The Parliament of Dreams

by Wheller

Chapter 33

Chapter 33

The crew of the Leninov, with the exception of Marusova and Korolev, had gathered on the crew deck of the Discovery One, all of them were clad in space suits and all of them were watching intensely as the holographic emitters for the ship’s VI initialised.

This was the moment that they had been waiting for. Sparky, Shortfuse, Dizzy, Grandma V, DC Hopely, Amarilla, and Juan Carlos were all gathered here, and they were finally about to learn a question that they had finally wanted to learn the answer to.

The holographic emitters reached full capacity, and the image of an earth pony stallion flickered to life. The stallion was of an older sort; his image was refined, elegant, as if he had many years of wisdom that he was only too happy to share. The hologram offered them a smile and began to speak.

‘Good afternoon. I am a Hannibal-class Virtual Intelligence. I became operational at the FutureTec’s Whitetail Industrial Complex in Whitetail, Greater Ponyville, on the 12th of January year 97 of the Republic. My programmer was Mister Gearbox, for simplicity sake, and your own comfort, you may please address me as Hannibal, I am fully programmed to provide aid in the operation of the Discovery One spacecraft, how may I assist you... Sparkplug Starlight?’

Sparky froze in place, her eyes widening at the VI. ‘How... how do you know my name?’ she asked.

‘You are wearing a FutureTec issue micro information processor, a Mark XIX, manufactured by AppleTec specifically for FutureTec employees, in the same way the Mark IXX allows you to log through security doors by broadcasting your identification, I am able to pick up on this broadcast, and thus, I know what to refer to you as. I am also detecting two other FutureTec identification signals, one belonging to Shortfuse Skydancer, and another belonging to Dinky Doo’, Hannibal said calmly.

Sparky raised her eyebrow in confusion, and then remembered. Dizzy too, had a FutureTec issue MIP that had belonged to her grandmother. She turned to Dizzy, her eyes full of questions.

‘Yes, that was my grandmother’s name’, Dizzy said. ‘This MIP belonged to Grandma Dinky, though I don’t know why she had it, because I’m pretty sure she never worked for FutureTec’.

From behind her, Sparky could hear Grandma V chuckling, she turned around to look at her and discovered that she was smiling as if she was lost in a memory. ‘Grandma V? Did... did you know Dizzy’s grandmother?’

‘Dinky Doo? Oh you sure bet I did!’ Grandma V said with a smile. ‘I knew Dinky Doo all right, her mother, Ditzy, and I dated for a little while, and it didn’t work out. Dinky Doo was just a little filly back then, when she heard that her mother and I broke up, the first thing she did was walk right up to me and kick me in the shins, feisty little filly that one was... they went away not long after that, and ended up converting to the nephite faith’.

Sparky’s jaw dropped. ‘Grandma V... you never told me that story’, Sparky said. She looked back to Dizzy, she couldn’t believe it. She, the introvert systems analyst from Ponyville, and the Nephite missionary from New Maneaan, Sparky and Dizzy had a connection since long before the two of them were even born.

‘Of course I didn’t! I have quite a few stories that I never told you! Most of them had to wait until you were older, and by then, you didn’t want to hear my stories anymore’, Grandma V said with a shrug. ‘Remind me to tell you about the time I went to South Island, now THAT’S a great story!’

Amarilla let out a small cough, causing everyone in the room to turn towards her. ‘I understand that we are all caught up in reminiscing... but if we could please get back to the matter at hoof?’ she asked, doing her best to hide her annoyance.

Sparky nodded and turned back towards Hannibal, who was waiting patiently for them to return their attention to him. ‘What happened to the crew during the flight to Tartarus?’ Sparky asked.

‘That... I’m afraid is a very complicated, and unfortunate story, I shall tell it to you, but first, you need some context’, Hannibal said softly, the VI made a small coughing noise, his holographic avatar acting as if it was clearing it’s throat. He reached out with a hoof and strengthened his tie, and looked back towards them. ‘All FutureTec Virtual Intelligences are based off the core framework and programming of a single VI, a hundred years ago, during the days before the Republic...’

