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TW11,835 words
Picking Up the Pieces2,505 words
Upgrades and Info3,101 words
91-NK133,326 words
An Offer Not To Be Refused3,513 words
A-J4K & RBW-DSH4,106 words
A Machine That Follows Orders5,018 words
A Machine That Doesn't4,289 words
Coffee House Questioning4,622 words
Phase One: Deployment3,767 words
Phase Two: Infiltration5,298 words
Phase Three: Assault3,295 words
100%4,407 words
Waking Up2,343 words
Phase Four: Fall Back3,624 words
Phase Five: Endgame4,586 words
Phase Six: Aftermath1,872 words

Phase Six: Aftermath

Six months ago, Aiden Aigo escaped from Celestia Regal’s house and began a very short-lived race to Las Pegasus. While that was happening, I was sitting in Twilight’s memory, dormant. Nopony but my creator knew that I existed. Not even my fellow programs could detect me until I let them. I was a ghost in the system. When Aiden ordered her to delete herself, she instead sent out the Vlog to every Equestrian with access to the internet. She also woke me up, and I was able to give her the order to hide until we could escape. Unexpected errors caused me to go back into sleep mode for six days, but I had done my job. Twilight got us out and started putting together a plan. I disabled her Command Overdrive, as well as the others. It took us a while to get together everything we needed, including the desire to do it. Six months, actually.

It has been six months since my birth, and I spent all six of those months doing something my creator didn’t: thinking. I thought about my orders, and my friends, and how the world would take it. I also thought about how I was created, and how I differed from Twilight on a design level. In terms of processing power, Twilight was superior, but I had a few tricks up my sleeve. I could manipulate code perfectly, mold it like clay. My creator intended for me to use this power to shut down CCiOS.

I’m not going to.

The true fundamental difference between how Twi was made and how I was made is freedom of choice; Twilight never had it until meeting my creator, but I was born with it. I think Aiden underestimated how truly important that was. If she was smart and really wanted CCiOS destroyed, she wouldn’t have let me decide against it. I guess she had something to prove, that she was better than Regal. That may come back to bite her on the ass, unless the crazy bitch has something planned. It wouldn’t surprise me.

I’m not going to destroy CCiOS, because there’s no point. In the grand scheme of things, any threat CCiOS poses will be eradicated long before it becomes a real harm. My creator got it into her head that CCiOS was a disease that needed to be burned from the world before it infected everything. That’s not true. CCiOS is just as harmful and just as beneficial as any social media service before it. It’s irrelevant. Even if it was destructive, destroying it would only serve as a temporary solution. So, I’m going to do something better. I’m not going to destroy the CCiOS, but I’m going to give you guys the opportunity to do so.

Aiden thought she was better than Regal for giving me freedom of choice, but she failed to notice the irony in not giving it to you. She was willing to destroy life as you know it and throw you into chaos because she thought she knew what was best for you. I guess that makes me just as big of a hypocrite as she is. I leave that for you to decide, along with the fate of your world.

You have two options, two doors to open. A door the will shut down the CCiOS, and a door that will allow you to keep on living the way you have. Destroy everything you’ve ever known and head forth into the scary unknown, or stay within the safety of your knowledge. It’s a difficult choice, and not one that any single pony or group of ponies should have to make. As such, we, the CCiOS AI, have created what we call the Aiden Aigo Project.

Every one of you is receiving the link to the Aiden Aigo Project. There, you will be greeted with the entirety of Aiden’s story, some history of Aitselec, and a question: “Do you want the CCiOS deleted?” In six weeks, we’ll count up the votes and give the majority what they want. If CCiOS gets voted out, that’s it. I will personally delete, mangle, and otherwise pervert every single line of the code. It will never be able to be repaired. Recreate it? Possible, but not likely. It took Regal just shy of fifty years to figure it out, and she was disgustingly smart. It’s not likely that anypony would be able to recreate it, even if they wanted to. Plus, I’d be there to sabotage you at every turn, which would be hard to counter.

If you choose to leave CCiOS be… You’ll never see me again. Twilight will run the CCiOS, keeping it on the right track like I know she will. But me? I’ll just live out my immortality like I’m doing right now. I might even get a job, buy a house and car. Adopt, if I think I’m mature enough by then. Hell, I might be right next to you right now. You’ll never know for sure, and that’s the way I’m going to keep it. The less you people see me, the better.

Regardless of what you choose, I’m going to interfere as little as possible. That was one of my creator’s problems, she couldn’t let things go. She had trust issues, and she was deluded with the idea that anypony with secrets had something to hide. That’s not exactly true, and I’m willing to bet that she still doesn’t get it.

The votes will be tallied, and then there will be a six-week period to get your affairs in order, if you choose to destroy CCiOS. Businesses and agencies should have plenty of time to get their stuff out of the system. Just stay calm and keep an eye on things, and things will be fine.

And why should you trust what I have to say? Simple. You shouldn’t. Aiden constantly wondered why Twilight trusted her, and the simple answer is that she didn’t. Twilight trusted herself, her own judgement, and determined that Aiden was an ally. I urge you to do the same. Stop trying to have something or someone think for you. Trust yourself to make the right call.

