Steam Machine
Turing raised her head slightly, looking up at the towering mechanical creature before her.
“Zero zero… four,” she said, echoing his name slowly.
“Correct,” he replied, his deep, metallic voice echoing in the still clearing between the apple trees.
“Your similar design features likely mean that you were created by the same ponies who created me. Furthermore, since you are given the subsequent designation ‘S,’ you are classified as male. Am I correct?”
“Affirmative.”
Applejack swallowed but kept silent as the two continued speaking to each other.
Turing’s ears perked up and she put a hoof to her chest. “Then you are,” she said as excitement crept into her voice, “my brother!”
004 tilted his head slightly. Applejack instantly recognized how similarly he made the gesture compared to Turing Test.
“That analogy is accurate,” he rumbled.
Turing turned to face Applejack. “Applejack, did you hear him? This is my brother. My little brother!”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “He ain’t exactly what I’d call ‘little,’” she said slowly. “And, uh, not to put a worm in yer apple, but I think ya might not be readin’ the situation very well. I don’t think he’s here for a family reunion.”
Turing’s ears twitched. “Perhaps you are correct, Applejack,” she said, turning back to face 004. “However, I cannot deny that I am experiencing strong emotions of happiness and excitement.”
She stepped closer to him.
“Brother, I am very happy to meet you. You are the first robot other than myself that I have encountered. Furthermore, I have desired a family for a long time. Now that you are here, I realize that I am not the only machine of my kind.”
004 only stared down at her. “There are others.”
Turing’s eyes constricted. “You mean that there are other robots like ourselves? How many?”
“That information is classified.”
Applejack cleared her throat, causing both robots to look at her. “L-look here, you!” she said, pointing a hoof at him. “Now, if yer one o’ my friends’ kin, then yer welcome to stay, but first I wanna know what yer here for!”
Turing looked back at 004. “I am also curious about that. Brother, why have you come here?”
“Objective one… that information is classified.”
“Objective one?” Applejack repeated. She furrowed her brow.
“Objective two: retrieve automaton Unit 003M.”
Applejack stepped forward. “Hey now, you can’t--”
But Turing held up a hoof, cutting her off. “It is all right, Applejack,” she said, keeping her gaze focused on 004. “I will deal with this matter and speak for myself.”
To 004, she said, “Brother, why are you to retrieve me?”
“That information is classified.”
“What do our creators intend to do with me once I have been retrieved?”
“That information is classified.”
Turing tapped her chin. “Can you inform me of what my original purpose was when I was sent to Ponyville seeking Twilight Sparkle?”
“That information--”
“Is classified, we get it!” Applejack groaned, rubbing her temples.
“Correct.”
Turing Test took a step back. “Is your intent to harm my friends or other ponies?”
“Negative.”
Applejack blinked. “Well… that’s good, I guess.”
“Clarifying: my objectives are to be achieved without causing injury to citizens, if possible.”
Turing Test and Applejack both noted the “if possible” at the end of that statement.
“Brother,” Turing Test stated, “I do not wish to return with you. I wish to stay here.”
“Irrelevant,” he said. “You will return with me. Compliance is compulsory.”
Turing spread her legs slightly, lowering her head. “And if I resist you physically?”
He was silent for a moment. Then he assumed the same stance as she. “Compliance is compulsory.”
“W-wait, hold on, now!” Applejack cried, rushing forward waving her hooves. “Listen, ya big lug! You said that you weren’t supposed to hurt citizens, right? Well, Turing Test… er, 003, or whatever, is a citizen! That means you can’t hurt her, right?”
He raised his head. “Confirm: Unit 003M is a legal citizen of Equestria?”
Applejack took off her hat and placed it over her heart. “It’s true. They just made it official yesterday.”
“She is correct, Brother,” Turing said, relaxing her stance as she placed a hoof on her chest. “I am a citizen now. I have a life in Ponyville. I do not wish to leave it, nor do I wish to fight you.”
004 looked from one to the other. “Analyzing… probability of veracity is 94%. Unit 003M is designated a citizen of Equestria.”
Applejack noted that he had not relaxed his stance.
He turned to face Turing again. “You will not comply voluntarily?”
Turing Test shook her head. “I will not go with you. Please, Brother,” she said, holding out her hoof to him, “come with me. Perhaps I can show you what I have--”
“Analysis of situation complete,” he said, cutting her off. “Unit 003M is classified as a citizen. Objective two states that Unit 003M must be retrieved without fail. Objectives are to be achieved without causing injury to citizens, if possible. Unit 003M cannot be retrieved through voluntary submission and can only be retrieved by force. Therefore, it is not possible to achieve my objectives without injuring Unit 003M. Use of force is acceptable.”
Applejack opened her mouth to say something, and Turing moved to reassume her stance, but there was a gray blur as 004 suddenly rushed forward. There was a loud clang of metal against metal as he struck Turing with his hoof, tossing her against a nearby apple tree, splintering the wood and cracking the trunk.
She quickly righted herself and got to her hooves, but he was already on her again. With a kick of his massive foreleg, he sent her flying into the air to land somewhere beyond the trees.
“Turing!” Applejack screamed. She ran through the trees. She saw that Turing Test had landed on the dirt road just a few meters ahead of the carts they had been pulling only a few minutes prior.
The mechanical mare got to her hooves as Applejack ran to her side.
“Turing! Are you okay?” she asked, putting a hoof on her shoulder.
“No significant damage detected,” she replied.
There was a sound, and they saw 004 slowly making his way through the trees. He did not seem to be in any hurry, Applejack noted, which did nothing to make her feel better. There was a certain assuredness to his gait; it was slow, but deliberate.
Inevitable.
“Applejack,” Turing whispered to her. “I apologize, but I must ask you to find assistance. I will attempt to subdue or otherwise occupy my brother until you return.”
Applejack was about to protest, but then she realized that a monster that could move that fast and with that kind of power would be more than a match for her. She swallowed hard and nodded.
“I’ll come back as quick as I can!” she said. “But…” She paused, her eyes shifting over to 004 as he continued strolling toward them. “Can ya really take this guy on? Do ya think you can beat ‘im?”
Turing’s ears flattened. “Applejack,” she said, her voice even and stern, “I do not like to lie to my friends. Please leave and get help quickly.”
Applejack bit her lip, hesitating for a moment, but then nodded and dashed off, heading up the road to warn her family before going to seek her friends.
Turing turned slightly to watch her go before turning back to face 004.
“Brother, please cease your attack. I realize that you are subject to your programming, but perhaps we can determine a nonviolent solution to this conflict.”
“Negative.” He turned his head and watched as Applejack ran. “Pony identified as ‘Applejack’ is retreating. She is seeking assistance.”
Turing nodded. “Despite their individual weakness, together my friends are formidable. I have no desire to see you harmed. Please surrender, or you may be in danger.”
But 004 made no move to surrender or pursue Applejack. He only turned back to face Turing.
“Current situation is acceptable.”
