Trial of Errors

by Amethyst-ACE

Tribulations

ACE awoke to find himself in a completely different location. Monochrome must have started the second trial. After that last one, he was quite curious how the next one would go. He looked around; he seemed to be in some kind of alleyway. The only thing down it besides a dumpster was a doorway further up and to the right. ACE looked behind him. The exit to the alley was barricaded by a wall of thick black mist. Clearly Monochrome didn’t want him going that way. ACE sighed and walked up to the door. It was unlocked.

As ACE walked through the door he could hear two ponies talking to each other. One was pleading while the other was demanding.

“I thought you said that all information has a price!” Said one of the ponies in a very aggressive tone.

“That information is personally sensitive.” The other responded. “If I let you walk out with that, it could be traced back to me, or put a member of my family in danger. I really can’t sell it to you.”

“I don’t need to remind you that this information is vital to us gaining an edge over our rival company! Or are you no longer interested in helping us?”

ACE could see into the room now. Inside were a unicorn and a pegasus, both of them were colts by the looks of things. The unicorn had short purple hair and glasses. His body was light grey and his cutie mark appeared to be a white piece of paper with black scribbles on it. On the other hoof was the Pegasus who had a tannish body with hair covered by a short black hat and a cutie mark covered by a black suit. ACE didn’t like the look of him.

“Fine” spat out the defeated unicorn. “But I’ll only sell it for 400 bits.”

The Pegasus glared at him. “300 bits” he demanded.

“350” added the unicorn unwaveringly. I’ll need the extra fifty bits for a train ticket when you lot muck this up!”

The Pegasus groaned but shrugged, he threw the money on the unicorns table causing it to spill out everywhere, and then stormed out of the room furiously. ACE had barely enough time to use one of his cloaking spells to stay out of sight.

ACE entered the room as the unicorn began to pick up his newly acquired fortune. He stood waiting for a bit to see if the unicorn would notice him, but he was clearly distracted.

“Excuse me?” ACE talked softly trying to get the unicorns attention.

“Eh?”

THUMP

“Ow!”

The colt was under the table collecting the stray bits when ACE got his attention. Without thinking he quickly rose up causing his ears and horn to slam into the bottom of the table. He looked up and saw ACE looking him over perplexed.

“Eh, who are you then?” The unicorn inquired.

“My name is ACE.” He answered

“ACE eh? Well nice to meet you ACE, my name is Digital Link; information collector extraordinaire, and in my ‘off time,’ information broker.” Digital Link bowed.

ACE looked over Digital Link with curiosity. From his appearance he was definitely book smart, but still. He had to wonder why Monochrome considered him a candidate for the Element of Balance.

“What was going on a few minutes ago?” ACE asked Digit. Digit’s mood changed and he stared down at his newly acquired pile of bits.

“Business as usual here in Santa Foal, I take it you’re new to this area eh?”

ACE nodded in response to Digital Link’s question.

“Eh…well let me explain. Santa Foal is a very capital-driven and industrial city. There’s a lot of really big companies here always trying to get the edge over other companies. I took a part time job gathering information for this one company
to help support my family. We’re kinda in the poor house right now if you can imagine.”

ACE looked around, now that Digital mentioned it, his place was really run down.

“My mother passed on recently, and my older sister got a job to help keep us afloat, but as dumb luck would have it. She’s working for one of my company’s biggest rivals. I began running information for both of them, but now I’m caught in a web. The information I just sold had info about my sister. Her work schedule, her routines, when they find out who she is they’ll trace her back to me. They might even find out I’ve been working for both companies.”

ACE had another question, but it was less about Digital’s job and more about his other hobby. “You said you were an information collector?” Digital Link nodded.

“Yeah, hey you wanna see something really cool?” Digital asked.

ACE shrugged in response.

“Follow me then.” ACE followed Digital Link to his back room to a door covered by a curtain. Digital pushed the curtain aside and went in, ACE following suit. The room they entered was unlike anything ACE had seen before. There were shelves everywhere and they were all covered by bright blue spiky looking crystals. The entire room was self-lit with a cool blue shade of light that reflected off the crystals. Using his magic Digital Link lifted one of the crystals slowly and brought them forward to ACE.

“What in Equestria are these Digit’?” ACE looked over at Digital who had grown a big smile on his face.

“They don’t call me Digital Link for nothing. I can turn gems into ‘Archives’; magical crystals that store information in a digital form. Each archive can hold up to 10 books on their own, and some day I’m gonna’ have Archives that do even more than that.”

“Like what?” ACE asked completely blown away at what he was seeing.

“Pictures, dates, reminders, imagine how quick and easy mail would be if instead of carrying around large bulks of letters the mail pony only needed a single Archive with all the letters stored on it. When my Archives go global it could unite all of Equestria in ways no one has ever thought of before.”

“Uniting all of Equestria. No wonder he considered you.” ACE mumbled to himself.

“Eh? You say something ACE?” Digital asked as he put away the crystal, the same way he got it out.

ACE shook his head. “Nothing, just talking to myself that’s all.”

“Eh, alright then” Digital Link responded.

Suddenly there was a knock on Digital Link’s door. Digital sighed and put his hoof up to his face covering one eye.

“For pony’s sake that can’t be them already, I didn’t think they’d get through that information so quickly.” Digital turned to ACE. “You should probably hide.”

