//------------------------------// // Entropy // Story: Wired // by canonkiller //------------------------------// Lone jumped back as a pony's head surfaced from the fountain, a pair of hooves hanging daintily over the edge. "You're not a crystal pony." He blinked, dumbfounded. The pony in the fountain rolled her eyes, waving a hoof at the surroundings. "You're an Earth Pony. What are you doing here?" "What are you doing in a fountain?!" The pony grinned, showing two sharp canines. "I was put her for my own personal good and for the betterment of society! Also, I can't walk!" "You seem pretty cheery for somepony who can't walk." "Why would I be sad?" She tilted her head. "I can do this!" Lone stared as she ducked back under the water. Just as he was starting to worry that she'd drowned, she launched back up, spraying water everywhere. Her hide glistened sky blue, and her pale yellow mane ran all the way down to her... tail?! She dove back under the water, pulling herself up onto the ledge until where her hindquarters would have been could be seen. "You're a seapony? I thought those didn't exist!" "I guess I'm the one and only, then! What, you thought I was sitting in a fountain for fun?" She giggled, lifting her tail out of the water. "So, I've answered your questions. Now, why are you here?" "I'm a treasure hunter. This is called the Crystal Empire. It's not really a difficult concept." "You're a looter? A thief? Sound the alarms!" "What?! No! Hey!" Lone jumped to hang over the fountain, watching as the seapony glared up at him, one hoof poised to hit a small red button against the wall. "I'll release the kraken on you!" She yelled up, the water garbling her voice. "There's no way you can fit a kraken in that little pool!" "A Crystal Drake, then! Diamond Dog! Chimera!" "They'd all be dead!" She popped out of the water, glaring daggers at him. "What do you mean, dead? Did you kill them? Are you a murderer and a thief?!" Lone stomped a hoof. "For the sun's sake, no!" "I don't believe you." "It's been... what, close to a hundred years since this place even saw the sun! I don't know how you're still alive, but nopony else is! There's no bodies, no sign of decay... we're here for research as much as anything!" "We're?" Lone sighed, dropping onto his haunches. "My travelling partners. An inventor named Cinnamon and a Kirin named Nox. I'm Lone Wolf." The seapony hauled herself out of the fountain, sliding ungracefully onto the crystal floor. She smiled, extending a hoof towards him. "I'm Crystal." Lone shook her hoof. "How did you live this long, anyway?" She shrugged. "I dunno. Every so often, I felt weak, but then... something would happen and I'd feel good again." "Hm." He looked around the abandoned square, crouching down to get his back close to the ground. "Well, if you want to come along, you can." "I do like adventure!" Crystal chirped, hoisting herself onto his shoulders. "Onward, steed!" ----- "Fifty bits." "I'm not giving you any more than twenty." "Fifty bits, Scrawl." Spider hissed, tapping his hoof on the counter. The pony behind the window grinned, a lopsided thing with a gold tooth. "No can do, amigo. You're a felon, I can't loan that much to you." Spider glanced around the ratty room, before leaning in towards the other colt, the golden wires on his face brightening against his dark makeup. "Pen Scrawl. Fifty bits. Or do you forget what I was marked for?" The colt showed no fear in his expression, but he relented. "Only for the filly, amigo. Don't think you're getting any more from me." Spider accepted the bag hastily shoved in his direction, and took a step back, returning Pumpernickel from the magazine rack with a swift look. They exited the small shop onto a backstreet, where Spider immediately sat down to make sure Scrawl hadn't 'miscounted'. "Why do you have such weird makeup on, Spida'?" "Because... some ponies know me as a very bad pony, and don't know that I changed myself. You don't need to know what I've done, but these ponies know me as 'Redback', so you'll have to call me that when they're around, okay?" "Your back isn't red." "It's a type of spider. Do you understand? You're my daughter here, and you have to act like it. Don't answer questions you don't understand, and don't take anything from anypony other than me, unless I say it's alright." "I unda'stand." Pumpernickel nodded, hugging Spider anyways. Spider hugged her back, sliding her onto his shoulders as he stood up. "I have to go into a place called the Marvelous Mare, and I have to make sure you do not ask about anything you've seen. Understand?" She nodded again. "...What didya do?" Vivid memories of a darkened room, kickblades on his heels and a dagger in his mouth; blade's edges slick and wet with greenish-yellow toxin, a stallion sleeping alone in a wide bed, his blade drawing closer, closer, closer, until the stallions' eyes opened and all he could see was silver- "I'll tell you when you're older. For now, we need to go see my former employer." ----- Cinnamon kicked back in her chair, back hooves resting on the table as she guided her Reaver with a full-body controller. Anastasia idled nearby, testing out a makeshift locator on various objects. Cinnamon glanced back at the mare - frowning only at how gawky her invention was - and watched her find a small pin, easily lifting it between two feathers. "You're doing well." Cinnamon called back, disengaging her link to her robot. "I guess so." Anastasia responded, clicking the device in her teeth again to make sure she put the pin back on the right table. "Not the same as sight, though." Cinnamon laughed, helping her take the headgear off, including the activator bit. "Of course not! It's just artificial echolocation, with a bit of a hearing aid to help you define objects. It's the same thing you've always done, you can just control it better." Anastasia pouted, scuffing a hoof. "How long do you think it'll take to make working eyes?" "Depends." She answered, tapping a hoof in thought. "If my fortune proves true, my supplier is back in the running, which means I can