//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Gift From The Stars // by Senyu //------------------------------// “Xob, are you in here?” Ixena feminine voice called out across Xob’s quarters. “Over here!” Here large black eyes looked over the various equipment, unable to see exactly where he had spoken from. Over the last few weeks, a great deal of technology had been installed into the room, making it into a maze of pipes, wires, and humming machines that one had to navigate to go anywhere. With a series of blinks of annoyance, Ixena began to make her way through, being careful as to not disturb any of the machines. “How are they developing?” she asked while ducking beneath a fluid processing pipe that illuminated the metal around it. “Everything appears to be on schedule and developing as expected. There skeletal structures have begun to spread out to their final positions, and all organs are showing healthy development,” Xob’s voice called out. “Who’s that?” a cheerful voice said aloud that was unfamiliar to Ixena. “That is my colleague,” Xob answered. “Oh! Can we meet her? Pretty pretty please!?” the voice said eagerly. Ixena blinked slowly in curiosity, then quickly navigated the rest of the way, being drawn to a collection of voices that were growing louder. “Xob? Who is that?” she asked as she finally rounded a corner and found him. Before her was Xob standing near his main computer, a series of holographic displays surrounding him as he looked towards her with a smile. “Ixena, I would like you to meet my guests. Girls, this is Ixena.” Xob flicked his wrist, and the displays rotated towards Ixena, revealing that the six of them each held a face. “Hello!” the voice from before shouted, now to be revealed as a pink pony bouncing up and down in her screen. “Xob,” Ixena gasped. “You were able to create their programs?” “Yes, I was,” he replied pridefully. “Well howdy,” the orange one greeted while tipping her cowboy hat. “Hello, darling, it is a pleasure to meet you,” the white one said. “Sup,” the blue one merely said. “....H-hello,” the yellow one said, with only half of her face revealed on the screen. “Greetings, it’s a pleasure to meet Xob’s colleague,” the purple one said. “Hey! Hey! How are you!” the pink one said again. Ixena stared wordlessly at their smiling facing save the yellow one, admiring the details of each of them. I don’t believe it. He really did it. She exchanged glances with each of them, until she noticed Xob staring smugly at her from behind. With a purple blush on her forehead, she cleared her throat and made her way to him. “It is nice to meet you all. If you don’t mind, I am going to speak with Xob now.” The ponies didn’t object, and instead, turned towards each other and began to converse amongst themselves. “Here, let me lower their volume,” Xob said as he flicked a nearby screen. Immediately their conversation turned into a low hush of which they were still able to perfectly understand each other. “These aren’t pre-simulated?” Ixena asked immediately as she stood next to him and turned to watch them with him. “No, they are fully developed,” Xob said eagerly. “I’m running the final tests on them now. Their bodies are nearly formed with special adaptations I selected to help them be as real as possible. Felar cortexes stretch into the horns of the unicorns, allowing levitation of objects; the best I could manage for similar to magic. I haven't figured out how I will break it to them that they can't cast any spells though. Increased fiber density for the earth ponies, as well as the developed senses from the Xueler to be more aware of plant life. And philo-magnetized cells from the Verum for the pegasus feathers and coat, allowing some weather manipulation. I figured it would also be the best chance for them to have the ability of sitting on clouds as well. Don't know how I am going to test it however.” "Are they speaking in spanish now?" Ixena asked. "Yes, they are," Xob said, his grin growing wider with feature he revealed. "I've programmed all of Earth's major languages into them, as well as large amounts of information relevant to their cutie marks." Ixena gave him a curious glance. "Their areas of expertise, as per the show." Xob flicked his wrist, and brought a series of charts that flucuated as the ponies talked. “Their social skills are nearly fully developed, and their personalities have begun established the planned synapse maps I've created for them. I was successful in uploading each episode as direct memories for them, and I just finished the storage unit in their cerebrum to hold all the data that will be collected from my daily interactions with them.” “Incredible,” Ixena breathed. They watched them for some minutes, watching them in close detail, only faintly being able to hear their voices but being able to see clearly what they said as text was generated on the panels. Xob made slight adjustments now and then on the screens, inserting or modifying the running code that buzzed in front of him. But his eyes never left the six windows that contained each ponies head for long, causing him to smile each time he looked back at them. He was just onto stabilizing Fluttershy’s vocal range when Ixena spoke again. “Xob, do you realize the implications this has?” “I do, but why don’t you tell me anyways,” he said pridefully, a trait Ixena had noticed to begin to develop lately. But she decided to humor him anyways, if only to speak aloud her thoughts. “While it has been theoretically possible to do this, no Eridin has attempted it on this level. There has been no need to. The fact that you did this… it really is beginning to cognate to me how important this project is and how profound the effects could be. This really could change the way Eridin see the universe. It