Jigsaw Falling Into Place, Part 2
Twilight continued staring for a moment until she found her voice at last.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she managed to say. Gradually, she managed to smile, though she still didn’t know what to make of this strangely-dressed pony standing in the doorway of the old mansion.
“Likewise,” Professor Cobbler said. “Pardon me a moment, won’t you?”
He began pulling off his boots, placing them neatly to the side of the doorway, and hung his goggles and jacket on the hooks next to his hat.
One of the maids entered the hallway and smiled. “Oh, welcome home, sir!” she said, bowing to him slightly.
“Why, Lacey Loo, I didn’t realize you were back from your vacation!” he said, grinning broadly. “I trust it was restful. Did you and your coltfriend enjoy yourselves?”
She blushed. “Yes, Master Cobbler. But, um… he isn’t really my coltfriend any more.”
“Oh?” he said, frowning. Then, seeing the way she was barely holding in her giddiness, his eyes lit up. “Why, my dear Lacey Loo… did he finally pop the question?”
“Yes!” she cried, gleefully kicking her forelegs in the air. “Oh, Master Cobbler, I’m just so happy! We haven’t set a date for the wedding yet, but… well, we’d be honored if you would attend.”
He placed a hoof over his chest, closing his eyes solemnly. “Lacey Loo, it would be my pleasure.”
Twilight also smiled at the young mare. “Congratulations,” she said. “I’m sure it’ll be a beautiful wedding.”
“Oh yes, Your Highness, it surely will!” she exclaimed, practically shaking with delight.
“Now, I hate to change the subject,” Cobbler said, shutting the door behind him and stepping into the hall, “but will you and your companions be joining us for lunch, Twilight Sparkle?”
“We… yes, if that’s still all right,” Twilight replied.
“It most certainly is, and I am very glad to hear it,” he replied, giving a firm nod. He turned to the maid. “Lacey Loo, have places been set at the table for our guests?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Good. Very good.” He sniffed the air, smiling at the aroma. “I certainly hope it won’t take long. I am simply famished!”
As if in answer to his question, Applejack stuck her head out of the kitchen door. “Soup’s on, everypony!” she hollered. Then she caught sight of Cobbler standing next to Twilight and Lacey Loo.
“My my my,” he said, grinning at her. “Did you decide to help my cook in the kitchen?”
“Um… yeah,” she said, blinking at him.
“Well, aren’t you just the sweetest thing! Still, I hate to see a guest working in my home instead of relaxing. Why don’t you take a seat in the dining room with your friends while we bring out lunch. I guarantee that you will enjoy it most thoroughly!”
That said, he trotted right by her, going into the kitchen. As he passed, and without his jacket, Twilight noticed his cutie mark: a silver heart with a gear inside it.
Applejack walked over to Twilight. “Twilight?” she whispered. “Is that… him?”
“Yes, it sure seems so,” Twilight replied. “He… isn’t what I imagined.”
“He ain’t what I pictured either,” Applejack said, raising an eyebrow. Then she shrugged. “Well, Granny always said one o’ the best ways to get to know a pony was to sit down to supper with ‘em. I suppose lunch is just as good, though.”
Twilight nodded, letting out a sigh. “Good point. Let’s eat.”
***
The meal consisted of fried okra, a salad of greens with walnuts and dried peaches, baked macaroni and cheese, and a small cup of carrot soup. Auntie Bellum said that even though the maids had cooked the food, they were all her own recipes, and she had personally baked the peach pie that was coming for dessert.
They sat at a long rectangular table under a hanging chandelier. Despite the old-fashioned exterior, Twilight noted that the house was clearly electrified, as the chandelier was adorned with small, flame-shaped lightbulbs rather than with candles.
Cobbler sat at the head of the table, with Twilight on the opposite end, and the others were seated across from each other lengthwise. Their places were set with fine porcelain plates, silver cutlery, and crystalline glasses that held sweet, lemony iced tea.
“Well, dig in, everypony!” Cobbler said, smiling down the table at his guests.
They all looked at their lunches hungrily, but none of them touched a bite, at first.
“Is something wrong?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Rainbow Dash sniffed at the food. Her stomach rumbled and she made a face as hunger pangs stabbed at her. Just the same, she looked over to Cobbler uncertainly.
“Lan’ sakes!” Auntie Bellum said, cracking a smile. “Y’all act as though we’ve poisoned the food!”
The others all exchanged glances.
Auntie Bellum’s smile disappeared. “Well, I never!” she huffed. “To think that--”
“Now, now, Auntie,” Cobbler said, holding up a hoof. “I realize that you’re upset, but I suppose, given what I expect is the reason for their coming down here, I can’t quite blame them for being suspicious. Allow me to put your fears to rest.”
He picked up a fork, stabbed a piece of fried okra, and ate it. One by one, he took a bite or a sip of each thing on his plate.
“Heh heh,” Applejack said, breaking the uneasy silence. “Ya know, yer right, Professor. I even helped with some o’ this here food, an’ I sure didn’t see anypony put anything funny in it. Come on, y’all!”
She began her meal, and the others followed suit.
“Wow!” Pinkie said, stuffing a huge scoop of macaroni in her face. “This is yummy! It all is!”
“Pinkie, dear,” Rarity said, giving her a disapproving scowl, “please try to slow down. You don’t want to be rude in front of our host!”
Pinkie paused. “Ohh - mmph - showwy,” she managed to say through a mouthful of food before swallowing. “It’s just that the sooner we eat, the sooner we can have dessert! And that peach pie smells sooooo good!”
“I guarantee it’ll knock your socks off!” Auntie Bellum said, raising her head proudly. “Can’t nopony beat my peach desserts, no sir! I’ve won the ‘Best Pie’ award over ten times at the Mustangia County Fair!”
“I’d say she was bragging again,” Cobbler said, smiling at her, “but when it comes to her pie, her cobbler, crumble, or any other dessert, it’s no exaggeration.”
“Well, we’re looking forward to it,” Fluttershy said politely before taking a bite of her salad.
Cobbler looked around at all the ponies seated at the table and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as a strange smile appeared on his face.
“Professor Cobbler?” Twilight asked, putting her spoon down as she watched him. “Is everything all right?”
“Hm?” he asked, blinking at her. “Oh, I…” He paused, chuckling. “I apologize, but it’s just… we have guests over with some frequency, but it still warms my heart to see a group of vivacious young ladies like yourselves in my home.”
“Oh!” Rarity exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hoof as she smiled. “That’s very kind of you to say, sir.”
“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash said. “We’re totally voracious!”
“He said we were ‘vivacious,’ Rainbow Dash!” Rarity groaned. “Not ‘voracious!’”
“Well, some of us are,” Twilight deadpanned, glancing over at Pinkie Pie, who was eagerly guzzling down her second cup of soup.
Pinkie looked around, aware that the others were staring at her. “What? Do I have something on my face?” She wiped her face with her foreleg and gasped with delight. “I did! And I bet it’s still tasty!” she cried as she began licking off the crumbs.
This was interrupted by the sound of Professor Cobbler and Auntie Bellum, who had both burst out laughing. Cobbler in particular was laughing so hard that he was holding his sides.
“Oh my goodness!” he managed to say through his laughter. “You young ladies are just hilarious!”
Twilight had to smile. She still wasn’t entirely certain what to make of this strange pony - in fact, she’d half-expected to meet a cold, reclusive mad scientist cackling loudly to himself in some dark laboratory - but her gut feeling about him was that, whatever else he might be, he seemed genuinely warm and friendly. That didn’t mean he wasn’t the pony they were looking for, of course, but she felt a little more at ease now that she wasn’t as suspicious of his demeanor being an elaborate ruse.
Professor Cobbler wiped his eyes and took a sip of iced tea, sighing with satisfaction. “Well,” he said, reclining in his seat as he steepled his hooves, “I suppose you’ve been quite patient, and I appreciate you accepting our hospitality. I’d hate to think that a Princess of Equestria and her companions were lacking in the social graces.
“But let us get to business. Specifically, why you have come to see me. And please, be direct.”
Everypony, even Pinkie Pie, froze in place.
“W-well, sir,” Twilight began, “we don’t want to come around here throwing accusations or anything!” She chuckled nervously, but swallowed when she saw Cobbler staring at her directly, his patient smile unwavering.
“All right.” She sighed. “Sir, since you asked for me to be direct, here it is: do you know anything about my robot friend, Turing Test?”
Cobbler nodded. “Indeed I do. The discovery of the automaton was national news, after all, and I certainly have an interest in all things mechanical. Let me guess… you believe I had something to do with the machine’s creation?”
