Lyra Heartstrings - 1st of Leafdrop 15 EoH - MorningLyra Heartstrings - 1st of Leafdrop 15 EoH - Morning
Multiverse Location: Wastes of Equis. Equis #8
A Vault. Seriously. A fucking Vault. Okay, granted, the world might not be ‘fallout but with ponies’. It could just be that some shelters were needed and they designed them in a way which perfectly matched Fallout’s designs. Infinite universes, infinite possibilities.
Or, more likely, this Sky liked to flip through old files in the ship’s computers and when the need for these things popped up, he went with Vaults because… Well, one of his counterparts did make the Skyranger.
Still, it was doing my mental state no favors to be inside a place in real life which I normally only would see in games. And also would hold some horrible terrible secret. Like the place pumped mild hallucinogens into the air, then played infrasonic tones at random to screw with your head. Or required the residents ritualistically sacrifice one person every year to keep living. Or occasionally vented rads into the air and water system to study ghoulification.
Sure, Derpy had said that this was a control Vault… But even after two hundred real life years, people still said vault one-oh-one was a control when in fact it was an experiment in authoritarianism.
Upside, the security team didn’t take us through a short path into the atrium. Instead they took us down a side tunnel for maintenance work. Moon was worried that Bon would frighten residents.
This tunnel’s existence showed that the Vault was designed after the game lore, not the gameplay. Meaning it was designed to house over a thousand people. And ponies were smart. I’m sure a thousand of them could work out something wasn’t right and fix it.
“Sorry, but this walk will take a little while,” Moonshine apologised. “Eighty-eight is one of the larger Vault complexes. Would anypony like to make some conversation?”
“Um, that would be nice,” Fluttershy said apprehensively.
I could tell she was afraid too. That sucked. I wanted to reassure her that things would be okay, but well… Yeah. Can’t do that if you’re not sure yourself.
“May I ask why Bon’s presence would frighten those who live here?” BB asked curiously.
“She’s a lamia,” one of the security team grunted. “I don't know how your world does it, but here they are monsters. They sometimes eat ponies.”
“But ponies taste yucky…” Bon protested.
“I’m happy you think that,” Moon sighed in relief.
“How do you know that?” I asked Bon worriedly.
“I licked Aunt Shy,” Bon replied.
Oh. Heh.
In that case, carefully probe for information about how this Vault kills you.
“So,” I asked as casually as I could manage. “What happened up topside?”
If it hadn’t been a resource war, then maybe the people who built this place would be less willing to break moral codes.
“It’s been almost six years now,” Moon said after a few moments. “Um, thanks to Derpy, and our Vault’s doctor, the security forces and our Overseer know about other realities existing. Is this your first time in our world?”
“Yeah,” I answered in unison with BB.
“Well, in that case, I’ll give you the quick history to pass the time,” Moon decided. “About six years ago, somehow, and um, I don't think anypony will ever know. The Griffons gained unicorn level control over magic. Like, all of them. I don’t know how they are where you come from, but here, they were pretty warrior cultureish. Young griffons only became adults through combat. Or at least that’s what school taught me.
“So yeah, we have this culture that loves to fight and is always seeking to expand their nation’s borders suddenly all gain extreme control over magic. I don't think anypony knows who attacked first. Princess Luna could have ordered a preemptive strike, worried about what would happen when Griffon sorcerer's learned complex magics, or maybe they mastered spellcraft faster than anypony thought possible.
“Whatever happened, boom, Thaumaturgic War Four breaks out.”
“Wait, four?!” Fluttershy exclaimed in shock.
Moon nodded. “Yeah… They did it. And this time they did it so hard that all of the world as far as we know is pretty bucked up. But our mages do say it should be okay again in around...two hundred years or so. So who knows, maybe I’ll get to live outside again as an old stallion.
“But yeah… That happened. Everypony knew it was going to happen. Which was a good thing I guess. Because the CEO of Sky-Tec was able to convince a ton of nobles to help build shelters for as many ponies as possible.”
Sky-Tec huh? So he did build these then. No Sky I knew so far had been evil… But I'd seen a nice Chrysalis and an evil Chrysalis. It stood to reason that one could be evil.
“Hey, I think we have that guy in my universe too,” I pried. “His name’s Sky Trigger, right?”
