"I've done it! I've actually done it!" Orion shouted as he danced in place at his workstation. "Steel! Check out these results!" He continued as Steel made is way over to Orion's workstation. His horn glowing as he began to use several scan spells to check the progress of the experiment.

"By the maker.............. You've done it!" He shouted giving a huge smile.

"Woo hoo......" Ice spoke up giving a sarcastic shout that seemed rather weak. "So then, one down, three to go am I correct?"

"Watch your tongue, this experiment is more valuable than anything you could possibly think of. You know what happens to those that this spell is cast on if not done to perfection." Steel snarled to Ice who only rolled her eyes.

"Yea, yea, they go insane and die. Anyway, since Orion here has managed to finish his studies, does that mean he is going to help us now?" She groaned.

"Yes, but not until we continue testing for several more days just to make sure that this experiment is full proof." Steel smirked as he patted Orion roughly on the back. "After that, drinks are on me."

Steel stood there with Orion for a few minutes as he went over his steps in fixing his version of the elemental spell that would soon be cast on himself. Steel made many mental notes on how he had come to the final chapter of his experiment, he would need to test the results in the same way with other elemental spells that they had avoided to see if it would still work on them in the future. As they continued though, Kindle turned back to her workstation giving a soft sigh while still mixing her alchemical ingredients before casting the spell onto a piece of dead flesh. After a few seconds of waiting the flesh shriveled and turned to dust.

"Another failure." She sighed as she wrote down the ingredient mixture beside a new number. "Failure number 23,648." She stepped back from her workstation, giving the bridge of her snout a gentle rub.

"Still not making any headway Kinna?" Samantha asked as she stepped over to the crimson mare, giving her withers a gentle rub.

"No sadly. I've been doing all of this research for over a year now and I just can't seem to understand why this specific chemical makeup is having such a hard time being conjoined with this spell. It seems as if the spell could work without it but Steel says that it requires it." She sighed leaning onto Samantha's leg, Sam reaching down and scratching her mane atop her head.

"Don't let it get you down, I'm sure your time will come when you'll find the right mixture. Until then though, I believe it is your lunch time." She smiled to the crimson unicorn who smiled back. "Come on, let's go get some grub, my treat."

The two friends had made their way from the large building to just down the street to a local diner. They found their seats quickly and placed an order before they began their conversation.

"Sam, have you thought anymore on the experiments?" Kindle asked as she took a sip from her drink.

"Somewhat, but I don't really see the point in these experiments. Is there a reason we keep trying to fix these spells with unusual alchemical combinations? It seems rather redundant to me." Sam chuckled.

"Well, if you were a unicorn, then you would see the logic behind creating new spells by adding alchemical ingredients. Sometimes it can lengthen a spell, make it stronger or weaker, or make it do something entirely different. We study magic our entire lives. Making new spells helps drive us to make a better future. Did you not do that in your home world?"

"We did, but magic wasn't present in my world. We always tried to further enhance our technology to try and make life easier to live. Eventually it got to the point where we became dependent on machines for even the simplest of daily tasks. That's one of the reasons I dislike this idea in a whole. This world seems to be perfect as it is. Much of the population has almost no trouble at all doing what they need to do. And if they do run into it, then they always have friends they can count on to help in almost any given situation. So you'll understand why I think that continuing down this path isn't my idea of the best choice." Sam sighed as she sat back into her seat.

They sat quietly for a moment before Kindle spoke up again.

"Hey Sam, I never did ask you much about your home world. What was it like? And when did you get transported here to Equestria?"

"Never thought you would ask those types of questions." Same giggled before continuing. "I was zapped into this world in the year 2028 by the years in my world. Technology was abundant and anyone who had a dollar to their name would purchase some form of technology. Whether it be something to play games on, to a new limb or bio enhancement that would help them to live a better life or even to make it easier for them to commit a crime. It was all about money and enhancing yourself through technology. I never did get into that though. I may have done the implants before, but getting them myself was something else entirely."

"What's a bio enchantment?" Kindle asked, clearly confused.

