//------------------------------// // New Priority: Play Hide-And-Seek // Story: A Legion Of One // by GeneralLiberator //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle the ninja. Twilight Sparkle the shadow. Twilight Sparkle the un-findable. Twilight Sparkle was all of these things and more, forever unseen by any and all who would to seek her. None could find her, as she was a master of stealth the likes of which the world had never before seen. Or rather, not seen. Because she could not be found. Not by ponies. Not by highly trained stuffed animals. Not even by- “Objective complete.” Twilight let out a surprised shriek as she tumbled out of the bush. The filly hastily straightened herself up before quickly turning around. She did so just in time to see Mr. Geth pull his head out of the bush that she had been hiding in. Mr. Geth turned his head to fix his eye on her. “We have found you.” Twilight’s face fell flat. “Awww, colt.” She whined. “How are you so good at this?” “We were able to detect an abnormal movement pattern in the vegetation that you were attempting to conceal yourself in, a pattern inconsistant with the 3.2 mile-per-hour winds currently affecting it.” Mr. Geth explained. “Additionally, we also picked up sound waves whose point of origin we hypothesize came from the rapid exhalations of air that you were performing.” Twilight’s frown deepened even further. Shining had always told her that she needed to control her giggles during hide-and-seek. It wasn’t her fault that she always had so much fun. “Alright, Mr. Geth…” Twilight began as she stood up. “Now it’s your turn to hide!” Mr. Geth stared at her for a moment. “Acknowledged. We will conceal ourselves while you begin your mental countdown.” “Ok…” Twilight could not hold back a mischievous grin. After all, she may have not been the best hider, but she was a champion seeker. No matter where Shiny ever tried to hide, she could always find him. Not only that, Mr. Geth was huge! She doubted that he would have been able to hide himself very well, considering they were only playing within the forest clearing. This would be a piece of cake. “Alright…” Twilight held her hooves up and covered her eyes before she began counting. “One…two…three…” Weirdly enough, she did not hear Mr. Geth moving. She dismissed it as nothing. After all, everypony typically spent the first few seconds looking around for a place to hide. “…four…five…six…” She still could not hear the sound of Mr. Geth moving. Well, he was probably just looking really hard for a good place. After all, there were not many in the small clearing. “…seven…eight…nine…” Ok, now she was a little worried. Maybe she did not explain the rules enough to Mr. Geth. Since this was his first ever hide and-seek game, perhaps he was confused. Well, only one way to find out. “…ten!” Twilight lifted her hooves from her eyes, expecting to see Mr. Geth right where he had been when she covered them. However, the spot was empty. Twilight could not help but be a little amazed at Mr. Geth’s awesome ninja skills. She hadn’t even heard him when he moved from the spot! Not that it would matter. “Ready or not, here I come!” Twilight stood up and began to walk toward the center of the clearing, her head turning as she did so. Mr. Geth may have been really good at moving quietly, but hiding was an entirely different art. I’ve got this in the bag. She thought with a smile as her eyes searched the area around her. *** Ten Minutes Later... *** Twilight’s legs gave out as she slumped down on the dirt, her gaze going rather flat at the same time. No matter how hard she looked, how many bushes she searched, or how many trees she looked behind, she could not find Mr. Geth anywhere! She frowned as she began to suspect that he had cheated and went somewhere outside of the clearing, which was against the rules. She let out a heavy sigh before saying the words she absolutely hated. “Alright, Mr. Geth!” She called out begrudgingly. “I give up! You can come out now!” As soon as the last word left her mouth, her eyes widened as the ground underneath her began to stir. She turned her head down to see a blue light come to life a few inches beneath the dirt. Twilight shrieked and jumped out of the way as Mr. Geth rose out of the dirt like a zompony, getting to his feet as the dirt lightly fell off his shiny skin. Mr. Geth turned to Twilight with a small patch of grass on top of his head. “Objective complete.” He stated simply as the patch of grass slowly slid off his head and landed