Twilight should’ve gone and done something else. She could be out alleviating Fluttershy’s suspicions perhaps, lowering the risk that she would head down to the central computer to investigate what had happened.
But Twilight didn’t care about anything else. This was her vigil, and she had to watch, until the first signs of motion emerged from within.
Does the process work as intended? Critical no.
The cocoon looked as though an invisible wind had stirred it. Its fibers unraveled, spreading in a dust that left no dragon behind, only extremely dangerous snow.
Does Twilight stop Cozy from being exposed? Yes.
Twilight moved by reflex, forming a shield around where Spike’s body had been, containing the bubble of contaminated metal as best she could. Even so, she felt the weight of failure crushing down on her from all sides. She’d done everything she could to save her brother, but it hadn’t done to him what happened to Apple Bloom, or Applejack’s leg.
Did the process preserve the essence of Spike’s mind, with holes in memory and personality created by dead tissue? Yes.
All the lights in the central computer went out. Worse, the gentle rumble from under her hooves, the comfortable pressure of the air recyclers—stopped too. For a few seconds, Twilight was plunged into total silence.
Until her radio hissed, and Fluttershy spoke from beside her. “Captain, uh… that wasn’t you, was it? I just went onto emergency power. This… isn’t a good time to forget that medical is at capacity? We’ve got all our friends on life support.”
Twilight’s voice cracked, and she spoke only through tears. “Looking into it!” she answered, hanging up before she could give away any hint to how she felt. If Fluttershy found out what she’d done…”
Twilight opened the sample container up again, filling it to bursting with the debris that had wrapped around her brother. These were somehow his body now too. Too dangerous to bury, or get anywhere near again.
Even a remote chance, I had to try. I’m sorry, Spike.
The mainframe began an emergency reboot procedure. Cooling fans started spinning again, and lights flickered from inside their glass case. As Twilight looked, she found she couldn’t see into the cases very well. Most of the glass was strangely fogged over.
We are so bucked if there was an electrical fire we didn’t notice.
Twilight leaned forward, pulling on the edge of the cabinet with her magic. To her surprise, the security lock was engaged. It wouldn’t open. She yanked a few times, but didn’t force it. Did Cozy manage to get it locked?
Then a screen came on at the far end of the room, casting an even glow that overpowered the status indicators. None of the other screens came back on, the air circulators remained off—it was only the one.
Twilight walked over, dodging past Cozy’s sightless corpse. She still needed to burn that. She would take care of it, as soon as she figured out what was wrong with ship’s power.
Does the virus get confused by the presence of the mainframe and see the Equinox itself as Spike's body? Yes.
The usual operating system wasn’t here, no sign of the preboot memory tests or any of the other procedures. Not even a flashing input cursor.
Where am I? There’s nopony here, and it’s so dark. Twilight, where are you?
Her heart nearly stopped beating in her chest. The virus hadn’t given Spike a robotic body like the others who had been exposed, it was true. But he had been dead. Apparently there was a better fit somewhere else.
Twilight tested the keyboard, and found it responded as she expected. Still no command prompt, but at least her input appeared on the screen.
I’m here, Spike.
Was it her imagination, or had the fans all around her ramped up? How long can we keep up this much compute running only on emergency backups? If their batteries died, there was a good chance her friends would die. She would lose a whole crew, instead of just one.
But the one she was speaking to responded. What happened, Twilight? We were on the Equinox for surgery… I can’t remember anything after. Did we save Sunset Shimmer?
We did, she responded. You did great, Spike. But right now I need you to turn the emergency reactor back on. Can you do that for me?
The computer didn’t respond, long enough that Twilight began to panic. The fans kept spinning, and her room stayed dark. Twilight’s emergency air had long since run out, though of course the air in each compartment would last far longer. It would take days for the CO2 buildup in the Equinox to kill.
But it would take far less time for her friends to die, and for her and Fluttershy to freeze to death.
I know the reactors, the computer said, eventually. I think I can…
“Emergency quarantine lifted,” Starlight Glimmer’s voice said. “Evacuation order suspended.”
