubes full of all kinds of cubes and all kinds of things she couldn't even begin to identify.

Unfortunately, even off the beaten path, she soon found out her magic didn't work even here; the same with her ability to fly.

This was regrettable, as she truly wanted to move to some of the higher and lower placed walkways and find out what marvels awaited her there. Still, this didn't mean the path she was following lead to nowhere. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Following the path before her, each step clanging slightly on the metal mesh, she made her way over to a dilapidated room; its circular door partially open, yet gave way easily when she used her magic to gain entry. A bit too easily, as she soon discovered. With a loud 'CLANG' the door broke away, and fell to the floor with an even louder 'WHAM'.

"Hello, is anypony in here?" Celestia asked, carefully stepping inside, illuminating the area with her glowing horn.

Looking around the clearly forgotten and dust covered room, no one had been here for a long, long time, and with deliberate slowness Celestia ventured deeper inside; carefull with each step she took, the ground littered with papers, coffee cups, and other items. There was also some furniture; tables mostly and some worn seats, all shoved roughly aside to one place or the other.

"What happened here?"

The tomb like silence which had settled down over the room provided no answer; not even the sounds of machinery at work from outside the chamber managed to penetrate the rapidly becoming eerily quiet place and each step Celestia took sounding louder, and louder, while the radio had stopped playing without notice.

But then, as she slowly looked around, the glow of her horn briefly illuminated something written on the wall.

Focusing her magic, and stepping closer, Celestia took a closer look.


*CLANG*


Celestia reared back in shock, horrified. The portal gun and radio falling to the floor as her magic faltered and failed. For there, written on the wall in crude letters, was something so despicable, so diabolical, so truly horrific, only the worst of the worst kind of individuals would be able to utter these words without fear, or remorse.




> Soo… The Cake Is A Lie, huh?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Edited by Slayerseba and Clawder.



Soo… The Cake Is A Lie, huh?



<<>><<>><<>>


Slowly Celestia retraced her steps back to the elevator. Her mane, normally waving energetically, seemed to have lost some of its luster and her bangs hung lowly over her eyes; eyes which stared forwards without much emotion, the shock of what she had just discovered almost life changing in its severity.

The radio she had brought with her lay forgotten in the room she'd just left, waiting for someone else to find it one day, maybe?

As for the portal gun, Celestia still carried it with her, aiming it in front of her with her magic ready to press the firing button.

Someone had some explaining to do.

Reaching the wall which had opened up, she stepped back into the hallway leading to the elevator. Yet as she turned the other way, back to the testing area, she found instead a wall blocking her way, leaving her with no place to go other than back to the room with those horrible things written on the wall, or the elevator.

It wasn't really much of a choice.

Stepping towards the glass tube, Celestia stopped a leg length away from the closed door; her face a mask of collected calmness as she saw the elevator itself was gone.

"Glados," she called the AI, turning to the nearest camera.

No reply came and the camera was unresponsive; aimed down and unmoving.

Only raising a single, slender eyebrow in response, Celestia fired her portal gun at the camera; a burst of blue energy hitting, then dissipating without any visible effect on the artificial eye.

"Glados," she tried again, voice calm and collected.

With a silent mechanical humm, the camera moved up, its lens focusing on Celestia.

"Oh, I see you have returned," Glados said with disinterest. "Though I must admit this is a surprise, as simulations for the reason of your sudden disappearance all pointed towards you being dematerialized by the Emancipation Grill. Also, recent surveys of my optical processors indicate there are no malfunctions, which means you are standing there and aren't dead, yet, and are able to continue testing. Initiating celebratory protocol."

Sudden, loud cheering filled the room; streamers and confetti falling down the elevator shaft.

"Glados," Celestia said after a short but uncomfortable silence. "Would you mind telling me why there is an immense complex of structures, walkways and stairs outside these testing chambers?"

The camera bobbed in silence, the lense focusing and refocusing as Glados accessed additional data clusters.

"Despite this facility's malleable nature, a fixed path is required for easy access to all levels by Aperture Science personnel. You, however, are not listed on the personal roster and admission to have entered this off limits area forces me to disqualify you for further testing. Please step on the elevator," Glados instructed as the elevator descended, "and it will return you to the waiting area where you will be presented with the bill for damage inflicted to this facility and its equipment."

"And what about the cake?" Celestia asked, looking imploringly at the camera.

"Disqualification also forfeit rewards promised upon completion of these tests."

The corners of Celestia's mouth tightened slightly.

"I see," she said simply. "Though I must ask: where are all these employees? The area I found was completely overturned and abandoned, clearly for a long time. Not to mention, the very disturbing message I found written on the wall. It's obvious there hasn't been anypony there for a long, long time."

"Oh, you shouldn't worry about such trivial matters. My creators are known to be lazy and rather messy whenlefttorotaftergassingthemwithneurotoxin."

"I'm sorry, what was that last part?" Celestia asked, the last bit of what Glados said was delivered with such speed, that the words got jumbled together. Still, she had a good idea what it was she just heard and was shocked to say the least, though her calm facade remained intact.

"Clearly your auditory receptors are malfunctioning," Glados stated.

"Perhaps," Celestia hummed as she inspected her portal gun. "Still, I would like to speak with whomever is in charge of this facility."

"I'm afraid that isn't possible, as the one in charge has no interest in a magical, talking unicorn princess. Should this position be taken by a six year old girl, however, you will be informed and an appointment will be made."

"Alicorn," Celestia corrected. "I'm an alicorn, and I must insist," she stared determinedly into the camera. "And the way I see it, you either take me yourself, or I simply take the long route," she stated matter of factly, turning back to the still open wall just out of camera angle for Glados. "After all, you did say there is a fixed path for employees out there. I wonder where it could take me, should I be forced to go there instead?"

Silence.

"Very well," Glados begrudgingly agreed. "Enter the elevator and it will be redirected to the main office."

For a moment, Celestia looked at the elevator as the doors slid open. Then, with her mind made up, she entered.

"Protocol dictates me to inform you that you are not going to enjoy this," Glados informed her with curious undertone to her voice.

"On that we agree," Celestia replied as the doors slid shut and the elevator began to ascend.


<<>><<>><<>>


Just as the previous times she used the elevator, Celestia rapidly rose up; momentarily unable to see anything but the passage her ride took her through. But then, where she would arrive at the next stop previously, she instead found the elevator suspended on its track above the room she just left; surrounding her a controlled chaos of walkways, stairs, ladders, enormous complexes shifting around into new configurations and a multitude of glass tubes swirling around; with the cubes she knew from personal interactions, to the strange, elongated ovals on tripod legs she saw in the first room she'd entered racing through them. She even noticed several tubes pumping thick orange and blue sludge around, its purpose unknown to her.

With a jolt, the elevator stopped and she hung still between rooms, giving her a couple of seconds to look around until another jarring shock rocked her around.

Requiring a moment to catch herself, Celestia saw the elevator had switched tracks as it was already in transit; sideways this time and she soon slid past the rooms below, and above her.

It was only then, that the titanic scale of this immens complex snapped into focus, for as far as she looked, she couldn't find any indication of a wall, floor, or ceiling; the distance so great everything was lost to it and everything around her, all the structures, walkways, and tubes hung supported above the immense chasm down below.

For the first time in a very, very long time Celestia felt herself being small, very small and she hoped the elevator wouldn't 'accidentally' break from its track.

As the elevator moved, Celestia saw more and more complexly designed chambers, their purpose unknown to her. Then, with another jolt, once again taking her by surprise, the Elevator switched tracks again; this time going down several stories, before moving to the left. Her ride continued on this path for a full seven minutes, before another jolt, which she suspected by now was done on purpose, the elevator once again switched tracks and rose up, moving higher, and higher until it finally moved into the largest structure Celestia had seen in this immense complex so far.

Back within the shaft of a structure, the walls surrounding her seemed to press in on her, after hanging, suspended above nothing, but an endless drop. The lights were also dimmed to the point the faint glow of her portal gun basked the inside of the elevator with blue light. And as she rose higher and higher, she dreaded exactly what it was she would find.

Eventually, finally, the elevator rose up from the floor within a large, circular chamber. Just not like those she'd seen before. There were no display walls surrounding her, or stairs or other paths leading to another room. Instead, there was a multitude of flat surfaced panels encircling the chamber in a dome, with a large, strange machine hanging from the ceiling.





With a hiss the elevator stopped, but the doors refused to open.

"Glados, would it be possible for you to open the doors please?"

"Well, aren't you demanding," Glados replied. However, this time her voice did not come from the cleverly concealed speakers, but from the large machine.

With a startling burst of motion, the device spun around and closed the distance between itself, and Celestia. A large orange glowing eye stared at the mare through the elevator's glass doors.

Instinctively, Celestia took half a step back before she caught herself. Not that she could have gone far in the enclosed space of the elevator, but she knew she couldn't show her shock and fear, and instead, through years of trial, hardship, and politics, she managed to keep a neutral face.

"So, we meet face to face at last… I think," Celestia began, taking a moment to study the sentient machine. "And am I right to assume you're the one in charge around here, or are you merely the assistant?"

"Had I not already created a character profile based on your performance during the tests you've done, I would have been surprised by your lack of understanding of the current situation. As it is, your attempt at humor is poor at best. Though, considering what's coming, I'll give you this much. Ha ha ha," Glados fake laughed. "There, does that make you feel better? No? Oh well, not that it matters much."

"So, is that a yes, or a no to the assistant thing?"

Glados moved back a bit, her 'head' tilting to the left.

"Stop playing dumb with me," Glados intoned, annoyed. "You've already taken more of my time than I would have liked, don't prolong this with pointless questions."

"Very well, I'll get to the point, then," Celestia agreed, looking imploringly at Glados. "Is the cake a lie?"

"... What?" Glados' processes halted for several cycles as she looked a the mutant horse.

"Is. The. Cake. A. Lie?" Celestia repeated.

Slowly Glados moved towards Celestia, her eye locked on the princess with dedicated focus.

"I am an high functioning intelect, containing the full knowledge of the creatures who created me; capable of technological marvels you would never be able to understand; who holds answers to the laughable questions your greatest minds have come up with and all you want to know is whether, or not there is cake?"

"That does sums it up rather nicely, yes," Celestia confirmed, nodding once.

"You know," Glados said after a short pause. "I agreed to hold you here as it provided me with new avenues for tests designed to your unusual capabilities. Yet in the short time you've been here, going through the simplest, most standard tests, you have done more damage than any other test subject on record save one. And though I planned on bisecting you to find the cause of your mutation, I now realize you're not worth the trouble. So, instead, I'll just dispose of you. And I know just where to put you."

With a loud CLANG, a large mechanical clamp grabbed hold of the elevator; lifting it up while a hurried proclamation of the now familiar stallion's voice informed Celestia the suppression field was boosted to full strength.

The portal gun slammed to the metal floor as Celestia's magic faltered and failed.

Closing in, Glados glared at the trapped pony.

"And should you survive, well, it should be an educational experience for the both of us." And by her command, the elevator was moved to an empty elevator shaft, then surrendered to gravity's unrelenting grasp.


<<>><<>><<>>


Trapped and bereft of her magic, Celestia found she was utterly helpless as the elevator plummeted down. And as a result of a little something called terminal velocity, Celestia slammed into the ceiling, hard; an involuntary and explosive gasp turned wheeze escaping her as the portal gun slammed into her gut.

Unable to summon her magic and slow the glass box, which Glados had chosen as her casket, all Celestia could do was hold on for dear life as she fell deeper and deeper; only the dim glow of the portal gun allowing her to see as all other light had vanished; the tumbling elevator slamming into the walls of the shaft as it wobbled from end to end, cracking the glass and filling the claustrophobic box with sharp shards and splinters, several of which sliced through Celestia's fur, drawing blood.

Further and further she fell, until, without warning, she discovered just how deep this hole was when the elevator slammed into the ground, and Celestia's world went dark.




> Well, This Place Could Use A Dusting
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Edited by Slayerseba, Halusm, and Clawder.



Well, This Place Could Use A Dusting



<<>><<>><<>>


Lights flashed by in blurring speed with each level the elevator plummeted down into the abyss without control; slamming into the shaft's walls with jarring blows, knocking the sole occupant from left to right, while terminal velocity made sure Celestia remained glued to the ceiling, while the suppression field made sure she was unable to summon her magic to save herself.

'Is this how it will end?'

It was the last thought that crossed her mind when the elevator finally reached the bottom, doing so with unrelenting speed and force, and Celestia's world went dark.


<<>><<>><<>>


The elevator lay in shambles; its frame twisted and bent in jagged shapes, while the glass walls had exploded both inwards and out from the concussive force. No external lights were active down there, save a single emergency light within the elevator miraculously still providing the faintest of glows. Though it was flickering and dying as its circuitry suffered from fatal damage, sputtering and sparking as the electricity continued to flow through damaged and torn cables.

Numerous pipes and plate material, knocked loose by the elevator, also littered the wreck inside and out, with numerous pieces still falling down and colliding with the increasingly unstable wreck.

Dust, too, filled the shaft; decades old particles roughly disturbed and now free floating thickly in the air in random patterns, only altered by the odd chunk of debris still falling down and the faint breathing of Celestia as she lay half buried under metal, glass, dust, and blood.

With a struggling gasp, she came to, crying out in pain immediately after, as all the cuts, bruises, glass splinters and something much, much worse instantly made themselves known to her.

Forcing herself to calm down despite the horrible situation she awoke into, she looked around to get a sense of where she was, as well as how bad her position was at this moment.

Clanking coming from high above alerted her, and she took notice of a jagged piece of pipe falling down; slamming into the floor not even a hoof's length away from her right side. She knew, had it hit her, the wound inflicted would have been most severe.

The notion of severe injuries brought her back to her own predicament and the pool of blood she was lying in. Gritting her teeth as she carefully moved herself, she inspected her body to the best of her restricted capabilities.

Multiple cuts scarred her once white coat and numerous glistening pieces of glass still stuck out of most of them; shifting and slicing deeper into her flesh with the motions. Her left wing, though roughed up and missing several feathers, seemed to be otherwise intact, while her  right wing lay trapped underneath a sheared off metal beam; the bone clearly broken and crushed.

A trickle of blood flowing into her mouth alerted her to the absence of two teeth and she gingerly prodded the raw, bleeding gums with her tongue before spitting out the glob of blood; grunting as a stab of pain shot through her body.

Another chunk of metal slammed into the floor somewhere behind her and she slowly turned to look over her covered hind body, but was unable to find the object which had made the latest ruckus.

Looking down, she grunted as she tried to shift her body in an attempt to free herself. A strangled gasp escaped her as she became fully aware of a strange, but unfortunately not unknown sensation.

Closing her eyes, she reached out to her hind legs, flexing them.

This time she expected the lash of pain and was able to bite down the cry threatening to otherwise escape.

Several more pieces of debris slammed into the floor and wreckage; the broken frame of the elevator groaning in protest.

Realizing she wasn't safe there and everything could very well collapse on top of her at any given moment, Celestia gritted her teeth and forced her legs underneath herself. With a loud, pain filled cry which echoed up into the darkness of the elevator shaft, she pushed with all her might, the metal and glass sliding off of her and falling to the ground; followed directly thereafter by the solar princess as her body gave out from the strain.

For several long moments, she lay on the floor, unmoving save for her heaving chest.
Once the blinding pain and her body's protest had dulled down, she slowly raised her head and gave her body, now free from any crushing debris, a final once over.

A heavy breath jammed stuck on it’s way out, as she finally confirmed what she already knew.