Twilight bit her lip, then nodded.
“I thought as much,” Cobbler said, taking another sip of tea. His voice was still calm. “Shortly after its discovery, there was an investigation into me, my enterprises, and the community in general. Oh, they tried to keep it quiet, but it can be quite difficult to keep a secret in a place like Mustangia. Still, they found nothing and left.
“And shortly after an incident in Manehattan, apparently my name came up again.” A flash of annoyance crossed his face, and his eyes narrowed slightly. “This time, the Royal Guard came in full force.”
“Those no good hotheads!” Auntie Bellum growled, smacking the table as she scowled. “Why, they practically turned this place upside-down lookin’ for who-knows-what! Harassin’ my nephew, harassin’ the maids, even harassin’ me! You’d think young ponies like them would know better than to go around terrorizin’ an old lady!”
She started to cough and sat back in the chair, fanning herself. Cobbler placed his hoof on top of hers.
“There there, now, Auntie,” he said softly. Turning back to Twilight, he said, “As you can see, they were rather brusque with their inquiries. But, again, they found nothing. And now you are here. Am I to assume that you also suspect me of sending the other automaton that retrieved the first and also of being at the center of some conspiracy?”
Twilight swallowed. “I’m just trying to find my friend,” she replied. “And also the truth.”
“Hmm.” He nodded, pursing his lips. “All right, then… since you have such suspicions of me, then I trust you have evidence?”
“Some,” Twilight said. Her horn glowed, and she narrowed her eyes as she focused her magic. In the air, she formed the image of a strange glass bulb. “Turing Test uses a magic-electric converter bulb like this to charge her batteries via unicorn magic when she doesn’t have access to her generator. My friends and I checked, and we’re certain that this is something your company makes. Only your company.”
“Well, I must say, that is a wonderful facsimile,” Cobbler said, whistling appreciatively at the perfect image Twilight had formed, “but while we don’t get much call for them outside of our harvesters, we are still in the habit of selling them to interested parties. Just because my company made the bulb, it doesn’t mean we also made the machine using it, after all.”
“Yes, that’s true,” Twilight admitted. “But your family also has a history with building automata.”
“So do others, and nopony is known to have built one as advanced as the ones in question.”
Twilight became aware that her friends’ eyes were switching from side to side, as if watching a tennis match, as they watched Twilight and Cobbler speak in turn. She suppressed a grin.
“Mustangia has a difficult history with being part of Equestria,” she remarked, taking another bite of food.
“True, but if you’re talking about the Mustangian Independence Movement, they’re practically extinct. There are a few splinter cells here and there, but nopony takes them seriously anymore. You can ask the Royal Guard, the Night Guard, or any other credible source, and they’ll tell you the same thing. And I ought to know myself.”
“And why is that?” Twilight asked.
Cobbler chuckled. “Because my father was a member of the movement around the time it disbanded.”
They all stared at him at that.
“Oh, don’t look so surprised,” Cobbler said, waving a hoof dismissively. “Daddy was a bit hard-headed and got it stuck in his head that Mustangia would be better off on its own.”
Auntie Bellum snickered. “He surely was thick as a brick at times,” she muttered. “It was plain to see that we were better off as part of Equestria. Most folks ‘round these parts can see that. Eventually, he did too.”
They all exchanged looks before turning to Twilight, who was rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
“Well… I sort of got the impression that the ponies of Mustangia didn’t really care much for what the government thinks,” she said.
“I don’t suppose we do,” Cobbler said. “We like to do things our own way. Before the government came in, a pony with few bits to his name could always trade a bit of moonshine for what he needed, for instance, and now it’s a highly taxable, highly regulated product. I personally don’t much care for the hoops I have to jump through for my distilleries. But,” he added, heaving a sigh, “I suppose you can’t run an economy on such things. And goodness knows, nopony wants to go blind due to some back alley white lightning.”
“Well, I--”
“You know, that reminds me,” he said, perking up. “Would any of you care for a bit of our peach brandy? I’d be glad to offer y’all some.”
“I’ll have a taste,” Applejack said, grinning as she raised a hoof.
“Applejack, really, isn’t it a bit early in the day for that?” Rarity asked, wrinkling her nose at the prospect.
“I said a ‘taste,’” Applejack replied, rolling her eyes. “I wasn’t gonna drink the entire bottle.”
“Careful now,” Cobbler said, winking at her. “One taste and you just might.”
“Well, if that’s how it is,” Auntie Bellum said, perking up, “then somepony make me a mint julep!”
“Oh, Auntie, you are incorrigible!” Cobbler laughed.
Twilight frowned. “Excuse me,” she said, narrowing her eyes, “but I wasn’t talking about brandy or taxes or anything like that!”
Cobbler tilted his head at her. “Oh?”
“I mean the way technology is so prevalent around here,” she said. “The telephones and the automatic harvesters, for instance.”
“Well, welcome to the modern age,” Cobbler said, holding out his hoof. Then he frowned. “Why, I would have thought that a pony like you would welcome such things.”
“It’s not that… I mean, I do,” she stammered, shaking her head, “but it’s not about approving or disapproving!”
Cobbler only blinked at her, saying nothing.
Twilight sighed. “What I mean is that this is also part of the reason you’re under suspicion, Professor,” she said. “The conspirators are obviously in favor of rapid technological advancement, as you seem to be.”
“As any sane pony should be,” Cobbler remarked. Then his expression darkened, and his smile began to fade. “Mustangia has embraced the telephone, thanks in no small part to my own investment. Our harvesters have enabled us to achieve success the likes of which we never could have a few generations ago. My family has a proud history of constructing machines for the betterment of ponies’ lives. Technology is the future, my dear Princess Twilight, and that future is inevitable… despite what some ponies say.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow at that. “I think we both know who you mean,” she said. “You’re referring to Princess Celestia, aren’t you?”
Cobbler’s smile vanished entirely. Auntie Bellum’s pleasant expression was gone too, and she turned to scowl at her, as if she’d just said something incredibly vulgar. The room fell completely silent. Even Pinkie had stopped in mid-chew, her cheeks bulging with macaroni and cheese.
“Celestia,” he said slowly, an edge to his soft-spoken voice. “Yes, I suppose that you could say that we do not see eye to eye.”
“Literally,” Auntie Bellum quipped with a dry laugh.
“I know that much,” Twilight said, ignoring Auntie’s jab with only a flash of annoyance on her face.
“So, you’ve spoken to her about me, eh?” Cobbler asked. “Would you mind telling me what exactly Her Majesty said?”
Twilight lowered her head. “Not much. All she said was that something happened about a decade ago, that you had suffered because of it, and that you might be holding a grudge about it. But she wouldn’t say what happened. She said that I should get your side of the story.”
Cobbler raised his head. Twilight thought he looked genuinely surprised, at least for a moment.
“Well… how considerate of her,” he said. He sighed and sat back in his chair. “Well, she is correct that I am ‘holding a grudge,’ as you say. To be perfectly blunt… I despise that sanctimonious old nag.”
This got a gasp from them all.
“You take that back!” Rainbow Dash shouted, standing up and pounding her hooves on the table.
“Watch your mouth!” Auntie Bellum shouted back. “I won’t tolerate anypony yellin’ at my nephew!”
“Auntie,” Cobbler said softly.
“But nephew, she--”
“I know, but I must ask you,” he said, looking at her pleadingly, “to please drop the matter for the time being, if you please?”
The old mare smacked her lips together, as if she had the taste of something foul in her mouth.
“Oh, very well. But I do believe you should tell them what she’s done.”
“And I will,” he said. He turned to face Twilight again. “However, I really don’t feel up to telling you that story at this time, Princess Twilight. Forgive me, but it’s not an easy tale for me to tell.”
She watched as he shut his eyes, taking in a deep breath. “All right,” she said quietly, offering him a smile. “I can wait.”
“I’m glad to hear that. And rest assured, my animosity toward Celestia does not apply to you. You and your friends are perfectly welcome here. Even Miss Rainbow Dash.”
He turned to Rainbow Dash, who was still scowling at him.
“I apologize for my lack of discretionary language, young lady,” he said, bowing his head slightly, offering her a smile. “Of course I should have realized that you are all quite loyal to Celestia. I shall endeavor to be more respectful of that despite my personal distaste.”
Rainbow Dash didn’t look happy, but she sank back in her seat. “Fine,” she grumbled.
Cobbler then looked to Twilight, but found she was biting her lip.
