My Little Portal-
Chapter 2- Starting it Proper
"Hello and, again, welcome to the Equestria Science Computer-Aided Enrichment Center." Again?
"We hope you brief detention in the relaxation vault has been a pleasant one. Your specimen has been processed and we are now ready to begin the test proper"
Proper? I had begun these "tests" before? Who was this strange voice over the intercom…it certainly wasn't a human, for it was computerized. Rainbow Dash was wondering how she lost her memory, whether by accident or on purpose. It sounded as though something bad happened before to make her end up in the "relaxation vault" or whatever it had been previously called. As the voice paused for a brief moment, she continued on looking at a third wall of the room just outside the vault. It had a window, and inside the window was a small room. Inside the room were a few chairs and desks, computers or maybe television screens, she couldn't tell which, and other various things most likely for observation. But…no pony was to be found in the small room, it felt as though all other life was banished except for her and this odd voice.
The voice continued "Before we start, however, keep in mind that, although fun and learning are the primary rules in our enrichment center activities, serious injuries may occur."
This made Dash slightly nervous. What kinds of tests am I suppose to perform? Why would they be dangerous? She thought to herself.
"For your own safety, and the safety of others," Others? "please refrain from-"
Suddenly the lights sparked and flickered, then went out entirely. Suddenly the female robot started talking complete nonsense, first speaking slow Spanish and then rapidly spoke words that were impossible to make out. Then, with a quick notion the lights went back on and the robot spoke again with an "I'm back." then continued on.
"The portal will open in 3…2…1…" she began counting.
Rainbow Dash had been so entranced by the voice and distracted by her general curiosity for this place that she didn't notice the timer had only 3 seconds left on it. Wait…portal? This was all she had time to think before a small noise, kind of a mix between a click and a bleep, sounded and two holes appeared on the "doors" she had investigated earlier. The one inside her relaxation vault had a small, flame like rim around it the color of orange. On the one outside, a blue rim. With reluctance, she peered into the portal with wide eyes. Her rose irises seemed to shrink with her pupils as she saw the image inside. It had been an entry way through the other strange "door", or portal surface she might now call them, and when she looked inside she could see herself gaping into the orange portal in the vault. How remarkable!
She was utterly baffled by this new gate way to the outer room. Dash, with sweat staining her brow, carefully placed one foreleg into it. She turned her head to the blue portal, and noticed a hoof sticking out of it. A silent agreement went on in her head and she bolted through it gasping in awe, then started to giggle. Quite a while went by, running back and forth into the two holes, when the fun got interrupted once again by the female voice.
"Are you planning on doing this all day? I mean, we have tests to accomplish."
Rainbow Dash suddenly got the courage to reply "Well maybe if you allowed me to use my wings, I'd have more fun around here. I mean, you did say that was one of your primary rules, right?"
"Oh? What a…pleasant...surprise. The new test subject can talk. Very well, we shall give you a jumpsuit with wing-holes. Honestly, I feel as though that rule died a long time ago…ever since I got in charge…but I'll grant your wish."
Suddenly a tile on the ceiling slid to the left, and out of the hole where it'd previously been, popped out a new jumpsuit. She found a zipper on the suit she was wearing, so she unzipped her old outfit, silently slid out of it, and placed herself in the new one with only slight difficulty. Her wings had trouble adjusting, for the freeness they now had was alarming, due to the fact they had been trapped in that rubber for gosh knows how long.
A quick warm-up, then her feathers finally got fluffed and ready to roll. She flew all around the room in circles, even a few times through the portal, careful not to clash into the table right in front of the orange one.
"Weeowwee that feels good!"
The computer sighed "That's great. Now can the test subject PLEASE exit through the door and start the testing?" Dash assumed she meant the round door opened wide on the 2nd wall she examined.
"Well…ok…but first I'd like to know your name" Dash spoke.
"I am CELeSTIA. I am an Artificial Pony they put in charge of the whole facility and, you guessed it, all the test taking."
Who was this "they"? "Well hello. I'm Rainbow Dash and-"
"Start the test or I'll begin pumping Neurotoxin through the air vents"
Rainbow Dash flattened her ears at this threat and slowly walked toward the door. She had a feeling that CELeSTIA was a rather…short tempered AP, and that she'd be testing for a while now.
