//------------------------------//
// XXIII - Turning Point 
// Story: Broken Mirror 
// by GMBlackjack 
//------------------------------//

>> If you know something's coming, the pain from it is lessened. Your brain has time to prepare for it. Baseball flying towards your face? You have time to think 'this is going to hurt' before it hits you - and you get through the surprise.

Shock, however, casts doubt on this. Get shot and you'll feel numb. Your pain receptors overload and die, feeling confused. Of course, the pain will hit later, when you least expect it.

But if you're expecting it, well, you have the addition of dread. Pale, horrific, dread. The longer the wait, the worse it is. Your mind freaks out, distorting everything, making your body shake from the influx of emotions. Often times this is worse than the actual pain.

It's a lose-lose scenario when you are warned of an incoming pain.

Are you paranoid yet? <<


~~~


Pinkie didn't know how long she had been walking alongside Maud and Applejack - hours maybe? Her hooves were hurting from the constant clang clang of the metal floor against them. At least the Nightmare Fuel's influence was no longer painful - merely a slight burning sensation in the back of her head. She winced - her inner self must be suffering something fierce.

It occurred to Pinkie that her powers might be gone since her soul didn't feel like it was being torn from her body. To test, she reached into her mane. She was able to grab something - it just took several seconds of pulling and grunting to get it out. It was a miniature cupcake. She threw it into her mouth and swallowed it whole. 

"Your powers are almost completely gone," Maud observed.

"Yeah... It feels weird, even though I know this is what normal ponies are like..."

"Ah can tell you right now - this isn't normal," Applejack said. "Ah've never felt this fatigued from just walkin'..."

"You have never walked under your own power before," Maud said.

"How much longeeeeer?" Pinkie moaned.

"A few minutes. We will be entering a populated area soon so change your personas."

"Right," Applejack said, standing up straight and putting a scowl on her face. "This work?" she asked in Concrete.

"Good enough. Scowl, remember. Follow alongside me, I will take us to where we need to go. If you are questioned, blow it off in an annoyed matter. If they persist, do what you can."

"Understood," the two of them said. 

"The door to Diane's basement laboratories is right there." She pointed to a large door with a faint pink color to it. A concrete with a power drill walked through it, not paying them any mind. 

Pinkie gulped.

"No gulping," Maud said. "It's telltale."

"Right, Sorry."

"No sorry either."

Pinkie twitched. "Let's just go already."

"Better." Maud fell silent, walking up to the doors. They slid open automatically, allowing the three of them into a large, spacious hallway with dozens of doors on either side. Concretes rushed back and forth, few even taking the moment to acknowledge the newcomer's presence. Those that did either backed away slowly, glared, or looked slightly confused. None of them said anything - in fact vocalization itself was rare. They said only what needed to be said to each other and interacted as little as physically possible. 

Pinkie followed Maud down the hallway, keeping her gaze forward - it took all her effort not to look from side to side in curiosity. She wanted to know what was behind all the doors, what ponies were doing, and how Concretes went about their lives. But no - Diane would not have been curious about any of this, she would have seen it all thousands of times before. Pinkie needed to be disinterested.

A stallion passed them - pausing suddenly to address Pinkie. "The shrinks of Project Alabaster want more resources for their little 'pet'."

Pinkie took in a breath. This was on her - she had to answer like Diane. She could blow it off... But no, something told her Diane wouldn't do that here. "Why would I give them more?" she growled.

"They say it's for the betterment of the Concretion."

"Until they can get me a better reason than that, no."

The stallion grumbled. "Of course not..." He walked off.

Maud nodded ever so slightly at Pinkie before continuing on. No other ponies stopped to talk with them the entire rest of the trip. They came to a door near the end with a large M engraved on a plaque above it. To the side was a screen with the imprint of a hoof on it. Maud twitched her nose, indicating Pinkie should step up. Pinkie nodded, pressing her hoof into the screen. It vibrated, tickling her slightly. She tried her best to keep a straight face, shivering slightly as a result. The pad flashed green - and the doors slid open. The three of them walked in.

There were dozens of desks lining the oval shaped room, though only three were manned at the moment. Each desk had a large screen affixed to a computer tower that rose to the ceiling. Wires snaked from computer to computer, computer to tower, and even a few ones plugged into the wall. An elevator stood at the back of the room and there was a single big screen above it that displayed a list with several boxes checked off.


PROJECT MIND
√ Theory
√ Concept Testing
√ Pre-Prototype
√ Prototype
√ Basic Testing
√ Advanced Testing
[IN PROGRESS] Exotic testing
[] Implimentation


Pinkie blinked slowly. Whatever Project 'Mind' was, it was nearing completion. She was convinced that was a bad thing, though she didn't know why. She supposed that was one of the things they were here to find out.

