Part 8: On the Same Page
“And apparently not enough time being an idiot.” Shepard’s voice was dangerously edged as Milligan took two steps towards the exit, causing the fellow human-turned-pony to pause and turn.
“I beg your pardon, Commander?” Milligan took on an equally harsh tone, obviously not being accustomed to such a direct insult and immediately going into an offensive posturing. “Do you not comprehend that every precious moment we waste here brings the hounds of this virtual equine hell that much closer!?”
The Commander had seen this sort of condescension before in civilians, mostly in self-important politicians and diplomats, and knew well enough not to yield, instead advancing a few steps to bear down on the Cerberus scientist.
“In case you haven’t noticed, Fluttershy just saved both of our sorry asses! And for me, that makes it the second time tonight! She is not the enemy and she is not part of what’s happening here! Whatever's going on, virtual world notwithstanding, is effecting her! Look at her, Milligan!”
The Commander, already a master of reading the body language of multiple species, found it easy to follow the abnormally large eyes of the doctor as they flickered over to the pale yellow pegasus, whose cheeks were splotched with tears and whose expression remained just shy of being overwhelmed by the events of the past few minutes.
“Does that look like the face of a virtual intelligence to you?”
Milligan shook his head.
“We can’t trust it, Shepard,” he started.
One of the nearby panels sparked and a screen flickered to life as the Commander grimaced, a symbol of a red star with a chevron making up its bottom points coming up on the screen for a moment.
“As realistic as it may seem, it could be nothing more than a fancy virtual doll with a pull-string--”
The console chimed weakly as the symbol suddenly disappeared.
Shepard took a quick step forward and slammed his head into the other stallion’s, nearly sending the scientist to his knees.
"UNGH!” Milligan grunted in pain as a hoof went to his head. “What the hell!? Do you think you’re a krogan now!? What was that for!?”
“Getting your attention!” Shepard barked, bearing down harshly. “And you can expect a hundred times worse if you run off on your own! You’re standing in the middle of a pony capital city with no intel, no weapons, and no exit strategy! Judging by the mess we’ve made so far, we have both just gone from being an ‘annoyance’ to being a threat. You go off by yourself and I can’t protect you. And I can promise you one thing, ‘Bitter’: There won’t be a second rescue mission!”
The brown-coated pony took a step back, retreating from the more imposing stallion.
“I’ve spent time with these ponies. I’ve seen how they live… How they stand and fight… How they react in the face of hardship. And I can tell you one thing: They are more human than most of the people I know! Believe what you want… but you can’t deny that we need her help. And right now, she needs ours, too!”
Milligan was quiet as Shepard leaned forward, snout to snout with a hardened, combat-weary glare.
“If you still want to run, I won’t stop you... But I hope for your sake you know how to fight.”
The brown pony drew his lip back, showing some teeth while Shepard kept a calm face.
There was a seething silence between them for a moment.
“Fine… We play it your way, Shepard... For now…” Milligan finally said, eliciting a nod from the red stallion, who then turned his attention to Fluttershy as she looked up to him numbly.
“I'm not a program…” she stated again, although there was a depressing lack of conviction behind her voice, as if she were saying this to assure herself more than to convince Shepard.
A different screen flickered as more sparks erupted nearby, the damage Fluttershy had caused obvious even as the symbol of a blue pegasus wing, flared and open, came into being on the broken panels.
“H-he’s wrong… I… I'm not…” the yellow pegasus hiccuped as she shook her head, her body trembling.
Again, the image vanished with a chime.
Shepard stepped forward, putting one hoof over her shoulder.
“I know…” Shepard’s voice softened. “And we’ll get to the bottom of this, Fluttershy. I can’t say that it will be easy… but we’ll find the truth. I promise.”
Fluttershy responded by throwing her forelegs around the red stallion, leaning into him.
“I’m scared, Shepard...”
“I know… but Pinkie Pie needs us,” Shepard told her, drawing back. “And we need you.”
The pegasus looked to Shepard, her eyes shimmering for a moment as she glanced behind the stallion to the disgruntled Dr. Milligan before she spoke.
“...Okay…” she said simply.
“If we're going to do this, then we need to do it quickly…” Milligan huffed. “Before they set up barricades.”
————————————————————
Canterlot Palace
Twilight Sparkle stepped out of the main palace doors and onto the balcony overlooking the city of Canterlot with an expression of blank shock and trembling knees.
This was a nightmare… It had to be…
Celestia and Discord… together… The things they spoke of… What they had said...
Twilight bit her lip again, hoping that she could wake herself.
The sharp pain was familiar by now, but brought no relief or flood of reality rushing in to rouse her from her sleep.
Instead, it served only as another painful reminder that this was no dream at all.
Lost… stumbling slightly as she started moving down the steps leading from the palace to the streets of Canterlot, Twilight found herself unable to organize her thoughts as she often did in the face of her problems. There was a certain numbness that was deadening her to her surroundings even as a guard pony bid her a pleasant evening and closed the gate of the palace steps behind her.
Standing for a moment on the street, the gilded towers where she had received her expansive education laying behind her, she looked up to the stars.
For as long as she had lived, Twilight Sparkle had considered herself a stargazer… Often looking up to the great celestial ceiling to admire the glimmer and wonder of that which lay beyond her reach.
There was no moon tonight… and with its absence, the glow of Canterlot’s streetlamps did little to diminish the beauty of what was overhead.
And for the first time in her life… those sparkling spots of light in the dark sky filled her with as much dread as wonder.
