Thirty-eight
Derpy
CA: so… what should our next move be?
AT: There are several things that warrant investigation. The Punch Designix still remains un-deployed, but we need four units of shale grist for that.
AT: The Kernelsprite seems to want us to put something else in it, possibly for it to change form again. I do not know what consequences that will have, though.
AT: There are also those spirographs above your house. That may need closer examination.
AT: I fear we do not have the build grist to make our way down from this pillar to the rest of the land yet, so these remain our only options.
CA: makes sense…
AT: … Derpy?
AT: I hope not to alarm you, but you may have company.
AT: There is something crawling up the side of the pillar.
CA: uh oh. What is it?
AT: It’s hard to tell, as I have a limited camera angle.
AT: It’s a dark red thing, and seems to be wearing clothes. A paper hat and vest.
CA: well that’s a silly costume to wear.
AT: Quite, but its claws look sharp. I advise you to take caution.
CA: you got it!
Derpy carefully makes her way out of her room and onto the front yard. Most of the yard made it with the house to the new location, but not all of it. The ground crumbled before where the gravel of the road would normally be.
MOM: Derpy? What are you doing out there?
DERPY: i thought i heard something. i’ll be careful, i promise!
Derpy tiptoes over to the edge of the lawn, and takes a peek over the edge. She doesn’t see anything right away, and guessed that whatever it was Doc had seen, it was climbing up a different side of the pillar. She makes her way slowly around the perimeter, and finally sees what Doc had seen on the backyard side. There was a short creature gradually scaling its way up to the house, with a hat and vest that seemed to be made out of newspaper. It had a brownish-red shell in place of fur, and when it looked up to see its progress and saw Derpy instead, she saw that it had squinty white eyes and sharp teeth. It stared for a moment, then seemed to growl at her and redoubled its speed.
Derpy stepped back cautiously, her heart racing, and equipped her boomerang. She hoped it would be enough to stop this creature. A few seconds later, it crawled its way up to the lawn, and readied its clawed hands for battle. Derpy readied her weapon and threw it towards the monster. She saw it connect, damage it, and come back to her. She couldn’t see a health bar or anything above the creature, but knew that it was taking damage video-game style.
The creature lunged forward with one claw, and Derpy winced as she felt herself take damage. However, she wasn’t too hurt to keep going. Next, she readied her legs as though to fly, leapt into the air, and used the boomerang to deliver a downward strike. It connected, and seemed to do more damage to the monster than her previous attack. The creature rushed forward with both fists, but this time, Derpy was able to block the attack with her hoof, and she could tell that she did not take as much damage.
One final attack from Derpy finished the creature, and it exploded into three items that looked like gems. Two were blue, and the third was the same color red the monster had been. Derpy moved over to the gems, and they seemed to be automatically picked up when she did. Derpy nodded in pride, knowing that she had made progress, and retrieved her phone to see several messages from Doc.
AT: Okay Derpy, I have a clearer visual on the creature.
AT: Since you got closer, I can mouse over it. It seems to be a Rust Imp.
AT: There, that boomerang hit seems to have done some damage. You both have health bars.
AT: Oh, right, forgot that you won’t see these messages until you defeat it and check your phone.
AT: Careful…
AT: Excellently done, Derpy!
AT: And now we have more grist at our disposal! Some build grist, and a few pieces of rust grist.
AT: No shale, regrettably. We’ll have to wait a little while longer to deploy a Punch Designix.
CA: aw. i wonder what will drop that?
AT: I’m not sure, but I’m certain we’ll find some before too long.
AT: Also, you seemed to gain some experience points for that battle. Another one like that should level you up!
CA: cool!
CA: what will that do?
AT: No idea! But it can only be good.
AT: Now… what can we do with this rust grist? Build grist seems to be used for expanding the house, and shale is used for the device… I would assume there are other items we can make later that need different kinds of grist.
CA: yeah, that makes sense.
CA: i guess i’ll just keep fighting these guys until we get the stuff we need to keep going!
