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[center][h1][i][b]Chapter Four- 
She Blinded Me With Science![/b][/i][/h1][/center]

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Violet couldn’t believe her eyes.

Over the past few hours, the heiress had been shown wonders and horrors beyond her wildest imaginings. She had seen biomechanical monstrosities being grown in bubbling vats of glowing liquid, while moon-sized omninoughts hovered overhead. She had seen monolithic mobile fortresses guided by soultech AIs, and capable of unleashing multiple megatons of destructive power every second. She had seen tri-plenumic perpetual motion machines, polyphasic transdimensional techno-wraiths, technomystic teleporters, tetra-tachyonic time machines, hyper-quantum infinity colliders, vita-voltaic resurrection wells, poly-harmonic trans-planar psionic pulse conductor choirs, and a staggering variety of death rays too numerous to count. 

Then, of course, there were the obligatory galaxy-shattering doomsday devices, but even [i]they[/i] seemed insignificant when placed against the awe-inspiring grandeur of the Lab itself, the sprawling technoscape that, at times, almost seemed like a living creature, and was so stupendously vast, it even had its own [i]weather.[/i] Indeed, it had been while their shielded counter-grav platform was passing through a torrential downpour of glowing, green liquid that Nykannis had informed her that she had saved the best part of the tour for last. As arcs of actinic, yellowy-green lighting crackled around them, Violet couldn’t even imagine what could possibly surpass all she had already witnessed, and yet, when they finally arrived, the young heiress found herself presented with a sight that made all the harnessed hypercanes, self-replicating energy-to-matter nano forges, and hyperdimensional quantum singularity cosmic string projectors pale in comparison…

[color=BlueViolet]“Y-You… You… have a [i]petting zoo?![/i]”[/color] Violet exclaimed, her eyes going wide.

[color=DarkMagenta]“That’s right,”[/color] Nykannis said with a grin. [color=DarkMagenta]“Whatdaya think, Princess? Cute enough for you?”[/color]

[color=BlueViolet]“T-They’re… They’re… [i]Adorable![/i]”[/color] Violet gushed, her normally cold eyes seeming to sparkle with glee as she ran to the edge of the forcefield bubble, which enclosed the various bizarre creatures.

[color=DarkMagenta]“Just reach in and grab a bunch,”[/color] Nykannis instructed. [color=DarkMagenta]“You can put them on here,”[/color] the mad scientist added, gesturing to a hovering table that had just popped into existence.

Not wasting a moment, Violet did as instructed, grabbing two armfuls of the wriggly creatures, and pulling them from the containment dome.

[color=BlueViolet]“T-They’re so soft!”[/color] the heiress exclaimed joyfully.

[color=DarkMagenta]“Yep,”[/color] Nykannis agreed. [color=DarkMagenta]“Perfect for cuddling,”[/color] she added as Violet proceeded to do just that, hugging several of the little creatures, and lifting them up to nuzzle against her cheek. 

As Violet showered them with affection, the strange little things cooed and trilled happily, bringing an even bigger smile to the heiress’s face.

[color=BlueViolet]“Oh~! You are just the[/color] [color=DeepPink][i]cutest[/i] little thingy wingies~! (giggle!)”[/color] Violet squealed, her voice becoming cuter and more high-pitched as she continued to snuggle with her new friends. [color=DeepPink]“Yes you aresie~! Yes you aresie~!”[/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“Glad to see you’re enjoying yourself,”[/color] Nykannis noted with a sly smirk.

[color=DeepPink]“Mmmhmm~!”[/color] Violet agreed, her eyes half-closed in blissful contentment. [color=DeepPink]“I just wuv them soooo much~! (giggle!)”[/color]

However, her bliss soon turned to alarm, when the creatures’ contented coos were replaced with anguished cries. Opening her eyes, Violet saw to her horror that her various little friends were beginning to slip through her fingers and messily dissolve into puddles of goop.

[color=BlueViolet]“N-No!”[/color] she cried, still not fully believing what she was witnessing. [color=BlueViolet]“W-What’s happening?! T-They’re all dying! Why?!”[/color] she demanded, glaring at Nykannis with tear-filled eyes. [color=BlueViolet]“Why are you doing this?!”[/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“To see the look on your face,”[/color] the mad scientist replied, her own face set in a smug grin. [color=DarkMagenta]“But don’t worry, Princess,”[/color] she added, tapping a small holodisplay. [color=DarkMagenta]“They’re all perfectly fine, see?”[/color]

As Violet watched, swirling vortices of yellowy-green energy reassembled all the various creatures, who were soon emitting a chorus of happy trills and coos once more.

[color=DarkMagenta]“There, good as new,”[/color] Nykannis declared. [color=DarkMagenta]“I made every single one of these little guys, so of course I can [i]re[/i]make them! Nyahahaha! In fact, they don’t even remember getting dissolved in the first place!”[/color]  

For a few moments, Violet was silent as she took in everything she’d just experienced. The “Queen of the Mad Scientists” certainly lived up to her title. Nykannis was staggeringly powerful but could also be staggeringly psychotic, and, not for the first time, Violet found herself wondering if she should be impressed or horrified…

[color=DarkMagenta]“So, now that you’ve had the tour, whadaya think?!”[/color] Nykannis was asking. [color=DarkMagenta]“Most amazing stuff you’ve ever seen, right?! I bet it makes everything [i]your[/i] supposedly brilliant mind has ever come up with look like a bunch of pathetic tinker toys!”[/color] 