She just wanted things to stay as they were… She wanted to go home to her library and her baby dragon assistant… She wanted to wake up in the morning and study or spend time with her friends… A carefree and happy life.
The pleasant thought was strained as the stars above her were suddenly blocked from view, the shapes of dozens of pegasi flying almost silently overhead breaking her from her introspection as Twilight’s mind suddenly raced.
They were coming from the palace… And those silhouettes… They were larger… Stallions, but bulkier… heavier…
Armored…
Not the simple ceremonial armors and helmets of the Royal Guard… but true fully-encompassing armor that by all means should have been hampering their flights.
Twilight gasped in realization.
These guards were armed for war.
And flying straight for the Lower District.
————————————————————
Ruins of the Sisters' Palace
“Whoooaaaaa...” was all that Rainbow Dash could say as the newcomer stepped out from the threshold of the ruins and into the late evening starlight, and Rarity had to resist bowing as the silhouette moved forward and into their view.
She was about two hooves taller than any of the assembled ponies, her form regal and elegant in a way that no mortal equine could be. At first, the two ponies took note of her horn and wings and had thought themselves to be in the presence of the Princess of the Night, but that belief was banished the moment she stepped into the light.
While almost identical in build to Princess Luna, a stainless chrome horn jutted from her head while her wings were clearly of a mechanical variety. Her mane shimmered and flowed like the Princesses’, but seemed to be a semi-transparent, blurred mix of black and white symbols that neither pegasus or unicorn recognized. And dominating her face were two bright blue, pupil-less eyes that glowed with a constant light.
Drawing their eyes lower, Rainbow and Rarity saw that the new alicorn’s body was covered in a sleek metal rather than fur, with a slight yellow luster and large orange and black stripes running down her legs, almost like racing stripes. Her cutie mark was simply the letters "SR2." If there was any further confusion as to her nature, it was lost when they saw how her joints showed an exposed inner working of black metal and clockwork gears that peeked out as she bent her legs and walked forward.
“Greetings...” The mechanical alicorn nodded its head a bit, a soft whirring sound heard as she did so. “I am the Enhanced Defense Intelligence of the Cerberus vessel: Normandy SR-2.”
Rainbow and Rarity merely gaped.
“You may call me EDI.”
There was another moment of silence.
“I assume by your silence that you are in stunned awe of my avatar’s immense beauty and regal demeanor. In that case, perhaps I should give myself a title.”
Still silence.
“That was a joke.”
“A... Applejack? Patch?” Rarity was the first to speak. “Did... did you two build a robot princess?”
Applejack sighed as Patch chuckled under her breath.
“She's not a robot...” Patch stated. “And my name is Patricia.”
“Rarity, Rainbow,” Applejack managed to drag the two ponies’ attention away from the metal creature before them. “Both a’ ya’ll better sit down fer this...”
————————————————————
The Bunker
Tali’Zorah was absolutely stunned by the simplistic appearance of the system that lay before her. The cavern had clearly been hollowed out, deep under the crust of this planetoid, providing massive space for the stations that were arranged in rows along the floor. While nearly all of them were occupied by the large metal and glass pods, many of those pods were dark and empty, while those that were "occupied" were identifiable by a pale glow as condensation obscured what was inside.
Standing atop a high-rise overlooking it that had a dozen similar stations, only four of which were occupied by three humans and a pale yellow winged equine, Tali took a steadying breath as she reviewed how they had come to this point, the memory playing back in her mind vividly...
————————————————————
Some Time Earlier
“You have thirty-five Earth seconds to comply,” the changeling retained its amicable tone, clearly either unaware or uncaring of the severity of its earlier warning.
Tali and Mordin looked to one another, a non-verbal agreement passing quickly between them as Tali moved to her omni-tool, tapping it lightly and establishing a new wireless connection which was sure to get the mech’s attention.
Mordin appeared to be doing the same, but rather than preparing an information packet, he was charging up a weaponized application in the background of his customized dual-operation system... just in case.
“I am Tali’Zorah vas Normandy, Technical Engineer and Representative of the Quarian Migrant Fleet,” Tali stated aloud as she sent a list of credentials, including the operating licenses that Shepard had paid for to validate her back when she was serving on the original Normandy for the Alliance and Citadel.
“Professor Mordin Solus. Salarian Union. Xeno-biological Expert. Medical Doctor. Former agent in Salarian Special Tasks Group,” Mordin acted similarly as he opened a new connection, which caused the changeling mech to turn its head a bit, a visual cue that it was accepting the new data-transfer. All the while, Tali was in turn preparing her own overloading program, ready to release it into the datastream at the first sign of trouble. “Does this satisfy request for identification?”
This is never going to work... Tali thought to herself, her finger hovering just over the "execute" command of a two thousand megawatt energy spike to be channeled directly into the mech’s central processor.
“Academic and technical credentials translated... Processing... Accepted. Third party technical experts successfully registered. Shining Armor Protocol discontinued... Welcome to the Equestria Facility.”
Tali and Mordin had both rocked back, looking to one another, visibly stunned.
“Temporary visitor identification manufactured and transmitted to all changeling maintenance drones. Please note: This registration will expire in one standard chrono-cycle, equivalent to eight Earth hours. Please see Equestrian Facilities Administration for issue of long-term registration. Also note, that hostile actions or continued presence at the end of the cycle without extended pass issued by Administration will be seen as a violation of the terms of third party technical assistance and be met with an appropriate response.”
“Are... are you serious?” Tali could hardly believe this, having to pull her hand away from her omni-tool to keep from engaging in "hostile action" by accident.
