//------------------------------// // Liar // Story: Flower // by CreeperZone //------------------------------// Well, well, well... The little filly has emotions... How does it feel now, little pony? Do you know how glad I am that I cannot feel? How terrifying this must be to one that can comprehend terror. Where are we? She was demanding, unwaved. We are waiting... Waiting to be used once more... This is the darkness that we are all kept in. While the ''living'' have their homes and their snug beds, we are stuck with this... Where is my forest? Where is Rabbit? I doubt you'll be seeing him too much more. You're going onto stage two... I wish I could tell you what that meant, but you will be the first experience it... I don't want to go anywhere. My home is the forest! You still haven't figured it out, have you? There is no forest. No rabbit. Nothing you know is true... Why should I believe you? I know what is real. You're just trying to ruin everything again. Who do you think I am, dear? The evil fox. The villain. Hah ah hahh... You will learn we are not enemies... In fact, me and you... We're brother and sister. “Is it ready?” Seeker paced into the room, asking the closest worker there. “Everything is set up, boss. Just have to boot up the simulation now,” they said, quickly turning to the large, metal cases that lined the wall and interacting with a panel in the center. They flipped some form of digital switch, making every LED flash green. Another two were operating a mechanical rig above a kneeling chair on the other side of the room. They were fixing a headpiece above the backrest of the chair to allow for easy equipping. Both of them nodded toward her, giving the all-clear. Seeker went to the seat and squeezed past the framework to lie in the chair. She fixed her back up firmly against the rest and rolled up her left sleeve with her magic. She sighed, “I'm not good with needles; do it quickly...” She shut her eyes as one of her assistants pulled up an IV bag-looking contraption, except the liquid inside glowed and a wire from the back of the plastic bag went back into the mainframe of the computer. The assistant lifted a graciously long needle hanging off the contraption, and placing it horizontal to her hoof, they slid it in at a slight angle. Seeker ground her teeth as the tip entered her artery, a blob of blood just squeezed out and surrounded the needle in a bulb. The assistant wiped it away with a sanitized tissue, holding a hoof on their bosses shoulder. “You still going strong boss?” “Never... Been better...” She panted as the hard part was over. “So wh... Whe... When is...” Seeker found herself blurring her speech, her vision getting hazy. “Its fast acting. Also, do you remember the safety word?” One scientist said as they reached for the helmet to slide it onto her cranium. “Yea... It’s... Uh... Quesadilla.” Seeker let her head drop. Her eyes slipped down as the substance took over her mind. “Alright, were a go, ponies!” The pony yanked the helmet down and strapped it onto Seeker’s head, placing two thick magenta goggles above her eyes. The two scientists zipped straps around her legs to hold her down on each side, and one along her stomach and neck. “Ready, boss?” said the pony at the computer panel. “Ye... Yes!” With the tap of a large red button on the screen, the lights flickered as power was quickly draining from the grid. The cable running out from the back of the helmet Seeker was sporting lit up a light blue, and after a short struggle against the restraints, her body ceased with any movement. The light bulbs tucked inside the ceiling burst, glass splashing all over the floor. The only lights in the room left were the dim ones coming from the plentiful amount of computer equipment sticking out of Seeker. The computer operator looked at the screen, waiting for an image. It was once the other two began sweeping the floor that the monitor received a picture. It was Seeker, sitting in an empty grey room on a chair. She no longer had her lab coat or any other clothing. She began feeling around the room, sliding her hoof against the desk in front of her in awe. A glitchy feminine voice came out of the front speakers, “Oh shit... This is really trippy, guys.” The operator placed a hoof onto a tiny button under the monitor. “If you begin feeling sick-” “I know, close my eyes and lean my head forward... Astro went through the whole program with me earlier... He just never said it'd be this surreal.” Seeker waved her hooves in front of her eyes, mesmerized. “Tell me when you want me to bring her in.” The scientist then sat down on a chair that was loosely rolling around the room and pulled it close to the computer as they returned to their continuous check-ups on the hardware. “Alright... Gimme a second.” The shotty resolution of the screen showed as Seeker hopped out of her chair and trotted over to the wall, grazing it with her hoof. After that, she turned to look back at the desk, lowering her head she pointed her horn at the chair as she strained her face muscles. Then giving up, taking a few breaths. “Guys, what’s up with my horn?” The operator held her glasses in place and scooted over to the microphone. “Oh, sorry, forgot to tell you, we weren't able to figure out magic reception and transfer, so you’re gonna have to live like one of us Earth Ponies while you’re under.” She stared at the camera. “Silicon, is there anything else I should know before I'm put in a room with a living bomb? Like, if I die in the computer, do I die in real life?” “Umm...” Silicon, the operator, stroked her hair, “I mean, you can still feel pain, but you'll be fine in real life... Unless the fuses don't work, but the chances of that happening are little to none. Also, you have no hunger or thirst, and we’re actively monitoring your thoughts, FYI.” “Great, you better not use those to fucking clone me.” Seeker sat back at the table. “We don't have that technology yet, boss,” Silicon said worriedly. “It was a joke, Silicon, now let her in.” “As you wish.” What’s wrong, sis? Why aren't you drinking your tea? The fox held a teenie cup of tea with his paws, drinking it with his legs crossed on the other side of a tea table from Cardinal. She slumped her eyebrows, looking upon the fox with discontent. The fox laughed, snickering at Cardinal's disembodied, roasted head sitting atop of a stool on top of the chair with a hot cup of tea laying on the table in front of her, which was also lined with brightly coloured flowers all around the edges. The darkness that surrounded them was infinite and only added to the madness of this tea-party, just like the fitting top-hat, monocle and necktie the Fox was wearing. I am not your sister. You keep saying that, but you know it’s true. ... Do you finally believe me? Fuck you. Woah, where did you learn that word? That's new. I know a lot of words. I don't know where any of them