G7.01: Map Reduction
Lightning Dust stared down at the screen, eyes wide with shock and wonder. Some part of her longed for the innocence of months ago, when she had thought the things she saw on devices like this were fanciful dreams. But living in Othar had taught her many things, and she knew that Forerunner would not show them lies. He might be a machine, but he had never lied to her.
But she wished he could have. She watched a blast of fire so intense that the screen was momentarily filled with white. When it faded, the plant life all around the location of impact had been scoured from the ground, and for an even greater radius it had all turned black. This was no teleportation spell, as Celestia had told Twilight. It had been meant to kill.
As if she had any doubt in her mind, some part of the mayor of Othar remained behind. Though her feathers and flesh had been blasted to nothing, her skeleton remained. It looked strange, a little like the x-ray images she had seen of Lucky from many months ago. A skeleton of glowing hot metal, somehow still holding Olivia’s defiant pose. For an instant, anyway, before it dropped to the ground. It hissed and screeched when it hit, as though still possessed with the mayor’s wayward soul.
Lightning Dust reacted instinctively—she covered Lucky’s eyes with her wings. It didn’t do any good, of course—she had been so frozen with shock during the worst parts that her little daughter would’ve seen all there was to see. She would carry scars from today.
It also didn’t do anything for the sound. However Forerunner could see this, he could hear the princesses as well.
“I… what did you do, Princess?” That was Twilight’s voice. Dust could see her face—in that moment, she knew that it wasn’t the pony she hated for ruining her life who had executed her friend Olivia. Twilight Sparkle had tears running down her face, and uneven sparks emanating from her horn. A sign of a powerful unicorn in great distress.
“I can explain, Twilight,” Celestia said, trying to rest a wing on Twilight’s back. “This isn’t what it looks like. The pony—”
But she didn’t finish. Twilight teleported in a flash, appearing a meter or so above where she’d been standing. She glared down Celestia the way she might’ve stared down a charging army. “You killed her!” Twilight squeaked, her voice almost impossible to understand through her crying. “We had her beaten! She couldn’t have hurt anypony else… but you killed her!”
“Twilight.” Celestia’s voice still sounded soft, reproving. “Listen to me. I know how frightening this is, but you don’t have all the facts. I told you I was sending her to Tartarus—that is exactly what I did.” She pointed at the skeleton with one hoof. It had already started cooling, a strange layer of filmy white appearing along the edge of the silvery metal. Like rust, but the wrong color and much too fast. “This doesn’t mean she’s dead. It just confirms everything I told you. Lucky Break was incredibly dangerous—”
They both vanished in a flash. For a few seconds, the image began rising. “I am not showing any of this to the other members of the crew,” Forerunner’s voice cut in. “I cannot risk what Perez might do if he found out. Be aware of that, Lucky. I will remind you before you return to the zeppelin.”
Lucky’s only answer was a strangled sob, as she embraced Lightning Dust tighter about the chest. As she had grown and matured, Lucky had become increasingly independent, and not sought out physical contact the way she had in those early days. Now, all that growth seemed erased, and she sobbed like a foal. It was worse than the last time, when they’d been on that airship and Forerunner had told Lucky that she was in charge. Much worse.
She had to see it this time. “Forerunner, that can wait,” Lightning Dust said, glaring at the screen. She wasn’t sure exactly what she should be staring at, but she imagined he could be watching them through it. “We just saw… a friend die.”
“I am aware of that fact,” said Forerunner, his tone unchanged. He must be watching the same things they were, right? Hadn’t he been friends with the old mayor too? How could he be so callus? “But do not forget, there is a positive side to this. If the Equestrian princess had kidnapped Major Fischer, she certainly would have been interrogated. Her death protects Othar. She fought well and died the way she would have wanted. That is a subject of celebration, not mourning.”
The wobbly image of the drone focused on something again—it was Celestia and Twilight, standing on the side of the castle. The camp of royal guards had been evacuated by now, along with all of Twilight’s friends. Bizarrely, they had left the covered bodies of their fallen. There was blood staining the grass nearby.
Twilight Sparkle looked like she was one step away from melting into a sobbing invalid like Lucky. The betrayal on her face remained as prominent as ever.
“I’ll prove it to you!” Princess Celestia shouted, her voice much less calm than it had been before. “Twilight, you need to understand this. I’m sorry it had to come so sudden, but…” She pointed her horn squarely at the covered bodies of the dead.
Why did you have to kill so many, Olivia? Lightning Dust had no love for the royal guard, not after the way they had always been the instrument of her unjust punishment. Even so, she was glad they were covered. Dust had no desire to see whatever Celestia was about to do.
Brilliant light came from the place where the bodies had dropped, so bright that the hidden screen again went white. The image only came back for a second, giving them a view of the world twisting and turning over itself. There were a few quiet thumps, and it seemed like they were smacking into branches on their way down. Then the view stopped moving, the screen still white.
“What happened, Forerunner?” Lightning Dust asked. “Where’s the image?”
Lucky peeked out from behind her, staring too. Frightened and upset as she was, it seemed she hadn’t completely shut down.
That’s my filly. Don’t give up.
“Interference,” came Forerunner’s voice, distorted just like the other sounds. “Across the whole spectrum. Probably fried the poor drone’s little brain. They aren’t really meant for… well, doesn’t matter. It should be listening, at least. I will try to send back whatever it overheard.”
Lucky Break stepped out from behind her wing, staring down at the screen. “W-what about satellite sensors?” She wiped away moisture from her face with the back of one hoof, then straightened. “You have eyes up there.”
“Can’t see anything we couldn’t already infer,” Forerunner said. “Tons of energy all across the spectrum. Not sure how long it will… and it’s clear. Drone is… functional enough. One wing and the camera is broken. I’ll detonate it once Celestia is gone.”
There was a brief pause, then, “Playing back…”
The sound that came through was patchy and stretched to Lightning Dust, like hearing someone through several layers of wall. Even so, she could make out many, many more voices that she should. They sounded like confused guards.
“What happened, Princess?”
There was a disgusting sound, like slime smacking into something from above.
“My head feels fuzzy…”
“Is Princess Twilight alright?”
