//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6 
// Story: Watching the Watchers 
// by Ryvaken 
//------------------------------//

Twilight reappeared in her castle, holding the Federation device. She was alone, in her private library high in the palace. Most of the shelves were sadly empty, and the room was on the whole far smaller than the public library low in the palace's trunk, but it was secure and an excellent place to take notes.

"Spike!" she called loudly.

The rasp of claws on crystal came at a fast pace, and the door opened to the panting young dragon. "Twilight! You're back!"

"Of course I am, Spike," Twilight said happily. "No one spotted me and I managed to get my hooves on this." She lifted the device slightly. "I think it's like the cellphones in Canterlot High." She turned to the door and saw Rainbow Dash standing behind Spike.

"Hey, Egghead," Rainbow interrupted. "Cellone or whatever later. Anything going down we need to worry about?"

Twilight frowned at Rainbow. "Cell-phone," she enunciated. "And what do you mean?"

"Are they planning an attack? Do they know we're listening in on them?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight's expression cleared. "Oh, right, I guess that is important." She took a deep breath. "Nothing saw me, but there might be evidence that somepony was there. If I'm right, any visits we make are going to be noticed." She pointed a hoof at Rainbow. "Rainbow, I need you to check in with the transcript team. If the Federals know that we know that they're here, they might act. We need to know what's happening."

Rainbow stiffened and brought a hoof to her brow in salute. "On it." She flared her wings and was out the door in seconds.

Twilight looked to the device she still held in her magic and smiled to Spike. "I guess I got a little carried away, huh?"

"Nah," Spike said. "If you didn't want to research that thing, you wouldn't be Twilight Sparkle. That's why you've got friends."

Twilight beamed. "Yeah," she said dreamily. She shook herself gently and turned the device so Spike could see its display. "So let's do what we do best, Spike."

Spike walked closer and peered at the strange machine. "Huh," he said. "Hey, it's written in Equestrian."

Twilight nodded. "It changed when I spoke to it. The Federation language is as strange to look at as it is to listen to." She grinned and brought the machine to her face. "But since it is in Equestrian, we can examine it. Spike, take notes."

"Gotcha," Spike said. He ran to a nearby desk and picked up a long, blank scroll, a fresh inkwell, and two quills. "Let's see. 'Examination of Federation Device, Preliminary Findings, as Dictated by Princess Twilight Sparkle.' Ready when you are, Twi."

Twilight cleared her throat. "Ahem. The Federation device was retrieved during the first operation inside their facility. Said operation was simply a preliminary incursion which engaged no individuals and allowed only a visual scan of a single, two room residence." As Twilight spoke, Spike's quill flew across the paper.

"From these two rooms we can conclude that the Federals are a bipedal species possibly related to humans. Photographic evidence inside the residence shows sufficient similarity to support such an assumption, but the Federal physiology is extremely deformed from human standard. Much more research is required before any conclusions can be drawn.

"The device resembles the 'cellphones' used by humans, and is believed to perform a similar function. Cellphones are data retrieval and communication devices that operate purely on electronic principles. This device, as well as suspected computers in the Federation residence, lead this researcher to conclude that the Federation technology is on par with that of the Mirror World, rather than that of Equestria proper. This is a highly unexpected find, as our first indications of the Federation observation was magical in nature. I feel that understanding this technology will answer questions of their magical technology.

"When discovered the device showed information in the Federation language. Afterthought, the Federation script is blocky and rigid, with repeating characters. I suspect it is alphabetic in nature. Will need to cross-reference trends in Equestrian language to confirm, but recent advances in printing technology and the decline of hoofwriting is leading our own alphabet to similar trends. This suggests the Federals have had similar technology for far longer.

"I voiced an idle wish that the device display Equestrian language and it complied. As this would have left strong evidence of my passing, I chose to remove the device rather than leave such evidence behind. On the other hoof, we now have the opportunity to not only examine the device, but read its contents.

"The device's display, or screen, is in the majority a single document." Twilight hesitated and brought her hoof to the screen, similar to how she had seen humans use their cellphones. "The device responds to hoof movements to move the displayed text, allowing the entirety of the document to be viewed without making it too small to read. The contents of the document are research notes on Rainbow Dash, who is the subject of long range observation. Bordering the document are what I believe are interface components and labels that describe the document. Prominent among them is the label L*ARS, which includes an unknown character from the Federation language. I believe this is an acronym and includes an untranslated term."

