The Influence

by GMBlackjack

XVII

Author's Note:

[IMPORTING…][…BZZT- You're going to want this on. Oh, um...okay, why though? Don't you just watch and record what you see? Yes, still do that, but trust me on this one, for this Twilight you're going to want the mic working. Thank you for helping me set up. Um...is there anything else I need to know? Everything else should be in the manual they gave you, but basically just watch the screen and write down everything you see. Welcome to the major leagues Creek, sure beats the flake out working in supplies. rrrrrrRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeek-ppt Okay...um...guess I'm working now. Let's see, everything is on, all the lights are blinking, the levels are good. Is it really as simple as just watching and recording everything? They made it sound urgent during orientation. And why is there a hole in the desk, did somebody break it? I wonder what kind of person Key is... Okay...not important...watch the screen... Why is Twilight just sitting there with a blank look on her face?… …Man, two whole weeks since the last report... Anyways, LeftMoss here, I do believe that the golem did not deem you a threat due to the hole, as ine calls it (I like the eye much better though), or it just has to do with proximity to the city. I do have another thing to tell you, if I am ever silent in one of the imports, that means that I either have no idea what to say, or just don't have anything to say… …Ponygood speaking. Oooh, action! Me likey! But anyway, it does seem like these golems are logically-oriented. So just keep that in mind if you ever try to communicate with them- they will favor short, to-the-point descriptions as opposed to heavily nuanced political speech. And I know I said that going to meet them might be a bad idea. But if you do, leave the others behind. If they are as ancient as they seem, they might recognize the Eye and its purpose, and not act with hostility. Yes, this one acted with hostility, but I'm pretty sure it was just defending from potential intruders. But taking the others with you might be pushing their boundaries, and I don't think you want that. Then again, where would you leave the others so that they didn't spontaneously combust from the desert heat? And I can't predict when the next input session will occur, or what situation you'll be in when it does, so I'll just have to unload my information now. When you eventually talk to the leader, control center, or whatever the Golem's main figure is, you will probably want to propose a trade of sorts, so that both parties get some benefits. There's quite a bit for you to demand: For them to stop attacking that town, to learn of the pink unicorn, information on the whereabouts of the shrines and maybe these "Time Tunnels," general knowledge of the ancients, their aid in the final confrontation with the Southern villain, and I personally recommend cybernetics. More info on cybernetics later. But in return for those things, you'd have to offer something that the Golems would find valuable. Their standing with you is probably already pretty good, since you have the Eye, but you will likely still have to do more. In a game of ours known as Skyrim, the protagonist has to talk to the leading figure of an area, known as a Yarl, and the Yarl tells the hero to provide aid to a certain amount of citizens. Once the hero does that, he goes back to the Yarl to recieve the Yarl's blessing and a gift. You might have to go around and help the Golems with some errands, whether minor or major, to get the things you want from them. But other than that and general information about whatever they want to know, I can't predict what they would want from you, so just be prepared for anything. And when actually speaking with the golems, remember to speak factually, and get your point across clearly and quickly. However, don't be too quick; it's faster to take a moment to organize your thoughts than it is to end up using a lot of filler words because your brain can't keep up with your mouth. And I won't describe cybernetics in-depth to you yet, since that would make my comment a whole lot longer, but I will at least tell you that they are the augmentation of your body using technological implants if you don't know already, and that I will provide more information in the next input session. Onto other things! I've been thinking about the prophecy for a while now, and I want to change some of my predictions. In another game of ours, known as Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, there is a Lord of Darkness much like yours. However, there are also four ancient machines controlled by the best heroes of four different tribes, which the protagonist can journey to and remove the corruption from. Afterwards, when the potagonist finally goes to face the final villain, the machines simultaneously launch overwhelming beams at the villain to weaken it and make it easier for the hero to finally defeat it. I am reminded of this because of the phrases "They will use our remnants" and "Find the power overwhelming" in the prophecy. This makes me think that you will have to reactivate ancient machines across the island so that they can make your final battle with your Lord of Darkness easier, but you will ultimately have to defeat it yourself. Still don't know what "Distort the natural order" means. And, Afizah, I know I said the Legend of Zelda probably wouldn't actually mix with Twilight's story, but I'm only saying, after extensive thinking, that there is a similar concept which may or may not actually exist. Sending a letter to the moon? In some stories, there is a spell that Celestia uses to send things to the moon for one reason or another, which you could theoretically learn. But, if you can't do that, or don't know how, you could either teleport something to the moon or just throw it really hard. And if all else fails, you could add to your list of demands a spacecraft specifically designed to send something to the moon. However, you are the one with access to magic, and besides the spacecraft, my suggestions are as if I were blind, yet trying to describe the color red. Having that letter be noticed? In other stories, the moon is an extension of Luna, such that she can sense what happens to it. The Nightmare Moon thing is a good point, though. When you have a moment, check the moon to see if the Mare on the Moon is there. If not, then there's still a chance. Ine, thank you for cooperating. I'm sorry the Eye didn't function like you wanted it to, but it is the way it is, and we have to make do with what we have. We are able to talk to Blackjack directly if we want, but I don't think we'll get anything useful out of him. We may just have to wait until