“She’ll be fine,” Princess Celestia spoke over them, and all the other voices faded. “I have healed you,” she said. “You were injured last night attacking the castle. I will send you all back to Canterlot, one moment.”
Lucky looked back at the screen, the same horror on her face that Lighting Dust felt. “Did she just…”
Dust nodded. It was all she could manage. She felt suddenly… numb. It couldn’t be true, could it? Princess Celestia couldn’t have that kind of power! If she did, then how could the world have any orphans?
After all that Lightning Dust had suffered because of her actions as a Wonderbolt recruit, one thing had kept her loyal to Equestria. Yes, the system might be corrupt—judges and magistrates and mayors all wanted to see her punished because of what she’d done (or nearly done) to the Elements of Harmony. But the princesses weren’t like that! They were the only good thing left in Equestria. If they could be everywhere, then there would be no injustice.
There must be some mistake. Princess Celestia would never murder a defeated enemy. If she can bring back dead ponies, then she would’ve brought back my parents. Forerunner must be making a mistake. Maybe his scrying spell is faulty.
“It’s not as disgusting as it looks, Twilight. You saw before I sent them away—they were alive.”
Twilight’s voice broke through her thoughts, sounding like she’d just been sick. “Their friends… saw them die.”
“That is why I sent them to Canterlot instead of Ponyville,” Celestia said. Her voice was mellowing out, returning to her usual soft, regal tone. “I will ask Luna to speak with the others in their unit before they are reunited, to make sure there are no discrepancies in their memory that might spread rumors. It will be like they never fell.”
“We didn’t get most of them out…” Twilight Sparkle croaked. “They’re still inside. Are you going to bring them back too?”
“I can’t,” came Celestia’s voice. “With their…” her voice broke apart into indeterminate static.
“What’s going on?” Lucky asked, pressing up against the bed.
“Drone is—” Forerunner said, its voice dissolving into static. “I’ll… much of... hold on.”
Lightning Dust could hardly hear it. She stumbled back a few steps, staring up at the elegant stained-glass window on the far side of the room. The cutie marks of the solar and lunar princesses seemed to mock her.
Princess Celestia had murdered Olivia. She had withheld her magic from Dust’s parents, condemning Lightning Dust to a childhood of loneliness and desperation.
Lightning Dust found she no longer cared if Lucky Break and her humans wanted to invade Equestria. In fact, that sounded like a very attractive idea. They needed princesses who wouldn’t lie to them. Princesses who would share their magic with everypony. Princesses who didn’t lock their sisters away when they got disobedient.
Celestia’s voice came in through the book, sounding even worse than before. “…the great secret of Equus. That is why I didn’t just kill Lucky Break. Nopony on Equus has ever died.”
“Why can’t we do this for everypony?” Twilight asked, her voice still broken with tears. “If we can just… bring back ponies whenever we want…”
You tell her, Lightning Dust thought. Then, bewildered, Am I really rooting for Twilight Sparkle over Celestia? Apparently, she was.
“We used—”
Her voice exploded into static again, and this time the screen went black. A few seconds later, a message in the human language appeared, one she couldn’t read. Lightning Dust could barely read Eoch.
Lucky Break slumped forward against the bed, flopping to one side. “If she can do it for the guards, she can do it for Olivia…” she muttered. “Right?”
Lightning Dust nodded absently. “Twilight Sparkle seemed convinced…” Though they hadn’t heard the end of that, so it was hard to know for sure.
“She’s not going to be… in a good mood for negotiating when she gets here,” she squeaked, curling up on the bed. “And I’m not going to be very convincing.” Her voice cracked again, dissolving into nervous sobbing.
Lucky’s pain was enough to break through the numbness in her mind. Lightning Dust hurried over to her, pulling the filly against her chest and holding her there. The physical contact didn’t just help the child—it was something Lightning Dust needed too.
“I’ll help you,” she promised. “We still have to save Equestria.”
Their mission hadn’t changed, Lightning Dust realized. The only difference now was Lightning Dust knew who they were fighting.
We can do this, humans. We can save Equestria. For Mayor Olivia. And for her parents. For everypony else the princesses could’ve saved but hadn’t.
Lucky Break knew the instant Twilight Sparkle had returned thanks to the sudden onset of voices from downstairs. Twilight’s friends from the night before, sounding consoling.
“So that’s it,” Lightning Dust said, glancing over her shoulder at the open door. They’d packed their things away again, ready for a quick exit after this conversation if it went badly (or well, for that matter). “Are you feeling better, squirt? You up to this?”
“I’ll have to be,” she answered. “Forerunner would’ve said if the zeppelin was getting diverted. We can’t just hide here and give T-Twilight a chance to recover.” And me, she privately added. She checked her saddlebags, peeking into the book. She had it near the top of her possessions, though not the first thing in case somepony opened her bag.
“DATA CONNECTION LOST, LOCAL STORAGE ONLY,” was still printed there in bold letters.
“I wish…” Lightning Dust’s tone was dark. “I wish I could tell you we didn’t have to do it. That we could just leave, let somepony else take care of it. But the pony I would’ve…” She shook all over, taking an angry breath. “The pony I would’ve trusted to keep Equestria safe is the one who just murdered Olivia.”
Lucky saw the major’s implants again, still glowing with the heat that had killed her. She fought back the memory, burying it as deep as she could. I won’t think about that, I won’t think about that, I won’t… She straightened. “I can do this,” she announced, to nopony in particular. “Because I have to.” Maybe if she said it enough times it would become true.
They both stepped out onto the walkway. The voices outside suddenly got much louder.
“It’s alright, Twi, we know ya need yer time. Just come on and give us a holler when you’re ready to talk.”
Somepony seemed to be walking up the stairs, because they emerged onto the landing a second later, only a meter away.
It was the princess. She looked much the worse for wear—her mane was disheveled, with bits of twig and leaves stuck in it. There was mud smeared on her hooves, and up her legs. Her eyes were half-closed with tiredness and didn’t seem to focus on anything properly.
Until she saw the two of them standing there. Lucky heard the door open downstairs, but she hardly noticed.
