Twilight sighed. This was not the type of thing she was comfortable with. She was used to computers and magic and things that were much more easily direct-able. Ponies on the other hand were unpredictable and willful. At this point they were timid and full of shame.
She pressed the intercom button and asked again,” please walk down the hall and get into your entry plugs.”
“You really want us to do this?” demanded Rainbow Dash.
“I don’t think this a good idea,” shuttered Fluttershy.
“I’m ok with it,” stated Maud bluntly.
“We’re trying to decrease the possible resistance in the system,” explained Twilight. “The data collected here might contribute to the dummy plug system. Hopefully, if we’re able to perfect it, we won’t have to put pilots in danger at all.”
“Well that sounds nice,” pondered Fluttershy.
“Will entering the Evas naked actually change all that much?” insisted Rainbow.
“It might,” prodded Twilight. “This is the scientific method, Rainbow Dash. We perform experiments to see what changes cause which effects.”
“I don’t think I can do this,” the timid yellow mare cried as her body began to uncontrollably shake.
“It’ll be fine,” insisted Twilight placing her head in her hooves. The little pegasus can fight angels in a giant destructive robot but couldn’t walk down a measly hallway without clothes. “It’ll be just like running your Eva with your suit.”
“I just don’t think I can,” Fluttershy whined.
“Don’t worry,” Rainbow Dash said with a flick of her mane.”I’ll help her get there. Heh heh.”
“Nooo,” shouted Fluttershy.
“C’mon we’re both mares. It’s not like I have seen you naked before.”
“What? You were spying?!”
“No! We changed into entry-plug suits together, remember?”
“That won’t be necessary,” explained Twilight with another annoyed sigh. “Fluttershy we’ll turn off the cameras. No pony, not even Rainbow Dash, will see you as you walk down the hallway to your Eva.”
“Aww, you’re no fun,” snorted the cyan mare.
“Ok,” Fluttershy finally relented.
Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Maud all trotted to their entry plugs without any clothes. They uncomfortably sloshed into the orange liquid and connected to their Eva simulators like they always did.
Twilight finally was able to start the data stream on the individual units. Science would be so much easier if ponies didn’t have all these scruples. She began collating and organizing the data.
“How do you feel in there?” asked Twilight to the Eva pilots.
“About the same really,” answered Rainbow trying to peer into Fluttershy’s simulator.
“Same but more exposed,” replied Fluttershy.
“I’m fine,” answered Maud.
“Good, just a little while longer and the test should be complete.”
***
Mud Briar watched the results of the test stream into the office. He felt a strangeness when he thought of Maud. It didn’t make sense. He felt light headed and very anxious whenever she was around. He wondered if she wore some sort of perfume that he was allergic to. Perhaps she was covered in a particular dust that he was reacting to. He shook his head furiously. Thoughts of Maud did nothing but distract him.
A gray pegasus stood in front of his desk. Her eyes pointed in two different directions. Then she shook her head and they refocused. She gave him a small report that looked highly battered. He glanced over it.
“It seems corrosion has been found in some of the walls up top,” explained Mud Briar to an uninterested Discord.
“What sort of corrosion?,” asked Discord as he stood on his head.
“Some vegetation it looks like.”
“Well that seems exceedingly boring,” sighed Discord. “You’re into plants. You should look into it.”
“Do you know where this corrosion is?” he asked the pegasus. She excitedly nodded. “Could you please take me there?” She nodded again and turned but walked into the wall. She shook her head again and smiled. Then with a wave of her hoof she trotted down the corridor with Mud Briar in tow.
***
Twilight watched as an exciting new data stream began on Unit-02. She quickly started to filter the various variables into their separate banks. As she was just about to read what the trend was suggesting her entire computer screen winked at her.
“Huh?”
She looked around but no pony else seemed to react. She rubbed her eyes a bit and passed it off as lack of sleep. Trixie’s caravan was not the same roomy home that her tree had been. She refocused her gaze on her screen.
