• Published 29th Dec 2017
  • 3,817 Views, 374 Comments

Iron Mountain - computerneek



An ancient war machine is awakened by an enemy strike- but can it figure out what's going on?

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Quick Heal

Three hours after Zeus’ revelation, the Princesses leave through what is, according to Rainbow, a third exit. They take to the skies, their new- and somewhat fancy, they’d taken after Rarity in that regard- com headsets switched off. Once they’re a good distance away, they finally voice a thought they’d both had simultaneously- and agree on what to ask of Twilight. They spend the evening composing their letter.

Back on the ground, two Pegasi and a Unicorn trot their way out of the third tunnel, scattering their separate ways upon emergence.

Fluttershy travels the furthest, heading out to Applejack’s farm. She has a question to ask the farm pony.


Applejack makes one last stroke against one last tree, filling one- well, two- last buckets of apples. She’s been Applebucking for what feels like forever- and now, finally, she’s done. She picks up these two buckets of apples, loading them into her cart before diverting her course to stow them. She knows it’s only actually been four days- and that, every year, it feels like forever anyways.

Perhaps tomorrow she can go find out how Twilight’s investigation project is coming. She’s seen large chunks of dirt or rock flying around the area from time to time, but has yet to approach since its discovery, aside from Rainbow’s pickaxe delivery challenge. She’d noticed its increased size during the challenge, but with the increased noise level since, she suspects it’s even larger now. It seems that Pinkie’s party cannons, when loaded with lumps of rock, make decent excavation tools. She’d had to leave shortly after they started shooting rocks.

Hmm, maybe while she’s there, she can find out how Twilight cured her limp? As she recalls, full recovery from their odd aches and pains had seemed to come with the ‘glossy coat treatment’, as Rarity had dubbed it. Applejack doesn’t care that much about having a shiny coat, but she would enjoy it if her legs would quit feeling like they belonged to Granny Smith. For the last two months, it’s been increasingly painful to move- and, since she started Applebucking this season, her entire form is aching, even when she’s resting. She has some hope the latter pain will fade away again, but if the first keeps coming, she’ll be effectively incapacitated by it in another week or so.

It’s also possible she could find out from either pegasus, she considers, as she spots a yellow one approaching for a landing. Either way, whatever her friend is coming to say, she figures she should at least listen before attempting to redirect the conversation- especially considering how Fluttershy might take such a question.

Fluttershy flutters to a landing only a few paces away, trotting briefly to walk next to Applejack.

“Evenin’, Fluttershy,” Applejack greets- and reads the pegasus’ expression. “Something on your mind?”

Fluttershy shudders momentarily. “Yes, actually.” She goes silent, staring at her hooves as she walks. She’s still thinking- at least, Applejack thinks that’s what she’s doing- when Applejack dumps her apples and stows the cart. “If… If you were to meet somepony that isn’t a pony… If they gave you something that…” She pauses, this time only for a few seconds. “Something that let you think faster, but also… Also let you talk to that somepony without talking.” She shudders. “What would you do?”

Applejack thinks for a few seconds. “Donno,” her reply comes. “Did something happen?”

Fluttershy hangs her head, staring at her hooves. “He calls it a neural link headset.” The way she mutters those three words makes them sound unnatural, but they’re loud enough for Applejack to hear.

Another pause.

“Well, does he bother you?”

“...No… Not really. He’s just…” She shudders again. “He… He didn’t mean to… Hurt Twilight.” She looks up, blinking tears out of her eyes. “Her… Her lungs don’t exist, but… But he said she’ll be okay.”

Applejack closes her jaw and draws her crying friend into a hug. “Is she really?”

“H-he… Showed me numbers…” Fluttershy sobs into her friend’s shoulder. “T-there’s a… F-f-four point…” She shudders into her friend’s shoulder for another few seconds. “P-point three o-one p-percent chance…” She breaks down.

“That she’ll be okay?” Applejack asks, horrified- to be relieved, if only somewhat, by a shake of Fluttershy’s head.

“N-n-no… Th-that s-s-she’ll…. Die.” She manages not to stutter on the final word.

Applejack closes her eyes, processing the information while she hugs her friend. It takes her a couple of minutes to realize which side of the equation Fluttershy must be focusing on- and which side dominates the other.

“That means she has a ninety-five point someodd chance of being okay,” Applejack consoles.

“P-point t-two o-one… Wait, what?”

