AiE: Twilight and the Magic of Rocketry: AJ the Astronaut

>You are Anon

>And it is your job to turn these ponies into astronauts

>Applejack and Rainbow Dash stand at attention in front of you, wearing serious expressions

>You pace in front of them, wearing an old officer's softcap you just so happened to have

"You are here because you are the best of the best. The most physically capable, well-rounded ponies I have ever had the pleasure of meeting."

>You stop in place, looking at them sternly.

"But to turn you into spacefarers, I'm going to need you both to push yourselves completely beyond your current limits, both physically and mentally. Make no mistake. You are about to face the harshest training in your lives."

>Applejack's demeanor falters for a moment, betraying her nerves. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, appears totally complacent

>"Oh, lighten up, Anon. There's no way your training could be any worse than what I went through at the Wonderbolt Academy last year. Even the Dizzitron couldn't slow me down!"

"Ah, yes. The Dizzitron. That's actually a little similar to something Twilight and I have whipped up for you two, but..."

>You gesture towards Twilight, who has rigged up a simple centrifuge. A free-rotating steel pin with a crossbar is fixed into the ground. One side of the crossbar is fitted with a weighted ballast, the other with a swinging, enclosed carriage.

"I believe she might be able to explain this better than I can."

>Twilight nods. "Everypony, this is a pony centrifuge. By exploiting the combination of rotational movement and the centripetal force exerted by the crossbar to keep the pod in place, this device can generate an apparent acceleration known as centrifugal force, simulating the effects suffered when accelerating forward at-"

>"Uh, Twi," Applejack interjects, "Do you mind giving us the simple version? I kinda lost you there at 'centripeh-what now'."

>Twilight rolls her eyes, mildly frustrated. "Okay, simple version. This thing spins around, you feel like you weigh a few times more than normal. Just like you would in a real rocket ship going into space or coming back down."

>"Oh!" Applejack smiles. "Why didn't ya just say so in the first place? That doesn't sound too bad." She begins to saunter up to the carriage, her nerves easing. "Lemme have a try, sugarcube."

"Alright then, AJ. You're up."

>The orange pony walks up to the pod and opens the door, revealing the seat within. "Now what in the hay is this?"

>She struggles to get herself comfortable in the seat, her hindlegs splayed forward while her forelegs lay on a pair of rests

>"How does that mare Lyra even sit like this all the time?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself, but there's a reason I need you to sit like that. It'll make the trip more..."

>You struggle to find the right word

"...endurable. Anyway, you should notice several coloured panels in front of you, meant to model the inside layout of a real spaceship. They're purely decorative, but let us know when those start turning grey. That's important. Same goes for if you think you can't take any more, and need to stop."

>"Wait, hold on," AJ replies, "How exactly am I gonna let you fellers know that things are turning grey?"

>"Don't worry about that," Twilight answers confidently. "I'm going to be using a noise amplification spell on the pod. We'll be able to hear you out here loud and clear, and you'll hear us."

>"Well, alrighty then." Applejack proceeds to buckle herself in. "So, am I good to go, you two?"

"You look fine to me. Now, remember, this is your first time. So don't push yourself -too- hard. If you need to stop, just tell us."

>You smirk as you firmly close the pod hatch

"We'll have plenty of time for that later."

>After making a few final checks, you turn to Twilight

"Everything's set. Let's start her out on 2 gees."

>"Got it, Anon." Twilight shoots a bolt of magic at the machine's counterweight, causing it to spin

>As the spinning intensifies, you and the others notice AJ's pod begin to swing outward ever so slightly

"How are you feeling, AJ?"

>"Feelin' fine, sugarcube," she answers, her voice sounding even and steady

"Alright then. We're going to kick up the gees a little. Twilight, 4 gees."

>"On it!" She zaps the counterweight again, and the centrifuge steadily accelerates through 3 gees and onto 4

>"Uh... Anon?" AJ's voice is starting to sound seriously strained. "Everything's... starting to turn... grey!"

"You're greying out. You should maintain consciousness for now, though. How are things out the corners of your eyes?"

>"Ugh..." Applejack is putting almost all of her energy into delivering a coherent response. "Gone! Can only really... see forward, sugarcube!"

"That's tunnel vision. Entirely normal, but keep an eye on it."

>"I feel like... a dragon is..." Applejack's face contorts as she strains to form the words, "...takin' a nap on my chest!"

"Do you want to stop, AJ? Or do you think you're right for one or two more gees?"

>"I'm... fine, sugarcube." AJ furrows her brow. "I can do this!"

"Well, alright then. If you're sure, that is."

>"Should we, Anon?" Twilight asks worriedly. "She sounds like she's having a bit of trouble in there"

>You look carefully at the centrifuge

"She'll be fine, I'm sure of it. She's a strong pony. Get her up to 6 gees."

>As Twilight unleashes another spell, you turn to the pod. "AJ! Flex your hindlegs and flanks! And short, controlled breaths!"

>"Short... controlled... breaths..." Applejack nods as the gees warp her cheeks. "Got it... Anon!"

>As the machine topped out at 6 gees, the orange pony's breaths were becoming like hiccups

>The muscle flexing was actually helping, too

>Still, AJ is just about at her limit

>"Anon! *hic* Everything's *hic* gone black!" Applejack managed, her voice sounding panicked under the immense stress of the experiment. "STOP!"

>"On it, AJ! Don't worry, we're here!" Twilight's power flares as she shoots a powerful spell at the centrifuge. Gritting her teeth, Twilight psychically pushes against the rotation of the device

>Rainbow Dash looks on nervously, hoping nothing has gone horribly wrong

>You maintain your stern gaze, keeping an eye out for any irregularities

>Slowly but steadily, the centrifuge comes to a stop

>Rainbow Dash zips forward, nearly ripping the door away as she rushes to Applejack's aid

>"Applejack!" Rainbow's eyes begin to water as she looks upon the disoriented, quasi-conscious mare regaining her bearings in the pod. "Are you okay?"

>"I'm okay, RD." Applejack said, smiling as she nodded weakly. "Or, I think I will be," she adds, her expression turning sheepish. "I think I need to lie down for a bit."

>Rainbow Dash's hooves fumble with AJ's belt buckle, undoing it before helping her friend out

>Twilight levitates AJ's figure from Rainbow's hooves before setting her beneath a nearby tree, well out of the way of the centrifuge's path

>You look over at her

>She seems fine for the most part. The symptoms seem to already be wearing off

>Still, you decide to check her up close, just to be sure

>You approach her, holding up your hand in a V-for-Victory sign

"Applejack. How many fingers am I holding up?"

>"Two," she replies, matter-of-factly. Her eyes seem much more focused now, and her voice is steady and clear

"Well, that's good then. No permanent harm, looks like. Now..."

>You turn to Rainbow Dash

"Seeing as AJ is done with her turn, we can commence your first session in the centrifuge. That is, if you're up to it."

>The rainbow-maned pony looks down at her friend, now calmly leaning up against the tree, then up to you.

"I understand if you would rather-"

>"I'm ready. Anything AJ can take, I can too." She shoots a confident look over at Applejack before turning back to you. "Let's do this."