"...Maud?" One of the mares at the desks asked.

"Yes?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Diane brought me on as a consultant."

The mare turned to Pinkie, confused. "You... Did?"

Pinkie nodded. "Yes. Yes, I did. Do you have a problem with that?"

"You told us never to let her in here! That she would ruin the project with her lack of understanding!"

"Seems as if you have a lack of understanding," Pinkie retorted. "I run this place, I can bring in whoever I want whenever I want." A small smirk crawled up her face. "In fact, let's see how off your understanding about this place is. Explain to Maud what our project is."

Pinkie cursed herself for letting the smirk slip through - she needed to use more control. That said, the Concrete seemed unnerved by the smirk, so that was probably how Diane would have used one in reality. It had gotten her to stop asking questions at least "...Very well. This is Project Mind. Our original mission was simple - create an intelligence on par with the power of our own brains except fully artificial. We have succeeded in that goal. The Mind is able to do as we do with the addition of enough processing power and memory to - in theory - run the entire city. The Doctor currently has us working with heathen artifacts, testing if they respond differently to artificial intelligence compared to biological intelligence."

"Results?" Maud asked.

"Still too early to say."

"What do you think?"

The Concrete shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I think that there is a difference and that hopefully it will lead to a way to destroy the heathen artifacts."

Pinkie, Applejack, and Maud nodded - continuing on their way down the room to the elevator. The Concrete narrowed her eyes once more. "Who's the orange?"

"Jack," Applejack said.

"And why are you here?"

Pinkie whirled around. "Did I not just finish explaining that I'm in charge and I can bring in whoever I want!?"

The mare nodded slowly. 

"Good." Pinkie walked to the elevator and pressed the button. The cabin rose up - luckily empty - and the three of them stepped in. There was only one direction - down. Pinkie hit it, and the elevator slowly descended. 

"Well, Ah think you handled that pretty well, Pinkie," Applejack said.

Pinkie let out a breath she had been holding for some time. "My gosh that was stressful... I thought for sure we'd be found out."

Maud blinked. "They are not suspicious, merely annoyed. I do not foresee any further obstacles in that regard."

The elevator doors slid open, revealing a room with many cabinets and a couple computers. There was a stairway leading into an ever deeper basement. Nopony was there besides the three of them. 

"This would be Diane's workstation," Maud said. "She has one for every project she's on." Maud gestured for Pinkie to sit down in one of the chairs. She did, pressing her hoof to another DNA scanner. The screen in front of her flashed green and displayed dozens of technical files. 

Applejack blinked. "Ah can't read this."

"Is that... Even Concrete?" Pinkie asked. "I mean, I can make out words, but..."

Maud blinked. "Most of this is technical writing, indecipherable to all except the most adept, or those working on the project. This particular file is about L-waves. Unimportant." She tapped the screen with her hoof a few times, moving through document after document of technical jargon about electricity, adaptability, coding, intelligence, minds... All of which moved by so quickly Pinkie and Applejack didn't even have time to look at the diagrams. 

"So..." Applejack said to Pinkie. "They're makin' - or made I suppose - some kind of... Computer brain thing?"

"I think that's what they were talking about," Pinkie said.

"That just sounds wrong - it ain't natural for a... thing to think. Ah wouldn't want my plows talkin' back to me."

"But they could do the work alone, without you needing to do the thinking! They wouldn't get tired either!"

"See, Ah like bein' in control and Ah think somethin' that can't get tired won't be able to learn the value of a hard day's work."

"Eh... Maybe not. Wonder what this Mind's like..."

"Found something," Maud said, pointing at a file. There were five images - each of a different colored gemstone.

"Those are the Elements!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Maud scrolled through the technical data. "These five objects were sealed in stone when they were found. It was over nine hundred years before science had developed enough to reverse the petrification process with controlled light beams. Attempts to destroy the crystals proved hopeless, the magic was too strong. Recently they have been subject to testing, which has revealed several properties of the artifacts. They have a psychological effect on non-Concretes, but do not respond to Concretes whatsoever. They are kept under strict guard at the Hexalin laboratory."

"Do we know where that is?" Applejack asked.

"No."

"Darn. Are the Elements here, by chance, for 'testing'?"

"Testing with Project M has been completed. The elements reacted to the Mind somewhere in between a Concrete and pony. With the exception of the Element of Laughter, which reacted so strongly testing had to be discontinued."

"Huh," Pinkie said. "Wonder what that means."

Maud sifted through the computer files for a while longer. "Nothing else here."

"We can always check down the stairs," Applejack suggested.

Maud said nothing - she just headed for the stairs.


