Technological Wonders

by currentlemon

Chapter 4

Twilight was having the time of her life, maybe the most fun she ever had. An over exaggeration, perhaps, but never would she have even guessed that she would be in this situation. All her friends were here: both in Equestria and the human world. Though half of them weren’t present with her in the castle, they were with her online.

The experience was magical. It was the first time in Equestrian history would ponies converse digitally. And with species from another world no less! She had a blast, and so did her pony friends.

The two Rainbow Dashes were the first to have a conversation by comparing the skills and achievements they’ve accomplished. Although her human counterpart was impressive, pony Rainbow had achieved much more. Not because she was a hero, but because she was given more time and opportunity. Human Rainbow was still in school and has yet to experience much of the real world. Her dream is to one day join a professional sports team and become the best athlete there ever was.

They were much alike, those two. And upon realizing this, both pony Rainbow and her counterpart shared a laugh together before challenging one another on who would achieve their dreams first.

Applejack and Rarity were next. Both shared a moment with their counterparts, telling them of their success in the business world. Rarity’s counterpart could not believe that she had already owned not one, but two boutiques. Hearing this excited the young woman. So much so that she proclaimed that one day, she will be at the top of the fashion world.

As for both Applejacks, they had already achieved their dreams, on some level. Both were already managing their own Sweet Apple Acres. However, their debate on what their favorite apple-based food was an odd thing to witness. Funny, but odd, nonetheless.

The conversation with the two Fluttershy’s were surprisingly lengthy. Due to their passions for animals, their talk lasted the longest out of all the girls. Even longer than the two Rainbows. They would’ve gone on for a long time, but they were stopped abruptly by Twilight, who reminded the girls they were short on time.

So, reluctantly, both Fluttershy’s allowed the two Pinkies to talk. But to the surprise of everypony present and the humans online, their talk was oddly short. Pony Pinkie did a few hoof gestures, and the counterpart followed suit with her arms. After that, it was over.

Twilight gawked at Pinkie as she hopped back behind the others. She had no idea what that conversation was; however, perhaps it would be for the best if she didn’t ponder on it for too long.

After having a brief conversation with her counterpart and Sunset, Twilight decided to stop the online chat for now. It had been over an hour since her friends had come to their castle, and it was time for them to go back to work. This decision made their human counterparts upset, particularly Fluttershy and Rainbow. But after some convincing, they relented.

Saying their goodbyes, the humans disconnected from the Skype call until Sunset and Sci-Twi remained. The two shared a moment with Princess Twilight, congratulating the Princess on a successful experiment. When they had finally left the call, the Princess turned to her friends and smiled. “So, what’d you think of your counterparts, girls?”

“Oh, she was lovely,” replied Fluttershy. “I do hope I get to meet her again.”

Applejack chuckled. “Ah should’ve reckoned ya wanted ta speak ta her again. By Celestia, the way ya two were talkin’, it felt like it would’ve gone fer hours on end.”

“What’d you expect, AJ! They’re practically the same pony!” argued Rainbow Dash.

“All of those girls were, Rainbow. And quite frankly, the only thing that separated us from ‘em were their ages.”

“I know!” shouted Rarity. “Looking at my other self on that screen was like staring at a younger version of me! Excluding the part where my reflection wasn’t a pony.”

“I agree. When I saw my other self, it was like I was staring at a me who hasn’t achieved her goals yet,” noted Fluttershy. “And it’s not just me. All those girls were like that. Even the other Twilight to some extent.”

“Ya got that right. By golly, jus’ lookin’ at her reminds me of Twilight when she first came ta Ponyville,” said Applejack. “Socially awkward. Somewhat distant. Preferring ta end the conversation as quick as possible.”

“Oh, come on, Applejack. I wasn’t that bad,” Twilight protested.

“Of course you were, Twilight!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. “Don’t you remember the first time we me? How I threw a party at your library and you decided to stay in your room instead?”

The Princess frowned. “Thank you for the friendly reminder, Pinkie.”

“Don’t feel bad about it, Twilight. You were still learning after all,” said Rarity. “And besides, it’s not like everypony starts out perfect. You simply learned in time. Just like Princess Celestia wanted.”

“And it’s exactly how the other you is gonna start,” said Applejack. “Hopefully, the girls can teach her a thing or two. And who knows, maybe she’ll become a great leader like you someday.”

Twilight’s cheeks flushed red as a smile crept up on her lips. “Thanks, Applejack. I’m glad to have you as my friend.”

“Yeah, yeah. We get the picture already! Jeez, can we avoid the touchy-feely stuff and start talking about this computer thing again? I want to see what else this thing is capable of,” said Rainbow Dash.

Applejack sighed. “Always one ta get ta the point, aren’t ya Rainbow? Well, as much as Ah’d like ta see more of this thing, Ah can’t right now. Been away from the farm fer too long, an’ Ah need ta help Big Mac with today’s new harvest.”

“I agree. There might be some new customers at the Boutique, and I need to head back as soon as possible,” said Rarity.

Fluttershy nodded. “I need to go home too. Some of my animals still need to have lunch. If I wait too long, they might get a bit agitated.”

“Ohh, I have an idea! How about we meet back here later today?” suggested Pinkie Pie. “Once all our work is done, we can just drop by one more time before we all hit the hay.”

“I’m sure I can find the time this evening for another get together,” said Twilight.

“Then it’s settled! We call meet back here later and see what this PC thing can really do!” cried out an excited Rainbow Dash. “Now, uh, if you girls don’t mind, I got a stunt I need to practice.”