could change us.” Reluctantly she took her eyes of the ponies and turned towards him. “The fact alone that you have done this, and that we have helped you, shows already how much the humans affected us. This never would have been done otherwise.” “I know,” Xob said. “The implications of this go even further when you contemplate it, but so too the dangers. No one must know about this. Not until I gather what I need.” Ixena searched Xob’s eyes, and saw something she had not seen before. Perhaps something she had never seen in any Eridin, and she didn’t know exactly what it was. But it was something she told herself she would follow. She had already been set on his course since he first proposed it. “I promise.” Xob flashed her a smile and turned back to the ponies. “I could use your help for the transfer. Their cerebrums are nearly ready to receive their programs, and I would like another pair of eyes to ensure a smooth download.” “Are you inserting them as blanks, or partial-formed?” Ixena said, grabbing one of the nearby holo-panels and beginning to sort through the information to catch up. “As nice as it would be for them to remember these conversations, I believe it is better safe than sorry to insert them as blanks. I’ve already wiped their memory eight times, and they develop as scheduled with only a point-zero-eight percent fault.” Ixena watched as the blue one gave a laugh that was loud enough for them to hear clearly, causing the yellow one to recede further into her screen. She blinked curiously at them before asking, “Xob… did you do as we asked?” The beeping noise of Xob inputting information on his display ceased, and the room suddenly became much quieter. She waited patiently for Xob to answer, deciding to keep her eyes on the ponies. “I’ve inserted the time limit into their telomeres,” Xob finally said, and much more sullen than Ixena had expected. “I know all of you worry about me and my fascination in this project. But I assure you, I know very well it is not possible to keep them around indefinitely. Something would go wrong, and they would be discovered.” His hands resumed their quick pace of manipulating data, and his voice returning to a steady tone. “I am estimating three months is necessary for a baseline of what I need. Upon that time, I can either prolong their lives a little further, or allow their bodies to shut down. But not before uploading their minds back into my main frame of course.” Xob paused briefly to create six mini screens on his display, watching with pride the animated faces talking amongst each other. “I can’t allow them to die, not after giving them life. I know its fabricated life, but I still can't change the way I feel, nor will I supress it. And until it is possible to bring them back into organic form, I’ll sustain them, deep within my files.” Ixena smirked as a layer of doubt lifted from her. She and the others had made him promise to insert the time limit, counter measure should any unexpected feelings develop inside him that would cause him to go awry. And while she did initially object to keeping their existence after the research, she too found it hard to let such intricately created beings be put down to rest. I am glad that he was willing to go through with it. “Alright,” Ixena said. “I’ll begin working on the purple one.” “That’s Twilight Sparkle,” Xob corrected with a smile. “If you distract me during the process, she very well may not be once I’m done,” Ixena teased back, a behavioral trait Xob had noticed developing more and more lately. He watched her for some moments, before turning back to his screens, contemplating what she had said. Neither of them were performing normal Eridin behavior, and it was growing more frequent as time passed. It both excited and scared Xob. And he realized then, that he had never experienced such levels of fear or excitement before in his life. His hands nearly stopped moving at the stark realization of just how much they were allowing themselves to change. I don’t know where this path will lead… Glancing briefly at Ixena, and back to the ponies who were in the middle of laughing at some joke one of them had made, he blinked his eyelids in determination. But I will follow it. There is something at the end, something worth more than everything I have been learning. There has to be… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Xob ran his hand across the transparent surface, marveling at the floating form of the body of Twilight Sparkle on the other side, her eyes shut tightly. He had been watching them for sometime now as the computer finished last minute details, moving between the six large pods that housed each pony. Now and then their eyelids would flutter from movement beneath them, a positive sign the programming had taken effect and was securing itself correctly within the synapses. Worried that something may have still gone wrong, Xob summoned forth a series of holo-panels again, and began double checking their systems. As he was however, the whooshing sound of his door being opened then closed, caused him to pause in fear. “Xob!” he heard Ixena call out. He let out a sigh of relief, but his concerns returned as he heard her cross through his room quickly and hazardously. “Xob! Something unexpected has developed!” “What is it?” he asked as she rounded the corner. Her face was flustered with a tint of green, a clear sign of agitation, if not already clear from her eyes blinking rapidly. “A summons has been initiated for everyone on the station. They are pulling us all back to be apart of hearing for Termination for the humans!” “WHAT!?” “The station is departing in only four glendors.” “No…” Xob breathed. “No no no no NO NO NO!” He began to dash madly about the lab, shutting off sections of unneeded machines