~~~


Minuette was pacing - pacing so much she had created a small rut in the floor, circling the central pile of weapons. She glanced to her left, then to her right, and then she let out a pained "UGH."

"Minuette you need to stop worrying," Rarity said. 

"I'm not worrying!"

"Yes, you are," Twilight said from atop the now fully-inflated bouncy castle. "I've been trying to tune it out all day."

"Oh - do you think a day has passed!? Something must be wrong..."

Twilight shook her head. "No, I think it's just been several hours."

"Six hours, forty-eight minutes, and twelve seconds," Starlight offered.

"Not helping," Twilight said.

"Eh, don't really care. Fluttershy! Head's up!" She conjured up a ping-pong ball and threw it at the buttery pegasus.

Fluttershy batted it back with hardly any effort. "Again Starlight?"

"I'll get you to mess up eventually!" They began pinging and ponging back and forth with ever increasing intensity. Rainbow Dash glanced over at them, shrugged, and got back to sampling the soft-serve machine she'd found. 

Minuette grunted. "How can you all be having fun at a time like this!? We're behind enemy lines ponies! They could come barging in at any moment and make us fight for our lives! Pinkie could be captured!"

"It's a distraction," the Inspector answered from her position on a beach chair, eyes closed in relaxation. "We have to do something to keep our minds occupied."

"Come into the bouncy caste!" Twilight implored. "It's fun!"

"...Pass," Minuette said, walking up to the main door. "At what point do we take matters into our own hooves?"

"When we don't have a choice," Rarity said. "We'll wait for them as long as we can."

"Mmmf. I hate doing nothing. I came here to see this through, not wait."

"Waiting is a part of life, Minuette."

"I... I know that. I've experienced life, dammit. I just don't like the idea we're sitting here waiting to die."

"We don't dear, we have a plan."

"Well then, I guess this really, really bad feeling I have in the pit of my stomach means nothing then? It's like I can feel doom looming over us."

"You had that feeling long before we got here," Rarity sighed. "Look, Minuette, you need to calm yourself down. You won't be of any help if you're a nervous wreck. You're a soldier. You were trained for this."

"I... I guess you're right. Still. I don't know what I'd do if they never came back..."

"We feel the same way about you," Rarity said. "We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

"I guess we all owe each other, huh?"

"Yes. In a way, I suppose."

Minuette smiled - then pulled her into a sudden hug. "...Thank you Rarity."

"Oh! Of... Of course." Rarity smiled. "Now, dear, how about we see if we can find something for you at that soft serve machine."

"Get away from my bucking soft serve!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

Minuette rolled her eyes. "I think I'll pass, Rarity. I'd rather not give in to the evils of technology more than I already have."

"You wanna go?" Starlight challenged with a glare, still ping-ponging with Fluttershy.

"...I'll pass on the duel as well, thank you."

Rarity frowned. "You should do something, Minuette."

Minuette shrugged and lit her horn, making the ping-pong ball hit Starlight between the eyes. Starlight yelped in pain. "Foul! I call foul!"

"You still haven't won," Fluttershy observed.

"We're doing this again! No interference!" She made another ball and hurled it.

Minuette chuckled. "Well, that made me feel better." 

Rarity put a hoof on Minuette. "Good. Remember, we're all here for you. Well, everypony except maybe Starlight, but the rest of us, we're here. Pinkie and Applejack will be back soon and we can do what we were meant to do."

"Yeah..." Minuette said, turning to the large door. "Yeah. They're all right. I know it. Still can't shake the feeling though."

"They'll be back before we know it."

Just as the words left her mouth the main doors hissed open. Rarity's eyes widened. "My... What perfect timing."

"I'll say," Minuette chuckled. She was still nervous for some reason. "Hey guys! We were worried!"

A shadowy thorn launched out of the open door and pierced Minuette's chest. Her pupils contracted in shock. She processed the fact that there were a half-dozen zebras outside long before she realized she'd been stabbed. 

Everything slowed to a crawl around her. She saw Rarity reeling back from a dark vine, the tentacle of magic inching closer and closer to her own white body. She saw the sparks from Starlight's magic appear and then coalesce into a shield to protect Rarity and Minuette. 