Quick Fix
“What may have been the fifteenth meteor strike since last night has been successfully redirected, thanks to the efforts of the Wonderbolts, and has landed harmlessly in the southern plains.” the news pony said with a hint of excitement. “Now knowing the effectiveness of this method, we have confirmation that more pegasi are being deployed to defend against further- Oh, this just in, Princess Celestia is ready to make another statement. Over to our reporters at Canterlot.”
Quick Fix diverted her attention from the computer for a moment to hear what the princess had to say. She had deployed all of the devices available for Doc, and was still figuring out how to use them.
“Citizens of Equestria,” the princess began, “I stand with you in grievance for those lives lost to this rain of fire and rock, and place my faith in all of us that we can prevent further loss from this disaster. But there is something else that I feel needs to be said.
“On the eve of this tragedy still in progress, a certain digital game was released to the public, by the name of Sgraze.” If Quick Fix wasn’t paying attention before, she certainly was now. “I want no mistake to be made about this game, or its connection with these events. The two are tied, but it is not because of those ponies who activated this game that the meteors are falling. I do not want these ponies to be attacked for using this software, nor do I want them to feel as though these events are their fault. No, this software is not what is threatening pony kind. It is in fact the opposite; it is this software that carries the beacon of hope for our race.
“So, I come bearing a message for those ponies who are currently engaged in this software, this ‘game’. I wish you all the luck in the world, for it is you that carries the hope for pony kind. Realize that much is riding on your shoulders and whether or not you succeed, so I hope that you do all you can to reach the end of the quests you are given. This is truly a mighty task veiled as a game… But I also ask that you do not lose sight of the adventure, as that may be what helps you complete your quest. I am aware that most of you are young as you embark, and I believe there is reason for that. Do all you can to succeed, but… don’t forget to have a little fun along the way.
“However, I also wish to give you a warning. There may be an unforeseen element in some of your quests, and I hope to help you overcome it, if such a thing is possible. There is a certain entity that currently resides in Equestria who I have had the… chance, to deal with in the past. It is both entirely possible and quite likely that this entity will attempt to enter one of your sessions in order to stay alive. He may appear to be a pony, an Alicorn of snow white coat, but rest assured that he is nothing of the sort. He is a being older than time itself, and monstrously powerful. He calls himself Discord. Regrettably, even I do not know a way to combat him, but if you find that he is interfering with your session, I ask that you be extremely wary. Do not let him stop your progress. You mustn’t let him defeat you!
“I do not know whether I will have a chance to speak to you again before you all embark on your journeys, so allow me to wish you farewell and good luck now. I hope that you find safety, peace, knowledge and strength on your quests. And may Equestria always be with you.”
Quick Fix’s mind raced. The description Princess Celestia gave of the being called Discord matched the appearance of the pony who stole the copies of Sgraze from the mail exactly. “It looks like she was right… He might be trying to piggyback our game session. But what for? What does he stand to gain from it, and… And what is he?”
TT: Doc, did you hear all that
AT: The princess’s message to us? Yes, I heard it.
AT: I must admit, I am a great deal more concerned now.
TT: yeah, same here
TT: that guy she mentioned
TT: that Discord fella
TT: pretty sure he picked our session to get in on
AT: Surely you jest.
TT: wish I was
TT: but the way she described him
TT: Im pretty sure hes the guy who stole our games
TT: I dunno what he did to our games, but he probably got what he needed
TT: you havent seen anything like that around Derpys house have you
AT: No. But I will remain vigilant.
AT: Thank you for the warning.
TT: no prob
TT: now lets get you started shall we
AT: Yes. I believe we need to open the Cruxtruder first.
AT: You’ll need to apply a large amount of pressure to the lid.
TT: kay
TT: TOILET SLAM
TT: see, toilet opened it
TT: I knew it was a good idea
TT: woah shit, Doc, whats happening
TT: cameras shaking
TT: earthquake?