“More refugees,” Twilight Sparkle muttered, brushing one hoof through her mane, and stumbling forward. “The th-threat has been dealt with. I’m sure… festival will continue soon.” Her eyes narrowed, focusing on Lucky. “You look… familiar.”
Spraying her coat had done nothing to change the shape of her body. Just because her human brain had a little trouble telling ponies apart from that alone didn’t mean ponies would.
“You were expecting me,” Lucky said, keeping her voice as calm as possible. “We’ve never met, but we spoke over the radio.”
Twilight Sparkle’s mouth hung open. She glanced briefly over her shoulder, at the open doorway. A few of her friends hesitated there, watching. As though waiting for a request to return. “You’re… inside. Celestia…”
“No,” Lucky said. “I never died.” Not strictly true, at least if she counted all the previous generations as being her. But it was close enough. She opened her mouth to say something else but felt a sudden compression all around her.
For a few seconds, she was floating in a sea of white. She couldn’t feel her body, couldn’t see anything beyond the endless illumination. She would’ve opened her mouth to scream if she had a mouth. But she didn’t. She couldn’t even flail helplessly in pain and confusion.
Then there was another flash, and the light faded from her eyes. How much time had passed? It felt like an eternity, but she realized on some level that was wrong. It had been less than a second—she was standing in Twilight’s castle. It was the same room as the party the night before, there were still some remnants of that party laying on the floor.
The doors to the downstairs were shut, at least, so Twilight’s friends wouldn’t be able to see where they’d gone. Lucky looked to her right, expecting Lightning Dust would be there… but no, Twilight hadn’t brought her.
Immediately she felt cold again, helpless. Could she really do this on her own? Maybe if she made enough noise, Lightning Dust would hurry downstairs and help her. Maybe she would, but… maybe the guards would show up instead.
She hasn’t called for the guards. She hasn’t locked me in jail. That’s a good sign.
“You shouldn’t be able to be here,” Twilight muttered, walking away from her over to the massive crystal table. “Star Swirl’s intention shield… you killed guards…”
“Olivia killed your soldiers,” Lucky Break muttered, following behind her. She kept back far enough that she could try to run if Twilight’s demeanor changed. Though given what had just happened, she didn’t think her odds of an escape were particularly good. “I wish I knew how to apologize for something like that. I think most soldiers are trained to always try to escape. Something to do with… I don’t know. I’m not a soldier.”
No sooner had Twilight removed the tablecloth from the crystalline surface than the entire thing began to glow. It wasn’t just an attractive piece of furniture—it appeared to be a holographic projector of some kind. More impressive than university holodesks, as it didn’t require a medium to project into. Same kind of tech as the ruins, I bet.
“Step over here,” Twilight commanded. “M-my defense spell…” Twilight sounded like a pony one wrong answer away from breaking. She didn’t have a mentor to run to—that pony was the one who had put her in such a painful position in the first place.
So Lucky obeyed, walking right over to the edge of the crystal. Besides, she wanted to see what was on it.
A map, as it turned out. Lucky Break recognized the general layout as Equestria from the air, each of its important cities and landforms depicted in miniature. The labels above each one were faint, written in Eglathrin. It was exactly like the transport station.
“Put your hoof up here. I’m going to… I’m going to find out if you’re dangerous.”
“I’m not,” Lucky said. “I’m talking to you without a translation spell, Princess. Your prisoner couldn’t do that.” She lifted up her hoof, resting it on the crystal surface where Twilight indicated. The map vanished in a flash, and she felt a little bite of pain. Probably not a good idea. I could be giving them information somehow.
The projection changed completely. For a few seconds, Lucky was completely stunned by what she saw. It was some kind of… profile. A profile for her, not entirely unlike what the Pioneering Society kept on its people. Only this one was written entirely in Eglathrin. It contained few references to proper nouns she knew—mostly it was basic biological information: name, age, sex, etcetera. Curiously, the system didn’t display her apparent age, but her true biological age.
The profile had several different images of her pony self unpainted, several in positions she would’ve been highly embarrassed to have a stranger see if she hadn’t overcome the nudity taboo. Yet Twilight barely glanced at the photos—she was absorbed in a few other pieces of information.
Origin Status: Uplifted Primitive
Directive: Translation Agent
Physical Threat: Negative
Her cutie marks were as prominently displayed here as her photographs—both of them. The second one was much larger though, with the guitar occupying a tiny space that looked like it had room for far more.
“This is… the strangest reading I have ever seen,” Twilight said, sounding as though the mystery had somehow made her feel better.
I guess I can relate. Having something else to think about.
“I don’t know… what all this is…” Twilight lingered on something like an x-ray image, depicting Lucky’s implants as bright, glowing patches. Very much a similar pattern to the one Olivia left behind when Celestia murdered her.
Lucky lifted her leg from the side of the table. As she did so, the entire contents vanished. Not that it stops her from having it. How does the ring even know all of that? There were probably a million ways it could gather information, ways she couldn’t even understand. Harmony isn’t the one hunting me. If it was, Othar would already be destroyed. We haven’t triggered it yet. Celestia didn’t even ask Olivia any questions before she killed her—she probably doesn’t care. She just wanted the threat gone.
It was a pleasant story to tell herself. Whether that story was true was something else, but if it would make Lucky confident enough to speak… She went on, before she could second-guess herself some more. “Princess, I know what happened. My comrade killed ponies… and she was killed in return. It’s a terrible tragedy for both of us. But there is more at stake here than a few lives. All of Equestria is in danger… everypony you know. You promised you would listen.”
Twilight’s little surge of confidence seemed to burn out. She looked down, shaking all over. “Y-you… sound exactly like Celestia,” she said. “All of Equestria in danger… you’re going to tell me about Harmony now, right?”
Lucky nodded. “I don’t know what Celestia told you. Most of it is probably true. If she told you there’s something called Harmony that could decide to kill everypony in Equestria anytime it wanted… something capricious and absolute, watching all the time for you to break its rules, then destroying everything you built.”
Twilight nodded. Her eyes looked damp, but there was resolve on her face. “That is… basically what Celestia said.”
“Maybe she told you those rules.” Lucky started pacing—she couldn’t help it. It was what she did. “God, I hope somepony knows the rules. I hope you’ve at least known what would get you killed all this time.”
