It took about a day to make the preparations to finally wake Sunset Shimmer. As a result, Twilight was in a wheelchair when the time finally came, instead of lying in bed. She still had bandages running down the length of her spine, which Fluttershy would periodically remove and inject her with more neuro-regenerative. But the five-centimeter needles had stopped hurting after the third or fourth time anyway.
Applejack had been moved to the furthest bed, giving Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike the largest possible workspace. Twilight was there too, resting near Applejack’s cot in case her magic ended up being necessary for some last second save.
Either the pod had taken more water-damage than they thought, or else Rarity’s dating efforts had been accurate, because the cryo-pod itself didn’t smoothly defrost its occupant like they had been hoping for. Applejack probably would’ve done a better job, but she was missing one of her forelegs and trapped in bed, no matter how much she called for somepony to ‘wheel her over.’ Spike flipped out his tools, and it was time for Twilight’s second in command to put his abilities to the test.
Is Spike successful? Yes.
The cryogenic solution began pouring out of the vent at the bottom—but with no system to hook the pod into, Rarity caught it all in levitated buckets. The huge chunks of coat and bits of reddish slime floating in it as it drained certainly weren’t encouraging, but Twilight could do nothing more than watch. She kept a radio close in her magic, updating the other crew members as the procedure progressed and doing her best to keep Fluttershy’s panic out of her own mind.
Twilight had never watched the procedure done by hoof before, and it was certainly not half as smooth as the automated defrosting. Rarity’s magic did well enough as Fluttershy’s nurse, eventually levitating out the cot and depositing Sunset Shimmer on the bed in front of them.
Has Sunset’s long freeze in suboptimal conditions resulted in physical damage? Yes.
Just to her body? No.
Steam rose from Sunset’s body as it slowly warmed, and Twilight watched Fluttershy rush to do what the computer ordinarily would’ve done, connecting Sunset and cycling her internal fluids through the manual revitalization device. “Get those blood-packets into the warming tray,” Fluttershy instructed. “No, don’t open them yet! We have to cycle her with Cryo-9 first. Yes, the blue tank. There’s enough, I checked, just don’t spill!”
All the while a little furred creature rode on her shoulder, like a squirrel but with fleshy bits connecting its legs into wings. It was even wearing tiny gloves, though Twilight couldn’t have guessed where it got them.
It took over an hour. Fluttershy’s panic soon escalated to the point that Twilight started hyperventilating, and she could feel her own heart racing in her chest. She gave the radio to Applejack, who had more experience dealing with the bloody procedure going on as alarms started going off and Fluttershy started working her saw.
Does Sunset survive revitalization? Yes.
Once she got some distance to the medical building, Twilight found she could breathe again. She kept her own radio close in case they ever called for her, but they didn’t not for a few more hours after their initial report. “We’re finished, Twilight,” Fluttershy called, exhaustion heavy in her voice. “You should see this. It didn’t go… great.”
Twilight rolled her way back with all the dread of a pony who hadn’t studied for a pop quiz. The smell of Cryo-9 and rot were thick in the room as she passed through the airlock. At first, she didn’t even recognize the thing laying on the cot as a pony at all.
Does Sunset lose any limbs? Yes. 4 limbs
Her coat was completely gone, and numerous bandages covered her torso. Her horn was intact, but that was the only mercy this poor pony had been shown. Her legs didn’t hang sideways on the cot, because there weren’t any, just a large red plastic box of “CONTAMINATED MEDICAL WASTE.” Twilight could see the misshapen lumps visible through the semitransparent plastic.
Several tubes ran into the pony, running fluids of many colors through life support. Twilight didn’t have to guess what state she would be in if they were cut off. Rarity and Spike were gone, leaving only a truly-exhausted-looking Fluttershy.
“Looks like you did another miracle here today, doctor.” Twilight said, as sensitively as she could. “A cryosleep coffin three centuries submerged, and you actually kept her alive.”
“She may not think so,” Fluttershy said, after a long delay. “She, uh… I’ve thrown out freezer meals for less.” Fluttershy straightened, clearing her throat. “Captain, I’m prepared for my full report.” Twilight nodded, and she continued. “The casket reduced maintenance cycles to the patient’s extremities, resulting in necrosis in all four legs requiring amputation. Her liver, spleen, one lung, and gallbladder were also necrotic and required removal. Her heart was necrotic and required mechanical replacement, which has been installed.
“A replacement liver is being fabricated as we speak, but she will require total integration into life support until that is complete. In total, the patient lost approximately 45% of her mass. Serious nerve damage is also likely. And it’s… possible she will never wake again. Given the serious damage to her body, I will be keeping her in medical coma until all surgeries have been completed and she has had significant time to heal. Spike has already added four additional limbs to the fabrication queue, along with a second of Node’s theoretical control implants. If tests with Applejack are successful, we’ll probably install those before we wake her as well. It would be… kinder that way.”