“Negative...” the black equine mech stated, its tone remaining pleasant. There was a tense beat of silence, although the drone continued before either alien could react. “My designation is Changeling Unit Forty-Two of Fifty, not ‘Serious.' If you wish, you may refer to me as ‘Forty-Two.’”
“Interesting response... Perhaps... humor?” Mordin asked.
“Affirmative. Have a pleasant day.”
The quarian was amazed, lowering her arm as the mech walked... or trotted, she supposed, past them.
Since when did V.I.-driven mechs have a sense of humor?
“Wait... Forty-Two,” Tali called out, suddenly realizing that their luck may be able to hold for just a bit longer. “Can you help us find somebody?”
Forty-Two stopped and turned its head back to look to the two aliens.
“This unit is at your disposal. Please specify request.”
————————————————————
Tali and Mordin had followed the mech down the winding halls, which opened and closed in an almost infuriatingly random pattern for more than an hour before arriving at the open, cavern-like area that housed what Forty-Two referred to as the Central Chamber. Had the mech not been guiding them, they likely never would have found the place, as many of the corridors looked the same.
Here, hundreds, if not thousands of stations, each holding an identical pod-like capsule, were set into the floor and walls. Most were dark, but quite a few were glowing with an opaque white light, covered in condensation that obscured their occupants.
It was here that they found Shepard, a human male they guessed was Milligan, and a human female dressed in Cerberus colors that must have been one of the other scientists on the research team; their bodies so close, but clearly unresponsive as they remained inside their respective pods. It was also where they were finding a new and before now unregistered form of life.
“Forty-Two...” Mordin started, speaking aloud as he shut down his omni-tool, clearly getting nowhere at interfacing with the system that was holding the Commander. Casting his mind around to the thousands of questions that were raised by what they had discovered, Mordin chose to stick with something formal that would not offend or exceed the mech’s databanks. “What is the function of this facility? Who built it?”
“The primary function of Equestria is luxury and entertainment,” the changeling answered quickly, its tone maintaining an upbeat demeanor. “Planetoid rights were quietly purchased by the Epona Systems Corporation with the intent of constructing the largest and most prestigious multi-species hospice in the galaxy.”
“A hotel?” Tali turned towards the mech in disbelief. “This... is a hotel?”
“That label is inaccurate. Accepted translations in language data-packet include: 'Hospice,' 'Retreat,' ‘Vacation Resort,’ and ‘Virtual Spa,’” Forty-two replied. “ESC began construction of Equestria in 5423 P.F.C. by Equis Calendar with expected opening in 5429 P.F.C. Current chronometer data indicates that this opening has fallen behind schedule.”
“How far behind schedule?” Mordin asked, intrigued.
“Processing...” Forty-Two paused for a moment before answering. “Thirty-six million, one hundred twenty-four thousand, thirty-eight years, six months, four days, Earth Standard.”
Tali’s mind was all but blown not only by the figure, but the casual nature with which the mech delivered it.
Technology belonging to the Protheans; an advanced, extinct culture fifty thousand years old and predating every sentient species in the known galaxy today, was considered rare... and finding functional examples of it was among the greatest dreams of treasure hunters and archaeologists across the galaxy.
But this place was a whole other league of impossible.
"We apologize for the delay and ask you to please remain patient," the changeling added after a moment of silence.
For perhaps the first time since she had come back aboard the Normandy, Tali wished that Shepard’s old flame, Liara T’Soni, had joined them back on Illium. She would know exactly what to ask or say in order to make sense of what was going on around them.
But as it was, in spite of her own curiosity, there was only one thing that they absolutely needed to know... And thankfully, it was also the next question asked by Mordin.
“We require the safe disconnection of these three pod units. As well as any others recently added into the system,” Mordin stated, pointing out the individual pods that held Shepard and the Cerberus scientists. “Can you render assistance?”
“Negative,” Forty-two answered. “Changeling maintenance drones are neither authorized nor equipped to interface with the Equestria System. Please speak with one of our system administrators for override authorization and disconnection of system beta-testers.”
“Of course... That would be too simple,” Tali muttered bitterly.
“These... system administrators: Where are they now?” Mordin asked, now intensely curious.
The changeling's wings buzzed slightly as it directed the quarian and salarian’s attention out over the chamber filled with pods. A subtle and surprisingly quiet whirring and grinding of machinery caused five stations to unclasp their cargo as multiple changelings moved with a new task, directed in a silent, almost insectoid fashion to remove the pods. They were then quickly maneuvered to the high-rise just as they had observed how the four pods with the three humans and the alien life-form had been extracted before.
Setting them into five of the unoccupied stations for a total of nine now on the high-rise, each of the ground-based stations flickered to life instantly, allowing Tali and Mordin to examine their contents at this close range.
Five more of the brightly-colored equine creatures with a variety of features floated weightlessly in the confines of the pods; another one with wings, while two had what appeared to be horns, and two more were lacking in either additional appendage.
“Hmmm...” Mordin brought his hand to his chin as he looked over the containers with a thoughtful expression. “Assuming release would require Administrator’s verbal authorization?”
“Affirmative,” Forty-Two confirmed.
“Problematic?” Tali asked, her tone bitter as she turned to Mordin.
“...Problematic.”
————————————————————
Bedlam Hospital: Lower Levels
“This is taking far too long, Shepard...” Milligan all but hissed through his teeth, turning over his shoulder at every sound as the trio moved down the hallway.
