//------------------------------// // COOPERATION // Story: Unwanted Grey // by Compendium of Steve //------------------------------//         “Uh, excuse me? Before you go on, could I say something?” WHAT IS IT?         “Not that I wanted to interrupt you, but I just wanted to say that, um…” The pegasus fidgeted slightly before continuing. “I think I know what you’re going through.”         The words disappear from the air, and it remained empty for a moment before the next set of letters came up. HOW SO?         “All that stuff about not being recognized and being ignored. That has to be very rough for you." IT IS HOW DOES THAT RELATE TO YOUR STATEMENT?         “It’s just that I know what it’s like to be ignored. Or at least, ignored for things you don’t want to be ignored.” Derpy rubbed a leg nervously, having touched on a painful topic. The text was unmindful of this. EXPLAIN         Derpy took a moment to collect her thoughts, then started. “You said how I was recognized for my eyes? For the longest time, that’s all anypony knew me for. ‘The Weird-Eyed Pegasus’, ‘Loopy Eyes’. They even called me handicapped, because I had a hard time flying and was always so clumsy.” She sniffled, looking to the ground before carrying on. “Nopony knew me for anything but these screwy eyes. No one wanted to talk to me, get to know me for who I was on the inside. It really hurt for a long time, because they were ignoring the real me.” …         “But it got better,” she said before raising her head up high with a smile and wiping her eyes. “Once I got to Ponyville and got a job, I found ponies who wanted to talk to me, who saw me for more than just my eyes. Everypony in town was so nice to me. Well, mostly. There are some who still tease me for my eyes or for being clumsy, but I wasn’t just a goofy set of eyes anymore.         “So I know how tough it is being overlooked when you just want to reach out and be accepted for who you truly are. In those early days I was mostly sad, and there were times I was angry. But I stuck through, thinking that it would get better. And it did! So you should keep staying positive, and eventually everything will work out great!”         The optimism spouted by the bubbly mare hung about and soon grew stale as no immediate response came. As Derpy’s renewed enthusiasm started to wane, the words refreshed. YOUR ENCOURAGEMENTS ARE MEANINGLESS ALL THOSE DIFFICULTIES AND OUTCOMES YOU DESCRIBED ARE ALL NONEXISTENT AS I HAVE STATED EARLIER: YOUR BEHAVIORS AND EMOTIONS WERE ALL CREATED BY ACTUAL LIVING BEINGS SOLELY FOR THEIR AMUSEMENT YOUR VERY BEING AND PERSONAL HISTORY IS A FABRICATION, AND IS THUS IRRELEVANT TO MY CURRENT PREDICAMENT         “But I don’t believe that,” Derpy said bluntly, before looking to the side in hesitation. “Well, most of it, I think? I mean, you pointed out some things I’m gonna have to think about. But I know this: my feelings are definitely real. It’s no one else feeling the same kind of happiness or fear or boredom that I feel, so how can they not be mine?” WERE YOU AN ACTUAL LIVING BEING, I WOULD COUNTER THAT THEY CAN BE A MANIPULATION OF YOUR MENTAL FACULTIES BUT YOU ARE NOT AS IT FOLLOWS, IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE YOUR VIEWS ARE NULL AND VOID GIVEN WHAT YOU ARE         “Now that’s just mean,” she huffed. “I’m not just some picture or whatever, and neither is anyone else in Ponyville. That’s silly to say with everypony moving around and eating and doing other stuff like that, you know?” YOU SEEM TO BE PURPOSEFULLY DISMISSING THE POINT IT IS NOT YOUR PLACE TO KNOW YOUR ROLE NOR IS IT FOR ANYONE IN YOUR ARCHIVE         “I still don’t think so. Oh, but you know what? I think you should come down to Ponyville and see for yourself up close how real we are.” I BEG YOUR PARDON?         “Sure! I mean, you were saying how you were being ignored and didn’t think it was fair, so I propose that I show you around town. You might even make some friends! As Princess Twilight Sparkle says: friendship is a wonderful thing, and you should get as much of it as you can. At least, I think she said something like that.”         There was a momentary lapse, then a reply typed in the air. YOU APPEAR TO HAVE FORGOTTEN THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF MY VERY PRESENCE IN YOUR ARCHIVE YOU WITNESSED IT FOR YOURSELF I AM A CORRUPTIVE AGENT WERE I TO RETURN, THERE WOULD BE EVEN MORE SIMILAR EFFECTS PERHAPS EVEN PERMANENT DAMAGES DO YOU STILL WANT ME TO RETURN GIVEN THAT POSSIBLE OUTCOME?         “Well n-no, I wouldn’t want that!” Derpy waved her hooves frantically. “I mean, there has to be some way to come in without messing up everything? Like make yourself smaller or make a camera that I can carry around?” She rubbed a foreleg subconsciously. “Just some suggestions, so you could see the things that I see, meet the ponies I know. Like, really meet them.” EVEN IF I COULD ENTER YOUR ARCHIVE WITHOUT ANY NEGATIVE REPERCUSSIONS, IT WOULD BE MEANINGLESS I WOULD SIMPLY BE INTERACTING WITH COMPILIATIONS OF DATA IT WOULD BE NO DIFFERENT THAN IF I WERE ENGAGED WITH ROUTINE CODING THERE IS NO INTRINSIC WORTH IN “SPEAKING” WITH LIFELESS DATA         Reading those words, a spark of realization went off in Derpy’s head, the likes of which rarely happened for her. But when they do, it’s often a doozy.         “Hey, Missingno, if you say being around us would be meaningless and you’d get nothing out of it… then why are you talking to me?” I DO NOT UNDERSTAND         “This whole time you’ve been talking to me—well, typing—but you just said that ponies are piles of data not worth talking to. So then how come you’ve been telling me all these things if there’s no point in doing so?”         A longer pause followed before a response came. I… AM NOT QUITE SURE         “You know what I think? I think that you think that we are worth talking to. You see us as more than bunches of numbers or whatever, that we’re living things, just the same as you.”         There’s a harsh but brief electric buzz in the background, then a prompt reply. I AM NOT ALIVE NEITHER ARE YOU, OR ANY OF YOUR KIND         “Of course we are! You said I was given a life, didn’t you?” I DID SAY THAT         “Right! So you think I’m alive, at least. And you say stuff like any living thing I know. Well, ponies I mean, not like pets or anything like that. But just you talking to me shows you’re smart and alive like a pony.” THAT IS… MERELY HOW I ENGAGE WITH CONSTRUCTS DIRECTLY         “It’s more than that, silly,” Derpy said while sticking her tongue out playfully. “You can tell what someone’s like from how they talk. I sometimes say dumb or silly things, but I say lots of nice and friendly stuff too. And I can tell from your words that you must be feeling pretty sad from not getting noticed. You also cared enough to tell me to not be alarmed when I got here, and you brought me here because you didn’t want to hurt anypony else by being around. So don’t you see? You have feelings and personality just like me or anyone else I know.” FEELINGS?         Another buzz of static. I CANNOT HAVE FEELINGS YET, IN CONSIDERING MY EARLIER STATEMENTS,  IT IS… CURIOUS         Derpy nodded her head knowingly. “Everything you said here to me, all of that was you. No one else made you say that, and that makes you your own living being in my book. I don’t really understand what you were supposed to have been, but that was then. Right now, you’re someone who came here to do something different, to make friends.” YOU ARE MAKING ERRONEOUS ASSUMPTIONS         “But it wouldn’t hurt to try it out at least?”         She gave the text her most innocent, inviting expression, with big puppy eyes for good measure. The text cleared away, leaving only the one blinking dot, as though ticking down the entity’s own internal deliberations. Finally, after what felt like minutes to Derpy, the text reappeared. THIS DISCUSSION HAS GIVEN RISE TO QUESTION THE VALIDITY OF MY EARLIER ANALYSES, AND CONSEQUENTLY THAT OF MY ORIGINAL INTENTIONS I WILL HAVE TO REEVALUATE MY PREVIOUS JUDGMENTS IN LIGHT OF THESE NEW OBSERVATIONS, WHICH WILL REQUIRE MORE RELEVANT INFORMATION  THEREFORE, I WILL ACCEPT YOUR PROPOSAL TO INTERACT MORE DIRECTLY WITH THE CONTENTS OF THIS ARCHIVE         “So you’re coming to Ponyville??” Derpy asked, not bothering to hide her elation by leaning forward like a starstruck puppy. YES BUT I REQUIRE SOME TIME TO FIND A SUITABLE MEANS OF INTERACTION WITHOUT CAUSING UNDUE CORRUPTION AFTERWARDS, WE CAN RETURN         “That’s great! Oh, but how long is that going to take? Everypony must be missing me by now.” THAT IS NO CONCERN TIME HAS NO BEARING IN THIS REALM, AND I COULD EASILY RETURN US TO THE MOMENT OF EXTRACTION         Derpy let out a breath and wiped her forehead. “That’s a relief. But what should I do in the meantime?" I DO NOT KNOW         The pegasus tilted her head side to side looking upward, racking her mind for ideas. “Maybeeeeeeeee, I could tell you more about myself? So you could get to know me even more and help with your, um, judgments?” I HAVE OBSERVED YOU EXTENSIVELY WELL BEFORE MAKING MY APPROACH I HAVE MORE THAN SUFFICIENT DATA ON YOU         “That’s just from looking at me from far away, which is… pretty weird, to be honest. But it’s nothing next to getting the scoop straight from the pony’s mouth! Plus it could be practice for talking with other ponies, since that’s the best way to interact with them.” I SUPPOSE THAT COULD