"Its something similar to spells in your world. it changes parts of the body to make you have a stronger ability to do something. My race would sometimes cut off limbs and replaced them with machines to increase their overall strength to that limb. Sometimes even going as far as replacing their entire body by having their brains transplanted into a machine. They wouldn't get sick, or hungry. The least they would need to do is purchase a replacement nutrient supply to keep their brains functional and to keep them alive inside their machined bodies. It sounds terrible, and in my opinion it is. I would rather live my life normally instead of lengthening it just to watch all of my friends and family die before I do."

"So your species can live longer with those enhancements?" Kindle asked as she cocked a brow.

"Yea, normally a human can live to around eighty years, sometimes up to a hundred or later, but its rare for those to live later than that without the aid of machines. With certain enhancements, the life expectancy can be boosted from the average lifespan, to up to five times that or more."

Kindle sat there in shock, living for several hundred years would be a miracle in this world or any other. Many of the elder ponies across Equestria were jealous of the princess' due to them being able to live an immortal life span. But knew that they to could perish if the right circumstances were to arise.

"So, do you think you could show us how to do the same thing in this world?" Kindle asked curiously.

"Sorry to say Kinna, This world has to many ways already in order to lengthen the lifespan of an individual. If I put forth my knowledge in the matter then a pony could live to be a thousand years old. That, mixed with countless ponies would tip the balance to far off the scale and cause to much strife for the young and the old. The population would not see a downfall for some time. By then the world would be suffering far to much to even feed the most recently born into the world. You would be trading far to much to gain so little. In the end, it would end up being a terrible choice. Even if I was tortured for the information, I would never divulge it for that simple fact. I could not willingly give up that information knowing it could cause the end of the world."

Kindle sat there for a minute as she digested the information, as well as the plans Steel had concocted for the group to take over other nations. Kindle was a good girl, but wanted power. She had lived most of her life in an orphanage, being kicked from home to home because her new parent's could not cope with her previous instability. As time went on she began to loose far to much hope and was looking forward to ending her torment. Until she was adopted one final time.

*8 years prior*

"What is with these ponies? Can't they tell that all I am is trouble?" Kindle spoke to herself as she paced back and forth in her room. "I've tried all of my tricks and pranks, done everything I can think of to make them mad enough at me to send me back to the orphanage, but they just ignore it............. why?" She quietly sat down on the edge of her bed as tears began to form in her eyes. She took in a shuddering breath before bolting upright as a knock came from the door to her room.

"Kindle? Are you ok sweetie?" The comforting voice of her newly adopted mother asked.

"No......... go away............" She shouted back before jumping onto her bed and burying her face into her pillows.

"Kindle, please don't be upset. We aren't mad at you." Came the voice of her newest father.

"Why not?! I've done so many bad things to you and you just ignore it?! WHY!?" She screamed back before burying her face into her pillows again as she began to cry into them. She stopped for a moment though as she heard the door open into her room as her adoptive parent's made their way in. They gave her a sad smile as they both sat next to her on her bed. He mother brushing her hoof through her mane while the father gave her a gentle nudge to get her attention.

"Kindle dear..........." Her father began. "Do you want to know the reason why we aren't' mad at you, no matter what you do?" He asked causing her to slowly pull upright in her bed and look at him through tear stained eyes.

"It's because we love you unconditionally. No matter what you say or do, we will always be here for you." Her mother smiled to her.

"What if I burned down the house? Would you still love me then?" She snorted at them, but their expressions never changed.

"We would still love you just as much as we do now." Her father smiled down to her as they both gently pulled her into a hug.

Kindle sat there quietly, unmoving to return the affection she was getting. After a short time they separated, it was getting late and they had to work tomorrow. Kindle would have the day off from school as it was a Saturday and she could do what she wanted.

(Later the next day)

"Get that hose connected! Hurry up before the fire spreads!" Shouted a firepony as they tugged some of the hoses loose from the fire cart. A couple of pegasi began to move some rainclouds over the burning home.

"Is anyone inside?! Did anypony check?!" Shouted one of the neighbors before hearing a shriek as a mare screamed from the crowd.

"My baby! She's inside!? Oh Celestia somepony please save her!" The young mare panicked but stopped as her husband bolted through the crowd and into the building.