“Huh?” squeaked Lyra and stared closer at the monitor. “I think my computer just winked at me.”
“Computers don’t wink, Lyra,” sighed Bon Bon. “We talked about this. They don’t have a personality or the ability to think independently.”
“Don’t listen to her, Hal,” Lyra hissed as she stroked her monitor’s top. “I know the truth.”
“Lyra, I don’t think.. wait a minute.” Bon Bon stared at her screen closer. “My screen just winked at me too.”
“See? Now Hal and Motoko can finally get to meet.”
“What?”
“Your computer is definitely Motoko,” explained Lyra with great confidence. “And now Motoko and Hal here can meet and be friends.”
“You make my head hurt.”
“Hmm,” Twilight pondered. “It could be a strange bit of code. Run a diagnostic with Spike. He might be able to flush it out.”
***
After a few wall bonks, smiles and a sudden muffin craving the grey mare, that Mud Briar decided to call Muffins, led him to a junction box on one of the higher floors. It was covered in a strange green plant that shimmered iridescently as he walked towards it.
“Interesting,” he said. “This strand of vegetation is related to mistletoe. It doesn’t normally exhibit this behavior. I would expect this from spore based mold.”
The plant shook then changed into more of a fungus similar to what he described.
“Did you see..”
He looked behind him to find his companion staring down her muffin. She quickly put it behind her back and reapplied her innocent smile.
“Never mind.”
****
“We’re getting more odd winks and smiles on our monitors,” sneered Bon Bon as she tried to shy away from it. The winks and smiles were a bit off putting. Lyra kept insisting they were Mokoto trying to ask Hal on a date.
“I’m getting them too,” confirmed Trixie.
“Me too,” sighed an exasperated Twilight. “These things are frustrating. I want to see my data. Honestly, what is Spike doing?”
“Oh no,” gasped Trixie. “This isn’t Mokoto, Hal or Lain. My computer’s name was Lain. Some pony is trying to hack Spike right now!”
“What!” shouted Twilight feeling her face flush and her blood run cold. “That’s impossible! No pony has the knowledge to hack Spike!”
The frantic unicorn quickly switched screens and found the raw data from the stream. She quickly analyzed it. Codes and strange symbols were infecting every part of it.
“This can’t be,” Twilight mumbled.
“Twilight!” Lyra cried. “Hal is attacking the Evas! It’s spreading all over Unit-02!”
Rainbow Dash’s shrieks filled the control room as her simulator started twisting and reforming into a pair of feathery wings.
“Rainbow!” shouted Pinkie from behind the computer mares. “Twilight! She’s hurting! Get her out! Get them all out!”
“Emergency entry plug ejection sequence!” commanded the purple unicorn.
Steam and smoke billowed out from the simulator bodies as the entry plugs shot off through a nearby exit.
Twilight placed her hoof on her forehead. The Spike system was practically impenetrable. How could something like this be possible?
“The hacker has been traced,” announced Bon Bon. “It’s coming from a junction box near the surface!”
***
“Sir?” poked Muffins. “I think we better go now.”
Mud Briar watched in fascination as the mold he was inspecting began to grow at in a rapid rate. The green moss-like substance began flowing like water all around the two ponies. Muffins grabbed her superior and flew quickly down the hall.
“Hmmm,” Mud Briar said as his hooves lifted off the ground seconds before the sea of green mold covered it. “Oh yes. I guess we should leave after all. We’ll close that bulkhead in our passing. That should show down the mold.”
He felt himself being thrown to the hallway as Muffins quickly pressed the button to close the door. It snapped close with hiss.
“Perhaps we should reconvene at the Commander's office,” Mud Briar suggested.
Muffins cocked her head and placed her smile back on.
“Let’s head to Discord’s room?”
The pegasus nodded and followed Mud Briar.
“I’m starting to suspect that we’re not dealing with a mold at all,” suggested the dead pan stallion. “This might be an angel attack.”