Twilight giggled as she waved goodbye to her athletic friend. Once Rainbow was gone, the others followed suit until there was no one left but her, Spike, and Starlight. Seeing that her student had been relatively quiet, the Princess approached the young mare. “Is something wrong, Starlight?” she asked.

Her student’s head jerked. “Huh, what?”

“I’m asking you if there is something wrong,” asserted the Princess. “You know, I expected you to join us during our online session and make friends. But I find you and Spike here all alone.”

Starlight frowned. “I’m sorry, Twilight. Me and Spike were talking, and it got me thinking. After seeing you girls talk with your counterparts, I thought about my own counterpart and how she’s doing.”

“Your counterpart?” asked Twilight, raising an eyebrow. “Why are you thinking about her all of a sudden?”

“I’m not entirely sure myself. It came to me after seeing all of you together. It made me wonder if she is just a normal girl, or maybe she was like the old me, causing trouble wherever she goes.”

“You don’t know that, Starlight,” inquired Spike. “For all we know, the other you may be just a regular student at Canterlot High.”

“Spike is right. I know that seeing those other girls has made you curious about the other you, but don’t worry it too much. Let her live her life,” Twilight lectured.

“But what if she was as bad as me?” asked Starlight.

“Then somepony would put a stop to her and make her see reason. Whether it be my other friends or perhaps another human would help her.”

To Twilight’s disappointment, it her words did not seem to cheer her student up as the mare lowered her head in shame. The Princess sighed. She needed to change the topic now or else her student would be down in the dumps for the rest of the day.

Turning to her computer again, she grasped keyboard with her magic and opened up yet another application. The word ‘Steam’ came into view, which gain the curiosity of Spike. “Hey, Twilight? What’s that?” the drake asked.

Twilight smiled. “Well, Spike, I’m glad you asked. You see, our friends at CHS recommended me several key things to require before I took this machine home. One of these was an entertainment platform called, Steam.”

“Steam? You mean the smoke that trains and big ships always make?”

“I’m not referring to that type of steam, Spike. This is something else entirely. Remember what I said earlier that this PC is capable of entertainment. Well, this Steam is one of said entertainment applications.”

The Princess clicked on her mouse again, causing another pop-up window to appear again. The words Divinity Original Sin 2 were written in big letters as well as a picture of strange beings that ranged from human to a big red lizard. “Starlight, I want you to take your mind off your counterpart,” she ordered. “Take a deep breath, relax, and play this game I have for you here.”

“Game? What game?” asked Starlight.

“This right here, Starlight. Divinity Original Sin 2 is a game that was recommended to me by Sunset and my counterpart. I played it at every chance I got back at the human world.”

“A game? You mean those big arcade machines the I sometimes play back in the town square?” asked Spike.

“Correct. But these games are meant to be played at home rather than in public. As for this game, it’s heavily based on the popular Oubliettes & Ogres tabletop game,” explained Twilight. “And before you ask, yes, that game exists back in the human world.”

“Wait, seriously?” asked Spike, who immediately grew interested the moment Twilight mentioned his favorite game. “Can I try it?”

“Perhaps another time, Spike. For now, I just want Starlight to play and help get her mind off of her counterpart.”

Starlight’s jaw dropped. “Wait, you want me to play this… thing? But how? I don’t even know how to work this PC thing in the first place!”

“Oh, don’t you worry about that, Starlight,” assured Twilight as she used her magic to conjure a stack of paper. “I have all the instructions right here. If you are confused or if you don’t know what to do, then I suggest you skim through these real quick.”

“Instructions, huh.” Starlight sighed. “Well, at least I’ll have some paperwork here that can help me a little bit. But are you sure this… game is right for me? I don’t even know anything about Oubliettes & Ogres.”

“You can ask Spike for advice on that. Since he is so familiar with that game, I’m sure he can give you a brief rundown on how it plays.”

Spike beamed. “Wow, this is going to be so cool! A game that’s made from the human world! And it’s based off of Oubliettes & Ogres too! Oh, I can’t wait to see what it looks like!”

Twilight smiled as she allowed her student to take the mouse from her. With Starlight and Spike gathered at the PC, she stepped away, observing the reactions from her student and Spike as the game’s introductory video played on the screen. With them preoccupied, she lit her horn and teleported out of the room.

Author's Note:

Hooray for an update!

Okay, so Divinity Original Sin 2 will be the first major game that will be played. As for why this game was chosen, well, DoS2 is one of my all time favorite RPGs in this generation. It made me fall in love with Western RPGs again and now I'm extremely supportive of the company: Larian Studios.

If you guys haven't checked out DoS2 or if you haven't heard of Larian Studios, check them! DoS2 is a great game, and Larian is also a great developer.

Comments

[Fetch]

I wonder what Twilight would think of the Civilization games.
And pray that Rarity doesn't find DollDivine. It's a 'fashion doll' site. She'd be on it for hours, if not days.

[Velvet-Fresh]

hm, speaking of entertainment. Have sunset install emulators as well and pre downloaded games.

Id wonder how Twi/Starlight react to Ace Attorney. [if you're gonna do games that have story/scripts. just write summarry of the case and how they react to the characters and current trial to avoid copyright/plagirsm stuff]

[Greenhorn]

Twilight just introduced her student and assistant on the vice of human world. Hope they won't become addicted to it.

[Schlachti]

No mention of Original Sin 2 without the Miracle of Sound song:

[gamerboy11116]

Show them DOOM and Team Fortress 2.