Twilight winced as Fluttershy finished her report, feeling as though she’d been physically struck. As much as she was tempted to order Sunset woken anyway, the butchered specimen on the operating table in front of her might well lose any sanity she had left if she was forced to consciousness now. “Does Rarity know any healing spells that could help?”
“No,” Fluttershy answered. “We have all the standard texts in the medical library on the Equinox, but… they aren’t usually the sort of books a unicorn can read in an afternoon and cast. Mistakes with medical magic usually kill the patient.”
Twilight had to give her crew some orders.
1. Interrogate Apple Bloom personally. Sorry your captain couldn’t give us the details we needed yet. Even your incomplete information is better than nothing.
2. Spike suggests launching a probe to the coordinates from Sunset’s device. It will take at least three of us up there to make the modifications, but a three-month trip for a machine is better than losing those ponies for six months, right?
3. Pinkie suggests that instead of interrogating Apple Bloom, they should figure out if she can be rendered non-contagious. If so, she’s an engineer who probably isn’t vulnerable, she could study the “Contingency.”
4. Rainbow suggests she could take Rarity and Node and explore the nearest patch of City. I get that you’re too hurt right now, and lots of the rest of you are busy, but I want to see these ruins for myself! Give me a crew, and we’ll find out what the hay is going on, guaranteed!
(Certainty 225 required)
Wow, that went horribly. At least Sunsets alive, right?
Maybe it's because I'm early, but I'd like to note that you didn't post the results of the previous poll at the top like usual.
Other than that, sheesh, this'll be a tough one. Reasonable arguments can easily be made for all of these choices. I'll have to think about that.
Damn, Sunset really go the short end of the stick.
I think it's time to stop being safe. As bad as it sounds we have a perfect subject for seeing what the virus does if we let it run it's course on someone. Plus we've been taking the safe option and it just blows up in our faces.
Excuse me while I spend the next hour screaming.
Yikes, that went bad for Sunset! At least they're far enough in the future that limbs can be replaced. It only waits to be seen what the neurological damage is, and we're just wasting all this effort on a vegetable.
1) Applebloom's not going to give us more.
2) I like this one. Get some idea.
3) I like this one too. Also, Contingency? That gives me Stellaris vibes.
4) NEVER SPLIT THE PARTY! You saw what happened last time!
Secret Option) Infect Sunset with the Virus - As much as I approve of abandoning flesh, let's wait until she's not on death's door.
3 has my vote. Make Applebot safe and have her study the 'Contingency'.
Yikes. That's cutting it as close as possible. I'm honestly tempted to pick the secret option, but presumably even the nanites need sufficient mass to work with.
Still, I'm siding with interrogating Apple Bloom. She's their best source for information now, and she can't try to defer to her comatose captain. It's best they know everything they can before committing to a course of action. The only way further Bloom queries could cut off those other options would be if they're ruled too dangerous to perform given her intel.
What were the odds for the rolls in this chapter?
Track down and destroy Applejack's leg, dammit! Somehow we let it get away earlier, we need to destroy it.
Well, fuck. Least she is still alive.
We still need that info though, and even if its incomplete Apple Bloom can give us it. Option 1.
That is textbook "by the skin of our teeth" right there. Holy shit that went badly....I mean, Fluttershy did everything she could, but Sunset was just in terrible shape.
The idea of this story, especially how it will be written, seems awesome!
Ohhhhh Jesus, it's just like when my grandma used to keep beef in the freezer for four years.
9507548 If someone is looking in the comments section before voting, then that's really on them.
Well, that didn't go as well as I had hoped. I guess I'll go with option 2. It's the quickest source of information right now.
9507552 If Starscribe tells me to, I will.
Welp, I suppose it's about time we ran out of luck and have a lot of bad things pile up in a single chapter. It's sad though that Sunset lost so much and have to be put into coma. The crew really need some answers here
"Interrogate the bloom" is either an amusing typo or an interesting hint. Man, things just keep going from bad to worse around here, don't they?
What is with the shots to Twilight's spine? I think I missed something.
Never doubt the pinkie
9507629
Treatment for the 8 Psychic damage she took after being given Insight and nearly being eaten by IT HUNGERS.
Looks like we'll be getting a cyberpony if Sunset recovers enough. On one hand, with injuries like that, this is probably the best outcome for Sunset with injuries like that. Her odds probably wouldn't have gotten any better under the circumstances. But they're no guarantees she'll be able to recover enough to tell them anything.
Let's see... What to pick?
1) Applebloom might be able to tell us more. But what she's been through a lot that from her perspective that happened not too long ago. She needs time.