Twilight swiped her hoof over the screen a few more times and frowned. "Addendum. The device responds to hoof movements, but only poorly. As it was made for human-like Federals, I assume it is designed to react to fingers; smaller and more nimble digits than a pony's hoof. I will need to find some way around that in order to make full use of this device, but for now, Spike?" Twilight waited a few moments.

Spike finished writing and looked up. "Yeah, Twilight?" he asked.

Twilight passed him the device. "See how your claws handle this. Be careful not to scratch it."

Spike nodded and took the device gently. A lifetime of living among ponies left him well-trained in not damaging anything (or anypony) with claws that could carve a diamond into bite sized chunks. He flicked a claw over the device's surface and it responded perfectly.

Twilight smiled and took Spike's quill in her magic. She dictated to herself, "As hypothesized, the device reacts more readily to Spike's claws than my own hooves. I will attempt to design a stylus at a later date, but for the rest of this investigation, Spike will manipulate the device on my behalf." She paused her writing. "That okay with you, Spike?"

Spike shrugged. "Sure. Not like this thing is going to explode or anything."

Twilight chose not to speculate on an unknown machine's ability to explode. Long experience with the Crusaders, Pinkie, and Discord had taught her not to eliminate that particular possibility out of hoof. She resumed her dictation. "The Federals' research into Rainbow Dash is a curiosity but ultimately uninteresting. Sonic intercepts have already provided much of the material in question. Instead, this investigation will focus on the device's functions. Taking cues from human devices, it is likely that the header of the document will have some command or editing function when accessed. Spike, please tap your claw on the acronym."

Spike did so and the document blanked away. The header remained for a few seconds, then new text appeared in the center of the screen. Spike read it, while Twilight transcribed it into her notes. "Error: Library...bunch of gibberish...Access and Retrieval System not available. Connection to Main...same gibberish again...not available."

Twilight mused over this development before she resumed dictation. "My suspicions of the acronym are confirmed. Library something Access and Retrieval System. Likely the unknown word is a descriptor of the library in question, possibly relating to this technology. From my own experiences I believe 'computer' or 'cellular' might be the most appropriate terms, but these words do not appear in any documents the Federals have access to. Nor, for that matter, the ponies I have employed translating intercepts. I may need to assemble a lexicon of technological terms."

"Twilight," Spike prompted.

"Getting off track. Thanks, Spike." Twilight grinned sheepishly. "Let's take the name literally. This L-something-A-R-S is a system that accesses and retrieves from a kind of library. Library implies collecting, borrowing, and ultimately returning in a central location. This 'Main Whatever' may be the physical location where the library is located. The device we have acquired uses this system to access the library and retrieve a document. Except the device doesn't actually move, so it is using a communication medium of some kind. A medium that doesn't function, probably blocked by the castle. Could we enspell an exception to allow this device to function?"

Twilight pondered the question quietly for several minutes. She half-raised a hoof and waved it limply, gesturing along with the competing ideas floating in her mind. "It's a bad idea even if it is possible," she concluded. "Retrieving a document means the communication must be two-way. The Federals could learn we have one of their devices."

"They could?" Spike asked. "How?"

Twilight paused to consider. "Spike, what would happen if I needed Celestia to send us a copy of her schedule for tomorrow?" It happened often enough; even as a student Twilight needed Celestia's schedule to find some way to squeeze in her more casual visits.

Spike shrugged. "We'd write a letter to the Princess and send it off." He mimed blowing on a scroll. "Easy."

"And then?" Twilight prompted.

"Well, she'd get the letter, pass it off to Smooth Sailin who would write the copy, then send it back to us. Then we'd try and figure out which meetings would try to break the schedule worst and give the Princess an excuse to cut them short."

Twilight smiled wryly at that. "Okay, now how do we get the schedule from Celestia?"

