When Technology fails

by Ponynator

Chapter 3: Not just Mythology

May 9th, 2012 (Equestrian time)
Canterlot Castle, Celestia's room
0:23 AM

It was night in Equestria; Celestia had lowered the sun and Luna had risen the moon already; the white alicorn was going to bed, when suddenly someone knocked at her door. "You can come in." It was Luna who stepped inside the room. "Lulu, you seem to be worried, what is it? Has something happened?"

The moon goddess closed the door and was looking at the floor. "I... don't know.... I don't know what to do."

"To do about what?"

The dark alicorn looked up, straight into Celestia's eyes, "I wanted to talk to you about this earlier, but...", she dropped her head again.

"Lulu, whatever it is, you can tell me." She stood up and held a hoof under Luna's chin.

"Would... would you believe me.... that I have nightmares?"

Nightmares? She is afraid to talk with me about nightmares? "Everypony has nightmares; but you should know that - I mean, you're the princess of the night after all."

"No Tia, I don't mean normal nightmares like everypony else has. I mean nightmares of terrifying things.... things you could've never imagined before... things you would never do...." Luna turned away from her sister.

"Lulu, what do you mean? What have you dreamed of?"

"I... I've..." Tears started dropping from her face. "I've dreamed... that I would turn into Nightmare Moon again... and... and..." The tears reached her muzzle and she closed her eyes. "I just can't say it."

"The Elements of Harmony have healed you; you will never turn into Nightmare Moon again and I will never allow this again."

"It isn't that I've turned into Nightmare Moon... it is even more horrible than that..." The dark alicorn lied down and hid her face behind her hooves. "I've dreamed... that I would murder somepony..."

Lulu is dreaming of murdering? Oh no, this is indeed worse than I thought. "We both know that you would never be able to do such a thing. Don't worry about it too much." The white alicorn walked over to the window where Luna was lying, still crying. "Lulu, it wasn't real and it will never be real."

"But I was Nightmare Moon, it could have been real-"

Celestia put a hoof on her mouth to stop her from crying. "It will be only real if you keep on believing it; just forget about it. Like you said 'you dreamed of something you would never do'. "

The moon goddess nodded and sniffed her tears in, opening the door. "I just hope that I can forget about it." With that she went outside of the room and closed the door behind her.

"I hope that too, Lulu", Celestia said to herself. She went to bed again, trying to fall asleep - but she couldn't. Her own sister had just told her that she had dreamed of murdering, something that hasn't happened for decades in Equestria. Why the hay did she dreamed something like that? Lulu would never hurt or even murder anypony. But on the other hoof she has gone through many horrible things in the past; maybe this is payback. She closed her eyes and turned to the side, facing to the windows. After half an hour she was finally falling asleep.
But suddenly she could see a light coming from the windows; she re-opened her eyes but there was nothing. Then, again, a light; it seemed like a star was shining stronger than it usually did. Was it Luna? No, she couldn't feel any magic that would be strong enough for this; she couldn't feel any magic at all. Then the light disappeared again; after a few seconds the light re-appeared, filling her entire room this time. The sun goddess was used to the bright sunlight, but this light was so intense that she had to close her eyes.
The ground began to shake. What is this? What can cause such things without using any magic at all? And with that thought she fell down, the shaking was too strong; she tried to stand up, but it was no use. With a last intense shockwave it ended - the only thing left was silence.
Suddenly she heard a loud *crack* and something went through the roof; it was white, with many black spots all over it. It hit the ground with an immense speed; glass flew over the floor.
There it was; a strange white and black coloured object, with 4 limbs attached to it. It had fingers like a minotaur and was even looking a bit like one. Was it even alive?
It moved; the thing Celestia indicated as its head, which was covered in a ball-like object and broken glass in the front, moved up, but only a bit, as if it was trying to look at her. Blood was dropping out of the hole in the glass. "Guards! I need help!" She could see that he was injured: The black spots were burning marks - she could even smell the burned flesh. "I need the strongest stallions you can find and my carriage!" She yelled, nearly using her royal voice.

Within a few seconds four Solar Stallions stormed her room looking at the strange thing lying beneath her. "Intruder! Qui-"

Celestia cut him off, "Bring it to the hospital with my carriage! I think it's injured, badly! I will fly myself!"

Two of the stallions quickly grabbed the thing and put it on their backs; whatever it was, the princess ordered to bring it to the hospital. They all went out of the room; while they were running one of the guards asked her: "My Princess, what is this thing?"