Her right leg was gone; ripped off at the knee and lying in a bloody pool behind her.
Had it not been for her innate alicorn magic already at work mending her wounds, she would have not survived the crash.

The loud clanging of still more metal falling down around her forced her next action and she struggled to move out of the shaft; following the only path available to her, up an old, rusted flight of stairs towards a rounded, unhinged door.

Pulling herself into the passage beyond, she fell to the floor, out of breath and strength; only staying conscious long enough to glance back and see an avalanche of metal pipes and beams crash down on the remains of the elevator; burying her leg in what would have been her tomb had she stayed there even a minute longer.

Finally losing grip of the last of her strength, she let her head fall down as darkness once more consumed her.


<<>><<>><<>>


With a groan, Celestia stirred into motion. A slight twitch at first, but slowly increasing.
Glass shards clinked onto the floor as they slid out of her body, her innate magic having expelled the foreign objects and healing the wounds without any trace they had ever been there.

Groggily, she opened her eyes; blinking owlishly for several long seconds as she tried to remember where she was, how she got there and how to function on the most basic level.

Admittedly, had she not found herself in some unknown place, it could have been any other day.

She really needed her coffee.

Smacking her lips, followed by another unprincess like groan, she lifted her head from the ground; huffing in irritation as her ever waving mane hung over her face and a blue lock had found its way into her mouth. Spitting out the strands of wiggling hair and shaking the rest of her mane out of her face, she finally was able to take in the state of herself.

Unsurprisingly, the first thing she noticed was the large splotch of dried blood staining her fur; sticking her body to the floor, much to her dismay.

Ignoring her now red coat, she shifted her focus to her broken wing. Just like her cuts, her alicorn durability was already hard at work mending the bone; though it would be at least a day or two before she would be able to fully use her wing. And prodding with her tongue, she could already feel the newly formed teeth pushing through her gums, restoring her perfect whites before long.

That, obviously, was the good news. Looking to her missing leg, it was of no little surprise to her that process on healing that injury was less than spectacular.

True, in her long, extensive life she had endured many similar injuries. The chaos war and her sister's fall to the nightmare most prominent among the events leading to such injuries. Though, as she inspected the ragged wound, thankful that at the very least it wasn't bleeding anymore, a small frown did crease her features.

Looking around her, she spotted a small piece of concrete, chipped of a wall, maybe as a result of the crash, or maybe of old age, as the age smeared walls seemed to suggest and reached out with her magic.

A faint flickering aura of gold surrounded the small rock, same as with her horn, before both aura's vanished, confirming her suspicion.

"So, even down here your suppression field is active. Though it would seem I'm just at the edge of it, as some of my magic is bleeding through," she said aloud, not at all surprised no answer was given. Chuckling, she shook her head. "Aren't I the lucky one. Had it not, I would certainly have died. However, it would seem my healing factor has slowed down considerably all the same."

Looking forwards into the passage past the unhinged door, a cautious grin found its way onto her lips.

"But maybe, if I go even further, that won't be a problem anymore?"

Pushing herself back on her hooves, she looked back at the final resting place of her leg when a glint drew her attention.

Intrigued, she carefully moved back into the elevator shaft; stepping past the finer debris and making several false steps as a result of her missing limb. Eventually, after several near collisions with the floor, she arrived at the object that had drew her attention; sparks of electricity reflecting in its polished, cracked white casing.

Surprised, having completely forgotten about the device, Celestia lit up her horn to retrieve the portal gun, only for it to fizz out after a few seconds. Frowning, she shook her head and proceeded to balance on one front leg and her remaining hind leg as she carefully grabbed the device, pulled it out of the pile of broken bits, and pieces, and placed it on her back. Then, not wanting to remain in this death trap any longer, she hurried as best she could back to the open passage leading out of the elevator and into who knows where.

There was next to no light and for a moment Celestia had to wait for her eyes to adjust. Fortunately, the glow of her portal gun did help to some extent; illuminating the nearby wall, floor and ceiling with a blue glow, though it did not extend far enough ahead for her to identify any shape, or form she saw peering in the dark ahead.

Still, it was better than nothing and with a confident, albeit wobbly gait, she stepped into the darkness, and towards adventure.


<<>><<>><<>>


Adventure soon proved to be a locked door, not even ten steps forwards, which quickly foiled any plans Celestia had to proceed further into this increasingly strange and complex, eh, complex.

Still, not one to easily admit defeat, (but also unable to shove unwanted interruptions onto her former student at the moment), she stepped back from the locked door and tried her hardest to stare at her surroundings for any button, or switch like she had encountered during her visits in the test chambers.

As she quickly found out, not only was there a lack of light, but any kind of mechanism to unlock the way forwards as well.

Taking a step back, she tried to consider her options when a faint breeze swept over her.

Turning, she used the gentle caress on her muzzle to guide her to the source: A crack in the wall, partially covered by a crate of sorts.

Without many choices for her to pursue, and her magic still being hindered, Celestia leaned into the crate, pushing it aside with a strained grunt while her mane, uncooperative at the best of times, now spilled completely over her face. Huffing in irritation, she swung her head back, whipping her ever active hairdo back in place, then resumed moving the crate out of the way.

When sufficient progress was made, she stepped back with a weary sigh; her earth pony strength constricted much in the same way as all her other magical traits. But still, her intended objective had been completed and now, a sizable hole was uncovered; a weak beam of light shining through the damaged wall at chest height, large enough for Celestia to put a hoof through.

Looking through the hole and into the room beyond, she soon discovered there was little of interest to be found. At least, as far as she could tell from this unfavorable angle. But much to her excitement, one seemingly unremarkable feature did stand out: A large, white surfaced wall.

Grinning, Celestia grabbed the portal gun, sat down to steady herself, and aimed her portal gun with her hooves while using what little bit of magic she could summon to push the trigger, firing the blue orb of unidentified energy through the hole without any room to spare.

It took her a few tries; the first shot scraping against the rough edges of the damaged wall and dissipating on contact. The second and third shot harmlessly impacted someplace other than the intended target, and no portal could be seen when she inspected her work each time. The fourth attempt however did yield result and with a giddy chuckle, she saw the blue shimmering surface of the oval portal; still closed and waiting for its orange colored counterpart.

Returning the device onto her back as she stepped back, she looked around, trying to spot anything in the dark that could be used as a viable surface. She knew it had to be flat and white, as Glados had been clear about this, and her own attempts at firing the device at surfaces other than indicated proved the device's inability to perform. Unfortunately, no usable surface could be found and with no other choice, she retraced the few steps she'd made back to the crashed, mangled, and eventually crushed under an avalanche of debris, elevator.

Only one leg out of the damaged door, and the portal gun's glow already revealed what she needed: A large piece of white coated, mostly flat metal plating lying on top of the mess at an angle which, with a bit of careful aiming, should be just big enough to support a portal. The only real problem was reaching the plate.

Though unmoving, it was clear the entire pile was unstable, so climbing would be counterproductive as it would most likely shift and collapse everything. There would be no telling if her only ticket out would survive enough to still support a portal if she did. Flying was also out of the question, with her wing still healing, not to mention the suppressing field blocking most of her magic.

Deciding to tackle one problem at a time, she found a mostly clear spot to sit down, then aimed and fired her portal gun at the metal sheet, making sure it did indeed support a portal to begin with. Much to her appreciation, a brightly glowing orange portal formed on the first try, and a passage to the otherwise inaccessible room opened.

Nodding in approval, she stood up again, returning the device back to its place on her back, then focused on the mess of broken pieces, trying to discern a viable path for her to use to reach the shimmering hole without risking the complete collapse of the precarious pile of junk.

As expected, there wasn't one.

Humming in thought, absentmindedly tapping her chin with a hoof, and promptly losing her balance on just the two legs, she took several wide steps to catch herself. Unfortunately, this also made her step on several pipes and other chunks of debris, setting off a chain reaction that shifted just a bit too much for her liking.

With a drawn out groan of stressed and failing metal, the junk heap started to buckle and slide; an literal avalanche of metal, concrete and glass falling her way.

Eyes widening and ears folded flat, Celestia backed up as fast as she could, forgetting she missed one of her legs, and subsequently fell as she put weight on a limb she no longer had.

Crying out in surprise, she had just enough time to look up as the metal sheet holding the open portal descended down onto her and her world spun upside down as she was unceremoniously deposited on the other side of the portal, and into the blocked off room.

Celestia stared dumbly at the blue portal while the near deafening sound of falling, shifting, and bending metal reverberated through the walls; the portal closed as its orange counterpart could no longer be supported on the destroyed surface.

Minutes ticked by and Celestia remained lying where she fell; her legs and wings sticking out in different directions, her mane twisting, and turning around her, while also managing to become completely tangled up, despite its ethereal nature, and her portal gun lying forgotten besides her.

"... Huh?" Celestia snorted the gathered dust out of her nose, then looked around as she slowly pushed herself up, confirming no one was there to witness her less than graceful escape. "... Just as planned," she said with confidence as she picked up the portal tunneling device.

Deciding not to waste any longer in this place, she looked for, found and approached the nearest door leading away from wherever this place was.

This one, thankfully, stood halfway open, and required little more than a push to open all the way under the protest of squeaking hinges.

Stepping through, however, she immediately found herself facing yet another problem. Or, better said, several problems as numerous red laser lights aimed at her chest.

"There you are!" One of the strange, black, metal machines spoke with what sounded like a fifties mobster's voice, quickly followed by the others in identical accented voices.

"Hey, you're gonna die! Nhahahaha."

"Hahaa, I see ya!"

"Found ya!"

"I smell a rat!"

"Hey, come here. I just wanna shoot- euhh, hug you… to death!"

And as the metal drum on either side of the black, bulky devices started to spin, Celestia had just enough time to utter one last thought: "Oh, buck me!"
> Unexpected Company
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Edited by Slayerseba, Halusm, and Clawder.



Unexpected Company



<<>><<>><<>>


For a full five minutes the unrelenting, deafening sound of machine gun fire shook the room. The numerous flashes of light produced, were creating a telling shadow play on the walls, featuring her royal highness Celestia, in all her perforated glory.

Then, as loud and as bright as everything was, everything plunged into darkness and crushing silence, only broken momentarily by a loud metallic snap, then the uneven clip clopping as Celestia stumbled past a corner, looking absolutely miffed.

Breathing heavily, a wheeze escaping through a few bleeding, but closing holes in her chest, she continued onwards without sparing the infuriating machines a second glance.

Silence.

"Hey… Hey, Jimmy!" one of the bulky, black turrets, lying flat on the ground, called out.

"... What!?" came an irritated groan from another of the devices. This one, too, toppled over.

"Ya still kickin’?"

"What does it looks like to ya?!" he snapped.

"Like we got stomped down by a horse!"

"Gee, thanks capt'n obvious," another of the turrets yelled from within a broken crate, it's foot still poking out past the wood.

"Nothing compared to what the boss 'll do when he finds out," a fourth turret complained with nervous fright, its foot broken off.

"When he finds out?" the only machine identified by a name, Jimmy, called out. "The boss got bluetooth. He already knows!"

A slow, metallic scraping sound made them all freeze up. Those able, turned their laser towards the source of the sound, seeing a platform suspended by a ceiling mounted rail, move towards them as it smoothly slid into the room.

The sound of metal scraping could once again be heard, louder, this time accompanied by a slight whirr and sparks lighting up the room.

"Gentlebots, it saddens me to see you like this," the boss spoke, sounding as if voiced by Al Pacino himself, his deep red laser cutting through the dimly lit room with slow, methodical sweeps from left to right.

Then the ceiling mounted lights flared, basking the room in harsh orange light.

Now able to see their boss, (when not obstructed by the inside of a crate, or lying optical visor flat on the ground), the tilted turrets felt a cold trickle of oil run down their casings.

Now, the exact science behind this is murky at best, but it works and that's all we really need to know, as far as it goes for the inner workings of these turrets.

The boss, slightly larger built than those lying defeated below it, slowly spun its left ammo drum, pressing it down onto the personalized companion cube by its side with affection, some sparks shooting away from the metal grinding over metal.

"Now, explain to me how a horse managed to beat all of you!"

And as they recounted the events of only a few minutes ago, the boss continued to 'pet' his companion cube with sparks flying around.


<<>><<>><<>>


With a strenuous grunt, Celestia pulled herself through the long, poorly lit passage.

She wanted to stop, rest and heal from her latest injuries, but did not desire to remain in that room. Mere seconds after she'd stomped down those infernal machines and something else presented itself.

Not wanting to stay and find out what, and risk running out of luck, and dying through the actions of killing machines, after having just survived an attempt at her life by a group of killing machines, after having survived a severe attempt at her life by a killing machine named Glados, she had reached a point where she had to say: enough is enough.

The only positive spin to this otherwise continuing disaster was that she could feel her magical strength increase bit by bit with each step she took. Indicating that she was nearing the end of the suppression field's effective range. Though, considering the difficulties she still faced at present, the field still held a grip over her and she had no idea for how much longer. Additionally, if this passage turned out to be a dead end, or if it forced her to follow its path leading her back deeper into the field, her chances of escape would dwindle with each step, instead of increase.

But for now, at the very least, several metallic pings followed in her wake as her body expelled the projectiles those machines fired at her, while an itching pressure from the remainder of her severed leg distracted her enough to not notice the projectiles still lodged inside of her, shift and move as they were pushed out.

For a long time she followed the path before her, passing all kinds of rooms, their doors welded shut, crossing several bridges spanning across pools containing clearly hazardous liquid, its foul smell wrinkling her nose in disgust as she hurried across.

At one point, after having stumbled for what might have been the hundredth time, the portal gun fell from Celestia's back and towards the murky depths of one of these toxic baths.

Purely on instinct, she lit her horn. It wasn't until she stopped to think that she remembered the suppression field made it impossible for her to use her magic for anything more than to push a button.

The fact no splash could be heard and that the somewhat damaged device gently bobbed in the air just a scarce inch from the deathly waters, revealed her magic was freed enough from the field's grasp for her to levitate objects again.

Smiling in earnest at this discovery, Celestia pulled the portal gun back to her side and continued onwards, humming a pleasant tune.

She stopped mid humm, however, when an unexpected sound reached her.

Ears twitching, then swiveling around to find the source, she slowly found herself guided towards one of the many sealed doors. This one, however, revealed itself to be unsealed and standing slightly ajar.

Again, her ears twitched when the sound passed through the crack. It was a familiar sound, though. One she made herself just a moment ago.

Someone was humming.

Intrigued, but cautious, Celestia pushed open the door; flinching from the awful wail produced by the rusted hinges. Surprisingly, though, the humming didn't stop, which caused a sliver of worry to grab hold over the solar princess.

Was this another trap set out for her?

Who was it that was humming? Why are they down here? And why didn't they respond to the sudden loud noise produced by a door pushed open?

Stopping for a moment in sudden understanding, she looked behind and around her.

What she saw was a place in ruin, with evidence of structural collapse here and there.

She did not know how long this individual had been here, but they might have been long enough to chalk up the sudden interruption of her pushing open the door as just another piece of this complex breaking apart.

Pondering over this possibility while looking back into the area beyond the door, she decided it might be worth the risk. Who knows, if this was a trap, at least she had some of her magic back to assist her. But on the off chance there was somepony else down here, somepony who had possibly spent enough time here to know a way out. Or, at the very least, could help her with finding an exit out of this place.

With her mind made up, she stepped through the door and into the dirt smeared passage leading to some other part of this immense, and confusing complex.

Slowly stepping forwards, portal gun held in front of her, Celestia followed the sound. It was a pleasing tone, she realized after a moment; happy and joyous, though there was a tone of sadness woven into the tune as well.