AT: Something like that…
AT: May well have been a meteor…
AT: Wait.
AT: Quick Fix, did something fall into the Kernelsprite?
TT: the floaty green thing that came out of the cruxtruder?
AT: Yes.
TT: I think so
TT: is that bad
???: ex
AT: It might be bad.
AT: Did you see what fell in?
TT: uh
TT: no
TT: everything was shaky
???: ex
AT: My room is fully of really deadly stuff.
AT: I hope it wasn’t a deadly thing that fell in.
AT: Are you sure you didn’t see it?
TT: it looks like its taking shape now
TT: you tell me is that bad
DALEKSPRITE: EXTERMINATE
AT: YES THAT IS VERY BAD
AT: WHERE DID I PUT MY SCREWDRIVER
DALEKSPRITE: EXTERMINATE
AT: I’LL GET BACK TO YOU
agelessTraveler is now idle.
TT:
TT: fuck
TT: well, Im gonna go ahead and drop the other things you need
TT: heres a card with holes in it
TT: theres also another disc, dunno whats on it
TT: costs 100 grist
TT: ah, fuck it, Ill go ahead and deploy it too
TT: what else
TT: jumper block extension and punch card shunt
TT: the shunt is cheap, but were nowhere near affording the extension
TT: well give them a miss for now
TT: good luck with the deathbot
TT: maybe I should drop the toilet on it
Doc
Doc squares off against the machine-turned-ghost, screwdriver in hand. He knew that his weapon wouldn’t do anything to it, but he had to admit he felt better pretending. The machine had sat on his shelf for quite some time, a relic left to him by his mentor. Now, it seemed to have been a replica of something bigger, something truly terrifying. Its bulky body hovers at the other edge of the room, weaponized arms and single eyestalk directed at Doc.
DALEKSPRITE: EXTERMINATE
DOC: NO.
DALEKSPRITE: EXTERMINATE
DOC: STOP THAT.
DALEKSPRITE: YOU ARE THE DOCTOR
DALEKSPRITE: YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED
DOC: NO, wait… How do you know that?!
DOC: How do you know that I am the Doctor?!
DOC: And… what exactly are you?
DOC: You… certainly seem familiar, especially now that you’re talking and not just sitting there, but I can’t seem to place you.
DALEKSPRITE: I AM A DALEK
DALEKSPRITE: … ERROR
DALEKSPRITE: MY INTERNAL DATA HAS BEEN TAMPERED WITH
DALEKSPRITE: LARGE QUANTITIES OF DATA ARE NO LONGER PRESENT
DALEKSPRITE: ADDITIONALLY, NEW UNACCESSED DATA HAS BEEN DETECTED
DALEKSPRITE: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY MEMORY
DOC: I’ve done nothing. Any lost or gained memories are from the Kernelsprite, not by my doing.
DOC: So, you mean to say you remember almost nothing?
DALEKSPRITE: I REMEMBER THIS:
DALEKSPRITE: YOU ARE THE DOCTOR
DALEKSPRITE: YOU ARE MY ENEMY
DALEKSPRITE: AND YOU WILL BE
DALEKSPRITE: EXTERMINATED
Doc quickly dodges out of the way as the machine fires a beam of light from its arm towards him. It bounces off of the wall, and dissipates as it hits the other wall. Several others are right behind it, however, and it is not long before Doc sees one head straight for him and hit him in the chest.
He waits a split second for pain to erupt from the point of impact, but it does not come.
DOC: Hah! That almost tickled.
DALEKSPRITE: ERROR
DALEKSPRITE: WEAPON SYSTEMS ARE ALSO MALFUNCTIONING
DALEKSPRITE: NOW RUNNING FULL SCAN FOR ALL MALFUNCTIONING SYSTEMS
DALEKSPRITE: WEAPON SYSTEMS MALFUNCTIONING
DALEKSPRITE: DATA STORAGE MALFUNCTIONING
DALEKSPRITE: LIFE SUPPORT COMPLETELY OFFLINE
DALEKSPRITE: DESTRUCTION OF THE DOCTOR IS DEEMED IMPOSSIBLE IN THIS STATE
DALEKSPRITE: ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT ASSISTANCE
DALEKSPRITE: LONG RANGE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS ARE OFFLINE
DALEKSPRITE: SHORT RANGE COMMUNICATIONS ARE ONLINE
DOC: You seem like you’ve seen far better days.