She raised her head, her ears twitching. If he is attempting to subdue me, she said to herself, then interference from my friends would impede that goal. Why would he be in favor of Applejack seeking assistance? Then her eyes constricted as a thought occurred to her. It is possible that he wants my friends to all be in the same place. That may pertain to his first objective. By attempting to assist me, my friends may be at risk. I must either warn them, subdue Unit 004, or convince him to surrender before they arrive.
She activated her E-Mode, and the pistons in her legs engaged. She sprang at him and levelled a kick at his head. Her hoof struck him along the side of his long muzzle with a loud clang, snapping his head back and causing him to stumble back momentarily. As soon as she’d caught him off guard, she whipped around and took off up the road.
With her extreme speed, she was kicking up dust and dirt as she rocketed after Applejack. But only a moment after she’d begun to run, she heard 004 galloping behind her.
“Engaging E-Mode.”
The sound of his pistons engaging was followed by the rapidly intensifying sound of his hooves pounding the ground as he chased her. And they got very loud very quickly.
She turned and looked over her shoulder and saw that he’d already caught up to her.
Before she could react further, he tackled her, sending her tumbling head over hooves on the ground. And yet, before she’d even come to a stop, he swiftly ran at her and gave her another mighty kick that sent her flying.
***
Big Mac was chewing idly on a stem of wheat as he leaned against the barn and waited for his sister and Turing Test to return with the last haul of the day when he heard the commotion. Echoing out over the hills, he heard a loud but distant clang. Birds flew from their perches in the apple trees at the sound. He frowned and moved away from the barn, squinting as he peered at a hill in the distance. It was then that he saw Applejack galloping toward him.
“Big Mac!” she shouted, running right at him.
He spat out the wheat stem and raised an eyebrow.
“Listen close! There’s another robot! It’s Turing’s brother, an’ he’s attackin’ her! I’m gonna get my friends to help! You get Apple Bloom an’ Granny Smith an’ keep ‘em safe, ya hear?”
“Eeyup!” he said, giving a quick, firm nod.
As Applejack ran toward Ponyville, he went back to the barn.
“Apple Bloom, Granny!” he hollered. “Get in the house!”
Apple Bloom was idly jumping between two hay bales while Granny Smith was rechecking her math on a tally sheet when he burst in. They both looked at him in confusion.
“I mean it, trouble’s comin’!” he shouted.
They both began to move, with Big Mac scooping Granny Smith onto his back (the old mare giving a quick yelp of surprise and protest as he did so) and ushering them both to the house.
“Big Mac, what is it?” Apple Bloom asked, looking over her shoulder, her eyes wide and fearful.
Big Mac ignored the question and practically shoved them both inside the house. As he did so, however, he heard another loud clang and Apple Bloom cried out, pointing her hoof in the air as she spotted something. He turned to look.
Turing Test was flying head over hooves as if lobbed from a catapult. She sailed through the air in an arc before coming down and crashing through the roof of the barn. A cloud of wood, hay, and shingles erupted outward.
“Turing!” Apple Bloom screamed as she moved for the barn.
“Nope!” Big Mac said, holding her back. “Granny, hold ‘er!”
“A-all right,” she replied, holding the protesting little filly. Then she saw Big Mac going for the barn instead. “Big Mac, you be careful now!”
“Eeyup!” he called back, running to the barn.
Inside, Turing Test was getting to her hooves, shaking the debris from the barn’s roof - as well as the remains of the vegetables that had broken her fall - off her hull.
“Turing Test!” he said, helping her up. “You all right?”
She stood, then nodded. “I have only sustained cosmetic damage to my hull. All systems appear to be functional.”
There was a loud clattering sound and they both turned to see the massive frame of 004 blocking the door.
Big Mac kept his eyes focused on the hulking robot. “Yer brother?” he asked.
“Affirmative.”
Big Mac placed himself between Turing Test and 004.
“Big McIntosh, please allow me to handle this matter alone,” she said, a hint of panic to her synthetic voice.
“Nope,” he shot back, stepping closer to 004.
“Be advised,” 004 said, remaining still as a statue, “that no interference will be tolerated. You will remove yourself from this situation immediately.”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
“Big McIntosh,” Turing said, trying to step around him, “there is no need to--”
“Go catch up to Applejack an’ find yer friends,” he said, stomping his hoof and pawing at the ground as he glared at 004, never taking his eyes off him. “Just fly off an’ I can hold ‘im--”
“Big McIntosh, I cannot fly. My P-Mode was damaged in my recent accident.”
Big Mac blinked, then swallowed. “Then run.”
“You cannot--”
“I ain’t gonna ask twice,” he said, turning ever so slightly to give her a smirk.
Turing was silent for a moment, but then she bowed her head. “Acknowledged,” she replied. Having no other exit, she turned and dashed straight through the back of the barn, breaking through the wall.
004 moved to pursue, but Big Mac managed to get in front of him, placing his hooves on 004’s shoulders, barely holding him back.
“You will move. This is your final warning.”
“Nope!” he said through gritted teeth. “Look here, you. Yer causin’ trouble on my family’s farm, yer scarin’ my sister an’ my granny, an’ yer hurtin’ my friend. An’ in case ya didn’t know,” he said, cracking a smile in spite of himself, “good brothers ain’t s’posed to hit their sisters. Why don’t ya just stop what yer doin’ an’--”
The movement was swift. 004 simply gave a quick kick to Big Mac’s chest, as if lightly passing a hoofball, but there was a dry snap and Big Mac’s eyes went wide. His words became a choking gasp, and his eyes bulged as the pain hit him. He clutched his chest and fell to the ground with a groan.
“Impediment neutralized. Resuming pursuit.”
004 sprang forward and smashed through the hole Turing Test had just made.
A few moments later, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith peeked into the barn. When Apple Bloom saw Big Mac lying on the ground, she screamed and ran to him.
“Big Mac! Big Mac! Oh my gosh, are you all right?!”
“Eey--” He winced, sucking his breath in through his teeth. “N… nope,” he said. “Rib’s cracked.”
“Dang it, Big Mac!” Granny Smith shouted. “Why’d you have to--” Then she paused, bit her lip, and knelt down, patting him on the head. “Oh, never mind. We’ll get ya mended up.”
Big Mac gave a look around the barn, which now had a massive hole in the roof and another in the back wall, not to mention some smashed up crates of vegetables.
“Barn needs mendin’ too,” he said, managing a chuckle through the pain.
***
Turing was nearly to Ponyville. Far in the distance, across the town, she could see Twilight’s castle. She still wasn’t certain if she should have left Big Mac, but since 004 had seemed reluctant to attack organic ponies, perhaps everything was fine. Just the same, she wanted to resolve this and see if Big Mac was all right as soon as possible.
Then she heard the now-familiar gallop and the sound of machinery. 004 was chasing her and gaining. She calculated that he would overcome her long before she reached Twilight or anypony else.
Analyzing situation… direct combat is inadvisable, as he is much stronger and faster than I. Optimal solution determined: attempt to elude 004 rather than outrunning or confronting him.