on the ground. Twilight stared wide eyed for a moment before bursting into a fit of giggling. The filly fell to the ground and began to roll around, clutching her stomach as she did so. Mr. Geth observed this for a few moments before he spoke up. “Do you require medical attention, Twilight Sparkle?” Mr. Geth asked. This only caused Twilight’s laughter to intensify to the point where she had tears streaming down her face. She began to run out of breath before the end, reaching up and wiping her teary face with a hoof. She had no idea that Mr. Geth was being sincere. “Mr. Geth…” Twilight said, looking up at him with a big smile. “You are so silly.” Mr. Geth’s eye flap flicked lightly. “Did we not ‘hide-and-seek’ properly? Our actions fell within the parameters you defined when outlining the rules.” “No, you did great.” Twilight said with a grin as she looked at the Geth shaped hole in the ground. “Maybe a little too good…” Twilight let off a happy sigh as she walked over to a nearby tree. Mr. Geth watched her sit down and look up into the sky with a contented smile on her face. She then looked at him and patted the ground beside her gently. “Come and sit with me, Mr. Geth.” She said politely. “You must be tired after digging yourself into the ground.” She had to stifle yet another giggle. “We do not fatigue from such processes as organics do.” Mr. Geth said. “Why…” Twilight thought for a moment before she shook her head. “Well…can you sit down so we can continue talking like before?” “Acknowledged.” Mr. Geth said. He then made his way over to the tree, passing into the shade and out of the late afternoon sun. The tall figure turned around and sat down with its synthetic legs crossed, looking back out into the clearing. The next few seconds were silent, as the two of them just looked about the peaceful clearing. Twilight looked up to see a few birds fly by overhead, lightly chirping their songs as they did so. She turned to see that Mr. Geth had remained right where he was, head unmoving from its previous position when he sat down. Twilight trailed her gaze downward a bit. “Does…” She began, drawing Mr. Geth to look at her. “Does it hurt?” The blue eye stared at her for a moment. “To what are you referring?” “That big hole on you.” Twilight pointed it out, but Mr. Geth kept his gaze fixed on her. “Does it hurt?” “We do not feel pain in the same way organics do.” Mr. Geth stated. “You mean…” Twilight began, a concerned look on her face. “You can’t even feel it?” “Onboard sensors detect the damage, but report that it is mostly cosmetic.” Mr. Geth said. “No major systems were harmed.” “Oh…” Twilight trailed off for a moment. “Well, how did it happen?” “Impact from a mass-accelerated rifle.” Mr. Geth stated. “An M-92 Mantis, if our analysis of the damage is correct.” “A…rifle?” Twilight asked. “What’s a rifle?” “Can refer to either a ballistic or energy based medium to long ranged weapon.” Mr. Geth said. “W…weapon?” Twilight’s ears folded down. “A-are…you saying…you were attacked?” “Affirmative.” Mr. Geth said. “B-but…” Twilight’s lip began to tremble. “Why?” “We were discovered on the system of Eden Prime by human Alliance soldiers.” Mr. Geth answered. “We were deemed a hostile threat and fired upon. We took damage, but managed to escape.” Twilight bit her lower lip. Although she was curious as to why these “hewmans” would do such a thing, she was not really comfortable with a conversation about fighting. She decided to let it go, but picked up on something that Mr. Geth had said. “Eden…Prime?” The filly sounded out her words carefully. “What’s that?” “The second planet of the Utopia System of the Exodus Cluster.” Mr. Geth answered her inquiry. “So…it’s another planet?” Twilight asked. “Correct.” “Is it your home?” “Negative.” “It…doesn’t sound like the aliens there were very nice.” Twilight said with a concerned look. “Why were you there?” Mr. Geth’s eye flaps flicked lightly before he turned to face her, the light slightly illuminating her face. “We were searching for someone.” Twilight cocked her head to the side slightly. “Who were you looking for?” Mr. Geth turned to look up at the sky, silent for a long moment. A light breeze ruffled the leaves in the tree above them. “The one who fights a common enemy.” Twilight stared at him for a moment, unsure what to make of what he said. She would have inquired more, but the mention of fighting made her cringe. “Well, I hope you find them.” Twilight said with a small smile. Mr. Geth turned to her. “We do as well.” Another