"She sends it to us," Spike repeated. Twilight stared, rolling her hoof in a aaaaand? gesture. Spike frowned. "Which means something. Um...she knows she's sending the schedule. To us." He looked at the device in his claws. "So if this thing asks the other thing for a thing, the other thing will know this thing wanted a thing."

"And might know where this thing is, so it knows where to send the thing to," Twilight said, picking up on the thought.

"Okay," Spike nodded. "That would be bad."

"Curious, though. If I am right, this single device can access any number of works. Why would anypony need a stack of them like I saw?" Twilight studied the device a few seconds, then her notes. She turned her attention back to the device. "Multiple users? No, the stack was in the residence of a single individual." Back to her notes, back to the device. "Maybe they were different devices? They all looked the same to me." Back to her notes, back to the device. Then she straightened, eyes going wide. "Ugh," she groaned, slouching and slapping a hoof over her eyes. "So they can have multiple works available at once. Silly Twilight, the answer was right under your muzzle."

"Twilight, are you sure you should be writing all this down?" Spike asked.

Twilight glanced at the last line of her own dictation and scribbled it out hastily, adding a note that the above section was redacted as Princess's Eyes Only. That should fool everypony. "Er, the presence of multiple devices to a single user suggests these are widely available in Federation society. As the device no longer displays useful information and is too risky to reconnect to the Federation library, I am deliberately choosing to move on to experiments with a significant risk of damaging the device. The final experiment will be its complete deconstruction and analysis of its components."

"Spike, start pushing random parts of the display until something changes."





Rainbow Dash was widely known for her bravery, diligence, calm under fire, and patience. These were vital aspects of her awesomeness that made her "Okay I can't even convince myself," Rainbow muttered. She smacked her face with a hoof. "Anything yet?"

Sharp Ear sighed. "No, Miss Dash. Nor are we likely to have anything the next minute. Or the next." The grey-coated earth pony resisted the urge to facehoof himself and instead pointed at the rather extensive equipment around them. "Do you know what all is going into these efforts?" he asked.

"Er, not really," Rainbow admitted. "Twilight explained it all once, but that was before you were all brought in."

Sharp Ear nodded. Explaining what he did to a laypony was hardly the most pleasant way to spend time, but it was better than continually answering "is it done yet?" at least twice a minute. "I am a lingual expert. My talent is to interpret words and their meanings. The Princesses call for my services when diplomatic missives seem to say more than is strictly on the page." Which, honestly, was all the time. Princess Celestia cared too much about the ponies of Equestria to risk anything to chance, so any message from afar went through at least two analysts in addition to the Princess's own keen insight.

Rainbow nodded less because she followed that and more because she wanted him to get to a point. "So why aren't you listening like those three?" she gestured with a wing.

Sharp Ear followed the gesture and took in the three ponies working on magical arrays. Two pegasi and a unicorn, each with a mystic object in her ear and each writing with practiced, unhurried speed on a scroll. "They are scribes," Sharp Ear explained. "Their job is to write down everything they hear, as accurately as possible. I doubt I could help."

"You can't write?" Rainbow asked dubiously.

"It's not a matter of simple writing," Sharp Ear explained. "Could you write down everything we're saying?"

"Of course," Rainbow said, like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"With perfect accuracy?" Sharp pressed.

Rainbow nodded, still confident. "I can be careful when I need to be."

"As quickly as you can say the words?"

Rainbow paused. "Huh?"

Sharp smiled. "It's not enough to write, you must write both perfectly and quickly, while still listening to the conversation so you can keep up. It is not the most glamorous skill in Equestria, but a good scribe is a true professional."

Rainbow looked at the trio again, for the first time really seeing how fast they wrote, how tidy their writing was. "Well, I guess I can get needing to be fast enough," she admitted. "So why's that one doohickey different from the others?"

Sharp glanced at the array in use by a pegasus. "That array is Crystal Empire magecrafting. The others are unicorn gem work; we brought them with us from Canterlot."

Rainbow frowned. "What do they do?"

"They receive magical transmissions from crystal sensors scattered over the Federation base, or 'duck blind' as the Federals call it," Sharp explained. "The sensors pick up vibration -- sound. The arrays filter out sounds coming from other places and give us a reading on where the remaining sounds are coming from within the blind. The gem arrays then record that information on its own scroll."