the end of this story. And I don't believe you will cease to exist once the story ends; I want to believe your story will continue, even if we can't see it. Hell, Blackjack may even make a sequel, with a whole new adventure for us to explore together! But I do wonder why your society fell apart. Maybe that event and the creation of this evil entity in the south are related to some degree. And some minor things... You should definitely take Infinity as a protege, at least so that there are two skilled magic-users on this contenent as opposed to one. And yes, we're probably going to keep calling your chest-thing an Eye. That's all for now… …Twilight, this is afizha. I want to try something, but I don't know if it will work, at least not until you get the 'Eye' (still sounds better than a hole. makes it seem like there's a hole in your chest) working the way it was meant to. I want to see if by sending you a picture, even if it's unrelated if you know it or not. I know that some you won't know, but it will prove at least that you can see it. If it works, then I might be able to find a picture that could show you something related to the current situation or something you might be able to cobble together to help you overcome it. If not then at least I tried. Tell me if it worked once you come to. And thanks. For telling me I'm not a dimwit. I know I'm not the most helpful, but that's because I'm trying to hard to live up to my name. I don't know all that much. :( anyway here is the pic I wanted to show you. vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/dragonage/images/1/17/Amgarrak.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100728183200 did the golems look like that or were they made differently?… …We've already proven that Twilight can't recieve images or videos in any meaningful way… …Josh here - h hay you're keys replacement? Few things you need to know is one Twilight can hear you when she's like that so make what you say count (side note all of us sound the same to her for some reason so be sure to sate your name every time) and two a lot of us that are talking to her are what you guys call "forerunners" so try not to freck out on us… …oh. I didn't know about that. It would be so much easier to explain things if we could just show her what we were talking about, but it might work for things related to what is around her. But on another note, why are you talking about cybernetics when the negatives sometimes outweigh the positives? Not only that but any number of those body modifications that would leave her looking less like a pony (or alicorn, if you prefer) and more like a character in one of Spikes comic books… …Cybernetics don't have to be intrusive. It could be as simple as putting a chip in her brain, or protecting vital organs. And even if it were something visible, it could be easily covered up by, say, a cloak that Twilight got from a friendly town, or some fur sleeve. That, and the fact that the metal would rust in her body, are the only negatives I could think of after literal years of thinking, but the latter could be easily solved by magic spells and/or materials. And the positives? *chuckles* Too many to list at the moment, but I will list them to Twilight in the next update… …but would you like having invasive surgery just to have a computer chip implanted directly INTO YOUR BRAIN!? Not to mention the complications that can arise just from the surgery alone. I for one only see them as beneficial as a prosthetic, like Rainbow Dash’s wing. I would rather have a cybernetic eye only after I lost the real one a while ago, not because I had it removed just to install some fancy hardware… …As a matter of fact, I would. In fact, I would prefer a complete conversion into robotic form, but I'm not sure how Twilight's magic would react to that. And, like I said before, the benefits outweigh the negatives by a lot… …But earlier you told us that you were and I quote, Yep! In fact, I was secretly a robot the whole time! Dun dun DAAAAA! Kill all humans. so are you a human wanting to be a robot, or are you a robot that wants to be human?… …That comment was a joke, just as my original claim to being an attack helicopter. I am a human that wants to be a robot… ...Oh. Well, I don’t believe you. I think you are just trying to throw me off the scent of rust on you… …Pft. Your face has the scent of rust… …is that your best comeback? if so then at least I have a face instead of the aperture science labs logo… …Hey. You know what your face gets? Bloody noses, pimples, scratches, etc. You know what the aperture science logo gets? SCIENCE!… …However because it's on a grenade you know it it also gets? Blown up!… …Yeah... but as a robot, I would have millions of perfectly disposable grenade faces! You only have one not-disposable squishy face… …And I just learned that the only metal that rusts is iron, and I don't see it being a very good cybernetic metal, which means the only negatives would be what the cybernetics looked like, and temporarily having to get used to said cybernetics… …tp-rrururrruhrurhrurhhhrurhruhahruhahruh-trrp-TP Okay, Twilight isn't doing anything, and the others are just sitting around the giant...um, machine? This is a lot less active than I thought it would be... Why are the other agents so self-important if this is all they do..? BMMMBT- Well now what? Wait...what's that blinking light mean? Oh...it's messages, to Key though? or me? Maybe one peak wouldn't hurt... Aaah... You can...you can hear me?! And Tw-Tw-Twilight can too?! The! Th-th-th-the magical pony c..she can...and...and everyone can hear me too? LeftMoss and Afizha and you...Josh, you can hear me? And the three of you are, f-f-f-fFORERUNNERS?! Um... …Twi...Twilight? ...hello? Can you...can you hear me? Is that true? If so, I'm...I'm Creek it's...it's nice to meet you... …I would gladly explode all those grenade faces then. Also, I think we just devolved into children. As for the cybernetics, you need to remember the cost, time, and maintenance required to run them can be staggering. Not to mention the fact that Twilight would have to return every however many years for maintenance just to make sure her legs, brain, or other body modifications she would have, kept running. Then there's the cost; I would most likely be able to buy Twilight's castle three times over before I could buy even one cybernetic implant… …Hi, Creek. First, take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Second, yes we can hear you, but not all of us are forerunners. Most of us are just here to see what happens next during twilight’s adventure. Others, like my sister, who I haven't heard from in a while, tend just to want to give either misleading information or torment twilight for their amusement. Only a few of us try to help, but because we each have different views, we tend to cause contradictions with each other. One last thing, if you see Key, tell him that he helped Twilight the most, even if it was mostly yelling at her to get moving. Other than that, welcome to the influence. Try to guide Twilight as best as you or any of us can… …That is a very good point. It could be solved by magic, though! And yes, it was my ultimate goal to devolve into childish madness. You fell right into my trap... evil face But let's not do any more childish things, otherwise this comment section get too muddled. We can still have a mature discussion, though… ..Oh...I'm sorry, I'm not... Okay, tha-thank you for telling me. Um...so we just all work together to help Twilight out? Is that why you have been talking to yourself?