"KINDLE! WHERE ARE YOU? CAN YOU HEAR ME?" He shouted through coughing breaths as he bolted up the stairs and into her room. He continued looking around until he heard some coughing coming from the closet. As he tore the doors open he saw Kindle laying there, motionless but still breathing. He quickly pulled her up and onto his back as he bolted to the door but stopped as a large wooden beam fell across his path. Fire blazing from it.

"Dammit!" He shouted as he looked around. His vision rested onto the window as his face turned to sheer determination. He took a hard turn and ran for the window, jumping through it, sending shards of glass in all directions as he held onto his daughter.

Time seemed to slow as he burst through the window. The sting of the glass cutting into him, the burning of the smoke in his lungs. Then weightlessness.............. then falling............ then shock as the ground met with his backside. The added weight from his daughter squishing him into the hard ground below. They skidded to a stop as the muffled voices of ponies all around him echoed into his head. He watched through blurred vision as his daughter and he were placed into separate carts and taken to the hospital.

*beep*

*beep*

*beep*

*beep*

*beep*

The steady sound of the heart monitor beeped away as the mother sat between her husband and daughter in the hospital. It had been only a few hours since they had lost their home to a fire, and Kindle had been rescued.

"Ugh, honey?" The stallion spoke up from his bed.

"Oh goodness! Your finally awake." She beamed as she leaned over giving him a gentle hug.

"How's Kindle? Did she make it?" He asked as he attempted to sit up in his bed but was gently pressed back down by his wife.

"She's fine. The doctor's said that she inhaled a lot of smoke but she will fully recover in a matter of days. You on the other hoof are going to need some bed rest for that stupid stunt you pulled. Honestly, jumping out of the second story window. What were you thinking?" She snorted while giving his shoulder a gentle smack.

"Ow hey, injured pony here." He chuckled. "It was worth the pain to save Kindle. Besides, the way into the room was blocked as I was trying to get her out of the house. Last logical choice, jump out the window and pray for the best." He chuckled, wincing in pain. "Thank Celestia Kindle survived though. I don't think I could have lived with myself had I not saved her." He smiled softly while looking over to his adoptive daughter. He stopped though as he took a better look at her, this catching his wife's attention as she looked over to see Kindle silently crying, but unmoving.

"Kindle? Honey?" The mare began as she moved over to her but stopped as Kindle pulled away opening her eyes as tears streamed down her face.

"I did it..........." She trailed off for a moment. "I told you I would set the house on fire.............. so what do you think of me now!" She squeaked out, ready to hear the words that so many other adoptive parents had shouted at her. She pulled her hooves up to her face as the tears never stopped flowing, her anticipation of hearing those words only getting worse as she waited. She gave a soft gasp though as she felt two sets of arms gently wrap around her and pulling her into a gentle hug.

"We still love you as much as we did before. Don't ever think that just because you do something wrong, means that our love for you will ever change." Her mother said quietly.

"I would give my life up for you in an instant my dear. Don't forget that. And if you don't believe me, just look at how bad of condition I am in right now." He chuckled as he pulled away slightly to show her the stitches and bruises he had received in the fall.

Kindle looked him over then to her mother, both of them giving a loving smile as her tears began to flow freely now.

"I'm so sorry..............." She whispered. "Please don't leave me." She continued as they just pulled her into a tighter hug.

"Kinna?........... Hey Kindle, you ok hun?" Samantha asked as she snapped her fingers in front of the crying mares face.

"Huh? Oh, sorry..........." She trailed off as she pulled a foreleg up to wipe her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" Samantha asked as she got up and moved to the crimson ponies side, draping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into a sideways hug.

"No reason really. Just some good memories that was brought to light from what you said a minute ago. Thanks." She smiled looking up to her friend.

"No problem Kinna, You know I'll be here for you if you ever need me." She smiled back.

"And I for you as well." She giggled.

The two sat there quietly as the waitress brought out their food. They managed to finished off their break in silence before heading back to the lab to continue to work. The thought's of Kindle parents still fresh in her memory. She would have to set some time aside to visit them soon, and thank them for being their for her, to show her what true friendship and love means.