“Something wrong, Princess?”
She opened her mouth to say something, then shut it, looking away, before finally speaking up again.
“Professor Cobbler, I don’t want to be rude, but you did say that I should just be direct,” she said. “I’m worried about my friend. I want her back, and I’ll do just about anything to rescue her. Please, just be straightforward and tell me… are you involved in this or not?”
But Cobbler just laughed and shook his head. “Now, Twilight Sparkle, if I were involved, I wouldn’t be very likely to tell you after all the trouble I’d have gone through, now would I?”
“No,” she replied quietly. “I guess not.”
“And if I say that I am not involved, even if that’s true, you won’t believe me until you’re convinced that I truly am innocent.” He raised an eyebrow. “Am I correct?”
Twilight hesitated, then nodded.
“I thought as much,” he said. “But, regardless, my answer is no: I am not involved.”
Twilight furrowed her brow. “I don’t know if I believe you, sir… but I want to believe you.”
“I’m very glad to hear that. Believe me when I say that I would like to be a friend to the Princess of Friendship and her companions. I’ll be glad to show you around my various enterprises. After that, I’m sure that you’ll see that I am not your enemy.”
“I hope so,” Twilight said, smiling weakly.
“Good.” Cobbler grinned. “Now, let’s have ourselves some pie!”
Auntie Bellum cleared her throat.
“Ah, yes,” he sighed, looking to the maid. “And don’t forget Auntie’s mint julep.”
***
Twilight was a little wary about getting a tour of Professor Cobbler’s home and businesses from the very pony they were investigating, but she told him plainly that she expected to be able to look at anything and talk to anypony she wished. To her surprise, he agreed, with the exception of the locked room upstairs. He wouldn’t say why, but insisted that it was nothing more than a bedroom that was plainly not connected to to any sort of secret passage or anything, and wouldn’t be much good for building advanced robots anyway.
Though her curiosity was still piqued, she took a look around the house and at the adjacent rooms and admitted that it was true, so she let it pass and, once the good professor had donned his work clothes again, agreed to let him take them to the first stop on their tour: the cannery.
They all took a coach pulled by Cobbler’s chauffeurs. Gradually the dirt road gave way to pavement as they travelled further away from Mustang City. According to Cobbler, he had several different facilities along the road, and the cannery was the first stop due to its close proximity to the orchard.
The building was a tall, blockish structure of red brick with tall windows that were open at the top to keep the place from getting too hot. When they arrived, the first thing they noticed was the row of harvesters parked outside. Workers were unloading the peaches onto a conveyor belt that led into the factory. They all smiled and waved to Cobbler and his guests.
Once inside, the noise of the place filled their ears, and they gawked at the sight. Towering machines and swift conveyor belts all rattled and hummed in a cacophony. The initial conveyor belt carried the peaches past a line of ponies in hairnets (and tailnets, they noticed). Earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi alike all inspected the peaches as they came by, and any that looked bruised, rotten, or otherwise imperfect were tossed into a bucket nearby.
The remaining peaches were funneled into a tub of water to be rinsed, then onto a narrower path until they became a single line, which in turn led to an area where more workers fed them into a simple machine that sliced them down the middle, pit and all. More workers were waiting to remove the pits from each one before they were fed into a machine that steamed them, thus making the peels easier to remove, Cobbler explained. Then they went to the peeling station before being put into a huge machine that mixed them with heavy syrup and automatically dropped them into cans which were sealed, heated, labelled, and finally brought to the end of the line where they were crated.
“And that’s how we make our canned peaches!” Cobbler said, spreading his forelegs wide in a flourish.
The group of them all clapped their hooves appreciatively.
“It’s kind of like a field trip in school,” Twilight remarked, smiling at the memory.
“Yeah, field trips were always one of my favorite parts of school,” Rainbow Dash said. “That and gym class.”
“Well, thank you for the tour, Professor,” Twilight said, growing more serious, “but, if you don’t mind, we’d like to look around and ask some of the workers questions.”
“I am a pony of my word,” he replied. “You won’t find anything, of course, but take all the time you wish. I will be standing here until you are satisfied.”
The group spread out, looking all around the building, checking the offices and storerooms, and in every nook and cranny for something suspicious, but found nothing. The workers treated them warmly, like honored guests, and spoke highly of their employer. Not one gave the slightest hint of hiding something sinister.
Twilight and her friends trudged back to where Professor Cobbler was waiting for them. He smiled in spite of their frustrated looks.
“Satisfied?” he asked.
Twilight nodded. “Yes,” she sighed. “There’s nothing here.”
“Well then,” he said, getting to his hooves, “allow me to show you to the factory.”
***
The factory, it turned out, was not one building, but several as part of a massive compound, all constructed of the same red brick. A railroad track ran through the center. Each building housed different machinery and more assembly lines devoted to constructing machines both great and small.
One building was devoted to building and repairing the harvesters. Another was for constructing smaller parts of larger machines, including the magic-electric converter bulbs that had led them there in the first place. One small building built phonographs, speakers, and other sound equipment. Another built Mustangia-themed souvenirs to be sold in town.
None of them had anything to do with robots.
Nearly two hours had passed by the time they were finally done. Once again, they had come up empty-hooved: the workers said nothing of a conspiracy, the facilities were ill-equipped to build something as complex as Turing Test, and there was apparently nothing hidden. No secret passages, no documents under lock and key, or anything else. It was all open to them, and nothing looked out of place.
“Well this was a bust,” Rainbow Dash grumbled as she wandered back to the group standing outside the compound’s front gate.
“I thought for sure we’d find something here,” Fluttershy said to herself, furrowing her brow. Then she noticed Cobbler watching her and added, “Oh, um, I mean, if there was anything to find, that is…”
“It’s quite all right, my dear,” he said. “I want you to be assured of my innocence. So, are you satisfied once again?”
They all looked to each other, saying nothing, until Applejack raised a hoof.
“Yes, Miss Applejack?” Cobbler asked, calling on her like a filly in a schoolhouse.
“What I can’t figure,” Applejack began, “is why you got this whole place runnin’ like this. All these assembly lines, everypony doin’ the same thing over an’ over again… yer a farmer, so I thought you’d want it all done by hoof.”
“It is a bit impersonal,” Rarity said with a frown. “Why not have a team apply a bit of love to the whole process?”
Cobbler removed his hat and placed it over his chest. “I understand that concern,” he said, bowing his head, “but by doing it this way, we are able to can our peaches, build our devices, and get them to market with expedience and quality. I admit that when my daddy Fjord Mustang first started implementing the assembly lines and automating the process, a great many ponies felt that he was taking things too far. But while my granddaddy, Dearborn Crumble, was more of an innovator and inventor, Daddy was the one who really knew his business.
“Pay a few ponies a decent wage to do one part of the process, he said, and you could hire more laborers with less skill instead of only a few highly-trained ponies to do it all from start to finish. We hired more workers, not less, you see, and our businesses have made Mustangia a stronger economy and a good place to go for anypony who wants a fair job.”
Rarity smirked. “Forgive me, sir, but you sound a bit like a spokespony.”
Cobbler laughed. “I suppose it’s become second nature to me. Well, I apologize for the pitch. Now then, if there’s nothing else here, let us go to the next stop on our tour… and, in this case, I think you’ll find it a bit more traditional.”
***
The next stop was the distillery compound. Similar to the other compounds, there were more red brick buildings, but these were longer and had massive doors that were opened wide.
“Why are the doors opened like that?” Twilight asked.
“It keeps them more ventilated,” Cobbler replied as they approached. “You’ll see why we do that in a moment.”
As soon as they entered, they all understood: the inside of the building was sweltering like the hottest day of summer. On either side of the long building were gigantic copper pots. They were fat at the bottom but thinned out near the top, and they terminated in a long coil that extended out and dripped liquid into cylindrical vat nearby.
“My goodness… it’s so hot in here!” Rarity exclaimed, fanning herself.
“And humid, too!” Pinkie added. Then she froze, her eyes bulging. “Uh oh.”
“What is it Pink--”
Pinkie’s already poofy mane practically exploded in a virtual cloud of pink frizziness.
“Oh… oh dear,” Rarity said, gawking at her.
“My apologies,” Cobbler said, “but the heat is necessary. You see, my friends, we begin by fermenting the juice from the peaches to make a kind of sweet wine. Here, however, we distill it by heating it to a boil to separate out the alcoholic vapors, then condensing them into the final product which you see dripping into those vats over yonder. Once a batch is finished, we’ll pack it in a barrel, take it to the storeroom, and let it age for a few years.”