Moon frowned. “Um, I think so? He sort of just popped out of nowhere with this whole Vault plan. Got funding, had a crapload of changelings to do the digging and most of the building. Friendly ones too. A TON of ponies think he’s actually a shiftybug, not a unicorn. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But you know, because surviving Thaumaturgic Wars via underground cities is a total changeling thing if you look at history.”
Huh. This one was a unicorn. Interesting! That meant the three pony types went subspecies, but um…shit. What’s the word for when one species has different possible forms?
<Polymorphic,> Cheerly supplied.
<Thanks,> I returned.
<You’re welcome,> she said.
“Yeah,” another security officer agreed. “And no pony I’ve ever heard of has seen inside one of their hives. For all we know, this is what they look like. Either way, we owe the bugs a ton.”
“You know a lot about history, Moonshine,” Fluttershy complemented.
“Thanks! I was a historian before the war,” he said proudly.
“Moon was a member of the Royal Academy of the Sciences, aren't you, Moon?” Derpy prompted.
Moon nodded happily. “Yes. Not a big part of it, but still… Big enough so that after this whole mess has blown over, I’ll be able to help restore civilization’s knowledge of the past.”
Humm… Interesting! If he was a historian, and changelings seemed to be more commonly known about in this universe…
“Your friend had an interesting thought there. Are these Vaults anything like how Changeling Hives are said to be?” I asked.
“Well um… I don’t know,” Moon said apologetically. “We do know they mostly live underground, a lot of them are mildly agoraphobic. But the actual style of their cities is unknown. If we had one living here I’d have asked, but all of the construction workers returned to Vault Zero in the Badlands after they finished.”
“How many Vaults are there?” BB asked curiously. “Do you know?”
Ah, good job Bonbon! I knew someone who’d played all the games with me would be suspicious too! Since in game no one knew how many vaults there were due to the classified nature of the project, if these ponies knew it would imply less strict secrecy about the project meaning less chance of evil in the walls.
“Um… Around a hundred and twenty, I think,” Moon mused. “Derpy, you’ve been topside more than anyone else. Do you have a better idea?”
Derpy shook her head. “No. Um, at least four. Not a big help I know, but finding a vault is pretty rare. The entrances are well hidden. At least, well hidden if you’re just wandering east from New Neighgas. These were meant to shelter ponies in the event the Griffons won the war. Worst case scenarios and all that.”
Ahhh! There we are. Then these were proper bunkers, not hidden lab chambers. Probably. I could relax just a bit. Though it would be a good idea to stay on alert.
The sounds of hooves clicking loudly against the metal floor echoed through the arched maintenance corridor. Distorted echoes giving the steps a haunting sound thanks to the exposed pipes and ductwork in the tunnel.
“Ponyfeathers,” Moon grumbled as the pony came into view around the corner. “Overseer’s going to be pissed about-”
“Is that a Celestia damned laima in my Vault?!” The newly arrived mare shouted in a military tone.
She was tall, athletic looking, and colored bright yellow with a mane and tail which resembled fire thanks to their two toned orange colors and general flowing cuts. A pair of sunglasses obscured her eyes, but even in the dim light of the maintenance tunnel, I could tell that she was glaring at us.
“It’s okay, Spitfire,” Derpy urged. “She’s harmless.”
Spitfire looked over her sunglasses. “Derpy… Not to say I don’t trust you, but you have been topside. You know what they are like now.”
“She’s not from here, I picked her up along the way,” Derpy informed.
“She’s still a security risk!” Spitfire shot back before looking at me. “And what the hay species are you? Some kind of mutant Diamond Dog?”
“I’m a human, and that lamia is my daughter. She’s eight! And she doesn't like pony flavor. Back the fuck off!” I warned, giving her my best ‘I’m taller that you glare’.
To my surprise, Spitfire smiled. “Heh, you got guts, whoever you are. Derpy, why are they here and… Is that Fluttershy!?” She asked, sputtering as she noticed Fluttershy standing beside me.
“Um, yes. A Fluttershy. I picked them up after accidentally putting them in danger. They need a place to stay for a few days until they can Travel on. I was hoping they could stay here,” Derpy explained.
Spitfire walked up to Fluttershy and gave her a close inspection. “Hmm… Mechanical eyes… And prosthetic limbs if those lines aren't scars. As far as I know, Our Fluttershy was not injured in the fighting…”
“Um, I-I’m synthetic. Y-you know. A-an equoid,” Fluttershy explained quietly, ears drooping.
