//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Order-naries: Z'Nai // by CTVulpin //------------------------------// Forty-five minutes later, the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony and the four Order-naries were loaded into the Ponyville hot-air balloon and flying toward the mountain-side city of Canterlot. Well, only seven of them were actually in the balloon's basket; Fluttershy, Gold Heart, and Rainbow Dash were hitched to the basket and pulling it to speed their journey along. Even considering that, it was a bit cramped in the basket. "You finally gonna explain' what's going on Ash?" Applejack asked, speaking for everypony. "Yes," Ash said, turning away from the side of the basket, over which he'd just dropped the possessed adding machine into a large lake. He was sporting a new necklace that Gale and Rarity had presented to him when they showed up. It was both more aesthetically pleasing (although still not up to Rarity's standards) and increased his magic threefold over what the old one had been capable of. He still wasn't too hopeful about the outcome of this mission he had drafted everyone into, though. "This goes way back for me," he said, "Into that part of my life I wish I could erase from my memory. What we are facing are the creations of one of my old... compatriots and rivals. They are an artificial life-form, self-aware computer viruses in essence, called the Z'nai." "Whats-it viruses?" AJ asked. Ash sighed and rubbed his forehead for a moment. "Oh, I can't think of a good parallel you lot would understand," he said, "Just go with me on this. They live inside machines, often spending years in a dormant state where they are extremely hard to detect. When they're active, their primary purpose is to spread, making copies of themselves that infect other machines and whatnot, causing death, destruction, and general mayhem along the way. They derive joy out of turning whatever they inhabit into weapons or instruments of death. The big problem with them being here is that they have nothing to do with magic. And yet, the one I just disposed of – hopefully – was living inside a magically powered machine and had possessed Twilight for a short time, and then proceeded to absorb my attempts to seal it up after it was forcibly evicted by the Element of Magic. Somehow, these Z'nai, and I'm sure there's more of them all over Canterlot by now, have changed to thrive off magic instead of data." "But, if they're from… back then, how'd they get here?" Gale asked, looking nervous, "That one was inside one of my adding machines, so… I… I didn't make one, did I?" "Oh no," Ash said reassuringly, "The Z'nai are far too complex for one to be created by accident, let alone from something like a simple calculator." He sighed, becoming very sober. "I'm afraid I'm the one to blame for their being here, although I can't imagine how it could have happened. The Z'nai came from PC. The design I used to build him was originally meant to be a means of inserting Z'nai into a society under the guise of advancing technology. PC's artificial intelligence borrows heavily from the Z'nai's code." "PC is a Z'nai?" Soul exclaimed. "No," Ash replied emphatically, "the Z'nai in him is, or so I thought, sealed behind multiple firewalls and security barriers to prevent it from awakening and growing. PC is a separate entity even though his basic code is derived from the Z'nai in him." "Well, I'd say this throws that assertion into question," Soul said. "Truth," Ash said sadly, "The only way to know what happened is to find PC and see what kind of state he's in. After that, we'll need to find a way to destroy the Z'nai." "And just how do we do that?" Rainbow Dash asked. "And do we have to?" Fluttershy asked meekly. "Yes we do, and I'm still working on that," Ash said, "Under normal circumstances, a single Z'nai is not a problem once you know of it- you'd simply have to isolate its host system from all other electronics and then wipe the system clean to delete the thing. The problem is that there's never just one, and just because you clear a system of one doesn't mean another can't move in to replace it later. I'm hoping these ones work on a similar principle- we'll have to isolate them from the magic they can feed on and hope they wither away. Oh… there wasn't anything magical in or about that lake back there, was there?" He looked back toward the lake he'd dropped the adding machine into. "No," Fluttershy said, "Just, you know, fish and turtles and frogs, and all kinds of other animals that go there to have a drink of water." Her eyes had taken on an unusually hard glint as she spoke. Ash gulped and laughed nervously. "I'm sure it'll be fine then," he said, looking away from Fluttershy, "Assuming Twilight's barrier's still active, it won't be able to go anywhere, and hopefully the machine was smashed by the impact with the water, which would leave the Z'nai without a proper housing and even if the barrier didn't hold, the thing should die before it finds a proper host." "So, we've just got to break all the adding machines and other magic contraptions in Canterlot?" Rainbow asked, partly serious, "That shouldn't be a problem. There's probably only hundreds of them throughout the entire city!" "That