“And the stuff ain’t bad, either!” Applejack remarked.
“Well, you won’t find anything here either,” Cobbler said, shrugging his shoulders, “but, once again, feel free to look around if it’ll satisfy your curiosity. Just be careful… the stills are quite hot, and I wouldn’t want you to injure yourselves.”
Rainbow Dash cleared her throat and jerked her head at Twilight, beckoning her to join her out of earshot.
“Yes, Rainbow?” Twilight asked.
“You really think we’ll find something here?” she whispered, raising an eyebrow. “This guy might need to change his attitude about Princess Celestia, but so far we haven’t found a thing! And if we didn’t find something at the factory, what makes you think we’ll find something in a place like this?”
“You might be right,” Twilight replied. She frowned, her ears drooping. “Maybe we were wrong, or maybe Cobbler is just too good at hiding his tracks, but we can’t give up just because it’s a bother. Remember, we’re doing this for Turing Test.”
Rainbow Dash sighed, but then she smiled. “Right. Okay, for Tee.”
Twilight turned to the others. “We’ll continue searching. Professor, could you show us the brandy storerooms as well?”
“As you wish,” he said.
Pinkie raised her hoof. “Um, can I be excused this time?” she asked. By now, her muzzle was the only thing protruding from her puffball of a mane as it enveloped her head. “I can’t see a thing!”
“I’ll help her tame this beast,” Rarity said, taking Pinkie’s hoof to guide her outside. “Do let us know if you find anything, everypony.”
But after another hour of searching, they again found nothing. Each building housed only more stills and workers to tend them by monitoring the heat. The Master Distiller’s office held only a few documents, all centered exclusively around keeping track of the brandy and who it was being sold to. The dark, chilly storeroom was below ground, but there was nothing save for the towering shelves that held barrels of aging brandy.
No sign of Turing Test or the conspirators.
Twilight did find one object of interest, but it wasn’t what she was looking for. In one smaller building was a single pot still, taller than all the others.
“I see you’ve found Old Betsy,” Cobbler said as he came up behind Twilight.
“Oh!” she cried, startled out of her thoughts. She chuckled to herself and turned back to look at the massive still. “Yes, I couldn’t help but notice this one is by itself, much larger, and looks a little more… worn, somehow.”
“Yes, this still was from the original distillery,” he replied. “We still use it, mind you, but we mostly keep it around for old times’ sake. Plus it makes for an impressive sight on the tour.”
They both chuckled at that. Then Twilight’s energy drained from her.
“Something wrong, Princess Twilight?” Cobbler asked, tilting his head.
“I just… I really wish we’d found something by now,” she whispered. “I miss my friend, and I want to know that she’s okay.”
Cobbler blinked. “Forgive me,” he said, furrowing his brow, “but I did not expect this level of concern over a mere machine.”
Twilight frowned, shooting him a look. “Turing Test is no mere machine.”
Cobbler raised his hooves defensively. “I meant no disrespect,” he said, “but you’ll have to forgive my skepticism. You see, my granddaddy was a builder of automata, and so am I. While I do understand a sense of attachment and even assign a bit of a personality to my creations, I wouldn’t go so far as to call them my ‘friends.’ Not truly, I mean.”
Twilight turned and began to walk out of the building. “Like I said, Turing Test is no mere machine. She’s extraordinary. I didn’t assign her a personality… she has her own.”
Cobbler sighed. “If you say so, Princess,” he replied, walking alongside her. “Your other friends have finished their search. After this, there is just one more stop, and then I believe you will be satisfied that I am not the pony you are looking for.”
***
The coach stopped outside a building unlike the others. The steep, triangular roof loomed tall, as did the long, thin windows. A towering smokestack protruded from the left side of the building, though no smoke emanated from it. Steel double doors were at the entrance, and a sign showing Cobbler’s cutie mark was hung over them.
“Welcome to my little home away from home,” Cobbler said as he trotted up to the doors. He took out a key and unlocked them. “I think you’ll find this to be a real treat.”
They followed him inside, but at first the place was too dark to see. But then he pulled a large switch on the wall, and bright electric lights hung high overhead on the ceiling flashed on, abruptly illuminating the place.
Rarity rubbed her eyes in the sudden light. She slowly opened them, blinking until they adjusted. She turned.
A skeletal face with blank, soulless eyes was staring back at her.
She shrieked, stumbling backwards as the others rushed to her side.
“Stay back!” she shouted.
“Wait a minute,” Rainbow Dash said, as she saw the thing more clearly. “That’s… that’s…”
“A robot!” Fluttershy cried.
Indeed it was. Standing on a shelf, held up with a metal rod, were the half-finished remains of a mechanical pony.
“Well, the term is ‘automaton,’” Cobbler said, “but you are correct. That’s one of Granddaddy’s old models. I suppose it is a bit frightening, but I’ve gotten used to it, you see. In any case, though,” he said, grinning broadly, “welcome to my workshop!”
“Workshop?” Twilight asked. And then she took in the whole of the place, and her jaw dropped.
There were shelves upon shelves and rows upon rows, and they were all lined with different machines. Engines, tubes, wires, and batteries of all kinds were stacked neatly in groups, but she especially noticed that there were automata of all shapes and sizes propped up and on display.
“You made all these?” Twilight breathed.
“Oh my goodness, no!” Cobbler laughed. “A great many of these were built by Granddaddy. I kept a few that were unfit for the Manehattan Hall of Science exhibit, of course, and there are a few of Daddy’s old machines too, though he was never as fond of automata as I. But if you’ll follow me, I can show you some of my own creations. Just a few things I’ve, heh, cobbled together.”
They followed him. Twilight glanced to and fro with awe as they walked, and she took to the air to get a better look at the wondrous machines.
“Now here we have some of mine,” Cobbler said, puffing out his chest with pride. “I have a real appreciation for these machines. I believe one day they will lead us to a new era, but for now I am content to divert myself by constructing them as a hobby.”
It was obvious that these machines were much newer. They were in better condition, for one, and many were able to stand on their own, for another. Many were in the form of small mechanical toys, like teddy bears and tin soldiers with wind-up keys, but others were full-size machines in the shape of ponies. Some were half-finished things with bare machinery and wires, while others were finished and covered with shining metal exteriors. Some even wore clothes or had painted faces.
“I built a few of these for the Mustangia Fair attractions over the years,” he explained, pointing to one dressed as a clown. “The children do seem to love them… if they aren’t frightened by them, that is.”
“Hee hee!” Pinkie giggled. “This one is pretty funny-looking!” She pressed a button next to the clown automaton, and it started to move.
“Hello!” it said in a static-filled falsetto, its mouth moving stiffly up and down. “Is your refrigerator running?”
“Oh, oh, I know this joke!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I say ‘Yes,’ and you say--”
“Then you better go and catch it! Wa-ha! Wa-ha! Wa-ha! Wa-”
Applejack punched the button again, shutting it off in the middle of its unnatural, convulsive laughter.
“Yeah, that’s just about the creepiest robot I’ve ever seen,” she said, making a sour face.
“It, um… wasn’t that creepy,” Pinkie said weakly, her eyes not meeting theirs.
“Hmph,” Cobbler grumbled. “Everypony’s a critic.”
Twilight wasn’t paying attention. Several of the newest machines had some striking features: ears on hinges, for instance. Brass hooves for another. The rubber around their joints and the long slits in their lower faceplates. True, none of them had polymer manes or gemstone eyes, but still, she couldn’t deny that they all reminded her of…
“Turing,” she whispered.
“What’s that, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.
Twilight turned, and Fluttershy saw that her eyes were damp.
“Oh… oh, Twilight,” she said, hugging her friend. “There there, it’ll be all right. We’ll find her! I know we will!”
The others joined her, holding each other and voicing similar support.
All the while, Cobbler just stood there, staring at them, his lips slightly parted and his head tilted.
“I still can’t believe you all have such feelings for a mechanical pony,” he muttered. Then he heaved a sigh. “Well, allow me to conclude the tour, then.”
They followed him as he took them to a section of the building where long wooden tables were strewn with tools and gadgets and blueprints.
“This whole building was a factory a long time ago, but I converted it for my own personal use. This area is where I do most of my work, though. Typically, I work alone, but occasionally I work with other enthusiasts. Despite the fact that automata have fallen out of favor, you’d be surprised to know that there are a great number of automaton builders. You can see some pictures of the different ponies I’ve worked with on the wall there.”
He pointed at the far wall where numerous plaques and photographs were hung next to pencil sketches of different automaton designs.