As she approached the outside of the village, rather than taking the shortest route to the castle, she veered to her right and ran at a nearby cottage. With her speed and the extra power in her legs, she leaped over the cottage and landed in an alley on the other side. She knew the exact layout of Ponyville and thus was able to dart down the alley, making twists and turns as she moved nimbly between houses and the backs of shops, weaving between surprised bystanders as she made a convoluted path through the town.
At last, she came to a halt in a side road near Quills and Sofas. She stood perfectly still save for her ears, which she barely raised. Boosting power to her auditory systems, she listened for any sound that 004 might still be approaching.
There was nothing. She suddenly wished she was capable of sighing in relief.
Then there was a flash in front of her and 004 appeared in a burst of magic.
She leaped back at the sight and instantly spotted the goldenrod-colored artificial horn extending from his forehead.
“Target located,” he said, looking down at her.
“I see that you are capable of using magic, Brother,” Turing surmised.
“Affirmative. I lacked the mobility to adequately pursue you on hoof. Damaging civilian domiciles to continue was deemed inefficient and likely to cause injuries.”
“You considered going directly through the buildings to follow me?”
“Correct. The potential for injury and undetected obstacles was too great.”
Turing counted herself lucky that her plan hadn’t inadvertently resulted in 004 crashing through ponies’ homes to get to her. Still, she couldn’t risk doing that again. She needed a strategy.
“How were you able to locate me?” she asked.
“My ocular sensors are equipped to detect the unique magical signature created when you engage E-Mode. Auditory scans indicated that you had ceased movement. I then engaged U-Mode and teleported directly to you.”
He stepped toward her.
“Evasion is impossible. I will find you, regardless of any attempts at distraction or evasion. You will shut down immediately and submit yourself for retrieval.”
Turing lowered her head. “Understood,” she said quietly. “Commencing shutdown in 3… 2… 1…”
She shot forward, aiming a hoof at his neck, hoping to land a blow hard enough to disrupt his systems.
His massive hoof was up in an instant, blocking her as she collided into it face first and collapsed to the ground.
“You attempted to deceive me. Unexpected.”
Turing began to sit up, but he was on her again, stomping his hoof down on her chest, forcing her to the ground. He pressed his weight down on her before stomping again.
Warning: structural damage detected. Exterior hull dented. Chassis has received minor fractures.
He is going to crush me!
She raised her hooves and tried to block him as he stomped down a third time. And yet even with all four legs, it took considerable effort to push him back.
His strength has not decreased despite entering U-Mode. If he is like me, then he would have deactivated E-Mode when he changed modes. However, his speed and strength appear to be unchanged. The only explanation is…
“You are able to utilize multiple modes at once,” she observed, finally pushing him back. She sprang to her hooves as he regained his balance. “How is this possible? Your mane is less voluminous than my own; you should be generating too much heat to operate efficiently.”
“Our creators have improved on their previous designs. My size allows for expanded internal cooling mechanisms that allow me to access both modes simultaneously without risking damage, unlike you. Now venting excess heat.”
Turing watched as the metal plates around his legs, neck, and muzzle all rose slightly. With a hiss, steam briefly puffed out in thin jets before the plates went back in place.
“Ah. I see.”
“Your abilities are insufficient to overcome mine. Surrender.”
He was right. At first, her goal had been to simply last long enough for her friends to arrive and help to defeat him. Now she knew he wanted them to come, but she was less certain that she could get away from him to warn them.
He would get what he wanted from her friends, and then he would take her back, and she would never see them again.
Her eyes constricted. “Brother, there must be an acceptable course of action other than violence. I do not want you to harm me. I do not want you to harm my friends. And… I do not wish to harm you.” She placed a hoof to her chest. “Brother… please. I am afraid.”
“Impossible. You are an automaton. Automata do not possess emotions.”
She shook her head. “You are wrong, Brother. I have experienced them for myself. Perhaps if we can postpone this battle, I can assist you with experiencing them as well.”
She stepped toward him, reaching for him with one hoof, but his horn began to glow as he lowered his head.
“You are faulty. You will be retrieved and returned to a functional state.”
She shrank from him, feeling a powerful urge to run, even though she knew it would be useless.
But then she heard a sound, and they both turned to see a few ponies appearing from the alley. Turing Test recognized the owner of Quills and Sofas and Amethyst Star and many others. Coming to the head of the crowd were Lyra and Bon Bon.
“Turing?” Bon Bon asked, raising an eyebrow. “We all heard the noise. What’s--” Then she finally spotted 004. Her eyes went wide. “Oh.”
Lyra gasped when she saw the scuffs on Turing’s hull and the way her barrel was dented and slightly contorted. “Oh my gosh, Turing Test, you’re hurt!” She began to run over to her.
“Lyra, do not come any closer!” Turing shouted, halting her in her tracks. “This is 004. He has come to retrieve me, and he is very formidable. You must all leave here or risk injury to yourselves.”
The ponies nearby all muttered amongst themselves. Some of them began to back away, ears flat as they eyed the larger robot fearfully.
Lyra, however, was having none of it. She stood firm and raised her head, staring hard at him. “Listen you!” she shouted. “Turing Test is our friend! Nopony, robot or not, is going to take her anywhere! We’ll stop you ourselves if we have to.”
“Threat detected,” 004 rumbled.
A small blast of magic shot forth from his horn, zapping Lyra on her left foreleg and causing the bystanders to shout in surprise. Lyra cried out in pain when she was struck and fell to the ground.
“Threat neutralized.”
“Lyra!” Bon Bon screamed, instantly rushing to her friends side. She saw that the fur on her leg was slightly burnt. It wasn’t major, but she could tell it must hurt, a fact that was driven home by Lyra’s pained expression and the small sounds she was making. Bon Bon looked up at 004, gritting her teeth.
“You monster! Why did you do that?!”
“No further impediments will be tolerated.” His horn began to glow again.
“Brother, stop!” Turing cried, leaping in front of Bon Bon protectively. “There is no need to harm anypony.”
“Incorrect. Comply and there will be no further need.”
“I…” She flattened her ears and looked behind her to see that Bon Bon was helping Lyra to stand. “Bon Bon, please remove yourself and Lyra from danger. I will protect you.”
“But who’s going to protect you?” Bon Bon demanded.
“I will defend myself if I must,” Turing said. “Go now. Please.”
“I… fine,” she said, moving away with Lyra. “But I promise that I’ll get help!”
“That would be appreciated,” she said, locking eyes with 004.
The larger robot continued to stare back at her. “Civilians no longer present. Submit now or other ponies may become injured, similar to the unicorn mare and earth pony stallion.”
She raised her head. “You injured Big McIntosh?”
“Affirmative. His interference could not be tolerated. He was disabled without major injury. Surrender or more severe injuries may occur.”
Her fear subsided. In its place was something else. Something she’d only felt a few times before, but she knew it in an instant, and it was growing.
Rage.
Brother or not, this dangerous interloper was attacking her town, and her friends, and threatening to take her away. Was she not a citizen? Had she not earned her place in Ponyville? Who was he to take that away?