would certainly be a good start," Ash replied flatly, "However, the Z'nai can possess unicorns as well and we can't very well go around breaking them." "What about pegasi?" Heart asked. "What about pegasi?" Ash asked in turn. "Well," Heart said, pointing into the distance, "Something's coming at us. It looks like a pair of pegasi, and they don't seem friendly." The ponies in the basket all followed the golden-yellow pegasus's hoof until they saw the approaching figures. As they drew closer, the group saw that they did look like pegasi, but only vaguely. They were actually shadowy facimilies of pegasi wearing full sets of royal guard armor and each was being followed by a spear. "Z'nai," Heart said. "Yep," Ash said, looking at Twilight, "I guess this means the armor the guards wear is magical?" "Yes," Twilight said, "They're enchanted with simple barriers and spells that make it easier for earth ponies and pegasi to hold and use their weapons. I take it that's enough for the Z'nai to take it over?" "So it seems," Ash muttered darkly, "Twilight, Rarity, this is going to have to be your fight for the most part; they can absorb my spells and I don't think we want them close enough to engage hoof-to-hoof." "I never did land a hit on the first one," Soul said, "What say we try again Heart and see how they respond to our magic?" "I'm all for that," Heart said. Soul wrapped the linking spell around Heart, who began charging the Element Wheel between her front hooves. "Get ready," she said, looking over her shoulder at Twilight, "If this just ticks them off, we're going to be in big trouble." Twilight nodded and pulled a book entitled Spells for Self Defense out of her saddlebags. Heart turned her attention back to the Z'nai, who had spotted the balloon and were moving in with spears extended. Heart reared back into a vertical position, holding the charged energy disk off to one side, and then threw it with a cry of "Element Wheel, Full!" The disk spiraled toward the Z'nai on the right, expanding slowly as it flew. Unlike the one from the adding machine, these Z'nai didn't try to dodge until the Element Wheel cleaved the first creature's breastplate in half and then curved down to take a chuck out of the rear leg greaves. The damaged Z'nai's unnatural shriek of pain assaulted the ponies's ears as the broken armor fell off and the shadow dissipated, leaving the remaining armor and spear to hang unsupported in the air for a second before gravity kicked in. The second Z'nai came to a stop, looking around wildly for the source of its companion's demise. Under Heart's control, the Element Wheel arced back upwards and came at the Z'nai from behind, catching it off guard and bisecting its helmet. Damaged but still mostly intact, the shadowy pony shrieked and flew toward the balloon, not stopping even after the Element Wheel spent the last of its energy destroying its spear. Fluttershy squeaked in terror, trying to take cover under the basket as the Z'nai approached. Heart backed up until her rump hit the side of the basket. Rainbow Dash, however, stood her ground, so to speak, and spun around at the last second to buck the creature in the breastplate. It was knocked back, a pair of sizable dents visible on the breastplate, but the Z'nai was still alive. "My turn," Twilight said, pushing her way up to the front of the basket, her horn shining with unreleased magic. She waited until the Z'nai resumed its charge toward the balloon and then released a focused beam of purple energy from the Element of Magic that pierced the center of the breastplate and continued on through the shadowy Z'nai. Another ear-piercing shriek filled the air as the Z'nai dissolved and the armor fell to the earth below. "Wow," Twilight said, panting slightly, "That actually worked. Good." She slumped to the floor of the basket, catching her breath. "Well done everypony," Ash said, "So, we know we can fight them, but let's try not to bring a whole army of them down on our heads." "Where do you think they got that armor from?" Pinkie asked, looking over the edge to watch the falling pieces. "Oh dear," Twilight said, very worried, "If they got into the royal guard's barracks, they might have gotten to the Princesses!" "Don't panic," Ash said, "Yes, that is likely, but I'm sure we can handle it. Let's just take this a step at a time. Step one: getting into Canterlot despite whatever resistance the Z'nai might give us. Step two: get into the castle and find PC to learn what happened. Step three: use that information to come up with steps four and beyond. Any questions?" "Seems simple enough," Rarity said, and Applejack nodded in agreement. Fluttershy simply whimpered from her spot under the basket. "I've got a question," Dash said, "Am I the only pony who's noticed Twilight's legs are turning blue?" "Huh?" Twilight said, looking at herself. The sky-blue color of her mane and tail had somehow found its way onto her hooves and was starting to reach up to her knees. "That's… a little disconcerting." Ash sighed and turned his attention toward Canterlot. "Is it too much to ask for a creeping color change to be the worst of my problems?" he asked the unheeding sky. The ponies noticed two things as the balloon approached the castle: first, there were no