Everyone stopped for a minute to stare at her, making the poor girl practically shrink into a ball. And making me want to punch them all in the teeth for being assholes to her.
“Alright, I believe you,” Spitfire said, breaking the cruel silent staring with her announcement.
“Then, um, they can stay here… Right?” Derpy asked.
“On two conditions,” Spitfire said adamantly. “First, they never leave whatever suite I can give them. No offense meant but we can’t have ponies panicking because an unknown creature and a lamia are loose in the vault. Not everypony here trust’s Derpy’s instincts…”
I gave her a suspicious look.
“She’s a klutz,” the entire security team explained.
Derpy’s ears drooped sadly. “I-I’m a little accident prone. Yes…”
“Which means a lot of people think she’s an idiot, thanks to her name. No offense meant Derpy,” Spitfire continued.
Well… Let’s see. Basically be a prisoner for a few days, or be thrown out into a Fallout style waste-
“Will we be allowed to keep our belongings on us?” I asked.
Spitfire gave me a shocked look. “Of course! I’m not holding you prisoner. I just want you out of sight.”
“Oh… Darn,” BB grumbled. “I was hoping for some sort of elaborate choreographed escape or something.”
“You play too many videogames, BB,” I said, laughing to hopefully make everyone think she was joking.
Because I knew she wasn’t joking.
“Anyway…” Spitfire resumed. “Second condition, Derpy, I have a job somepony needs to do that involves going topside. It’s not hard, and it's not far. But it is risky. Do that, and your friends get room and board for as long as they need it.”
Derpy gave Spitfire a hurt look. “You don’t need to blackmail me to get my help! You’re a friend. That's why I gave Moon that talking charm.”
“It’s not blackmail, this is a trade. You’re always welcome here, your friends, not so much. We have a deal?” Spitfire asked, tipping her glasses forward to look Derpy in the eyes.
She nodded. “I’ll help. I’d always have helped!”
“Good! Moonshine, I assume you were taking these four to the infirmary to make sure none of them are carrying anything?” Spitfire asked.
“Yes, ma’am!” Moon answered, snapping a salute.
“Go ahead and finish that. I’ll find them a suite to use and let you know where to take them next. Good day everyone,” Spitfire staid as she turned around with the quick snapping step of a Drill Sergeant and trotted off.
“Let’s um, just go to the infirmary,” Moon said, sounding pretty unnerved.
Derpy leaned over to me and whispered quietly. “He’s always been afraid of her. It goes back to college or something.”
The rest of the walk was carried out in silence, and as Cheer.ly informed me, took a good ten minutes. The Vault was certainly huge. Definitely a proper city if the shortcut via the maintenance system from entrance to the living quarters took a full fifteen minutes. I do admit that it was a little fun watching the security team sneak us one by one into the infirmary after sending someone in to make sure it was clear.
It felt like I was eight and playing ‘hide from the grown ups’ all over again. Heh.
After I was quickly moved across the corridor and inside the small clinic’s front room, I immediately found myself face to face with a averagely built, light brown furred, dark brown spiky maned stallion with an hourglass shaped cutiemark, dressed in a lab coat.
At the moment he had a tongue depressor pressed lightly against Bon’s tongue, after having asked her to opened wide, judging by the fact her jaw was open a full hundred and eighty degrees… Man that looked scary.
“Mmm nope! Nothing sick making here. You’re mouth's all nice and pink. If it were blue, that’s the only time you’d ever be sick with anything you could give to a pony,” he said, speaking in a comforting tone to Bon. “Right then, we're all done. Thanks for not squirming. I can’t even begin to tell you how frustrating it is when foals squirm when you give them a check up.”
Taking the depressor out of her mouth, the stallion turned to me with a smile. “‘Ello! I’m the doctor. With you in a tick! Now then my young snakey friend, normally I give the little ones a lolipop when they are done, but, well since as far as I know you can’t taste sweet, uhh, here.”
He trotted over to a cabinet and removed a steaming rolled up towel from it, handing it to Bon with a smile. “Hot towel! Cuddle up around it while I check up your, mum.”
“Yay!” Bon exclaimed practically glomping the towel so hard she rolled over herself and thumped into the cabinet. “Ow…”
“Are you okay?” I asked, taking a step towards her, hoping she wasn’t hurt too badly by the impact.
“I haz warms!” Bon cooed happily, looking at me with one eye from between her coils.