"I think... that it's a human...." In Equestria humans were mythologic creatures, no one had seen one for more than thousand years. Every pony thought that they weren't real; but now it seems like one had crashed into Celestia's room. "No word to anypony, unless it's necessary."

— — — —

At the same time in Ponyville....

Twilight had been asleep for only an hour now; she had been busy the whole evening reading a few scrolls Celestia had send her. It was quiet, until: "Uhhm... Spike stop shaking my bed, I want to sleep." The ground was shaking like in Canterlot, just not as strong as it was there. Twilight opened her eyes and sat up. "Spike I told you th-...", but no one was there. "What the... why was my bed sha-... uah!" The ground shook again and Twilight jumped out of her bed. "What is going on? The ground is shaking?" A last shock went through the tree and her body. "Woah, woah, woah!" She had bumped backwards into the wooden wall. Now it was silent, nothing happened. "What has just happened?" The lavender unicorn was confused, she has never felt something like this; suddenly someone knocked at her bedroom door and opening it.

It was Spike. "Twilight, did you feel that, too?"

"You mean the shaking? Yes I did, do you have any idea what it was?"

"No, but it scared me." The baby dragon was shivering all over his body.

Twilight hugged him. "It scared me too, but whatever it was, it's gone. I will ask Princess Celestia in the morning, maybe she knows what happened."

"Don't you think we should go outside? Ask somepony?"

"When it would be something dangerous or very important, the princess would have sent us a letter, or the mayor would make an announcement; it would be the best to wait and see what happens. Besides, it's 1 o'clock in the morning."
And with that they waited and waited. But nothing happened after the shaking. After an hour Spike has fallen asleep again. Maybe it was... just... But she couldn't find any answers in her head. Maybe I should go to bed again, I will search for answers in the morning. The lavender unicorn grabbed the dragon with her magic and put him into his bed downstairs while covering him with a blanket. She went upstairs again; she quickly wrote a note to send Celestia a letter and went to bed again.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

In the morning...

*knock* *knock* *knock*

Twilight was still asleep, she had been up half of the night and needed the sleep, but someone knocked at her door.

*knock* *knock* *knock*

Twilight woke up. "Spike! Can you open the door?" No reaction, apparently he was still sleeping. "Ugh..." She went downstairs.

*knock* *knock* *knock*

"I am coming." As she opened the front-door, she could see who was knocking at her door: It was Applejack. "Applejack, what are you doing at my library this early?"

"You should comb your mane first." The orange earth-pony chuckled.

Twilight walked over to her mirror, just to see a lavender unicorn with a disheveled mane looking back at her. While she started combing she said "Oh yeah, right, just because you live on a farm doesn't mean that you can wake me up this early."

"Uhm Twilight, it's already noon."

"WHAT? Oh no, I wanted to inform the princess about something that happened last night; you know, I woke up in the middle of the night because of some-"

"-weird shaking?"

The shocked unicorn turned to her friend. "You felt that, too?"

"Everypony in Ponyville has! They are talking about it since morning and nopony knows what it was!"

"What? I will write the letter immediately." Twilight walked up to her room grabbing a scroll, a feather and some ink but she couldn't find any seals. "Applejack, wake up Spike. I can't find any seals, ask him where he put them."

But the purple dragon was already awake and standing in her room. "Why do you have to wake me up this early? Besides we don't have any seals anymore. You said that you wanted to buy them today."

Twilight face-hoofed. "Argh, I forgot about that. Well, then let-" She was interrupted when Spike was suddenly burping, he received a letter. Twilight unscrolled it, "It's from princess Celestia!"

"What has she written?"

The unicorn's eyes quickly sprang from line to line, suddenly: "We have to go to the hospital. Spike, we need a few, no - many sheets of paper and a full bottle of ink."

"To the hospital? Is one of the princesses hurt?", Applejack asked.

"She didn't exactly write what happened, she just wrote that it needs to be kept a secret and that I shouldn't tell anypony where I am going."

"Hello? You already said this loud and clearly, so Applejack knows about everything." Spike stated, receiving a hoof kick from the unicorn.

"I won't tell anypony, but I will go with you two."

"Sorry Applejack, but Celestia said that only I and Spike should come for the moment." Spike filled her saddlebag with numerous amounts of paper sheets and a big bottle of ink before putting it on her back. "We will see you later." She ran out of the library, locking the door while Applejack was still inside.

"Twilight didn't you forget something? Me?!"

Twilight turned around and re-opened the door, quickly pulling Applejack outside with her magic, re-locking the door before she shot off into the direction of the hospital, Spike running beneath her.