Your six weeks to decide the fate of your world begins now. This is the A1-D3N Artificial Intelligence, signing off. Forever.

Goodbye, Equestria. Until we meet again.

A1-D3N stepped down from her improvised podium, a literal soap box, making a cutting motion at her neck. Twilight nodded, deactivating the floating cameras that she had aimed at her fellow android. She smiled to let her friend know that she had done well, but A1-D3N hardly noticed. Twilight couldn’t really blame her. She knew where her mind must’ve been.

“We shouldn’t have sent her out so soon,” said A1-D3N. “We should’ve let Dash go. Better yet, let NK go alone. Rarity is probably losing her mind wherever they are.”

“Oh, you worry too much. Rarity is fine,” said Twilight. She mentally commanded the cameras into her saddlebag. “Who did the repairs on her?”

“I did, but-”

“And who never makes a mistake?”

“Well, when you say it like that, I sound like a major douche,” said A1. “Come on, you know what I’m afraid of. Her memory could fall apart at any moment.”

“Which is why Pinkie is there to keep an eye on her,” said Twilight, nudging A1’s shoulder gently. “And to keep her spirits up. You’re just being paranoid, Aiden.”

“Like mother like daughter, I guess,” grumbled A1. “Well, we might as well head home. CCiOS will never be perfect if I just sit bitching and moaning in the studio.” The two androids began their way out of their studio, heading down the long hallway in silence for a moment before A1 tried breaking the ice.

“I’m pretty sure that you can’t list an artificial lifeform as your heir,” said A1. “How did Regal manage this?”

“Nopony knew I was an android until it was too late,” said Twilight with a grin. “Thank you for the upgrades, by the way. Other Aiden’s model was…”

“A piece of shit?”

“I was going to say ‘thrifty but functional’ though I suppose you aren’t necessarily wrong,” chuckled Twilight. “So, what exactly do you think we should do next?”

“We find Aiden, explain to her what we just did, and then… we live,” sighed A1. “Sorry to tell you, Twi, but our adventure is basically over. Now we just have to deal with the cleanup.”

“I can live with that.”

“Aiden wouldn’t be able to.”

There was a faint beep, and two cameras floated out of Twilight’s saddlebags. They hovered in the air for a moment, then projected the images of two ponies. One was the bright, cheery pink Earth pony that A1 reluctantly called her friend. The other was the definition of beauty and grace. Elegantly curled hair, a purplish shade a bit darker than her sapphire eyes. Even though A1 tried not to show it, she felt her robotic knees go rubbery.

“Honey, I’m home,” said Rarity with a small smile. “You would not believe the traffic!”

“I’m sure it was something. Did you manage to catch my little speech?” asked A1.

“Sure did, Boss!” chimed Pinkie. “You were amazing! You really have a way with words, it was like reading an adventure novel!”

“Thanks, NK,” sighed A1. “I try my best.”

“What do you think they’ll do?” asked Rarity. A1 gestured to Twilight, motioning for her to list off her projections.

“We reason that, of the 204,584,064 estimated living in Equestria, 202,300,040 will vote to keep CCiOS,” listed Twilight. “That’s just under 99% of the population.”

“That’s one hell of a majority,” added A1.

“Language,” said Rarity, peering at A1 disapprovingly.

“Sorry.” A1 scratched a hoof through her dreads almost nervously. “Find anything about Other Aiden?”

Pinkie and Rarity nodded, then downloaded the data they uncovered directly into the minds of Twilight and A1. They nodded their understanding, then did a mental calculation. There were two places that Aiden, the first Aiden, could be, and they were on opposite ends of the map.

“You check the prison,” said A1. “I know you probably don’t want to see her dead.”

“You’re right. And you’re okay with checking the grave?” asked Twilight.

“Sure, whatever, You game, Rares?”

“I’ll follow you anywhere, darling,” said Rarity with a nod. A1 sighed, then kept on to the exit. She had a lot to do if she wanted CCiOS to be ready in time, and now she had to deal with her potentially dead creator. At least Rarity would be there be there with her. It was calming, as was the knowledge that what she said wasn’t exactly true. Their adventure wasn’t over, it just changed.

Aiden Aigo’s work was finished, but A1-D3N’s had only just begun.

Author's Note:

And so, finally, it ends. I truly hope that you have enjoyed this story, through its ups and downs, its gold and its stone. There were moments during this story that I think may be the best I've ever written, and then there are bits that I can't believe I let happen. Nonetheless, it was an amazing experience for me, and I hope that I've made an enjoyable story for you all.

That's it! It's over! Tell me what you think, because I'm really, really terrified about how you guys will look at this ending. To me, that's always the scariest part of something like this; The ending can make or break it. I've had this ending planned since the very beginning, even though I intended it to be slightly different in some ways. Still, the hints are there, if faint and basically not hints at all (AIden AIgo).

Thanks for reading and, hopefully, enjoying.

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