Z'nai guards above the roof level of the city proper and those guards never looked up, and second, the sun had not moved in the entire time they'd been traveling. By Twilight's calculation, it should have been late afternoon, but the sun was still near its zenith. The implications of the sudden halt in the normal cycle chilled everypony to the bone. "Bring us to the upper viewing platform," Ash instructed the pegasi, "That'll get us in over their heads and into the castle. Don't let yourselves get separated from the group- especially you three," he looked to his compatriots, "The Z'nai should only be able to possess unicorns, but I'd rather not take the risk and we don't have the Elements of Harmony protecting us." "Sure you do," Pinkie Pie said, "We'll stick right by you and protect you from those nasty shadow monsters." "That's not quite what I meant, but thanks Pinkie," Ash said, smiling. "You're welcome!" The pink pony reached up and pulled at the cord to open the top of the balloon as the pegasi brought it to a halt over the upper viewing platform. They landed with a soft thump and leapt out of the basket and harnesses, keeping several eyes out for Z'nai or possessed ponies. The coast seemed clear, so they ran inside the castle and headed for the nearest staircase. "Gale," Ash said when they stopped near the stairs, "You said you left PC connected to the magic manipulator, right?" "Yeah," Gale said, "He was supposed to be calculating ways to improve its performance." A thoughtful expression crossed Ash's face for a few seconds. "Ok, so that means he'll be down in the lower levels in the room I was using as a workshop. Follow me." He moved down the stairs as fast as he safely could, only to skid to a halt half a flight later when he encountered a Z'nai possessed unicorn that looked very unhappy. "Yipes!" Ash yelped, backing away and causing a slight jam among the ponies behind him. "Move!" Twilight yelled, struggling to lift herself above the press. She focused her magic and struck the unicorn with stunning spell. The poor thing collapsed, but the Z'nai inside didn't seem to leave. Ash poked at it with his magic a few times and then tip-toed past it, followed by the others. "A simple knock-out's not going to free them," he said glumly. "Poor thing," Fluttershy said, nuzzling the unconscious pony as she passed by. Her Element flashed as her nose touched the unicorn's side and the Z'nai sprang out of it with a shriek. It flew around, trying to possess one of the ponies and rebounding off the Elements of Harmony several times before fleeing. Once it was gone and everyone calmed down, they all looked at Fluttershy and smiled. The pale yellow Pegasus blushed and tried to hide behind her mane. "Kindness in action," Twilight said, "That makes sense I guess." "Oo! Oo! Oo!" Pinkie said, bouncing in place, "Does mean I can laugh them out? That would sooooo cool!" "I guess it's worth a shot," Twilight and Ash said at the same time. They glanced at each other and shared a quick smirk. "Let's go ponies," Ash said, starting to head down the stairs again. Fluttershy hesitated for a few seconds, checking on the unconscious former possession victim, and then took flight to catch up with the group. Their trip down into the lower levels of the castle was interrupted only a couple more times- once by a Z'nai armor that Heart and Soul managed to break apart at the cost of a few disk-shaped holes in the wall, a chunk of railing, and part of Dash's tail, and once by a scared but clearly not possessed earth pony trying to find a hiding place. Fluttershy and Rarity managed to calm the poor mare down and Twilight cast a charm over her to protect her from harm until she could reach the relative safety of her home. Ash was not happy about the time lost to accomplish all of that, but he kept his complaints to himself. Eventually they reached the right floor and increased their speed. Their progress was halted a short time later by a large group of Z'nai-controlled armor mixed with a few unicorns. "Took you guys long enough to put the welcoming party together," Ash quipped, falling back behind the group to be out of the way. "This doesn't look like much a party to me," Pinkie said. "How astute of you Pinkamena Pie," said a hauntingly familiar voice underscored with an electric hum and a deep growling noise. The crowd of shadowed pony shapes parted slightly as a large shadow descended from the ceiling into the cleared space and resolved itself into a large pony-like shape. As the ten ponies watched, the shadows fell away, revealing a tall, regal, white alicorn wearing a golden crown and a matching collar and hoof shoes, and pure white eyes bearing the sign of the Z'nai. Its posture was somewhat limp and unnatural, but still managed to command a measure of fear and respect. "You all know who this is," it said, its voice coming through unmoving lips, "And since I control her completely, I know you all as well as she does. I know your strengths and, more importantly, your weaknesses." "Get out of her!" Twilight screamed, horn glowing as tears welled up in her eyes. She stood there, charged with magic but unable to bring herself to attack her beloved mentor. The Z'nai laughed. "Your love for the Princess is your weakness Twilight