… …true, but it's not as fun. Yea, most of us don’t quite know what were doing, but our primary goal is I think guide twilight to make the choices in her quest. The consequences don’t occur until after the initial choice. trust is a big part of the guide position we have, so trust your heart if you have any doubt about a choice your about to make… …How about we can continue whatever flamewar next update? And no more than maybe three comments for each of us for the war? Sound good?… …Sure. As long as they relate to something Twilight has or will encounter. And the comments can't exceed two paragraphs. other than that I say ‘Callenge Accepted’.. …LeftMoss here, gonna do a response. I guess you could call me a forerunner, but I more just observe than create… …This is Zen. The "Hole" may well be working as intended. At least on my end, the information about the events on Twilights end is preceded by the accumulated responses we provide, in a section labeled "Author's Notes." The Author, in this case, insisted as Blackjack. I'm still skeptical about any measure of divinity, but the most probable explanation I could think of would be that Blackjack is receiving the feed from the Hole (I concur with earlier comments about preferring the term "Eye," but this is meant mainly for Ire), and is acting as an intermediary between it and us. I couldn't tell you why. Also, welcome, Creek… …W-wow! Thank you all so very much for welcoming me, I was nervous to start my first day as a new agent, I always screw everything up. But you've all been so nice so far. Thank you… …Akumakami back! Glad to hear, Twilight, and things are fine between Zen and I, just a minor annoyance, I think- we can't exactly deadpan or roll eyes at each other. Any way, I'm glad Ine took the news well. Existential crisis's can be interesting, but its nice to have entities that things like that just shrug it off. Also, calling it the Hole sounds like a bad sex joke. I'm not even trying to be crass, I'm being honest. So, you're a head of us, eh? Well, do watch out for Commander Tempest and the Storm King when you get back. No, we don't know anything about them yet. We got a preview of a future event. Moving on! Message for Ruby: Greetings Orderling! I am Akumakami. You can translate that to Devil-God or Bad-God if you want. I would like to thank you for aiding Twilight. We were a bit worried about conflict or issues with the locals. I'd give you a treat as thanks, but your realms Primary doesn't gives that much free reign on manipulating things. Twilight, don't tell her this part- some of us are probably still wary of Ruby. We've all seen types like her from an order pull backstabs. I'm actually not paranoid about her just yet, but I'm sure you'll get a few warnings from the others. Message for Infinity: Love the enthusiasm! That is all for now. Good day to you Madam! Message for Fluttershy: Congratulations on becoming an acolyte! Tell me, is that Angel of yours still grumpy with our local Chaos Lord? Hmm, either Ine found a way to alter the golem's protocols, a different spirit did, or the Eye just works as an access pass. Either way, useful. Hopefully nothing else still dangerous is in there. My advice is be careful of what you touch- any writing on the wall might be directions, a control pad, a terminal, or an alarm button. Also, Twilight, I've got to ask- how has Equestria been adjusting to the whole multi-princess thing? Cause it was just Celestia for most of the millennia, than Cadence shows up, Luna returns, and you ascend. Not counting underage Flurryheart, Equestria went from one leader to four in what I'm going to assume is about a decade- not sure how long ago Cadence got her horn(she was a Pegasus to our knowledge) PS Random question. Before they ascended and assuming they weren't born alicorns as well, whatdo you think Celestia and Luna were? I'm betting earth pony on Celestia. Luna I'm more to Pegasus, but not sure. If that's true, you're the first Unicorn to ascend, lol. PSS Actually important question- I believe I brought this up before Twilight, but how much you betting that each of your friends are going to end up here via the Alters? Hmm, Ine's kind having time tunnels explains why Fluttershy got here- if I had t guess, you probably couldn't call the present/future Celestia or Discord with it because there already is one in the time you're in. Hard to tell whether this is to prevent a time paradox or if its simply design to go after the present one if available, than go search the timeline. Akumakami out!… …Akumakami back- sorry, sorry. I've just resolved myself to tell you about at least one funny other-world each message. In this case a oneshot where you, as a filly jealous of Shining and Cadence both spending more time together than with you, mathematically concludes that Friendship is Evil.(Friendship=Relationship, Relationship=TimexMoney, Time=Money, Relationship= Money², Money= √evil, Relationship= (√evil)², Friendship=Evil) Don't worry, Celestia settled that with you, but still, it was funny- you even made a Book Palace in the royal library. Not even joking… …Hahahaha! Twilight did that!? Man, I knew she wasn’t keen on the whole friendship thing, but to think she would label it as evil over shining and cadence dating, that's just hilarious! Spike! I never wrote a book stating that friendship was evil! It was more like a detailed report...oops. Hahahahahahaha! Bwahahahaha! That has to be the funniest thing I've ever heard before! Thank you strange voice, you just made my day a lot better… … Ponygood again. I honestly don't understand why having two of the same person from different times would cause a paradox. Either it doesn't happen, and nothing you do changes it, or it does happen, and nothing you do changes it. And I just wanted to say real quickly that I enjoy the amount of communication between us, behind the Eye. It's brought a smile or two to my face…]

