Scientific Egos
Dr. Cain was fascinated by everything he was learning from studying X. Admittedly, the studies weren't going as fast as he would have hoped, mostly due to X's preoccupation with Octavia. While this was perfectly understandable, it was frustrating to the scientist in Cain...especially when he barely had a chance to find new data to study and collate before Octavia needed more attention.
As a result, he had contacted several other scientists to back him up in his studies. While some shared his mindset about the value to the future of the world - and robotics - X represented, not all were so idealistic, and some weren't as softhearted when it came to Octavia.
It was quickly discovered that when X had stated he would agree to being studied as long as it didn't interfere with his taking care of Octavia, it was no empty statement to be overridden...any more than his ability to make his own decisions was empty boast.
"Will you make that creature be quiet?" one scientist shouted as Octavia set up a racket as he approached. "I'm trying to collect data here!"
X's eyes narrowed. "You can wait until she's calm," he stated firmly, turning to tend to Octavia.
"Don't move, I'm trying to scan!" the scientist ordered, moving forward again. As Octavia continued to wail, the scientist's patience ended. "Shut up!" he shouted at the filly.
As Octavia whimpered, burying her face into X's chest in fear, X's eyes flashed with a steely glint. "Get out," he ordered the scientist firmly.
"What?" the scientist demanded. "How dare you, a robot give orders to a human? I'll have you know-"
Before the scientist had finished his first sentence, X's eyes began to glow white. Several nearby mechanaloids rose up, marched forward, and seized the scientist.
"What?" the scientist demanded. "What's going on?"
"Before the End Times, as history calls them," X explained, "there were robots designed to control large numbers of other robots remotely. They were referred to as Robot Masters. I possess that remote control circuitry. I can command any properly functioning Mechanaloid in my vicinity. I am also not some mindless machine, bound by the Laws. I don't have to obey a human if I don't choose to. I agreed to be studied by Dr. Cain because he was respectful, to myself, to Octavia, and to the legacy of my creator. You are none of these, and violated the terms of the agreement: no studies that disturb Octavia. When I told you to get out, it was not a request."
Even as the scientist screamed curses, the Mechanaloids threw him out, sealing him out of Cain's lab. X, meanwhile, turned back to comfort Octavia, commanding several nearby Mechanaloids to play musical instruments for her entertainment as he sang to her. As she calmed down and smiled again, she seemed to be unusually fascinated by the cello.
X's willingness to defy humans had caused a bit of an uproar at first, and several scientists wanted nothing more to do with the project, now fearing what X was capable of. Those that remained, however, were as dedicated as Dr. Cain, and were determined to learn all that they could.
One of the female scientists discovered - quite accidentally - that Octavia didn't object to being held and fussed over by people other than X if they approached her right. This allowed work to go much faster, as Octavia soon grew as fascinated with the data they gathered as the scientists were when she was allowed to watch the data gathering process.
As progress became more rapid, some of the scientists turned their attention to Octavia herself. She was nearly as interesting as X, though for different reasons. She generated a unique energy field unlike anything of existing Earth records, though it was relatively weak at the moment. Genetic analysis proved inconclusive, though small tests of physical activity proved...enlightening.
"Alright, Tavi," Dr. Adeleine Ciel(1) - the first human to have succesfully handled the filly - said softly. She'd discovered quite accidentally how fond of the nickname Octavia was...if it came from a female. "We're going to run a few tests to see what you're capable of, alright?"
Octavia cooed curiously as she titled her head, sensors covering her body.
Adeleine pushed her glasses up as she rubbed her nose, trying to think of a way to explain this. "...You know how we're gathering all that data on X?"
"Ga!" Octavia called happily, clapping her forehooves together.
"Well, now I'm going to collect some data on you!" Adeleine replied. "Doesn't that sound fun?"
Octavia squealed happily, clapping her hooves together.
"Alright." Adeleine wheeled out a pressure device with a cushioned pad on the front. "When I say to, I want you to punch the pad as hard as you can without straining yourself...alright?"
Octavia nodded eagerly. She turned to face the pad, sensors all over her body sending data to Dr. Ciel's recorder.
Adeleine gazed down at her tablet, making sure the data was being received. "Alright...now."