Twilight Sparkle nodded again. “M-maybe she did. I wouldn’t… If she did, she certainly would’ve sworn me to secrecy.”
Lucky shrugged. “It would be helpful to know, but… that isn’t the most important thing right now. Because that isn’t the only way.” Lucky advanced towards her, glaring. The table had returned to the map, its faithful depicting of Equestrian cities glowing faintly with their own internal light. It was a beautiful country, even from up here. It would be a shame if something happened to it.
“Following it is one option—I think other ponies living out there on the ring have tried that one.”
She watched Twilight’s face for confirmation—and saw it. Twilight Sparkle knew what Equestria looked like. “Flurry Heart and I visited another part of the ring. We saw… another civilization. Millions of ponies there, dead.”
“We can’t…” Twilight squeaked, her voice very small. “We can’t let that happen to Equestria. We have to make it so Harmony doesn’t hurt us.”
“I think those other nations probably tried that,” Lucky said. “It didn’t help them.”
“I…” Twilight swallowed, then straightened a little. “I think it’s a little much to ask me to trust you. Flurry Heart… was so scared by what she saw that she hasn’t left Canterlot Castle since. Celestia has…” She trailed off, apparently realizing where that thought ended up. Probably with Celestia being the source of Twilight’s information. Her expression tightened a little, though she looked away from Lucky, out one of the windows. Lucky could almost make out a distant mountain in that direction.
“You don’t have to trust me,” Lucky Break said. The further she went, the braver she felt. Her words seemed to come easier. She spoke with Olivia’s confidence, not just her own. If she had believed in souls, she would’ve thought Olivia had somehow come to help her in spirit—protecting Othar as she had always done in life. But Lucky didn’t believe in any of that. Fabricating a new person was different from bringing them back. Even if the ponies had a magical way to imitate what the Forerunner did with fabricators, it would still be someone new. The original was dead, her memories destroyed.
If Major Fischer was fabricated again, they wouldn’t be friends. She wouldn’t have been among Lucky’s first friends, when the whole world was out to get her. She wouldn’t have made the promises to protect her, then kept them. Lucky started to sniff, the beginning of a sob finally catching up to her.
I can’t deal with this now! There’s no time. She swallowed, trying to channel a little more of the major’s resolve. Maybe Lucky wasn’t as brave, but she could pretend.
She pretended long enough to lift the book from her saddlebags, opening it to expose the tablet inside. She scrolled to the satellite images of wrecked cities all over the ring. Sadly, she still didn’t know how to get video recordings off the space-suit, assuming it had even taken any. But the Forerunner’s satellites had excellent cameras. The destruction was so widespread there were plenty of them taken—many more photos than could fit on this little computation surface’s local storage.
“There are more,” she said, leaving the device angled upward so Twilight could scroll through the images if she wanted to.
Twilight stared at the screen, any hardness that had been forming on her face fading away. She withdrew back onto her haunches. “So many other kingdoms. So many other ponies…”
“Yes,” Lucky Break said. “Celestia wants to hide from this—to keep Equestria following Harmony’s rules as long as she can. In fairness, you’re still here after thousands of years, so maybe she’s good at it. But… what if we could make it so you never had to hide again?”
“We can’t,” Twilight whispered. She kept glancing up at the window now, as though she expected Princess Celestia to be hovering there with a disapproving scowl. But she wasn’t—and if she was somehow listening, then there was nothing Lucky could do about it. “Celestia… said we tried. Other ponies, somewhere far away… they failed. We always fail.”
“Not this time,” Lucky said. Here goes nothing. “What ponies didn’t have last time was outside help. I am… I represent a faction from elsewhere, not subject to Harmony’s controls. If we work together, we can free Equestria.”
Twilight fell silent, staring down at the map. For a long time that was all she did.
Lucky could hear something outside the doors to the throne room… was somepony knocking? Twilight didn’t answer, and after a while the pounding became insistent.
“That’s… probably my mom,” Lucky muttered, when it was clear Twilight wasn’t going to do anything. She didn’t object as Lucky made her way to the doors, pushing the bar out of the way. Almost the instant she did, the door swung open.
Lightning Dust practically fell in, followed by an apprehensive-looking Spike.
“I tried to stop her!” he called, his voice placating. “She didn’t listen.”
“It’s alright, Spike. You’re welcome inside. Lock the door behind you.”
Lightning Dust herself was panting and seemed to take a moment to recover from the effort of trying to force the door. Her eyes glided over everything, though they settled quickly on Lucky. “I thought…”
“We were just talking,” Lucky interrupted, preempting whatever Lightning Dust might’ve revealed. “I just told Twilight what we want. Haven’t told her how yet.”
“Oh.” Lightning Dust gestured, and they made their way back to the table.
Twilight watched her, expression wary. She looked like someone who had been running all day, someone who was about to collapse if they were asked to walk just a few more steps. “And who are you? Lucky’s… mom? Who lets her daughter kidnap princesses for dangerous adventures?”
Lightning Dust actually laughed. “I’d like to see you try and stop her. Lucky’s my daughter, not some obedient, pampered showpiece.”
“Where are you ponies from?” Twilight asked, exasperated. “That other one, who…” She swallowed. “Olivia, you called her? She could’ve killed half the army. And you’ve got a scrying spell that can look tens of thousands of miles away…” She nodded towards the still-open book.
“Really?” Spike interrupted, making his way over. “Woah.” He trailed off, staring at the terrible scenes of destruction reflected on the screen.
“Earth,” Lucky Break said. She stood tall again, imagining the major was beside her. Well, her, and the whole of the Pioneering Society. In some ways, Lucky’s entire life now focused on this moment. Perhaps the whole fate of Equus as well.
“We are explorers from far away. We came to make friendly contact with Equestria’s ponies… and it went badly. Very badly. But all that is irrelevant, Princess. Right now, the most important thing is that all our lives are at risk. The ponies I represent… we can’t leave Equus any more than you can. We are slaves to Harmony like you are. We want everypony to be free. But to do that, we need your help.”