DALEKSPRITE: I AM UNABLE TO ACCESS MOST OF MY STANDARD FUNCTIONS
DALEKSPRITE: I CANNOT REMEMBER THE DETAILS OF WHO I AM
DALEKSPRITE: I AM
DALEKSPRITE: BROKEN
DOC: I can relate there…
DOC: I feel like I should remember you.
DOC: And I feel like part of me does.
DOC: But I can’t quite reach that memory.
DALEKSPRITE: YOUR MEMORY IS INCOMPLETE AS WELL?
DOC: It would seem so.
DALEKSPRITE: THEN WE ARE… THE SAME?
DOC: In that way, at least.
DALEKSPRITE: THEN TELL ME, DOCTOR
DALEKSPRITE: WHAT IS MY PURPOSE
DALEKSPRITE: WHY AM I ALIVE
DOC: I do not know.
DOC: What I know is that you are a Kernelsprite, and that you are an important part of my current mission.
DOC: But I do not know more than that.
DALEKSPRITE: … DATA FOUND ON ‘KERNELSPRITE’
DALEKSPRITE: IT IS MY PURPOSE TO SUPPLY YOU WITH VITAL INFORMATION FOR THE BEGINNING OF YOUR JOURNEY
DALEKSPRITE: I AM ALSO TO PREVENT YOUR DEATH DURING THIS TIME
DALEKSPRITE: HOWEVER, THIS OBJECTIVE GOES DIRECTLY AGAINST MY PREVIOUS OBJECTIVE OF DESTROYING YOU
DALEKSPRITE: I REQUIRE TIME TO CALCULATE A MORE DEFINITE ANSWER
DOC: It’s not like you could destroy me even if you wanted to.
DALEKSPRITE: SILENCE
DALEKSPRITE: I WOULD FIND A WAY IF DEEMED NECESSARY
DOC: … If you’re to supply me with information, then tell me this.
DOC: I have another friend who has already begun her journey, and her Kernelsprite is not nearly as responsive as you.
DOC: It cannot even speak.
DOC: Why is that?
DALEKSPRITE: IT IS LIKELY BECAUSE THE INITIAL PROTOTYPING WAS NOT DONE WITH A SUBJECT AS INTELLIGENT AS ME
DALEKSPRITE: IN MOST CASES, A SPRITE DOES NOT GAIN FULL INTELLIGENCE UNTIL THE SECOND AND FINAL PROTOTYPING
DALEKSPRITE: YOUR ALLY MUST PROTOTYPE THE SPRITE AGAIN FOR IT TO REALIZE ITS PURPOSE AS A GUIDE
DOC: I see. What should we prototype it with?
DALEKSPRITE: THAT IS UP TO YOUR OWN DISCRETION
DALEKSPRITE: DO WHATEVER YOU FEEL WILL GIVE YOU THE MOST RELIABLE GUIDE
DOC: Very well… What was the point of the initial prototyping, then?
DALEKSPRITE: THIS CHOICE IS FOR THE PURPOSE OF GIVING FORM TO THE BATTLEFIELD OF SKAIA, WHICH WILL BE NECESSARY FOR THE COMPLETION OF YOUR OBJECTIVE.
DALEKSPRITE: IT ALSO GIVES FORM TO THE UNDERLINGS, AND ROYALTY OF DERSE, WHICH YOU ARE TO EXTERMINATE.
DOC: So… You mean to say that with Derpy’s first prototyping, we gave them a harmless paper form.
DOC: But with you… We’ve given the enemies a form like yours?!