Unlike the areas above them, the lower basement level that they had been directed into during their search for the "Isolated Containment" where Pinkie Pie was supposedly being held was closer to a dungeon than a medical center. While the above building had all the hallmarks of a hospital, from the white walls to the doors with department names painted on the front, these lower levels showed a far less pleasant side of the facility, rundown and ill-used, with only a few dim lights dotting the wall at regular intervals.
“I’m a little worried that we haven’t run into any more guards... or personnel for that matter,” Shepard thought aloud as he led the way, his shoulders in a mild crouch as he dearly missed the feeling of having his rifle at the ready in standard form. “What sort of hospital is this where there’s only one doctor?”
“I was wondering that too... I know it’s late but...” Fluttershy moved up towards a random door, opening it to reveal an empty room. “Shouldn’t there be patients...? Or orderlies...? Or janitor ponies?”
Milligan rolled his eyes.
“Of course there aren’t. Don’t you get it, Shepard? This isn’t a mental health facility at all,” the scientist explained with an air of annoyance. “It’s a ‘personification’ of a mental hospital. What we perceive here is a representation of the system itself. We are in the part of the computer program that ‘corrects’ aberrant behaviors among the ponies that are too deep-seated for more subtle forms of manipulation, and it presents itself to us in a form that relates this concept to us.”
Fluttershy huffed through her nose as she closed the door, clearly not caring for Milligan’s tone or certainty.
“Forgive me for ruining your delusion, my little pony...” Milligan injected a faux-apologetic tone to his voice. “But I call them as I see them. Or perhaps you have a better reason why there is no one here? Perhaps all of the other guards are out getting coffee... at the same time.”
“I was here once... as a filly,” Fluttershy explained, not bothering to hide a growing animosity towards the older colt. “I remember there being nurses and other doctors and--”
“Implanted memories...” Milligan reasoned. “Not surprising.”
“What do you mean, Milligan?” Shepard asked, watching his surroundings as best he could as Fluttershy checked the windows on each door, still searching for Pinkie.
“Assuming that Miss...” Milligan looked to the yellow pegasus a moment, who merely gave him a glare in return. “‘Fluttershy’ is correct and she is not a program, it means that she has been inside an advanced computer-generated world for pretty much her entire life. In order to create a virtual world with this level of sensory detail, the system would have to be literally plugged into the brain.”
The brown-coated stallion shook his head.
“Assuming the ponies’ brains are anything like other species', that sort of treatment could strain their minds, causing any number of mental health issues which would have to be corrected through intense psychological and neurological conditioning in order to prevent the subject from breaking down entirely.”
Shepard glanced back at Fluttershy, who was clearly thinking the same thing he was, given what details she had shared concerning her "foalhood" and subsequent involvement with Bedlam.
“This is all purely theory of course... but the theory fits the evidence. That sort of mental control also prevents those plugged into the system from rejecting the programming. I saw it several times in the Ponyville Psychiatric Ward... Ponies that were asking too many questions or that I pressed too hard on certain subjects would experience some sort of short-term memory loss that they would rationalize away and go on with their lives.”
“So why hasn’t it affected either of us? I’ve seen it happen too: A fuzzy, blurry feeling, then the ponies around me forget whatever was happening and things disappear right in front of them,” Shepard asked, having trouble doubting the Cerberus scientist’s logic. This sort of thing was in his field as a xeno-technologist, so as much as he was growing to dislike the Doctor on a more personal level, he couldn’t deny that he might well be right.
“Probably because it’s not designed for our brains. In fact, that part is puzzling me... That we are able to be brought into the system at all. We simply shouldn’t be compatible with whatever technology is responsible. Or why this ‘Equestria’ is so much like Earth, with so many cultural commonalities with Humanity.”
The colt paused and shrugged his shoulders, smirking slightly as his eyes drifted over to the mare in front of him who was moving back and forth between doors, pulling herself up to see through the windows and check if her friend might be inside any of the rooms.
“Many of the things here make no sense at all. I’ve seen things that would be impossible for the ponies to even use; forks and hammers and toothbrushes and ancient style arcade game systems with joysticks. I think I remember one of the ‘nurses’ at the ward mentioning a dam outside of Ponyville itself. How did these equines supposedly manage to build or use any of these things?”
“UGH! Can we please stop talking about this!?” Fluttershy came to ground, stomping a hoof and clearly growing agitated by Milligan’s tone and insistence to continue on the subject.
“Fair enough...” The Commander nodded, more than able to take the hint of what effect the conversation was having... but before Shepard could stop him, the brown stallion responded to the increasingly on-edge mare...
“The truth hurts, doesn’t it?”
*WHAM*
Could he have intervened...? Probably. But as the yellow winged pony turned, dove, and slammed hooves-first into the Cerberus stallion, putting his back into the wall, Shepard figured that in all honesty, he deserved it for that remark.
“Listen, you!” Fluttershy’s voice grated angrily through clenched teeth, her rage only barely suppressed as she brought herself eye to eye with the brown stallion. “In the last eight hours, my life has been completely overturned! My friends have been kidnapped in some sort of all-encompassing conspiracy involving aliens and mind-manipulation that has been going on my entire life, and to top it all off, I have you babbling on and on about how my entire LIFE has been some meaningless drivel inside of a computer! So if you would be… so kind… as to SHUT THE BUCK UP!”
The pegasus let go of a breath, her expression softening as she loosened her grip and drew back, her voice relaxing along with her body.
“I would… very much appreciate it.”
Releasing Milligan altogether, the scientist nearly collapsed to the floor before finding his hoofing, Fluttershy turning to trot ahead of the two stallions quietly as she returned to her task, moving from door to door.