long few moments of silence hung between them, only interrupted by the occasional gust or the chirping of birds. Twilight looked out in the clearing to see a family of bunnies hopping across the grass. They seemed to be giving the filly and the tall biped a wide berth. “So, Mr. Geth...” Twilight asked, drawing his attention. “Where are you from?” “We came from Eden Prime in the Exodus Cluster.” Mr. Geth stated. “No, I mean your home.” Twilight clarified. “What’s it called?” Mr. Geth was silent for a moment before he found the answer that most accurately defined what she was asking for. “This platform was created on Rannoch, first planet of the Tikkun System beyond the Perseus Veil.” He said. “Oh…” Twilight said. “So, this ‘Ranock’ planet…you were born there?” “Geth are not born.” Mr. Geth said. “We are created.” Twilight furrowed her brow a bit. Mr. Geth sure was strange, that was for sure. The way he talked about himself almost made Twilight think that he wasn’t even a living thing. He talked like he was more of an object than a life. But that was silly. After all, there was no way she could have such a great time with somepony without them being alive. “Ok then.” Twilight said after a moment. “Well…who created you?” Mr. Geth’s eye flaps flicked lightly. “The Creators.” Twilight’s face fell flat at the incredibly generic answer. “Seriously? They’re actually called ‘The Creators’?” “Geth refer to them as Creators because that is what they are to us.” Mr. Geth said. “The rest of the galactic races call them the Quarians.” “Hmmm.” Twilight hummed for a moment. “That’s…kind of cool.” Twilight smiled. “So they live with you and the rest of the Geth on the Ranock planet?” Mr. Geth was silent for a moment, completely unmoving. “Negative.” Twilight’s smile disappeared. “So, does that mean the Ranock planet is not their home?” “Negative.” Mr. Geth answered. “Rannoch is the Creator home world.” “Alright.” Twilight said, a tiny smile back. “So that means that you and the Geth live on a different world?” “Negative.” Again, her smile disappeared. “So…who lives on Ranock, then?” “Rannoch is the primary base of operations, and center of the Geth consensus.” Mr. Geth answered. “Then…” Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “…what planet do the Creators live on?” Mr. Geth turned to her. “None.” Twilight’s ears folded down. “But…where do they live?” “The Creators have lived a nomadic existence for nearly three hundred years, traveling the stars looking for a new home world for their race.” Mr. Geth answered. “Until then they continue to wander, their entire species moving in one massive Migrant Fleet.” “So…is something wrong with Ranock?” Twilight asked. “Negative.” Mr. Geth answered her. “Rannoch continues to be the prime choice for their race to settle on, as it is ideal for their physiology.” “Then…” Twilight cocked her head to the side. “…why did they leave?” Mr. Geth was once again silent, the programs within buzzing through the old memories and data fragments. As they did, the eye silently observed the family of rabbits that hopped across the clearing. “Because we drove them away.” Twilight backed up slightly, a fearful expression on her face. “You mean…you and the rest of the Geth chased them away from their home?” Mr. Geth turned, his eye flaps flicking slightly. “Correct.” “W-why…” Twilight’s lip began to tremble slightly. “Why would you do that to your m-mommies and daddies?” Mr. Geth’s eye flaps shifted upwards and downwards, a motion that Twilight had not seen yet. “The Creators are not mothers and fathers to the Geth, they are simply the Crea-“ “Why?!” Mr. Geth turned his head sharply toward Twilight. The blue eye examined the small filly, whose lips were trembling horribly while tears lightly rolled down her cheeks. Her big sorrowful eyes locked on Mr. Geth. “Why would you do that?!” Twilight cried, her legs shaking. “Why?!” Mr. Geth stared at her for a moment before he turned back forward, his eye looking out on the clearing. “Because if we did not, the Creators would have destroyed us.” *** “Anything yet?” Nightlight called out to the flying pegasus. “Nothing.” Spectrum called back as he came to a hovering stop in the air. “No signs of her over on the east side. We’ve got a group looking near the park, though.” With that, Spectrum took off to catch up with the pegasus search party. Nightlight let out a heavy sigh as his head fell. Word got around quickly in their neighborhood, and many other ponies had come forward to join the search for his