"But not the crystal one?" Rainbow asked.

"No. It doesn't have that ability." Sharp Ear sniffed softly. "Princess Twilight chose a new, cheap model over an old and reliable one. In any case, all arrays translate whatever speech they pick up  and present that to the scribes. The scribes can filter out voices by adjusting the array, allowing them to split up the work."

Rainbow nodded. "I guess that makes sense. So, anything yet?"

Sharp Ear just pressed a hoof to his muzzle and groaned.



"Examination of the device's screen while components were removed has presented some insight into its operation. Appropriate pieces have been carefully labeled by both given name and presumed function. The most important examinations will be of these 'equal-line chips' and this transmitter-receiver unit. The former stores information in a way the device can access and the second is the mechanism to connect to other devices."

Twilight finished her report and reviewed her scroll. "Do you think I should mention the patterns?" she fretted.

Spike shrugged. "It's not like you came to any conclusions." After opening the case of the device Twilight had started comparing the arrangement of its physical pieces to everything from insect hives to impressionist paintings. She only stopped when Spike grabbed her by the withers and directed her attention to what the components actually were -- unknowns to be examined.

Twilight's ears drooped. "I guess you're right," she said dejectedly. She perked back up quickly. "I suppose the only thing left is a detailed examination of the parts!"

Spike winced at the oncoming research binge. "Shouldn't you check in with Rainbow first?" he asked.

Twilight paused and thought that over. "You're right," she said. "Duty before pleasure. I'll be back soon, Spike!" She trotted out of her library and headed for the observation team.

Spike wiped a claw across his brow and took off at a run as soon as Twilight was out of earshot. He didn't have long to get lost in some chore far away from Twilight's newest vacation into mind numbing boredom.

Twilight walked into Sharp Ear's office to find Rainbow hovering over his shoulder while the earth pony scribbled notes with the quill in his mouth, his ears flattened tightly against his skull and his expression professionally neutral. Twilight winced and hurried to announce herself with a polite cough.

Sharp Ear looked up and nearly sagged in relief. "Princess!"

Rainbow landed gently next to Twilight. "Your egghead brigade hasn't managed to do anything," she whined.

Twilight rolled her eyes and silently looked to Sharp Ear.

Sharp scowled at Rainbow for a second before schooling his expression. "Your Highness, there has been no mention of your activities by the Federals. However, after Miss Dash told me you had taken a piece of their technology, I was able to find this." He hoofed over a stack of papers. Twilight paged through the details and analysis and went straight for the raw transcript.


Ensign Lorian: There is a pad missing.
Doctor Lewis: Are you sure?
Ensign Lorian: Of course. I was cross-referencing Rainbow Dash's observed flight with the metagravitonic field we've noted to better understand the inconsistencies. The pad with the observations is gone.
Doctor Lewis: Strange. Anything irreplaceable?
Ensign Lorian: No, it was just a copy of the library file. This pad has all my personal notes.
Doctor Lewis: Chalk it up to a minor mystery then and just get a new pad.
Ensign Lorian: Standard procedure is to conduct a level three security sweep of the installation to account for all Federation technology in the event that anything goes missing.
Doctor Lewis: For a single pad that vanished from your room? Lorian you probably took it with you and forgot. It's lying on some table somewhere with a whole new file loaded. It may even be that pad in your hand.
Ensign Lorian: I do not forget things of that kind.
Doctor Lewis: Which is more logical? That you were absentminded, or that somepony snerk came in and swiped it?
Ensign Lorian: While I do not share your sense of humor, your logic is sound. Very well. May I share with you my conclusions?
Doctor Lewis: Absolutely.


Twilight looked up from the transcript and smiled. "Well, that's a relief."

Rainbow frowned at the neat writing. "But it doesn't say anything about you," she complained.

"Exactly," Twilight said with satisfaction. "They saw I took that device, the pad apparently, and explained away its disappearance. That was the biggest evidence that I was there, and they're ignoring it."

Rainbow thought that over for a moment. "Okay, I guess that makes sense," she agreed. "So what did they have to say about me? Probably how awesome I am, right?"

Twilight smirked fondly. "I can honestly say that their report on you was fully unable to grasp your awesomeness, Rainbow."