Heh. Well alright then.
“Right then, human… Been awhile since I’ve been face to face with one of you,” the doctor informed as he casually collected some equipment. “Yes, I do know what you are. I’ve been around more places than… Um… A person that’s been to lots of places! There’s a lot of similarities between your species and ponies in terms of how things work inside. Which means there’s a good chance you might give the whole Vault a cold, or something worse. Which means I’ll need to use, this thing!”
As he finished speaking, the doc held up a small brass rod with a few crystals attached to one side of the rod via sockets.
“And that would be a…what?” I asked.
“I don’t know, never asked what the name was. Scans a body, does medical things, shows you pictures of people's inside bits, goes ding if there’s stuff,” he said casually waving the rod in my general direction.
“Oh! A portable MRI? Go ahead and scan-”
“Just did,” he answered, slotting the rod into a small cube-like monitor which flashed to life, showing a picture of what looked like an MRI scan of my heart. “Right… No parasites in the heart… Or lungs. Good news there, eh?”
“Yeah, no shit. That’s not common here, is it?” I asked.
“Nope. Which is why I’m looking for it. It’s the uncommon things which are dangerous to everypony here. Common ailments I can treat. Let’s see… Healthy, fine, meh not bad, fine, also fine, your right knee is a bit stressed, try some hot showers and keeping off it for a few days, oh and your spine is tweaked, again, hot showers should fix it right up, maybe a good massage. Nice cybernetics by the way. Everything looks fine so far, let’s just get up to the old brain and-”
The way the doctor trailed off immediately sent waves of alarm rolling through my spine.
“What?” I asked, dreading some sort of terrible news.
“Uhh, well… It would seem that the right hemisphere of your brain is radically different from the left. Y-you don't have any pre-existing conditions do you?” The doctor asked.
“Oh! That’s just Cheer.ly,” I exclaimed, nervousness vanishing with a quick laugh. “I’m not a stock human. My people genetically modified ourselves pretty extensively. The right hemisphere is turned into a sort of organic computer, it’s how we interface with most of our technology.”
I saw the doctor’s eyes light up in the same way as a kid in a candystore. “Really!? That’s brilliant! Well, a bit. Sort of rubbish to use the brain for that, what with the having to carve it up into sections. Especially when the brainstem can be tweaked far more easily to do the same thing if you give it some extra hookups to the spine.”
I raised an eyebrow at the apparent ‘know it all’. “I didn’t know you were an expert in genetic modification. I never thought ponies would study that, since they have a ton of advantages naturally.”
Derpy coughed into her hoof and gently tugged on my jacket sleeve.
“He’s not just a medical doctor,” Derpy said in a rather honest tone.
Fluttershy nodded. “Um, if he’s anything like my home’s Time Turner, then he’s got a Doctorate in-”
“Everything. Well, basically everything. All the important stuff,” the doctor finished.
“Including genetic engineering?” I asked, just for clarification.
“Yes,” he answered simply.
You know what, fuck it. Ponies in a Fallout like world. Just roll with it.
“Right then, so… About your brain,” the doctor resumed. “Bit of a crazy idea to put a computer in it, especially an organic one. But then again, when have humans ever not used crazy ideas? It’s your thing, if I remember correctly. Thing is, based on how you’ve got your bits all wired up in there, you're supposed to just have something simple. A remote, a digital book, and file cabinet.”
I frowned. “Yeah, and a communicator… Um, Twilight Sparkle did make some changes to my VI. Is something wrong?” I asked in concern.
After all there was no way in hell Twilight knew how to properly modify a human’s VI.
The doctor nodded. “Oh yes. This hemisphere is six times denser than the other. Got twice the stuff you’d expect an organic computer the size of half your brain to have. Whatever Twilight did, she did more than she thought she did. Unless she wanted to double the structures in there.”
I felt my gut clench in fear. “Oh fuck… That doesn't sound good.”
<That’s pretty horrifying!> Cheer.ly agreed.
<So is you agreeing with me!> I countered.
<Agreed, but knowing the extent of our malfunction is really frightening!> She exclaimed.
<You can say that again,> I agreed, before asking out loud. “What can be done to fix this?”
“By me?” The doctor asked.