and rerouting power back to their original routes. “This can’t be happening! I needed time!” “Xob…” Ixena said, her composure returning to normal as she looked onward towards his frantic behaviors. When it was clear he wasn’t stopping, she marched over to him. “Xob! Stop it!” “I need to create a dampening shield and cargo holder! I can’t let them be detected at the checkpoint!” “XOB! STOP! IT’S TOO LATE!” The volume of her voice caused him to pause, and look at her unexpectedly. She had never raised her voice before, and it gave him enough of a shock to realize that what he was planning wouldn’t work. “I didn’t have enough time…” he said as he turned his head downwards. It didn’t matter he made during the trip back. They would be detected, and his project would be shut down. They would commit him as evidence of the humans influence, and he would have no evidence to support that it would be for the positive. “I didn’t have enough time…” he repeated forlornly. “It was a good attempt, Xob,” Ixena said softly. To further Xob’s disbelief of her actions, she actually reached out a hand, and placed it on his shoulder. “It was fun while it lasted, it really was.” She gave out a weak laugh. “I wanted to see it through as well. But we can’t change the facts. You need to shutdown them down.” He turned his gaze back up to her, and saw just how hard it was affecting her as well. She had helped more than all of their friends in creating the ponies. They were almost as much of hers as they were his. “I’ll help you do it,” she said softly, then turned towards one of the incubators control consoles. Xob watched helplessly as she moved across the floor, and began accessing the shutdown sequence. As her fingers moved across the controls, Xob felt a tight sensation in his chest, nearly painful, and his mouth opened partially to suck in air that had seemingly vanished from his lungs. No… I can’t let them die. As Ixena brought her hand down on the final input, Xob had reached the console and grasped her arm, holding it firmly in the air. Ixena blinked at the sudden physical contact Xob had initiated, and slowly turned her head to him. “Were not shutting them down,” he said firmly. “Xob, you know-” “I do know, but I can’t go along with it,” he interrupted. “I am not following the Eridin way, not this time.” Letting go of her arm, he moved his hand over the console and began a series of commands. “What are you doing?” "I’m prepping them for transport.” “Xob, they can’t come with us. They will be found.” “I know, which is why they aren’t.” Ixena stepped back, opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. “What are you planning?” Xob took full control of the console, and the distant sound of machinery humming began to rise. “The research I need from them is important. It could decide to fate of the entire human species. And while I may not have in time for the hearing, should it go ‘south’ as humans say, I can at least acquire the data I need before Termination has begun.” “You are not suggesting what I think you are…” “I am.” Looking up to the six tubes, Xob’s determined expression softened, if only for a moment. “I’m sending them to Earth, where they will live and gather the data I need.” Ixena opened her mouth again, but Xob quickly turned around and spoke before she could. “I know this is crazy, I know it’s insane, and it will probably won’t end well for me. The percentage of this working isn’t even worth attempting. The fact alone that I am risking exposure to the humans willingly is borderline treason. But I am going to do it, whether you help me or not.” Seconds of silence passed between them, before Ixena smiled and moved towards him. “I was going to ask if you have the latest flight plans of our sensors. You’re going to need them if you want to get them to Earth undetected.” Xob blinked with surprise, then laughed loudly for the fifth time in his life, his pitch still a work in progress he noted. “Careful. If any Eridin heard that sound, they would think you were a human in disguise.” “Heh, maybe I am. And, maybe you are too.” Ixena flashed him a smile, and pulled up several holo-panels to begin preparations. They worked together in silence for minutes, focusing all their efforts to quickly finishing everything required before the station began its departure. “Xob.” “Yes, Ixena?” “...What have these humans done to us?” “... I don’t know…” “... Will the ponies be alright on Earth?” “Trust me, I am confident that whoever receives them, they will do everything in their power to take care of them. The community surrounding this television series is very committed, and have planned out several scenarios of meeting them in real life.” “That is reassuring. Who will be receiving them?” “I am letting the computer pick the best possible candidate from a pool of individuals I have selected. It will look for someone with plenty of land to house them on, regular activity online with the community, but not too much or too… extreme, affilation. And preferably living alone.” “Alright, coordinates are being generated. Let’s get them into some modified transport chambers.” “On it.” As Xob and Ixena began the final preparations for the send off, Xob could not help but look at the ponies every few moments, memorizing each detail of them while he could. It pained him that he would not be there for when they woke up, and his chest was still tight with worry. Perhaps this is what I sensed was wrong. Maybe I’ve finally developed what humans called ‘intuition.’ Yet, despite his conclusion, his chest only tightened further. But if this isn’t the problem, then what is? He watched closely as one of them twitched in their stasis, their facial muscles flicking now and then between expressions. Why do I feel as if I miscalculated something?