Rainbow pumped a hoof in the air. "Yes! So, learn anything cool? Are we looking at an alien invasion of blob monsters?"

Twilight stared at Rainbow for a couple heartbeats. "Ummmmm... no. No, Rainbow Dash, not at all."

"Shoot."

Twilight stared a few more seconds. "Anyway," she drawled slowly, "from the pictures I saw, we're looking at deformed humans." She saw confused blinking from Sharp Ear and Rainbow and realized they had no idea what she was talking about. "Primates, bipeds, upright posture, no fur to speak of, magically on par with minotaurs."

Rainbow shrugged. "So are we being invaded by the planet of the apes then?"

Twilight shook her head. "I don't think so. They still sound like scientists to me, not invaders."

"But you can't know for sure," Rainbow pressed. "So why aren't we kicking flank and shooting rainbows?"

Twilight sighed. "Because I still want to learn from them," she said. "Just this one device I brought back, it connects to a library, Rainbow. A library! Think of what we can learn. What they can teach us."

Rainbow paused. "Cool alien tech?"

Twilight grinned. "Cool alien tech."

"Lasers?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Maybe later."

Rainbow rubbed a hoof under her chin. "Hmm. Yes, that could be awesome. How can I help?"

"Research," Twilight answered.

"Pass," Rainbow shot back.

Twilight clapped her hooves together and rubbed them vigorously. "Then stay out of my way."



Doctor Whooves was well known as that crazy brown stallion in Ponyville. At least, to the hoofful of ponies that cared to know him. Which wasn't too many. Honestly the doctor preferred it that way. Isolation made it easier to pursue his research in peace.

Of course, it also meant he didn't know timetravel was a mere spell away and most of his theories were proven wrong ages before he was born. So he wasn't entirely sure of his life choices to date.

These same life choices did not comfort him when Derpy hoof-delivered him a royal summons along with the day's mail. A summons from the Princess of Friendship. Oh Doc Whooves was aware that the princess lived in Ponyville and had for quite some time, but he couldn't say he knew Twilight Sparkle. If it hadn't been for her attempt to disaster-proof Equestria because something something message from the future some years back, Whooves might have never given the princess a second thought.

The giant crystal palace of Friendship/Harmony/Magic/Books/whatever had been an interesting novelty when it was first...grown, but Doctor Whooves hadn't been back since. So it was with rather a great deal of hesitation that he put hoof to crystal and knocked, standing in the open doorway of the palace atrium. "Hello?" he called. "Somepony summoned me?"

He heard the rapid scratch of claw on crystal before Spike rounded a corner into his line of sight. "Doctor!" he called. "Glad you could make it. Twilight's up in one of the laboratories waiting for you."

Whooves swallowed. "Eh, yes, right. Waiting for me. Well then lead on, good dragon. Er, I don't suppose she happened to mention to you why she needed me?"

Spike turned and set off for the stairs at just under a jog. "Oh she did, but I can't tell you," he said. He shrugged. "Something about a huge matter of Equestrian security and maybe the fate of all ponykind. But that happens every couple of weeks anyway, so I'm not sure why...Doc?" he turned around and frowned at the stallion frozen in place a halfdozen steps down. "You okay?"

"Great whickering stallions," Whooves whispered. "Fate of all ponykind? The princess needs me to help with something that will matter to all ponykind?"

"Yeah," Spike said. "Which is why we're kinda in a hurry?" He waved Whooves forward. "Come on, we can't keep Twilight waiting."

Whooves's hooves moved robotically as he made his way up the stairs. "But, why me?" he asked slowly. "Surely there are better experts at...at...at whatever."

"Actually there aren't," Twilight cut in. Whooves hadn't even realized they had reached her lab. She smiled. "Doctor, I'm glad you could come."

Whooves dropped into a bow as fast as he could. "Yes, Your Highness," he said quickly. "I'm sorry for questioning your orders, Your Highness."

"Rise," Twilight said with a tired smile. She managed to keep her eyes from rolling. It was getting easier. "And never apologize for an honest question. Especially when it deserves an intelligent answer."

Whooves stood slowly and frowned. "It does?"