Octavia pulled back her hoof. The sensors indicated her unique energy field was surging and focusing in her hoof. When she struck the pressure pad, it broke. Octavia looked up at Dr. Ciel with a wide smile.
Adeleine blinked, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "...Right...well...that was different..."
Results revealed several things interesting about Octavia. For one thing, the unique energy field - which defied analysis - could be used by Octavia to enhance her physical abilities in various ways, the most interesting of which being when they left her near a cello sized to her frame...and a few moments later she was playing music. She seemed to have a good ear for music, as the only sour note came when she lost her balance and the cello nearly landed on her.
It wasn't until several months after the study had begun, when Octavia's first few baby teeth began to come in, that a surprising fact became apparent...
"You said you'd learned something about Octavia?" X asked. "Is...is it bad?" His worry was palpable in his voice.
Dr. Ciel smiled softly. "Not bad, per say, but...unexpected. Her rate of cellular degradation is...unusually low. Each individual cell in her body survives...nearly ten times as long as a human cell. Also, there appears to be much less degradation as a result of cellular division when it occurs. All in all, this adds up to an incredibly slow rate of aging."
"Is that normal?" X asked. He then chuckled. "I guess it's hard to generalize a 'norm' from a single data sample..."
"Actually, I'm pretty sure it isn't," Adeleine replied. "While her unique energy does seem to self-correct cellular degradation much better than human biological systems do...the way she reacts to stimuli - and the way her brain is developing - seems to indicate that her race would normally develop faster than this. My current working hypothesis is that this is a result of her unique energy interacting with the bio-stasis fields she was under the influence of while she was in the capsule with you...bio stasis that was, in and of itself, an incomplete prototype and untested in functionality."
"So...what does this all mean, exactly?"
Dr. Ciel chuckled. "Well, in essence...if my theory is correct, the effect will eventually cycle out and she'll return to her normal aging rate after she hits physical maturity for her species...which I estimate to happen in about 200 years."
X scratched his chin as he thought about this for a time, then scooped Octavia up into his hands. "Well, Octavia, it looks like I'll be stuck looking after you for quite a long time, won't I?"
Octavia giggled happily. "Da!" she called joyously, reaching for him. "Da!"
Smiling, tears in his eyes, X pulled her into a loving embrace.
Adeleine Ciel sighed as she wiped her glasses. Hope you help him keep that optimism, Tavi, she thought silently. Something tells me...he's going to need it.
(1) For those wondering, yes this Dr. Ciel is a distant ancestor of the one from the Mega Man Zero series. I just thought that would be interesting to throw in there.
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Wait Ciel's ancestor is in this story?... pre03.deviantart.net/81c0/th/pre/f/2012/252/6/c/i_wub_you_this_much_by_ponytron5000-d5e6i4k.png right now (in a platonic way of course).
Also 300 years huh, let me geuss this will go through the Megaman Zero games as well.
Hnnng-*flatline*
You have receive my like and fav good person. Here's a spike and pinkie.
Another enjoyable chapter. Good job.
...dude i love you...
no homo bro.
seriously, a relationship with that family through the centuries...soemthin tells me that the Ceil in the MMZ series may refer to tavi as some kind of familial term. i leaning towards auntie myself.
6318874 if im right from X's activation that will be at least a 1,000 years till then I think
6319136 You never know they do have stasis pods and the such.
Yes. AAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL OF THE YES!
6319266 im just guessing from the years they give you in the first x game to the zero games.
6319647
Hmm...
Looking at this, I need to make a quick edit.
*100 years later*
Ciel: Huh...I think most of the Resistance expected you to be rather...cold and serious when you came to us.
Zero: *petting Octavia and Vinyl* I promised I would be a good Uncle Zero.
6319795 why does this make me think of edd saying 'pet the chicken , pet the chicken' repeatedly?
6319890
Pet the pony, pet the pony, pet the...BUTTERED TOOOOOAST.
6320156 yep that sums it up all right!!!
*face looks like it's about to burst*
Kittin?
DAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Nice to see X do the Robot Master trick of controlling robots, well done. I also love how Ciel is bonding with Octavia, I can totally see Octavia snuggling up to her for a nap while X is busy and X finding them both asleep.