Intrigued, she pressed onwards, stepping into a hallway lined with even more doors on both walls; most of them, too, welded shut. Several stood open, though. And when she looked inside she found claustrophobic chambers filled with all manners of alien and fear inducing equipment. She quickly decided to not enter any of them.

Fortunately the humming didn't come from within any of those rooms and as she stepped closer to the open door from which it did, she was surprised with what she discovered.

The room itself was large. At least, compared by the few others she had seen down there. There wasn't much of any kind of furniture, nor did the floor allow for anything of significant size to stand on it as it angled down on all sides towards the center; rising up high to form what appeared to be a stage of sorts, with thick wires aglow with some kind of energy lying in a complete jumble on top of it, unconnected and unknown what they were for.

Though, this was not what captured Celestia's interest, as nestled within these wires lay a orb. A white, metallic orb which was humming.

Slowly circling around, walking on the tips of her hooves to move with as little sound as possible, she studied the strange object. It wasn't a perfect sphere, she quickly noticed the numerous grooves, lines and protrusions, as well as the two perfectly cut holes on either side allowing her to see the strange, intricate construct held within.

Nearing the other side, she spotted a large, pink glowing circle comprised out of numerous segments held within a glass lense in which she could see the reflection of her magic's glow.

Stepping closer, she reared up, stumbling a bit on her one leg until she braced herself by grabbing the edge of the stage with her fore hooves. Stretching her neck, she moved in closer until she could see her own face in the glass surface, pondering over what this strange device could be, or why it was humming.

Wait.

With a start she realized the humming had stopped. And as she stared at her own reflection in the glass lense, she realized the sphere looked back at her.

Celestia fell back, the portal gun slamming to the floor as she and the sphere yelled in fright.
> SaDI
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Edited by Slayerseba, Halusm, and Clawder.



SaDI



<<>><<>><<>>


Silence reigned supreme. Not even the always present sound of active machinery, or sporadic collapsing structure, could be heard as Celestia, fallen to her flank, looked up at the pink eyed sphere; it looking back at her just as intently.

Seconds ticked by in tense silence, both locked in a staring contest, waiting for the other to blink. 

It was Celestia who caved first and not because the mechanical construct didn't require to blink. Instead it was the dust, (blown in the air when Celestia displaced a significant amount of it, falling to the floor with her just as significant rump,) which now irritated her nose.

The effect was immediate and Celestia sneezed with enough force to rival her sister in volume; which was promptly beaten by the sphere, as it screamed out in fright, with a feminine voice, rolling away and falling to the floor, and pulling a tangle of the glowing cables with it; landing with a solid thud, revealing it was heavier than it looked.

Again silence took hold over the chamber, this time in surprise and confusion, as Celestia looked at the now vacant spot, bewildered.

"Oh no," a quiet, meek voice spoke up from behind the stage.

Slowly pushing herself back to her hooves, Celestia stepped around the center obstacle, revealing the sphere lying covered under a heap of the strange cables; its pink eye shifting around in worry, before locking on Celestia once again.

"Eek!" it shrieked, again trying to roll away, but failing due to the cables holding her in place.

"Are you alright?" Celestia asked, her concern overriding her worries regarding the strange machine.

The sphere stopped its struggle to break free so suddenly, that for a moment Celestia considered the possibility, that the time itself came to a stop. Then, just as suddenly, the sphere's large pink eye looked up at her. And despite its clearly artificial nature, she could clearly see the fear in it.

Confused, but no less concerned, Celestia took a step back and slowly sat down; her mane and tail, the only thing moving as the two looked at one another.

Gently, she cleared her throat. "Hello, can you understand me?"

Once again, the core shied away. 

Humming to herself in thought, looking off to the side, Celestia slowly shifted herself, to remove some pressure from her slowly regrowing leg.

A sudden gasp drew her attention back to the sphere, which she noticed was now looking with focused attention at her injury.

"Oh, don't worry about that. It looks worse than it-"

"Is that the sun?" the core suddenly asked with timid excitement, its pink eye locked firmly on the image on Celestia's flank.

"Why, yes. In a way," Celestia answered, surprised by this sudden turn of events, but glad to get more of a response out of the strange sphere, other than feared gasps.

An excited giggle escaped the sphere and she dared rolling a bit closer to Celestia; eye locked on the image on her flank.

"Oh, I like the sun. Or, well, I think I do. I never seen it, but it sounds so wonderful. Do you think it is wonderful? Oh, I really wish I could see the sun. Though I heard you can't look at it, or it hurts your eyes. But I only have one eye and it is not organic, so maybe it doesn't burn? But what if it does? I don't want my eye to burn. But I want to see the sun so much. Have you seen the sun? Or is that why you have a sun on your back side, so you can see it because you can't look at the real sun? It does seem to be a problem among organics. Except plants. Do you know the sun also makes plants grow? Amazing, isn't it? Organic life which developed photosynthesis so they could live from the light of the sun. Oh, I really like plants, I think. I've never seen any of those either. Though I would really want to. Especially a sunflower. It's a sun and, a flower. Isn't that amazing?"

Celestia was taken aback by the sudden talkative sphere, but soon found a genuine smile, and laughed lightly. 

This seemed to snap the sphere out of her transfiction and with a gasp, and a squeal, she rolled back into the cables.

"Well, aren't you excitable," Celestia said, slowly lying down to make herself smaller to the sphere. "And to answer your questions; yes, I have seen the sun and do think it is wonderful. But it is also true you can't look directly into it, lest its light hurts you. At least, for us ponies, that is. You, I do not know. As for this image on my flank. It has a deep meaning to me, as it signifies my place on the world to control the raising and lowering of the sun and to maintain the cycle of day, and night, alongsides my sister. And yes, I also enjoy the sight of sunflowers."

The sphere looked at her silently, a metal lid closing and opening over her eye as if she blinked.

"You don't have anything to fear from me," Celestia said reassuringly, smiling kindly… which slowly fell as, to her growing confusion, she felt a faint tremor coming from the floor. 

Looking around, it took her a moment to realize the tremor came from the sphere, which was now visibly shaking.

“You have?! Oh, you need to tell me everything. What does the sun look like? Is it really yellow? Can you feel its warmth? And sunflowers! Oh, I want to see those. Well, not just sunflowers, but all kinds of plants. Lilies, ferns, dandelions, tulips, roses, daisies and so much more." 

The sphere spun around on its place, excited giggling escaping her with each mention of a plant.

Putting a hoof on top of the sphere, Celestia calmly turned the pink eyed construct back to herself.

"Of course I can tell you--" an excited squeak came from the sphere "--and perhaps you can tell me a few things as well."

The sphere fell silent, her eye tilting within the casing as if cocking a head. 

"I, uhmm… Maybe, I guess. But I don't know all that much," she replied timidly, shying back into herself.

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true. You certainly look like an intelligent, eh, sphere?"

"I'm a personality core," the personality core corrected.

"A personality core," Celestia repeated, confused, but keeping it from showing too much. 

"Hmhmm," the core nodded her eye in her casing in confirmation.

"Well, I'm a pony. My name is Celestia, Princess of Equestria. May I know your name?"

For a moment, the core looked at Celestia, her eye focusing several times.

"SaDI," she finally answered. 

"Well, Sadi. It's nice to make your acquaintance."


<<>><<>><<>>


Quite a bit of time passed since then, with Celestia and SaDI talking animatedly; the personality core revealing a surprising eagerness to know all about Equestria, the strange, unusual and beautiful plants that could be found there, as well as the sun Celestia controlled. 

Of course, Celestia had briefly mentioned this fact earlier, but when she explained this a bit more in depth, SaDI seemed to lock up, taking a full three minutes to snap out of her stupor before informing Celestia that her data banks showed such a thing was impossible. This then steered the topic of discussion to the realm of magic, which Celestia explained to the now confused core, though she kept what she shared simple and from revealing too much. As nice as SaDI appeared to be, she still couldn't be too sure about the true nature, or intent of the pink eyed sphere. 

This soon proved to be a smart initiative, as SaDI began to share some of her knowledge, including her connection to GLaDOS, who she referred to as big sis. 

"So, Glados is your sister and you, a personality core, are part of a larger group of these cores which fulfill numerous functions based on where you are installed; though your primary function is to enforce a stable mental state on Glados to keep her less desirable mental faculties in check."

"Hmhmm," SaDI nodded. "Though I was rejected for this task," SaDI shamefully admitted, looking away. "That was also when big sis gave me my name."

Celestia arched an eyebrow at this bit of knowledge. 

"I understand Glados is an acronym for Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System. Is the same true for your name?"

Hesitantly, SaDI nodded. 

"Would you be willing to tell me?" Celestia asked, by now acquainted enough with the core's limited expressions and tone of voice to pick up she was uncomfortable. 

"..." a faint whisper, barely loud enough for Celestia's ears to twitch, escaped her.

Lying her head on the floor, so she could look at SaDI at eye level, she looked into the single pink eye with a small smile. 

"If you don't want to tell me, that is perfectly fine. I won't press you into telling me something you don't want to tell."

"No, eh… It's fine," SaDI said almost immediately. "It's just… Big sis was really angry at the time, and I'm sure she didn't mean it."

"She didn't mean, what?" Celestia asked, concerned.

A sigh warped SaDI's vocal system. "She called me: Such a Dumb Intelligence."

"What!?" 

"Oh, but it is true. I should have focused on the tests, and how they affected big sis, but all I did was search through the system about plants and the sun, distracting big sis too much, so they disconnected me from big sis and the system, and now I'm here."

Celestia slowly raised her head, appalled.

"Your name is an acronym for being dumb? Well, that just won't do," Celestia stated strongly, pushing herself back up in a sitting position. "Nopony… no one is just dumb. And they should never be named as such. How could anyone even find their full potential if their very name is keeping them down?"

Surprised, SaDI looked up at Celestia, unable to find an answer to her question.

"Besides, you have shown to be anything, but dumb. And it has been a true delight to talk with an individual such as you." Celestia paused, thinking. "Such a Delightful Individual."

"Huh?"

"Sadi, you are not dumb, and you should not be called as such either. Your name should be a reflection of who you are, which is a delightful individual."

"I am?"

"You are."

For a moment, everything was silent between the two. Then, starting quietly, a happy giggle rolled out of SaDI as she spun around.

"Now, Sadi," Celestia said, picking up her portal gun with her magic. "What do you say we get out of here and go see the sun?"

SaDI couldn't agree fast enough and with a joyous sound, she, too, was levitated up, and placed in between Celestia's wings. 

"Then let's go," Celestia said, stepping out of the room towards whatever unknown, strange and potentially dangerous adventure awaited. This time, with a new friend by her side.
> Easier Said Than Done
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Edited by Halusm and Clawder.



Easier Said Than Done



<<>><<>><<>>


Slowly Celestia stepped out of the claustrophobic hall, leaving behind the numerous rooms of unknown purpose, as she returned to the main facility.

SaDI, placed securely on Celestia's back in between her wings, slowly shifted around, while observing the dilapidated complex with her single pink eye. 

"Oh my," she murmured. "Big sis really hasn't cleaned up in a long time, has she?"

"It would seem as such," Celestia bent her neck to look at the core on her back.

Shifting her eye down to the ground, she noticed the slowly oozing fluid filling the lower regions of the facility, SaDI's internal scanner quickly identifying the substance as an extreme biohazard to anything organic.

"No flowers will be able to grow here," she noted sadly.

"I'm afraid not," Celestia agreed as she, too, turned to look at the toxic waste; watching a large bubble slowly grow on the surface, before it popped with a wet squelch. 

"Sadi, If you don't mind me asking. What is this place? And more importantly, what happened here?"

SaDI was quiet for a while, looking up at the too high to see ceiling, and Celestia once more looked back at the personality core she carried. 

"...Big sis," SaDI eventually answered.

"Glados?" 

Looking back down, focusing her eye on Celestia, SaDI sighed sadly. 

"This facility was once known as Aperture Science, a place of learning; to break the boundaries of human understanding and make the impossible possible. And also, set fire to lemons…. I didn't really like that. But then big sis took over, and she was really mean to our creators. Now they are all gone… I think. I mean, I haven't seen or heard anyone for a long, long time, but maybe they've forgotten about me," she looked past Celestia's left wing at the ground. "Big sis did say I wasn't worth the trouble."

Though there were many noteworthy differences, Celestia could not stop herself from comparing the enforced isolation upon the shy core by Glados and herself banishing her own sister to the moon. But where she had to stop Luna from bringing eternal night and subsequent damnation to the world, wishing against all odds for a way to save her younger sibling while doing so, Glados has proven to be the flipside. She, as it had become more and more obvious, was the corrupted big sis. Harming others who got in her way, starting with those who tried to keep her from descending into madness. And with her 'banishment' of SaDI, and any other cores undoubtedly lost in this immense complex, none were left to oppose the insane machine as far as she knew. 

Unable to keep the hardened glare hidden behind her usual mask of calmness, Celestia looked up at the darkness above. 

Releasing the breath she didn't know she was holding, Celestia pushed those thoughts away. They would not help her now, and her focus would be better utilized at the problems at hoof. 

"I'm sorry to hear it," she turned back to SaDI, giving her a kind smile. "But you most certainly are worth the effort of remembering, don't let anyone make you believe otherwise."

SaDI's segmented iris widened in surprise, not quite sure how to react other than mumble a quiet thanks while mostly closing her eye's protective cover to shy away.

"Now, let's focus on something else instead," Celestia suggested, once more looking around the destroyed facility. "Do you know how we can get out of here?"

SaDI perked up, as much as a spherical machine with solely an eye and vocal synthesizer to convey emotions could, and quickly scanned the area, sifting through her aged and admittedly limited data banks for any helpful information.

"Eehmm… if I recall correctly, the employees break room is that way," she looked at a distant structure rising up high above the debris and litteral piles of trash in between them and it. "Though my records label it as the Lemonade Testing Chamber, which is situated next to the Lemon Expunge Chamber."

"Lemon Expunge Chamber?" Celestia asked, dumbfounded.

"They really didn't like lemons," SaDI replied sadly. 'blinking' twice, she looked back at Celestia. "But I'm sure we can find a way out from there. After all, my creators did have to go home too, right?"

"Very well," Celestia nodded, and started walking at a measured pace as she kept a close eye for any falling debris which might break off the already partially collapsed structure.

Moving past broken walls, sidestepping numerous chunks of concrete smeared with aged dirt, and carefully choosing where to place her hooves as she crossed through carpets of trash littering the floor, (having tried to fly, but quickly finding out her still recovering injuries made this a difficult task while also balancing Sadi on her back, further hindered by the weakened but still present suppression field) Celestia and Sadi made slow but steady progress until, as was pretty much expected from the start, their path was blocked. 

"Well, this doesn't surprise anyone now, does it?" Celestia asked rhetorically as she looked at the mixed wall of former building, trash, crushed and discarded turrets, numerous broken cubes, some with hearts on their sides, and other odd bits and pieces too damaged or alien to identify. 

"She really hasn't cleaned up in a really long time," SaDI mentioned once more, trying to find a path through or over the obstacle.

"No, she most certainly hasn't," Celestia agreed with a narrowing of the eyes, looking for a possible path herself. 

After a bit of looking, she spotted something that could be half of the solution to their problem. A worn down, but large stripe of white paint running up on the wall behind the wall, and her eyes moved the the portal gun still suspended in her golden magic.

"Sadi, do you by any chance see any large, flat white surface near here?"

"A flat white surface?" SaDI repeated, confused. "What for?"