She crouched, ready to move in an instant. Analyzing possible weaknesses… 004 possesses greater speed and strength than I and is able to use magic simultaneously. However, his larger size means that he will be less agile and have greater difficulty guarding himself from attack. Focusing attacks on his joints would be optimal, as would avoiding his front, since he is best able to observe and defend himself.
I must literally kick his flank.
Turing ran at him again, and he prepared another beam of magic, but this time she sprang backwards at the last moment, then veered to her left, zig-zagging erratically. He began to turn, but she saw he was having difficulty following her.
She bolted forward and delivered a powerful buck with both of her back hooves into his side, the sound of metal striking against metal ringing out over the street. He was thrown off balance, so she jumped below him and struck at the back of the joints in his forelegs, causing him to lose his footing. She dashed out of the way before he fell onto her and then whirled around to see him topple over with a loud crash.
Her strategy had worked! She had calculated which attacks would be most likely to succeed and then deliberately chosen something else. As a robot, the idea of doing something less than optimal would seem crazy, which is why she knew that 004 would not see it coming. Now that he was vulnerable, if she could just damage him enough to disable him or render him nonfunctional, then she might be able to succeed!
She leaped into the air, preparing to bring her back hoof down where his head met his neck. A good blow to that would sever the wires to his optical and auditory systems.
Her hoof came down…
...only to be blocked by a shield spell 004 had raised at the last moment.
Ah. He is capable of shield spells.
She sprang off it before it vanished, but he fired a beam at her, sending her careening through the air. Before she hit the ground, he had already dashed below her. He raised a back hoof, aiming it at her as she came down.
She tried to raise her forelegs to guard her face at the last moment, but it was too late.
He kicked with all his might, and the massive hoof smashed into her head like a freight train. The sheer force of the attack sent her rocketing into the sky, flying high over Ponyville. Her systems were already giving her warnings about the severe damage she’d sustained, but she could only focus on the town below her. Before gravity took hold, she saw dozens of ponies on the ground looking up at her, pointing and gasping in awe, surprise, and fear.
Oh, Twilight Sparkle, she wondered to herself, what will I do now?
She began to fall.
***
“Ouch,” Lyra said as Bon Bon led her away.
“There there, Lyra,” Bon Bon said softly, nuzzling her with her cheek, “I’ll get you some help.” As she did so, however, she kept looking over her shoulder, biting her lip.
Lyra sighed, but gave her a patient smile. “Bon Bon, I know you want to help her,” she said. “So do that. I’ll get to the hospital on my own.”
Bon Bon gawked at her. “What? No! I can’t just leave you when you’re hurt!”
“It’s - ow - it’s not that bad,” she said, slipping from Bon Bon’s grasp, lifting her foreleg off of her with her magic. She took a few tender steps on her own to show her. “See?” she asked, though she was still barely masking her expression of pain.
“Turing is… she can handle herself…”
“Are you sure? Because that other robot looked pretty tough, and if somepony doesn’t help her, she’s going to end up in a lot worse shape than I am. Besides,” she chuckled, raising an eyebrow, “if you don’t help, I know you’ll go crazy. You go do your thing, while I go see the doctor.”
Bon Bon smiled. “All right. Don’t push yourself, okay?” She gave Lyra a quick hug before galloping away.
I need my supplies. I have some back at home, but that might not be enough. It might take more than just me helping to fight.
Then, as she ran, something Lyra had said struck her. “See the doctor… the doctor… the Doctor!”
***
She came down like a meteor, smashing into the ground with enough force to leave an impact crater, and she rolled and tumbled before coming to a stop.
Additional error messages blared in her head.
Exterior hull damaged. Faceplate damaged. Wires 1 and 3a in vocal system have been disconnected or are inoperable; communication may be compromised. Visor damaged. Major damage to ocular systems; right eye is nonfunctional. Right foreleg and left hind leg are damaged; movement compromised. Errors in mode switch detected; E-Mode has been disengaged. Minor thaumatrium leak detected in magic systems; magic system functional; repair required.
She slowly moved her legs and began to stand. As her systems told her, her right foreleg and left hind leg weren’t responding correctly. She compensated, but they were still moving slowly. She saw that her right foreleg had been slightly twisted, and a wire was sticking out of the joint.
She got to her hooves unsteadily. As she did, she saw that the visor that protected her eyes was shattered, and fragments of it dropped from her face. She could only see with her left eye. There was a strange rattling sound in her head, like someone shaking a box of shattered glass. She tilted her head.
Something dropped out of her head. She looked down to see it. It was purple and crystalline.
Her eye. It was cracked. Shattered.
Her ears were still working, however, and thus she was able to hear the sound of ponies nearby. She turned and saw that she had landed near the Ponyville Spa. In the window, she saw the horrified faces of Aloe, Lotus, and the other spa workers, including Bulk Biceps. Judging from their expressions, she realized that she probably looked even worse than she’d thought.
Then she heard another sound. She turned to look, even though she knew what it was.
004 was stomping up the street. He was moving briskly, but not running. He must have realized that he didn’t need to.
“You are damaged and unable to resist further. My orders are to retrieve you in the most intact state possible. However, failure to surrender will result in further damage.” He leaned down to stare at her. “Submit.”
She managed to raise her head. “N-nnnno-o,” she managed to say through a burst of static.
He seized her by the head with both hooves, picking her up and slamming her to the ground. Then he pressed his hoof onto her back, holding her down. “Initiating emergency neutralization procedures.” A panel in his foreleg began to slide open.
“HEY!”
004 stopped what he was doing as Bulk Biceps jumped onto his back and began lifting him with all his might, somehow getting him off the ground.
“Interference detected.”
“DARN RIGHT, YA BIG BULLY!” Bulk shouted, straining as hard as he could to lift the massive automaton. “NOPONY’S - HRGH- GONNA… HURT… TURING TEST!”
With a final yell, he managed to supplex 004, smashing him into the ground.
“YEAH!!” Bulk shouted triumphantly.
“Bulk Biceps-eps-eps, do n-nnnot innnterfere!” Turing said as she struggled to get up, her voice still malfunctioning.
Bulk ignored her and flew over to her, helping her to rise. “DON’T WORRY, TURING! I SHOWED THAT BIG GUY WHAT HAPPENS WHEN--”
004 tackled Bulk, pinning him to the ground before hoisting him up. As he protested, 004 simply tossed him at the wall of the spa like he was no more than a pebble. He crashed through it, leaving a hole before landing roughly amid the debris, groaning in pain.
“Th-that all ya got?” he asked as he tried to sit up.
“Negative,” 004 said. He took a step forward.
“Bulk, darling, stay down!” Lotus cried, holding him back. “You cannot beat this big one!”
“I can’t… ung… I can’t just let her get hurt! Somepony’s gotta help her!”
And then a voice from outside shouted, “That’s just what I was thinking!”