Twilight trotted over and examined them.
We’ve been at this all afternoon, she thought to herself, and even though some of these robots vaguely look like Turing Test, that’s not enough to connect Professor Cobbler to the conspirators. Maybe Gadget was wrong. Maybe the Royal Guard were right when they found nothing. This was just a waste of…
She paused, her thoughts interrupted as she noticed a small photograph among the others. Cobbler was standing next to several other ponies and the frame of another automaton. Cobbler was smiling proudly, as were his colleagues. But what caught her eye was the unicorn standing next to him.
He was blue, with a short black mane combed neatly over his head, and he wore a black shirt. She’d only met him one time, but she’d never forget his face.
“I knew it!” she screamed, whirling around.
“Princess?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “What exactly do you me--waugh!”
She had seized him with her magic and dragged him across the stone floor. She pressed her muzzle into his, glaring at him with clenched teeth.
“You are one of the conspirators,” she hissed. “And now I have proof!”
“Princess, please, calm down!” he whimpered.
“Twilight, darling!” Rarity exclaimed, running to her side. “Please, try to control yourself! What is this all about?”
“I’ll show you!” she shouted, and levitated the picture over to them, practically shoving it in Cobbler’s face.
“I… I don’t understand,” Cobbler said. “This picture was from a year ago. My friends and I had just completed a new automaton. What does this--”
“The blue pony next to you,” Twilight said, pointing at him, “was spying on me. He tried to do something to Turing Test, and he deceived my friend Gadget, and then attacked her when she caught him! And now here he is in this picture! You know him! You work with him! You know Fine Print!”
He stared back at her, his eyes wide. “F-fine Print?” he asked. He looked at the picture again. “But… that pony’s name isn’t Fine Print. His name is Umahara!”
“Umahara?” Twilight asked.
“Uh, Twilight, ya might have more luck if you ease off a bit,” Applejack said. “You’ve already scared the Professor here half to death!”
Twilight sighed. “Fine.” She released her hold on him, and he let out a sigh of relief. “Now, please explain what you know about this pony.”
“Well, as I said, his name is Umahara,” Cobbler said. “I worked with his father a good many years ago, and now the two of us are friends. We build automata together on occasion, but other than that, we have no further relationship… unless…”
Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Unless?” she asked.
Cobbler’s eyes widened. “Shortly after that picture was taken, he asked me for a favor,” he said, his voice breathless. “He asked if I would mind giving him some of my old designs and…”
“And?”
“...and a warehouse where he could do some work of his own. As a friend, I was glad to let him lease the place, but if he’s been working with other ponies using my designs, then--”
“Then we have to find him!” Twilight exclaimed. “Where is that warehouse?”
“Not far from here,” he said, his face growing serious. “If you’ll permit me a moment, I have the floorplan of the building in the back storeroom.”
Twilight blinked at him. “Oh… oh my gosh, you really didn’t know, did you?” She swallowed. “Yes, Professor, we’d be glad to have your help, I… oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!”
Cobbler smiled. “Not to worry. Just give me a moment to find those plans. In the meantime, I suggest you signal the guards. You may need their assistance.”
“Good thinking,” Twilight said, breaking into a smile. “Pinkie, you know what to do!”
Pinkie reached into her mane, removing the signal flare. “Right!” she said. “Signal the Royal Guards… and then, after we rescue Rinny, have her come back and teach that clown robot some better jokes!”
***
The flare worked just as planned. Not long after Pinkie had sent the signal, Sea Hawk, Violet Wisp, and Orange Slice showed up at Cobbler’s workshop. They explained that they left Buttercup to guard Gadget and Spike just in case something went wrong.
Cobbler showed them where the place was on the map, and together they followed a dirt road through a forest until they were almost there.
“I suggest we hide in the woods,” Sea Hawk said to Twilight, “to conceal our approach. When we’ve confirmed that the conspirators are inside, we can rush them and overwhelm them before they know what’s happened.”
Twilight nodded. “That sounds like a good idea, Sergeant. My friends and I will back you up.”
Sea Hawk made a face. “Your Highness, I really don’t want to place you at risk…”
“Don’t worry about us,” Twilight said with a smirk. “We’ve dealt with worse than this.”
“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash added, stretching her wings. “We can’t let you have all the fun. Besides, we owe these guys for what they did to Tee!”
Rarity tapped her on the shoulder. “Do try to remember that we’re trying to capture them, Rainbow Dash,” she said, “not beat them to a pulp. I suspect the Royal Guards will have some questions for them, and we might want them in condition to answer.”
“Tch… fine,” she grumbled. “But if we run into any more killer robots, I say we blast ‘em with some rainbows before they can make a move.”
“After what 004 did to Turing, I’m inclined to agree,” Applejack said, pulling her hat down.
Orange Slice sighed. “Sounds like we’re mostly here to back them up,” he muttered.
“Aw, maybe you’ll get to tackle somepony, Orange Slice,” Violet Wisp said, elbowing him playfully.
He perked up at that. “Oh, you think?”
Sea Hawk shot them both a look. “Just do your duty, you two. We’ve got a job to do, so take it seriously!”
“Yes, sir!” they both said, saluting him stiffly.
They moved off the path and into the woods (ignoring Rarity’s complaints about tromping through the underbrush) until they were at the edge of the trees. The warehouse was a one-story building with a large, sliding wooden door and small windows near the roof. There didn’t appear to be anypony outside, and there was no sign of activity within.
“I have an idea,” Cobbler said. “Allow me to knock on the door and see if anypony’s there. They know me, and I own the building, so they won’t suspect a thing if I pay a visit.”
They all exchanged a glance.
“I can understand why you wouldn’t trust me,” he said, narrowing his eyes, “but unless you want to sit out here in the woods for who knows how long while they carry on their work, whatever it may be, then I suggest you all listen to me!”
Sea Hawk frowned. He then turned to Twilight. “Princess?”
Twilight hesitated a moment, then nodded. “All right,” she said quietly. “Good luck, Professor.”
Cobbler smiled, tipping his hat to her. He stepped out from the trees and walked over to the door. The distance from the trees to the warehouse was just under a hundred meters, so they could just barely hear him as he pounded on the door and called to whoever was inside.
At first, nothing happened, but then the huge door slid open slightly, and a pony trotted out.
Twilight gasped when she saw who it was. “Fine-- no, Umahara!”
The unicorn was there, this time wearing only his black shirt. For the first time, she could see his cutie mark: a screwdriver crossed over a wrench.
Umahara smiled and bumped hooves with Cobbler, and they seemed to be making small talk. After a few moments, Umahara turned away and gestured to something else in the distance. When his back was turned, Cobbler glanced back at the woods and nodded.
“Now’s our chance!” Sea Hawk hissed.
“All right!” Orange Slice exclaimed, even beating Rainbow Dash to the punch as he launched into the air, rocketing at Umahara. The others followed suit close behind.
Umahara turned when he saw the commotion. “What the--”
Orange Slice pounced on him, holding him down. Violet Wisp joined him, and they each helped hold him down.
“Professor!” Umahara shouted. “What’s the meaning of this?!”
Cobbler only shut his eyes and turned away.
“Umahara,” Sea Hawk said, standing over him, “you are under arrest for suspicion of conspiracy against Equestria!”
“Let me go!” he shouted as he struggled against the guards. Then he saw Twilight as she and her friends walked over to him.
“I guess we finally caught up to you, ‘Fine Print,’” she said, scowling at him.
“Princess Twilight!” he gasped.
Then she noticed as his eyes shifted over to the open door of the warehouse. She followed his gaze and peered through the open door. Though it was dark inside, the light shining through the door barely illuminated something at the end of the warehouse.
It was made of metal, about her size, and pony-shaped.
“Turing!” Twilight cried, and ran through the door, the others following her.
“Princess, wait!” Sea Hawk shouted as he ran after her.
Twilight ran toward the robot. Her heart was pounding in her chest at the sight of her missing friend as she called her name again. The robot’s ears perked up, and she began to turn her head.
Rarity was the first to notice that something was wrong. She called out, “No, wait!”
Twilight slowed only a moment in confusion, but then she too saw that there was something different about Turing. The robot looked slightly taller, and her legs were slightly more slender. Twilight tried to stop and skidded to a halt as the robot continued turning its head to face her.
“T-Turing?” Twilight whispered, her throat going dry.
It stared back at her with a singular, glowing yellow eye.
“Not quite,” it said, its feminine voice a dissonant, artificial rasp. “Hello, Princess. We welcome you.”