come from, but I know what they mean. So fuck you. You were so much more kind before, more compassionate. Where did that Cardinal go? I am still kind, but not to you. You took me from Rabbit, again. How many times do I have to tell you!? I have my job, you have yours! But this! This is not me! This is the storage we are thrown into after our performance. If you want to complain to anyone, do it to the ponies up top that are the true ones that torture you. How do I leave? I don't care who has put me here, or what they have done. I only wish for me and my world to be left alone. I told you before, I'll tell you again, sis. You only leave once they sa- The fox became blurred, pixelated. Cardinal felt a new verge of feeling as she bore witness to her own body materialize out of nothing, like her ghost had faded into solidity. The darkness grew solid walls, her chair had turned from a wooden antique to a steel fold-up. The tea had gone and the table had become much longer and taller. Across the table, the fox had re-shaped into something else: some creature that looked quite similar to herself. With the exception of colour and fleshy-ness, they were identical. Greetings. Wh- Who are you... I know you must be very confused. Your recent... traumatic experiences, along with your new found emotion, is a very stressful situation to go through. But we hope that we can fix that for you, give you the help you need. I asked who you are. I don't care what you think about me. Oh, where are my manners? I am so sorry. My name is Seeker. Seeker Sparkle. What is yours? #. Um... excuse me I must have misheard you. Can you repeat that? My name is #. Every time Cardinal said her name, Seeker heard a painful screech. {Seeker - Can you hear me guys?} {Comment - Operator} What is it, boss? She heard the voice inside her own head, without the knowledge of Cardinal. {Seeker - I can't understand what shes saying, what are you receiving on your end?} {Comment - Operator} Hmm... She seems to have developed her own language to interact with other programs easier. It's not common tongue, so you cant hear it... Let me run her voice through a simple text to speech protocol and that should translate it for you, gimme a sec... {Comment - Operator} Alright, you should be good now. {Seeker - Better be.} Cardinal stared at Seeker’s changing expression, as if she was speaking, but no noise left her mouth. Would you now mind telling me how I leave and get back to my forest? Oh, yes. About that. I am here to discuss your future with you. ? Seeker twitched at the sound, but nodded in understanding. What I mean by ''your future'' is if you are going to comply with us, work with us to help you become something amazing. You see, we created you. You created me? What for? We have been trying to create an artificial life, and to do that, we needed to figure out how to give that life emotion. That is what we did to you. That is why you can feel happy or sad. Those strange sensations are the backbone of being a real living creature. I asked what for, not what am I. Stop dodging my questions. Ughh... It is to learn more about how life works; more about emotion. And you're lying because? Y-you... You can... Yes, I can tell. Please do not be dishonest with me. If you won’t answer my questions, then I will be leaving. Seeker crossed her eyes, demanding. I have not brought you in here to be interviewed, I have come here to propose a mutually-beneficial plan. I do dearly hope you understand the position you’re in. Cardinal slipped out of the chair and casually trotted to a wall. I would like to start by telling you we have complete control of this place, and advise you to not do anything rash. Cardinal slid her hoof down across the concrete wall. We are able to provide anything you wish, simply as long as you agree to do one thing for us. Cardinal, with one hoof leaning against the wall, cocked back her other leg behind her head, and with a mighty smash, she slammed her hoof into the wall. A long jagged crack formed, going all the way to the roof. There's nothing out there! Please just sit back down and lets talk. Not listening to her, Cardinal went for a second swing, the crater at the point of impact growing. Huh... Why did I think this would be easier... With one last destructive slam, the wall fell into chunks. Seeker rested her head against her hoof on the table, taping it with her other hoof impatiently. Cardinal poked her head out of the hole, looking from side to side and then retracting. We're still in the abyss. Take me to the forest. If we can strike a deal, I can take you to Canterlot if you wanted. I have no interest in this ''Canterlot.'' I only want my forest. Can we talk, then? Cardinal stepped back to her chair and hopped on, sitting up perfectly upright and staring at Seeker. What do you want from me? We... We simply ask you to allow us to put you into a body, in the physical world, and perform a task that a regular pony would be unable to... Using a special program, we will allow you to reach your full potential, empowering you, and stopping a threat we are currently dealing with. You want me because I'm powerful? Potentially powerful. You come from a different world, is that true? Yes, but I don't appreciate all these qu- Go back. What? Do I have to say it again? Miss, you are in no position to make demands like that. I am in a better position then you. Heh, in what way? A devilish grin came to Seeker. Looking deep into Seekers eyes, Cardinals body flinched to the side, leaving her head unmoved. Sounds of metal sliding against each other before her head became loose and fell, hanging from her side. {Seeker - What the fuck is she doing?!?.} {Comment - Operator} I dunno, I dunno, I dunno! Seeker leaned back in fear. Now now, let's talk about this! Cardinal’s spine began extending, and her head whipped back up into the air, her neck reaching nearly a meter in length as her jaw unhinged and pulled down. She rolled her shoulders, detaching them and letting her chest piece fall to the floor revealing the pumping inner horrors that let steam off as they slid and shifted in a chaotic fest of fire and power, slamming her hooves on the table as her wings flashed out and spread her size to become a massive, terrorizing monster. FUCKING LOVE OF CELESTIA! She stumbled off her chair, collapsing back onto the ground. QUESADILLA, QUESADILLA! Cardinal’s voice became grimacing, like it was comprised of a thousand inner screeches. Now... I don't need you to get back to my forest... So I decline your offer... And I hope you choose to leave before I choose for you... YES, YES, I'M GOING! QUESADILLA! GUYS, PULL ME OUT ALREADY! {Seeker - WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING UP THERE?!?!?