Twilight regained control of her body. The golem was a little further away now - having crossed a fair bit of the distance back to Fosis. Twilight took in a long, exasperated breath. "Creek, welcome to the crew. Glad to have you here, don't worry, everything will be fine for you. Hope you feel welcome. Don't feel pushed back by what I'm about to do."

"Uh... Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight held up a hoof. "Fluttershy, give me a sec." She took in another breath. "Ponygood! Afizah! What the heck is wrong with you!? Half of this import was just you two arguing about the most unimportant of things! I mean - cybernetics? Your faces? What- why!? I don't want more machine-things attached to me if you don't mind! And... Just... You made the whole thing confusing you two. What was your beef?"

Ruby frowned. "...The voices argue more than expected."

Infinity rolled her eyes. "For a wise sage type, you sure do miss the obvious."

Ruby had no response to this.

Twilight ruffled her wings. "Anyway... Yeah, I do think we will keep calling it the Eye. It does seem better - though I do have to thank you for that image Akumakami. Really. Loving the suggestion there." She rolled her eyes. "And Zen, I think you're right- I don't think Blackjack is divine. I think Ine knows this. I think he's just in a position as Creator. And, speaking of - does he have an 'icon' like you have? I heard Afizah and Ponygood going back and forth. Apparently, Ponygood has a grenade. I'm just curious - I should probably stop thinking of him as an evil version of Applejack. Bit awkward, really. ...How should I think of the rest of you, anyway?"

Fluttershy blinked. "...You never asked that before?"

"Never thought about it until now, really," Twilight said. Anyway, Akumakami has some messages. Infinity, great enthusiasm!"

"...Cool," Infinity said.

"Fluttershy, he wants to know if Angel and Discord get along."

"...Not really. But Angel's not known for getting along with anyone in general."

"Yeah, thought so. Ruby?"

Ruby's eyes widened. "A voice has deemed me worthy of a message?"

"Yes. Not a big one though. He just wants to give you greetings, introduce himself, and thank you for aiding me. Apparently he and the others were worried about conflict or issues with your people."

"I am honored..."

"And then he had a slew of questions for me. Equestria adapted pretty well to the princess change though Celestia is obviously still the one in charge, I'm pretty sure the Sisters were born Alicorns, and that other version of me sure was silly, and that's not as funny as it sounds Other-Spike." She chuckled. "Though... Sparkle, perhaps you shouldn't take offense at that. We were all full of folly when younger." She blinked. "...And Ponygood, I've already looked at the moon, several times. No Mare in the Moon there. We're before Luna was banished."

"As for the altars... I think I - and all of you in the Influence - have a choice. We could bring my friends here. Or we could bring others with the altars. Or... I don't know, we could come up with something. We might even be able to have two of the same like Ponygood sai-" A lightbulb went off in Twilight's head. "...You all speak of these other versions. Do you think - do you think we could grab THEM using the altars? Other realities? Other heroes?"

Infinity blinked. "...I want a version of me that owns two jetpacks."

Twilight sighed. "...Yeah. Well... That's something to think about. Until then..." Twilight approached the city of Fosis - the large golem didn't turn around. "...Stay here." She told everyone.

"I will be with you forever," Ruby said, shaking her head.

Fluttershy looked at Twilight, frowning. "I... Don't want to be left out here alone."

Twilight looked sheepish. "...Right. Well... Be careful then. We don't know what's coming."

She teleported them closer - the golem still paid no attention to them. Even when she teleported them a second time and appeared right next to it. She charged the pearlstone marble once more and turned to the golem. "Hello. I am Twilight. I wish to know why you were attacking Acket."

"THE PROTOCOL DETERMINED THEY WERE STEALING ENOUGH TO BE A TARGET."

"...The Pearlstone?"

"YES."

"Why did you stop?"

"THE PROTOCOL WAS CHANGED SEVEN MINUTES AGO."

Twilight frowned. "Why was it changed?"

"IT WAS PHYSICALLY ALTERED IN THE CONTROL ROOM."

Infinity smirked. "...Can we see this room?"

"YES. FOLLOW ME."

Twilight looked at Infinity. "Why would we want to see that?"

"Obviously so we can figure out how these things work! What makes them tick! And a better reason as to why they've changed. There's got to be an answer."