Rainbow Dash glared at the camera watching just above her, and finally reached the other side of the door, when it closed shut behind her. She swung back, seeing a white circle with two small blue streaks on the sides, and a neat pattern all placed parallel on the surface. This had been what the door looked like closed, and it appeared to come out of nowhere. She turned back, examining her first test.
There was a tube coming out of the left hand corner of the ceiling, a button just across it, and a door next to the tube: shut as tight as her jumpsuit had felt against her hide. She first wanted to check out the tube, approaching curiously, when a cube dropped out of it. Examining it carefully, Rainbow Dash found that the cube had an interesting design on it, with a circle in the middle of each side. When she tried lifting the thing, it was rather heavy, but she managed to carry it. She picked it up with both front hooves, and lightly flew to the button. She had an idea.
With a slight movement of her hooves, she dropped the cube neatly on the button. The same noise that played when the portals popped up sounded when she did this, the button lighting up at the cube's weight. The door on the other side that was tightly shut flew open; this must've meant she successfully completed the test.
A line of blue dots on the floor that followed up to a blue square with an x on the wall, suddenly lit up orange and made the blue square turn to orange with a check mark rather than a x. How strange…
"Excellent. Please proceed into the chamber lock after completing each test." CELeSTIA instructed.
Rainbow Dash trotted into the door and noticed a large tube with an elevator like thing just waiting for her to get in. In front of it were translucent little streaks that came from rods connected to either side of the archway heading into the chamber lock. What are those little things? Is it an invisible wall or force field or something that'll shock me? She wondered. As if reading her mind, CELeSTIA went on saying:
"First, however, note the incandescent particle field across the exit. This Equestria Science Material Emancipation Grill will vaporize any unauthorized equipment that passes through it. For instance: The Equestria Science Weighted Storage Cube" She must've been talking about the cube Dash placed on the button.
Always being the curious little Pegasus she was, Dash went back to the button to take the cube and vaporize it through the grill, just to see what it looks like. Sadly, went she lifted it from the button, the door to the exit closed swiftly.
"Although we put the emancipation grill there for when and if test subjects decide to take any unauthorized equipment, we will not let you take any equipment needed to complete the test. So don't get any ideas." CELeSTIA snapped.
Frowning, she put the cube back on the button, which once again made a check appear on the wall and made the door open. She looked up, noticing yet another abandoned room protected by glass, although the area where it had been exposed by glass was much smaller than the one of the room she had seen before. Her eyes yet again began to wander before exiting, and she noticed a camera above the door to leave in the chamber lock. An idea sprung in the mischievous little ponies mind. Her wings flapped rapidly as she lifted up to the camera. She then shifted her body so her hind legs were facing the camera's eye, and began bucking it.
This caused CELeSTIA much alarm.
"Stop! What are you doing?"
"Having a little fun!" Dash answered with a smirk.
Dash eventually kicked the equipment off the wall, making it land on the ground with a thud. She picked it up, and stood just in front of the emancipation grill. Then, with a flick of the hoof, she threw the camera in and the grill buzzed loudly, turning the piece of metal black then into ash. She was astonished at how smooth and easy that was, no sparks or anything left behind. The ash had disappeared, as if blown away into nothing.
"Alright, you've had your fun, now can you continue to the next test?" CELeSTIA impatiently asked.
"Geez! All you talk about is tests, tests, tests! What's so fun about them anyways?" She walked elegantly and smugly into the chamber. Suddenly CELeSTIA's voice change in tone.
"Look, unlike you ponies, I'm not crazily obsessed with fun beyond help, and I show it in the tests that YOU have to solve. I hope you figure that out in this facility as painfully and dreadfully as possible. When I saw you sleeping there the first day, which believe me, was YEARS ago, I thought you had some promise. I thought you were different. I thought you'd be all for the testing, like any sane pony would, but I guess I was wrong. You are just like everyone else; Naïve, simple minded, and obsessed with making everything some sort of game. Well fine then, I'll play along."
Rainbow Dash's clever feeling suddenly sank as CELeSTIA talked more and more about her "obsession with fun".
"Let's play some games then, or as I like to call them tests. I'll start." Suddenly the elevator stopped and opened up to another room, most likely another test. "Ok, it's YOUR move now. So let the games begin."
Ha ha remind you of Wheatley much? (If you haven't gotten to about Chapter 9, I think, in Portal 2…disregard that last comment…) Wellll I thought that was a good stopping point SOOOO always accepting reviews and if they're good I'll continue on! Westy out PEACE!