***
“Eeeek! What is that thing?!” shrieked Trixie. She stared wide-eyed at the small pixelated image of a griffin on her screen.
“I don’t know,” admitted Twilight. The Eva simulators had stopped twisting once the pilots were ejected. All their monitors began showing strange happy images and flashing greetings.
“Analysis complete,” Bon Bon said. “It’s an angel. And it’s right here.”
An intercom crackled to life causing Twilight to jump. “Twilight,” the commander’s voice calmly said, “according to Mud Briar and everyponies’ favorite pegasus we’re under attack from an angel.”
“We just figured that out, Commander!” hissed Twilight.
“It’s copying all the files! I can’t stop it!” shrieked Lyra.
“What’s it after?” asked Twilight as the little griffin icon flashed from file to file looking around.
“It looks like it’s trying to find Pinkie’s pie recipe,” suggested Lyra shrugging.
“My pies!” gasped Pinkie. “Launch the Evas. Destroy the central dogma and the Spike system! We can’t let them get my pies!”
“Pinkie, central dogma is keeping this place running,” sighed Twilight.
“But my pies, Twilight, my pies!”
“There are more important things than your pies!”
“It’s hacking further in!” shouted Bon Bon. “It’s not after pies.”
“Oh thank Celestia,” sighed Pinkie.
“It looks like it’s looking for something called My Pretty Pony.” informed Bon Bon. “And trying to set off the self destruction sequence. It’s attacking the Spike system directly!”
“Spike!” shouted Twilight as she started to dance on her hooves. “Redirect the energy flow, ground it out!”
“We’re trying, we're just not fast enough!” spat Bon Bon.
“Spike system is falling!” whined Trixie.
Bon Bon tapped as fast as her hooves would allow her. Each click she could feel the angel rushing past. She tapped out a quick code sequence and the griffin icon found itself in a tiny cage. It bounced at the bars but couldn’t get out.
“That slowed it,” exhaled Bon Bon. “But the cage code won’t hold it for long.”
“How long do we have?” breathed Trixie as she collapsed.
“A few hours,” declared Twilight. “I have to go check on Spike.”
“You can’t do that from the terminal?” Lyra inquired.
“Not Spike the system,” clarified Twilight. “Spike the dragon.”
“I don’t understand,” Trixie admitted and gave Twilight a quizzical look.
“Oh come on, I’ve mentioned Spike to you all time,” said the purple unicorn casually.
“Yeah but weren’t you working on the Spike system all day. You built it.”
“I didn’t fully build it,” Twilight attempted to clarify. “Spike helped a lot.”
“Spike helped build itself?”
“Not Spike the system. Spike the dragon!” reiterated Twilight exasperated.
Trixie shook her and rubbed her temples. “Trixie knows you’ve been under a lot of stress lately. It might be time for a break.”
“No! I have to talk to him.”
“Who?”
“Spike! Oh c’mon Trixie. I think you should met him.”
“I’m coming too,” bounced Pinkie.
The trio left the confused Lyra and Bon Bon and started down the hall. Twilight suddenly spun on the pair of them.
“Ok, just don’t touch anything,” warned Twilight. “Spike is a system that the real Spike designed to assist me. As the needs of CAKE grew so did the system. Now Spike’s system runs the entirety of this place.”
They continued their trot and began to descend. Each hallway looked the same but Twilight knew each turn by heart. The thought of seeing Spike again propelled her with excitement. The others scrambled to keep up.
“Wow, that’s a lot of work,” admitted Trixie breaking Twilight’s concentration.
“He’s been so busy lately I haven’t seen him in days,” Twilight excitedly jabbered “Of course I’ve been busy with my studies and the Evas as well.”
It was around that time that Twilight tried to remember exactly how long it had been. A few day’s seemed likely but then she couldn’t remember what he had said about losing their home. What had he said about moving in with Trixie? Had he known about Trixie?
A cold sweat enveloped her as her causal trot turned into a gallop. If he hadn’t known about Trixie then it had been moons not days.