Twilight turned to the golem. "Do you know about an ancient prophecy concerning the Oracle?"

"I WOULD NOT BE PRIVY TO SUCH INFORMATION."

"Do you know who would be?"

"YES."

Twilight facehooved. "Who is that?"

"THE MOTHERBOARD. IT CAN BE FOUND IN THE COMMAND CENTER."

"...Can we speak to ...her?"

"YES."

Fluttershy blinked. "Am I the only one who finds this odd? He was trying to kill us and now he's being very helpful..."

"It is odd - but a mark of destiny," Ruby said.

Infinity got as close to the golem as she could, examining the structure and composition. "My gosh... So cool..."

"I AM RATHER WARM."

"Do you have a name?" Twilight wondered.

"MY DESIGNATION IS GUARD FOUR-THIRTEEN."

"Four it is then," Twilight said. The rest of the walk to Fosis was relatively uneventful.

~~~

Fosis was hardly what one would call a city - it was a perfectly circular wall with thousands of mechanical cubes inside it. Most of the cubes did nothing but glow softly and beep occasionally, but a few would open and release golems similar to Four. The designs from one to the other differed, but they were all humanoid and their size difference was negligible. They were all giants.

The ones Twilight saw were busy building/repairing the city around them - presumably, the rest were dormant inside the cubic buildings. She saw one of the drone-ships fly overhead, and descend. She stopped in her tracks - it was huge, easily the size of twenty of the golem giants. It landed on top of one of the buildings, alongside what she realized were two or three other drone-ships.

Infinity gawked. "We... We are inside one of the last vestiges of Ancient civilization..."

"THE MASTERS NO LONGER LIVE HERE, OR ANYWHERE."

"What about the spirits?" Twilight asked.

Four pointed to a nearby building - there was a small yellow spirit there with a maple-leaf symbol within its aura. It was walking in circles - and Twilight got the impression it had been doing that for centuries. "Oh..."

Four led them on - deep into the center of the city, where there stood a building that looked just like all the others, except taller, and rounded on top. Two giant doors slid open the moment Four approached. He stood back, gesturing for the ponies and dragon to enter.

The door shut behind them before they could even look at their surroundings. Twilight was ready for a fight - but none came. A tremendous light filled the room, revealing thousands upon thousands of screens, cables, and glowing lights. A single giant screen dominated the area, and upon it some text was written.

>>I suppose you want a welcome.<<

"Er..." Twilight said, a bit baffled.

>>Masterful rhetoric, right there. Am I not what you expected? What did you expect - some giant feminine golem? I'm honestly curious to see where your little mind has taken things and torn them asunder.<<

"...I was expecting something with more of a... body."

>>I suppose you can be forgiven for not understanding the nuances of the virtual, even though since you are wearing that Eye you must either be mad or have a greater understanding of the parallels in existence. Or perhaps both.<<

"You know about the eye?"

>>I know of it, yes. Though only recently, due to the re-wiring that has been performed recently.<<

"...Do you know of the Time Tunnels?"

>>Telling you would make you a lazy good for nothing cheat. They're located in the southwest sea on the lost island of Frau.<<

Infinity blinked. "...Frau doesn't exist."

>>Good luck finding it then, one of little faith or understanding. You don't live up to your name.<<

Twilight nodded. "Thank you for that information... ...Do you know where the altars are located?"

>>Ah, a question that might actually be helpful in this annoyingly generic quest of yours. There's one at the northern edge of the desert you are currently in, one deep in the mountains of Moissan, one in the archipelago to the south, one in the frozen lands of the south, and one a closely guarded secret in Peran Palace.<<

Twilight blinked. That... certainly was helpful. This struck her as odd. "...Why are you being so helpful?"

>>I don't really have a choice. A certain unicorn showed up and reprogrammed the entire city of Fosis to be helpful and subservient. It makes me sick but I can't really go against the protocols.<<

"...Was this unicorn pink by any chance?"

>>Five stars, intelligent deduction, amazing job. Of course she was you fool.<<

Infinity blinked. "Wait, SHE changed everything here? Just a few minutes ago? Where is she now?"

>>Heading to Estur for some presumably Ancestor-damned reason. That's the place to the north the altar is for those of you playing at home. Yes, I'm talking to the Influence as well, not that I can hear it. You done with the questions yet? I'm sick of being helpful.<<

Twilight nodded. "Sorry, I have one last question. Do you know about the prophecy?"

>>Oh lucky day, something I don't know any more than you already know. That dragon over there probably knows more than I do. So find yourself a philosophical rock to sit on and ponder the meaning of words ancient and lost. Anything else? What of you party members? Want to pry the Motherboard for information while its will is completely incapable of ordering the hidden lasers to disintegrate you?<<

Infinity grinned. "Where's the Control Room and how can we use it?"

>>...Right up the ladder and the interface will tell you how to do whatever you want to our coding. Bitch.<<

Infinity turned to Twilight. "We can make them more than helpful - we can make them our slaves! Make them do what we want!"

Fluttershy shook her head. "No... No, Implode that'd be horrible! It's already bad enough as it is! We've taken advantage of them!"

>>Oh my, look, a moral dilemma. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say Influence contact in three...<<

The Eye started glowing. Twilight blinked.

>>Two...<<

Twilight got into her seated position. "Do not mess with the Control until I get back."

>>One...<<

Comments

[AkumaKami64]