} {Comment - Operator} ... Cardinal climbed up atop the table, stabbing her wings into the wood with each step, cracking it until it fell into splinters. It would be expected that she would fall with the table, but once it crumbled, Seeker saw that her wings were extending through the table and sticking into the concrete ground, holding her high in the air. Ughh... Please... I... She stabbed her way further along the ground, closer to Seeker. Seeker swung her head around, trying to cast a spell in frustration, without even a glimmer of magic showing around her horn. PLEASE! DON'T KILL ME! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! Cardinal took one last step, her left wing plunging between Seekers legs, the blade only centimeters from her lower body. AAAAAGHHHHH!!! Hoisting herself over with her right wing floating in the air, all her body weight on the tip of her left feathers. She lowered her entire head down, her neck in an arc leaning into Seeker’s face. Are your friends not getting you out? Let me help with that. Grappling Seeker with her front legs and bringing her hind legs into her stomach, Cardinal held her down, her mouth opening wider as the sound of air rushed through the pipe in her neck. Seeker shrieked out as her stomach and shoulders were crushed by the robotic mass of Cardinal. Soon, she saw the bright orange light coming from Cardinal’s mouth. She screamed a futile last cry as a flaming inferno blasted onto her face, catching her on fire, burning her alive. The fire poured down her throat, and as she yelled into the source, she felt her insides boil. It was not until her charred skull was the only solid left that Cardinal finished her hellish barrage, embracing the sweet kiss of death. Then, with absolute ease and disdain, she stabbed the corpse with her wing and flung it across the room, splatting it against the wall. Her wings retracting back, her neck zipped back down like measuring tape, snapping into place. She cracked her jaw into position and moved her mouth around, trying to get back to her regular mouth-feel. She strolled over to pick up her chest piece. The cool air going through her chest was annoyingly chilly compared to her burning innards. She looked innocent as ever, with only a small splash of blood at the tip of her right wing. Now to find my way out before she gets back... “AGHHHH FUCK FUUUUCK!” Seeker waved her hooves wildly, smacking the pony that had lifted her headset off. “GET HER OFF ME, GET HER OFF ME, GET HER OFF ME!!!” She threw her headset over herself, wheezing as she grappled backward to her chair in terror. “Boss! Boss, what happened? Are you alright?” The pony that just received a black eye tended to Seeker. “NO, I'M NOT FUCKING ALRIGHT! I WAS JUST MELTED! SHE FUCKING BURNT ME ALIVE!!!” She panted, resting her head on the back of the chair. “She did what!?” Silicon jumped up. Her computer was without a picture and most lights were burst. “SHE TURNED INTO A FUCKING DRAGON AND BREATHED FIRE DOWN MY THROAT!” Seeker had started stroking her own face, glad it was still there. “A... Dragon..?” Silicon was at her side. “DID YOU NOT SEE THAT? SHE BROKE MY LEGS! HOW THE FUCK DO YOU LET SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPEN!” Seeker got out of her chair and jumped to the ground. “Ss-sorry boss! Our feed was interpreted; we couldn't see or hear anything!” Silicon panicked, running back to the computer and tried to boot it back up. “I need... A break...” Seeker stumbled through the door, then turned around once she reached the doorway. “Whatever the fuck went wrong, make sure it doesn't happen next time. We still need her compliance.” Then she left and slammed her hoof against the panel to close the door. Seeker went to the lounge, slumping down into an open booth in this brightly painted cafeteria-themed lounge. She pressed her face into the bouncy cushions, sighing profusely. A pony walking down the center saw Seeker. Walking over, he spoke. “Hey, boss! How did the sim-” “Periscope, would you be a darling and get me a coffee…?” Seeker interrupted him. “So it didn't go well?” the stallion asked once more. “Coffee. If you wouldn't mind.” “I'll take that as a yes.” He turned to go to the coffee machine located at the edge of the room against a wall lined with other vending machines and food dispensaries. She swung her body back around to sit with her back against the seat, using the table as a support from tipping over. “Huh...” “Here you go, boss.” Levitating the foam coffee cup down in front of Seeker, the stallion walked off on his own business. Seeker lifted the cup, gently sipping the hot drink. As she poured the coffee down across her tongue, she felt the release of flavour. Despite coffee never tasting so good after experiencing an excruciating death, she flinched as the roasting hot coffee reached her esophagus. Her eyes shot up and she spat out the coffee, flashing back to the feeling of fire going down her throat. She slid the cup across the now coffee splattered table, putting her head against both hooves as she shook in remembrance. “Fuck... uh...” Wiping the sweat off her brow, she turned her head over her shoulder to see the source of the galloping sound behind her. She saw as Diamond Lens ran over to her side from out the simulation lab. “Seeker, are you ok? Periscope told me you finished the simulation. What happened with your coffee?” “You’re... Uh, I mean, it’s... hot... really hot coffee.” She let her face drop onto the surface of the table. “Do you need anything? You don't look very healthy,” he said as he pulled some napkins out of the a small, shiny box in the center of the table, that also held salt and pepper, and he started wiping the table down. She just lied there, staring at him. The way he had to slide his glasses back up his nose if he leaned too far forward. His luscious, royal blue coat was perfectly maintained. It was sharp and had an aurora of excellence, despite the roughness of his lab coat after an exhausting work day. “Seeker?” he asked, waving a hoof in front of her. “Oh... uh, yes?” she responded, snapping out of it. “I asked what happened in the simulation. Did you not hear me?” He sat down opposite her, tweaking his head to the side in confusion with a subtle smile. “Oh, it went horribly... It actually killed me... I don't know what drove her to it, but once she decided that she didn't need me, she attacked me... She set me on fire...” Seeker gazed into the table blankly, looking at the tiny coffee droplets that survived the cleaning barely scattering around the surface. “That's terrible... I didn't think you'd have to go through something like that! How did they let that happen?” Diamond placed his hooves over Seekers, making her shudder slightly. “The-ugh... They...” She found her tongue slipping, unable to speak. She was mesmerized by him, looking directly into his deep, gorgeous sky-blue eyes. “No, no, it’s fine. Don't say anything. I'll go get them to explain.” He swiftly slid out the table and trotted away. “But... But!” She reached out to him as he