004 turned just in time to see a pink gelatinous glob of something fly through the air and wrap itself around his legs. He tried to move but found that the substance was stronger than it appeared. He looked up to see who had thrown it.
It was Bon Bon. She wore her saddlebags and held several items that resembled candies in her hoof.
“Bon Bon!” Turing exclaimed. “I tho-o-o-ught you were helping-ing Lyra.”
“She’s safe, Turing!” Bon Bon called back, glancing over at her. “But you look like you need a helping hoof… or two!”
“Well, I suppose that’s my cue!”
Turing saw the Doctor step out of an alley. That device he’d built earlier, the Hasty Waisty, was around his barrel. He turned the dial and became a blur as he dashed by 004, lobbing something at him. The device exploded, and Turing saw that 004 was now moving much slower than before.
The Doctor stopped next to Turing Test, helping her up.
“ThereweareMissTuringitseemsmytimebombwill-- ohdearI’veleftthedeviceon!” He turned the dial again, and his speech became normal. “As I was saying, I’ve improved my time bomb. That should slow the brute down enough for us to handle him.” He winked at her. “There we are, now off you go! Get Princess Twilight, and we’ll keep him busy.”
“But Doctor--”
“Sorry, I’d love to stay and chat, but Bon Bon will need my help, so please, don’t argue and, well,” he turned to her, his normally cheerful expression serious, “basically, run.”
Turing paused for a moment, then gave a nod. She began to hobble away.
“Twwoooo taaarrrrggeetttsss idennntiffieeeed.”
“Ugh,” Bon Bon said, making a face at 004’s slowed speech, “he sounds even worse like this.”
She tossed another glob at his legs, fastening them even tighter as he struggled to move forward.
“Marvelous invention, my dear! What are they?” the Doctor asked her.
“Super sticky taffy!” she said, reaching into her bag. “It’s keeping him still, but he’s stretching it! It’ll break if this keeps up, so keep him slowed down!”
“I’ve only got a few more of these!” he said, tossing another one. “I hope you’ve got something more than stickiness planned!”
“Working on it… ah ha!” She took out several round, large balls and threw them with all her might. “High-impact jawbreakers!”
The pieces of candy flew at 004, but they only shattered against his hull, seemingly without affect.
Bon Bon blanched. Jeez, even Glory was more affected by these! Well, in that case…
She pulled out another weaponized candy. “Ah ha! I found my gum!” She unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth.
“I doubt a few bubbles will hold this fellow,” the Doctor said, readying another time bomb. “By the way, not to cause a panic, but this is the last one I have!”
Worse yet, he saw, was that even moving in slow motion, 004 had almost pried the taffy rope from his legs. He threw the device at him, knowing it was the last one.
“It’s no ordinary gum,” she said, spitting it into her hoof. She ran at 004 and stuck it on his chest before he could react. She ran back and tackled the Doctor to the ground. “Get down!” she shouted.
A second later, the gum detonated with a deafening sound and a shockwave that they could feel in their chests.
“Great whickering stallions, what was that?!”
“Explosive plastique gum,” she said. “It just needs a little chewing to start the chemical reaction.”
“Are you mad?!” he exclaimed. “What sort of mad mare would chew an explosive?!”
She coughed as the smoke from the explosion caught up to them. “Well, that’s why I only made one. But that’s all we needed, at least.” She let out a relieved sigh and smiled… until she saw the smoke clear. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me!”
004 was still there. His movements were still slow, but they were getting faster. He was singed, with a blast mark on his chest, but he looked otherwise unfazed by the explosion. Worse yet, he’d freed his legs from the taffy and was now galloping toward them in slow motion.
“Oh no, oh no,” Bon Bon exclaimed, backing away as she dug into her saddlebags. “There’s got to be something I can use!”
The Doctor, meanwhile, was thinking as fast as he could. 004 had no obvious weaknesses, no openings on his hull, nothing that would let them get at his machinery to stop him. Even with the Doctor’s normally swift mind, he felt like he was freezing under the pressure-- and then an idea struck him.
“A brain freeze!” he said. “Ah ha, that might do it!”
“What?!” Bon Bon demanded.
“Do you have something cryogenic? You know, cold?”
“Yeah, but--”
“Aim it for the grill on his muzzle!” He turned, and his eyes went wide when he saw that 004 was almost upon them. “We’ve only got a few seconds more!”
Bon Bon whirled around, bringing out a green and white candy and a slingshot. She loaded the candy into the shot and aimed at the grill on 004’s muzzle, then closed one eye as she lined up the shot. He was almost on them.
The Doctor shut his eyes as 004 reared up, ready to bring his hooves down on them both.
Bon Bon fired, and the mint went right through the bars of his muzzle. He staggered back.
“Yes!” Bon Bon laughed. “Eat wintergreen, you monster!”
“Foreign object detected,” 004 said in his normal voice.
There was a crackling sound, and frost began to spread along his muzzle. Ice began to form over his eyes as well, and suddenly there was a sharp sound like a dull explosion as his head was suddenly frozen in a large block of ice.
He staggered, his head lolling.
“Did… did it work?” Bon Bon asked.
Then 004 stood up, righting his head. She heard his voice muffled through the ice: “Compensating. Balance restored.”
He shot forward, picking her up. She screamed as he seized her, struggling to get free. He simply reared back and headbutted her, smashing the ice block over her head.
She went limp, and he dropped her. She fell to the ground, unconscious.
004 turned to face the Doctor.
“W-wait!” he shouted, holding up his hooves. “I’m not armed! I have no devices left to use!”
“Incorrect.”
Using his magic, 004 snatched the Hasty Waisty belt from the Doctor, placing it on the ground and stomping on it, smashing it to pieces.
“Ah… yes, I’d forgotten that. Well, nevertheless, now I’m unarmed! There’s no need to hurt me!”
004 stopped. The Doctor had his hooves up. He was no longer a threat, which meant that 004 could concentrate on locating 003M. However…
He noticed that the Doctor’s eyes were sporadically looking up. He was looking at something.
004 glanced upward. There was a gray pegasus with a blonde mane pushing a gray cloud directly above him.
“This is for hurting my friends, you meanie!” she shouted as she kicked the cloud.
The cloud released a powerful lightning bolt that shot down directly into 004, its electricity coursing through his metallic body.
“Ha ha!” the Doctor cheered over the resounding thunderclap. “Excellent shot, my dear!”
“We did it!” Derpy exclaimed.
“Minor errors detected. Main systems undamaged.”
They both froze. Turing’s creators had apparently learned from their mistake with her and had not given her brother such a weakness.
“Additional target identified.”
The Doctor gasped. “Don’t you dare--”
004 fired a beam upwards. The shot hit Derpy in the chest, and she cried out before she fell to the ground like a stone.
“Target neutralized.”
The Doctor gave a sorrowful glance over at where Derpy had fallen and then glared at 004 hatefully. “You really are nothing like your sister.”
“That assessment is correct.” With a swift motion, he smacked the Doctor upside the head, knocking him out.
The panels on his body opened slightly, and he let out more puffs of steam as his system ventilated and cooled before closing the panels again.