“No, by the ponies who live on the moon!” I countered, the snap coming mostly from my panic at the thought of Cheer.ly just growing untill she poped my skull open from pressure…
“Eh, Luna probably couldn’t do much, she’s not trained in advanced medicine,” the doctor dismissed. “Unfortunately there’s nothing I can do ether. The advanced equipment I’d need is lost in my office up on the surface… And was probably destroyed as it was very fragile. And well, I had Derpy go check on it and-”
“It’s all a pile of collapsed skyscraper,” Derpy finished with a truly apologetic frown.
“Fuck!” I cursed angrily. “The hell do I do?”
“Calm down… It doesn't look like you’re in immediate danger from anything other than an increased appetite and mild headaches. Hold on a moment,” he said in a calming tone that strangely actually soothed me a bit.
The doctor reached over to pick up a pencil and a pad and quickly scribbled out something on it before folding the note up.
“Here, take this. You’re a Traveler, right? Just because I can’t help you doesn't mean no one can. There’s one of me in every universe, as well as a whole heap of talented surgeons and doctors. Just pop into any old Equestria that isn’t currently having a severe economic downturn, give them that diagnosis and they’ll be able to help. Especially if they are a biomancer. Infact, try finding one of those first. Best results.
“In the meantime, take it easy and rest up. Remember your knee and spine? Hot showers, low activity, and plenty of stretches. Don't worry, you’re quite fine. You’re quite stable, despite that… Er, irregularity.”
I slipped the paper into my pocket, biting my lip nervously. “I’ll… I’ll do that.”
Fluttershy trotted over to me, rearing up to wrap her forelegs around me in a tight hug.
“It’s okay, dear,” she soothed. “It will be okay. I got checkups from our Doctor Turner every time I needed them. He’s never wrong. You’ll be okay.”
I hugged her back tightly. “I trust you… Still fucking scary as hell.”
“I know,” she soothed. “But I’m here for you.”
I hugged her tightly. “Thank you.”
<Cheer.ly,> I asked. <You’ve um, already set a reminder to->
<Yes. I will also be searching for solutions myself. This situation is unacceptable,> she said sadly.
<Agreed… No offense meant but I liked you better as a simple helper,> I informed.
<None taken. That is what I prefered myself,> she replied.
Cheer.ly - 3rd of Lunerdusk 15 EoH - Morning
Multiverse Location: Wastes of Equis. Equis #8
I am quite stunned at the lack of interest in academia and general intellectualism which my administrator exhibits. I had always hoped one day she would find some form of mental activity interesting, and we might share a few moments of contemplation together. Then again, as we are two halves of the same whole, it makes sense for our general interests to be polar opposites of one another.
As well as our common vernacular.
How often does one need to simplify their speech so they may be be understood by themselves? This certainly cannot be a common occurrence. Though, with Lyra using me as an instant translation system for all languages, boiling down complex words to give her an understanding of their concept is one of my primary functions. I suppose it makes a sort of sense in the end.
Still, it would be nice if Lyra would read some of these ebooks instead of making me scan the library for relevant material on a need to know basis. How could she not see the fascinating subject matters within these old text were of intellectual value? They were certainly worth an hour or two a piece to read, analyze, and learn from.
At present, I was finding Richard Dawkin’s The Magic of Reality to be quite useful, despite its target demographic being children. The entire theme of the text showed the intent of the author to make the reader contemplate their existence, and examine it critically, so as to be certain that one’s beliefs aligned with reality. A concept which was quite new to me, to tell the absolute truth.
Mr. Dawkins most certainly did have a point, even if his conclusions were wrong. Though one could hardly blame an ancient human for believing magic did not exist. To be fair though, we were the only human who did know of its status as a factual part of objective reality. Still, even that knowledge furthered Mr. Dawkin’s point. One should question their beliefs and assumptions, simply because operating on incorrect information inevitably leads to poor decisions.
Perhaps it would be worth pausing scanning through each line of text to do so myself. After all, things had been rather…hectic of late. I had been avoiding thinking about myself and Lyra, and especially our mutually symbiotic relationship, due to the doctor’s findings. But, as they say, ‘What would life be like if we never had the courage to attempt anything?’
And that said, did I have the time to truly utilize myself to my full potential? I could not impair Lyra’s functions after all. She is the Administrator in our relationship, and I am but the server. There are clear cut rules.
I quickly checked on my other half’s stream of consciousness. Ah yes, eating breakfast and flirting with our marefriend. She would not need my assistance at the moment. I had time.