Something mechanical rumbled above her, and the lights came back on. The air circulators started running again.
I don’t understand this place, the console said. I can see the Equinox all at once. Out every face, into the docking bay, you down in—
Why is Cozy Glow dead beside you? What’s going on?
Twilight winced, looking away from the security camera over her shoulder. She rose, walking away from the keyboard. Is it better than being dead? Guess you’ll have to decide that for yourself. There was a way to talk to him—if Spike could see through the Equinox’s cameras, then he should be able to hear. And speak himself, eventually.
She went back to the keyboard, typing reluctantly.
I can’t explain right now, Spike. I promise I will as soon as I can. Just try to keep the Equinox running properly, if you can. Our friends still need you.
His response came instantly, though there was still no sign he’d learned how to respond in any other way.
Of course, captain. You can count on me.
There was the matter of Cozy’s body, then she would…
1. Save her friends from the contingency.
2. Use Spike’s help to figure out what Cozy was doing.
3. Focus on waking up Sunset Shimmer first to try and get real answers.
I WARNED YOU! I WARNED YOU ALL!
Oh no. So where’s Spike now?
Well, here we go…
Wow, that secret choice. Yeah, no. Our friends can wait, Sunset can wait, we need to see if Cozy has any other nasty surprises in store – she’s fooled us once. Never again.
Um... yay? This definitely isn't the worst case scenario, but it's a darned bizarre one. For now, the crew's all on life support, Sunset included. They can keep for a bit. Best to investigate just what Cozy was up to and see if there are any other surprises she put into place in the event of her untimely demise.
well... Spike's back... yay?
So now we have a dragon possessed starship.
...could have gone a lot worse I suppose.
For a first attempt at necromancy, that could have gone worse. When I saw
I expected that we would be dealing with an undead cyborg dragon.
Anyway, should probably find out what Cozy was up to.
Dangit, so much for our hoped for cyber dragon.
Thanks be to the vengeful dice for your mercy on us this day.
Huh. Maybe he got put into the Equinox computer?
Hey, this might work out.
Sweet.
2, definitely. Let's make good used of this new ace in the hole that is Equinox Spike.
Yup, secret option sounds like a bad idea. It isn't hunger related tho, I guess that's a plus?
Sunset and the crew in contingency are in no immediate danger, hours more won't really matter, Cozy's meddling though? That can't wait, so that's what I'm voting in the strawpoll.
Awww... no secret option to roboticize Cozy and interrogate her? Maybe next chapter, the corpse is still there after all.
Damn it twilight, you had to turn spike into a suchler didn't you?
Well... that's good enough I suppose.
I still think one should not mess with life and death. But this was a pretty good outcome all considered.
My vote for this chapter is the same as the last one. Cozy has contingency after contingency. No question she left some nasty surprises behind should she die during her mission. Find out what she did!
i.imgur.com/neErtfV.jpg
Cozy is still dead, I am happy
DRAGON GHOST SHIP!
Option two, most definitely. Find out what';s going on, especially with that sneaky, conniving expletive deleted.
As for the secret option, quitters never win, winners never quit. Are you a winner, Twilight?
I feel bad for Spike, all that lost memory and the eventual existential crises of knowing he is a ship now and not knowing if he is really even still HIM. But from a plot point, I find it fascinating and with lots of potential.
I voted for saving friends, but Im cool with searching for what Cozy was up to. I thought it was obvious that she was just sending the ship into a crash orbit, but makes sense to check for additional booby traps.
Focus on the mission. Incinerate crazy glue, make sure the Equinox isn't going to come apart, then work on the Contingency, in that order.
Well, that went better then i though it would so, yay? As for the poll, we need to figure what Cozy was up to so option 2.
Well. Shit. Fickle be the dice, but a great boon has just been gifted to our heroes. Best possible outcome even with the crit no.
Rolling for insanity....
...10....
Not the worst that could have happened, but not the best either.
Honestly, Cozy could have done anything with the ship while she was in control. If she planted anything that was set to go off at a certain time even after her death, we need to find it NOW.
Twilight? I need to pee...
The Equinox is running on SpikeOS now?