“How?” Twilight asked, her tone desperate and frightened. “I can’t fight Celestia! She’s my… she’s my…”
“Even for your niece?” Lightning Dust cut in, sounding bitter. “She’s a prisoner, Twilight. A prisoner of the same pony who murdered a helpless enemy right in front of you while you did bucking nothing. Do you think Flurry Heart will get better treatment?”
Twilight finally broke. Actual tears started dribbling down her face, and she sobbed, only partially strangling them.
But Lightning Dust didn’t let up. “I don’t think she will, Princess. I think the instant she thinks Flurry Heart is a threat, Celestia will kill her too. Or maybe she’ll feel merciful and just banish her to the bucking moon for a millennium. Maybe she already has.”
Lucky extended a wing, trying to hold Lightning Dust back. But her mom didn’t seem to be listening.
“This is your fault, Twilight. But you’re the one who can make it right. You aren’t a monster like she is, are you?”
The Alicorn had melted by then, hysterical.
Spike glowered at them both, looking for a moment like he might blow fire or something. “I think you two should leave.”
“N-no,” Twilight croaked, shoving Spike to one side. “Sh-she’s right… she’s right about everything…” She sniffed, wiping away the tears with the back of her leg, then standing straighter. “C-can… can saving my niece be part of saving Equestria?”
“Yes!” Lucky answered, before Lightning Dust could say something else insensitive. Did that actually work? “She’s my friend. I was planning on it anyway.”
Melody was not surprised to discover she enjoyed spending time with the former slaves. In many ways, it was exactly the sort of thing she had joined the Pioneering Society to do, but had discovered as soon as she woke up that another had been created to do her job, and had already done it.
If it hadn’t been for the major, Melody would’ve never been created. For a time, she had resented that decision, whenever she woke up staring at a body she hated or gave in to instincts she couldn’t control.
That reminder had become far more present in her life once she discovered her cavorting had resulted in a pregnancy.
But now, after all this time, Melody finally felt she had something to do. The former slaves were not native Eoch speakers, but had picked up bits and pieces during their time near the outer rim of Equestria’s influence. They didn’t even come from the same culture, though being the same species did mean some factors arose in parallel.
Cutie marks, for instance, still mattered a great deal to them, though their tribal society had not seen them in such a positive light. Indeed, the word describing them seemed to translate most literally as “obligation.”
They were a remarkably easy-to-please group, now that they’d been convinced they weren’t on their way to a restaurant somewhere, or a necromancer’s alter. So long as Melody made sure the cleaning robots left some messes for them to work on to keep them busy, they largely kept to themselves.
So Melody spent most of her time with them, making careful notes and trying to learn everything she could about their culture. If everything worked out, it seemed likely that they would want to make formal contact with the society they had come from eventually.
It would’ve been better if we landed out in the sticks instead of in an advanced society like Equestria. We could’ve absorbed them, fixed all their problems, and had lots of allies.
But there were thousands of different points where their mission might’ve been turned another way, with a few simple decisions. How different would it have been if Lucky Break had been in charge from the start, instead of Olivia? Would her previous self have made Equestria into their enemy?
Melody was thus lost in thought, listening to the ponies converse and occasionally answering their questions, when one of the Forerunner’s drones came rolling in. It was one of the humanoid models with tank treads, and the instant the door opened all four of their guests rose from where they were sitting and backed up towards the wall.
These ponies didn’t like drones very much, but that didn’t matter. It was easy enough to run their schedule so they wouldn’t have to see each other.
What could Forerunner need from me that it wouldn’t have just called me on the radio? “Excuse me, Melody,” it said, in convincing Eoch. “Can I get you to come with me?”
It hadn’t said anything about why. That meant it didn’t want these ponies to know.
Melody rose from her seat, turning to face the other ponies. “I will be back,” she said, with a slight bow. It was what was expected, whenever a mare left a room with a stallion in it. She didn’t know why, nor did she much care. Obeying their customs was a great way of getting their cooperation.
“Return quickly,” said Bull. “You promised we would visit the surface, remember?”
Olivia never would’ve let me take you up there, she thought, but didn’t say. They weren’t just going to the surface, but to their former commander’s private beach.“I will,” she promised, before turning to follow the drone. It had already left through the door, though it hadn’t shut behind it.
Melody followed it out into the hall. It turned immediately towards the elevator, which could only take them down towards the labs or the fabricators. Obviously it wouldn’t be the latter. “What’s wrong?”
“You assume something is wrong,” said Forerunner, though it’s usual casual humor was missing from its tone. There was quiet desperation there instead, very subtle.
Am I imagining that? She didn’t ask that part, though. “Of course. If nothing was wrong, you wouldn’t have called me. Please don’t… tell me it’s bad news about the away team.”
“It is not,” Forerunner said. “I have nothing to reveal to you about the away team at this time.”
Ominous. That meant that things had happened, it just didn’t want to share them. Typical.
“Well, what is it?” The elevator door swung open for them faster than Melody remembered. It snapped closed just as quickly.
“It is… Dr. Faraday.” They zipped down a single floor, and the door opened again. “We discovered the reason we had been unable to decode the alien file-format on the data storage device.”
“I… I don’t know why that would be a bad thing, or need me,” Melody said. “But alright. That’s great! What’s in there?”
“Memories,” the Forerunner answered. “That was why we couldn’t isolate any of the discrete data that would’ve suggested image or video compression. There was another layer of encoding.”
“You can play back memories now, can’t you? Lucky said…”
They reached the doors to Martin’s lab. All the lights were on, something she never did. Several hard-plastic crates of supplies were scattered near the walls, where Martin had evidently selected one or two things from each and left the boxes behind.
“I cannot ‘play’ them. My understanding of neuroimprints has not yet progressed to that point. I cannot convert them to a digital format and display them for you on a screen. Nor do I have a brain of my own to experience them, so I cannot parse the memories myself. I see no reason this wouldn’t be possible, but it appears the technology was not prioritized. It is possible the next update I decompress will contain something to allow that process.”
“Then why did you take me here?”
“Because Dr. Faraday decided not to wait.” The door slid open.
Strange medical-looking equipment had been set up on one side of the room, where desks and shelves had been pushed aside to make space.