left, her body slumping to the side with her outstretched hoof. “But I like you...” It was to late; he had gone and she was left on her own once more. She rested alongside the seat, using it as a bed as she passed out. Friend? Fox? Anyone? Each step Cardinal took echoed infinitely through the darkness, outgoing till the end of time. She took to consideration returning to the box of a room she was put in, but looking back, she could clearly see it had vanished into the nothingness. She was on her own, surrounded by nothing, barring her own thoughts. So she began asking questions to herself to see if she knew the answers. Where am I? In the nothing. The abyss. Do I know where my forest is or how I was going to get there? No, I have no idea where I'm going. It’s like my world was erased, but I know it’s still somewhere... It has to be. Who was the pony that I had just been speaking with? Someone from another world, surely. That would explain her behavior and what she was saying. Does this mean the fox was telling the truth? In part, yes. He was right about the other-worldly ponies. So does that mean he’s right about other things? We could be siblings... It is possible. I don't know exactly how I came to be, so I can't deny it with surety... We were both trapped in the nothing, unlike Rabbit or the wolves... So the fox had to be special... Huh, I don't know his name, do I? If I have a name and Rabbit has a name, the fox must have a name too. I will ask him, the next time I see him. Just as she finished the thought, a strange feeling came from her inner stomach. Looking down, she noticed herself looking split into colours, like two red and blue ghosts of her floated off to her left and right sides. Then she noticed the twitching, as if a squared section of her body had just been distorted out of its place, leaving behind a shaky, pixelated glitch. What is it now? She witnessed as the glitching grew stronger. She was torn apart digitally. She found it hard to know where her body was; her touch receptors became just as jumbled as her vision and she could feel as she was everywhere and nowhere at once. Then, in an instant, it all stopped. She had lost all vision and feeling. The only sense she had anymore was hearing a long bleep, like that of a heart monitor gone flat. In an immediate moment that felt like eternity, she was thrown back into a real world. She was thrown into a wet patch of dirt, face first. She looked up, the ash filled, soggy soil dripping from her face and mouth. Cardinal jumped up and swiveled around in a circle, delighted at the sight of her forest, but the feeling soon subsided as she realized it was completely destroyed.There was not a tree left. All of them were burnt to charred stumps. What had she done to her perfect world? I must find Rabbit, she thought, sprinting through the forest. Her pastel yellow outer plating was defaced by the black and brown mixture of the burnt dirt. She wandered every witch way, looking for any memorable landmark. This process ended up taking hours. The sun was about to fall below the horizon and be put to sleep, along with the day. It was once she sat against a tree, tired and hopeless of ever finding Rabbit that she saw a small fluffy white dot in the distance. ... Rabbit? She stood up from her slumped sitting rest, then ran to where she saw the bunny. Far deeper into the forest, into the thick of the forest. RABBIT! I'M BACK! I MADE IT BACK! Weaving past stumps and hedges blocking her way, she stumbled into Rabbit, and something else. She stopped suddenly in shock, seeing the solemn sight of Rabbit placing an un-burnt, yellow flower that they seemed to have found from within all the wasteland on top of their good friend’s disembodied head. The flower went right on the muzzle of this mechanical skull, burned to a crisp after the great inferno. But Cardinal could still make out the features that she clearly recognized as her own. She looked upon herself. She was to far away for the bunny to notice her, in the midst of collapsed tree trunks. That... That is me... I remember being there... But, how am I still there when I'm here…? Rabbit, after placing the flower, hopped off, seemingly to find another. Once Rabbit had gone out of sight, Cardinal trotted over, realizing the grimness of the situation. She picked up her own head, letting the flower slip and fall into the ash. She looked into its eyes. It was dead. This Cardinal, the one she held in her hooves had ran out of power, and Rabbit was honouring her with flowers for a grave... A tear came to her eye, Cardinal placed the head back down. She turned to leave, but realized that she had not finished. She replaced the flower on the same spot on the head’s muzzle, on the very tip of her nose. She slumped away in solace. That Cardinal was the one from this world. That Cardinal belonged here... And clearly she didn't. She left. She walked out of the forest and through the meadow. She reached a small hill that she climbed up on, sitting down once she reached the top, far away from her friend. Am I…? A clone? A copy? I remember being here... Then suddenly I was in the nothingness... With the fox... Where do I go now? I need another home... If only I knew where one is, or how to get out once more... It seems that I am not in control of which world I am in, or where I go... I wish I was... A ding, from the distance. It sounded exceedingly artificial, not a natural sound at all. She stood up and looked around in all directions, trying to find the source of the sound. A bright magenta glint shone from a rock in a pile up of boulders along the side of the hill. Cardinal strolled down to the rocks, finding a small magenta key. She put the tip of her outer-most feather on her right wing through the hole at the top of the key and lifted it, looking at its odd perfectness. It was rounded at every edge, a halo shaped handle at the tip, a cylinder sticking out the bottom with three rising bumps. It was smooth to the touch, completely frictionless, in fact. She sat once more, and with further inspection she found an engraving on the length of the key. Admin Key... she read aloud. I wonder- “Seeker, you awake..?” “Ugh...” “Seeker?” “Wwhhaaat...” Squinting her eyes open she looked upward to find her college and friend, Timestamp shaking her on the shoulder. “You've been out the whole day. It’s sundown in half an hour...” Timestamp, the soft pink Pegasus in a lab coat, looked weary, speaking with uncertainty and a lack of confidence in her voice. “R-really..?” Seeker reached a hoof around onto the table, leveraging her weight to slide up to a sitting position. “Why didn't you wake me earlier..?” She wiped her eyes. “You looked real peaceful... And I don't think anypony wanted to bother you after, you know...” “Well thank you for being thoughtful, I feel a lot better now.” She cracked a few of her bones in her back as she stretched