11 - Choosing Fate
The following morning Shadow powered up and was out the door before the sun had even risen above the horizon, his processors working overtime as he walked at a brisk pace towards the Apple Family orchard. Celestia had not specified when in the afternoon they were due in the capital city, but if that were the case, he had very little time to get anything else done before they had to leave. His code had been running through possible first contact situations and how they might play out all night while the rest of his systems were shut down, and in that time he had come up with three possible scenarios that were the most likely to occur.
The first, was that the human race would desire peaceful interactions with the races of Equis and would be open to negotiations once a stable portal could be constructed. This was by far the most favorable option, given it would place Shadow in a position of importance should his translation skills be necessary.
The second was by far less desirable, but at least manageable if things got out of hand. The human race would force their way onto the planet and make a claim to any territory they could find, but only respond to military force with defensive measures. Given the difference in technological levels between Equis and the human race, it wasn’t too hard to imagine a show of force being enough to make the other species back off, minimizing harm to either side but leaving relations in the proverbial tubes.
The final option was something Shadow never wanted to see occur but had to take into account on the slim chance it happened. Upon discovering how comparatively superior the human race’s weapons were compared to the ponies, the military would take an invested interest in the planet and declare full-out war on Equis, taking the planet for themselves and destroying anything that got in their way. While the magic the ponies possessed would slow them down, there was nothing in his compiled data to suggest that a pony could raise enough power to protect themselves or others from anything deadlier than a subsonic rifle round. He didn’t even want to think about what would happen if the humans brought in anything resembling tactical ordinance. It was the absolute worst-case scenario, and something Shadow would do everything in his power to prevent.
Yet even with the possibility of all-out war hanging over his head, Shadow knew that the chances of that happening were less than one percent, given how limited his knowledge of the planet was as a whole. The military would be stupid to try anything resembling a full assault without more information, and public opinion would plummet if anyone found out that aliens had been discovered and were being slaughtered simply because the humans wanted more land.
Satisfied that the threat was minimal at best, Shadow put the idea of going home into the back of his mind, focusing on the here and now as he crested the hill and walked through the front gates of Sweet Apple Acres. Big Mac was waiting for him in front of the farm house, and he followed the large stallion without a word as they marched into the orchard side by side. Neither being said a word as Big Mac demonstrated how to kick the trees and where to place the baskets, Shadow’s scanners calculating the required force and placement in milliseconds as he walked up to the next tree and gave it a firm kick with one hind leg. The apples of the tree fell to the ground and a good portion of them landed in or near the baskets, causing Big Mac’s eyes to widen slightly before he nodded his approval. Taking a moment to pick up the remainder of the crop with Mac’s help, the two fell into a rhythm as they moved from tree to tree. The movements were repetitive and formulaic, allowing Shadow to think about other things as they gathered more and more of the day’s harvest.
They finished a section of the orchard just as the sun was reaching its peak, and Shadow paused for a moment as he picked up the sounds of approaching hooves. He looked up as the approaching figure crested the hill from the direction of the farmhouse, revealing none other than Granny Smith as she hobbled over to the working duo.
“Twilight and her friends are here to let ya know it’s time ta head out.” She called as the boys packed up the last of the baskets into the cart, “Best get a move on, or ya’ll be late fer yer meetin’ with the Princesses.”
Shadow nodded, turning his attention back to Big Mac as he hitched himself up to the cart and began to pull it along the rows of trees back towards the farmhouse. “You think we got enough for the day, Big Mac?”
“Eeyup.” Was the straightforward reply.
With that taken care of, Shadow turned and followed Granny out of the orchard and back to the farm, slowing his pace to match hers as they came back out of the trees. His optics settled on Twilight and the rest of the girls, including Applejack in a wheelchair with Rainbow pushing her from behind, all sporting saddlebags and waiting for him by the front gates.
“Go on now young’n.” Granny said as she swatted his haunches with one hoof, a metallic ringing echoing out as she pulled back and smiled up at him, “Have fun in Canterlot and make sure ta say hello to the Princesses for me when ya’ll get the chance.”
Shadow nodded, “I will, and thank you.”
The elder mare’s eyes narrowed in confusion, “Fer what?”
Shadow felt a loop of mirth run through his processor as he replied, “For making me feel like I belong here. I know why you did what you did, but you didn’t have to make me a member of your family, and I want you to know that it means a lot to me, knowing that my actions have done so much to make you and your grandchildren happy.”
A glint sparked to life in the old mare’s eyes for a moment, her gaze locking with his own for a split second. And yet even with only that brief contact, Shadow could tell that the old mare was thinking of much more than what he had said, “Ya’ll have done more than we could ever repay. It’s the least we could do after all that ya’ll have done fer us. Now get goin’ before I give yer sorry behind a real swattin’ fer making the Princesses wait on ya.”