have all the parts I need, whenever I need them. I just have to figure out how to take pony eyes and machinize." "That's not a word." "It will be." Cinnamon grinned, "when you get your sight." Anastasia frowned, but edged her way over to the computer, it's soft hum guiding her without fail. "What's this?" Cinnamon placed a helmet over her eyes, a few clicks emanating from the device as it booted up. "One moment." "Your voice changed." "That happens," she dropped a backpack on the pale Pegasus' shoulders, wrapping bindings around each of her hooves and her belly, "when I get an idea." "What?" "Reaver connection; audial. Reboot from initial startup. Powerdown purposeful. Re-engage." Cinnamon clicked a few buttons on the helmet, sliding a binding under Anastasia's chin, her orders aimed towards the device instead of the pony herself. "What are you doing?" A soft click emitted from the backpack as Cinnamon connected the wires. All of a sudden, noise filled Anastasia's ears, coming from every direction and outlining a whole new world from the small room she knew she was standing in. Huge buildings lined the narrow road, abandoned market stalls hunched in the gloom. She could see another pony a ways ahead, with a cropped tail and a thick muzzle. She couldn't tell what color he was, but he had the wings of a dragon at his sides instead of the soft feathers she knew. "Cinnamon?" He called, his own voice defining his form further. "Temporary disengage." She replied, the mic strapped firmly around her muzzle. "Got a newbie in the Reaver, how's she doing?" "Hasn't moved yet." He replied, turning to face Anastasia. "How do I move?" She whispered, turning to where she thought Cinnamon was. Her artificial vision danced with a series of chirps, echoes bouncing off the world around and painting a new view of the world. "Just like that. The gear'll move if you do. You don't need to actually walk, but it is your first time, so go ahead." Anastasia took a cautious step, vaguely listening to the stallion snap back a quick 'better than your first time... in the Amarezon', which was responded to violently and rapidly by Cinnamon until the colt was laughing too hard to stand. Anastasia managed to nudge the machine into a limping trot, her hooves dancing awkwardly in place. She kept scanning the area, taking in every little detail. She hadn't known such machines existed, able to move the blind where they were not in danger. A small etching on one of the stalls caught her eye, and she trotted over. She sent a series of chirps at the small icon, burning it's image into her brain. "Daddy, what's this?" "That's my work jacket. See, you can feel the letters." His large wing guided her small hoof, lines turning to letters turning to words. "It spells out 'entropy'. E-N-T-R-O-P-Y." "Entropy what?" "Enterprises. It's where I work." "What's this?" She had moved her hoof between the words, following the angular swirl between them. "That's the logo. It's what shows ponies that we made something." The lines burned bright under her hoof, one more tie to the world she could only dream of entering. "Entropy Enterprises?" "Hm?" The stallion trotted over, entering her field of vision to examine the mark. "Entropy Enterprises?" "My dad used to work there. He's... gone now." Her voice caught, a wall of strength tumbling down. "But why would they... they be here?" The stallion stared up into the Reaver's cameras, his face looming in Anastasia's mind. "I think we need to come back." "What?!" Anastasia hissed, backpedalling. "Come back where?!" "Whoa, filly." Cinnamon's hoof darted over a keyboard, and Anastasia's connection went dead. She panicked, stepping back, stumbling. She tripped over her tail and crashed over, breaths heaving through her lungs as she shivered with terror. "Come back to me now, you're okay. Shh, now." Cinnamon's gentle wings ran down her forelegs, one hoof brushing her mane away. "He wasn't talking to you, it's okay." Anastasia felt tears running down her muzzle, and threw herself at Cinnamon, collapsing into her hooves. "M-m-my d-d-d-dad..." Cinnamon hugged her close, gently rocking on her haunches as she calmed down the mare. "Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head..." ----- Crescent sat on her haunches, casting darkened glares around the restaurant as she tore chunks of cheese out of her sandwich. "You okay?" Crescent glared up at Torch, swallowing. "Peachy." "You just gave a foal the stare of death." He commented idly, lifting a forkful of salad. "Not that it seems to mind." As he chewed, Crescent took a few deep breaths, placing her meal on it's plate to avoid mauling the poor thing further. "I hate that that filly just... vanished! I wanted to talk to her, but no~o, gotta run away and be free." Torch lifted an eyebrow, glancing across at the rest of the pack, which gave a collective shrug. Crescent ripped another bite out of her sandwich. "I have to find her. I think she knows something about Entropy Enterprises." "Don't start this again." Raven sighed from across the table. "Quiet, you. You know as well as I do that it takes a lot of energy to do Wiring, and Entropy commands all the centers around here! Where do you think they get all the power?" "The ancient princesses." Leeway answered dully. "The ancient princesses!" Crescent repeated, grinning. "If we can break into that Tartarus-hole, we can liberate them! We won't be in this depressing spiral of control and command anymore!" "Crescent, please relax. Ponies are staring." Raven added in a hushed tone, tapping a hoof. "I will not relax! I am in the state of mind of adventure and adventure means shouting!" Crescent reared up, slamming both hooves down on the table and tipping the drinks over. Leeway subtly leaned down and began licking up his chocolate milk. "You guys'll know when I make it! The sun and the moon won't be artificial any more, and-" The waiter glared at the Changeling, two burly stallions shuffling along behind him. Crescent smiled awkwardly. "Ahh... I'll leave a big tip?" "Any other great ideas?" Torch piped up from beside her.