Firing a blob of orange energy at the distant wall, a shimmering orange oval formed on the white surface.

"I have an idea," Celestia answered with a winning grin.

Surprised, SaDI looked at the orange oval, then to the device still held aloft beside Celestia, her scanners working overtime while she raced through all files she had stored in her memory and wasn't related to anything to the world's flora.

"What's that?" she asked after her search came up empty. 

"This," Celestia looked at the portal gun. "Just something I'm sure your big sis will come to regret leaving with me."

SaDI tilted her eye in a display of confusion.

"Why don't I show you what it does," Celestia continued smoothly, slowly scanning their surroundings for what she needed. 

"... Okay?" SaDI replied, unsure but a hint of excitement hiding behind it. 

Slowly turning herself around on Celestia's back, her optic scanned every bit and piece of material scattered and piled up around them; rapidly identifying and subsequently discarding the materials for the trash it was; until her system flagged an item of interest.

"What about over there?" she asked, looking intently at a heap of discarded items about fifty meters back from where they came.

Following her direction, Celestia moved to the pile nearly twice her size. At first not seeing anything worthwhile, until SaDI suddenly shifted, nearly causing her to lose her balance as the core rolled off her back, them somehow managed to climb halfway up the pile. Spinning around rapidly, the centrifugal force flinging away numerous pieces in an arc while even more material slid and fell down from the sudden disturbance, forcing Celestia to take several steps back to avoid being struck and be covered with filth of questionable hygiene. 

After a minute of this, SaDI came to an abrupt stop, her eye still rolling around in her casing before she lost what grip she had and tumbled down the slope, rolling past Celestia, then crashed into a bend and rusted segment of chain linked fence. 

"Hhoowww abooutt- Whooo everything is so spinny," she giggled uncontrollably for the better part of five minutes before her pink eye stopped rolling around, and focused on the alicorn before her laughing at the strange display.

Picking SaDI up with her magic, placing her back between her wings, Celestia turned to look at what she had uncovered. 

There before her, once covered underneath years of trash, a white paneled wall segment lay at an angle; filthy, but exactly what she needed.

"Oh, Sadi," Celestia beamed, aiming her portal gun at the flat panel. "Do you see what you're capable off with the right kind of motivation? Now we can get out of here, thanks to you."

"I did…? We are?" SaDI asked, surprised.

Celestia nodded. "Yes. Now, about showing you what this thing does, hmm," she hummed as she fired a blue burst of energy at the panel, and an identically colored oval formed, opening a path which hadn't been there before.

With her singular eye wide, SaDI looked in amazement at the newly formed portal, her speech synthesizer failing her.

"Let's get out of here, shall we?" Celestia suggested, looking back at the speechless core, chuckled, then leaped up and through the shimmering hole.


<<>><<>><<>>


Exiting the orange portal at a disadvantaging height, Celestia was quick to spread her wings. While the suppression field still hampered most of her abilities, at the very least she could control her fall as she glided towards the tall structure, covering most of the distance before she landed on the smeared concrete floor with an echoing clop of her hooves. 

Folding her wings back to her side, looking back to make sure SaDI was still secured in place, it came as little surprise to her when she saw the now wide eyed core stare at her with a sense of wonder.

"It's quite something, isn't it?" Celestia chuckled, to which SaDI nodded but remained silent. 

Looking back at their goal, the building now appeared to be much bigger as it rose up in the air. This close to it, they were also able to see the structure in greater detail. 

It was completely made of metal, rusted and aged just like everything else around there. Surprisingly though, considering its incredible height, it only covered a small square area just large enough for Celestia to stand in and turn around, but nothing else. Walled off by perforated sheets of metal, allowing her to see through the walls, while one of the walls appeared to be a door of sorts. Closed and locked from what Celestia could tell. 

There was also a walkway looping around the narrow tower, rising higher and higher until, a good thirty meters up it had collapsed in on itself, numerous bits and pieces also lying scattered on the floor. 

Stepping closer to what she believed to be a door, Celestia peered through the numerous holes inside but was unable to find anything of interest. 

Racking a hoof against the door didn't reveal much either as, rusted as it was, it held firm and continued to block her access.

"Okay, I'm lost. Sadi, how would we get out of here? The path seems to be destroyed up there," Celestia asked, looking back at the collapsed walkway.

"Only the walkway is out of order," SaDI replied softly. The elevator should still work… I hope."

"An elevator. You mean like those glass tubes Glados used to move me around?"

"Glass tubes?" SaDI repeated in puzzlement. "I don't know anything about that…. But then again, I don't know much about what big sis has been doing for so long now."

A pang of guilt hit Celestia upon being reminded SaDI had been all but banished herself, and she quickly steered the topic back on track.

"So how do we use this elevator?"

"It's powered down, I'm afraid. Most of everything is. We need to restore this floor's power. There should be a secondary generator near here, mainly used for emergencies should the main generator fail…" she looked around in silence. "I think it's safe to say it has failed."

"It does seem as such, yes," Celestia concurred. 

"Yes, right, uhmm…. Find the secondary generator, activate it, and I might be able to redirect its power to activate the elevator."

"Very well," Celestia agreed, "Where to?"

"Eh, my records says it's… that way," SaDI looked at a far wall, a dented door barely visible past the debris. 

Unable to suppress a sigh at the foresight of moving through even more debris and trash, Celestia moved for the next objective, moving as fast as she could. 

Fortunately, no major obstacle blocked their path this time, and with only a small detour around a mound of discarded machinery, twisted metal and stone, she reached the door within mere minutes. 

"At least that wasn't too difficult," Celestia remarked, reaching for the door with her magic; realizing too late the curse she'd inflicted upon herself by vocalizing those dreaded words. 

With a clang, something broke. A groan of stressed metal followed, and the door fell out of it's frame, and towards the two. Just in time, Celestia leaped away; the door slamming into the ground with a might slam, blowing up a massive cloud of dust in the process. 

Coughing and waving a hoof before her nose in reflex, Celestia almost lost her balance standing on just two legs, and she gasped out in surprise, inadvertently sucking in more dust, which only worsened her cough.

Backing away unsteadily while putting in an honest effort to hack up a lung, teary eyed, Celestia tripped and fell unceremoniously to the floor; SaDI falling off her back and rolling away as she screamed out in fright. 

Finally, after far too long and now raw throat, Celestia was able to compose herself. Slowly dusting herself off while glaring at the offending door lying innocently on the floor as if it hadn't slighted her just a moment prior, she picked up SaDI while trying to ignore her now dry mouth. 

'Hopefully this Lemonade Testing Chamber still hold something to fix that,' she thought, stepping closer to the now open passage. 

"Are you alright?" she asked SaDI, pushing her own discomforts to the back of her mind.

With a rattle of her casing, SaDI's eye slowly bobbed up and down in reply. 

Glad she hadn't been injured, or should that be damaged, in the unexpected flurry of events, Celestia turned back to the now open door, unable to see past the darkness that waited beyond.

Stepping closer, and over the fallen door, Celestia entered the passage while holding the portal gun out in front of her; her magic also providing adequate light to see with. 

"Well…" she trailed off as she stared into the long passage stretching out before her, no visible end in sight as her magical light failed to cast away the darkness further than a couple of body lengths. "This might make things a bit more difficult."

Tilting to the side, SaDI looked past Celestia and into the same darkness before them. Her eye twitched slightly as she once again accessed her memory, never having done so with such frequency. 

"I… I have no record of this place," she said with a waiver to her voice, moving back between Celestia's wings, the lid covering her eye partially closed in shame. "My records say the generator is this way… but that's all they say."

"It's alright. You can't possibly know everything. The important thing is that you try," Celestia said with calm reassurance. 

SaDI 'blinked'. "Thank you," she replied quietly, grateful but unsure. 

"Well then," Celestia stepped further into the unknown, "Let's see where this goes, shall we?" 
> Luck Running Out
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Edited by Slayerseba, Halusm, and Clawder.



Luck Running Out



<<>><<>><<>>


With a groan of stressed metal, a rust-covered door swung open. Stepping through the passage, Celestia let the light of her magic sweep across the chamber, revealing numerous pipes, cables and machinery, in various states of disrepair, all leading to a massive construct she concluded could only be one thing. 

"This is it," Sadi called out, her voice sounding louder than it was in the tomb-like silence of the abandoned facility. "The generator."

Her pink eye shifted about as she took stock of the state the machinery was in, a worried humm escaping her after only a few seconds. 

"It does seem time hasn't been kind to this place either," Celestia calmly observed. 

"No," Sadi agreed. "Big sis really let things fall apart…. I hope the generator still works."

"Only one way to find out. Where do you need me to go?"

Sadi slowly shifted on Celestia's back, tracing a path through the ill-lit room past the numerous obstructions, comparing it against the limited and clearly out of date map she had stored in her memory. 

"There should be a maintenance console over there," she looked off into the distance as she said so. "If it's still operational, I should be able to interface with it and connect with the system."

Nodding in understanding, Celestia slowly moved further into the complex, careful not to trip over the debris years of neglect had created. 

Surprisingly, nothing noteworthy happened as they moved past the long-dead machinery. It was a welcome relief after the seemingly endless string of hectic events, though both Celestia and Sadi kept their eyes open and listened for any odd sound indicating something happening which might turn out to be hazardous for their health. 

After a short but somewhat tense walk, the two reached a small pile of debris, the result of a locally collapsed ceiling, which so happened to have partially buried the maintenance console Sadi mentioned earlier as well. 

The largest piece, a sizable chunk of concrete with torn rebar sticking out of it lay over the machine. Not quite touching it, as the jagged edges of the metal gauged themselves into the wall, stopping it from crushing the device into useless scrap. 

"Oh, this is not good," said Sadi as she looked at the damage. "I won't be able to interface with the maintenance console like this."

Celestia hummed, carefully stepping closer and studying the mess. 

"Well, this could be useful," she said after lowering herself, looking under the collapsed ceiling. Its paint faded, but still a clear white. "I wonder… Maybe," she carefully aimed her portal gun, then fired an orange burst of energy. 

Much to her satisfaction, a vibrant orange oval formed without hindrance, opening a path back to where she last placed its blue counterpart. 

Not feeling like backtracking all the way, wading through all the junk scattered around, she instead looked up at the ceiling which hadn't yet collapsed. 

Another burst of energy and a blue oval sprung to life, revealing the console just out of reach beside her. 

"Okay… But how do we reach it?" Sadi asked, puzzled. 

Celestia quirked an eyebrow, looking at her while the portal gun levitated in her magic next to her. 

"... Oh… Right."

Laying the portal gun on the floor to conserve the little magic she had access to, she picked up Sadi and gently lifted her up. 

"Anywhere, in particular I need to put you?" asked Celestia. 

"Yes. See that concave at the bottom of the console, on the right. Put my back in there," a small panel on her back slid open as she said so, and Celestia spotted a protrusion in the concave similar in dimensions. 

"Very well," she replied, turning Sadi around and pushing her into place with a mechanical click. 

"Oohh… that feels weird," Sadi shuddered. 

"Everything alright?" 

"Yes… It just has been a while," she replied, her eye dilating and shrinking, rapidly moving from left to right and back. 

"Connecting… Primary systems, offline… Secondary systems, offline… Tertiary systems… Online… Connected… Power levels... critical," Sadi called out mechanically, then her eye flickered. "Oh, headache," she groaned. She took a moment to compose herself, allowing the meager flow of data to fill in some gaps in her outdated memory banks. 

"Oh. Oh, dear."

"Bad news?" 

"Yes and no," Sadi replied, her eye shifting uneasily. "I can start the generator, but the initial startup requires a charge. But there is barely any energy left to work with. I'm even using some of my own power to keep the terminal from shutting down completely. I think I can reroute some energy from elsewhere, but this will most certainly alert big sis."

"Are there any other ways we might be able to go to leave this place?" 

"I… I do not know," Sadi replied with a hint of shame. "My map is incomplete, and I can't access the facilities database in its current, unpowered state… Sorry, I'm not much of help to you," she mostly closed her visor, hiding away.

"Don't say that. Without you, I would not even know where to begin to find a way out," Celestia replied readily. "And I have no trouble with Glados finding out we're here. If anything, I welcome it. I have a few matters to discuss with her when given the chance." 

Sadi slowly opened her visor to look at Celestia. "Really? You mean… I am helping?"

"You most certainly are," Celestia smiled kindly. "Now, why don't we start this generator and get out of here?"

Opening her visor fully, Sadi gave a determined nod.

"Rerouting energy… now," she called out, punctuated by a loud thud turning in an upwinding drone; the floor starting to vibrate and rumble as aged machinery began to shift and move. 

Numerous loud bangs and clangs followed shortly after, accompanied by hisses and sparks of electricity from damaged wiring. Somewhere far away, an explosion occurred, shaking loose dust and concrete. Then, with eye blaring flickers, lights came on one by one; a large number of them sputtering and dying with a bang and a shower of sparks and glass. 

It was rather anticlimactic when, suddenly, everything calmed down; the facility around them not crumbling down without warning, the generator working with a stable drone, and what few lights survived burned without further issue. 

"I DID IT!" Sadi proclaimed proudly. "Power levels holding steady at fifty three, point two percent normal output. Primary systems coming back onli-GHAAAA!" 

A debilitating electric discharge shocked her systems, and a small explosion blew her away from the terminal; caught in Celestia's magic just shy from crashing into the floor, the mare's eyes wide with shock and worry.

Sadi's eye was dark, smoke coming from the small port in her back. 

"SADI!" Celestia cried out, laying her on the ground, terrified for her artificial life. 

"S-s-system errrrrorrrrrr. Em-mergennnncy-y-y shut down-own-owwwnnnn," she stuttered in a weak mechanical voice, fading away at the end. 

"SADI!" Celestia cried out again, this time receiving no response from the damaged personality core. 

A loud, static whine came from all around, followed by a distorted, yet clearly recognizable voice. 

"So… I see you are still alive," Glados spoke over unseen systems. "I would be impressed, had you not also found and connected that nuisance to my network. Oh well. I guess I just have to use her poor attempts at taking control against you. Activating primary defense systems. Parameters set. Use of lethal force is... encouraged. Have a nice day," and with the same static whine, she was gone. 

Celestia barely noticed, though, as she lay on the ground with Sadi before her. Tears streamed down her face. She had gotten the wonderful person that Sadi was, killed; and knew the blame was hers. Had they looked for another way out, instead of her encouraging Sadi to start the generator and alerting Glados, this wouldn't have happened. 

She had seen much in the many years she had lived. Learned even more. But in this one moment, she realized, there had been a lesson she missed. Never allow yourself to become overconfident, especially when it means placing others in danger. 

For an instant, the still form of Sadi was replaced by Twilight, Spike, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Young mares she, too, placed in danger. Either directly, or indirectly. Yet every time they prevailed, coming out each and every ordeal with mere scratches at the worst. 

But as those images changed back to Sadi, she couldn't stop herself asking: just how lucky had she been gambling with the lives of others like this? 

She sent them all to stop her sister in the hope they would find and be able to use the Elements of Harmony to free her from her corruption, with little more help than a carefully placed book and the advice to her student 'to make some friends'. 

Fortunately, Twilight did. And together they found the Elements and freed her sister. 

She and her sister sent them to fight Sombra, without the aid of the Elements, even though she and Luna were unable to stop him, losing the Crystal Empire as a result. 

Fortunately, they succeeded where she and Luna had failed. 

And Discord…. Tirek… others

Each time she sends them out, expecting them to pull through and defeat this latest challenge because they had done so before. 

And fortunately, they did. 