6319795 THIS MUST HAPPEN!!!!!
Alright so 200 years, well that takes care of my biggest concern with having a pony in the X series.
So Tatsurou, what is your opinion on Axl? I know a lot of people don't like him because of X7, but they never seam to talk about X8 or Command Mission.
Personally I like him, and my head cannon is the Gate built him after X6. I mean, he is one of the few who would be intelligent enough to properly create and a brand new type of Replied with such a feature.
6320976
I like him.
6321863
Yay, I'm not alone!
Also, I frikkin' loved command mission. It has one of the slicker turn-based battle systems out of the RPGs I've played, and the story isn't bad, either. I never buy Spider any items, though, since he's a filthy ingrate.
So, about how many of the X games (and beyond?) will we be progressing through?
6321983
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, maybe 8 if I can find a good playthrough video list, and Command Mission.
Heh, my head canon was that Earth Ponies already live several hundred years (hence why Granny Smith was there at Ponyville's founding yet their Winter Wrap Up traditions date back "hundreds of years"). This works too though.
6322038
I agree with that headcanon.
However, this way Octavia will only be physically as old as she is in canon when she gets back to Equestria.
6322038
And let's not forget the fact that "Doctor" had been working on a time machine for centuries, himself.
6322006
Yay!~
6322051
6322048
Both of these are good.
When are they going to start RIDIN' ON CARS!(?)
6327975 RANDOM GUTAR SOLO!!!
D'awwwwww
Funny, the moment I saw the words "female scientists", I knew she had to be related to Ciel in some way.
Speaking of scientists related to other scientists... I sure hope that the guy who got thrown out doesn't teach his kids to "curse" Cyber Elves.
I was in the Bob and George community, so I still consider "The Cataclysm" to be psudo-canon.
I crunched some numbers and I don't want to overstep my boundaries but according to this it would mean that Octavia would only live till 220 20 years after physical maturity
6455732
You misinterpreted.
It means when she turns 220, she will look 20, and then start aging at a normal rate.
Wow, X is boasting some serious Sigma swagger. Mechaniloid mastery indeed.
Which *could* justify how Granny Smith is hundreds of years old... if Octavia's wasn't hand-waved as hibernation sickness.
6509907
Theorized as, actually.
The theory isn't actually confirmed.
is this the new thing? I only don´t like it that they are supposed to live longer, if they are in a important relationship with a Human, because that is somehow sad sometimes. However, why do they started to make them much older anyway?
okay it seems they have a special reason for her, good then I havent said anything.
Do they end up in Euestria in the future? It isn´t bad, but it still feels like a prologue.
If her earth pony magic keeps getting stronger during those 200 years, just how strong she will be?
So, 200 years, so that means assuming that ponies normally live about as long as humans, age will catch her in between Zero 4 and ZX.
...Interesting development.
7259274
Actually, there's in-series data that implies Ponies, especially Earth Ponies, can potentially live for a very long time. Specifically, in Winter Wrap-up, it's mentioned that Ponyville has been around for hundreds of years... and in other episodes, Granny Smith is mentioned to have been present at Ponyville's founding.
Admittedly, these data points are not as reliable as one could hope, but they literally are the only data regarding Pony lifespan that we have.
Considering she created Varia and Ciel would go on to create models, X, Z, A, H, P, L, and F after the Megaman Zero games if you decide to do them, making an o.c. ancestor of Ciel so she could create Varia was a good idea.
Well alls gone to hell.
Ciel? Are you using your own interpretation for the ancestor of Zero's Ciel? I thought there was never any info on her.
8689858
That's because in the timeline without Octavia, she wouldn't have been interested in X and thus not come to Cain's summons.
hmmm
hmmmmmmmmmm
.....damn
if that wasn't foreshadowing then i don't know what is!
This guy just unleashed an angry father robot
So you're saying my inability to see Vinyl as aging in her story will be just fine with Tavi here?
Ok the scientist that was in there first was a MORON, like they where told UPFRONT that x could deny orders and not fallow the laws of robotics, so why was he shocked that he Fought BACK and tryed to protect his daughter, guy needs his doctorate checked...