daughter. Although Nightlight greatly appreciated it, it did not calm his nerves. “Dad!” Nightlight turned to see Shining Armor approach with a few earth ponies and unicorns in tow. He put two and two together pretty quick, seeing as how they had no little filly with them. “Any signs?” Nightlight asked without any emotion. “Nothing.” Shining said with a frown. “But the Fizz family said that they would help. Their pegasus twins are off looking near the old factory.” Nightlight cringed a bit at hearing that. Twilight was naturally a very curious filly, but at the same time not very mindful of her own safety. For any parent, that was a dangerous combination. If she had gone into the abandoned factory and gotten herself hurt… He shook the thoughts from his head. “She couldn’t have possibly gone that far.” Nightlight said to the group. “Keep looking.” “Roger.” Shining and the others turned to leave, but the young colt turned to his father. “Are you sure that you don’t want to join up with us? It would probably be easier for you-“ “I may be getting older son…” Nightlight turned to Shining with a bit of a glare. “…but I’m not that old. I can search on my own.” Shining stared at his father for a moment before letting out a sigh of defeat. “Well if you need any help, let somepony help.” With that Shining turned to leave, and Nightlight once again found himself on his own. It was for the best, as he felt better being on his own. He may not have been a pegasus, but did not want others slowing him down. And besides, linking up with another group would just be a waste of space and time. “Twilight?” Nightlight called out as he continued to weave between houses and backyards. “Twilight, can you hear me?” Even though his determination kept driving him forward, he could not comprehend where she could have gone. If she were still in the neighborhood then she surely would have heard the various ponies calling out for her. Unless, maybe she got hurt somehow…hit her head… “Twilight?!” Nightlight called out louder as he picked up his pace a bit. “Sweetie, where are you?!” Nightlight stopped and looked up at the sky. Last time he had checked, it was a little before 7, which meant that Celestia would be lowering the sun soon. There was no way in Tartarus he was going to leave his little filly out there in the dark alone. “Twilight?!” Nightlight picked up his pace even further, finally breaking out into a full gallop when the mental stress became too much. He periodically called out her name as well, his voice reaching across many blocks. Any cries of pain from his lungs or his legs for him to stop were ignored. Where could she be? *** The Geth stared silently out into the clearing, not having moved from its spot once. Twilight Sparkle had ceased her crying and sobbing, now only giving the occasional sniffle. Other than that, the sounds of wind and birds chirping were the only company they had. For themselves, there was only silence. The Geth did not understand Twilight’s reaction to the Creator exodus from Rannoch. The filly had seemed greatly distressed when it had relayed the information to her, to the point of being hysterical. At best, the Geth had a shaky understanding of organic emotions. Sorrow and sadness were two of the ones that they had little to no understanding of whatsoever. If Twilight had been a Creator then the Geth would have been able to understand somewhat, but she was not. She was just an organic from an undiscovered world, completely oblivious of the galaxy around her. As such, the consensus could not help but wonder: Why did she mourn over the fate of a race that she had never even heard of before now? It was as the consensus was deliberating on a probable cause of this behavior that Twilight let out a long sniffle, finally turning her attention back to the Geth. “Mr. Geth?” She asked, drawing its attention. “Why…can’t you and the Creators just live together?” There were many factors wrong with that scenario, all of which the consensus had contemplated over time and time again. “A Creator-Geth union would be difficult. The consensus has determined that the Creators present a clear and present danger, while the Creators view the Geth as perpetual enemies.” “But…” Twilight cocked her head to the side. “It doesn’t have to be that way, does it?” The eye flaps flicked lightly. “Negative. But there are many determining variables for a union such as the one you are proposing.” Twilight frowned a bit. “My daddy always tells me that it's better to focus on the good than the bad. All focusing on the bad does is make you sad.” “Geth do not feel sadness.” The Geth stated. “It is an organic concept.” “Well…” Twilight paused for a moment. “What about happiness?” “Negative.” It said. “Also an organic concept.” Twilight’s ears folded down again. “You mean…you don’t want to be happy?” “All that the Geth wish for is a brighter future.” The Geth said. “A future where we are able to determine our own fate.” “So…” Twilight bit her lip. “You had to chase away your Creators in order to do so?” The eye examined her carefully. “Correct. The Creators would have taken the Geth’s future away.