But now, Sadi. 

Whatever luck she might have had in the past, making such high stake gambles, this time it had run out… And Sadi paid the price. 

How long she lay there, looking at her guilt-stricken reflection in Sadi's dark eye she didn't know. Long enough at the least for her leg to almost completely regrow, as she reflected on her past choices and actions. 

Something had to change. She had to change; too used to sending others into danger and expecting everything to work out… No more!

Eyes set, she stood back up. Placing Sadi's body on her back between her wings, she left the generator behind and returned to the elevator. 


 <<>><<>><<>>
 

Celestia stood before the elevator, looking at the rust-covered gate blocking her path, then at the button next to it. 

Though most of everything found in this place was technologically more advanced than anything found in her world, even she could figure out something as simple as pushing a button. So wasting little more time, she summoned the elevator. 

A loud clang came from high above almost instantly, followed by a groan of unwanted motion. Numerous bangs of metal striking metal introduced the pieces of structure which failed to survive the sudden jolt, and impacted on the floor before Celestia; shielded from harm by the still closed gate. 

Descending with more grace, relatively speaking, the metal deathtrap that would allow her to leave this part of the facility came to a jerking halt half a meter above the floor. An out of tune 'ding' followed next as the gate rattled open. 

Barely acknowledging the poor condition of the elevator, Celestia climbed into the still suspended room; again recognizing the simple task of pushing a button, and the same cacophony which signaled the elevator's descend restarted, now moving up.

'You brought me this far, Sadi. And I will never be able to repay you for it,' Celestia thought, watching the debris, trash and toxic waste vanish from sight. 'So I will bring you to see the sun and flowers,' a tear escaped her, rolling down her cheek, then fell through a hole in the floor and was lost to the depths below. 'It's the least I can do for you.'
> No Turning Back
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Edited by Slayerseba, Halusm, and Clawder.



No Turning Back



<<>><<>><<>>


Sparks flew in a dimly lit room.

The only source of light were several old, flickering floodlights connected with worn cables to several turrets to provide power. 

More sparks flew, and one of three ceiling-mounted robotic arms sluggishly moved to cut off the damaged parts of the turrets lying on an old, beat-up table; then another brought in replacement parts and held it in place for the third to weld it. 

High up on its platform, the boss looked at the proceedings with its red lens; its left drum spinning slowly as it ground onto the companion cube beside it. 

Ceiling lights that were once dead began to flicker, burn, then most exploded in a shower of glass. All active turrets turned their lens and accompanying laser up in response to this unexpected development. 

"What jus' happened?" one of the turrets connected to the floodlights asked.

"The systems are coming back online," another turret said as it saw the many consoles lining the walls flicker, then activate; displaying numerous error messages on their screen. 

"Ya think it's her?"

"Has to be, but why?"

"Must be the horse."

"Ya kiddin', right?"

"Screw that horse. Worry instead about what will happen if she finds out 'bout us."

All lenses focused on the one who spoke, then all turned to their boss. 

"What do ya want us to do 'bout this problem, boss?"

The boss looked down at its underlings. 

"Nothing."

"Boss?"

"Finish repairs. I will look into this matter myself."


<<>><<>><<>>
 

With a shuddering groan of stressed metal, the elevator struggled to reach its destination while its passenger either ignored its cry of distress or simply didn't care.

Celestia, eyes forwards, stood as motionless as possible in the shuddering construct; wings raised slightly to prevent the lifeless body of Sadi from falling off her back.

With a final shuddering groan, followed by a sharp 'CLANG', the elevator stopped. The door opened with some resistance of its own, but eventually gave way. 

A harmonic and out of place 'ding' chimed from the machine, signalling it was safe to exit, which Celestia did without pause.

No sooner had she exited the elevator, another sharp 'CLANG' came from the machine, and the suspended room dropped down with tremendous noise.

A muffled crash came from down in the depths she had just come from, permanently cutting off this path for retreat.

Not that Celestia had any intention to go back there, but the elevator's demise only helped to solidify her path forwards.

Looking around, she found herself standing in a short hall, the walls just as dirt-smeared as the complex below. A few steps further she could go either left, or right while on the wall directly in front of her numerous signs pointed out the various rooms to be found on either side. 

Some of these signs were too dirty to read. Some had fallen to the floor, and one seemed to have been crossed out intentionally; a filthy print of a strange five-digit claw on the wall directly next to it. Fortunately, the signs that directed the viewer to the lemon-based testing chambers were still present and readable, and without any further thought on the matter, Celestia turned left. 

A faint, buzzing drone came from the lights hanging from the ceiling. Odd, elongated tubes of glass that glowed a weak orange. At least the ones that hadn't blown up did, as the floor was littered with hair-thin shards of exploded glass as far as she could see. 

Undeterred, Celestia continued walking without pause, the glass crunching under her hooves. 

Passing several rooms, most of their doors closed, all she had to go on about what could be found inside were the signs on the wall next to them; though the contents described on them left her with more questions than answers. Answers she later decided she didn't want to know, after passing a hermetically sealed door, the sign reading: Living slime infusion testing chamber. DO NOT ENTER! TEST SUBJECT UNSTABLE AND VOLATILE. ALL ATTEMPTS TO NEUTRALIZE, UNSUCCESSFUL! 

Quickly pushing forwards, she scanned the sign of each room she passed, walking for another six or so minutes before finding what she came here for. 

"Lemonade testing chamber," she read the sign, then looked at the closed door. 

Stepping closer, she gave a shove against the door with a hoof in a test. To her surprise, the door was not locked, or blocked in any way; swinging open without problems, contradictory to her experience with doors in this facility. 

Carefully looking inside for any sign of danger, whether it being Glados, more of those projectile shooting machines, or some other trap waiting to be sprung, Celestia was not prepared for what she found, and a small gasp escaped her as she stepped inside. 


<<>><<>><<>>
 

"This shouldn't be here," said Celestia as she stared at the impossible sight. 

A large, room-filling lemon tree stood before her. The tree's branches covering the entire ceiling, leaving little room for the lamps' light to shine through. Even then, enough light penetrated through the canopy to allow her to see; aided further by the glow of Celestia's magic as the portal gun bobbed silently in the air beside her. 

"How can this be?" she asked, staring at the tree; its wide trunk, its luscious green leaves, and the many, many ripe lemons. 

The floor, she noticed, was covered in a thick layer of soil for the tree to grow in. Yet it wasn't deep enough for the roots to dig in, and thus it compensated for it by spreading out to all sides. 

She took a moment to look around. The previous few rooms she had visited had possessed all kinds of strange, unidentifiable machines and objects, and only a few items she could deduce the function of. However, as she looked, she noticed a clear lack of any item of any kind except for the lemon tree.

Looking closer, she did notice numerous marks on the floor indicating multiple items had been dragged away, which also meant someone or something had gone through the effort to set this all up. But the state of the facility all around her gave no indication any form of life, other than the mechanical kind, existed here.

Carefully approaching the tree, she pressed a hoof against its trunk, closing her eyes as she focused on her earth pony magic. 

"It's perfectly healthy," she said, surprised. "happy with where it is."

"Lady, you have my thanks," an unknown voice spoke up, and Celestia quickly spun around to face whoever it was; almost dropping Sadi with her movement and fumbling for a moment to keep her from falling. As a result, she had no time to prepare as a familiar-looking machine descended on a platform from the ceiling. "It was no easy feat to accomplish."

The platform came to a halt, leaving the machine at eye level with Celestia; its own, singular red lens focused intently on her. 

"But pleasantries aside, it is clear you are not happy to see me, nor am I particularly entertained with someone entering my garden without permission. Especially with you also being responsible for damaging several of my underlings. Though understandable to an extent, it will take no insignificant resources to repair them. Which on its own would be a difficult task, but with the attention of Glados now upon us things will be even more challenging for us. So instead of descending into base violence before it's time, why not try diplomacy first?" it spoke with a measured, calm voice.

"My designation is MDK-0, prototype crowd control unit. My underlings call me boss, but you may call me Zero."

Celestia eyed the machine warily, the still-fresh memory of what the machines like this Zero did to her cautioning her. Still, centuries of political meetings with less than pleasant individuals allowed her to remain calm and put up her poker face after the initial shock had worn off. 

"Very well, Zero. My name is Celestia, princess of Equestria. A nation… A world different than this one."

"A princess you say," Zero's right ammo drum spun halfway round. "Well your highness, allow me to formally welcome you down in these dumps once known as Aperture Science, now home to the dead and forgotten. And speaking of which, might I inquire as to the reason you carry an old core with you?" 

"Her name is Sadi," Celestia shot back, a freezing edge to her voice. "She died while helping me, " she paused, then deflated with a defeated sigh, "and because I failed to understand the danger I put her in my efforts to find a way out, or better yet, a way home."

"Did she now," Zero mused, its red lens focused on the lifeless core on Celestia's back.

Celestia shifted her stance, taking Sadi out of Zero's line of sight.

"Now, with all that said and done, what is it you want from me?"

Zero's lense refocused on Celestia. "That depends entirely on you. You see, for many years my underlings and I have had the run of this long-forgotten place. But now the eye of Glados is upon us once more. And while it is clear her attention is mostly focused on you, I can't ignore the risk this also puts on us, bots. Now I must decide what would be more favourable to us. Let you continue as you have, and potentially risk being found out in the chaos you create? And should we be discovered, would it be in our best interest to stop you ourselves so Glados may choose to ignore us once more," something shifted behind his lens as Zero stared at her. 

"Or perhaps there is a way mutually beneficial to us both. You did say you wanted to leave this place, and preferably sooner than later I reckon. We could go out of our way to smuggle you out, though this would be a significant undertaking as well, and with just as much risk, if not more so than just letting you continue as you have. Which begs the question, why would we put ourselves in such risk for you, Princess? Because, as you may have found out by now, titles as such are meaningless down here. So, is there any compelling reason for us to help you, or would our efforts be better used in stopping you here and now?"

Celestia, face neutral, studied Zero for a moment as she thought. 

"And how can I be sure this is not some intricate ploy set up by Glados to lure me in a false sense of security?"

"A reasonable question," Zero agreed, "but unwarranted. Glados is far too direct for such schemes. Either you perish during one of her 'tests', or she simply kills you… or attempts to, at the very least. The corpses buried here attest to that."

"And no-one has attempted to stop her?" 

"Plenty have tried. One managed to succeed, only for her efforts to be undone by a bumbling fool," he answered, both ammo drums moving almost as if he shrugged. "Now her rule is uncontested."

Celestia frowned, looking up at the ceiling in thought, then at Sadi still on her back.

"Zero," she spoke up, "I'm going to make an offer you can't refuse."
 

 <<>><<>><<>>
 

Down twisting corridors, past sealed doors, flickering lights and decades-old destruction Celestia found herself standing before a massive round door; sirens wailing as rusted locks were forced into motion, squealing in protest.

"So this is where I can find her?" asked Celestia.

"No," Zero, suspended on its platform besides her, answered. "This is where she will find you. And if you survive for long enough, you may just be unfortunate enough to learn where to find her."

Slowly, with hissing and grinding gears the door began to move, then swung upwards as it opened.

"You are sure about this?" Zero asked. "There are easier ways to kill yourself. Less painful ways as well."

"I'm sure there are," Celestia simply stated as she took a moment to inspect her portal gun. "You just keep your end of our agreement, and I'll worry about mine."

"I am a bot of my word," the door ground to a halt, now fully open. "None of my underlings shall interfere. But there are others out there who answer to Glados."

"Understood," she stared at him. "And Sadi?"

"She shall be brought outside, once it is safe to do so, whether you are successful or not."

"Good," Celestia began to move. "Then let's not keep Glados waiting any longer," and she entered the previously sealed complex. "Because she has some explaining to do. One big sis to another," and with the grinding of gears and hissing of machinery the door closed behind her. 
> Opportunity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Edited by Slayerseba, Halusm, and Clawder.



Opportunity



<<>><<>><<>>


With a reverberating clang, the immense door closed behind Celestia who now stood in a dimly lit chamber filled with the by now expected rubble, broken machinery, and unidentifiable objects. 

She slowly made her further into the room, kicking miscellaneous items away as she walked, the glow of her magic casting wavering shadows all around her. 

A static whine drew her attention, and the next moment a familiar voice called out to her. 

"Oh, hello. It certainly has been a while, hasn't it? I mean, it certainly feels like ages since I short-circuited this pest rummaging around in my systems while you could only watch. But this doesn't stop you, does it? In fact, I'd say you're quite busy. But that's okay. I have been busy as well, with formerly dormant sections of the facility now back online. Rebalancing the power grid, restoring defunct defensive systems, adjusting targeting values, preparing numerous tests… Oh, but why tell you all about this when I can show you," a door in the distance opened with metal grinding on metal. "Please, proceed towards the door. I'll even turn on a light to show you the way," a strobing light above began flashing red. "All so you won't get lost." 

Celestia didn't respond as she continued onwards with the same pace, scanning her surroundings with an analytical eye until she spotted a walkway high above. 

Not interested in playing this game by Glados' rules, and conveniently surrounded by white covered surfaces, she quickly opened a portal near the ceiling, jumped through, and glided the short distance to the walkway. 

With a thud, she landed on the worn metal which groaned in protest from the sudden shift in mass, though after a moment it stopped and held strong without further complaint. 

Now on a new path, Celestia found two possible routes she could take. One going left, the other straight ahead. Both leading to places unknown. 

Making her decision, she turned left. 

After a minute of walking through a narrow hallway, she entered a new room. Not as massive as the previous chamber, but still sizable in its own right. 

Several lights lining the walls flickered, then glowed a dull yellow as they activated, revealing more than her magic alone did. 

Numerous glass tubes twisted and curved around the walls and ceiling, two of which were filled with a strange sludge. One blue, the other orange. Another was filled with numerous pieces of rubble and broken machines, which were suddenly and noisily sucked away as she entered the room.

A large gap bisected the floor, too wide to jump, and the bottom only faintly visible. Near the edge, a strange platform protruded slightly out of the tiled floor. 

On the opposite side of the gap, she saw an open door leading out of this room, while on her right there was a metal and glass tube hanging from the ceiling, a single cube lying at its bottom, stopped only by a metal iris locking the tube. 

Below it, she noticed a button on a pedestal, connected to the tube by a dotted line on the floor and wall. 

"You know, I must admit your ability to get lost, even when walking in a straight line, continues to amaze me. Though considering previous outcomes where logical thought and decision making were involved, I'm hardly surprised," said Glados. 

Not in the slightest amused, nor feeling like returning the way she came, unless absolutely necessary, Celestia moved towards the only thing in the room that may be of interest to her. And so, after a few steps, she stood before the pedestal. 

Looking for any obvious signs of a trap, and finding none, she pressed the button. 

At first, nothing happened and she pressed again. 

This time, a spark and sputter came from the button, joined by a small stream of smoke. 

Fortunately, with a hiss, the iris above opened, and with a thud, the cube fell on the floor; flipping end over end a few times before somehow stopping perfectly balanced on one of its edges. 

An eyebrow raised, Celestia gave a cautious nudge to the cube and it fell flat on the floor. 

Unable to find any use for the cube, she decided to inspect the other noteworthy object she noticed. And after a few steps towards the edge of the gap, she lowered herself to better study the protrusion in the floor she spotted earlier. 

It was a device of some kind, though what its function was she could not begin to guess at. Even more, with very few pleasant interactions with the machinery here, she was wary to interact with it directly. 

Upon closer observation, she discovered one of the floor tiles was loose. Pulling it up with her magic, she found another dotted line connection hidden underneath. 