Well, In that case nothing can go wrong. (And that wasn't even sarcastic.)
Anyway, back to work.
We should try to save her friends now. Everything else can wait a little longer.
Sunset obviously, and is Cozy did something else to the ship Spike will notice.
The crisis is averted for now, so let's save her friends. I don't know how long they can stay on life support
As for voting, 2.
As for Spike, build him a body (as per Node or perhaps more appropriately, Forerunner) and download him into it.
Just one of the expected outcomes. Albeit a combination of memory loss AND becoming a computer.
In any case... Spike is still new at being a ship AND might have a bad emotional reaction at some point. So, how about GET EVERYONE ALIVE SOON!? Cozy's things, yeah, whatever, fine, important, but most of the crew going off life support at the wrong time WOULD BE KILLING THEM ALL. Unless you expect the contingency to have some built in 'keep your body alive' function. Even though it was meant as a way to live without a body.... what with the hunger killing your body.
CREW. ALIVE. THEN. OTHER BULLSHIT.
If we keep putting off rescuing the crew from the Contingency, they may not have functional bodies to go back to.
The way it was described, getting them out of the Contingency feels like the most pressing issue, then making sure Crazy Glow didn't screw something else up, THEN Sunset.
It's time for sunset, but we still need to clear Cozy of any lasting damages first. That is priority number one. Sunset can wake next time.
Excellent. As it was, so it shall be.
9613227 Remember, their bodies are on lifesupport. And the type of life support that exists in stories is enough to cart ponies between stars. At worst they'll be groggy when they wake up.
2. We need to be sure Cozy didn't leave any surprises behind. It would be great if they could find a diary or something like that, but I won't hold my breath.
Well great, now Spike is an AI. He'll figure out what happened quickly if he finds out how to access security footage (which he'll need to do to investigate Cozy.) about time the ship was automated with intelligence, maybe it can finally get repaired!
Once they're all properly on life support there should be plenty of time to figure out what Cozy did, and while investigating Sunset should be doable too.
The dice sure aren't being anything less than dramatic. A massively unlikely death followed by a massively unlikely dragon starship upgrade. Talk about failing forward!
9613572
Tell that to Sunset Shimmer.
9614115 Baconhorse isn't in the Contingency.
9614172
The "type of life support that exists in stories" resulted in a quadriplegic bacon horse.
9614231 After, what, 300+ years of no maintenance? They'll be fine for the few hours, maybe days, it takes to Cozy-proof the ship.
"Look at you. Now back to me. Now back to you. Your dragon is now a space ship!"
So, Spikes back in the story, only now he's HAL 9000? "Open the pod bay doors Spike." "I can't do that Twilight..."
Anyway, right now we need to find out what Cozy Glow was doing, or more importantly, has already done. If she's activated a self destruct sequence, or something that will end up doing the same thing, it needs to be dealt with now, or the Ponies in various forms of suspension won't ever get to return. After the ship is secure, unless the ponies in the "contingency" are at a critical level somehow, then it's probably time to get Sunny back and get some answers. With all that's happening right now, knowledge is the only thing that can help.
9613134
Considering that Spike is their life support, I'm going to go with the option that maximizes interaction with Spike. Twilight needs to help him through this transition. Learning WTF Cozy was up to is an incidental bonus.
9613572
Even tho I went with investigating Cozy, I'm worried about getting the crew back. Not from a standpoint of their bodies being damaged or dying, but rather I'm afraid the longer they wait the harder it may be the get their minds out of the contingency.
Finally, the Equinox has a reliable computer!
If they ever had to get back to Equestria, AB's got a robot body. Immortal? Maybe. Anyway, she could take instructions from SpikeOS the whole way, now, keeping that boat repaired.
I give a yay to Spike being alive, after a fashion.
9613768
I wouldn’t call him an AI.
Just an upload.
Spoilers for Endgame
Twilight's reaction to this chapter:
i.imgur.com/XmLIJVP.png
Well we honestly didn't deserve this so thanks A bot and thank you starscribe for even giving us a not horrific option for this scenario. We must bring the crew back or we will probably lose another crew member.