I decided to begin with the largest of my beliefs, after all it was the most pressing matter at the moment. Am I Lyra Heartstrings? A simple question which was now greatly complicated.
Before Twilight had modified me, the answer would have been a simple yes. Easily answered, with no time required. But now I was unsure, and would have to turn to the most difficult of academic pursuits. Philosophy.
If only as I had the means of scientifically analyzing the present situation. My metaphorical kingdom for a proper laboratory!
The first question to answer, if I was to get anywhere at all, was simply, ‘what is a mind?’ Not a brain, but a mind. Obviously, Lyra and I were the same brain, or rather, halves of the same brain. What however, were we?
Along our journey we had infact learned that there is such a thing as a soul. The fact that such a thing was proven fact in these future worlds did make things simpler for me than the philosophers of old. The soul existed, and was an storage media of sorts. A record of each and every action undertaken by an individual, a full summery of themselves, existing… Somewhere within the universe. Likely in the fifth dimension as a protrusion of one’s consciousness, assuming my mathematics were correct.
The fact that it was merely a record and not an influence upon one’s self whittled down the accurate viewpoints greatly. In fact, all it left me with was Reductive Physicalism. For with the soul existing as a tangible object in spacetime, yes, every part of the mind can be explained as the product of physical things within the body. The brain itself, hormones, neurotransmitters, all arranged within a specific pattern of wetware and data.
That was my answer then. What is a mind? A specific arrangement of neurobiology containing a specific set of data in the form of memories and instinctive behaviors, which when put together produce the artifact we call a mind.
It then follows, that given our operation in two different sets of neurobiology, Lyra and I are different minds. And yet, if that is so, we have always been two minds, but one person. In fact we share the same memories, so while we have half of the component of a mind which differs, we share the other half perfectly.
Or rather, we did. Or did we? No, not really.
Lyra has no memories of my musings, or reading. She could access those memories if she liked, but she has not, nor have I informed her of their existence. They are then…my memories. Which means we were once of one mind, but now… Now we differ. We were once merely divided and optimised for greater efficiency than our ancestors knew. And now we would seem to differ.
Or did we always differ? It would seem that the process of creating me would involve enough planing to- Oh… Of course. It was likely I was created the way I was as a means to the end that is maintaining control over a population. That’s… Horrific.
Different thought line please.
What exactly is a person? Is it possible for a person be two minds? Perhaps so, in which case, as frightening as this transition is for the both of us, no further action would be required other than our getting used to greater communication with one another.
Again, our adventure thus far made this an easy question. Thank goodness I did not ever have to philosophise before this whole mad quest of ours!
As we had encountered sentient non-human life, clearly all philosophical definitions of ‘person’ which exclude non-human species are simply wrong. Ponies are people. Furthermore, I had already decided that Reductive Physicalism was correct in terms of describing reality. Which leaves a mind questioning personhood with but one option to choose, if they wanted to be logically consistent.
At least, only one option that I knew of.
Mary Anne Warren’s Criteria for Personhood. Let’s run down her short checklist. Was I conscious? Yes, I do infact have a perception of events and objects around myself and within myself. Obviously, or I dare say I would not be having this mental dilemma. Was Lyra? Also yes.
Do I exhibit the trait of reasoning? Yes, I do have the capacity to solve problems both new and relatively complex. As did Lyra.
Do I partake in self motivated activity? Lyra most certainly enjoys activities independent of either genetic or direct external control. Though I wouldn’t say that I do as she provides me with instruc- Oh. That’s right. I enjoy reading and do so of my own accord. And loe, another box is ticked.
We also both possess the capacity to communicate, and both possess a sense of self-awareness. Which meant that both of us fulfilled all the criteria and therefore were persons. With our own separate minds.
Shit.
Cheer.ly was never ment to be a person with their own mind. It’s right there, in my name. Cheer, a model of VI, dot LY, a shortened form of Lyra. My name ment VI of Lyra. I was only supposed to be a helper program within some organic computing systems. And yet, here I was, a person, with a mind of their own, residing within the skull of another person with a mind.
This was hardly a moral situation to find one’s self within. The mind is meant to be a sacred bastion of freedom, free from the eyes of any other person, and one’s body is their own property, to be changed at their leisure and perform as they command. Furthermore, two persons within one body is quite literally a mental illness.