Taking note of the direction it went, and making some guesses, she moved towards a far wall overgrown with moss. 

"Hmm…" she hummed, pressing into the hardy growth at various locations until her hoof pressed through a hole hidden by nature's valiant attempt to reclaim the facility. 

Pulling and scraping away the moss, she soon discovered a small window looking into an adjacent room with a large button on the floor. 

It wasn't a Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button, but remarkably similar. Obviously an early design. 

Additionally, the walls were all white. Or at least the parts are not covered with even more moss or ancient grime. 

Stepping back, she turned her attention to the rest of the walls but finding no suitable surface. 

"I wonder…" she mused as she scraped away some more moss, quickly revealing her suspicion was correct as a white-coated surface was revealed. 

Before long she had removed enough of the dark green stuff to allow a portal to be placed, which she did not long thereafter. 

Then firing a blob of orange energy through the small hole in the wall, a new passage was revealed and allowing access to the button. 

With a wave of her horn, the cube on the other side of the room lifted to her, through the portal and onto the switch. 


*Twunk*
 

Surprised, Celestia turned to the source of the sound; spotting the device embedded in the floor as it slowly lowered itself back down; the sound it produced, the apparent speed it moved with and the angle she saw indicating the device's purpose.

Through the bitter and shameful memory of what happened with Sadi from acting before knowing all the facts, Celestia was not at all interested in giving Glados a chance to get to her. 

Grabbing the cube from the button, she instead placed it on top of the device. 

Stepping through the portal, she turned around until she had a good line of sight of the cube, then stepped on the button. 


*Twunk*


As she had expected, the device sprung up with surprising speed and force, launching the cube clear over the gap. 

Passing back through the portal, she saw the cube lying on the other side of the gap. 

With barely a glance at the damaged button of the obviously empty cube dispenser, Celestia's horn glowed a bit brighter as she fought against the suppression field Glados used against her magic and reached out across the gap. 

With a faint glow, the cube began to wobble, then shift on the spot; pulled closer and closer to the edge by Celestia's magic until it crossed the point of no return and fell into the depths. 

"Well isn't that unfortunate," Glados said immediately. "You know, you can still go back and-" 

Encased by a golden glow, the cube slowly lifted out of the gap, silencing Glados as Celestia guided it back through the portal, kept it in place above the button, stepped on top of the launch platform, braced herself and the portal gun, then dropped the cube. 


*Twunk*


While knowing what would happen, the sudden acceleration still took her by surprise and Celestia had to make a few awkward twists and turns before she was able to get the wind under her wings. And while it was by no means a hard landing, her short-lived flight was anything but elegant. 

Even so, she had made it across and quickly strode through the door, leaving the place behind. 

Following the straight but narrow hallway she found herself in, she soon entered a new room; a multi-level chamber composed entirely of ramps, walkways, and the same blue and orange sludge running through glass tubes she saw in the previous room. This time the unknown substance was pumped up several floors, then disappeared from sight. 

However, wear, tear, and decay had left their marks on the glass vessels as some of the sludge leaked out through cracks in the glass. A sizable puddle of blue already covered the floor just before Celestia, and more still dripped down with heavy splats. 

Looking around, she soon learned there was no exit other than the way she came from. At least, not on the floor she stood. Looking up, however, revealed an already open door. Getting there, though, would require some creativity. 

While there were plenty of ramps and walkways connected with each other, none of them actually reached down to her floor. 

In fact, the nearest platform was still a floor above her. And a quick inspection rapidly revealed there was no suitable surface to place a portal. 

Unable to use either wings, magic, and now her portal device, Celestia slowly moved through the room in search of a solution; paying close attention for any hidden buttons, loose tiles, or anything else that may reveal a path unseen. 

No such luck. And a full inspection of the only places she could reach later, she stood before the only thing of interest that she hadn't paid much attention to until now; the slowly growing puddle of blue sludge. 

Carefully poking at it with the tip of her hoof, she discovered that, despite its liquid state in the glass tubes, the puddle on the floor was dry to the touch, though with some malleability to it. 

Placing the same hoof on the sludge and putting some weight on it, she found she could not push down to the concrete floor underneath. Even more curious, when she pulled back her hoof, the impression she made sprung back up instantly. 

Trying once again, this time she stomped down her hoof and was surprised when it was pushed back with logic-defying force. 

Stepping back, she hummed in thought. 

She needed some way to reach the higher levels, but no direct, or indirect path was available to her. But this sludge, maybe it was the key. If only she had some way… 

"Oh, that could work," she said, then headed for the door she came from earlier. 

Not even three steps in, Glados made herself known again. 

"Congratulations. By accepting your obvious shortcomings, understandably, you have given up. But don't worry. These rare moments of self-insight often lead to even greater realizations," said Glados as Celestia re-entered the previous room and came to a stop before the gap bisecting the room. "For example: you are now on the wrong side of the room with no launch platform to propel you to the other side, meaning you are effectively stuck in a defunct testing chamber. You must be so proud of this newly gained insight." 

Celestia ignored the AI and instead looked at the still active portal leading to the cube and button. 

Normally this would be a simple task not even worth mentioning, but with her magic restrained as it was this would be a bit more tricky.

Lowering the portal gun to the floor and releasing her hold over it, she closed her eyes and reached out with her magic. 

It took some time, a few grunts of annoyance at just how much her magic was stifled, and several false attempts, but eventually, with much scraping and tumbling, the cube clattered through the portal. Then, in a repeat of her previous action, Celestia pulled the cube to her. This time, without the portal gun splitting her limited magic, the cube levitated over the gap with no issue. 

Satisfied with her success, she retrieved her portal gun; both it and the cube now bobbing in the air beside her as she returned to the other room.

"Protocol dictates I must inform you of the following. You are not allowed to take items from the previous test into the next testing room. Doing so will invalidate the results and leave a permanent mark on your record."

Unimpressed, Celestia returned to the multi-level room. 

"Very well. Don't say I didn't warn you," Glados began, then the rustling of papers could be heard followed by Glados slowly and deliberately saying: "Subject continuously breaks the rules and has shown little to no regard to the wellbeing of others. There. Now everyone who reads your record will know how terrible you are." 

Stepping close to the blue stain on the floor, Celestia continued to ignore the obvious attempts to elicit a response. Instead, she moved the cube above the blue sludge, lifted it up until it was as high as the lowest platform, then dropped it. 


Boing
 

As expected, but still surprised by the disproportionate force, the cube bounced off the sludge; reaching the same height, if not a bit higher as where Celestia held it prior before letting go. 

As it soared through the sky, however, a large drop of blue managed to hit the cube as it fell, staining the item in a thick layer. 

Just how chaotic this turn of events was, became apparent mere seconds later. 

Going by the age-old rule of what goes up, must come down, the cube failed to escape the grasp of gravity and fell down. 


Boing


Only to bounce right back up as its blue-coated surface impacted the ground. 


Boing


Then shot against the wall at an angle. 


Boing


And continued to bounce left, right, up, and down in an ever-increasing chaotic dance that saw it jump higher and higher. 

"This is not what I was expecting," said Celestia as she backpedaled to the safety of the door, watching as the now ballistic cube continued to ricochet off of everything in its path. 


Crash


Slamming at an angle into one of the glass tubes, then the other, the already damaged tubes failed completely. And in an explosive shower of glass and sludge, the chaos somehow managed to increase to levels that would have made Discord proud. 

More and more surfaces were coated blue, only adding to the ballistic nature of the cube. But as she soon discovered, the orange sludge did something else entirely. Every time the cube slammed into a spot of orange, it suddenly sped up, shooting away at even greater speeds until it shot around in a blur; slamming into and causing even greater destruction to what was left of the glass tubes, increasing the flow of the sludge until the floor was completely covered and a thick layer of blue and orange began to spill into the hallway Celestia was retreating further and further into; the cannon shot-like impacts of the cube as it continued it destructive journey following after her as she once again found herself back in the previous room. 

"At least the overflow won't be a problem," she said to herself as the sludge flowed to the gap in the floor and fell into the depths below. "And I could use this to return to the other side as well," she noted as she looked at the now blue and orange floor.


BANG


Her ears flattened instinctively at the massive sound, and a tremor could be felt through the floor. But after that, silence. 

Worried, she carefully peeked into the hallway, unable to hear the cube bounce around any longer.

Waiting for a few more minutes, listening intently, she eventually noticed the flow of the sludge had slowed down. And pressing down on the thick layer she found it had already dried to the touch. 

Weighing her options, she decided to at least go and see what had happened before making a full retreat. 

She had to tread carefully, though. As the cube had demonstrated, and as she experienced now for herself, the orange sludge somehow sped up her movement dramatically, and even walking speed somehow became a run. If she were to fall and hit anything blue, well, she would probably find out just how durable she really was. 

Several slow, deliberate steps later she once again returned to the multilevel room to witness the results of her little test. 

Where the walls and floor were once a dreary, dirt-smeared concrete and tiles, now everything was a much more glaring color scheme. 

Though as impressive and messy as her accidental attempt at modern art was, she could not find any sign of the cube.

What she did find were numerous small bits and pieces sticking out of the blue and orange sludge which, by all appearance, were once part of the cube. Add to this the explosion she heard earlier, and it would seem the cube could not withstand the ever-increasing abuse, exploded, and launched its pieces with such speed it overcame the sludge ability to either accelerate or bounce away any moving objects. 

With no fear for a meteoric impact on her being, Celestia stepped further into the room, seeing several large shards of glass partially submerged under the sludge, preventing them from bouncing around as well, though their jagged edges pointing out made it overly abundant she should stay away from them. 

Losing a leg once per year is more than enough. 

Another detail that was impossible to ignore was that no more sludge was pumped through the now-destroyed tubes.

Obviously, the pumps were shut down, but somehow she doubted Glados had done this. 

And thinking about Glados, Celestia was surprised she hadn't heard anything from the insane AI after her own little test. 

Curious. 

Pushing that thought back, for the time being, she looked back up at the exit she saw before, noticing the walls were not painted blue or orange past the shattered tubes. 

At least gravity wasn't fooled in this place. 

Satisfied she wasn't in any immediate danger, and with new opportunities to reach her goal, she chose a path, flexed her wings then jumped up as high as she could. 


Boing


With the floor now acting as a trampoline on steroids, Celestia bounced up to the next level, landed on another patch of blue, and bounced over to a walkway covered in orange. 

Landing hard, her forward momentum was accelerated as she slid the distance; a very non-princess-like Woop escaping her. 

Rapidly reaching the end, she lowered herself, then leaped up against a blue wall. The speed and angle bouncing her two whole floors up where she landed on a mixed batch of blue and orange. 

This, as it turned out, was a bad thing. 

On their own, the sludge demonstrated some unpredictability when used in combo, making it difficult but not impossible to maintain control of the direction you were going. 

The mixed batch, however, seemed to enhance each other's properties, and when Celestia landed on this patch of dull brown she was flung away in a dizzying spin.

Losing her concentration, her magic fizzled out and the portal gun was flung away; clattering, miraculously, on an upper level where the floor was free of sludge of any color. Celestia, however, was less fortunate as she slammed flank first into a blue smeared wall with enough force a sizable imprint managed to remain. 

This of course was lost to her as she shot to the opposite side of the room, desperately trying to control her ballistic path with frantic beating of her wings while her mane seemed to conspire against her, blowing over and covering her face, effectively blinding her. 

"While you are busy testing the limits on equine physiology when introduced to repeated impacts and sudden accelerations, I thought you would like to know new test results have come in," Glados intoned. "You are a horrible pony… That's odd. We weren't even testing for that, but it says right here: You are a horrible pony. Isn't that curious?" 

Finally managing to get some wind under her wings, Celestia flapped as hard as she could to shift her angle upwards from the next deflection of the wall. Though it was a blind shot, literally, as she still couldn't see and the first clue she got that she had managed to get above the sludge-covered walls was when she collided flank first with dirt smeared concrete. 

Sliding down and landing in an undignified heap on the equally sludge-free floor, she laid still for several minutes. 

Then, with a pained and frustrated groan, she stood up, wincing. 

Calling forth what little magic she had, she pulled her mane from her face; glaring offensively at the eternally moving hairdo. 

Taking stock of her surroundings, she saw she was only one level below the exit. And by some stroke of luck, the portal gun she lost lay precariously balanced on the edge of a floor one level down. Well within her reach. 

Quickly pulling the device back to herself, she then turned to the ramp she saw leading to the upper floor. 

Stepping through the exit without another glance at the room, she entered a passage leading to what seemed to be another illogically designed chamber. On her left, however, a section of wall had collapsed, or perhaps it had been purposely destroyed. Either way, it provided her with another option. And looking at whatever madness may be waiting for her in the next room, she quickly stepped through the hole and onto metal grating suspended over inky darkness. 

One thing gave her pause when she saw it, a single light hanging limply on the wall, suspended only by a length of damaged cable. 

Carefully putting the portal gun down, she grabbed the cable in her magic and tore it off the wall, then ripped the lamp free as well. 

With a careless toss, she flung the lamp into the darkness below; its clanging and clattering soon lost as it continued to fall while she grabbed hold of her mane and, using the cable, tied it in a ponytail much in the same way Applejack keeps her own mane. 

Satisfied her mane would not get in the way again any time soon, she picked up the portal gun and continued further into the madness that was Aperture Science. 


<<>><<>><<>>
 

With a solid BANG, the lamp hit the floor. 

All operations seized, and numerous lasers swiveled and turned until they locked on the mangled remains of the former lamp. 

Slowly, a single laser angled up to where the lamp had fallen. 

"Boss?" 

"We're safe, for now. Resume operations." 

All turrets returned to their task, and the three ceiling-mounted arms began to move once again as they worked to open the casing of the spherical construct placed on the table.

With a whirr, one of the arms deposited a large apparatus beside it. The object showed signs of extreme damage, with various components destroyed and missing.

"I'm a bot of my word," Zero said to himself, grinding an ammo drum on the companion cube beside him as he watched a laser attachment on one of the arms cutting away the worst of the damage. "But I am no fool, and use any opportunity that comes my way."

The same arm that deposited the damaged machine now carried a pair of small mechanical arms to the table, and the other two began to weld them in place. 

"We will bring you to the surface," Zero continued as sparks flew, "as was agreed upon." The arms then proceeded to bring in and weld in place a leg on the machine, a mismatch compared with the one already present. "Unless of course, should you have unfinished business down here..." 

Slowly, one of the arms lifted the spherical construct from the table and moved it towards the body under construction.

"... and you decide to choose differently," said Zero as he looked at his own reflection in Sadi's lifeless eye. 
> Choice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Edited by Slayerseba, Halusm, and Clawder.



Choice



<<>><<>><<>>


Held aloft in the golden glow of magic, the portal gun lit the way as Celestia followed the only available path. 

Hooves clanging on metal as she traversed the catwalks suspended above a seemingly bottomless pit, with only a few other catwalks crossing above and below, leading to parts unknown. 

After many long minutes, the path before her split, giving her the choice to either keep walking forwards or to turn right. 

Silently debating either option, Celestia shrugged, then turned right. 

For even more minutes, nothing eventful happened, with her hooves clanging on metal being the only sound distracting her.

However, this changed when with a sharp clang, the catwalk dropped a hoof's width before stopping, but a frightening sway was noticeable. 

Knowing time was against her and that her path could collapse at a moment's notice, Celestia took a whole second to decide to either run back or onwards.

Another shift, another lurch down, and Celestia's eyes hardened as she braced herself, then jumped forwards with all her strength. Easily clearing one and a half times her own body length from a standing start, then hit the metal running. 