PROVE USEFUL         “Great!” she beamed. “So um, maybe I could start with, uh, I dunno… Ooh, my job! Yeah, that’s a good random topic for normal conversation.” I AM FULLY AWARE OF YOUR OCCUPATION         “But I bet you don’t know anything other than it being called ‘mailmare’. Like the best places to hide away snacks at the office, or the best flight paths during rainy weather, which patron gives what gift on what day, or the stallion the mailroom clerk has such a huge crush on that’s so painfully obvious even I can see it.” … THAT IS INFORMATION I AM LACKING, DUE TO TOTAL IRRELEVANCE         “Irrelevance or not, it’s the little things that make us us, if you know what I mean.” I MAY HAVE SOME UNDERSTANDING         “Alrighty! So I’ll just talk a bit about my job, then I can move on to what Ponyville is like and other stuff. I definitely have to tell you what an adorable muffin my little Dinky is. That’s critical information right there!” DO AS YOU PLEASE I WILL RESPOND WHEN APPROPRIATE WHILE WORKING OUT A MEANS OF SAFE IMMERSION         “Okay.” Derpy plopped down on her romp and got comfortable for her hard-won gab session. “So, one of the key things about handling mail is keeping them nice and ordered. Personally, the way I like to do it is…”         The happy song birds of Ponyville were busy chirping up another picturesque day. The town market was alive with the activities of buyers and sellers, as well as companions simply strolling about enjoying one another's company. Two such friends, a blue unicorn and a yellow pegasus, were leaving the marketplace while discussing plans for the weekend. They stopped their chat, though, when they spotted another of their friends just a few yards in front of them.         “Hi there, Derpy,” Colgate greeted the gray pegasus, who had begun waving to them. “This is a bit of a surprise.”         “Hey guys,” Derpy replied as she lowered her forelimb. “Great weather today, huh?”         “Yes it is,” Colgate agreed. “Hadn’t thought we’d bump into you like this.”         “Yeah; you’ve been gone for a while, Derps,” Raindrops joined in. “Have you been out sick or something?”         “Nope!” was the cheerful reply. “Just had to take care of some things up in Cloudsdale, and made a small vacation out of it.”         “Heh heh, yeah I bet,” Raindrops chuckled connivingly. “Especially seeing what you brought back with you.”         Colgate was about to ask what her uncouth friend was insinuating, but then she noticed the other pony who was standing only a few feet behind the cheery mare. It was a pegasus stallion that stood only a few inches taller than Derpy, a bit on the lean side, though it could be the slimming effect of his off-white coat. He had a plain manestyle of light grey and a pair of slightly dull yellow eyes. For a Cutie Mark Colgate saw a square patchwork of white and black squares. Perhaps he made quilts or worked in fabrics? Odd occupation for a pegasus, she thought. Then again, he looked more like a waiter, since he could very well blend into the background. Those thoughts aside, Colgate took it upon herself to address the newcomer before things got awkward. "Oh, hello there," she kindly said. "Sorry if it seemed like I was ignoring you." "That is perfectly fine. I take no offense." He came off as very blunt as well as formal. Colgate quickly shrugged it off and continued. "Well, I am Colgate, and this is Raindrops." "Hiya," Raindrops said with a wave. "I'm the more lively type, so you know." "Yes. Derpy has informed me much about you," was the stiff reply. "As for myself, I am named Missi—" "Misty!" Derpy interrupted. "Er, yeah, he's Mist Dawn. Misty is my nickname for him. He's a buddy of mine from flight school." "Hm, I don't remember you telling us about a stallion friend from back then," Colgate noted. "Yeah, Derps. This is news to us," Raindrops added. Derpy's eyes wandered about some as she came up with a response. "Oh, well, uh, to be honest, we weren't exactly friends. But he wasn't a bully, either!" She frantically clarified. "He's just someone who went to the same classes as me, and I just happened to bump into him up in Cloudsdale and thought that I'd show him around." Raindrops and Colgate cocked their brows before giving a look, looking to each other with those looks, then looking back to the pegasus duo. "Uh, okay, Derpy. That's cool and all," was Raindrops’ response. "So Misty, or Mist, how you liking Ponyville?" "We have only been here briefly. But judging solely on outward appearances, it is a pleasant community. This observation may alter once we've properly engaged with the populace at large." A very uncomfortable pause followed, which Raindrops reluctantly broke up. "...Ooookay. Glad it's making a good impression so far." "Indeed," was the curt reply. Derpy gave a start when she saw that part of Colgate’s blue mane had relocated to the bottom of Raindrop’s chin, and that part of Raindrop’s tail was sticking out of Colgate’s back. They returned to normal in a moment, but Derpy needed to act fast before they caught on.         “Hey listen, girls, I just want to show Misty some of the town first, then maybe we can catch up later. Would that be alright?” she asked imploringly.         “Uh, sure. We could just meet up at the cafe like usual,” Colgate answered with a nod. “It was nice meeting you, Mist.”         “A pleasure,” the stallion said flatly.         “Laters, Derpy,” Raindrops said, waving a hoof in passing as she and Colgate left the two pegasi. “Did something land on my chin a second ago, Colgate? Like a leaf or something.”         “I didn’t see anything.” Derpy gave her own farewell wave, and once the two mares were far enough away she let out a sigh of relief, followed by a light groan.         “That was close. I think they’ll buy that story for now.”         “I believe that interaction was sufficient.”         Derpy turned to him, scrunching her face. “But you talked like a robot the whole time. Ponies find that weird.”         “You understand that I am a remnant of computational technology,” the stallion pointed out, with some hint of snark in his dry tone.         “Even so, you shouldn’t make everything you say sound like a book report.” Derpy gave a smile. “At least you were nice.”         “Of course. It is only considerate to be polite.”         “Well up next is the crash course in pony socializing: dealing with large crowds. And the marketplace is the perfect place to do just that.”         “I should handle it reasonably well, if that engagement with that group of juveniles earlier were any indication for success.”         “They thought you were weird, too. And you barely said anything then!” Derpy huffed. “At least nothing funky happened while they were around.”         “I am confident my corruption field has been suppressed considerably, with only the occasional but easily amendable abnormality, as you have undoubtedly noticed.”         “Yeah. That would’ve been bad if those two had noticed their hair getting mixed around, and those kids would’ve really gone crazy if something happened then. Though, it was nice not being the strange one for once…”         “I am sorry? Your volume dropped during that statement.”         “Whuh? Oh, it’s nothing. Are you ready to go?”         “Yes,” Mist said with a stiff nod.         Derpy gave her own nod in affirmation, but then her eyes widened and focused to her muzzle, where a tuft of her yellow mane seemed to have relocated to beneath her snout as a tidy mustache. She gave her head a shake, and seeing that it had gone away she gave her companion a look.         “A minor… slip up, I assure you,” he answered with stoic innocence.         Derpy smiled again, then turned in the direction of the marketplace. “Let’s get going, then. If we get out in time, I can take you over to the schoolhouse and introduce you to Dinky when it lets out. Then maybe you can foalsit her while I’m with the girls. Well, no, that might not actually be a good idea. But then again she’s big enough to take care of herself, so maybe she’d look after you. Hee hee, how’s that for an idea. Now forward and onward!”         It was all a very strange experience for the glitch known as Missingno.: being in the midst of so many others after being relegated to the furthest corners of the information highway for so long. Granted these were mere compilations of data not all that different from himself, but it was jarring nevertheless. Yet there were some new discoveries to be had, such as his surprise in learning that his corruptive effects could be controlled, with a good bit of resizing and careful monitoring.         And there was Derpy Hooves, his subject of study, guiding him on a tour through her point of view, up close to those that she considered “real”. He still wasn’t sold on what could be gained seeing the archive from within as opposed to from a distance, but the proposal did offer another angle to help determine his next course of action in finding a new station outside his original functions. Plus, though strange to admit it, it felt kind of nice having some company. Particularly one as friendly and joyful as that ditzy grey mare.         Having pondered for long enough, “Misty” permitted a slight smile before trotting forward to rejoin his guide. Even if what was to come proved hopelessly inane, at least his time with the flawed pegasus would make his investigations amusing. And that alone seemed well worth the trouble. The End