“No way” ACE responded. “If it is them, you’ll need all the help you can get to get out of this in one piece, and I can also help you make sure your sister is alright.”

“Eh, your funeral.” Digital responded. “These guys are tough, just lettin’ you know right now.”

Digital Link opened the door, sudden terror flooding his eyes. ACE looked outside the door and realized what had spooked him. Three pegasi were outside his door all dressed in the same black outfit as the one he had seen Digit talking to. Between all of them was a unicorn mare whose mouth had been covered with duct tape.

“Does this belong to you?” One of the pegasi asked aggressively.

“Gage?!” The trapped unicorn mare nodded. “How did-”

“So you do know her!” One of the other pegasi interrupted Digital.

“She’s my sister what are you-”

Digital was interrupted once again by the third Pegasus. “Did you think we wouldn’t find out that your older sister was working for our biggest competitor?”

“I told your boss that the information was sensitive, but he refused to leave without-” Digital tried to explain but he kept getting cut off by the pegasi

“And now boss wants a refund!” The first one demanded.

“Fine! Fine! Whatever you want just let my sister go!” Digital pleaded as he handed the pegasi a bag full of bits.

The second and third pegasi shook their heads.

“Sorry” the second one continued. “But boss wants a refund, with INTEREST.”

“You can’t be serious! Let her go!” Digitals tone was a mix of both pleading and demanding.

The pegasi ignored the colt and simply began to run off. ACE stepped out in front of Digital Link.

“Come on Digit, let’s move! We need to save your sister!”

Digital Link nodded and the two of them took off after the pegasi.

~~~

Digital Link and ACE chased the pegasi to the top of a nearby building. Cornered like rats the 3 well-dressed ponies began to become desperate.

“Stay back Digital!” The first one demanded.

“Yeah don’t think we won’t hurt her!” Added the second.

Digital Link turned to ACE and whispered to him. “Got any ideas?”

ACE thought to himself then smiled almost wickedly. “Stall them for two minutes, I’ve got a plan.”

Digital link smiled and began to approach the pegasi slowly.

“Gentlecoalts, I’m a business pony, you three are business ponies. Surely we can resolve this impasse with a bit of…business.” Digital Link held out an archive.

“What’s that?” One of the pegasi asked.

“This my friend” Digital responded. “Is an ‘archive,’ a digital data storage device capable of holding information of any kind. This particular one just happens to have every tiny little bit of information I have on my older sister’s company. ”

Gage looked at her younger brother like he had gone crazy. Then again, if he was offering up an archive, maybe he was.

“You give me my sister, and you return me my money, and I will give you the archive, which reiterating, has enough data about your rival company to put them under for a very, VERY long time. Sound like a deal?”

The first pegasai began to smile wickedly. “Boys, what do we think about his ‘proposition?’”

At that, all three pegasi began to radiate a wicked black aura. Their bodies changed color to match the black of their outfits and a dark colored mist began to fly off them similar to the black colored timberwolves from before. They slowly began to move forward all three with devilish smiles on their faces. Digit found himself backing up slowly in response.

“ACE, any time now.” Digit requested.

“You got it.” On that note, ACE flung several cards into the sky the cards exploded in a brilliant display of light that blinded everyone on the roof Digital and Gage included. When everyone’s eyesight had returned Digital Link and Gage were staring at what was probably the most unusual sight they had ever seen. The three black pegasi were sounded on all sides by hundreds upon hundreds of changelings. Each had a vicious looking curved horn and a malicious smile on their face, their wings buzzing in a perfect harmonic unison.

“What?”

“What is this?”

“Where did all of them come from?!”

One by one the three pegasi realized how inevitable this had just become. They weren’t sure where the swarm of hole-covered insectoid flyers had come from, but they were everywhere. The pegasi were outpony'd and outmatched, and it was time to leave. One by one they cursed and flew away, the black misty aura fading from them as they fled.

As the pegasi fled, the illusions began to shatter one after the other, cracking and fading away as ACE walked out to stand near Digital Link and Gage. Digital had released Gage and the two were sharing a long hug with one another. This also reminded ACE of Lilly and himself, but he shook that thought away almost immediately when he realized it was rather disturbing.

“Here Gage, this is for you.” Digital Link handed his older sister the archive that he had offered the pegasi.

“Thanks little bro, I’ll be sure our secrets are kept tucked away safely.”

Digital Link shook his head. “This isn’t your company’s secrets Gage.” Both ACE and Gage looked at Digital Link

“Then what is it Digit?” ACE asked his new friend.

“It’s MY company’s secrets. Every skeleton, every error, and every exploitable flaw we’ve ever had. I began to document them in case I needed a failsafe.”

“Digi…what are you saying?” Gage looked at her younger brother. He was smiling at her with tears in his eyes.

“I’m done working for the wrong people Gage. I want you to take the information on this archive, and drive us into the ground, point of no return.”

Gage also began to cry a little. “Digi, I can’t do that. Where will you work?”

Digital Link shrugged. “I’ll find something, and besides” Digital turned to look at ACE. “The free time will give me a chance to get back to my hobbies.” Digital winked and ACE smiled at him.

As Gage and Digital Link exchanged the archive and another hug, ACE turned around and began to walk off. As he did the world around him faded, slowly turning to black.