2) Sending a Probe bags us some intel without sacrificing the crew. It also gives us some recovery time to do other things while they wait. To decontaminate Applebloom. Give Sunset more time to recover, not to mention the rest of the crew.
3) This one I have a bit of a problem with. It's the only one that mentions trying to Decontaminate Applebloom. It also makes me think that Starscribe attaches the action with a single choice. It also potentially puts Applebloom at risk of the device. For all we know, it could be the pill form of what ate her crew and ship. It might be useful to have. but I'm not sure we should be messing with it.
4) While I won't pretend Rainbow Dash's suggestion isn't interesting. We've already heard from Applebloom that there might be a few surprises left behind by the long gone inhabitants of this planet. A long way from help if you get eaten by a worm or something else.
I think I'll choose Spikes probe option. It sounds like the most gains with fewer risks. But I am hoping Applebloom Decontamination is more of a given at this point after Applebloom suggested she doesn't think herself to be contagious. Just the cocoon she was in. Which makes a sort of sense, you probably wouldn't want to make this transformation to invasive, it would leave any world you lived on a barren husk.
All four limbs at once? Damn that was not a fair roll at all
Screw you RNG... Screw you
9507708 in this case I’m agreeing with you, though I think pinkie’s option is going to get it
Oh god, mental damage and zero limbs remaining. At least Fluttershy's little friend had tiny little gloves.
So much for the interrogation plan.
Sincere thank you for not allowing us to vote on this.
2 or 3 are they acceptable options for my perspective, and I'm thinking 3.
Edit: The hidden option actually occurred to me while the damage was being listed off, so I'm ever so slightly to vote for it instead. I suppose no, doing it without Sunset's consent feels wrong.
Well, that was about as bad as possible... at least without total failure. As for options:
1. That source is dry for the moment.
2. Relatively safe and profitable.
3. Pinkie, true to the show, hasn't led us astray yet.
4. Never split the party, at least when a known danger is lurking out there. Unless it's a pincer movement of course, but that's not the case here.
Secret. Let's call that Plan B, shall we?
So I'm going with Option 3.
9507462
60% chance Spike succeeds
70% chance Sunset has freezerburn
60% chance including neurological damage
70% chance Fluttershy succeeds
60% chance Sunset loses some limbs
Number of limbs lost = 1d4
9508041
Agreed, was my thought too after all that. But yeah, save it as a last ditch effort if things go wrong with Shimmy until you can ask her.
Of the options, gotta ask, any reason we can't do 2 and 3 at the same time?
Nanites reconstructing an organic based on their own 'blueprint' simply shouldn't work for someone whose mind is utterly fucked.
Pinkie hasn't done much yet, and I don't think we've taken one of her suggestions yet.
9508198
I believe we did take some of her suggestions, back when the group were exploring the city and helped Node get its first body. I'd agree with doing Pinkie's choice, and maybe making the probe as well. Surely we don't need the whole group for this? And then maybe we can focus on looking for Applejack's cyber-hoof. Hope it doesn't conveniently attach to a certain unicorn, missing all four legs...
I don't understand why Rainbow's option can't be done at the same time as the others. It doesn't sound like she'd be taking anyone needed for the other options.
9508288
IF it gets enough votes I might do both.
9508250
Correct, that was her suggestion. I guess what I was thinking was to take an option that's a bit more direct regarding Pinkie rather than mere suggestion nor advice. Something more along the lines of how Applejack was directly involved with her option to remove Apple Bloom from stasis. Not that the difference matters since the poll doesn't contain a direct action from Pinkie.
9507552
Hiding poll options to prevent people from having their reasoning contaminated with that of others' is fair and reasonable; however...
I typically see it as a bit rude, if not pretentious, to utilize others as a diving board on which to platform yourself.
In regards to your vote for the secret option: There actually is something to lose with a risky maneuver like that. A life.
Fluttershy's tiny friend having tiny gloves was cute...
I'm going with 3, though I'd like 3 and 4 to happen at the same time. I mean 3 and 4 in the list at the end of the story, which I suppose makes them 4 and 5 in the straw poll. I do like 1 in the straw poll, but we just don't know enough about what infected Apple Bloom yet to make it viable. It might be something to reconsider in the future though.
9508288
Ah, so you want her to die and take Rarity with her? Pass, personally.
Okay, what exactly are we talking about here?
Me too, and I'm sure I'm not the only one...
I think we should launch a probe.
This is probably the least dangerous thing to do. It takes time, but we hsould spend time recover anyway.
Also, look out for AJ's leg! It is still running(?) around somewhere.
I'm sorry but "Interrogate the bloom" is just too hilariously constructed to not pick.
JESUS
Sunset Shimmer: Pone Vader *HSS-HRR* *HSS-HRR*