“Oh my goodness!” Twilight cried as that reality hit her. “How could I be so irresponsible?”
The lavender unicorn found the little cave-like structure in the mass of wires where she had always left it. Immediately she noted how unclean it had become.
“Spike are you home?” asked Twilight tentatively barely above a whisper. What if he was.. She couldn’t bring herself to think it. She dove into the grimy mess that was in the entrance of his cave.
“Spike?!” she screamed as she military crawled through the hovel. Pinkie and Trixie exchanged looks as the unpleasant odor struck their noses.
“Trixie’s not sure she can deal with this,” Trixie sneered as she began to back away.
“Trixie,” pleaded Twilight’s voice from in the tunnel. “Spike might be in trouble. I need your help.”
Trixie put on a determined expression and held her breath as she dove through the layers of grime. Pinkie just giggled and some how cannon balled in forward.
“Spike?!” Twilight’s voice was thick with fear. Panic danced at its edges. She was about to loose her composure when she found him.
Spike the little purple dragon hung from a harness strapped to a wall made of piping. His face was covered in wires. Some were clipped to his ears, and lip. Suction cups held more wires to his forehead. His eyes had sunken into his head and his purple scales had a dusty gray look to them. He scarcely breathed.
“Oh my goodness!” cried Twilight nearly putting her hoof in her mouth. “Spike, are you ok? What happened? Can you hear me? Get a medic! He needs help! Oh, this is all my fault. I should have checked on him more frequently.”
Trixie rushed in to help levitate Spike’s dehydrated form from the cave while Pinkie sped for Nurse Redheart. They unclipped him from his harness and slowly floated him outside the cave.
Spike’s deadened eyes began to have more life in them and then focused in on Twilight. He tried to mouth some words but Twilight couldn’t understand them. Then he lost consciousness.
“Spike! Spike! Wake up! Please stay awake!”screamed Twilight.
Pinkie and the nurse arrived moments later and the unicorns placed his little body on the stretcher. They rushed to the infirmary and the awaiting Doctor Horse.
“Thank you ladies but I need to work on him,” Doctor Horse said. “He looks massively dehydrated and malnourished but I’ll know more when I examine him.”
Twilight felt her body pushed out by the nurse. She resisted. She fought for the love of Spike.
“No I left him too long,” she cried. “I can’t leave him now!”
“He’ll be ok, Twi,” comforted Pinkie. “Let Doctor Horse work.”
“No! No! No! I have to help him!”
“You did. You got him here.”
Twilight continued to push against the pink mass in her way but found it was uncharacteristically strong.
“I have to help!” the frantic unicorn pleaded. “I have to..
Suddenly Twilight felt her lips pressed against another’s. She could feel the heat from the other pony’s breath tickle her nose. She opened her eyes to find Trixie’s lips locked in to her own. Twilight could feel the tears of confusion and frustration bubbling to the surface.
“You needed to stop,” Trixie declared. “Trixie knew her most powerful kiss would stop you.”
“But Trixie,” stammered Twilight. “Why? It was our secret. I thought you didn’t want any pony to know.”
“The great and powerful Trixie was tired of keeping her feelings a secret. Some secrets are better when shared. Now please, Twilight, go sit down and let the doctor work.”
Twilight was too stunned and tired to fight. She nodded quietly and followed her friends to the waiting room.
Hours trudged by. Twilight lay in a heap of worry and misery while Trixie rubbed her mane.
“I’m sorry, Pinkie” Twilight croaked.”I meant to tell you about Trixie but I was just so busy and Trixie didn’t want awkwardness.”
“Oh, was that supposed to be a secret?” chirped Pinkie. “Everypony in the control room, cafeteria and on my block knows.”
“But how could they possibly..”
“Well, you made it pretty obvious so I figured you wanted the world to know. So I might have shouted about it a few times.”
Twilight sighed. She knew better than to be angry at her friend. Pinkie was more of an unstoppable, unchangeable force that merely occurred. She wasn’t trying to be mean or unpleasant. She was just being Pinkie.