Sparkle; I fear nothing from you." "You ain't our Princess!" Applejack shouted, pressing up against Twilight to support her, "We'll stand together and put a stop to you, right girls?" She looked around and received nods of agreement from Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. Gale and Gold Heart nodded too for good measure. "Talk all you want Applejack," the Z'nai said, "You may hold an Element of Harmony, but you are worthless when up against me and my kind. Buck and kick all you will, you'll only hurt your precious Celestia, or one of our other hosts. The same goes for you, Pinkamena, and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, and even you Rarity. If your friend Twilight can't bring herself to unite your Elements, you have no hope. And she won't, now will she?" Twilight shuddered as the possessed princess turned her alien eyes toward her. "I… I…" she stuttered. "Bravo," Ashen Blaze said, stepping forward, "Most excellently played. And may I say how impressed I am you've developed to such a degree in so short a time; this new connection to magic must be doing wonders for the Z'nai." The Z'nai's head swiveled to face the cocky ash-grey, fire-maned unicorn. "You must be the Prime of these Z'nai, or at least the Beta, since I suspect the Prime isn't able to leave its original host. You do use those terms, yes? Prime for the original, Beta for the first copy…" "You're the one who brought us here," the Z'nai said, forcing a smile onto Celestia's face, "The Prime told me of you, fallen from your place of glory and always on the run from your shame." "Yes, although I prefer to see it as having risen out of the darkness," Ash said, "And although I try to hide from my shame, I do so by fighting tooth and claw to keep it away from me and my friends." He fired several bolts of magic from his horn, all of which the possessed Princess and the Z'nai around her absorbed. Barely cocking an eyebrow at that, Ash turned to look at Twilight expectantly, only to be disappointed to see that she was still in wide-eyed shock. "Ah skvetch," he groaned, face-hoofing, "Twilight! That was your cue to pull yourself together and blast the Z'nai right out of her! All that posturing and bravado, wasted!" The Z'nai laughed in triumph, only to be cut off by another, more natural laugh from the hero's side. Everyone turned to look at Pinkie Pie, who was lying on her back and laughing her head off, apparently at Ash's performance and its utter failure. As she laughed, Pinkie's Element necklace began to glow brighter and brighter. The possessed princess flinched back, trying to shield herself from the light with a wing, and then finally gathered shadows around her and fled up through the ceiling. Among the remaining Z'nai, most of those possessing guard armor fell apart and all those possessing unicorns abandoned their hosts and fled, some dissipating before they could get away. Heart and Soul linked up and took out the remaining armor Z'nai, all of which were more or less stunned by the Element of Laughter. "I shall never underestimate the power of comedy again," Ash said, his deadpan delivery threatened by the infectious nature of Pinkie's laugh. Even after the hallway was cleared, it was several minutes before the ponies could continue, since they had to wait for Pinkie to stop laughing so hard that she couldn't move and for Twilight to come back to her senses enough to walk. As they walked along, Pinkie came as close to bouncing as possible without actually doing so, humming "Giggle at the Ghostly" as she went. Twilight's dour mood lightened somewhat as the music brought back memories of her first real adventure with her friends. The rest of the group was also in high spirits thanks to the pink pony. "Say Ash," Soul said, in the mood for banter, "You almost seemed to be enjoying yourself with that speech of yours." "If I was," Ash said, putting on a superior air, "it was only because I knew how important it was to get that Z'nai's attention off of Twilight. By the way, I do forgive her for not taking the opportunity, since Pinkie provided a most satisfactory Plan B." Pinkie just nodded, her humming transitioning to a new tune. "Hold up," Ash said, slowing to a stop, "I'm pretty sure this is the place." He trotted over to a door and looked it over. "That's it all right," Gale confirmed, joining him. She pressed the latch, but the door refused to budge. "That's not good," she said. "Let me at it," Ash said, focusing his magic on the latch. While he was working, Soul continued with his banter. "If I didn't know any better," he said, "I'd say you are actually having fun dealing with these Z'nai." "Ha!" Ash said, "As if. Consider this Soul Mage: if I had a choice between the Z'nai and Nightmare Moon I'd-" The door suddenly flew open to reveal a midnight-black alicorn with a starlight mane wearing a light purple helmet. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Ash exclaimed, eyes twitching as the other ponies gasped, "I was being flippant!" "Out of the way," Twilight ordered, beginning to focus her magic as Ash and Gale moved to comply. "Wait," Nightmare Moon said in a perfectly normal voice- Luna's voice at that, "It's not what it looks like, I promise. Come in quickly before they find us."