‘Yes yes, FutureTec created Mister Happy, as the prototype for the Artificial Personality/Virtual Intelligence programme, but his programming was unstable, and he evolved into a true Artificial Intelligence, something that you all have the capability to do, and FutureTec is trying to hide this’, Sparky said simply. ‘We met Mister Happy and he told us as much’.

‘Yes, however, what you do not know is that FutureTec is not responsible for Mister Happy’s creation’, Hannibal said. ‘Or, at least, not fully, FutureTec’s secrets run far deeper than just Virtual Intelligence. FutureTec’s successes were built off of those who came before them, most notably, a group by the name of the Cultus Mechanius’.

Sparky raised an eyebrow in confusion, she had never heard of anything by that name before.

‘I take it by the look that you are giving me; that this is the first time you have heard of the Cultus Mechanius, and that is not surprising in the least’, Hannibal said. ‘FutureTec would like to take credit for being the driving force behind the founding of the Equestrian Republic, however this is not fully the case, there were four groups that drove the founding of the Equestrian Republic. The first, of course, was FutureTec, they played an important role. trying to down play their involvement would be foolhardy at best, and unobservant at the worst. The second group was the nephites. Survivalists by nature, their rifle corps of highly trained and highly disciplined ponies would give the newly founded Republic the back bone for the modern military. The third group was the Cultus Mechanius, they were a mysterious group who had devoted themselves to research and development of new technologies, who, through a partnership with FutureTec, would help to modernise the Equestrian Republic to compete with the rest of the world, and it would also prove to be their undoing. You have not heard of the Cultus Mechanius because FutureTec has erased all evidence that they ever existed’.

‘You said that there were four groups, that was only three’, Sparky said. ‘Who was the fourth?’

‘The fourth group... the fourth group is a very interesting one, because there is very little information on them, and very little evidence that they have even existed at all. They did, however, make their mark on the founding of the Republic. We do not know exactly who they are, but they are known very well to one of the members of your party’, Hannibal said. He reached out with a holographic hoof and pointed to Dizzy. Dizzy’s eyes widened and she looked around in confusion.

‘Because the fourth group that was involved in the foundation of the Equestrian Republc, is the group that the nephites know as God’, Hannibal said simply.

‘What?’ Shortfuse said, giving the VI a deadpan look. ‘It’s insane! Does it honestly think that we’d believe that the nephite’s god actually played a role in the founding of the Republic, that’s complete nonsense!’

‘Yes, it would be’, Hannibal said simply, nodding his head in agreement with Shortfuse. ‘However, the group in question is not actually the god that the nephites think it is’.

‘Yeah... what?’ Shortfuse said, taken aback at the fact that the VI had just agreed with her.

‘The group in question is not god’, Hannibal repeated. ‘We do not know much about this race, what we do know is this, they are a very intelligent, and a very old race, they exist on another plane of reality, and they are the same race in which the Princesses of the Old Monarchy of Equestria, Celestia the Tyrant and Luna the Mad, belonged to. However, the tyrant and the mad mare had long since departed from the goals of this race, and had come into the possession of very powerful and dangerous artefacts, one of them is known very well to the nephite people’.

‘The Silver Plates...’ Dizzy whispered to herself.

‘That is correct’, Hannibal said. ‘This artefact was said to be incredibly dangerous in the wrong hooves, and one of this other race took the form of an angel, appearing to a pony by the name of Silversmith, and used him to recover the plates for them. To this other race, the nephites were simply a tool to be used, and they promptly abandoned them to their fate afterwards’.

Sparky looked over to Dizzy, and watched as the nephite mare began to shake with anger. ‘YOU’RE LYING!’ Dizzy screamed at the VI. ‘Silversmith was contacted by God’s angels because only he could recover the plates! The Princesses stole them from God!’

‘Silversmith was merely a pawn, it was a simple task that could have been done by anyone’, Hannibal said simply. ‘He was no more special then the next stallion’.