“All targets neutralized. Recommencing search for--”
A huge, powerful blast of magic hit him in the shoulder, enough to knock him over. He raised his head and saw where it had come from.
It was Turing Test, now in U-Mode.
“I will n-nnot allow you to hurt my friends annny further-er-er, Brother!” Turing Test shouted as she fired another blast. This one hit him in the same spot, opening a hole in his exterior.
She’d wanted to run. She’d been afraid, perhaps even more afraid than when she’d fallen down the ravine in the Everfree Forest. But even as she’d hobbled away, her keen ears had detected the sounds of Bon Bon and the Doctor panicking. What if even more ponies were hurt because of her? What if they needed her help?
What would Twilight Sparkle do?
That last question had settled it. She’d stopped and turned around, going back to try and help.
She didn’t know much offensive magic, but she still knew that rock-smashing blast that Twilight had taught her during those first few days.
Now 004 was in front of her. There was an opening in his hull. One more shot would disable his leg and possibly other systems, finally stopping him for good. He was still recovering from the last blast and would be unable to raise a shield.
This was the perfect moment, she realized, and so she aimed her final shot.
Her horn glowed, and the magic built up. She fired.
The magic exploded with a loud bang in front of her, sending her flying back.
Warning: Malfunction in magic system detected. Probable cause identified: thaumatrium leak has created an imbalance in magic levels. Magic system malfunction has created a blockage. Initializing emergency shutdown of U-Mode.
She froze. If her magic was gone, then she’d be helpless! She tried to override the system.
Override failed. Administrator privileges required. Commencing emergency shutdown of U-Mode.
Her horn deactivated, sliding back into her head. She tried to stand again even as she heard 004 approaching her.
“No… n-no! This cannot be… I must--”
004 levitated her with his own magic, holding her in place. She felt a tug on her right foreleg. He was pulling on it with increasingly great force.
“Brother, ple-ease, do not do this,” she said, the fear in her voice becoming stronger. “Please, stop!”
He ignored her, and his horn glowed brighter. The force pulling on her leg became greater. The metal strained, screws popped, and wires snapped.
With one last motion, he ripped her leg off.
Oil dripped from her shoulder, and wires sparked momentarily. He tossed the leg aside like a pony discarding an apple core. He then turned her around in midair and began to do the same with her left hind leg.
She didn’t even protest. She knew it would do no good.
He tore her hind leg off, then dropped her roughly, letting the leg drop with her.
Still, she tried, with the little power she had, to drag herself away. With only two legs, she wouldn’t get far.
“H-help,” she called feebly. “Some-omepony, please…”
She didn’t get more than half a meter before 004 placed his hoof on her back again, holding her down.
“Unit 003M disabled. Initiating emergency neutralization procedures.”
The panel in his leg slid open. From it, a diamond-tipped circular saw extended and began to spin. With his magic, he held her head still as it began to descend toward the joint in her neck.
She took one last look around her. From windows in nearby shops, and peeking out from alleyways, she could see her new friends and neighbors watching helplessly, horrified at the sight unfolding. She could hear the fillies and colts that had been calling her “Gert” just a few days ago crying out her name, her real name, as their mothers shielded their eyes.
When 004 took her away, would seeing her like this be the way they remembered her? Smashed and torn apart, pleading for help?
“I do not want to go,” she whispered. “N-n-n-no. I want to stay-ay who I-I-I ammm.”
The saw entered her neck, giving an awful whine as it cut through the metal and rubber. He was attempting sever the main connection between her main systems and her power. Without that, she would deactivate.
And the next time she awoke, she might not be herself any longer. Surely her creators wouldn’t want her the way she was now.
She wished she could see her friends again. She wanted to see Twilight Sparkle one more time. Just to tell her something. Anything.
But still, if she only had a few moments left, there was at least something to say to the one who could listen.
“Brother,” she managed to say, “I know you cannot understa-a-a-and emotions-tions, but I want you to know, if you ever do,” she glanced up at him from the corner of her one functioning eye, “that I do not hate you. I do not haaate you at allll.”
He made no additional movement, and the saw continued on, but he did say one word in reply: “Acknowledged.”
There was a shower of sparks from her neck as the saw found its target. Her remaining limbs stiffened, and her eye blinked on and off repeatedly before the wire was completely severed. She fell limp, her eye darkened, and the electric hum she normally emitted fell silent.
“Unit 003M neutralized. Proceeding to Objective one.”
He heard a distant voice and the sound of ponies galloping toward him. He analyzed the sound… five ponies were approaching on hoof. One was flying.
He took his foot off Turing’s body and stepped back, waiting.
The ponies burst into view.
“Turing?” Twilight called. “Turing where are you?!”
It was Rarity who first spotted her, though, and when she saw her, she screamed in horror.
Twilight turned, and her mouth dropped open at the awful sight.
Turing was lying there, motionless. One eye was darkened. The other was missing, the empty socket gaping. Her shining hull was scraped, dented, and covered with dirt. Her faceplate was barely attached to her jaw. Two of her legs had been torn off and were lying next to her. She was leaking oil, and her wires were hanging loosely from her damaged shoulder and haunch.
Twilight felt a tightness in her chest, as if she’d just come across a dead body in the woods. She felt lightheaded, like she was about to be sick.
Fluttershy covered her mouth as she began crying. Rarity looked away, shielding her gaze. Pinkie slumped to the ground and was already calling Turing’s name as tears filled her eyes. Rainbow Dash’s face was frozen in disbelief. And Applejack simply closed her eyes and solemnly removed her hat.
“What…” Twilight slowly raised her eyes to stare at the hulking monstrosity standing over her friend. “What did you do to her?!” she screamed as her wings flared out.
“Unit 003M has been neutralized. Force was required.”
“You…” She swallowed, trying to calm herself. “Did you kill her?”
He tilted his head. “Illogical. You cannot kill something that is not alive.”
Twilight grit her teeth, her rage building up again.
“Unit 003M has not been destroyed. This unit will be repaired.”
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. The others seemed to relax slightly as well.
“You’re darn right she’s gonna be repaired!” Rainbow Dash shouted, stomping her hoof. She snorted like a wild horse. “And after we kick your sorry flank, we’ll take her to the Doc or Gadget or some other science pony to do it! Not whatever mad scientists built you!”
“Negative. She must be retrieved. You will not stop this.”
“Wanna bet, ya walkin’ scrapyard?” Applejack shot back. “We’re not gonna let you waltz in, take our friend, an’ do goodness-knows-what to ‘er!”
“I did not waltz here. I walked.”
They all blinked, but not even Pinkie laughed, though she did say, “Yeah, that’s Rinnie’s brother all right.”
Twilight held up a hoof. “Listen to me carefully,” she began, her voice calm, but shaking with barely subdued rage. “Back away from Turing Test. Get out of here and never come back to Ponyville, and maybe we won’t have to fight you.”
“You lack the strength, speed, and power to pose a threat. Unless there is some ability you possess that I have not detected, your attack will fail.”