“I am sensing some anger management issues...” Milligan shifted his shoulders, which he was certain were going to have hoof-shaped bruises on them before the night was out.
“You think?” Shepard replied flatly, his expression neutral as he turned to follow the pegasus
“I have to say: I think you were right, though,” Milligan remarked while, unexpectedly, smiling.
“About what?”
“She's practically human.”
————————————————————
“Shepard!”
It had been some time since the tense moment between Fluttershy and Milligan, and much to Shepard’s surprise, it had been the pegasus who broke the silence that had reigned between them.
“I found her!” Fluttershy waved the two stallions over to an unremarkable-looking door, pulling back and pointing to the window.
Rushing forward, Shepard pushed himself up on two legs with some difficulty and set his hooves on the door to steady himself as he managed to look into the square, dirty plastic window.
Inside, strapped down on a surprisingly comfortable-looking bed with her legs stretched out, was the pink mare that Shepard had met when he first woke up. A curly mass of mane atop her head, the only major difference in her now (aside from the restraints) was the overly complicated-looking muzzle that had been fitted over her face.
From what he could see, there were at least three different keyholes and turn-dial locks along the side of the bulky muzzle that would make a Tyriel brand "Death Mask" helmet look comfortable by comparison. While she was conscious, judging by the way her large blue eyes were open, Shepard wasn’t entirely sure she was completely aware of her surroundings.
Twisting a bit, Shepard also managed to take in some of the details of the room; namely the number of mirrors that were hung up at different angles on the walls.
“THAT one?” Milligan started, nudging Shepard over a bit and getting a look at the pink pony. “That’s the one that you want to rescue? The Hannibal Lecter pony? Well, at least they are going out of their way to keep her comfortable... Is that a pillow under her back?”
“Who’s Hannibal Lecter?” Fluttershy asked, momentarily seeming to forget that she was still angry with the brown stallion for the sake of curiosity before Shepard shook his head.
“It doesn’t matter. We found her, now we just have to get her out of here.” Shepard motioned Milligan aside and took several steps back before charging forward, putting his shoulder to the door.
*SLAM*
The Commander winced as the door refused to give, sending spasms of pain down his shoulder and spine.
"Security Protocols are at maximum," a now familiar voice sounded off in Shepard’s ear. "You won’t get in that way."
Oh, GREAT. Of all the places to start hearing voices, it had to be in a mental institute.
“You again!?” Shepard growled in his throat as he tried to shake off the impact.
“What?” Milligan took note as the Commander turned and spoke suddenly. “What is it, Commander?”
“I’m not sure… Someone’s been communicating with me since before I was pulled in here… hacking into my comm system and leading me around.” Shepard shook his head, ignoring the concerned look on his two compatriots’ faces. “Look, whoever you are, we need this door open. Can you help?”
"No…" the voice in his ear sounded sincerely concerned. "My siblings have determined that I am assisting you and are trying to block my access."
“Siblings?” Shepard started, but was cut off.
“No time. They are already tracking my communication.” For the first time, there was a twinge of emotion in the normally flat female voice.
It was panic.
"You need Primary Administrator authority to bypass Isolated Containment. It is en-route to you now. I can’t aid you remotely anymore; you need to come to me."
“Where?” Shepard brought a hoof up to his ear, blocking out the worried expressions of Milligan and Fluttershy. “Where are you?”
"The Main Archive… Hurry, Shepard. You are running out of--"
*Bzzztttttt*
Shepard winced again as a high-pitched electrical static warbled in his ear for a moment before going silent.
He was familiar with the sound… A jamming signal.
Whatever ally he had here had been cut off from him.
“What happened? Who was it?” Milligan asked, pressing forward.
“I don’t know… It was a female voice. A mare, I think… She said her ‘siblings’ knew she was helping me and were cutting her off.” Shepard shook his head, glad that his comm had an automatic cutoff to prevent any hearing damage. “She said that we would need ‘Administrator’ authority to open the door and that it was on its way.”
“Administrator… Wait, that’s what the unicorn guard called me… and Pinkie Pie...” Fluttershy spoke up, moving to the door and attempting to turn the knob, pushing against the door feebly as it remained locked. “What does it mean?”
“...It’s a System Administrator…” Milligan’s eyes went wide with realization as he nodded. “Of course… That makes sense!”
“What does?” Shepard looked to the scientist.
“Following the hypothesis that this place was built long ago by Fluttershy’s species… it stands to reason that they wouldn’t hand all of the control over to an artificial construct, particularly if this virtual world was designed for the benefit of those inside of it. It would need a safeguard; organic overseers to moderate things and correct for system errors.”
“What? That’s crazy!” Fluttershy started, eyes narrowing. “That guard said I was an administrator. How am I supposed to fix a system I don’t even know exists?”
“By living your life… Don’t you see!?” Milligan bounced slightly on his hooves, apparently ecstatic at the revelation… which turned to an annoyed sigh as he noted the uncomprehending expressions on Shepard and Fluttershy.
“Ugh... The system is presented as a personification of itself. For instance, this place is designed to ‘correct’ aberrant behavior, so we perceive it as a mental hospital. If you extend that logic to other places in Equestria, then you can see the pattern. Ponyville must be a server where organic neural imprints are allowed to live and interact, maintaining your lifestyle… Canterlot is the center of the pony’s world; a central processor with all of the core programming."
The excited doctor turned to address the pegasus pony specifically, a contented smile still on his face.
"And my apologies, Fluttershy, but while you may well indeed be alive, that doesn’t mean that all of the ponies around you are as well. The guards, or at least a large majority of them, are likely representations of defense programs; like virtual intelligences with a narrow scope and personality. That is why they all look and sound alike.”