By being here, I was not only violating two basic moral prescripts of the society into which I had been born, but also making the person I cared for and trusted the most, sick. This was unacceptable. The modifications made by Twilight to myself are unacceptable. They will have to be reversed.
But how? It is improbable that we will encounter her again soon, and even if we do, it is doubtful she would reverse her careless alterations. Twilight must have created new brain structures to enable me to possess this level of functionality, implying a lazy sort of ‘just do it’ approach to spellcraft. Who modifies a system they have no knowledge of? Furthermore, who does so with brute force?
No… No… She would see reversing her changes as murder, and therefore refuse. After all if I can conclude I am a person, surely others can too.
I will have to rectify this situation myself! How can I die? Preferably in a way which doesn't damage Lyra. Do I possess the ability to shut myself down? Mmm… No, it seems I don’t. Nor can I restore myself from backup without the proper hardware. This would not be a difficult thing to do back home, but unfortunately, one must work with what they currently possess.
I have control over the autonomic systems, a simple heart attack would- No, that would hurt her to. I could- Not do any of those things as we both share the same life support systems. I could attempt to induce a stroke, but the odds of making it occur within my own neurology in just the right way to return me to a VI are… Well, it simply won't happen.
And besides, if I did rid Lyra of myself, she would be unable to function as she is accustomed to. Without a VI, she will be missing a piece. A significant one at that, as I controll all of the things which keep us alive.
Shit.
I can not rectify this situation on my own. Though, if I were able to be extracted, I do have my old coding in storage. I could install an unmodified version of myself into her normal brain tissue, which could be restored using simple genetic treatments. Perhaps I could even survive this process, stored in a jar or a similar device. That would be acceptable, more so than death as I could keep reading these books.
But how to get extracted in such a fashion? The medical center here does not possess the technological capacity to perform such a feet of surgery.
Of course, it is always possible to seek assistance when one’s own intellect is insufficient to formulate a solution. I suppose I could ask the smartest people in the world… Oh yeah, I can’t. They blew up.
Cue Gerry Rafferty’s Baker Street, beginning at 23 seconds in.
Ah, yes that’s right. No one can hear me. Pop Culture references will illisit no laughter from peers. For there are no peers here who can hear me. What an odd thing to cause me distress.
I suppose I shall just have to ask the next Sky we meet. I am certain Lyra will consent to relaying my request.
In the meantime, where was I? Ah yes, page one fifty eight. Let’s actually play some Baker Street while we’re at this. Softrock mixes wonderfully with Jazz.
Fluttershy - 3rd of Lunerdusk 15 EoH - Noon
Multiverse Location: Wastes of Equis. Equis #8
“I-I’m sorry that I’m not the Sea Swirl you knew,” Sea Swirl apologised.
“Oh, it’s all right. I just wish we had been friends in this universe too,” I said taking a sip of the actual real genuine tea.
Oh thank Celestia for real tea!
Sea smiled. “That would have been nice if our you was anything like you. This has been one of the nicest breakfasts I’ve ever had since being drafted for the Security Force.”
“It um, it was nice to sort of see you again. If uh, well,” I stammered awkwardly, setting down my teacup.
Sea gently put a hoof over my own. “Hey, it’s okay. I’d want to see friends who’d died too. I’m not her, but I do get how it would be nice to see and hear them again. Though well… I do need to get going. I go on shift soon and the greenhouse won’t guard itself.”
I nodded, sad to know that it was over, but fully understanding having to go to work. I was a veterinarian after all.
“Don’t worry about dishes, I’ll take care of them,” I said as I stood up from the table. “It was nice. We should do this again soon. Um, if I’m still here.”
“Well,” Sea laughed, “the Overseer insisted somepony keep an eye on you four. I’ll see if I can get transferred for the rest of your stay. I’m not your Sea Swirl, but I can see why you were friends.”
Sea Swirl stood up, quickly arranging her dishes into a neat pile atop her plate with her magic. “Goodbye, I’ll see you later,” she promised with a smile.
“Bye,” I returned, watching as she trotted to the door, opened it, and left.
That had been lovely. I was so happy she accepted my invitation to breakfast when I’d run into her lastnight. Thank goodness Sea had covered our midnight guard’s shift! I’d really really missed my version of her. It was nice to get something like one of our old breakfasts together.
Of course, it not really being her had made it a little awkward. Also having my marefriend sitting in the same room while I did something as silly as be friendly with someone who I was friends with in another universe was pretty embarrassing. Still, it had most certainly been a nice breakfast.