[color=BlueViolet]“Nykannis… What you’re capable of… it’s… it’s unbelievable…”[/color] Violet told her after a moment. [color=BlueViolet]“You could solve so many of the world’s problems, end so much pain and suffering… Yet, you could also [i]add[/i] to them, or even destroy the planet completely. Is that why you haven’t shared any of these developments with the general public, despite your obvious desire for recognition?”[/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“That’s part of it,”[/color] Nykannis conceded. [color=DarkMagenta]“I’ve taken a more direct approach on countless other worlds, and even quite a few versions of this one, but I suppose you could say I have a vested interest in making sure this [i]particular[/i] iteration stays relatively intact, at least for the time being. Besides, the Grand Magistrate would rather I not disrupt the status quo too much,”[/color] she added. [color=DarkMagenta]“And pissing [i]him[/i] off would be a [i]very[/i] bad idea.”[/color]

[color=BlueViolet]“The Grand Magistrate?”[/color] Violet asked with a raised eyebrow.

[color=DarkMagenta]“No one you need to worry your ditzy little head about,”[/color] Nykannis replied with a dismissive wave of her hand.

[color=BlueViolet]“I-I am [i]not[/i] ditzy…!”[/color] Violet protested. [color=BlueViolet]“A-At least not currently…”[/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“Yeah, I know,”[/color] Nykannis replied. [color=DarkMagenta]“I only said it to annoy you. But, seriously, you shouldn’t concern yourself with the Magistrate,”[/color] she added. [color=DarkMagenta]“I mean, you’re pretty much the living embodiment of the saying ‘ignorance is bliss’, after all. Or is that [i]not[/i] why you enjoy being Magical Dream Princess so much?”[/color] she asked pointedly.

[color=BlueViolet]“I…”[/color] Violet began to protest, before stopping herself. [color=BlueViolet]“You’re right,”[/color] she conceded softly. [color=BlueViolet]“Being Magical Dream Princess [i]does[/i] allow me to forget about my many worries and obligations. I suppose you could even say I often [i]prefer[/i] being that way, but I know that some things [i]do[/i] need to be taken seriously, and I am not particularly fond of how disoriented my memory and overall mental state become,”[/color] the heiress added with a frown. [color=BlueViolet]“But, thankfully, I have so many wonderful friends to help me. For the longest time, I had always sought to be perfect at everything, relying on my own innate talents and hard work. It wasn’t until I became a magical girl that I was able to see the real value in having friends I could rely on, who I could trust to be there for me even when I was at my weakest and most vulnerable,”[/color] she explained, a warm smile spreading across her face. [color=BlueViolet]“Friends like that are one of the most wonderful blessings in the world, and one I cherish with all my heart.”[/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“All that ‘power of friendship’ crap sounds like something from right out of a cheesy magical girl show,”[/color] Nykannis remarked snidely.

[color=BlueViolet]“I suppose it does,”[/color] Violet replied. [color=BlueViolet]“And I suppose that makes me childishly naive, but I honestly couldn’t care less about what you or anyone else thinks of me,”[/color] she added firmly. [color=BlueViolet]“I’m tired of hiding who I really am. I’ve spent all my life pretending to be what other people want me to be, terrified of showing my true self, but not any more.”[/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“Wow… That was some speech, Princess,”[/color] Nykannis noted, while slowly clapping her hands. [color=DarkMagenta]“It’ll be interesting to see if you can put your money where your mouth is,”[/color] she added. [color=DarkMagenta]“I mean, I know how much of a big deal having daddy dearest’s approval is for you. But for the protagonist of some disgustingly sweet kids show, I’d give that performance a nine out of ten. Oh, and speaking of magical girl shows,”[/color] the diminutive doctor continued. [color=DarkMagenta]“Did you know that, once upon a time, yours truly was actually [i]in[/i] one?”[/color]

[color=BlueViolet]“[i]You[/i] were a magical girl?[/color] Violet asked incredulously. 

[color=DarkMagenta]“Of course not!”[/color] Nykannis retorted. [color=DarkMagenta]“[i]I[/i] was a [i]mad scientist![/i] And not just [i]any[/i] mad scientist, either!”[/color] she clarified, holding up a finger for emphasis. [color=DarkMagenta]“I was the main villain of the show! But I got to team up with the heroine during the series finale in order to help her save the universe, and my epic awesomeness totally overshadowed her in every way! Nyahahaha! Hey! Wanna watch it together?!”[/color] the mad scientist asked excitedly. [color=DarkMagenta]“Then you can see exactly what I’m talking about!”[/color]

[color=BlueViolet]“Um, I-I suppose,”[/color] Violet replied, a bit taken aback by her “host’s” enthusiasm, although when it came to someone as egomaniacal as Nykannis, she realized it probably shouldn’t have been all that surprising. [color=BlueViolet]“May I ask the name of this show?”[/color]

[color=DarkMagenta]“It’s called Beautiful Guardian Gunslinger Alexis,”[/color] Nykannis replied as she set up a small viewing area in front of a massive, panoramic display screen. [color=DarkMagenta]“But don’t worry about [i]her![/i]”[/color] she added. [color=DarkMagenta]“The real star of the show is [i]my[/i] character, Doktor Xylannis, the greatest mad scientist of them all! Nyahahaha!”[/color]

As Nykannis continued to cackle away, Violet reflected on just how utterly bizarre this whole experience had been thus far. When she was ambushed by the mad scientist’s minions, she never would have imagined it would lead to watching the finale of a magical girl show she’d never even heard of before, and the heiress couldn’t help but wonder how much stranger things might get before she returned to her ‘normal’ life…