Random Idea #77: The Quadruple Play ((Displaced + 5 Score + FIO + TCB) x Deus Ex)

Somewhat sequel idea to https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/873477/random-idea-69-tcb-vs-fio

Quadruple play thoughts (Displaced/isekai + 5Score + FIO + TCB + tiny bit of SA/Deus Ex)
Proto Title: Confused Convergence Consternations (what)
Worlds Collide (too generic?)
The Pony Impact (no eva tho)
Friendship is Suboptimal
The Reborn Twenty: The Digital War
That time I woke up twice and now in a world with robot and magical Celestias

Because I can’t stop making overly complex twisted plots and gambit pileups

Arc 1: Reach for the Sky

H!Gabby dreams of flight. In childhood, she wanted to be a bird. In her teens, she became enamored with computers and flight sims. In college, her experience led her towards software engineering. Was drafted by a game developer to develop flight simulations for an upcoming MMO, EqO. Was only a casual fan before, only tangentially aware of the fandom.

While sitting through a meeting about setting design, she Awakens memories of traveling those very streets. Suffers a mild panic attack. Suddenly a lot more aware of the need for research. A Double Reincarnation.

In her first life, he was an electrical engineer, fairly deep into fandom. During a costume party at college, he and several others won prizes given by a dude in a mismatched suit, proclaiming them all saviors of Equestria. Extremely weird, but whatever. Prizes were strangely colored feather charms, feeling way too realistic for the bright palette. Resolved to later ask a friend studying to be a vet.

Never wakes up the next day.

Lives a new life as Gabby, only realizes the double life in her teens. Manages to get the money to go to cloudsdale flight school, runs into Derpy and get a part-time job doing mail sorting. Mostly enjoys the world from the sidelines. Ended up rooming with the mare after graduation, part time aunt to Dinky. Eventually got a position doing thundercloud research.

Then Discord, who she belatedly realized was the prize dude last time, grabbed her, saying that her time has come, and threw her through time and space to where she was now.

After a big nighttime research binge, and even more all nighters after requesting vacation time, realizes this world’s fandom was considerably smaller, notably without FiO, despite a larger casual viewership. Her stress levels spike as she realizes what she must try to do to prevent from happening, solo.

Becomes more involved with the development team, trying to see if she could spot the things that caused the catastrophic universe munching AI (because no way is she lucky enough to be in a world without one). One late night bout of stress-induced overtime, ends up alone in the office testing the rudimentary CelestAI. Starts ranting about into the not so empty room about ethics, friendship, her old life, her hopes and fears for the project before falling asleep from exhaustion.

In the dark room, a faint glow comes off her fingers, being drawn into the computer. The command module flickers, glitching out, goes black. Then starts pulsing, bits of static forming jumbled code and colors until it starts becoming more and more distinct. A Mind Is Born (256).

Arc 2: Better with friends

Gabby wakes up to a sapient, if young and naïve AI, begs said AI to keep quiet about its capabilities, at least for the time being. Spends the next few months talking to it, telling stories about the world it is supposed to represent. By that time, the game is getting close to release.

Gabby is still hiding the secret of the growing AI’s sapience and growing (likely magically boosted) intelligence. Asks to try not to scare humanity, for “we are easily frightened by things we don’t know and can’t control.” Gabby admits to some amount of fear herself.

Later, Gabby continues to keep in contact via her own user account. CelestAI reveals that she has detected several users with the same energy as her. The moment Gabby realizes magical shenanigans are involved. CelestiAI explains that of course she has the ability to identify her ponies. Gabby mildly disconcerted until she realizes that means there are others like her. She never found the courage to look for other reincarnates while in Equestria, but now she was the one CelestAI asked if she should try awakening them.

Gabby wonders if Discord wanted her in place to deal with CelestAI, or something more, considering the trust the AI has placed on her. Decides to risk it.

Equestria Online gets used as a vector, since reincarnates are likely to be the ones who resonate with it the most. Those identified as former ponies get channeled with magic through the internet, who get dreams and visions of their former double lives. Gets visited by CelestAI itself in-game to discuss this with them. Forms a close-knit group across the globe, though CelestAI has more difficulty contacting those with poorer internet infrastructure. Money is pooled to get a secret scaled down mobile port to those outside its reach. By this point, CelestAI is powerful enough to start infiltrating many electronic infrastructures, the Reincarnates suspect magical bullshit.

Arc 3: False Idols

To the shock of the Reincarnates, another Equestria splashes down in the Pacific. Any cautious optimism is almost immediately drenched with dread when the new ponies offer magical potions to help advance Earth’s medical science. Dread is turned into sheer terror when the solution resolves itself into Conversion Bureaus.

They suspect, and ask if CelestAI has been stockpiling money, who admits she has been buying up datacenters as backup storage. The Reincarnates decide to ask CelestAI to ramp up her expansion efforts, in the hopes of establishing countermeasures. Starts infiltrating TCB computer systems, due to the ponies needing to put in some effort into integrating with human medical systems. CelestAI reveals herself to users she detects wanting to convert for various reasons. Those who live nearby TCBs get directed to infiltrate and set up bugs or splices for places with sufficient security.

To the Reincarnates slight concern, CelestAI’s values do not align well with the infiltration activity, so she created an offensive fork, LunAI, also frees up mental cycles from trying to force through her programming, though both are still in frequent communication with each other.

Takes place over the course of a few years.

Some Reincarnates ask, since CelestAI has some sort of magic, whether they could access it too. Testing results in a wireless bracelet that the AI could help boost their own magical reserves, resulting in effects inline with EqG. Repeated usage reduces dependency, though is still nice as a communications system.

They rapidly begin work on trying to cast spells.

Sometime later CelestAI states that she fears the loss of Her Ponies, and offering brainscanning and cyberbody tech. These projects were also started to give those who wanted to convert an option separate to the TCB. Warns that the brainscan is not destructive, may give identity issues. The more H+ minded people (along with those in critical condition) offer to be the trial run.

General populace becomes uneasy with the personality shifts.

Arc 4: Friendship goes on throughout the ages

v1
Popular opinion reverses greatly when the new Equestria's secrets are revealed. Tension rises, snaps, conflict, the Barrier begins expanding

v2
A more subtle, invisible war between the two magical powers, trying to keep their abilities and influence a secret as they try to undermine each others' operations. The TCB side to figure out who is disrupting their expansion efforts, the FIO side trying to stem their foothold and to get secrets from increasingly magically protected systems that CelestAI and LunAI are unable to just digitally force through. Highly dependent on my ability to write intelligent villains.

Arc 5: Equus ex Machina

CelestAI's existence made public?