Martin was sprawled on a pile of blankets and pillows, surrounded by medical drones that watched her like an army of white plastic ghosts.
That was not the strangest thing she noticed, though. Martin had a new cutie mark—actually, she had several. It seemed as though her skin had become a display, changing, flashing, burning strange patterns into the pile of debris each time.
Her whole body seemed to spasm as the door opened, and she landed facing Melody, foam dribbling from her mouth. “That’s the siren, their bombers are on the way! Ponies to their assigned shelters! Form a single file line!”
Stats
Page generated in 0.127 seconds
Total duration
1,025 users online
1,330,442 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
So, fucking good.
Woah, is Martin living the entire lifetime/multiple lifetimes of the alicorn who left the message?
That seems like strong evidence that the ponies weren't the original builders of the ring.
Shouldn't Lighting be more pissed/distrusting of humans after witnessing the murder of those soldiers? Celestia kinda had reasons for executing Olivia after all, yet Dust immediately sides against her.
Seriously, doesn't anyone in story think what Olivia did was dangerous, pointless and, above all, stupid?
Wait! "Uplifted"? Does the Map refer to ponies or humans?
Well at least Lucky's talk with Twilight went... Well, about as good as could be expected.
And Celestia is really not looking to be in all that great of a light here!
Also seems like Martin got a self-inflicted and much more potent version of the Cutie Pox! Kinda gotta wonder if the normal version is some sorta "glitch" in Harmony's memory system.
Now things are really gaining traction. Lightning Dust realizing Celestia could have saved her parents makes me wonder what Applejack will think about this. I can't wait to find out all about Harmony, Discord and what happened to start this whole cycle. Thank you for all your hard work and letting us read this wonderful adventure!
...thus begins the Twilight Reformation. ALL HAIL PRINCESS TWILIGHT! USURP THE EVIL TYRANT! (Seriously fuck you Celestia!)
8709727
Stockholm Syndrome, perhaps. Olivia has at least shown some merit in risking herself to save the slaves, whereas Celestia has always been in an ivory tower, apparently not caring much for what happens beyond their borders.
Lightning also has plenty of beef with Equestrian authority figures, so I guess it's not too surprising that she's inclined to continue seeing Celestia as the enemy.
8709742
Olivia and co. make a deal with slavers in Dragon's Folly in order to get ponies for Othar. The slavers double cross the team. Olivia offers them several chances to surrender and stick to the original deal (thus letting the slavers get back to business). They refuse and Oli kills them.
OLIVIA IS A HERO!
Celestia arrives to Ponyville after the terrorist she has been looking for has attacked the town, harming and killing several of her guards. She asks Olivia several times to surrender and face proper trial. Oli refuses and Celestia burns the Rambo wannabe to crisps.
CELESTIA IS A MONSTER!
Double standard much?
Any competent scientist know that self-experimentation is a very bad idea. Looks like this iteration of Martin is not one of them.
It still boggles my mind. What are you, a drunk teenager? Smurf? Even nymphomaniacs know about safety, you have absolutely no excuse as a grown adult.
That went better than expected.
Although now the question is: How much of what they built on the Ring will Lucky show Twilight? Will Twilight eventually visit Othar? [Or at the very least the Speed of Thought?]
So Martin decided to just plug an unknown amount of memories Into his brain because the safe option needs more time? After olivia and this and some other things ...... is "Hold my beer" the slogan of the pioneering society?
Cutie Pox... and I doubt it will be as simple as the canon representation...
8709726
Unless "uplifted primitive" means "non-pony mind in a pony body".
EDIT: In fact, now that I think about it, that's almost certainly the correct meaning... with the following clarification:
Primitive: A mind that doesn't have eons of memories waiting for it when it returns to the ring.
Ascended: ...but has been added to the ring's resurrection system.
8709751
No? Not even close!
Celestia executed a prisoner who was proven to be no threat to her. It would have been comparable to what Olivia did with the slavers if Olivia had been killed by Celestia during the actual assault. Executing a helpless prisoner is definitely not the same thing!
8709811
That's why I said "strong evidence" instead of "certain proof".
8709751
Yes. Very much so. And I can't help feeling that there should be.
Olivia's mortal. She may have vastly superior firepower (to the guards), but she can barely speak their language and has no options or capacity for taking prisoners. And she's also operating under very limited information.
Celestia's practically godlike compared to them. Not only can she compel obedience, but she also has the power to resurrect the dead, and has a sister who can apparently alter memories. I'm of the opinion that she should be held to a higher standard.
To be fair, we haven't seen the full extent of Celestia's knowledge. For all we know, Lucky and gang really are bringing Equestria closer to the edge of Apocalypse, and that keeping everyone in perpetual ignorance really is the best option for survival. But given what we do know so far, I don't think anyone can be blamed for thinking that Celestia's being a tad... overbearing in her methods.
just a guess for next chapter but the ponies had themselves a little world war and harmony didn't take to kindly to that and either slagged or spaced them all.
methinks empress celestia didn't learn the right lessons here.
8709813
Salvadore was already defeated and helpless, yet Olivia killed him. I see no difference, except Celestia having genuine authority to judge her prisoner in the country she rules over.
I'm beginning to believe that Lucky Break is the only sane member of the Pioneering Society, and even that's a stretch. I mean, seriously. Olivia, Martin, Melody, Perez, what the fuck are they all thinking? Or are they even thinking?
8709813
I don't see the connection. What prevents alicorns whose minds are now stored in the ring from being the original builders of the ring with the civilization on its surface having been denied that knowledge?
8709773
She might have assumed she needed to be in heat to get pregnant because they’re horses. It’s still incredibly careless.
8709834
There is a pretty major difference - Celestia was in a position to imprison Olivia and prevent her causing harm in the future. Olivia was not in a position to imprison Salvadore and prevent him causing harm in the future.
8709848
Nothing prevents it? That's why I said "strong evidence" and not "certain proof".
Cool, turns out alicorns have enough admin privileges to authorise immediate reincarnation. Olivia's sorted out already, they just have to get Twilight to cast resurrect.
Too bad about Dr Faraday, I very much doubt he'd be getting any better after having dozens (millions?) of life-experiences forcibly uploaded in his brain. Should have used someone expendable for the experiment, like Melody.