"Twilight, do you have any idea what the princess wants from us?"

"I read it in the letter!"

"Didn't you said that she didn't write it in the letter?"

"I lied."

"Wait a minute, you lied to Applejack? The element of honesty? Have you lost your mind?! Twilight, what can be so important that you even lie to somepony like her?"

Twilight looked from side to side, to see if sanypony could hear what she would be saying next. "She found... a human."

"A what?!?"

"A human Spike, didn't you read the books I gave you?"

"I... am... uh..."

"You didn't right?" Spike grinned goofily. "Okay, here's the short info: A human is a mythological creature. Starswill the Bearded wrote about them; they have the upper body of a minotaur, but their feet are more like stretched versions of their hands; furthermore that their face is completely different; the most important fact is that they don't have any fur, only naked skin, except for their head. Most ponys don't even believe that they exist and this must be the reason the princess wants to keep this a secret for a moment."

"I don't think it would cause a mass panic if everypony knew that humans are real."

"Spike, Starswill also wrote that they seem to be aggressive and that they fight wars against their own kind; he also wrote that they are as intelligent as ponys."

"Okay, that would really cause a mass panic, an aggressive AND intelligent race. But what does princess Celestia wants us to do?"

"She wants us to write down every information we can get, but remember: Not a single word to anypony!" They were now in town square; nearly every pony was outside talking with each other; the only subject was the shaking that occurred last night. The unicorn wanted to get to the hospital as fast as possible so that nopony could ask her where she was going.
Finally the hospital was in sight, she ran to the door which suddenly opened; Twilight tried to stop, but she couldn't and ran directly into an earth pony with a pale cream coloured coat; it was Bon Bon.

"Ow my head... Twilight!" She stood up and was smiling.

Oh no, I wanted to prevent something like this! What now? "Hello Bon Bon, we haven't seen each other for long time; what are you doing here?"

"I had to bring Lyra into the hospital last night."

"Why's that?"

"Well, she stayed up last night, because she wanted to do something. I still don't know exactly what, but when some weird shaking woke me up I found her lying on the ground."

"Is she alright?"

"Yes, the doctor said that she had overused her magic and that she needs to rest for a few days, then she will be fine again. Wait.... what are you doing here?"

What now Twilight? You can't tell her the truth.....

"Ah I know, you must be here because of the injured changeling the royal guards captured."

The what did what? "Uhhm... yes.... because of the changeling." She grinned pathetically, hoping that Bon Bon wasn't testing her.

"Okay, I have to do something at home; see you later." With that the earth pony walked off.

"A changeling?" Spike was confused.

"I guess that this is just a story for the public."

Twilight went through the open door to the reception where nurse Redheart was already waiting for her. "Ah, good to see you Ms. Sparkle; please follow me, I will show you the... 'patient'."

"Wait a second, why did you said 'patient'? I thought it would be in quarantine here or something...."

"Well he is in quarantine, but also our patient; when he arrived with princess Celestia and the royal guards, he was terribly injured and nearly bled to death."

"Did the royal guards hurt it? Wait, 'he'?"

"Yes, we could find the-"

Twilight covered Spike's ears with her hooves and shook her head with a serious face.

"Oh.. I forgot, sorry Ms. Sparkle. Ehm where was I?" She looked up tipping her chin. "Ah yes; after what I've heard, princess Celestia found him like this. But you don't have to worry about his status now, the doctor was able to stabilize him, but he fell into a coma and we don't know when he will be waking up; it can be days or weeks."

"Then why am I here? I thought that I would have to talk to him!"

"Well I don't know why, it would be better if you ask princess Celestia about-", she jumped back and gasped. Celestia was already standing in front of them, they had walked trhough nearly half of the hospital and were at a big room which was normally used for medical equipment. "Oh, I am sorry my princess; if you excuse me, I need to keep an eye on the other patients." She ran along the floor like she was being chased by her.

"Wow you really arrived here fast, you clearly are my most faithful student." Celestia smiled at her.

"Princess Celestia! Is that really true? That you've found a human?" She whispered as quietly as she could, but still nearly shouted; the mythological creature she had been studying for months was real!

"You don't need to whisper, the door behind you is sealed so that nopony can hear what we are talking about. And yes, I really found one, or to say the truth: He found me."

The lavender unicorn cocked her head. "What do you mean with 'he found me'? And why is it hurt?"

" 'He', Twilight; he's not some kind of scientific object."

Did I really say 'it'? "I am sorry Princess Celestia."

"You don't need to be sorry." The sun goddess levitated two chairs to them. "Sit down, I will tell you what has happened."