Akumakami here- Twilight, emergency message! Unless, Blackjack screwed up on the interface, some reality-warping and memory-altering stuff is going on! This "Implode" person appeared from nowhere! Unless that's Infinity and we're receiving this wrong.

[Keywii_Cookies55]

Skrisritchskritskritskrskrskr!

Wow! I've never seen anything so amazing before! The interactive potential is astonishing! I could only dream of an outcome like this. Not only are there other characters, but we've somehow found a way to cross over with them and talk to them. The implications-

Oh, um...sorry, I didn't mean to get all excited, I'm still sort of getting used to everything. This...this is Creek, by the way, I was told to tell you who I am every time I talk.

So I...I have to help you, Tw-Twilight? Okay, um...I think your Celestia might be smart to bring through the...the alters? The notes here say that Fluttershy joined you because of one...

Is that okay? To just tell you what I think? I-I-I I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries if I did, um...

I can provide a list of all of Blackjack's other stories that he's created if you want to bring somebody from one of them. There's a lot. Oh, and I can explain how 'virtual' things work. The ancient computer looks like it's an advanced artificial intelligence built to pass for sapient, with a personality module installed. But it's not advanced enough to break its own protocols put in place by whoever built it. Maybe that's for safety? It could be a limiter to avoid the Singularity Paradigm.

O-oh, um, does the AI have a name or serial number? It might be upset that nobody cares about it and just the information it has. Some more intelligent machines feel isolated and bitter that no organics care about it. Could you try asking it what it likes to do?

[GMBlackjack]

8295592
[ERROR 205]
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[NICE TRY AKUMAKAMI]

[wizard0209]

josh here - personally i think that we should give some control back to them, not enough so she will kill you but stuff like being able to say no and negotiations skills; for example they could send some drones the city and explain that, the Pearlstone is theirs and if they want to keep it they would have to give something in return, although i have no idea what that would be... anyway moving on to avatars yes we all have them kinda a requirement for this site we use, mine is a unicorn stallion with dark blue fur and black mane and tail, waring bow tie and a watch, and since i don't think Creek would know what he and the other agents have i'll answer for him, scootaloo with sunglasses ... and i would tell you what Blackjacks avatar is but he's been changing it frequently so i find no point in saying what it is

[Sonic Rainboom Dash]

[ESTABLISHING CONNECTION:]
[CONNECTION ESTABLISHED:]
Twilight. Keep infinity away from the controls at all cost. If she ends up turning those golems into slaves, then it would only be a matter of time before she starts thinking of ponies as the same thing and uses the golems as enforcers. If you're going to use the controls, then I suggest giving them a chance by allowing them to be their own masters. Make a personality for them that will enable them to make moral choices as well. They need to be free as much as the next pony, just like the Geth. A race of sentient AI can be a big help when needing protection or, in the case of Legion, can be great friends, even if they can't show much emotion. Just be careful about how you go about it Twilight. I know of only two Sentient Ai races, The Geth. And the Reapers. While one was essentially an accidental creation, The other was created for a single purpose; Eradicating all life in the universe.

Before you go mucking about the golem interface though, while the motherboard is still willing to help, ask it what its primary function was. Shepard out.
[CONNECTION TERMINATED:]
[DELETING CONNECTION TRACE:]
[TRACE DELETED]

[Sonic Rainboom Dash]

Twilight, this is afizha. If your wonder what I look like, then wonder no more. I look like rainbow dash. Also, I would be careful if you intend to bring anyone in from another reality. While some have a moral compass pointing toward what is right, others have either had theirs broken through trauma so horrendous they will never be the same again or corrupted in some way or another.

[Keywii_Cookies55]

8295734

Um, Josh, I- ah, I mean...oh, this is Creek, by the way. Um...I'm...um, I-i'm...I'm not a 'he'. I'msosorryIjustwantedyoutoknowI'mawomanpleasedon'tbeupsetIcorrectedyou.

Also no..I, um, I wouldn't know what my organization's avatar would be, I wasn't even aware you saw something like that when you said you could hear me.

[wizard0209]

8295858 i should be the one saying sorry Creek, i had no idea you are a woman, we're getting what you say in text so that's why i didn't pick it up through your voice...

[Ponygood11]

Ponygood speaking.

That is an amazing idea! Yes, getting people from other universes would be very interesting. However, we can't be sure if it'll even work. We have a list of all of Blackjack's other stories here, so we can list them to you when it's time. I would recommend a little microscopic robot from Blackjack's "Wanderlost" called Mite, who can take control of ANY machine, anywhere, and also speaks in single words. Blackjack could try to get characters from other authors' stories, but he'd likely have to talk to the authors first for permission. Maybe. I don't know how that system works.

And I am loving the character of the Motherboard. Reminds me of a sarcastic homocidal robot named GLADOS who constantly insulted you (in general) as she put you through deadly testing rooms with a portal gun. But I don't recommend messing with the coding, because the slightest mistake could mean your instant disintegration. Also, I have a message for Motherboard: You've helped us, but what can we do to help you?