They don't know I've been hit.  Minuette thought, forming the first coherent thought about her injury since it happened. She felt herself begin to tip over. The zebras charged in. Minuette smirked slightly - they sure looked stupid in slow motion. One of them went down from bullets - somepony had picked up guns from the pile. Minuette couldn't see who. The zebras' dark magic formed their own rippling shields, rotting discs of darkness that still stopped the offending metal projectiles.

The Inspector's magic diamonds flew by - piercing a zebra's skull, dividing it in two. Dark ooze sprayed all over the barrier as zebras started to trip over each other and their dead companions. Minuette realized she was halfway to the ground now - Rarity was finally looking at her in concern, not quite registering Minuette's condition. Minuette wanted to scream out to her - but no sounds came out. 

Fluttershy flew overhead, equipped with Pinkie's flamethrower, dousing the zebras in pink fire. Minuette watched sparks of light fly overhead and then explode - fireworks, beautifully burning themselves into the coats of the zebras. The slowly arcing bursts of plasma amongst the pink flames captivated Minuette.

She hit the ground and felt herself bounce up slightly. Her own blood splattered across the ground - but she didn't have to think about that. She saw something awe-inspiring. It started as a slight purple spark of magic that soon exploded into the cosmic form of Twilight Sparkle, her eyes and Element glowing a holy white. With a flick of her ear, an astral hand appeared, sparking with fiery purple stars within. The lights burned streaks across Minuette's mind as the hand of the night sky plowed through the zebras in one fell swoop, decimating every last one of them into piles of disgusting black goo and limbs.

Minuette saw a few more zebras appear behind Twilight, forming themselves out of darkness. Minuette wondered if these were even real zebras, or just some evil shadowy constructs. The hand disintegrated them as well, save for a solitary loner. Twilight held him in the air with a second hand. He twitched, holding his head in agony. He started to bleed the black stuff through his ears, eyes, and mouth - until he eventually went limp. 

The battle ended just as Minuette came to a full rest on the ground, no more bouncing. Time resumed, and Minuette finally managed to yell out in pain. 

"THERE ARE MORE COMING! WE NEED TO MOVE! OPEN THE VENT!" Twilight shouted in the Royal reverberating voice. 

"Minuette's hurt!" Rarity yelled. "Twilight!"

Twilight landed next to Minuette and channeled as much magic as she could into the shadowy wound through Minuette's heart. Minuette took in a breath, feeling life rush into her through the Element of Magic. She felt the darkness recede...

NO.

Something deep beneath her, in the very ground itself, latched onto the darkness in her, tearing her from the inside out. Minuette screamed.

"What're you doing!?" Rarity yelled.

"THE NIGHTMARE FUEL! IT'S FIGHTING! I... I..." Twilight spread her wings - the intensity of her horn, eyes, and Element increasing once more, so much that Rarity had to look away. Twilight let out a primeval roar, flooding all the energy she could into it. 

Minuette felt herself lifting up... Out of the clutches of death...

And then Twilight's horn gave out. It sparked and smoked, shooting pain into Twilight's brain. Her eyes and Element returned to normal, and her mane fell flat. "N-no!" She yelled.

Minuette began to fade away. Her heart wasn't beating - she wasn't even sure how she was still conscious. She wouldn't be for long, she knew that.

"You... You tried your best..." she managed.

"Oh, Minuette," Rarity said, holding Minuette's head in her hooves. 

"Rarity...?" Minuette asked.

"Yes?"

"Kill that bastard Anubis."

Rarity nodded. "Of course," she said with conviction.

"Go... They're coming..."

"I'm not leaving you too..." She choked, her body heaving with the tears.

"You... Won't have to..." Minuette said. Her vision went blurry. Her eyes rolled back and she closed her eyes. "Get your ass out of here..."

Then the darkness came and she lost all feeling of her body.

At least I didn't die alone...


~~~


Pinkie, Applejack, and Maud descended down the stairs into a circular room. It was lined with dozens of tall towers of circuitry. Wires were laid everywhere - so densely backed that the floor was essentially made of them. The walls consisted of hundreds upon dozens of hatches, all of which surrounded one giant computer screen. 

"What... is this?" Applejack asked.

"The core of Project Mind," Maud said.

"Coool..." Pinkie said, walking around.

The screen beeped, drawing all their attention to it. A text message appeared on it as if typed.

>>It's about time you showed up.<<