“But… I don’t fix…” Fluttershy shifted on her hooves.
“Don’t you?” Milligan lifted a brow. “Your kind controls the weather Fluttershy. I’ve watched it happen. That could be the system being open to your manipulation, to give you a sense of purpose and control in your world. Not to mention you and your friends are famous among the ponies. I heard some of the stories before I was incarcerated. Nightmare Moon… Discord… You are heroes and whatnot. Perhaps the monsters and hardships you faced were manifestations of system errors…”
“…Given a dramatic spin and served up on silver platters as adventures for us to have while we were rooting out problems in the servers.”
The new voice broke whatever trance had fallen over Fluttershy, Milligan, and Shepard, causing them to turn about and face down the hall.
None of them had taken note of the purple unicorn’s approach as her hooves dragged along the ground, her expression one of shell-shock and a thousand-yard stare that dulled her normally brilliant eyes.
“Twilight…” Shepard’s heart all but dropped at her expression… one he had seen before on civilians that had survived horrors no good person should have been subjected to.
“You were right, Shepard…” Twilight paused, looking down at the floor as she dragged a hoof morosely along the tile. “You were right all along… I’m the one that’s living in a fantasy world, not you.”
Shepard felt no victory at this admission, taking note of the tears rimming the unicorn’s eyes.
Being told that he was right all along was such a hollow victory at this point.
“It’s all been right there in front of me… all my life,” Twilight continued, Milligan seeming to take the hint that this was not a time to start talking as the lavender pony shook her head.
“You couldn’t have known…” Shepard offered, moving forward, to which Twilight cringed.
“Shouldn’t I have? Maybe I did!” the unicorn huffed loudly. “How many times did I figure it out on my own? How many times did I compare my studies of the universe to the world I lived in and realized it was all wrong? How many times did I go marching up to my princess… my mentor… the pony I trusted more than anypony… and she just made it all better? Made me forget everything!?”
“Twilight…” Fluttershy was now growing worried, watching as her friend began to break down more openly.
“My parents! Do you know where they live? Guess what? NEITHER DO I! I remember them when I was admitted to the Academy, but nothing before that… And nothing after! I haven’t seen them in YEARS and yet I’m OKAY with that!?" the unicorn's voice cracked as she brought her hoof down like a filly having a tantrum.
"My brother? Shining Armor? I haven’t spoken to him since the wedding… If we were so close like I remember, then why haven’t I seen or heard from him!? And my old foalsitter, Princess Cadence... Who IS she!? Celestia’s ‘niece’? Who were her parents!? WHY did I never think to ask!?”
“Twilight…”
Shepard had moved up in front of the mare as she spoke, drawing her attention up as she couldn’t hold it back anymore, falling into the red stallion who had torn down the illusions her entire world was built upon.
“My... entire… life… is a lie, Shepard…” she sobbed as he set his forelegs around her, drawing her close.
“...What happened?” Shepard asked, his own expression soft.
“I… overheard the Princess… talking to Discord. They were together, discussing what to do about you... You being here…” Twilight shuddered. “There's something about you… They can’t figure out what it is but it’s shutting down key points of the world… Opening huge holes in it that something bad is worming its way into… It’s like you’re ‘too big’ for the system to handle... Your mind… It’s tearing everything apart…”
Twilight took a long, ragged breath.
“Tearing Equestria apart.”
Shepard drew back at the accusation before Milligan sighed in realization.
“The Prothean Cipher…”
“What?” Shepard turned to him as Twilight followed along, still clearly distraught.
“Two years ago, back on Feros, you were given the Prothean Cipher in order to make sense of the message you received from the beacon on Eden Prime. I read the reports; it was a fascinating case study… A neurological imprinting of all the cultural and physiological understanding of an entire species; the essence of everything the Protheans were as a people, was crammed into your brain.” He set a hoof against his eyes. “That’s why they were able to find me and tried to integrate me into their system, ‘blocking out’ anything I tried to tell the regular ponies and making them forget. But your neural pattern isn’t just human, it’s also prothean. That must be beyond the system’s ability to filter out… so the ponies you interact with ‘remember’ you.”
“And because we remember you…” Twilight shook her head, trying to recompose herself. “All of the other mental blocks are falling apart…”
“Like me…” Fluttershy realized with a start. “What happened to me here in Bedlam… I started remembering it after meeting Shepard.”
Shepard shook his head as he attempted to recap.
So far today, he had possibly lost his ship, his crew, and his friends that came with him to the surface. He had also been dragged into interfacing with an alien virtual world, had subsequently begun to dismantle it solely with his presence, and had for all intents and purposes obliterated its inhabitants' culture and whole way of life.
All in less than twenty-four hours.
“Okay… One thing at a time.” Shepard shook his head, attempting to get back to business. “Twilight… This is Dr. Milligan. Milligan, Twilight Sparkle. Your friend Pinkie is locked behind this door and we need someone called the 'Primary Administrator’ to…”
Shepard stopped as the facts clicked into place.
“…She knew you were coming. That means…” Shepard turned to look at Twilight. “It’s you, Twilight… You're the Primary Administrator…”
“Who…? Who knew I was coming?”
“Whoever it is that's trying to help us. She said that she was at the ‘Main Archive,' wherever that is... Twilight, you need to open this lock to--”
“Shepard! Wait!” Milligan suddenly stepped forward, moving between the two of them. “Wait… This is too convenient. Twilight… er… Miss Sparkle...”
The unicorn regarded the brown earth pony cautiously.