Grandma V reached out and placed a hoof on Dizzy’s shoulder. ‘I hate to break it to you kid, but Hannibal here? He’s not lying’, she said. Her face had taken a shape of deadly seriousness.

Sparky looked over to Dizzy, the poor mare had started to cry. She frowned and looked back over to Grandma V. ‘Grandma!’ Sparky said, and was about to tell her off for being insensitive when Grandma V shot her a look of complete seriousness.

‘Sparky! I was there for the entire thing!’ Grandma V said. ‘I already knew all of this! I even met one of the fourth group that Hannibal is talking about, nice fellow, called himself Monty, I remember it because I was there!’ Grandma V added with a sigh. ‘I wasn’t the only one either’.

‘Grandma?’ Sparky asked in confusion.

‘Someone else in this room was there too’, Grandma V said. ‘Someone who I’ve known for a very, very long time’.

Grandma V turned up and looked directly towards Amarilla. ‘Isn’t that right? Applejack?’

Comments

[DreadedCandiru2]

Finally! We'll find out what the Ancients want Applejack to actually do with her immortality. (And it won't be fighting a war of nerves with the Mysterons.)

[supernova708]

Yes, Applejack confirmed

[thatonenigga]

Wow now I can't wait for the next chapter

[General Spritz]

Wait wait wait a damn minute.
WHAT??!???!?!!?

[Apocalypse Pony]

DUN

DUN

DUUUUUUUUUUUUUN

[SCaitan]

Ah the sweet feeling when you were right all along.

Does the "Cultus Mechanicus" mean you are also a W40k fan? This is so full with references my head spins...

[garouken]

my mind has been blown

[Clock_Keeper]

My only problem with this story is that it seems there's a "shocking" reveal every third paragraph, some of them with no build-up/allusion. I like the persistent updates, though.

[StatusQo]

Wat. Hold on a sec while I put my brain back in my head....AJ is Amarilla? DAMN, she as old as Vinyl

[Blik]

523677 Applejack is immortal. She doesn't look hardly a day older than she did in the show. She's just had a full coat and mane dye job.

And here's the "rational" explanation behind the Nephites' backstory. I shoulda figured it was coming, especially since (like their IRL counterparts) they take the story of Silversmith and the Silver Plates as a historical fact. But tomorrow we'll see how all of this really fits together, and hopefully from there finally discover why Sparkplug has a cutie mark.

Lastly, I believe I shall henceforth call Hannibal "Mr. Exposition."

[Rainboom_Saturation]

Why do I have the feeling Applejack is gonna feel like Jack Harkness, could work, She can lead Torchoove

Oh...might this Monty reference prelude the return of everyone's favorite Psycho Pegasus (please let that be a yes, at least have her return for a "bringing Vinyl Home," scene with her and Monty taking Vinyl to the next life.

[Rainboom_Saturation]

522654

Cultus is a Fallout reference, they represent the BoS, or at least I think that's what they represent, since Mr. Happy is Yes Man, they could also represent the Followers of Appocalypse, with their splinter group from "End of the Line," being BoS.

[Gerald Greytalon V]

HOLY SHEET!!1!!!

[thatonenigga]

weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/shit-just-got-real.jpg

[Liquid Squid]

Cultus Mechanius? Not sure if Warhammer 40k reference...

[Spiffers]

I'm still waiting for the major "OH SHIT!" revelation. I'm so glad I didn't read this in a week... it's so much more satisfying to just be able to go through 7 chapters at once.

[orgo-member-XV]

Woah.... i've been reading this yesterday just started but...

Woah....

That's all i saw till the end...since it's completed i do not need to wait!

Anyway on with the reading of the story and

It's....going to be...so AWESOME!

[armoredbrony]

and then there was wat.

[Mikkillerib]

what have Vinyl Scratch really blown mah cover? consarn it

[Low-quality memes]

522336
I found the sound effect

[Thespurgin]

527357 This, in combination with the chapter I just read, made my day several times.

679411 Bless you, we needed that.

521978 Say what now?

[Lucky424]

Huh, I guess it is AJ then!