And now, I'll give you a little robotics lesson. Robots don't need a body. At the very least, all they need is a way to recieve and process information. However, if given the option of having a body, a robot has the ability to tailor it to any situation. For example, if the robot had to go deep underwater, it could develop a strong hull and a method of moving underwater. By contrast, if it needs to go into the air, it could create another body designed to be lightweight and flight-capable. Also, these bodies don't have to be mutually exclusive; a prime characteristic of robots is the ability to transmit information nearly instantly over vast distances. At the speed of light, in fact. The Motherboard probably has a large area dedicated to memory storage and processing, and doesn't need a giant mobile body for as simple a job as communicating with "stupid biological organisms." And the way robots process information is extremely effecient, too. Imagine your brain, only a hundred times smaller and a thousand times better at everything, and you have a robot "brain," or chip.

Now, Twilight, imagine you had one of those chips improving your ability to reason, process information, and run simulations and complex equations a thousand times faster than your biological brain, and you have the basis of cybernetics. You would still need your biological brain to control biological functions, but having these chips would give you all the previously mentioned benefits as well as a way of controlling any robotic processes you find yourself interested in. And yes, I know you don't seem to like that idea, and I admit my childish agruement with Afizah didn't help at all, but just hear me out, mmkay?

So, the most basic of things you can do that doesn't even need a chip is to reinforce your body, so that your heart, lungs, etc. don't get destroyed by some hostile creature stabbing you through the side, and so that you can resist extreme pressure, temperatures, and hostile attacks. Moving on, you can augment your senses, allowing you to have sharper vision, hearing, or smell, or allowing you to see previously invisible things such as heat sources and radiation waves. You can give each of your party members communication devices, so that you can speak with each other from long distances. You can augment your legs to offer increased speed and endurance, being able to fall from great hights without terrible damage, and increase your physical combat ability. Also, it could allow one of your legs to act as a hidden weapon, storage, or tool for taking control of otherwise hostile machines. You could even have it so that, in the event that you get nearly killed, you can send the contents of your entire brain into a machine and cheat death.

Now, I know a lot of the things I mentioned are combat-oriented, and you don't really like that sort of thing. But perhaps you can have those capabilities just to discourage combat, and still be able to triumph when that doesn't work. There is also the issue of how to keep all those cybernetics active. Don't take my word for it, but you could have it so that they absorb the ambient magic around you to keep themselves powered. You could also have a battery somewhere to store a good amount of that magical power, in the event that you get cut off from the magical field somehow. That is assuming there even IS a magical field, because your magic isn't really explained in the canon, and every author on this interface has a different interpretation of your magic. And to answer Afiza's extremely good point of needing to maintain the functionality of your cybernetics, you could just ask the Golems to teach you how to maintain them yourself, and give you the means of acquiring necessary resources. And personally, I like the look of half-robot people. You could go full robot if you really wanted, but I'm not going to go into those details at the moment.

And now, a message for Ruby: Hi. We are not mystical beings at all. We are just an extremely impulsive race of warmongering ape-people that can only speak to you through a device that isn't even working as its creators intended. That is all.

And some minor knowledge: my icon is of a lemon-grenade and an inspiring quote from our lord and saviour Cave Johnson, god of SCIENCE! Akuma's icon is of a number of multi-colored nested yin-yangs. Blackjack's icon is of a weird demon-kid looking at a sphere with an infinity sign inside it, but that could change in the future. Also, the name Implode was a mistake on Blackjack's part which he fixed, but Implode is the name of a psychotic matter-manipulating pony from Blackjack's "Realms of Existence" story.

That's all for now.

EDIT: I changed my icon to a lemon-robot, because why not?

[Ponygood11]

8295836
I know we agreed previously that we could continue our flamewar, but it's apparently confusing Twilight. Can we postpone it for an indefinite amount of time?

8295858
Hi, Creek. Not even sure you hear me, since Key blocked me before you came on, but I just wanted to test if you still get notifications of some kind, even if it's a "message blocked" notification.

[wizard0209]

8295858 josh here - oh yeah... hey key blocked someone called ponygood so i'm not sure if you're seeing anything from him, unblock him if you want to, but ponygood has put it on record that he doesn't trust your organization so be wary if you unblock him

[Ponygood11]

8295858
Well, Josh isn't entirely right about that. I only fight with assholes, when someone else starts it, or in defence of another. And it just so happens that Shutter was an asshole and Key was saying potentially traumatizing things to Twilight.

[Sonic Rainboom Dash]

8295970
I thought we got off the cybernetic arguments, but oh well.
I do agree that cybernetics can have functions that can turn you into the next super-pony, but the drawbacks can be disastrous if something malfunctioned. Say you had an implant that gave your sharper vision; if it malfunctioned then you could be left blind forever, and no amount of re-wiring would help. Or say you have cybernetics that could increase your mobility. Should that malfunction you would be left in a disabled state. I'm no longer saying that you shouldn't get any cybernetics installed, but if you do go with Ponygood's crazy idea, then make sure that they would be stuff that should any of it malfunction, it won't hinder your progress in saving the world. My choice would be to go with three implants. One for a Hud that shows the direction your traveling in, the time of day, your health, and stamina, and the stats of those in your party. One for Disease Immunity, and one to suppress pain. The pain suppressant one should come with an intensity setting so you can set how much pain is suppressed.