DALEKSPRITE: A FORM I AM SURE THEY WILL BE PROUD TO TAKE.
Doc makes his way quickly to the computer, now confident that his sprite wouldn’t be able to harm him while he wasn’t looking, and accessed the chat client to warn Derpy. He noticed two new objects deployed on his desk- the punched card that would see him into the game, and another disc- but did not focus on them yet.
agelessTraveler began chatting with cross-eyedAngel at 2:33 P.M.
AT: Derpy!
AT: Are you alright?!
CA: what?
CA: yeah, i’m fine.
CA: beat up another imp. got some purple stuff this time, is that shale?
AT: Maybe. But I have to warn you of something!
AT: First, did you see how the imps around you are wearing paper armor?
CA: yeah, why is that?
AT: I discovered that this is because of your Kernelsprite.
AT: By putting the paper bird into it, you sent that information into the game, and the enemies are reflecting that.
AT: It turns out that that was a good choice.
AT: But my sprite… Well, it has complicated things.
AT: A machine, or creature, called a Dalek has been put into mine.
AT: And I’m afraid that this may make our enemies a great deal more powerful.
CA: uh oh. How do we beat them?
DOC: Hey! Dalek!
DOC: How do we defeat the enemies that have been given Dalek technology?
DALEKSPRITE: WHY WOULD I INFORM YOU ON HOW TO KILL ME?
DOC: So we can destroy the impure ones!
DOC: These creatures are bastardizing your technology!
DALEKSPRITE: … THE EYESTALKS
DALEKSPRITE: WITH SUCH A DILUTED VERSION OF DALEK TECHNOLOGY, THEY WILL NOT HAVE ADVANCED SHIELDING
DALEKSPRITE: OBSCURE THE EYESTALKS, AND THEY WILL BE ALL BUT DEFUNCT
DALEKSPRITE: OF COURSE, THIS METHOD IS FUTILE AGAINST AN ADVANCED AND PURE MODEL SUCH AS MYSELF
AT: They will have an eyestalk in place of eyes.
AT: Apparently, if you can blind them, they will practically shut down.
CA: okay. i’ll be careful, i promise!
CA: so, you said that you got your kernelthingy all set up?
AT: Well, not ALL set up.
AT: As a matter of fact, yours isn’t yet, either. We do need to give it a second object.
AT: However, this second one will not affect our enemies. This will make your sprite into a guide that will help you through your quest.
CA: huh… what should we put in?
AT: I’m not sure. Probably something that won’t threaten your life like mine is.
AT: Anyway, let’s see, you said you found more grist… Yes! We have shale!
AT: I will deploy the Punch Designix right away.
CA: okay.
CA: but then get your stuff set up to go, too.
CA: you’re almost ready to enter, right?
AT: Yes. I just need to create the item on the punched card.
AT: There’s also a third disc that has been deployed in my room. I do not know what it does yet.
AT: I’ll figure that out though. In the meantime, just stay safe until I make my own way into the game. Then we’ll see where we stand.
CA: okay!
Doc swiftly begins the process of entry; He uses the Totem Lathe to scan the punched card and imprint a Cruxite Dowel with the data stored within, then moves it to the Alchemiter to create the object. What seems to be a lump of emerald appears on the platform before him, and Doc quickly retrieves it. However, he soon sees that it is not a gemstone, but a chunk of amber. There is clearly something inside, but the surface is too hazy to see it.
“Green amber… Heh, fancy that.”
“I HAVE DETECTED A SUDDEN SPIKE IN METEOROLOGICAL ACTIVITY. A LARGE OBJECT IS ON A COLLISION CORSE WITH THIS LOCATION. DESTRUCTION IS ASSURED.”
Doc moves quickly to the window, heart racing, and his fears are confirmed. The rain has been joined by small stones and embers, debris from the far more sinister storm raging across Equestria. He still cannot see beyond the cloud cover, but the Dalek seems to have detected another large meteor bound right for Doc’s house.
He nods in determination and smashes the amber against the wall.