They all exchanged a look. Twilight smiled.
“Funny you should say that,” she said. The others lined up next to her. “Okay, everypony, it’s been a while… ready?”
“Ready!” they all exclaimed.
They all began to glow as columns of light shot up from around them, soaring into the sky.
As they began to light up, so did 004’s sensors.
Magical signatures detected. Beginning data collection.
The six of them began to rise up, the magic within them building. There was a flash, and each of them now bore a different appearance. Their manes were more voluminous, their cutie marks adorned their legs, and they glowed with massive power.
“You still think you can defeat us, 004?” Twilight asked him as she flashed a confident smile. “We have the most powerful magic in Equestria! And when you came after our friend, you awakened it! Give up now, or we’ll use it!”
Analysis at 75%. Data collection is incomplete.
He stared back at them, and his horn glowed as he readied a spell. “I will not surrender.”
Twilight narrowed her eyes. “So be it,” she said. She closed her eyes, as did the others. A swirling rainbow encircled them and then arced into the air before coming down, straight at 004.
Analysis at 100%. Data collection complete. Objective one complete. Initiating exit procedure…
The rainbow came down, its power blasting the spot where 004 appeared to be standing. There was a blinding flash, and it was over.
But when the light cleared, 004 was no longer there.
And neither was Turing Test.
“W-what?!” Twilight cried.
The magic began to drain from them, and they all set down, their transformations vanishing as they returned to their normal selves.
“They’re gone!” Fluttershy cried. “But how?”
“He teleported,” Twilight said breathlessly. “He got away before our attack hit him. He’s… he’s gone, and he took Turing Test with him…”
She instantly took off into the air, casting her eyes around as she began to look for Turing Test. She went ever higher, hoping to see some sign of them.
Helplessly, she called her friend’s name: “Turing Test!”
And though she knew Turing was in no condition to reply, she called out her name again and again, letting the name echo out into the cold, empty air over Ponyville even as her voice grew strained, ever more quiet, and ever more mournful.
“Turing Test!” she shouted again, though this time it was more feeble, drowned out as the lump in her throat grew, and at last she hung her head, burying her face in her hooves as she began to sob, and she understood one inescapable fact:
Turing Test, her friend, was gone.
To be continued…
Reference: Just the one, the song title named after the Daft Punk song. Not my favorite, but I think it rather fits 004 for this situation.
See you next time...
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Next Chapter. Now. You can't leave it here...
Murphy found them...
Ffffffffff-
And now a new princess lesson for Twilight: "How to order an execution."
s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/f1/12/f2/f112f29c516387303a42f73ceee803b8.jpg
He can just analyse the Rainbow power like that? So easily? That seems pretty bull to me.
Next chapter, Turing must do something like what happens here...
"Reroute... Alternate Power..."
This about sums up my reaction at the end...
GOD DAMNIT, Hat Man! You really know how to make me mad! For far too long, you have kept me in bay with this amazingly well written and methodically conceived story, successfully subduing me each update with deliciously enticing cliffhangers that have me checking this site EVERY DAY, despite the fact that I stopped watching this show TWO YEARS AGO!
And now you've DONE IT AGAIN, only this time, you've left me reeling on the edge of my seat like a teenage boy who just watched the last episode of Teen Titans! The very idea of waiting even a SECOND for the next update leaves me with this UNYIELDING RAGE that cannot be relieved! My neighbors cower in fear every time you release another chapter because of the massive outburst I have... EVERY... SINGLE... TIME!!!!
Well, I've HAD IT! Those days END HERE! I will not be a mere PUPPET ANY MORE! YOUR REIGN OF TERROR IS OVER!
.........
Good job btw. Can't wait for the next update
Poor Turing!....
I really hope that the Mane6 find Turing and restore her (or that Turing manage to restore her programming!)
Anyway, I think that we can say that we are going towards the endgame and will get some answers...
Well great now they are gonna make either a rainbow shield against the Elements or a rainbow gun that fires the Elements. Or both. I mean they made a machine to move the sun so why not both.
I know Turing Test can be repaired and come back. The bad ponies and their darn machines won't get away from a righgeous punishment! Friendship will prevail!
004 is not in for a good time the next time the Elements meet up with him. I do have to wonder how he was able to shrug off the lightning bolt from Derpy so quickly, even if he wasn't as vulnerable as Turing was at the start of the story, it didn't seem to phaze him much.
7597324 Agreed.
7597278 No, start with How to Ripe Equestria Apart to Find Your Friend and Rescue Her. Then it's time for How to Use a Logic Bomb. Then How to Execute.
Poor Turing, why do creators see their creations as nothing more than things?
7597466 maybe he was made not long after Turning got struck my lightning, so when the pony who created 004 heard what happened to Turning, they put similar insulation to lightning that Turning got into him.
"“My ocular sensors are equipped to detect the unique magical signature created when you engage E-Mode. Auditory scans indicated that you had ceased movement. I then engaged P-Mode and teleported directly to you.”
P-Mode flies, not teleports.
You know what, I'm done with this. Cliffhangers work to bridge excitement between two chapters. But they only work if the story is already complete. Otherwise it does nothing but piss people off. This was a good story, but I'm not waiting another 3 weeks just to find out what happened. By then I'm not invested in it anymore. Peace out. I'll come back when this shit is finished.
Girls... mistake number 1, charging your attack, mistake number 2, giving an enemy quarter, mistake number 3, not attacking first, mistake number 4, treating him like Turing.
7597487 I'm not saying it was out of character, more so that as an A.I it's something to be expected with the way they function on the most basic level.
As for hurting friends, I feel a pot calling the kettle black moment is definately an open book there.
That being said, I don't expect the full society, but there are definately moments that are worth looking into, which you infered will.
Till then I'll withhold my thoughts, since not knowing where you're taking it makes anything I say rather moot and somewhat pretentious.
7597516 Oh, thanks for catching that! Fixed.
7597443 Yep, see you in two weeks.
7597518 Well, I generally update every two weeks, not three. This last update was abnormal.
Still, I can understand if cliffhangers aren't your thing, but I tend to have them string chapters together because, well, it works to hold interest more often than not. Also, a little odd that you're saying this on what is, well, the last arc of the story.
But I understand: please feel free to come back and binge-read when the story is finished, and I hope you'll enjoy it then.
The problem with copying a magical super weapon powered by friendship is that right now those robots lack friendship. Using it now should be like firing a gun with no ammo or casting a spell without it's components. I mean, raising the sun is an understandably immitatable piece of magic. It's neutral in nature because the sun simply is. The elements and the Castle of Friendship though are forces of good. They're like those DnD items that are locked to certain alignments, and we've seen both of them backfire horribly when something evil attempts to misuse them. (Cough. Sunset and Starlight. Cough.)
So rather than finding a way to replace Twilight, they probably just copied a very unstable ticking time bomb.
Now taking bets on how dead whoever is responsible is.