The robot’s eye glowed more intensely, and a motor engaged nearby the door. It slid shut, cutting off their exit. There was a hissing sound, and Twilight looked up to see that there were small pipes lining the ceiling like a sprinkler system in case of a fire.
Pale green gas was coming out of them.
“It’s a trap!” Twilight shouted.
Before the others could react, several wooden crates nearby burst open. Ponies in gas masks emerged and ran at them. One tackled Rarity, who screamed as he held her down. The others turned to face their attackers but began to cough as the gas rapidly filled the room.
Twilight began firing beams of magic at them, but her throat began to burn, and she was starting to feel lightheaded. She ran for the door, thinking that she could blast it open and vent the gas, but then a larger crate exploded outward and a new figure stood in her way. Her jaw dropped in horror when she saw who it was.
“Intruders detected. Now proceeding with detainment.”
She thought that 004 was going to attack her, but he turned his head and she saw that he had instead spotted Applejack, who was fending off the ponies in gas masks. She’d landed a vicious buck to the head of one when 004 simply leaped at her and easily pinned her to the ground with one hoof.
“No!” Twilight screamed as she began to cough. Then there was a hoof on her shoulder, and she whirled around, ready to defend herself.
“Princess!” Sea Hawk managed to gasp. “We’ve got to get out of here and get help!” He pointed up at the windows. “If we break them open, we can escape!”
The thinner robot’s eye glowed again, and metal shutters slid over the windows, making the room almost completely dark.
Twilight swore she heard something like giggling as the lone eye retreated into the darkness.
Her heart sank, but then she remembered that she had one last ace in the hole. She reached out blindly, grabbing onto Sea Hawk, and shouted, “Hang on, I’m going to get us out of here!”
Her horn glowed, and she and Sea Hawk vanished in a flash, teleporting back outside.
“Good thinking, Your Highness,” Sea Hawk managed to gasp. “Guards, we need to act fast! Get that door open, and…”
When he trailed off, Twilight looked over to see that both Orange Slice and Violet Wisp were just standing there, staring blankly into space and not trying to get the door open even though the screams of her friends from inside the warehouse were loud and clear.
“What’s wrong with you two?!” Sea Hawk shouted. “I said get that door open! That’s an order!”
“I’m sorry,” said a voice, and they turned to see Umahara standing there, no longer held down by the guards, “but they have new orders.”
“What did you do to them?!” Sea Hawk demanded, lowering his head as he prepared to charge.
“Sergeant Sea Hawk,” Umahara said, staring calmly into his eyes, “listen to me: it is as Celestia wills it.”
At the sound of that phrase, Sea Hawk froze, the tension draining from his body.
“Understood,” he said quietly.
Twilight whirled around and saw that his eyes were distant and glassy.
“Guards,” Umahara said, heaving a sigh. “Restrain Twilight Sparkle.”
In an instant, all three of them snapped to action and leapt on her, pinning her to the ground.
“You monsters!” Twilight screamed. “What did you do to them? What are you doing to my friends?!”
“Please stay calm,” Umahara said, walking over to them.
“Not a chance!” Twilight shouted. Her horn glowed as she prepared to teleport away.
Then a pair of hooves reached over to her, and she felt something snap onto her horn. Her magic died away in an instant. She saw a small metal band had been latched onto it.
A magical suppression device? How? Who--
She looked up and saw who had placed the thing on her horn.
Professor Cobbler was staring down at her, his expression sad.
“Professor?!” she exclaimed.
“I do apologize,” he said, “but it seems you’ve left me no other choice.”
Twilight grit her teeth, angry tears forming in her eyes. “How could you? We trusted you!”
“I know,” he said, adjusting his jacket, “and I did not enjoy lying to you, my dear, but I hope that soon you’ll see why this deceit was necessary.” He looked up at Umahara. “Good work, Mr. Umahara. Please see to it the others are taken care of.”
Umahara bowed to him. “Understood, Mr. President.”
“As for you, Princess,” Cobbler sighed, “I’m afraid you’ll be joining us for a bit longer than either of us expected.” He turned to the vacant-eyed guards, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a syringe. “Bind her wings and sedate her.”
As Sea Hawk took the syringe in his magic, Twilight renewed her struggles, fighting them off until she felt the sting of a needle in her neck.
To be continued…
Our antagonist finally reveals himself, and we meet 002 as well. But where is Turing Test in all this? Next time...
First, a little technical/historical stuff:
-The reference to Mustangian moonshiners conflicts with the government is based in history, particularly with regard to the Whiskey Rebellion in the United States in 1791 and the ongoing conflicts since then.
-The Mint Julep that Auntie Bellum requests is a lovely drink that's much beloved in the South (fitting with Mustangia's general theme), and is also the official drink of the Kentucky Derby, one of the most famous horse races in the world.
-The peach cannery and the distillery are both depicted as accurately as I could without getting in too deep. The use of copper stills is still fairly common for making brandy, though most brandy is made from grape wine, rather than peaches, of course. Here's an example:
-The implementation of the assembly line by Cobbler's father, Fjord, references Henry Ford's use of the modern assembly line to revolutionize manufacture of automobiles. While assembly line jobs get a bad rap, Ford's ideas at the time did a lot for the common worker: a good pay, an 8-hour work day, and a job that didn't need as much training, since you only needed to know one step in the process.
Okay, regular references! Not too many this time:
-The clown robot is based slightly on Tim Curry's performance as Pennywise the clown in the movie version of Stephen King's story IT.
-The title of this part of the arc is taken from the name of a Radiohead song. I'm a big fan of their music (Amnesiac and OK Computer are my favorites), and I chose this particular song because of both the name working with the theme of a puzzle coming together, and also because of the song's somewhat disturbing tone that crescendos and becomes more intense, much like the action of this part of the story, culminating in Twilight and her friends being captured. I wish I had something other than the music video (which I don't care for that much), but it's all that I could find with the whole song (which I do care for!).
See you next time!
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*Machete sharpening*
So the conspirators do not see Turing Test as an individual but only a machine and are willing to use mind control for their objectives...
I'm really looking forward to see they going down!
Obligatory Ack-bar when?
And good on them for restraining them instead of just cornering them like a dingus.
And now we get to actually hear the entire story as to whats going on instead of hearing it from Celestia and Luna's bias against losing their immortality regardless of the why, Ponies who follow her more or less blindly, and those that were given aid many others need and are denied (as in so many systems) by connection to and service rendered to the crown.
7707302 Remember that they don't have any context as to her growth, only the original blue-prints and their original programming to go off of.
Kinda how someone who programed an A.I and sold the computer it was on when it didn't work, more then likely wouldn't believe someone who walked up to them and said it did and was truly self-aware without some serious evidence on hand.
They might very well realize their wrong given a chance to actually interact with Turing, but that isn't going to happen on either Equestria's or their own terms so long as they have to play hide and seek with the guards and Celestia herself.
Since we have seen 002, 003, and 004 I'm curious what 001 looks like
There had better be a very good explanation for their actions, or I'm going to be sharpening some knives...
7707264
*Chainsaw revved up*
Oh boy, that Umahara has that hypnotizing eyes like that psycho nun mare has.
Except that they have evidence - or at last strong clues - Umehara's own spying (that should have raised some bells on the conspirators) and Talon Turing's article about Turing. Also the fact that Celestia gave Equestrian citizenship to Turing Test.
They think that are the way of the future, but their actions could turn Equestria into a "Player Piano" society, where a small oligarchy have control of the productive technology, and uses the same technology to oppress masses of unemployable disfranchised ponies...
I can't tell you how tired I am of seeing the exact same mistake over and over again.
This is why you don't send everyone in all at once: it's always a trap. And it's particularly frustrating this time because they knew the bad guys (and they are now unmistakably Bad Guys) were expecting them and actually said out loud that they lost the element of surprise (doubly so after setting off that flare at Cobbler's workshop, basically telling everyone this side of the horizon that they were on the way).
Also, Applejack, this guy has been lying through his teeth right in front of you for hours. What do you have to say for yourself, Miss Element of Honesty?
7707353 Umahara got next to nothing in terms of information, as Gadget cut him off mid way through the process.
Celestia isn't some one they care about, and they could've come to the conclusion that she's simply trying to trip them up with legal curveballs.
Talon is known to be funded by the government, his words can be bought or blackmailed, so trusting him is as flimsy as plywood from their side of the conflict. Add to this that Turing as a machine never legally belonged to either Twilight, Gadget, Talon, or Celestia, nor was it ever stated they intended to give Turing to Twilight, and their conclusion make a bit more sense.