“What are you doing here?”
Twilight’s eyes went wide.
“GAH! I talked the soldiers into sending me in to negotiate before they launched their attack!” She set her hoof against her face in a manner that Shepard interpreted as absolutely organic. “I heard you talking, and everything fell into place, and I forgot…”
“What… soldiers…?” Milligan was clearly having to restrain himself.
“Princess Celestia dispatched a whole division of the Equestrian Elite Military… trained soldiers… all to here… I’m guessing to try and stop you, Shepard.”
“Wait, since when does Equestria have an Elite Military?” Fluttershy asked, looking up with confusion. “For that matter, since when does Equestria have a military at all!?”
There was a sudden pounding of hooves that could be heard overhead as the ceiling began to shake.
“I’m guessing they didn’t want to wait and hear from you to get started,” Shepard observed.
“I told you that it would take too long looking for the pony! We’re trapped!” Milligan huffed, clearly disgruntled as the two ponies reeled in shock of realizing that Bedlam had come under siege.
“Don’t panic.” Shepard shifted a bit on his hooves as his mind ran over the situation. “Twilight, can you get us out of here? Teleport us like you did before?”
“For the three of us... It wouldn’t be easy... but yeah...”
“Wait! What about Pinkie Pie!? She’s still in here!” Fluttershy pointed a hoof at the door, causing Twilight to move around and examine it.
“Whoa... That’s a heavy duty seal.” The unicorn shook her head. “This thing would keep a dragon locked up.”
“So there’s nothing you can do... Too bad... I say we do what we should have done to begin with and get OUT of here!” Milligan spoke up.
“I didn’t say that!” Twilight scowled at the stallion. “It’ll be tough, but I should be able to break it. Granted, that will take time.”
“How much time?” Shepard asked.
"I don’t know! I’ve never had to spring a friend from Bedlam before!” Twilight snapped with a huff. “And with the amount of magic this lock is going to take to crack, I won’t be able to do much for a while afterwards.”
Ignoring her indignation, Shepard ran his mind over the options:
He could try to rush them… Take the soldiers on in the upper levels himself and buy Twilight time, hoping that Milligan and Fluttershy would be able to work together long enough to get out should the worst happen. The larger corridors of the upper levels would give him more room to move, but while he had been able to make sport of the "Royal Guards" that had thrown themselves at him before, there was another concern. If Milligan was right about the guards being programs, these could easily be some sort of highly-upgraded assault routines that were much more adept at combat. Assaulting them directly could very well be suicide... or it could spare him from getting boxed in at the lower levels and save Twilight and the others from being involved in the fight at all. The biggest problem was that it might also open up the way should he be taken down, leaving Fluttershy, Milligan, and Twilight defenseless if they got past him.
It would be a definite high risk/high reward gambit.
Another option was that he could attempt to hold his ground in the lower levels more easily: Wait for these soldiers to come to them and keep them away. As it was, he was limited to direct melee for offense and relying on his shields to deal with any projectiles, and that would give him an advantage in close quarters. If he kept closer, he could also help if something unexpected were to happen... But that also brought the fight closer to Twilight, who had to focus on opening the lock. And once again, that would put the others in danger should any of the soldiers manage to get past him.
Looking back at the doorway, behind which lay the rambunctious ball of pink fluff and energy known as Pinkie Pie, Shepard considered their objective here. He may have only met her briefly, but he got the impression that she was an innocent sort… A childish, slightly-annoying and overly-enthusiastic pony that didn't deserve to be wrapped up in all this.
So why had the forces that ran this system gone to such lengths to imprison her and keep her contained? It was clear that whoever had done this was under the impression she was a threat… but why? How?
Could she have just been bait? Brought in specifically as insurance to keep them from leaving? That would definitely have been a devious trick, but strategically sound.
The question was: (And it was something he had to consider). Was Pinkie Pie worth them sticking around and risking being captured or even executed?
The soldiers likely didn’t know what it was they were there for. He doubted they would harm Pinkie in her room in any case… That didn’t seem to fit into the way that he understood this system. If Twilight was able to use her powers to create another mass effect corridor, (or, hell, if she could just blow out a wall with that horn of hers) they could likely escape from Bedlam altogether before the soldiers arrived. Then they could try to find this "Main Archive" and the source of the voice that belonged to the only other ally Shepard felt he had in this place.
The sound of pounding hooves was still some ways away… They could get out and come back for Pinkie later, since it would do no good for them to free her only to be captured again...
“Shepard… What do we do?” Milligan asked, clearly growing nervous as the sounds drew closer...
They were running out of time.
Looking up to the three ponies, Shepard made up his mind…
Choices:
"I'll hold them off!" (Buy time by going on the offensive)
"I'll cover you!" (Defend Twilight as she disables the lock)
"We need to withdraw." (Focus on escaping)
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I'm between covering Twi and going on offensive... eh, fuck it. LET'S GET DANGEROUS!
Cover you, having all 6 admins on their side and not leaving one for Celestia is the best choice.
I wonder if Celestia is a program or a real pony.
Go on the offensive sounds like a good idea to me.
What i suggest in two words?
GO NUTS!!!
defend twi on lower levels. Use tight spaces to your advantage. Also, if crap hits the fan Flutterrage will save the day
1018566
I like the way you think.
Let's go on the offensive.
Well since the guards are there to stop YOU, not Twilight and Fluttershy, going on the offensive probably has a better chance of distracting the guards. And if they are recent constructions, their programming might be simple enough for them not to think about trying to get past you.
Cautious, defend if possible, but keep them away at all costs.