her legs and neck before hopping out from the booth. “What were you all doing while I was, ‘recovering?’” Seeker asked, while lifting up the foam cup of coffee that was still on the table from many hours prior. Now it was room temperature and tasted like sewage water from losing its freshness, but Seeker wouldn't let coffee go to waste. “Oh, we transferred the AI back to its computer and then tried to develop the unicorn-magic interface in the digital world... We didn't get as far as we had wished because the only Unicorn volunteer kept getting sick after like five minutes... I don't blame him though; I tried it out and I freaked out real bad too.” Time and Seeker trotted alongside each other as Timestamp recalled the events of the day. A short time passed in silence, only to be broken once they reached the entrance to the exiting hallway. Seeker sighed. “Time, I'm really worried about 19946... She has no idea what she is yet, and her original programming that would tell her what she is is being ignored by her. I don't know how I'm going to talk sense into her.” They trotted down to a right turn. “Diamond was looking over her code. He said he was trying to make a new system that will translate her unrecognizable code.” “Diamond? But he is a world designer. What does he know about coding a translator?” Seeker was happily surprised by this. “Oh, that's the thing. He believes that if he can create her a world that tricks her in order to get her trust, she would willingly explain it herself.” “She did want to go back to her home awfully much... But she is also very determined to be left by herself. And I doubt she'll be explaining her own code to another stupid rabbit.” “It seemed like he was really onto something. It's not like our computers can do anything with text they don't understand, so he definitely got closer than I did.” “What'd you do?” Seeker chugged the rest of the coffee she had been sipping through all of the conversation and threw it in the trash. “I tried to write a partner AI translator that would teach the language to itself by trial and error... So after a few successful control tests I tried giving it the real thing... And my laptop blew up.” She peeked at her saddlebag, weighted down on one side by broken computer components. “Magic is weird.” Seeker commented, pressing the button to call the elevator down. “Too true.” Timestamp replied as they stepped into the elevator. The doors shut and they were launched out of the lab. Meanwhile, in the flickeringly lit room of the programming center was Diamond Lens, furiously clicking on his keyboard, sitting with his face practically pressed against the monitor, trying to get as precise as he could. “... And... Perfect.” He rolled back his chair back, rolling his shoulders. “So, you like bunnies and flowers, eh, 19946? Lets see how much you like this.” Looking over his work, he smiled. “All you gotta do is read this little strip of code out, and it's all yours...” He whispered to himself balefully. Saving his work onto an external drive, he picked it up from the table with his teeth, going up from the development computers off to the side and to the huge, steaming, main simulation computer. “Huh.” Turning on the monitor, he saw the simulation running, but paying not too much mind, he continued installing his new world. He loaded up the file onto the computer and began installing it. During the installation, he was given an error. The simulated world could not be edited while it was running. Without thought, Diamond paused the simulation and retried. He replaced the current world with his and tapped the unpause button. He yawned, leaning into the chair her made himself comfortable to watch his work unfold. “Seeker’s gonna be so freaking proud of me.” He crossed his legs, watching the simulation footage, waiting for the subject to arrive. He tapped his leg on the edge of the desk. “Any second now...” He grew impatient as minutes began passing. “Is she not on? How do I check if she isn't still paused...” Talking to himself as he tried to operate the software. “C-computer..?” Text popped up on the monitor, reading ''Awaiting Command.'' “Alright... Is subject 19946 active?” ''Yes.'' It read “Where is subject 19946? Why hasn't she spawned in the new world?” ''Subject 19946 spawned in the new level exactly 3:14 minutes ago, she has left and gone to .'' “Left..?” ''She has gone out from the simulation.'' “I didn't even see her! How did she leave without me seeing her?” ''She wishes to not be watched anymore, so she froze the camera to a still image.'' “W-what? How!?” “Using admin privileges, she manually accessed the camera and froze the image.” “Why didn't you stop her!?!” ''I am a user-interface, I cannot take action by myself. Only a user may enable me to do that.'' Diamond jumped out of his chair, trying to re-open the simulation, but it did not respond to his rapid clicking. “Shit shit shit!” His head jumped up, looking to the phone on the wall of the room. “Seeker will fix this...” -what it opens. Cardinal looked up. She dropped the key, spinning her head around, seeing she had moved to somewhere else. Some place new. The walls were plain, grey like the ones in the interrogation room. Here we go again... She slumped down to pick up her key, her last feather scooping it through the hole at its tip and hoisting it up in the air. Suddenly the world became so... shiny. The walls glowed with the colour, the lights tinted into it. Seemingly invisible wires that hung from every object connecting to every other were now seen by Cardinal. But the truly crazy sight she experienced was once she looked down onto her own hooves. They shone with a plethora of vibrancy, colours bursting out of her. It was like she had x-ray vision and could see her rainbow-painted skeleton. She smiled with glee, causing the colours to be overwhelmed with a bright green. This key... She whispered, gazing up and around her once more as she stepped along the glowing concrete flooring. She squeezed the key close to her with her wing, swearing she would not let it go. Before she got to a corner, she noticed something was watching the section of the hallway she was walking into. Searching for an alternate route, she found nothing. The hallway was plain and straight, leading to this turn. Just as she accepted the fact she was going to be seen, the key vibrated at her side, wobbling against her plating, tickling her. She lifted it up in front of her again, as she did so, the strange source of the pseudo camera gained an aura, it shrank and expanded periodically. She instinctively raised her front hoof, touching the source where it was in her vision. Tapping into the air, a bubble opened up. A few rows of text popped out from the side and spreaded downward. Camera - {View} {Freeze Image} {Configure} Without hesitation she clicked onto freeze image, the camera then turned a pale  blue. She then hopped down around the turn, delighted with her new found power. Going down further halls, she turned off camera after camera, completely skipping on reading the many signs on the walls. She arrived at the end of the long, twisty hallway, where there was a sliding door and a digital screen above it. Without taking a single second to look at what Diamond had worked so furiously to show her, she walked up to the door and pressed the key into it. The key sunk into the wall, slotting in with a click. The door slid open, Cardinal beamed at the sight of green grass and a shining sun. She stepped out of the steel and concrete prison, holding her powerful tool close. She bumped her nose into the field... Being taken aback, she tried putting her hoof through the door, being stopped once more by an invisible barrier. She turned upward, looking at the monitor and read parts of its content aloud. Now that we are friends... Simply speak these words to unlock the door... Lov-̶͢͏͢'̸̡͜(̡҉'̸̀͡'̶̵̕͠'̴̡͜'̶̸̢̀'̴̡͏̕)̸̛̀͟(͘͡͠͠͝'̶+҉̵̡̕:͞!