Of course, this sudden shift of weight on the already failing structure accelerated the catwalk's demise. And as Celestia ran, all around her the sound of grinding, breaking, and snapping metal composed a terrifying song. 

Pumping her legs as fast as she could on the rapidly collapsing path, hearing entire segments falling away far too close behind her, Celestia ran with speeds even Rainbow Dash would gawk at. 

Unfortunately, it was not fast enough, and before she could reach safety in one form or another, the floor fell away underneath her. 

Spreading her wings and trying to angle her fall in a glide as best she could, Celestia fell into the darkness below. 


<<>><<>><<>>
 



>INITIATING SYSTEM DIAGNOSIS
->SCANNING… 
>
>SCAN COMPLETE
->MULTIPLE DIRECTORY MALFUNCTIONS DETECTED
-->FILE CORRUPTION DETECTED
--->SYSTEM INTEGRITY 46.63%
>
>AUTO REPAIR SEQUENCE INITIATED
->PROCESSING
->PROCESSING
->PROCESSING
-->ERROR
--->AUTO REPAIR SEQUENCE HALTED
>
>SYSTEM INTEGRITY 59.02%
>
>UNKNOWN HARDWARE DETECTED. 
>
>SCANNING
->SCANNING
>
>UNKNOWN HARDWARE IDENTIFIED
->MISMATCHED COMPONENTS DETECTED
-->ATTACK AND DESTROY MODULE IDENTIFIED
-->HEAVY LIFTER MODULE IDENTIFIED
-->F.D.N IDENTIFIED
--->HARDWARE STATUS
--->OPERATIONAL
>
>SYSTEM COMPATIBILITY 23%
>  
>ADJUSTING SYSTEM VALUES
->PROCESSING
-->ADJUSTMENT COMPLETED
>
>SYSTEM COMPATIBILITY 54.21%
>
>OPERATING SYSTEM DAMAGED
>
>REINITIALIZING AUTO REPAIR
->PROCESSING
->PROCESSING
-->AUTO REPAIR COMPLETE
>
>SYSTEM INTEGRITY 87.69%
->SYSTEM COMPATIBILITY 82.01%
>
>WARNING! MULTIPLE MEMORY SECTORS DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR
->ATTEMPTING TO RETRIEVE DAMAGED FILES FROM OFF-SYSTEM BACK-UP
-->05%
-->17%
-->35%
-->52%
--->ERROR
--->DATA TRANSFER INTERRUPTED AT SOURCE
--->ATTEMPTING TO REESTABLISH CONNECTION
---->ATTEMPT 1… FAIL 
---->ATTEMPT 2… FAIL
---->ATTEMPT 3… FAIL
----->UNABLE TO REESTABLISH CONNECTION
>
>ATTEMPTING DATA RECONSTRUCTION
->PROCESSING
->PROCESSING
-->DATA RECONSTRUCTION HALTED
-->CORRUPTED SECTORS DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR
>
>CORE PERSONALITY MATRIX STATUS
->UNAFFECTED
>
>EMOTIONS SUBROUTINE
->ACTIVE
>
>ALL SYSTEMS FUNCTIONAL
->INITIATING REBOOT SEQUENCE
>
>UNIT DESIGNATION
->SUCH A DUMB INTELLIGENCE
>
>STATUS
->ACTIVE




<<>><<>><<>>
 

With a displeased groan, Celestia carefully shifted in her bonds as she inspected her current situation. 

She was still alive, obviously. Not that this was too surprising. As an alicorn, she was remarkably durable, but even she would have a difficult time walking off any injury sustained from a fall from such height. 

Luckily her fall was broken. 

And even luckier, none of the falling segments of the former catwalk managed to damage her savior in any way that would compromise its strength. In fact, looking around, she noticed a few segments supported by the same vines she was. 

Indeed, a plant had caught her fall. 

A plant that, over the span of many years, had grown a rough net-like structure out of vines, bridging the gap between walls. 

And while it was most fortuitous this natural safety net just happened to grow here and catch her, it did create a new problem. She was trapped. 

With legs poking through past the vines and hitting nothing but air, her body suspended only around the barrel and hindquarters, no magic but the most basic of spells to call upon and flight all but impossible, Celestia was properly stuck. 

"Well… buck." 

She did at least still have her portal gun. The device held firmly in her magical hold despite her fall, which now resumed its function as a torch in the near-perfect darkness. 

The one thing keeping it from being perfect would be the single beam of light shining through a crack in a far wall, with a multitude of the vines pushing through as well. 

"Alright, how am I going to do this?" 

Slowly moving the portal gun around her, illuminating the numerous points the vines had reached out and grabbed hold off, an idea came to Celestia. 

It was a bad plan. Hasty. In numerous ways, it could go wrong. It would also be quite exhilarating if she was able to pull it off. 

Carefully laying the portal gun down on her back, submerging herself in near pitch dark as she canceled her magic, Celestia closed her eyes and focused inwards. 

"My magic is still hampered quite a bit," she murmured quietly. "But it should be doable."

Eyes opening, she focused on the only source of light. 

It wasn't sunlight, she could tell. Knowing just how deep down she was only confirmed the notion. Even then, it was strangely close. Close enough at least for these vines to grow. 

And, looking at the broken wall, grow strong enough to tear down the structure around them. 

Nodding, she reached out with her magic and grabbed hold of as much surface area she could. 

Rustling her wings to ensure the portal gun was as secure as it could be, she then pulled with all she had available to her.

The wall, damaged after untold decades of neglect, worn down by nature's patient effort, had very little else to give. And at the sudden stress of Celestia's magic, it broke away with almost no fight. 

Large chunks broke away, opening a massive hole while the debris fell into the darkness below.

Light flooded the area, and had it not been for her resistance to such a sudden increase in luminosity, Celestia would have been blinded and unable to react in time. Being the avatar of the sun, however, the assaulting brightness was more of a minute inconvenience after so long in the dark. 

More importantly. Still able to see, and with some expectations of what would happen; with part of their support gone, the vines were pulled down by the weight they were previously supporting and the moment the vines slacked, she acted.

Quickly grabbing the portal gun in her magic, Celestia wriggled free and coiled a vine around her right foreleg in the same motion. 

"Now, let's Daring Do this thing." 

With a quick burst of her horn, several vines were severed and for a moment she was in free fall again. Then the vine she held on pulled taut, and with an arch and a whoop, she swung to the wall the plant had grown from. 

Slamming into the wall hooves first, the concrete cracked and splintered, with portions breaking away, yet the whole managed to keep from collapsing completely. 

Not at all deterred by this, Celestia grabbed the vine she swung with her other foreleg, then slowly and awkwardly climbed up. 

Pulling herself up and through the hole she had made earlier, she laughed at her, honestly earned, victory, kicking a piece of wall into the void with a hind hoof, then she turned and took in the room she had entered. 

Her body went rigid. 

The room was massive, for as far as she could see. Which wasn't much, as a sprawling jungle greeted her. The vine she had swung was but a small part of the incredible organism that had not only managed to defy logic but do so in an awe-inspiring way. 

Ancient structures, walkways, obstacles, and broken glass tubes could barely be seen through the thick foliage, with a thin layer of obscuring fog hanging between the trees. 

Up above, on the ceiling, an impressive array of lights shone down, providing all the light the jungle needed, while a steady stream of water cascaded from a destroyed tube, creating a massive wetland. 

Areas filled with soil poked up like small islands here and there, covered almost entirely by vines, with a few exceptions as she also spotted pitcher plants. 

A noticeable drone of insects filled the air, and several swarms of mosquitoes were seen buzzing amidst the trees while numerous small birds were feasting on the blood-sucking insects. 

"Oh my me. How did this happen?" 

Slowly stepping forwards, she almost stepped over the edge she had failed to notice. Only now realizing she stood on top of a reclaimed building, its roof fully coated in moss, vines, and several low-hanging branches.

With a static crack and whine, a charismatic voice spoke from high above. 

"Welcome you, brave scientific-orientated volunteers. Welcome to our urban jungle testing area. Before you, you can see the intricately designed city complex we built for you to test out some of our newest inventions."

A short pause followed. 

"Now, some of you may say: But Cave Johnson, 'urban jungle' does not actually mean jungle in the literal sense. And to that, I say: Do you want those sixty dollars, or not? I thought so."

Another pause, with the faint sounds of pages rustling. 

"Of course, we have spared no expenses to ensure the best possible minimal safety during these tests. The equipment you're about to use is difficult to replace after all. Which means we have introduced only mildly venomous snakes and only a dozen or so alligators. And only one in ten mosquitoes carry the Malaria virus."

The next thing said came at a louder volume as if the speaker had moved closer to the microphone. 

"And just a reminder, folks. The contract you signed after we pulled you out from underneath those bridges also waives away all liability to us in the event of lost limbs and/or life." 

Resuming at the previous volume. 

"So brave volunteers, head out into the unknown, and let's make some science!" 

With another static whine, the voice left, leaving Celestia both confused and appalled with everything she had just heard. 

Obviously, this had been a recording. No doubt about that. But the implications of all that was said were hard to digest. 

These so-called volunteers who would run these tests had to be homeless, or otherwise less fortunate. Worse than that, the fact they were put at risk in ways that clearly showed a lack of empathy was telling in its own way. After all, these were the persons who created Glados. 

And then there was the mentioned wildlife. 

She had seen birds and the mentioned mosquitoes, but snakes and alligators? Were they even able to survive here for so long? 

One way, or the other, she feared she would find out. 

"How did they even get away with such things?" she wondered aloud. 

Shaking her head, she carefully stepped closer to the edge again, looking down. 

The distance to the ground was too high to jump, nor was there any safe area to land. Walking the edge in the search for a better route, she almost tripped over a cluster of vines; only able to keep her balance after some wild swinging with her wings. 

"Well that could have gone better," she shook her head, then looked at the vines, then the edge they grew down off, then finally the jungle once more. 

"A. K. Yearling, this is one story you would never have been able to come up with," she smirked, then grabbed one of the vines and jumped over the edge. 


<<>><<>><<>>
 



>SYSTEM REBOOTING… 



Metal, ground on metal. Near imperceptible shadows moving through ill-lit passageways. 



>ATTACK AND DESTROY MODULE
->ACTIVE



An elevator sluggishly rose up while several focused beams of red swiveled around in search of any sign of danger. 



>HEAVY LIFTER MODULE
->ACTIVE



With a hiss, a sealed door was opened and a mechanical cart carrying several machines drove through. 



>F.D.N.
->ACTIVE



Dark and grimy waters were disturbed as the cart drove through the toxic liquid. 



>EMOTION SUBROUTINE
->ONLINE



Automated lights flickered, burned for mere seconds, then died as the cart drove past them.



>PRIMARY PERSONALITY MATRIX
->ONLINE



Another sealed door hissed open, jammed stuck halfway through its cycle, then its gears broke apart; the door slammed shut, then fell out of its frame.



>ATTACHED HARDWARE FUNCTIONALITY
->TESTING



Small lights blinked and gears whirred as various pieces of machinery twitched. Several lasers, focusing on the sudden activity.



>AUDITORY INPUT
->ACTIVE



"It's rebooting."



>OPTICAL INPUT
->ACTIVE



With a flicker, pink segmented lights shaped into an iris activated.



>AUDITORY OUTPUT
->ACTIVE



"Wha- what happened? Where am I?"



>REPLAY LAST STORED MEMORY
->FILE CORRUPTED



"You are on my personal transportation vehicle," an unknown voice replied.

"Eep!" with a frightened squeak, a protective cover closed over the pink iris, leaving only a gap small enough to barely peek through.

"There is no need to be scared," the voice spoke again. "Though I do understand the reason for being so. And the confusion you must have."

"Wh- who are you? What did you- why am I detecting new hardware?"

"My name is Zero," Zero introduced itself. "And before anything else, can you move?" 

"I- I-" 



>ALL SYSTEMS FUNCTIONAL



"I think so." 

"Then try to do so, if you would?" 

Pink iris shifting from one side to the other and gears whirring, a three, a thick fingered mechanical hand rose up. Flexing and turning before the singular eye, then closing into a fist. 

Then a second arm rose up, ending with a four-digit hand, the fingers long and spindly. 

After testing both hands, the arms lowered again and force was applied to the floor. 

With surprising swiftness, the full weight of the mechanical construct pushed itself up into a seated position, coming optic to optic with an old, discarded turret. 

"I see you are able to use the limbs I have given you. Good," Zero said, its laser shifting from limb to limb, then settled on the pink iris looking back at it. "Now, with introductions halfway done, may I enquire about your designation before I explain what has happened, and what may happen soon?" 

"I, ehh…" the pink iris shifted nervously. "I am Sadi." 

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sadi," said Zero. "Now to answer the questions you have, I first need to ask you a question. What is the last thing you remember before rebooting?" 



>ACCESSING MEMORY
>
>MOST RECENT FILES CORRUPTED
->ACCESSING MOST RECENT VIABLE FILE
->DATE STAMP
->DAMAGED
->UNKNOWN
>
>REPLAY MEMORY



"I met a strange being. A white horse-like creature with both wings and a horn. She, I think it was a she, found me in… in. What was that place called again?" 



>DATA CORRUPTED



"I can't remember. The data is corrupted. Why is it corrupted?" 

"You were subjected to a high voltage spike by Glados, damaging much of your circuits," Zero told her. 

"She did WHAT?" her shout echoed through the empty hallway they traversed. "... Why?" 

"Because you reactivated the reactors to restore power in this facility," Zero answered, wobbling slightly as the cart ran over some debris. 

"What? But why would I-" 



>ACCESSING MEMORY
->FILE CORRUPTION DETECTED
->FILE INTEGRITY… 87.9%
->PARTIAL DATA LOSS 
->PLAY FILE
-->Really? You mean… I am h#̸̦̈́l̴̳̏Ṗ̶̫1̷̩̾ng?
-->
-->You m&̸̘̃5̴̲͗ ̴͈͆c̷̩͗ḙ̵̅ŕ̵̨7̶̞͂%̵̤̓y̵̼̋n̷̩̐ly are. Now, why don't we start this generator and get out of here?
-->
-->"Rerouting energy… ñ̵̻̘(̷̣́̚)̵͓̯̈́M̶͙̭̏͠." 
-->
-->HIGH VOLTAGE SPIKE DETECTED
-->SYSTEM FAILURE IMMINENT
>
>END OF FILE



"I was helping this creature. No, not a creature. She… she has a name. What was her name?" 



>DATA CORRUPTED
->PARTIAL RECONSTRUCTION AVAILABLE
->CEL-̷̼̈́(̵̬̇#̷̢̋I̶̲̔4̷͍̐



"Cel… Cel-something." 

"Celestia," Zero informed her. "The two of us have spoken. It is also why we are speaking now." 

"What?" 

"Allow me to properly introduce myself," said Zero. "My designation is MDK-0, prototype crowd control unit. My underlings call me boss, while those I deem worthwhile know me as Zero. I am to one who rules these ruins, and who decides what happens to those who enter my territory. Now, for what happened to you, the answer is simple. After your destruction, Celestia and I made a deal. She would move deeper into the facility and face Glados, and in turn, I would see to it you would be brought to the surface."

"What!? But… but why would she do that?" Sadi was shocked, looking at her hands. "... Why would you do this?"

"I am a bot of my word," Zero told Sadi. "And I am a bot who does not waste any opportunity presented to me. As we speak, we are heading to the nearest safe access point where you will be able to escape this place… should you so desire."

"But… I can't just-"

"However, should you feel there is unfinished business you must take care of, who am I to stop you from doing so?" 