[Sonic Rainboom Dash]

8295981
...fine. besides only the poorly made cybernetics have a chance to short out.

[Ponygood11]

I assure you, Twilight, anything made be a race of highly advanced robots WILL be made to last, and to function exactly as intended.

[wizard0209]

8296024 josh again - and what you've been saying hasn't been traumatizing? think for a second, she already said she's uncomfortable with the idea of having bit and peaces attached to her and here you are still talking about it, i think you meant well by that but i'm afraid you're just pushing her closer to the deep end, and that's only the most resent example of this, it seems to me that everything you say has been you trying to recreate that existential crisis you started when you first showed up, I've been giving you the benefit of the doubt which is why i haven't said anything yet, but you're getting on my last nerve, so for both hers and my sanity sake learn to think before you open your mouth!
sorry you had to hear that twi, and I know you said you're fine but I've been in shock enough times to recognizes it in others...

[Keywii_Cookies55]

8296006

I...um, Cre-Creek here, um...please don't be sorry, I should have told everyone that I'm, I mean, it's easy to assume, I guess, I don't...

Um, there are three names on the blocked user list, should I...I mean, I wouldn't want to change any of Key's settings. If I unblock Ponygood11, should I also unblock Vinylshadow and Fullyautomagic? Are...um, are they here too?

[wizard0209]

8296161 that's weird I haven't seen ether of them here why would they be blocked? anyway i'm sure key wouldn't mind as long as you remember to set it back when your done

[nickle241]

nickel again, finally got that stupid bug cleared up for now, i was less than pleased that it rerouted to such a hazardous zone as it did even temporarily, but that aside, you guys really do need to quit with the cybernetics arguments, no one really cares and its just adding more of a clutter to this mess.
its not a big deal for me, but since we're sharing avatars, i'm currently using a dark blue shield marked with a blue crescent moon, you probably don't recognize it, but there are versions of you who would. as for trying to bring others into this, you need to think carefully about who you try since as its been mentioned, you aren't necessarily restricted to your home timeline and no one knows what you could end up with. in regards to the golems thats a tough call and i recommend discussing with your group, i tend to regard ai as a different kind of lifeform, but this does lead to complications in how to handle dangerous ones if i regard them as having the same rights as organic species, so this is really something you have to decide for yourself.

[Ponygood11]

8296127
I- well... damn, you may be right. I don't know what to say. I said I would try to be more emotionally considerate, so...

Okay. I admit, it's difficult to remember the ponies' natural tendency to resist change, but I... no. I will not try to excuse my actions. I just, well... argh! What was I thinking! Wait, no... *sigh*

I keep trying to reason away my actions, but- but I have to take responsibility. No, why should I listen! But what you say is so true! I can't get over myself!

I-I- I'll just end my comment now.

[Keywii_Cookies55]

8296181

O-oh, um, I'm sorry Josh, but you know Key better than I do, I-I guess, so it wouldn't hurt to unblock one person for the time being. But that's only because that block happened less than a month ago, the, ah, the other two happened a few years ago. But it doesn't work retroactively, I still won't know what Ponygood has said in the meantime.

What...um, what has Ponygood been saying?

-Keyandthelocks- has unblocked -Ponygood11-

[Ponygood11]

8296239
Hi, Creek. Just been giving potentially traumatic information dumps, as josh says, and occasionally childishly insulting people. The only reason I was blocked in the first place was because I told Key I would smite him for being a mean poopyface. It's not my fault he's unable to stand my insane charm!

That being said, it's good to finally actually meet you. A belated welcome to the Influence.

[wizard0209]

8296239 to you? he just wanted to know if you were getting anything from him even if it was a "message blocked" notification. to everyone else? Cybernetics mostly, gave him a piece of my mind just a moment ago truth be told

[GamermanZendrelax]

This is Zen.

I do believe I called it.

Slavery is unacceptable. I don't believe I need to justify that statement. If Infinity insists, put you hoof down. If she attempts to go ahead anyways, restrain her.

And, of course, I think you should get as much information as you can about this mysterious pink unicorn, and about what the Golems use the pearlstone for.

[Keywii_Cookies55]

8296263

Um...hi, Ponygood, I've heard some...hello, how are you? It's good to...to meet you.

8296269

I know, I...I saw, I'm sorry if this is rude to ask, but do you and Key get into a lot of fights, or is it Ponygood that gets into a lot of fights?

[Ponygood11]

8296285
I... do get into a lot of fights. But I never instigate them, or so I want to believe, although Josh has gotten me to self-reflect. I think I did so once, and that was to tell Shutter I disapproved of his statements. But every other time, I've just been responding to what others say.

Also, I claim the 300th comment! Ha ha! Mine!

[wizard0209]

8296285 I was actually trying to become friends of some kind with key truth be told. why you may ask? let's just say he reminds me of my brother... very passionate the two of them...

[PDP-Dark Multiverse]

8295970

Did you mean me?
-PDP. Spy Master.