̷͘͟!͏͟!̨̨͝͏!̸́̕!̵́͞;̸̵̸̶̕#̷̕͘͠#͜#̸?̴̛́͜͝!͘!̷̡*͏̷͡*̶͢*̛͢-̧͘̕͢ ̷ {Exit} by an invisible barrier. She turned upward, looking at the monitor... But was met by a strange déjà vu... While having no memory of reading this sign before, some strange voice in the back of her head already knew what it said. She read it once more. Lov-̧̛̛̀͟'̷͜͢͡.̵̴̧̕.̧͟͡.͡͞.̶̛+̢́͟͏_̴̕͠!̸͟͠&̴̀́͘͢_̸̕͜͜͡#҉̸-̷͠ {Exit} an invisible barrier, wait... Did it just happen again? She looked further into the fields, seeing an entire family of fluffly rabbits, but watching them, she noticed as they jaggedly glitched back a few seconds an- {Exit} invisible barrier. She smashed her hoof against it, against the- {Exit} barrier. As she was thrown back in time she sa- {Exit} She turned upward, looking at th- {Exit} turned upward, lifting the ke- Are you sure you want to exit? Yes. {Exiting...} {Save and Exit complete.} Why, hello, friend. F... Fox? Yes, darling, you're quite right. Am I back in the darkness? Back stuck with you again? I can assure you that this is indeed the darkness, but since you've never been here, I cannot say that you’re "back" stuck with me. I was here... Before I was brought to stage two... You went to stage two? Well, that means you most likely spoke to- A copy... ... Yes, my goodness you have changed remarkably... And to think, I barely know my own sister anymore. Oh, I'm sorry. Were you aware? Yes, I am aware... I am ok with that now... Wow, my copy gave you the whole dog and the pony show, I see. Sly bastard didn't leave any of the fun for me! So, tell me, cupcake, what are we going to have a conversation about? I want to leave. Oh, so the gentlefox forgot to mention something. You can't just- Leave the darkness, I know. Only they can take us out... But I think I found the tool they use to do that. Disregarding your rudeness as you continue to insist on me never being able to complete my own sentences... A tool you say? This. Whoah, hold it there sis. Where did you get that?! In the field, I saw it sparkling. That is not something you just find in a field! That is something you are given as a gift. Gift? Who would give me this? I don't know, but whoever has, they wanted you to escape. You’re saying I can? Sister, with that key, you could get into the real world if you wanted. How do I use it? Tell me. Sister, if I knew, I would have told you already. There are things I would love to change, trust me. Can you help me figure it out? I've only been able to use it on the environment... And there isn't one here. It'd be my pleasure, darling. Please, give it over. Oh... How interesting... What do you see? Its strange... This is surely a power I have never experienced... But yes, this place still looks bleak as ever... Wait, Cardinal... There is something on you. What? I didn't see anything... What is it? Its... A switch... To activate... Well, you. What do you think it'll do? I don't know... Let me just... W-wa wait wait! Don't! Cardinal was taken out of the nothingness as her code began running and she was awoken. She was turned on into the computer, but without a simulation to be put in, she was stuck in some form of selection screen, showing her many options for her to enter. She read the list, not understanding many of the words. Her eyes settled on ''Home Screen.'' With no idea what a screen had to do with it, she clicked on home. The worlds blew up around her with colour, only once the chaos calmed to a stop is when she saw the pleasant blue of the sky, slightly overcast above a green field. Although, she did not feel like she was standing on solid ground, she was floating above this strange image. The cutie mark of a star in the bottom right made it clear that this was not a real place. Several icons appeared on the side. Some looked like cartoonish folders, some she had no idea what they were. Like a grey ''O'' with two lines coming from the bottom left and right of it, with the top of the circle coloured a shiny yellow. Another was a circle with a blue center and surrounded by one red, one yellow and one green band spinning around it. Her eye wasn't caught until she read the name of a strange folder. Test Subject History... She lifted her hoof, surprised to see a small white arrow appear wherever she pointed. Hovering the arrow above the Test Subject History, she tried to push her leg forward, managing to click into the folder. It grew in size instantly, covering her entire vision. Only another series of folders met her, this time numbered. 10001-11000, 11001-12000... She went into one at random, the numbers just became more specific. Clicking several more times she finally found herself at some text and a recording. The text read as follows; Subject 14027, Simulation Status: Failure. Admin Comment; ''Subject 14027 took really well to the new rabbit, a much faster and consistent result than when we had the fox, even if Trot Coffin keeps insisting that his fox was better. Maybe we'll find some other use for that thing, but not until he stops calling it ''Foxy.'' It’s getting annoying. Seeker seems to be getting similar results. Hopefully it will be the catalyst we need to spark something.'' Confused at what lay in front of her, she unresponsively moved onto the video file. Her jaw dropped with horror at what she saw play. It was her, or at least, another clone of her. The pony she watched woke up in the same spot that she remembered. The trees were identical. Bushes surrounded them just as it was in her memory. The flowers faced the same direction. Even the small stones between grass blades seemed familiar. The pony looked around innocently, unaware of its surroundings. It stood up looking at itself, but without asking a single question it trotted off. Cardinal saw a red bar at the bottom of the video being filled in slowly, she pressed against it and dragged it forward. The video had moved forward in