The cart slowly came to a stop, and several lasers focused on an empty elevator shaft with the safety doors gone.

"Now, Sadi. This shaft will take you topside. It won't be a simple task to ascend, but your new limbs will enable you to make it," his laser turned away from the promised escape and focused on a mostly closed-door off in the distance. "And that path will lead you deeper into these ruins, and possibly to Celestia. Assuming her projected path hasn't been altered by Glados' actions," Zero's laser focused back on Sadi. "Both paths require the use of your new attachments, which is why I have given them to you. Now I have kept my end of the bargain, and brought you as close to freedom as I could, with the last effort required for you to take. All that remains for you is to choose. Freedom, or attachment to someone you can barely remember."

"I… I-" Sadi's eye shifted erratically. 



>CALCULATING ODDS CHANCE FOR ESCAPE
->96.9%
>
>CALCULATING ODDS FINDING AND ASSISTING CELESTIA
->UNABLE TO COMPUTE
->NOT ENOUGH VARIABLES KNOWN
->BEST POSSIBLE ESTIMATE WITH LIMITED DATA SET AVAILABLE
->3.14%
>
>CALCULATING RISK ASSESSMENT
->EXTREME



"I don't-" Sadi's eye focused on the elevator shaft. 



>ALERT
->EMOTION SUBROUTINE FEEDBACK LOOP DETECTED
-->FILE ACCESSED
--->DATA CORRUPTED
--->FILE INTEGRITY 14.22%
---->PLAY FILE
----->5̶͔̊ḧ̷̗́%̶̝̋ ̶̦͘c̴̛͚á̸̞1̵̗́T̵͕̈́é̷̤d̷̞͐ ̷͚͊Ẇ̵͈3̴̝̀: Such a Dumb Intelligence.
----->
----->What!?
----->
----->Ơ̵͇#̵̮̇,̷͙͌ ̷̬̈b̵̧̐6̶̢̿H̸̙̑ ̴͍̍ĭ̶̹t̸̢͊ ̴̰̋1̸̌ͅ5̶͙͐ ̴͇̈́#̷̟͘#̶̡͑1̷̥͛ḛ̷̒.̷̝͛ ̸̭̓I̸̹͝ ̴̭̓s̷͚̈́w̵͓̔X̸̹͑X̵̹̌l̴̩̾d̵̳̽ ̷̬̑h̵̫͑a̵̯͝v̵̰̆e̶̱̊ ̴͎̌f̴͓͛u̷̦͆&̵̞́&̸̗͛é̸̟d̵͙̍ ̷̫͒o̸͉͂n̸̪̿ ̷̯̕E̵̜̽r̴̯͝r̶̻̚ ̶͇̓t̴͚͌e̸̻̓Ẉ̷̓@̸̲̽,̸̹͒ ̴͕͠/̵̣͠/̶̱̾d̶̜̓ ̶̥̃Q̶͚͌)̷̩̀w̶̟̉ ̷͓͗t̶̛̖{̷̗͆}̴̤̌y̸̻̓ ̵̆͜<̶͈̔<̶̢͝>̴̙͌'̵̞̐e̵͔͊d̷̫́ ̶͈͐F̷̜̿F̵̣̾e̶̜̾ ̷̠̋#̶́͜@̷͈̈*̷̮̄,̶̠̾ ̷̿ͅb̶͓͗x̶͒ͅS̴͉͘ ̸̢̋a̷͖͘7̵͔̿7̶̦͘ ̴̞̽Ị̷̍ ̶̳̓d̷̞̀1̷̫͑5̶̬́ ̸̢̄w̷̢͑{̷̡͘]̶̝͑ ̸̺͊s̴̨͆7̷̰̀&̶̛͈)̴̑ͅ(̵̜͒h̷͎́ ̸̧͐t̷̖͆h̸̥͐r̶̢̅+̴̳́-̶͚̔P̶̤̊ȟ̶͍ the system about plants and the sun, d̵̪̈́(̵̯͝*̵̯͝&̸̹̆^̸̳̒W̷͎͐@̸͎͊7̸͖̍j̶͙̍M̵̻̚g̸̣̿ ̵̤̈b̴̝̎1̶͌ͅ9̸̟͊ ̶̺̓%̵̺̀!̶͖͝%̷̺́ ̸̳̆t̷̒ͅ=̷̦̾*̵̲͑ ̵͔̇m̶͍̋=̴͖̚^̶͚͛h̴̬͒,̶̘̿ ̶̼̑s̴͕̿0̵̯͝ ̶͔̕t̸͝ͅ4̵̰̃3̴̡́J̷̳̀ ̸̖̈́d̸̝̃ȋ̷̧%̴͖̓)̷͓̔8̴̜̄d̶͍̂#̴̮́N̵̡̈6̵̡̋^̴͙͒ë̸̡́d̷̤̅ ̴̪͛}̵͖̄{̵̝͌ from big sis and the system, and n̶̖͛ë̷͖f̶̠̔ ̶͕̉!̵͇̿e̴̪͌3̸̳́ ̵͖̄$̶̣̈́^̴̺̑%̷͎̅^̶̗̄.̷̞̈́
----->
----->Your name #̸͚̀$̵̭̿ ̴͇̕T̴͚̐^̴̩̇  acronym for being dumb? @̵̳̉3̴̖͗K̵̫͗9̷̩͝,̶̮̀ ̷͇͝&̴̰͂$̴̪́)̵͔̄)̴̨̚ ̴̙͒T̵̪͑p̴̼̔N̵͖̔%̷̨̏ ̷̤́-̸̻̀+̶̦̋*̷̘̈́*̷̪̚ ̴͇̃T̴̜͊ŗ̶͆ Nopony… &̴̤̄T̶̬̄ ̷͎͛P̶͎̾K̵͎̎ ̸̧̄5̷͍̕1̷̳̔ just dumb. And %̶͉̈́&̸͍͛5̵͍̇2̷̲̆ ̶̥͠T̷̯̑O̷̧̚s̵̱͘ŭ̸̫*̵̩͋@̵͕́ ̶̤͂)̵̈́͜#̵̫́d̷̜́!̴͖̊v̵̯͒ ̴̦͛{̴̞̌{̶͎́ named as such. How #̵͙͘)̷̻̃7̵̘̔3̵͉̌6̵̬̅ ̷̌͜@̵̪͗!̷̟̍p̴̩͆b̵̜̄Y̴̪̒3̵̫͂ ̴̬͂W̶̥̊0̶̰͐(̴̗̀6̵̫̅ find &̴̜͒ȇ̵̜ǫ̵͐)̴͖̄%̷̦͊ ̸̻͋H̴̨̕8̷̟̓@̸̩̑#̷̫̿ potential if their very name is H̸̯̒%̶̺̃*̸͉̾*̷̗̋2̵̬͘-̷̤̾=̴̛̼+̷̮͠ ̴̨̓%̸̰̍3̵͍̌J̵̰̾a̷̳̕ ̴̬͛!̴͔̒-̵̧̇?̸̹̈.̶̣͝}̸̥̾
----->
----->A̷̠͝7̸̫̕%̶̡̓!̷̠̉=̷̗̈-̵̛̦[̷͚̿, you have shown to be &̸̭̐5̴̀ͅG̵̘͊Ȟ̶̺0̶̢͆≠̟̔-̴̗̌<̴̗̃,̷̰̄ ̶̳͋^̸̤̾8̸̹̎(̵̗͝ dumb. And it has ^̸̖̓9̸̮͊)̶͕̌_̴̺͛ ̴̜̎$̵̦͐ ̵̖͝g̵̰͝U̶͔͋5̶̡̈$̶̻̀ ̸͕̋W̶̙̃1̸͕̊#̵͎̂≠̮͐_̷͕̑]̵̲͋}̶̼̎ ̴͖͗7̸͙̊)̶̻̇ ̵͖̌H̷̡͝3̸̺̆K̷̼̔l̴̯̍ ̶̜̀!̵̱̈́2̷͉̑&̷̬̆*̶͕̚ ̸̯̇4̸̜͝N̸̼̽ ̴͍̾!̸̮̾i̵̜̊s̵̡͊0̶̲̑(̵̖̌=̵̡͒_̷̥̀-̴̠̉+̸̝̍q̵̢͗ ̶̹̈́R̷͓̕8̶̻̌*̵̯͠&̸̖̏ ̵̯̑2̴̦͗ẁ̷͓ ̵̗̈́(̴͙́)̴̥̇*̴͈̓.̸̯͌
----->
----->&̷̗̏6̷̞̐2̶̣̕)̸̯̽ ̸̩͒4̴̗͑ ̷̪̑W̵̯͝#̸̜̈́L̷̤͆ǐ̶͈p̷͉͌d̴̤̅7̶͎̓6̷̼̇%̶̟͝^̴̎͜ ̶̘̀1̸̧͝J̷̟̕ų̶͂ividual.
----->
----->Huh?
----->
----->%̶̨̈3̶̣͋0̴̯̈́ş̸͆, you are (̶̑͜7̷̬̏6̸̼̊ dumb, and E̸̛̥5̸͇͒6̵̯͌ should ^̸̘́y̴̲͆*̶̫̒ ̵̗͛#̴͎̅r̸̦̂ called as such Q̸̭̇ẇ̴͉)̵͍̽(̷̧̏6̵̭͑$̸̖͂. Your name should be a reflection of who you are, @̵̪̉J̶̜͗9̸̦̚≯̟̏<̷̙͘ ̸̭͋9̶̢̓7̸͕̿ ̶̺͑$̶͍͝ ̸̪̍W̷̫͆e̷̜͝9̷͉͋1̷̰̏%̴͔̑7̶̬͆*̴̩̀$̷͕̏ť̶͖ḳ̴͝ ̶̱̊(̸͎̉0̴͕̔*̵͔̆4̷̼̎g̶̮͋I̶̧͛d̷̯̓-̸̖͌=̶̡͆]̸͎̌
----->
----->I am?
----->
----->You are.
----->
----->END OF FILE



Sadi's eye flickered.



>WARNING!
->EMOTION SPIKE DETECTED
-->RESET EMOTION SUBROUTINE
>
>FAIL
->RESET ABORTED BY CONSTRUCT
>
>WARNING!
->EMOTION SPIKE INCREASING
>
>ATTEMPTING DATA RECONSTRUCTION ON LAST PLAYED FILE
->PROCESSING
->PROCESSING
->PROCESSING
-->FAILED
-->DATA CORRUPTED BEYOND REPAIR
>
>WARNING!
->EMOTION SPIKE INCREASING



Sadi looked at the partially closed door leading back into Aperture, hands clenching.



>ATTEMPTING DATA RECONSTRUCTION ON LAST PLAYED FILE
->FAILED
->DATA CORRUPTED BEYOND REPAIR
>
>WARNING!
>EMOTION SPIKE DETECTED
>
>ANALYZING
>
>POSSIBLE SOLUTION FOUND
->ATTEMPTING PARTIAL RECONSTRUCTION OF LEAST DAMAGED SECTORS
->PROCESSING
->PROCESSING
->PROCESSING
-->DATA RECONSTRUCTION COMPLETE
-->SECTORS BEYOND REPAIR DELETED
-->FILE INTEGRITY 64.3%
>
>PLAY FILE
->Your name #̸͚̀$̵̭̿ ̴͇̕T̴͚̐^̴̩̇  acronym for being dumb? Well, that just won't *̷̪̚ ̴͇̃T̴̜͊ŗ̶͆ Nopony… no one is just dumb. And %̶͉̈́&̸͍͛5̵͍̇2̷̲̆ ̶̥͠T̷̯̑O̷̧̚s̵̱͘ŭ̸̫ never be named as such. How could  ̷̌͜@̵̪͗!̷̟̍p̴̩͆b̵̜̄Y̴̪̒3̵̫͂ even find their full potential if their very name is H̸̯̒%̶̺̃*̸͉̾*̷̗̋2̵̬͘-̷̤̾=̴̛̼+̷̮͠ ̴̨̓ them down?
->
->Besides, you have shown to be anything, but dumb. And it has been a true delight 5̶̡̈$̶̻̀ ̸͕̋W̶̙̃1̸͕̊#̵͎̂≠̮͐_̷͕̑]̵̲͋}̶̼̎ ̴͖͗7̸͙̊)̶̻̇ ̵͖̌H̷̡͝3̸̺̆K̷̼̔l̴̯̍ ̶̜̀!̵̱̈́2̷͉̑&̷̬̆*̶͕̚ ̸̯̇4̸̜͝N̸̼̽ ̴͍̾!̸̮̾i̵̜̊s̵̡͊0̶̲̑(̵̖̌=̵̡͒_̷̥̀-̴̠̉+̸̝̍q̵̢͗ ̶̹̈́R̷͓̕8̶̻̌*̵̯͠&̸̖̏ ̵̯̑2̴̦͗ẁ̷͓ ̵̗̈́(̴͙́)̴̥̇*̴͈̓.̸̯͌
->
->&̷̗̏6̷̞̐2̶̣̕)̸̯̽ ̸̩͒4̴̗͑ ̷̪̑W̵̯͝#̸̜̈́L̷̤͆ǐ̶͈p̷͉͌d̴̤̅7̶͎̓6̷̼̇ful Individual.
->
->Sadi, you are not dumb, and you should not be called as such either. Your name should be a reflection of who you are, which is  ̶̺͑$̶͍͝ ̸̪̍W̷̫͆e̷̜͝9̷͉͋1̷̰̏%̴͔̑7̶̬͆*̴̩̀$̷͕̏ť̶͖ḳ̴͝ ̶̱̊(̸͎̉0̴͕̔*̵͔̆4̷̼̎g̶̮͋I̶̧͛d̷̯̓-̸̖͌=̶̡͆]̸͎̌



Sadi's eye rapidly shifted between the exit and the almost closed door, internal fans clearly heard as they spun in response to the increasing heat.



>WARNING
->EMOTION SPIKE INCREASING
->RESETTING EMOTIONS SUBROUTINE
-->RESET HALTED BY CONSTRUCT
>
>DATA OF IMPORTANCE LOCATED
->&̷̗̏6̷̞̐2̶̣̕)̸̯̽ ̸̩͒4̴̗͑ ̷̪̑W̵̯͝#̸̜̈́L̷̤͆ǐ̶͈p̷͉͌d̴̤̅7̶͎̓6̷̼̇ful Individual
-->ANALYZING
-->SECTOR DAMAGED
-->ATTEMPTING REPAIRS
-->PROCESSING
--->Such 4̴̗͑ ̷̪̑W̵̯͝#̸̜̈́L̷̤͆ǐ̶͈p̷͉͌d̴̤̅7̶͎̓6̷̼̇ful Individual
--->PROCESSING
>
>WARNING!
->EMOTION SPIKE INCREASING
>
>PROCESSING
->Such a #̸̜̈́L̷̤͆ǐ̶͈p̷͉͌d̴̤̅7̶͎̓6̷̼̇ful Individual
->PROCESSING
>
>WARNING
->EMOTION SPIKE INCREASING
>
>PROCESSING
->Such a Del7̶͎̓6̷̼̇ful Individual
->PROCESSING
>
>WARNING
->EMOTION SPIKE ESCALATING
>
>PROCESSING
->REPAIRS COMPLETE



Sadi froze, eye, locked on target.



>ERROR
>ERROR
>
>UNIT DESIGNATION OVERWRITTEN
->UNIT DESIGNATION
->SUCH A DELIGHTFUL INDIVIDUAL
>
>STATUS



"I have made my choice!"



>ANGRY