Twilight frowned. "What I am going to tell you can never leave these walls. You can't speak of it, even to me, outside of the palace. If you can't do that, you can walk away right now, no hard feelings."

"Walk away from what?" Whooves asked. "Princess, I don't understand."

"Right now, I just need you to understand that you will be working under a Royal Order of absolute silence," Twilight said. "And this is your chance to get out."

Whooves scuffed a hoof on the floor in thought. "Do you need my assistance, Princess?"

"Yes," Twilight said.

"Then you will have it," Whooves declared. "My lips are sealed, Your Highness."

"Twilight will do fine, Doctor," Twilight said. She broke out into a smile and gestured Whooves into the lab with one wing. "We will be working together, after all."

The lab was an unusual design, by Whooves's standards. The walls were lined with shelves of tools, beakers, and bins, while the floor was practically devoid of furniture, save a single small table with many tiny objects covering it. Several of those objects were obscured by a sheet. Twilight let Whooves take in the lab for a moment while she closed the door. "Two weeks ago, the Crown became aware of extraequestrial life near Ponyville," she said.

Doctor Whooves blinked a few times. "I'm sorry, could you say that again? I'm afraid I misheard you. Er, Your Highness."

"Twilight. And I said there are aliens on the outskirts of Ponyville," Twilight repeated. "Creatures from another world. Beings that have traveled the stars to get here. Straight out of a comic book aliens from beyond Celestia's light."

Whooves swallowed loudly. "Great whickering stallions," he muttered. "Why do you need me, of all ponies? You think I could be some kind of expert on aliens?"

"Not at all, Doctor," Twilight assured. She waved her hoof at the lab's center table. "Are you familiar with the theories of Alan Trotting?"

"Er, some of them," Whooves answered. He trotted up to the table of small devices and peered at them. "Trotting proposed a purely physical decision-making machine, a kind of logic engine. A few universities have been trying to make one into reality, but it's a fringe field." He looked up from the devices and tilted his head at Twilight. "I'm surprised you know about them, Princess."

"I honestly didn't until a few days ago," Twilight admitted. "I've realized I haven't explored beyond unicorn magic as far as I had thought, and Trotting's work is, well," she winced.

"Completely outclassed by an enchanted gem carrying a third level abstract matrix," Whooves filled in. "Which are hard to come by unless you know an expert at gem magic, but are a lot smaller than anything Trotting proposed."

"Right, that," Twilight said. "But are you familiar with the big stumble in Trotting's work?"

"Of course," Whooves said. "For the logic engine to actually do anything it needs information to work with, and nopony has found a way to store complex data in a mechanically accessible format." He snorted. "Unless you want to eat up a few furlongs of tape with punch holes. But what does any of this have to do with aliens?"

Twilight nodded and pointed a hoof at the table. "That is something the aliens call an 'identical line chip.' It is roughly equivalent to 1.9 million miles of punchtape."

Whooves stared at the tiny chip. "But that's...why that's brilliant!" He smiled and looked up at Twilight. "Do you know what that means? These devices could solve the greatest hurdle facing nonmagical data manipulation." He trotted in place for a moment and laughed. "Fantastic! How do they work?"

"I have no idea," Twilight said simply.

Doctor Whooves stopped moving. He stopped breathing. He did manage to blink, however. "I think I need you to repeat that."

"I estimated their storage capacity based on the amount of data found in the alien device it came from. However, I have no idea how to actually retrieve the information stored on this chip." Twilight tapped the tiny device. "That's why I need somepony with a solid grounding in nonmagical sciences and Trotting's theories to help me figure this out."

Whooves picked up one of the chips and examined it closely. "Oh, this is a beautiful piece of work. Absolutely brilliant. Mad, of course, completely mad. I mean, build an interface to pull information from a completely unknown medium and store it in a useful fashion? Impossible. Beyond impossible." He reached into a pocket and pulled out a pair of spectacles that he perched on his muzzle. He beamed at Twilight with a smile Pinkie would be proud of. "Oh, this is going to be brilliant."

Twilight beamed. "Welcome to the future of scientific research, Doctor Whooves." She extended a hoof.

Whooves took it. "Glad to be here, Princess Twilight."