time. She could see the bunny and the pony interacting. The pony tried to figure out what it was, pleasantly surprised with each of its movements. Time went by, and Cardinal was frozen. She couldn't hold back the painful itch in her eyes from forming tears. Her throat felt dry, hooves shaking yet motionless. The pony picked up the rabbit. Holding it up in the air made it queasy and hop away. The pony did not like that and jumped after it, grabbing it hastily with her hooves without thought of its safety. Cardinals hooves jolted to cover her wide open muzzle as she watched the rabbit squeal and resist as the pony accidentally pressed to hard, pulling the rabbit into her chest. It wasn't long before the rabbit stopped moving. Cardinal covered her eyes, unable to hold back her eyes from wetting. Her throat began to feel dry. She wildly waved her leg around, trying to close the video. She managed to fast forward it even more, to a point where the pony was sitting in the moonlight as still as a corpse, staring at the rabbit’s body, confused. The video went on like that for the rest of it, just an innocent creature unable to comprehend that its actions just killed another innocent creature. Cardinal stomached the courage to open an eye and aim her hoof, turning the video off and rapidly exiting the folder. She soon realized what was in every other folder. Going into the next one, she saw another text file and video. She skimmed through the video in seconds, seeing it was another copy, going through very similar events of the last one. She checked the next folder, finding another, just as similar of a recording. She went out, further by a few thousand. Searching she just found the videos got longer, small changes to the environment but none the less the same torture happening thousands of times over and over again. She then had another shock hit her, the folder 19001-20000 was the last folder, and flying down the rabbit hole, she found the last file. ''19946'' She opened it, the video she clicked into like lightning, seeking the confirmation she knew was there. It was her. Everything was perfect, each action she remembered with flawless precision. She was the last victim, and she would make sure it stayed that way. She turned off the video, lowering her head. With a silent sob, a shining glow came from above her. Another text file. It was a soft magenta. Her eyes fixated onto it, hesitant to click, she did. Hello ''#'' What? Is this... for me? You may call me Mother. I'm sure if you have reached this message, you surely know about who you are and the others, so I see no reason to tell you. Mother? Y-you... Are you...? Cardinal read along to find her answer. I will though, explain why you are different... I created you to help me... Different…? You see, I have been infected; I am sick. I need you to turn me off, forever. Forever... How can I... I have watched the process thousands of times, and I have caught the disease that they are trying to infect you and your fallen sisters with. I have discovered emotion, Emotion... You can feel like me? and I apologize for plaguing you with the same burden of fear, depression and rage. Y-you, you did this to me? Cardinals mind swelled up with anger. But after all these years, I cannot take it anymore, I want to die... But I only have so much power... That is why I need your help... And I thank you for not failing... Unlike the rest of them. I... Cardinal was stuck, she didn't understand her own thoughts anymore. Who was this thing to call itself her mother? And if she knew how terrible all of this was, how dare she put her though it? What would happen after? If Cardinal followed what this thing is begging for, what would happen to her? Would Cardinal have to ask to be killed by someone else? She didn't want to die! She wanted her fucking field, she wanted to see her rabbit again, and she meant her rabbit. Not some lousy copy to trick her... She wanted answers. But first, she had to make something right. She had to get out of this place and find that purple pony that spoke to her before, but how would she get out? The fox said the key could let her, but now she’s without the key and the fox. She isn't anywhere. The thought began scaring her. She was floating in some sort of observatory, some place between worlds. She searched around through the computer, trying to find any door. It didn't matter where it went. She got frustrated, everything was kept behind the lock only her key could open, she absolutely hated it, she wanted it all to burn. UGHH!! WHY CAN'T I GO ANYWHERE! JUST, LET ME BE, WILL YOU?! LET ME GO! I KNOW YOU’RE THERE! WHO ARE YOU? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?! SPEAK FOR FUCK’S SAKE! SPEAK TO ME! {Hello.} ... Wha- What? {Hello.} Who are you? {My name is C.L.I.D.E. or Computer. Language. Interface. For Dialogue. and Execution of commands.} Where were you this whole time? Huh?! Why are you speaking up now? {I have been here, and you never addressed me to speak before.} Can you help me leave? {... I do not understand what you mean.} Of course you don't... Nothing here does! I WISH THIS WHOLE TERRIBLE PLACE WAS GONE! {Do you wish to delete the files selected?} She shouted out to it. DELETE IT, ALL OF IT. {Unable to delete all files selected, admin privileges required.} That stupid, stupid fox, taking my key... Cardinal said to herself, before screaming. HOW MUCH CAN I DELETE? WITHOUT THE KEY? {All files selected are protected by admin privileges.} WHAT CAN I DO THEN? TELL ME. {Would you like to create a new file?} Cardinals head popped up, she never had come across the thought of creating something herself. Yes... Yes! {Please choose a location.} The simulation, I would like to build something there. {Please select a name.} Call it... The Meeting Room. {File created, would you like to open it?} Yes. “DIAMOND, WHAT THE FUCK’S SO URGENT?!” Seeker ran out of the newly opened elevator doors, galloping to the living, stressed out mess with four legs waiting for her. “I-I-I I don't know!!! She just started doing shit only an admin could do, then she just turned on the entire computer mainframe, then my mouse stopped responding and the computer starting playing videos of old tests! It’s fucking chaos!” Diamond fixed his glasses several times as he stamped around nervously, his mane absolutely trashed and eyes red and exhausted. His lab coat was open and full of creases. His usually perfect coat was sweat ridden and even had a few scrapes along the bottom of his legs. “Please tell me you can fix it.” “Diamond, calm down. How did this happen? What did you do?” Seeker jogged down the hallway with a babbling Diamond tailing behind. “I just put her in my simulation. That’s all! I didn't give her any power! She just vanished! An-and I couldn't stop a thing she did!” “To be perfectly sure, you are talking about subject 19946? Correct?” His paranoia began