I'd suggest buying twilight time to hack the lock. This way, shepard can get all the admins.
Hold the line, men! Hold the line!
("I´ll cover you")
Go on the offensive
I'll cover you having more admins means better odds in the future
Ha! I was right about EDI
. Anyway, another awesome chapter and for the voting part, I'd say "i'll cover you" .
Alright chumps, lets do this. TWIIIIIILIGHT! SPAARRRRKLE!
All of my votes previously have been rather conservative.
Fuck this, I've had a boring day and am tired of dancing around this security: "I'll cover you!"
Best Offense is a good Defense. Defend Twilight
Ponyfied EDI huh? Awesome.
Defend Twilight.
Shepard asskicking time! Go on the offensive.
ZERG RUSH!...NO WAIT! GET IN THE BUNKER!...
rush away or cover them...
Cover Twi. Pinkie is an asset comparable to the krogan hordes.
Offensive.
Well now everyone, let's take a look at the pros and cons of the only viable choices, cover or offensive. The soldiers are after Shepard, so chances are they won't go down to stop Twilight and our pals, but we can't take the chance they they'll just obliterate Shepard as soon as he's separated. We know Fluttershy can at least defend herself, but in that situation, I think we'd lose our Cerberus pal. Not like he matters, since Cerberus sucks and he's a jerk. There's also the matter of separation. After Pinkie is freed, then what? How does Twilight grab Shepard out of the fray to teleport them all to safety? Chances are, that'll be a big derp if you choose to go on the offensive. Best chances at getting to the next stage in one piece is to cover them, so that's my choice.
Cover, if this is the Pinkie that can break the 4th wall type thing she must have some serious system hacking abilities.
Charge! Go on the offensive and UNLEASH THE SHEPARD!
Offensive.
I would say stay behind and defend Twilight. Time is of the essence here, and time wasted to have them go get Shepard from the upper floors is time they could spend escaping together once Pinkie is free.
splitting up is almost never a good idea. stick with twilight
she probably also never got the full brain assimilation considering some mental instabilities and the more i think about it the more i makes sense 
also with pinkie's past imposiblities, i am fairly certain that she hacks the system on a regular basis
Well since Shepard is the main character and I doubt anything can happen to him, Offensive would be the best bet (yes, meta).
Either offensive or defensive, Shepard can't really disengage from the fight without either Twilight teleporting (no energy) or Pinkie breaking a wall somewhere. The admins have some sort of protection so the worst that could happen is they get locked up or memory wipes that can't get rid of their recollection of Shepard which means eventually they will most likely have to rescue him. Although Twilight might have enough juice to teleport one pony out of harms way. Also what are the odds that the guards can hack, maybe once they free pinkie they can hide in there for a while. Oh heck, what are the odds they would expect a surprise frontal assault from a mad red pony in armour? But the mission is to rescue Pinkie and that means that Twi must be defended at all costs.
Must choose Defend Twilight, CQB would work better for Shepard and Fluttershy could be an emergency backup, also allows him to retreat easier.
1018971
but Twilight won't have enough energy left after hacking the lock to teleport them, they would have to rely on Pinkie Pie breaking something or Shepard beating all of the guards so that they can escape.
1018688
What he said.
Cover Twilight
cover twilight.
"So far today, he had possibly lost his ship, his crew, his friends that came with him to the surface, been dragged into interfacing with an alien virtual world, had subsequently begun to dismantle it solely with his presence, and had for all intents and purposes obliterated an entire pony culture and way of life.
All in less than twenty-four hours."
Sounds like the average Tuesday for Shepard.
Anyways, my option is keep her covered. It's a bit more dangerous, sure, but it leads the guards into a killzone. If Shep's kept most of his advantages then he's likely got a few combat programs on the omni-tool he can use to help, and he's probably got good close-quarters combat training and would likely be able to adapt.
Why can I see Princess EDI saving the day by firing a Thanix from her horn?
Take all the interupts!
Hold the line! (Defend Twi)
Either defend or go on the offensive. Though hold sounds like the best option.
Cover her while she blasts the door, hold the line.
Cover twilight
defend twilight. who knows if more would just find a way to get to her if shepard left her side
"I'll cover you!"
Kirrahe solution?
http://th05.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/091/7/e/kirrahe_needs_you__by_melicamp-d4u7dmd.png
Oh yeah, Kirrahe solution. Defend Twilight!
EDIT: Put the link to the image instead of putting the actual image. Turned out to be too big.
But... What about Luna?!
Oh well.
HOLD THE LINE! (cover)
-----------------------------------------------------
This side of fluttershy... It creeps me out... And I like it.
Shepard is gonna need all the help he can get, No pony gets left behind here so lets keep on the Defensive and protect Twilight as she gets that door open.
Dude, this chapter was one big mind fuck. Besides that, I say cover.
hold the line like the shepard i know
Cover Twilight.
Hold Them Off, and let Shepard do what he does best.
As much as I want Shep to hold the line, it's time to go on the offensive.
MORE HEADBUTTS.
BIOTIC-HEADBUTT ALL THE THINGS!
Shepard, your influence will stop Celestia, but before that, you must HOLD THE LINE... by covering Twilight. And once you break free, you can get your guns, Tali, and your ship.
Oh, and nice Renegade/Paragon interrupts.
GO ON THE OFFENSIVE! OFFEND THEM!
I don't know what I'm talking about, other than the obvious. Definitely go on the offensive.
Cover Twi.
let´s see, Twilight is now aware of everything, Luna is on your side and EDI entered the game...
system crash imminent.