7597563 well, to be frank all of your other Cliffhangers were a lot more mild than this one. This was the most intense yet. Too much so. But I stand by what I said. Not a lot of authors actually have respect for what Cliffhangers are actually intended to do in an actual fully written novel. It would work if you had a quicker update schedule, but the fact remains that I won't be as invested in the story two weeks from now when I have to remember everything that you wrote in the last chapter.
Props where they are due, not a lot of people are able to hold my interest like you can with this story. You just happen to have hit one of my mood killers.
Ps: it's funny, I look at the one dislike that my comment already received and I think about how many more that there would have been had I went with the first draft of what I wrote. I was soooo pissed~~
Keep up the good work, and I'll be back when you're finished.
Now that's an anime line if I've ever heard one. "How can you be so powerful? My hair is so much bigger than yours!"
Also, I cannot read 004's lines in any voice other than Team Four Star's Android 16. It just fits too well.
Holy crap. That was intense.
7597631 Well, that one downvote wasn't me, for the record.
If I had time to plan out and pre-write a 400k-plus novel and release the chapters more regularly, yeah, that would be great. But I don't. So, since it's serialized, it makes sense to have little tense moments that keep the reader coming back.
With this one, though, it had to be more intense both to raise the level of interest in the coming arc and to send the message that this one is serious and different from the others because it's the climax of the story. Sorry if it was a bit much to take in, but luckily there won't be that much left.
...Well, by the standards of this story, I mean.
See you at the finish line!
7597868 Ha! Yeah, I totally get that now.
...And now I'm not sure I will ever be able to hear any other voice for 004. F
k.
7597631
I gotta agree, this is simply too big to be a cliffhanger, especially when the next chapter is 2 weeks away.
7597564
Lets hope the princesses realise this and start a full blown hunt for these terrorists.
I can't help but read 004's lines in the voice of a Sentry Bot from Fallout 4.
Turning test?
.........
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.......
*taking deep breath*
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Also I just kinda realized something, is 004 even capable of having emotions, we still don't fully understand how it happened to turning? The lighting strike definitely helped, but nobody knows how exactly it worked and or happened.
I LOVED THIS... but I fear for Turing.
Well, the rest of my day is officially ruined. I suppose I should have known better than to hope for anything other than despair this time around, but......
AAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH
7597948
Why do I feel like I'm getting yelled at?
Well, despite the obvious tactical mistake the girls made, the situation isn't all bad.
There is three way now to resolve that plot line :
-First, the girls find Turing and the Scientists, free her and kick their flank. Unlikely
-Two, Turing is upgraded against her will (she never asked for this) and forced to do some unsavory things until the girls find her and make her remember friendship and who she is.
-Third, Turing presence within the enemy base start either a robot revolution (from her sister, I don't remember the name) when they see how much they can gain or after she convinces them, or causes a scientist who see her as a daughter to realise this and go rogue on the organisation. Both ending up with her being upgraded willingly to better protect her friends (New and old) and escaping (wrecking the base before that being optional)
...scrach that, the is a fourth possibility, much more tragic : Turing pulling a Legion and uploading herself in a mainframe of sort to give her sibling everything she is... Unlikely given the technological level, but since there is magic...
I see the second and the third one as the most likely, but who know? (well, except the author, he knows, but that's cheating
)
I'm calling it that unit 004's weak spot is his vents, plug the vents and he overheats.
Surely, the next chapter isn't the last one, right?
Also, for some reason, I envision 004 as sounding like the robots in this:
Boy, Discord sure would have been mighty handy to have been around right about now.
If Turing's creators repair her, she will cease to be Turing Test. They will make her 003M. No emotions.
That cannot be allowed to happen.
Also, attacking and injuring citizens of Equestria, along with possible murder? 004 and its creators are looking at BANISHMENT at the very least. The sort of banishment where breaking it turns it to the one penalty Equestria does its best to avoid using: execution.
7598529
They're looking to overthrow the government. We, being the readers, expect their defeat, but they think they will succeed. And if they succeed, then why bother worrying about punishment?
Consarn it, Twilight. You're the Alicorn Of Magic, try to act like it at least once!
img.pandawhale.com/post-58564-peter-griffin-ah-ah-he-said-it-mwAt.gif
7597237 I agree
7598318 BECAUSE YOU HURT TURING!!!!
Situational analysis indicates high likelihood and will be fully repaired, however there are very few reasons you retrieve your unwilling agents like this: debriefing or data retrieval, reassignment (or reprogramming), or for use as bait.
We don't recall if Turing has any kind of encryption, so physical data retrieval may be simple if not destructive. Reformatting Turing would probably be a waste of time, but likely done of her materials are precious enough. It is highly likely they will seek to subdue the Elements as a bonus.
I nominate that 004S be named "Goliath" in honor for his physical attributes but also for how we hope he'll fall.
Geez though, these guys are really annoying us with their tendency toward making weapons of mass destruction, no matter how they try to disguise it as progress.
Keep going! ;)
7598318 I take it as a sign everyone's super passionate to this story and are just venting frustration that they lay at the mercy of your update schedule.
For a second in the beginning I thought 004S was going to be taken out but it wasn't enough. Basically what I was thinking that if 004S was superior to Turing in every way then it would be pointless to fight. The only way you can take out a robot without using violence is with a good old fashioned paradox. We saw briefly what happened to Turing when confronted with a paradox and I doubt 004S was built to be immune to paradoxes since his creators probably didn't account for something like that to happen.
7598318
It's alright. Big cliffhanger or not, you're writing this fic for free. Take all the time you need, and don't feel like you have to update faster just because some people tell you to. Fanfic authors also have a real life.
7598529 to be frank it's literally their own fault, they were warned multiple times, and not one had the common sense to plan before rushing in against an android with at least three times the strength of anyone present. At least think about a way to counter it for more then a few seconds before hurling every odd and end and hoping it works. And really, 004 monologued about his functions and internal operations. He monologued. About how he could be damaged.Repeatedly.
And as for banishment, that only works when they already are citizens, I have the distinct feeling they aren't bound to any nation directly at this point. As for execution, I'm sorry, but by all accounts, why are Grace and Glory alive with a higher body count?
Turing's makers are centuries ahead of everyone else, and have the clinical detachment this would create ingrained, along with a sense of both desperation and justice that is arguable valid with how Celestia would have axed them if they'd done things legitimately.
Remember she kept ponies stagnant science wise for centuries because she didn't think they could adapt, imagine them trying to publicly fund and test their research and theories with her around.
Even then, what would you call Celestia's actions against other races? She's far worse by anyones standards, even more so taking into acount how many civilians were hurt because she planned on Twilight and the others to take care of everyone of her previous mistakes, from Luna to Tirek.
And the fact that in canon and in here her excuse boils down to 'I had good intentions'. You know, like the group that made Turing and 004?
OK sorry but why would the Doc even suggest FREEZING 004 when he would know from helping fixing Turning that they are prone to overheating hell even Twilight would have known that and used a heating spell on him. *sighs* Sorry it's just the "freeze the robot" deal is rather over used.