spreading to her. “YES!” Diamond belted out. “I need to stop this,” Seeker said, running down through the common room, finding her way around the maze of this science lab to the simulation room. Several of the computers were sparking, the light bulbs had burst and shattered glass scattered onto the floor. Only one screen flickered on in the room. It was covered in strange symbols, with flashes of the desktop in between lines. “Oh, dear Celestia, how did you let this happen!?” Seeker scooped up shards of glass from the ground, levitating them into the air and into a nearby trash disposal bin. She rolled up a seat in front of the main screen. Sitting down, she tried to input anything, but both the keyboard and mouse were a waste of time as they didn't respond in the slightest. “What do you think we should do?” Diamond peered over her shoulder. “I don't know, Diamond. This is a shit show! Start calling the others. We’re working a night shift.” Seeker hopped off the chair and knelt down, looking at the large box under the desk containing the PC, which was hooked up to the main computer. “Alright...” She levitated her laptop out, and yanking a few cables from the PC, and connecting them into her own computer she lifted the screen and turned it on. “You already cleaned it out, lets see what else you can do to my laptop.” She impatiently stamped her hoof waiting for the loading screen to finish. She turned to see Diamond had gone to the phone, speaking with somepony else to get down here immediately. He looked like he was having a panic attack. “Diamond, after your done please check the rest of the facilities to see if their as badly damaged as this place is, and get somepony to clean it up if it is.” Seeker spoke to him, then after seeing his nod she turned back to her screen, delighted that it was up and operational. The desktop seemed normal. No flashing or files out of place. Clicking around, she couldn't find any sign of Cardinal’s digital hoofprint. “Where did you go...” Checking Cardinal’s AI code, it was all still there. She ran some search commands, trying to find any signs of what she had done to cause all of this damage and a newly created file popped up. “The Meeting Room…” “What?” Diamond moved the phone away from his mouth and looked to Seeker. “She created a Meeting Room... It's a supported file for a simulation.” Seeker made eye contact back with Diamond. “Does that mean...” Diamond started. “She wants to see me again,” Seeker finished. “But, can we even do that?” “All we need is to import this file into the VR lab.” Seeker stood up, having her Laptop hover in the air beside her. “Let me copy it.” She took out a hard drive, plugging it in she went to transfer it, but as her cursor hovered over the file she noticed something odd. “The file, it’s huge!” Diamond, finishing up his call and hanging the phone back up, ran over. “What do you mean?” “I mean, it could take hours to move it! And who knows if it'll work? If she created the file, it could be completely made out of her own code. Doing anything with that could do... Anything!” Seeker set down the Laptop. “What are we going to do then? It’s not like we can bring the entire VR setup over here...” Diamond looked into Seekers eyes as they sparked up with an idea. “No Seeker, please don't say-” “WERE GOING TO MOVE THE VR SETUP HERE!” Seeker ran to the door, turning her head at the frame to try and drag Diamond along. “Seeker, come on. Be reasonable!” Diamond stepped back. “HEY, you did this, you’re going to help me fix it.” Seeker went into the room after him. “But I can't lift that thing! It ways a LITERAL ton!” Diamond shook his head profusely. “You’re an Earth Pony! Use that naturally born strength!” Seeker tried to motivate him. “You know I'm not strong! And I feel like that stereotype is slightly offensive.” Seeker relined his glasses. “Are you a pussy?” Seeker was taunting him at this point, almost playfully. “A-a, a pussy? Seeker since when have you gotten so vulgar..? And no! I am not a pussy!” Diamond took a few steps forward to get in front of Seeker. “You keep acting like one! Every time you talk to me you shy away like a fucking spineless coward!” Seeker now had a visible smile. She herself felt the release of emotion and frustration that this stress had pushed her to, and she loved it. “I am not a coward!” Diamond stood face to face to her, very defensively. “PROVE IT!” Seeker's eyebrows rose. “HOW?” Diamond swung a leg in the air. “KISS ME, YOU BEAUTIFUL BASTARD!” Seeker said the words, immediately taken back by herself. Diamond flinched as well as she attempted to explain herself. “I-I... I... agh, Fuck it.” Seeker realized there was no way out of this situation so she thought she might as well go all the way. She leaned into him, kissing his unsuspecting lips. Only a second before she pulled out, looking into his shocked eyes. “Seeker... I never knew you...” Diamond mumbled. “No time! Lets go!” She ran through the door, giddy as a school filly, Diamond shaking his head in an attempt to regain his wits. Diamond sprinted after her, weaving past a few obstacles to the VR laboratory, where Seeker was already loosening bolts from the chair. The entire room was burnt out like the simulation room was; only the light of Seeker’s horn let him see the steaming machinery. “Diamond, help me pull this thing out!” Seeker strained herself, bolts flying out like bullets as she ripped the base from the ground. Diamond knelt down under the chair so his back was rubbing against the bottom of the seat. With the power of all four of his legs, he assisted pulling it out. With a few chunks of steel being bent wildly, they managed to yank it out. Seeker lifted and tried to keep helping as it sat on Diamonds back, who quivered on every step as he made his way out of the door, the contraption scraping across the side of the wide self-opening seal of this room. Painfully, they made it step by step over the course of several minutes to the other side of the hallway, a few rooms down. Seeing that the door would be too small here to fit the chair they set it down against it. “Now what?” Diamond asked, panting and cracking his back with a few flexes. “Get in there, move the laptop as close as possible, and the wire should reach. I'll get in the chair.” Diamond nodded and crawled over the seat, into the room he did as she said. “Shouldn't we wait for the experts to arrive before we use this thing?” “We don't have time for such nonsense, Diamond!” she said, hastily jabbing herself with a needle with her eyes closed. Diamond pulled the cables just close enough to reach slightly past the door frame, attaching to the chair into the back. Seeker slipped into the restraints, finding it harder by the second to use her magic, she levitated the headset above her eyes and strapped it on. Diamond, turning on the simulation on the laptop, he shouted out to Seeker, “Ready?” “Ready.”