Trixie however began to puff up in annoyance. Twilight quickly placed a hoof on hers seconds before Trixie erupted. Pinkie was something that Trixie was going to have to get used to.
Doctor Horse finally emerged from the exam room. He wore a grave face that shook Twilight to her core. She had been a bad friend to her little dragon and it pained her.
“Well Miss Twilight,” he grumbled. Twilight prepared for the worst. “Spike is lucky to have a friend like you. If he had stayed there much longer we would be having a different conversation. He needs to eat, rest and drink plenty of water. We have him on lactated ringers now but he needs more nourishment. Remind him that the Spike system can’t run so well without the Spike. But also remind him there are friends like you who will keep it going while he rests.”
“Thank you doctor,” whispered Twilight. She knew that the doctor was trying his best to sound more pleasant but all she had heard was that Spike had nearly died. She was never letting Spike from her side again.” Can I go and see him?”
“Of course.”
The little group shuffled uncertainly to the little exam room with a deflated Twilight leading the pack. She poked her head in and saw her little friend prone in the bed with an IV and fluids running into his arm.
“Spike?” Twilight scarcely whispered,” what happened?”
Spike’s eyes opened and floated around the room until they landed on Twilight. He pushed his little body into a sitting position.
“Twi...light?” Spike croaked. “I’m sorry. With all the different things going on I kept having to make more and more adjustments. I left the cave less and less. Soon I figured a way to connect my mind directly to the system. But I was so busy I forgot to check in with my body.”
“Oh Spike, this is my fault!”balled Twilight. “I’ve been trying to run this place and run my experiments. Then I got caught up with the Evas and my relationship with Trixie. I’m so sorry.”
Spike looked paler than before.
“Oh no! Are you getting worse? Nurse! Nurse!” cried Twilight.
“Twilight and Trixie? Together?!” he muttered in disbelief.
“Oh Spike, I know it’s a big change. But I’m not going to leave your side again,” declared Twilight.
“I’m not sure where we can fit him in my caravan,” whispered Trixie.
“Caravan?” asked Spike.
“Then we must find a new place. I can’t do this to Spike. I’m sure CAKE can find a spot for us. For all three of us,” the purple mare added, seeing the somber look on Trixie’s face. “This has taught me I shouldn’t ignore any of my friends or their feelings.”
“A new place?” asked the confused dragon.
“Spike, how long were you in the system?”
“Well, what day is it?”
“Tuesday.”
“Umm, of what month?”
“Really Spike?!” scolded Twilight.
“It’s really easy to lose track of time there,” explained Spike. “I mean there are so many systems to interact with. The angel! Oh my goodness! I nearly forgot! I have to get back in there, Twilight!”
Spike’s color returned and he desperately tried getting out of bed. “The angel was looking for something. It snuck into headquarters as a plant and found a way into the Spike system through a junction box. I think it wants a friend. I’ve been talking to it. It’s name is Gabriella. But I’ve been calling it Gabby. I think I can convince it to leave or at least to not hurt us.”
“Spike, we just got you out of there,” chided Twilight. “You can barely stand. We can’t just put you back in.”
“Gabby won’t be there for long. She’s constantly evolving and changing. She loves to help but right now she’s helping her fellow angels. I think she’ll help us if we ask. Listen, Twilight, I can handle one more dive. I’ll bring Nurse Redheart with me. She’ll monitor my body. Ok?! Please? I have to try.”
“Ok, calm down Spike,” assured Twilight. “But once this is over, you’re cut off from the computer for a week.”
****
The small team returned to the hovel that was Spike’s cave. Twilight crawled back through the waste and found his connection wires. She passed them out in a shimmer of purple. Spike began to reconnect his body and pulled a mini keyboard out.
“Ok, I’m going to find her now, “ he announced.
“You’re body’s not strong, little dragon,” reminded the nurse. “You only have fifteen minutes tops before I pull you out. Understand?”