Sounds like a fairly standard Cold War gone hot scenario. Maybe Harmony doesn't actively exterminate prosperous and peaceful civilizations, just makes sure there are no remnants when the civilizations themselves have gone genocidal. If it's this scenario then it's very similar to the Missile Gap short story by Charles Stross where Cold War era humanity keeps being transplanted to a freaking huge Discworld and left to expand in all directions with no constraints (humans still nuke themselves into extinction every time because of reasons) - it's an excellent piece of fiction and I highly recommend it! A Colder War by the same author is a companion piece to it.
This is the big teaser, is Lucky being called a primitive because she was a human that got uplifted into a (superior) pony body, or is it because a primitive pony body had the mind of a (superior) human uplifted in it?
8709873
Then why do you think the most likely answer is that ponies were not the builders of the ring?
1. The locks on the administrative system appear to be keyed to alicorns.
2. Aside from Discord (who, as far as we know, is an A.I.), alicorns are the most powerful beings on the ring. The much more advanced, dead civilization was apparently lead by at least one alicorn.
3. What little we've seen of the non-corporeal city hasn't given evidence of a significant difference in species between the builders and the current inhabitants.
Sure, it could be that the builders' former science projects/pets/etc. are roaming the ring... but it could also be that the ponies inhabiting the ring are the humans to Stargate SG-1's Ancients.
Unless I missed something, I don't see strong evidence leaning in either direction and just inventing another species to be the builders feels like the mental gymnastics that were undertaken to whitewash the evidence that, before Europeans visited Africa, there had existed an advanced civilization built by dark-skinned people. (As mentioned in the third part of the TV adaptation of Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel, which has been posted to YouTube.)
8709889
...or, is she a primitive because she only has one lifetime of memories, regardless of body, but has been "uplifted" by being hooked into the resurrection system, again, regardless of body?
Oh no. What did Martin do?! Well, I can imagine, but oh no.
8709889 Or is she being called a primitive because humans are so 'primitive' they can't build ringworlds?
So, the civilization they visited managed to escape Harmony... Into a tiny crystal. Well, at least they're not in the system anymore.
Did harmony kill ponies at all? Or did ponies just kill each-others? There apparently is a waiting line for ponies reincarnating but is this due to Celestia issuing quotas on how many foals will be born? And could Othar tap into that market with their cloning arrays?
Does Celestia understand what happened back then or does she have faulty understanding too?
8709889
Or can it read genetic code well enough and see that humans are uplifted species? Then again that would come from the left-field and has no basis on the story as of yet. Just pointing out there can be other options for it too.
Ugh. The moral quandaries and ethics of this situation are making my head spin!
On the one hand, Celestia has murdered a living, breathing, thinking being. On the other hand, she has absolute knowledge of a (pleasant?) afterlife, to which she has sent the individual in question.
However, the truth of the matter is that that particular individual will now be 'recombined' with its 'older' self in the afterlife. How does one wish to look at that? The comforting fact that you'll once again be made 'whole' and become part of something greater than oneself? Or a nightmarish scenario where one is 'consumed' by the mass of experiences of versions of oneself that came before, the proverbial grain of sand dropped on a mountain?
And now we see that Celestia apparently has enough Admin permissions to yank someone back out from the afterlife... But we've also seen that times moves unbelievably faster there than in the 'real' world. So, the ponies that were 'killed' have been recombined with their older selves, and had years to live in the afterlife... When Celestia decides to 'resurrect' them... Which means doing... what exactly? Copying and pasting from an earlier set of data? So when they die again, the 'greater' version of them will have one set of memories up to the battle.. .and one full set including that event, followed by a whole lifetime? Or is she pulling those 'memories' back out of the mass, cutting away anything they would have remembered from the afterlife, and restoring them that way? Which is worse?
Then there's Luna going around playing brain/memory surgeon to cover the whole thing up... And that's not creepy, terrifying, or nightmare fuel... But hey, if your whole existence is digital, what protection does anyone have from being 'rewritten?'
Interestingly enough, with the way things are set up, Celestia is truly guilding of only one (or at least one?) murder... The poor pony who Discord couldn't save when Celestia blasted their super sonic transport... I forget which character he was, but he didn't have a cutie mark, and no backup, sooo...
Man, transhumanist / Post Singularity scenarios really complicate ethical discussions, don't they?
But great, enjoyable story in any case! Can't wait for more!
Edit:
And a thought just occurred to me... From what Dr. Faraday was mumbling, it seems like Harmony itself didn't destroy that pony civilization, but internal strife did... Perhaps HArmony control the afterlife, but doesn't have a physical presence in the real world... There's no hidden, secret arrays of particle beams and neutrino bombs that Harmony utilizes to scour troublesome groups off the ring to 'reset' things.
But Harmony DOES control who get's 'reincarnated'.
Throw in a few Einsteins, Fermis, and Tellers... Add in a Stalin/Hitler/Sombra or two, and let events take their course...
8709751
First off, I am NOT validating Olivia's actions. Far from it, I have NOT agree with most of Olivia's actions from the beginning. Her idiocy was going to kill her one way or another.
The problem I have is with Celestia! She decided to pass judgement and then at the LAST SECOND changes the sentence from life in prison to DEATH. She wants to be seen as a benevolent ruler to her subjects and cultivates a society of peace...but have no qualms or guilt acting like a tyrant behind the scenes when it works for her agenda. So..yeah. Fuck her.
8709846
Karl the diplomat seemed to be a reasonable authority figure, which is probably why he was taken out first by chance.
8710021
Then again, she said that she would send her to Tartarus. For us, that’s like literally saying, “Go to Hell.” A little bit of word play on Celestia’s part.
8710039
Also, he was black
8709727
No, because that sounds like bias talking. Of course, the civilian members of The Pioneering Society do not like or agree with her methods. Even though, consistently, her methods have been what moved them forward. And in the end, she made the correct decision to escape a situation where she was a POW being interrogated by enemy forces uses mental manipulation that she had no counter for, again, keeping them safe in the end.