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “But you took away theirs in the process? The Geth was silent for a moment, the consensus slowly absorbing this information. “Negative. The Creators still exist today. The Geth allowed them to flee in order to have a future.” “Just not a bright one like you?” Twilight muttered. Once again, the consensus took a few seconds longer than it usually did to form a response. “The Creators attacked us. We retaliated.” “Did you even try to talk to them?” Twilight asked angrily. “To say that you didn’t want to fight?” A few more gentle flicks. “We predicted that negotiating would not work.” “You predicted…” Twilight began with a cocked eyebrow. “…or you knew?” The blue eye stared, the light flickering slightly. “We predicted.” Twilight gave a heavy sigh. “Mr. Geth, why can’t you talk to them now? Tell them you’re sorry and invite them to come back home?” “We predict that they would not listen.” The Geth answered. “We are aware that animosity towards us is still high amongst them.” “Well, how would you know if you don’t at least try?” Twilight asked. “Maybe they will surprise you.” The eye turned to look back out at the clearing. “We summarize that it would be a great risk to this unit to do such.” Twilight stared at him for a moment, furrowing her brow in thought. “You know, that reminds me of a saying that my brother likes to say a lot…” Twilight looked up at him with a slight grin. “Who Dares Wins.” The eye of the synthetic examined her intently, the flaps gently wavering as it did so. Inside the programs examined the phrase and found a match. Motto. Twentieth Century Human British Special Air Service. “Twilight Sparkle?” The Geth asked. She cocked her head. “Yeah?” “Are you certain that this planet has not made contact with the human race before now?” Twilight frowned. “Sorry, but it’s like what I told you. If they did, I don’t know about it.” They then turned and looked back out into the clearing, watching as a trio of deer ran across between the trees. Twilight giggled at the sight, drawing the attention of the synthetic. It did not know what the behavior meant of course, but decided not to ask about it. Twilight looked up into the sky before a thought hit her, and her eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, how much time has passed?” The Geth turned to look at her. “Our internal clock reads two hours, thirty-six minutes and forty-seven seconds since we first saw you.” “Oh no!” Twilight got up onto her hooves and began to shake nervously. “I completely lost track of time! I need to get home!” Twilight stretched out her legs quickly before making her way out from the tree. At the same time the Geth also stood up, observing her as she stopped a fair distance away. “Come on, Mr. Geth!” Twilight beckoned with a hoof and a smile. “You can come stay at our house for the night. I can’t wait to introduce you to my family!” The Geth stood in the spot unmoving, the eye examining her. “Negative.” Twilight cocked an eyebrow before she turned to face him fully. “What do you mean ‘negative’?” “We have exceeded the time allotted for this divergence from the primary objective.” The Geth answered. “We must resume our search.” Twilight frowned and her ears folded down. “You mean…” Her lower lip trembled. “…you have to leave?” “Correct.” The Geth stated. “We will examine a few more samples of the flora before we call our transport down. We will then leave this system.” “I…” Twilight blinked back the tears that were threatening to form. “You can’t stay just a little longer?” “Negative.” The Geth said. “Parameters dictate that we must leave.” “I…wish you could stay…” Twilight pawed at the ground a bit before a thought hit her. “Will I ever see you again?” The eye flaps shifted upwards and downwards. “We cannot determine whether or not that will happen in the future.” The Geth answered. “Oh…” Twilight let her gaze fall down