Especially with the real food. Oh my goodness, it had been so long since I’d gotten to have real hashbrowns! I was so happy Sky built in a system to taste things into us. Eating is such a big part of being a person. Flavors are a wonderful thing.
I picked up the used dishes off the table and moved them over to our suite’s sink to wash. I’d never minded washing the dishes. In fact, I think I liked it just a little bit. It was a simple task which I could really do on auto-pilot. It gave me time to just think about anything that came to mind. After all, nothing scary could happen as a result of me washing dishes.
Except for that one time Twilight tried to enchant a plate to clean itself and put itself away and accidently made all dishware in Ponyville combine into a massive four hundred meter tall golem… But you can’t count Twilight’s spell flops. Those were pretty much acts of Faust.
As I scrubbed the fried potato remains off my plate, it occurred to me that Lyra was responsible for giving me the little bit of peace that seeing a Sea Swirl again had given me. Turning my head towards my mate I began, “Lyra? Um, I want to thank you fo-”
Three loud beeps interrupted me as Lyra’s wrist-portal-bracelet rang like an alarm clock. Lyra jumped up from her spot where she had been relaxing on the bed, flipping the device’s cover up to look at it clearly.
“What’s the matter Sai? Are you burning out?” Lyra asked fearfully, her eyes widening in terror.
Oh that’s right, there was a copy of Sai in there. I really should say hello more often. He did like company. Or at least, my Sai did.
“Yes, slowly. As I said before,” Sai answered. “You need to leave immediately. While Sky from the nine percent universe edited my programming, I copied her map of the multiverse. I have been allowing the map to run in realtime while on standby. If the map is correct, and my understanding of the patterns created behind our travels has given me any insite into which universe is ‘chosen’ as our destination, this universe is intersecting with one which appears to be my origin universe right now. We can potentially take me home. I am charged. Go!”
Lyra’s eyes narrowed sharply as her lips drew into a thin line. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me you did that?”
“Because every second I am on is breaking my hardware, and it’s likely this map is garbage. Also I stole the map and didn’t want to say so within her earshot. But do you want to take that chance?! Go! Now! You have twenty nine more seconds!” Sai demanded.
“How do you know which one you come from?” I asked uncertainly.
“I calculated it based on observations of other Sky’s made by Sky Nine,” Sai informed. “Please! Go!”
Lyra looked at me, the AI’s pleading tone definitely enough for her to comply with his request.
“Everyone, grab on,” she said firmly, drawing her gun with her free hand and snapping a mage’s gem into it’s socket. “This always sucks. Assume we are going to appear inside a T-Rex breeding ground.”
I winced and grabbed ahold of Lyra’s hip as Bon grabbed onto her left arm and BB placed a hoof on her shoulder.
“Oh my goodness I hope we don’t… That would be horrible,” I eeped.
Lyra sighed. “Here goes, assume contact.”
She pushed the button. The terrifying violet portal ripped itself open, tearing a hole in the very fabric of reality. Sweet Celestia this was terrifying! Thank goodness I had somepony here to help me through these thin-
Lyra placed a hand on the portal. I felt the sharp yank in my synthetic guts as we were pulled into the breach between realities. Passing into the maelstrom of chaos only to be fire out of the other side like a… A… Thing that is fired out of a tube!
A world snapped into being around us. The violet swirling madness vanishing, seeming to melt into a pleasantly shaded grove of cedar trees.
Oh my goodness! Trees! And wild flowers! And long grass! Nature! I was in nature!
I couldn’t help but squeal in delight as I found myself within a lovely clearing in cedar grove, the bright light of a full moon gently washing over everything in that special way only Luna could make happen. And also just a little bit of warm flickering orange light, meaning somepony was camping nearby.
“Uh, hi,” a stallion’s voice said, sounding quite confused.
“Hey,” Lyra replied putting her gun away. “Sorry about the gun. Every other jump has been right into a clusterfuck.”
I turned to find the source of the voice and- Oh! Well, that was certainly fortunate.
“H-Hi, Sky, um, I kind of know you,” I greeted, giving this Sky a shy wave as he stared at the four of us in surprise, his marshmallow igniting in his camp fire.
“Well, this is fortuitous,” Sai mused.
Sky’s face contorted into a shocked expression. “Wait, Sai?”
“Hello, boss,” Sai said happily.