“She’ll be okay,” Applejack reaffirms, declining to mention that she’d estimated the decimal to be in the point seven range. While curious what the remaining half a percent is, she finds it better not to mention. Perhaps she can ask her friend’s not-a-pony somepony?

“B-but P-Princess Cel-hic-tia said it’s impossible!”

A pause.

“Can I talk to him?”


“It would seem Twilight’s state is causing distress,” a voice states, in somepony’s ear. “If there happens to be anything from which I can learn about magic, I may be able to accelerate her recovery.”

The response in an echoing boom in the air over Ponyville, accompanied by an expanding ring of prismatic light- and a shattered cloud.

Less than five seconds later, Rainbow Dash can be found scanning the bookshelves in Twilight’s library. What she’s looking for, Spike has no clue- and doesn’t dare get in her way; she’s scanning them at thrice a gallop! Rainbow rips three books out of their spots, one at a time, and disappears back out the door- leaving a prismatic ring and a LOT of books flying off their shelves! Spike grumbles to himself and sets to work. What exactly had Rainbow looking for books?


I wasn’t quite expecting that response when I directed my statement towards the most competitive pony I’ve seen yet. While it seems she’s managed to knock 83.49% of the rest of the books off of the shelves on her way out, judging by the sounds picked up by my nearby drone, she has acquired three that may help me. I did not tell her why I needed any particular book; only specified which.

The first book is titled ‘Magical Basics: Teaching Your Unicorn Foal’. This, being an introductory magical book, should carry all of the basic information on magic I will need before I begin experimentation.

The second is titled ‘Advanced Magic, Volume I: Precision and Power’. If I am to be using magic in any combat situation, I will need both precision and power; besides, it ought to carry some more advanced information in it, such that I may be able to develop an understanding of magic in general. I will proceed through the series to Volume IV, Spellcrafting, later.

The third, ‘Magic for Medics’, was selected primarily to be obviously medical in nature, though I find a 21.49% chance I will be able to use the knowledge inside to accelerate Twilight’s recovery. In any case, Rainbow is on her way, and will be depositing them in Passenger Six- which I used as my third exit- before leaving. It’s amazing how easy it is to get this pegasus to do what I want- all it takes is a mention or two of her pride and/or friends and she’s all for it. I do feel guilty for doing it to her, though.

0.491 seconds of processing after scanning the books, I perform some small nervous stimulation on Twilight, and provide a trickle of energy from my modified reactor. Success- my stimulation, using neural link technology, has successfully triggered the desired healing spell- using my live power feed… Which I step up a little, to run the spell at capacity. This completely bypasses what ‘Magic for Medics’ cites as the reason self-healing spells are impossible: Magic, apparently, is reluctant to act on its caster. I do note that ‘Advanced Magic, Volume I: Precision and Power’ cites this same property, but also states that, if a unicorn casts a spell with another unicorn’s power, they can cast it on themselves without issue.

The spell I selected is a total healing spell, capable of healing any ailment- but it also demands a massive amount of power, such that most unicorns can heal only a couple little cuts with it before running out, if they turn it towards such ends. This invocation, which Twilight is no doubt aware of, is operating almost 314.15 times faster than the book suggests it normally does- and drawing roughly 0.49% of my magical generative capacity to do so. These numbers suggest I can produce enough magic to be useful for a Unit of the Line. I will experiment further- and order the magic modification done to the rest of my reactors. My design cores have not yet produced anything capable of actually manipulating magic, but my processors are finally suggesting exactly what happened when Twilight cast her spell at the capsule.

I had known the power had surged into her form, burning her alive, and my nanites had absorbed a large portion of it as they jumped into action. Much of the energy they absorbed whipped back into my hull through their control links, passing straight through my AM screens- where it then dispersed itself across my weapons and some systems, and simply rested. It was not doing any damage nor assisting my operations in any way- not that I was using any of the systems it gathered in.

Now, I realize the feed from my reactor is not what it had been before. Rather, the feed from my reactor is, upon generation, not in the same chaotic ‘run’ state as the rest had been in. Rather, it flows almost purposely along the pathways I prepared for it, straight to Twilight’s horn for instructions. Most of the rest of the power I absorbed is also flowing in steadily, though not through designated passages; I estimate a total flow equal to about 0.93% of generative capacity on a single reactor and, as this additional flow runs out, increase reactor output to compensate. I may be using Twilight’s horn and mind to control it, but I am using magic.

She will be healthy in 4.71 minutes.