— — — —

5 minutes later

"This is just amazing - I mean just yesterday you send me the old scrolls I was looking for, the ones about humans and now one of them is here in Ponyville, I-"

"Calm down, we still need to see if he's dangerous; you have read what Starswill the Bearded wrote about their behaviour; even if this one seems to be much more advanced."

"Advanced? What do you mean by that?"

Celestia rose an eyebrow and smiled. "I will show you." She opened the door to her right letting her in.

Twilight quickly stormed into the room; there was only a table where some white and black spotted parts where lying. The lavender unicorn studied them but couldn't make sense of what she was looking at. "What are these things?"

"We don't know." A male voice called from her side, letting her step back a little. "Oh I am sorry, my name is Dr. Whooves and you must be Ms. Sparkle, if I am correct?" It was a brown coated stallion who talked to her, with a cutie mark looking like an hourglass.

"Yes you are right, nice to meet you."

"I am sorry to interrupt you two, but I have to go now. The citizens of Ponyville and Canterlot still want to know what happened last night." Celestia was still standing behind the door which was a bit too small for her to fit through. "Don't worry, Luna will visit you later and see how you are doing." With that she left with a teleportation spell.

"Seems like we are alone now." The two ponies looked at each other and turned back to the table.

"Is there nothing you can tell me about these objects?"

"I am sorry to disappoint you Ms. Sparkle, but no. The only thing I can tell you about them is that they are more advanced then anything I have ever seen. If you ask me, these things and the human aren't from our world."

"They are burned." Suddenly a purple dragon was standing on top of the table. Shocked by this, Twilight fell on her back. "What? Did you forget about me?"

"I kinda did. Sorry Spike, this was a bit to much." The lavender unicorn stood up, glaring at the stallion, who was laughing at how she forgot about the dragon that was standing beneath her the whole time. "How do you know that they have been burned?"

"Hello? Dragon? Me? I know everything about fire!"

"He's right; the human had several second to third degree burns all over his body, like he had been in a burning house or something."

"Where is he anyway?"

"He's in the quarantine room. But knock if you want to come in, they are still searching for other injuries on his body." He looked back at the table but turned away. "Bah, I need some coffee, I just can't work like this and aside fro, that I am not getting anywhere after all. Ms. Sparkle, if you could do me a favor: PLEASE get some informations from the human if you can find a way."

"I will try my best."

"Oh wait a second; I nearly forgot." He pulled a black box from the table. "This was the only part that hasn't been damaged. We think it's a box and the four numbers at the front are changeable from zero to nine; they seem to be a simple lock."

"I will have a look at it later." They all left the room; Twilight and Spike heading for the quarantine room. How can I get information from somepony who's in a coma? C'mon Twilight think!

End of Chapter 3

Comments

[Ponynator]

Finally I had the time to update, hope you enjoy it

[Perception Filter]

Lots of grammar, and word mistakes. For example

"She wants us to write down every information we can get,

[Sue]

need moar

[ssokolow]

"Why... did she dreamed ...?" should be "Why... did she dream ...?"

It's a quirk of English that we had two ways to put verbs in the past tense and we kept one form from each.

We use subject-auxilliary inversion with "did" as an auxilliary verb for questions ("Did she dream?") but we no longer use "did" as an auxilliary verb with the present-tense form for non-interrogative statements. ("She did dream" is valid but very archaic)

For non-interrogative past-tense statements, we use various verb inflections (such as adding the suffix "-ed" to produce "she dreamed") but I'm not sure we ever used it along with inversion to form questions. ("Dreamed she?" looks and sounds alien to a native English speaker.)

However, when used with an interrogative pronoun like "why?", it makes enough sense that I've seen it used in old poetry. For example, "Why dreamed she?" (However, it feels even more archaic than "She did dream".)

On behalf of my fellow native English speakers, I apologize for our verb conjugations being such a mess. It's partly the Normans' fault for invading England in 1066 and replacing most of the words in Old English (a west germanic language with influences from north germanic languages like the sounds formerly represented by þ.) with whatever partially-understood Old French (a romance language) the Saxon peasants picked up from their Norman lords but it's also partly our own fault for being so eager to borrow foreign words without reworking them to fit our existing grammar and pronunciation rules. (Probably because our verb conjugations and pronunciation are already such a mess that we don't try very hard. That's partly because the inventor of the first English dictionary chose the spellings he favored rather than the ones which made the most sense.)

Also, it's "Starswirl", not "Starswill".

Sorry I couldn't point out more. I got carried away while giving context for my first correct.