Spike nodded. Twilight watched as he pressed a button on his keyboard then his body went limp. It pained her to see he had neglected all his friends and his body for his job. She began to wonder if she was setting a horrible example.
***
Spike felt the familiar rush of stars as he entered the digital world. The world around him shifted to a dark world where electricity streaked along metal mountains in the background. He walked through the pixelated world and found the small griffin icon that Bon Bon and Lyra had seen on their screens.
“Spike!” cheered Gabby. “You came back. My angel friends didn’t think you would.”
“Of course I did,” Spike said cheerfully. “But I need to ask a favor of you. You know my pony friends I was telling you about? They are really scared that you’re taking over the system and trying to move the Evas.”
“Oh I was. The other angels told me that ponies are bad and wanted me to find information on them. They also want me to find something called My Pretty Pony then blow up the place.”
“Blow up the place!?”
“Is that bad?” Gabby asked, placing her claw in her mouth in concern.
“That will kill me and all my friends!”
“Oh. I guess it’s not the best plan for you.”
“Is there a way you can complete some of your mission and not destroy us?”
The griffin thought for a minute then her face brightened.
“Oh yes. I already completed the fact finding mission. So all that is left is to blow you all up. But if you don’t want me to I guess I won’t. The problem is that angels and ponies can’t exist together.”
“What do you mean?” Spike looked at her in wonder.
“Well one of us has to go. It’s just not possible for us to be together for long.”
“I see,” mumbled Spike dejectedly. “So you have to leave soon, huh?”
“Yup, real soon if you don’t want to be blown up,” Gabby informed. “But at least I got to help both of my friends.”
“Wait! When you say leave do you mean..”
Gabby began to dissolve. Her form separated into little bricks. They floated out from her and merged with the scenery.
“Goodbye Spike,” she cried as more of her began to fade. “It was fun getting to know you.”
“Gabby?! Gabby?!” Spike suddenly realized she wasn’t just leaving. She was dying. “Nooo! Don’t go! You shouldn’t die on our account. We can work this out. We can use this system to help you. I know it. I..I..I’m sorry.”
Gabby’s form vanished completely. Spike collapsed on the virtual floor. Suddenly he felt the world jerk out from under him. He woke up staring at the stern look from Nurse Redheart.
“You’re fifteen minutes is up, Mr Dragon,” the nurse sighed. “We don’t want a relapse.”
Spike looked around the real world in wonder. Then he remembered and tears welled up in his eyes. Twilight was there in a flash with her forelegs around him.
“She’s gone,” the little dragon cried. Then buried his head into Twilight’s chest.
“I know,” Twilight soothed. “But she was a truly good friend to sacrifice herself for us.”
Spike began to bawl. Trixie awkwardly moved in. Twilight nodded at her lover. She needed Trixie to feel comfortable with Spike. If Trixie wanted to remain with her then Spike was also part of the package. She almost felt like a single mother or a big sister that took care of her little brother.
Trixie took the risk and wrapped her hooves around the both of them. Twilight could feel her cheeks flush with pride with the progress Trixie made. Then her entire body felt like it was in a vise as Pinkie added herself to the pile. The party pony’s grip was made of adamentium and her strength was impossibly strong.
The little group stayed in their hug ball for an eternity but eventually Spike’s eyes were dry and his body succumbed to comfort of sleep.
“Now you need to get some rest,” Twilight said and placed a kiss upon his scaly forehead.“And the rest of us need a shower.”
“Umm, my caravan doesn’t have a shower,” whispered Trixie.
“Then we have to shower this gunk off here,” huffed Twilight.
****
Fluttershy cowered behind a bush. It had been hours since they were launched from their entry plugs and saw no signs of rescue. Rainbow Dash grumbly paced back and forth while she desperately tried to hold leaves over her withers. Maud simply stood behind a rock.
“Is anypony coming to get us?!” shouted Rainbow into the empty night.
“At least give us clothes,” whined Fluttershy.