Equestria's soldiers dying are one hundred and ten percent their own fault. Knowing how dangerous a prisoner Olivia is, why didn't they send someone in Nightmare Armor? Why, after seeing the warning, did they charge like lemmings? Why, after the first casualties to traps, did they not fall back, regroup, and form a new plan?
No, I have no sympathy for someone who gets killed for moving when the scared guy backed into a corner with the gun screams "Don't move, I'll shoot".
This story pulls on heartstrings and shows your biases well. What's there to hate when it comes to this version of Olivia? She secretly made a deal with a crime lord? Well, that literally saved the human race. She attacked people with power armor? To free those slaves. She killed a bunch of Royal Guards with traps? Um, did you miss the fact that other than Lucky, Olivia has the most mission critial knowledge; she cannot be captured. And you have to run into the trap for it to kill you. They could have tried negotiation first, instead they went straight to force. All she did was defend herself while waiting for some kind of extraction.
Then, at the end of it all, we all saw Celestia execute a defenseless prisoner in cold-blood after lying about it to Twilight's face. So why should anyone really, REALLY, dislike Olivia when she put the roofs over their heads, the food on their plates, gave them the island they rest on, and the defenses that let them sleep sound at night?
8710072 Because she's trying to kill Celestia, probably the one person with the best knowledge on how to possibly dismantle Harmony next to Discord? And that killing Celestia, who has all these admin privileges, has good odds of triggering Harmony's 'you messed up' smiting? Olivia knew about Harmony, knew about the destroyed cities, but still chose to see Celestia as the 'big bad' rather than a potential ally with a gun to her head.
8710081
Because Celestia has already shown, and just been proven, to be more willing to annihilate them than sit down and chat about it. Nothing that has been shown even suggests that Celestia is willing to compromise.
8710041
Play on words she only did because Twilight was there! Celestia knew her successor would stop her from murdering a pony so she twisted the meaning so Twilight would not actively interfere with her judgement. Damn she is evil! EVIL!
Man, with every chapter this story reminds me more and more of Crystalis. And that is awesome.
8710041
Ehhh, it's kind of different when Tartarus is an actual, physical location in that world. Hell is a metaphysical concept for us. It's not on a map. You can't go and visit hell and then come back. Tartarus they can. It's more akin to a regular old (if extreme) prison.
8710103
It would depend on what you believe. Regardless, the implication is that their "Immortal Soul" is the only "organism" that matters. In that sense, the body is only a vessel to perform physical works, but it's isn't necessary for your livelihood. At least, by the estimation of Celestia.
8710144
No, I mean even regardless of your beliefs. Regardless of whether you believe in the existence of Hell or not, it's not a physical location on our planet. In order to get there, you have to die and your spiritual essence travels to a different plane of existence. You can't get directions there via google maps. Tarturus, on the other hand, is an actual physical location. Twilight ran an errand there one afternoon.
8710202
1) Tartarus door is actually a portal to Tartarus
2) Going back and forth physically could be explained by Star Trek-style "teleporting" (disintegration/reintegration).
All in all, even though whole thing is dubious, but it's a just a fanfic. Fanfic where MLP and Sci-Fi are welded together, with seams still visible.
8710087 Why WOULD she be willing? She knows other people have tried and failed to fight it. The consequence is everyone being obliterated - and, possibly, not even being stored away in Harmony's files - and she has absolutely no reason to even consider that they may be aliens. Would you be willing to try and fight the Type-2 Ringworld-controlling AI? Would you be willing to try and sit down and talk with the people whose actions threaten to kill millions and millions of people? No, I don't think you would. You'd say 'Oh my god I gotta get rid of these idiots before we all die'.
8710012
I find myself at odds with most of the readers.
The ponies are an insignificant part of a much larger whole. We have no evidence that the whole decided that the current system is unfair or unjust at all, other than some minor grumblings from Discord and friends. Celestia is an immortal- but aware unlike almost everyone else. She tried to fight harmony in the past. Perhaps many, many times, and has given up, has a long term plan or has to act to prevent annihilation by harmony. Discords recklessness has definately caused it more than once.
Celestia just cleaned up a mess she didn’t make, and you guys are condemning her based on incomplete information. I think she is dangerous but i’m not going to impune her methods or motives without more knowledge.
As for Melody she is feeling useless and unloved. Why shouldn’t she have some fun and try to find some meaning in her life? Maybe she knew the risks, weighed them and decided she was ok with rolling the dice. It might not be your cup of tea but lots of peope do that every day. And whats one more life compared to quadrillions? Of course having a kid weds the fate of the equestrians to the otharians... reminds me of tolkein and the half-elves.
Harmony was established to save a quadrillion beings. The few million bitching about the system in equestria are as important as the flat earth society is to geopolitics. Discord himself said they dissenters were in the vast vast minority.
As for Martin, he thinks we are on the clock here. After all you can always make another Martin. And forgiveness is easier to ask for than permission.
8710243 Except here's the question; when ponies die normally, they get put in the system, wait in line, and are reborn. Does the same hold true when Harmony decides 'you messed up' and smites you? If so, it's hard to imagine why Celestia would be afraid; it'd just be a long timeout for everyone. But she IS afraid, so that implies when Harmony glasses countries, it's not preserving anyone and instead makes new people to try again.
8710202
It could be at the center of the earth, or maybe it’s hidden from mortal view 😁. Regardless, this is an AU. It could be like 8710217 said. It could also be that there is a totally physical prison paired with the magical/digital one. Personally, in this AU, I think it’s just like a server space with physical portals for seamless access between the physical world and the Magic/Digital world, so you don’t have to kill yourself. Plus, being a “spirit” doesn’t seem to stop creatures like Discord from transitioning between physical states liberally, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that creatures like Triek have the power to corporealize by themselves, given enough time/power.
8710021
Keep in mind that Celestia knew about harmony. Olivia isn’t dead. She’s part of harmony now. Celestia didn’t change her mind, or change her plans. She planned to “send Olivia to Tartarus” all along.
Tartarus is harmony.
Well the good news is it seems we got twilight on our side, that was the main goal of the trip. The bad news is Dr. Faraday jumped the gun.
Can't wait till next update to find out the result of both!