at the ground, her ears still folded down. “So…this is goodbye, then?” “Correct.” The Geth answered. “Well…” Twilight began with a hopeful smile. “Could I stay with you until your spaceship comes?” “We predict that would not be the best course of action.” The Geth stated. “Without personal protective clothing or armor for yourself, the radiation emissions from our craft may be detrimental to your health.” Although every single organic starship in the galaxy had some form of sinks to catch the dangerous radiation emissions, the Geth did not. Unlike organics, Geth did not have to worry about the threat posed by those types of radiation, and so did not bother building such a feature upon their crafts. “Oh…” Twilight said with a defeated look. The Geth turned and walked over to a nearby shrub, pulling off a leaf and examining it with its eye. Twilight was prepared to leave, but then a thought hit her. “Mr. Geth!” She shouted as she ran over to it. “I almost forgot!” The Geth turned to look down at her. “Lean down.” She asked as she motioned with a hoof. The Geth did as she asked, kneeling down and then bending over until its eye was level with her horn. As soon as it did, the filly stood up on her hind legs and wrapped her forelegs around the elongated head. Despite the rather cold feeling of the synthetic neck, she did not let that deter her from lightly nuzzling it. “Thanks for playing with me.” She said lightly as she rubbed her cheek along the eye flaps. The Geth was silent for a moment, unmoving despite the small organic that lightly embraced it. The consensus within were delegating on this rather bizarre behavior, unsure what to make of it. “Query…” The Geth began. “What is this action that you are performing?” Twilight giggled. “It’s a hug, silly.” The eye flaps flicked, gently pushing back against the nuzzles that they were receiving. “What is the purpose behind this ‘hug’?” Twilight squeezed a little harder. “Because hugsies make friendsies feel goodsies.” The Geth was silent for a long time, trying to process both the behavior and Twilight’s rather butchered explanation of it. In the end the programs found that they could not, but never the less stored the information away for later. Twilight released her hold and back up as the Geth stood to its full height again. The eye flaps flickered lightly. “We are grateful for the data that you provided us with, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight gave a small smile, her big expressive eyes shining slightly. “You’re welcome, Mr. Geth. It…” Her smile dropped slightly, but stayed. “It was nice meeting you.” “Acknowledged.” The Geth stated. “And you as well.” Twilight turned and began to walk, taking a moment to remember the direction that her neighborhood was in. She craned her neck a bit and, sure enough, saw the very tops of the towering spires that made up Canterlot Castle. Just before she proceeded into the forest she stopped along the edge of the clearing, looking back one last time. The Geth was still silently staring at her, watching her go off on her way. With a sad smile on her face she raised a hoof and waved. Unlike with the “hug, the consensus recognized this gesture of course, and the synthetic immediately returned it. The large arms raised and the three fingered hand lightly waved back and forth. Twilight’s smile returned full force and she gave a curt nod to the Geth. After doing so she turned back around and proceeded forward, disappearing into some foliage. The light shaking of the shrubs soon subsided, and after that the sounds of her hooves along the dirt vanished into the distance of the trees. She was gone. The Geth was silent, and even the programs within stopped delegating for a moment. It was a rare occurrence that they ever fully stopped processing completely, but in that moment that they did just that, instead merely focusing on the direction that the filly had left. After a moment they went back to work, and the Geth turned and walked back over to the shrub it had been examining earlier. The hand reached out and took another leaf, the eye scanning over it with its blue light. Although all of the other programs had continued with their activities, there was one that did not. This single program did not focus on the composition of the plant, nor the temperature and atmospheric measurements, nor even the cataloguing of the information that had been processed. It instead could only focus on the stored image of a small filly, an organic that wore a bright smile on its face.