And controlling unemployed ponies? If Cobbler is the head of this organization, it's pretty clear thats the farthest thing from his end game thats physically possible. He's the largest employer in Mustangia, has employees running the full gambit of skill and competency, and doesn't treat them like playthings as Celestia has proven herself more then willing to do, from the potentialy world ending rescue of her sister without any contingency plans or even capable military personal available, to the fiasco of the Grand Gala, which was more then within her power to change before ruining days of work and leaving the ones who did the work to clean up her mess.
All things told, they at least try to find solutions that don't throw an entire civilization under the bus for a single individual, be it learning a lessson, or 'destiny'.
Edit: Grammar and spelling errors.
Next chapter, I hope... These criminal scums will get what they deserve. I'm confident Twilight and her friends will make them feel the wrath of the righteous!
Great part! I can't wait for the next one, and the (hopefully) retribution following this cliffhanger.
7707407 you forgot the 'Self' in 'selfrightous'.
7707336 ITS RAPING TIME.
7707420
You and me, bro! Anyone who approaches Turing or Twilight are mincemeat!
7707374 Their the 'Bad Guys' for doing something most do when they need to detain someone?
By that logic the Guards and Celestia are demonic for doing the same thing.
7707264 *fueling tank*
7707374
Well, at last they didn't send everybody. There two (Gadget and Spike) that could turn the tables.
Huh... the fact that she is the Element of Honesty is because she is embodies honesty, but I don't think that in canon it is stated that she became a lie detector (I guess - if it was stated in canon I apologize)... and lie detectors can be fooled...
7707383
True, I grant that it could not be Cobbler's intention, but in the moment that he released his technology *several* other heads of industry would adquire it, and could not fellow his ideas (Per example, in a deleted scene where he see who hired Glory and Grace, the business pony's intention is use Turing's technology to replace his employees), and it could lead to a "Player Piano" society...
No contingency plans that we know of. It is perfectly possible that Celestia had such contingencies, but they where never brought in the show (after all, MLP-FIM do have a "Main Character does everything" tendency and it affect the rest of plot.)
Can we be sure of it?
7707489 Her guards in cannon are shown to be inept beyond any justifiable reason, and I doubt her stick and cannon military could touch anything the element bearers have gone up against without a century of weapon development and using things that are outlawed by international law.
And while I'll agree Cobbler is more then likely going to be dethroned fast, he's trying, more then Celestia has in years if the results are anything to go by.
As for the solutions, everything they've used so far was implemented in small scale, and in some ways I'd argue the injuries from 4 could be a case of poorly worded directives and loopholes to some degree.
At this point everything other then the Celestial Engine they made doesn't intentionally hurt anyone, and even then the only ones that really lose anything from the sun and moon are a ruler trapped in her own ideals and a spoiled foal in a crown who think's she's beyond reproach by the public because of said crown.
If they didn't have their immortality tied to them I'd be a bit more sympathetic but it's just a selfish case of 'It's mine, you can't touch it!' at this point.
And when Cobbler does actually realize that Turing was self aware and that he pretty much murdered a child? Would love to see the look on his big, stupid face.
Also, kinda hope Turing goes all Sky-net on the Scientologists.
7707458
I didn't know mind control and gas traps were standard Equestrian practices.
7707506 Seven words: Turing has a Black Box recovery system.
She isn't dead, just offline, living machine or otherwise.
7707513 The Umburum-tortured and starved in pocket dimension, from the youngest foal to the eldest.
The Changelings-captured and thrown bodily into an active volcano regardless of individual involvment(you don't sink in lava, it's a far worse fate then that) as well as having the entire species Genetically scarred.
And a non-lethal gas trap is at most a tool, and I have no doubt the Equestrian military makes use of a similar, if not the same, formula as the equivalence to a smoke grenade.
As for the Mind Control, what do you think a 'Reformation Spell' does?
It wipes the mind and destroys the person at the most basic level or reprograms the individual while retaining disjointed memories, and those are apparently common place from what the episode they're mentioned in inferred, and personally I'd ask for the death penalty if that's what the court wanted, "Let me die knowing who I am."
7707503
And which results? Because it could be argued that by keeping his technology restricted in Mustangia, he is actually preventing of other ponies to see the results and trying replicate somewhere else - the news that such systems aren't harebrained schemes could change Celestia's opinion about them (as shown in the very fic). After all there are inventors and scientists working under Celestia's government that convinced her that their work is worthwhile, in other words - the conspiracy itself could not be necessary,
And we need consider that she kept Equestria as a prosperous country with a reasonablely good standard of living for at last one millennium - no small feat!
7707515 Sure, but unless they make sure to 'edit' her memory, Turing got to experience what it felt like to literally get torn apart. What would that do to a child's psyche? And it was done by her 'brother' no less?
7707571 The fact that she could destroy decades of research by flippantly denying it simply because of her reputation makes the fact that the few managed to convince her while the many were left with nothing leaves little respect for the ruler who allows themselves that much power in public manipulations. She could've asked to see further tests done or even hired and regulated the developing tech in the first place but she chose the 'quick and easy' route.
Consider again that the average pony getting replaced wouldn't be doing a particularly difficult job nor be paid much of anything at this point (as Turing and the others like her are prohibitively expensive for mass production on any scale) and would arguably be better suited to the task of mainaining the automata or even helping improve them with their knowledge and experience in their respective craft, for a potentially higher wage I might add.
And keeping a country this stagnant in political, technological and theological progress/conflict is far easier then one continually under strife or under scrutiny by it's people. Add to this her doctrine of ignorance is safety for world ending threats and her lack of upkeep and proper containment of the more dangerous immortals and she's not shown herself in any real capabilty in recent history.
And as for the Centaur conflict mentioned earlier, she didn't do much as the soldiers did the work and espionage and a P.O.W did the hard part, partially because he had no choice.
Edit for spelling, apologies, typing on a touchscreen.
If it was me I would just kill them all to the last as soon as I managed to free myself...
These conspirators are traitors using mind control and, from a certain point of view, slavery... It's like everything I despise in one faction.
And.. Heh, Rainbow "paranoid" Dash was right from the start... Except it's not being paranoid when you are right all along
Also, given what happened, I guess Applejack isn't a living lie detector here... or that her Element need some serious tuning.
7707534
I have no idea where most of that is from, or if it is even considered canon to this story.
Also, I'm pretty sure that last I saw the Changelings weren't trapped in a volcano. In fact, at least one of them was working with Mr. Talon Turing.
Throwing a smoke grenade and flooding a warehouse with gas while simultaneously sealing the only exit and subduing the victim both physically and with a separate, injected chemical are two entirely different levels of moral consideration.
), and a much lower chance that the victim will be able to receive medical attention to treat those side-effects in time.
One is used when you're trying to flush a dangerous person out of an entrenched position, and it's entirely on them if they decide to stay in the gas.
The other offers no chance to leave the affected area even if they wanted to, a much higher chance of potentially deadly side-effects (we're talking chemical scarring of the lungs; try joining the Wonderbolts with that, Rainbow
For that matter, using the warehouse's sprinkler system to distribute the gas is a major fire hazard. Someone should call the guards! Oh, wait...
Again, in what canon source, to either the show or this story, is this effect stated or implied?
And even if it is, that Twilight was willing to use it on Discord, who personally tortured her and her friends with similar magic seemingly without remorse, and against whom the only other known effective weapon was unavailable (because Fluttershy refused to use her Element on him), does not mean that it is acceptable or even legal in Equestria at large.
7707886 Comics, where the Umburum were introduced, same for the Changelings imprisonment
And the fact that the book containing said spells were present in a public library, much less the fact Twilight would've had no consequence for using them if they were illegal, says otherwise, seeing as I doubt international law cares about Celestia protecting her student.
As to the smoke trap, I'll reread that bit because as far as I can remember they got put with little effort.
Grr. This is why I try to stick with reading completed stories. Now I have to wait to see what happens next. Again!
Write faster.
Well, that was a depressing way to end a chapter... :\
NEXT TIME ON; THE WALKING AUTOMATA: "Coooorrall! Coral!" *gunshot noise* "what did ah tell you about comin' in my shed!" "Don't cross the STREAMS!"
I don't know why, but why do I feel like Turing Test is going to gain another ability next chapter?
Probably because this is what the common, thoughtful reader expects after every major event.
7707886
7707927
Okay, no, I thought you meant earlier in the story, hence my confusion.
