//------------------------------// // Nerding Out // Story: The Slumber of Gaia // by Khenlos //------------------------------// Well this was an interesting afternoon. After exchanging pleasantries with the diplomats my mother went to sleep, a bit weary after such an hectic day, or so she said. I know she just wanted to escape the ramblings of these politicians. Ah... the wonders of societies, always finding something to argue about. I just sat there, eating some kind of greens that tasted somewhat bland and observed from my privileged position. These creatures argued a lot, but they managed to keep conflicts to a minimum and that baffled me. My own people were very warlike early on their history and I had to work to keep those impulses at bay all my life... and my own too. We all do stupid things when we are young and hot-headed... These were like rivals at worst and family at best. This was an anomaly, and probably a direct result of the strange energy field that permeates all the planet, as unique as the rest of this world. Our initial scans years ago revealed this anomaly as something astronomically unique and impossible, but here it is as real as our own homeworld. Even with years of analysis from orbit couldn't predict how these creatures work... but maybe it's because we were too different. Many of the creatures are based on tri-symmetric life forms and this world on the other hoof it's inhabited by bi-symmetric creatures... like mother and myself. Maybe this disposition changed on how they developed? While I was pondering about this and many other conundrums the time went on and the diplomats left, satisfied with the results of the meeting. Suddenly I felt someone poking my armor. The biggest alicorn, Celestia, was the culprit. She was there just looking at me with a curious expression. "Hello, Prometheus" she said politely. "Hello again, Celestia. Do you need something?" I asked, prepared for any inquiry she could have about me or my people. "Not really, thank you for asking. I was just wondering why you were wearing always that armor" she pointed with her hoof to my power armor. Well... that was a question I was not prepared for. "Er... I don't know, really. I just wear it. It keeps me warm, clean and it's just overall useful to have. It doesn't bother me, really" I said as I moved a bit in the skin-tight suit. Celestia looked at me with a thoughtful expression. "I know I can't force you but I would like to see you out of the armor. I've never seen a male alicorn and I'm very curious about you" she said to me. Well, this I can understand! Scientific curiosity! "Of course, I don't really need it anyways, but it looks... uh... it looks pretty cool" I said, trying to find a good word but... that was it. Power armors are rad and chicks dig rad... right? I pressed a command in my personal computer and the armor teleported itself back to the ship, leaving my glorious self free of its restraints. I felt extremely exposed and when the hair of my fetlocks brushed the floor I knew why I wore my armor all the time. You must understand... when investing your time in quantum theory books and MMORPG raids a person tends to let fashion and other things aside.. Just let me explain, really. It will make sense soon. So, I was born when the climate was pretty cold and my body prepared for this situation. My mother always says that I looked adorable but I think she was just jealous of my thick mass of fur. I mean, look at this coat! But all the fur tends to be in the way of science so I designed suits to cover me and eventually I just wore my power armor at all times. It was also a necessity since my researchers had some health issues when I was in the nude. So! Right now all my thick fur was just released, letting all the wildness of my mother's side shine and making me look like a smaller and furrier version of my mother. In brown. And male. And maybe way too fluffy. Why is Luna looking at me with that weird face? "Is this then acceptable? Its my mark still there? Ah, yes... there it is..." I said as I spotted my mark, a blue sun over the horizon of a grassy field. I saw Celestia also looking at me with a very peculiar expression, like scrunching her face. "Is everything alright? I hope I didn't do anything rude..." "N-no, it's alright. It's just that... you have more common things with your mother than I thought" Celestia said with a forced smile "How so? It's the eyes? I don't think you can see them very well with this curtain I have for mane" I said while blowing some hair up and showing a bit of my face... only for my mane to came down again and obscuring my eyes, my snout being the only part of my face free from my mane's shadow. "Well, you are not what I expected at all, and the same happened with her. That's a pretty strong point on my observations" She said as she looked at me. "You sure look... hairier than any pony I've seen" she said with a critical look "Not saying that it's bad of course, just unusual" "It runs in the family I suppose... is your sister... alright? I think she's vibrating in place... That's pretty awesome by the way..." I said as I saw Luna with the same expression as before and literally moving in place in a somewhat quick frequency. "What do you...? Luna... stop... You are old enough to-" Celestia tried to say as suddenly something with great kinetic force impacted on my side and latched on me in a deathly grip. "Help! I have an unidentified object stuck on me! I require assistance!" I cried out as the kinetic missile started to make a very strange sound. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! It's so fluffy!" A feminine voice said from my side. "Help! A somewhat talking object has latched on me!" I cried, unable to move. "I'm too young to die like this!" The princesses of Equestria were normal ponies, even if they looked different from anypony else. This was a fact, and like any normal ponies they had hobbies and things that they hated and loved. It's widely known that Luna didn't like coffee while Celestia loved it. Celestia had a thing with cakes of almost every flavor while Luna really liked the taste of fine brews like aged wine. All Ponyville knew that their favorite lavender princess had a unhealthy relationship with the local burger joint. There are some things that were naturally more private though, like any other pony in the world. Twilight liked to read adult novels, even if she denies it. Cadence loved to experiment with her husband, not always to his pleasure. Celestia was a undercover prankster and sometimes she pulled pranks so big that even when Discord was in stone the ponies blamed him. Luna had a thing for plush toys. "Oh my gosh, how could this be?" Luna said as she crushed Prometheus in her hug "It's soft and warm..." A wheezing sound came from Prometheus as he was handled like a teddy bear. "Luna, you're asphyxiating him..." Celestia said with a stern voice. Luna gasped loudly and let him go, making him crash on the floor... very softly thanks to his thick coat. "I've seen the light..." he gasped as he tried to regain his voice "... need... air..." "Luna, what do you have to say for yourself?" asked Celestia to her sister. "I'm so sorry Prometheus. I don't know what happened. I didn't want to harm you..." Luna said while looking a bit sad. Prometheus just wiggled one of his forelegs. "It's alright... let us say... it was for... science..." he said while trying to sit down "...alicorn hugs... are strong...stronger than... mother's at least..." Luna blushed in embarrassment, but didn't get up from her place, side to side with Prometheus. He was busy tapping something on his foreleg and didn't acknowledged her presence once she released him. Celestia looked at the scene with a smirk. 'I think Gaia was right. Luna looks like a schoolfilly right now. This material is too good...' she thought as her smirk turned into a sinister smile. Prometheus was mumbling to himself while tapping his leg and Luna scooted closer with a curious expression on her face. "What... are you doing?" she asked while peeking over his side. "I'm using my personal computer to write annotations about this unexpected encounter. I take note on everything I experience for future study and scenarios for the betterment of my people and to improve myself" he said as he kept tapping "Right now I'm typing about this unexpected kinetic attack and its effects, small as they were, in my body" he explained. Luna raised an eyebrow. "Effects?" she innocently asked. "Of course. My body temperature raised sightly, mostly around my cheekbones. My body felt heavier and some strange sensations ran and still run around my midsection and chest and my neocortex is experiencing some delays of performance resulting in poor system behavior" He said. Luna looked confused at this strange reply. "What?" "He's saying that he is blushing and his train of thought is slowed down. A rather common thing from stallions in certain situations, little sister" Celestia explained as she walked around them with a smirk on her face"Nothing to be worried about" "Truly? Well then, tell me about this 'personal computer'" Luna asked, ignoring Celestia's strange and unnerving smile. "Oh it's just a small device, hardly something uncommon these days among my people..." Prometheus said as he looked sideways to Luna. He blushed at her confused expression and coughed a bit "What I mean to say is... this device makes our lives useful. Can be a text editor to take notes or redact documents, play videogames and the like and also be used as a communication device, sending emails and also audio and video streams for personal affairs" he explained. "Streams?" Luna asked as she and Celestia looked baffled at the tiny thing on his leg, as he tapped the semitransparent interface drawn on him. "Like... for example. If my mother has something like this on her I could call her and see her face in this holographic display, talking as if we were face to face. Even if she is on the other side on the planet. Pretty neat, right?" He said with some smugness in his voice. "Fascinating. Please tell me more. How about these 'videogames' you talked about?" Luna asked. Prometheus smiled almost like Pinkie Pie. "Sure! There are many genres and kinds of videogames, like books! You have adventure; roleplaying games, action, sports... Everything you can think of, there is a game of it. Even life!" he said as he tapped and slided his hoof at incredible speed. "Why would somepony play a game about life? That sounds redundant" Luna said as he stared confused at the pictures and text speeding on the display. "Wish fulfillment, theoretical scenarios, boredom... Imagine that you could make yourself as you want and try to do things differently... or just create random... uh... ponies, and see what happens. Sometimes with hilarious results" Prometheus said as he kept searching for something. "Like what?" Celestia asked. "Well, like a pony setting his house on fire by making breakfast and then urinating himself because the bathroom now is burned to cinders" He explained, to the horror of both alicorns. "That's horrible, and you should feel bad to think that's somewhat funny" Celestia scolded "I call it 'poetic justice'. How can you burn breakfast anyways?" He said "Aha! there we go!" Prometheus said as he tapped on some colorful icon with buildings and devices of a disparity of styles and, apparently, technology. "What is this?" Luna asked as he leaned more on Prometheus. He smiled proudly. "This is one of my favorite games. I downloaded it and translated it from a planet of interesting creatures with a wide selection of games. We passed through the neighborhood and downloaded part of their global databases. This beauty was between the data and I fell in love with its concept" he said as the game was loading on screen. "What's the name of this game?" Celestia asked. "Civilization!" Prometheus said as the screen showed a planet closing in as music played along.