Do you honestly think they are trying to kill them? The conspirators inside the warehouse with 4 and 2 are detaining and moving them, the gas is literally a means to incapacitate them, not a killing or even truely a weaponized agent.
Seriously, it's a smoke screen coupled with an irritent to make them easier take down not mustard gas, and even then they won't be in the warehouse for long at this point.
7707927
The comics have always been something of a canon grey area where fanfics are concerned. Some say yes, others say no, and some will pick and choose or "take inspiration."
We do know that the Umbrum exist and are imprisoned in this story (they're apparently behind the nutjobs that made Grace and Glory), but they seem to consider their situation more of an insult than a torment if their followers are to be believed.
I'd have to go watch the episode again, but I don't recall her just pulling the book off a random shelf, and as Celestia's most faithful and trustworthy student, she probably has access to the uber-restricted stacks anyway (for research purposes, of course).
And again, that's assuming the spell does what you say it does. For all we know it could be a parole spell used to keep former criminals from doing something regrettable while they reintegrate with society, which would still be a highly regulated piece of magic, but far lass ethically dubious than painting smiles on their souls, and would still be both useful and appropriate for how Discord was acting.
We don't know that, only that she considered any such consequences a better alternative to letting Discord have free reign again...
...A sentiment I'd wager the law would share, given what all he did last time. Using morally ambiguous methods to prevent a wide-spread catastrophe is hardly anything new, especially if it pulls double duty as Tyrannical Dictator and Force of Nature.
7708348
I never said they were, only that using mind control and chemicals to capture ponies against their will is something that will firmly label you as a Bad Guy, and that their methods were irresponsibly dangerous to the ponies involved unless they somehow knew for a fact that none of them would have any unforeseen reactions to the gas, it would be over before even the "safe" gas levels started to become dangerous simply from prolonged exposure (which wouldn't take very long if they expected the gas to do anything at all), and that they could vent the gas from entire room quickly enough to prevent any further damage from being done if something were to go wrong.
Also, last I checked smoke screens were not pale green in color. Unless the deliberately colored it that way for some unknown reason, there was something in it in a high enough concentration to be visible to casual observation.
... I wonder how much of this Hat is going to explain next chapter simply because we've been arguing about it all night.
Well the Elements are detained as expected, everything is going according to plan so far. Pity our hopes were dashed, but it was a very low chance indeed.
Gadget and Spike are likely captured already as well, after all Cobbler was present when they summoned the guards. We give 31 percent chance Spike was able to send a message, 69 percent said message was intercepted and cancelled.
002 was interesting indeed. We are assuming 001 is stallion then? It's been a while since the referenced scene I'm thinking of...
Keep going! ;)
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"Righteous" is a word.
And now that I'm finished with this chapter the only thing going through my head at the sudden reveal would be snazzy nick-names for 002, and 004.
002, I'mma call her "Sec" (short for Security seeing as she apparantly had complete control over door shutters, window shutters, and also short for Second).
004, N4-CED (Number 4, Capture, and Element Duplication, also sounds like Enforced if you say it right)
7708498 I'm well aware, but that word so rarely means what it's used for and in these cases both sides have genuine reasoning for their actions and are both missing a few peices to the puzzle, making them all no better then the 'Righteous' hero who destroy an entire city with civilian casualties to kill a single crime boss.
Using Righteous by it self infers that the individual has no flaws in their argument or bias outside of moral standing, which we know is false.
Edit: My god, I hate touchscreens and auto correct so much right now.
Spike, please write letter to Celestia: Twilight and friends in danger. Send all available HELP!!!
My face when this chapter ends, Cobbler was lying, and Twilight doesn't use any of her phenomenal Alicorn power to completely destroy the building and escape or something.
i.ytimg.com/vi/A8BCgoQmI1A/maxresdefault.jpg
7708454 Probably all of it in some way, shape or form.
The Umburum are old and many of them have never been outside the prison, so anger and rage all consuming is honestly expected at that point, and would easily make the situation seem less horrible and more just malign to the younger generations.
Looking at the smoke issue, it could be a completely harmless alchemical agent we couldn't fathom on earth or a common chemical tool used by the 'Secret Agent's' of Equestria prior to their disbanding judging from Sweetie Drops the illegal alchemist, which brings up even more issues.
Going to the spells, Discord never really bothered the other races in the world, as it's been stated in both the show and comics that he more or less just took over Equestria because they preached harmony, and did little to outliers unless otherwise provoked.
In other words, they may know the history, but the majority of the countries in the world probably see him more as a nuisance then an outright threat. At least until Celestia decided to turn him into a living weapon of mass insanity rather then an unaligned force of nature.
And yes, Twilight pulled the book off a shelf in the public library, which even if it was for research purposes should not have been there.
Honestly this doesn't seem much like an argument, more of a debate. We're both being civil and haven't actively antagonized each other.
Freddy Fozpony cameo.
O.O oh my GOODNESS!! You just don't pull any punches do you?!?
7709083 my thoughts exactly.
7707605
But did she really "flippantly denied it"? After all, if the inventor did not present good arguments in favor of his invention, Celestia have the right to be skeptical - the only reason why we can say that she is commiting a mistake, it is because we live in a technological society where such developments have been successful. Equestrians don't necessarily have the same insight, and Celestia's technoreluctance is a relative recent development - until the farming automaton's debacle (where the idea that technology could completely replace - and not just help - her subjects was introduced) she was enthusiastic about technology. Her reaction was extreme, true, but she never forbidden such researches, so if the inventor improves it, he could try again.
A second point is "the fact that the few managed to convince her while the many were left with nothing": Can we say that it really true? The conspirators claim that it is, but we have to admit that their views are at last so biased as Celestia's. It's very probable that the real number is much smaller that what they claimed: Based on the show they are at the same level of us in civil enginnering and medicine (if you add the factor of magic, maybe even ahead), they have a control over food production and weather that we only now reaching - Equestria only necessarily have the same incentive to fellow the same tech tree than us. And it leads to other point: can we say that Equestria is stagnant? Because if we compare with Griffinstone and Yakyakstan (countries that don't need fellow Celestia's opinions) are way behind Equestria...
And for "the ruler who allows themselves that much power in public manipulations", it raised a important point that the conspirators aren't looking: they expect if they dethrone Celestia and Luna, the people of Equestria will gladly fellow their path - except that Celestia are very respected and beloved (that is why they have such power), and I don't feel that ponies would be happy with who take they out: if the conspiracy use technological means, it could backfire a big way: the ponies would associate technology with their coup, whay would turn they resentful of technology and have a luddite reaction
7708454
Just like in Code Glass! Well, not really.
Try to think of things from a perspective that isn't the main character's. If you were seeing this from, say, cobbler's point of view, you have some weirdos trying to take back some billion dollar machinery that broke before it could do its job and trying to shut down the most promising part of your business (your life) to do it. His workers would probably see things from the same point of view, and the weapons they're using cause the least amount of harm to their enemies. (Seriously, if that was mind control, it stopped the guards from possibly hurting themselves trying to fight the sadistic 002.)
The only one who should be seriously questioning things is Umahara, as he's interacted with Turing and friends the most and should see some signs of personality/emotion in 002.
Also, you're assuming Hat Man and everyone else did their research on gassing, and that the gas is similar to bad chemical deterrents we have on earth, that the workers know it's possible for it to cause problems, that it's not magical in nature... you're making way too many assumptions.
7709494
The problem with that argument is that Celestia has a portal to a post industrial world (Equestria girls). If she were to use knowledge of other worlds to help her ponies, she would know of the successfulness of the developments.
Also, I believe that was a call she made without consulting from anyone, and one that valued the livelihood of some ponies over others. She also didn't try to think up ways to make both parties happy, like imposing government subsidies or adding labels like "local" or "organic" on non-robot grown foods if robots are outperforming ponies.
This is arguably all innate to ponies rather than their developments. They can live off grass and fruit, have strong earth ponies and flying pegasi, telekinesis, and innate weather magic. (Ponies OP, please nerf.)
Your last point's a valid one, but they could've taken that info account. They could put in a figurehead, make robot-Celestia, secede and expand their territory slowly, etc.
If Celestia and Luna ever discover this happening, especially to those six and Turing... *Prepares maximum strength IcyHot defenses*
that picture is creepy as hell
7709083
I think we just might have a scene like this soon...
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Source
Foalnapping and hurting Turing? Capturing Twilight and the other mares and dragon?
... Cobbler and co are royally bucked. They messed badly with the wrong princess.
Yes, I am convinced there will be a "Deshi basara" moment.