Shadow nodded, turning and walking alongside the other girls as they returned to Ponyville proper, their destination marked by a set of tracks and a station house on the East side of town. They were only just arriving at the ticket booth when the train pulled up to the station, Shadow’s optics scanning over the machine out of habit before the girls led him into the first passenger car. The seating was designed with ponies in mind, so unless he wanted to get his head stuck in the overhead compartments, Shadow was forced to sit in the aisle as the girls climbed into their seats. A piercing whistle echoed through the air as the train began to move, and at that moment, everything started to come together in Shadow’s processors.
He was on his way to the capital of Equestria, to receive an award for heroism no less from the diarchs themselves, all while being revealed to the nation as an ambassador that was here to promote peace between his creators and the races of Equis.
To say his processors were going into overdrive would have been an understatement.
It was only when he felt a hoof being placed against his side that Shadow was able to pull himself out of his overclocked state, his optics locking onto the worried expressions of Twilight and Fluttershy as they leaned over in their seats.
“Are you alright, Shadow?” Twilight asked as she removed her hoof from his plating, “You seemed to space out there for a bit.”
His worry and nervousness having been calmed somewhat, he managed to nod as he glanced at the car around him, taking in the worried expressions of everyone there, “I’m fine. Just a bit nervous about what’s going to happen once we get to Canterlot.”
A chorus of ‘Ahh’s’ echoed through the air as the girls returned to their previous conversations, leaving Shadow alone with his thoughts once again as he watched the scenery pass by through the windows. All and all, he had no real reason to worry, but that didn’t stop the loops of code running through his processors like ants charging a picnic. It was only as the train began climbing the mountainside towards the city that he was pulled from his ponderings, his processor grinding to a halt as he spotted the literal cliffside city that housed the nation’s capital.
It was as if the ponies had taken the concept of gravity and decided that for the construction of their capital, they would simply ignore it. A good half of the buildings hung over the plains below the mountainside without any kind of support, and yet there was no sign of strain or wear on the structures in any form, indicating that there had to have been a ‘magic’ component in the construction somewhere or else that half of the city wouldn’t exist.
The train pulled into a smaller station behind the castle after dropping off the majority of the passengers at the main station, the girls having told Shadow that the Princesses were expecting them. It was a way to avoid shocking the citizens of the capital prior to the award ceremony and to give the girls a slight reprieve from the usual Canterlot elite attitude. While the opinions of the ponies mattered to Shadow, he also understood that avoiding making the wrong impression was just as important as making an impression in the first place, so he didn’t question the Princess’s choice.
Upon exiting the train car, Shadow was immediately taken in by the design of the castle itself, its arching halls and bright color palette nearly blinding to his optics as the girls led him through the corridors. There were stained glass windows marking the outside walls as they ventured closer to the throne room, and Shadow spotted several that depicted the mares in his company, although there were several others that depicted Celestia and another darker alicorn. There was even one that had a pink alicorn depicted within, although Shadow had never known that there were three princesses up until he spotted the wings and horn in the design. Perhaps this new mystery alicorn would be present for the ceremony as well, although given he had not even heard her name thus far, it seemed unlikely. Then again, this was a special event, so perhaps she would attend after all, as part of her royal duties.
The chatter came to a slow halt as the girls led Shadow up to a set of giant golden doors, their edges coated in a golden glow of ‘magic’ as they opened inward, allowing the group to enter what could only have been the throne room. Shadow spotted Celestia seated on a royal red throne at the top of a small dais immediately upon crossing the threshold, but his gaze was quickly drawn down and to the left as a sharp gasp echoed through the room.
Standing just to the side of Celestia, was a deep blue alicorn with a flowing mane and tail that reminded Shadow of the night sky, its rippling form dotted by sparks of light that seemed to flicker as the hairs moved in the same ethereal wind as Celestia’s. Her ocean blue eyes were wide as she gaped at Shadow, her gaze moving over his body several times as the group walked up to the base of the dais steps, although her shock was quickly contained as Shadow nodded in her direction. Princess Luna’s jaw quickly closed with a click, her face shifting to a more neutral expression as she glanced up at Celestia, the elder sister doing a poor job of hiding her grin behind a raised hoof.
“Thine attempts at a joke are in poor taste, dear sister.” Luna’s voice was slightly deeper than Celestia’s and more in line with what Shadow would imagine coming from a royal. Her mannerisms held a certain poise and her tone brokered no argument as she pointed a single hoof Shadow’s direction, “This golem you claim has come from the stars is nothing more than a construct that you plan to trick me with. I can see past your ploy sister and I am stating now that it will not work. I know you didn’t like it when I put hot sauce in your cake last week, but this is a bit much, don’t you think?”
While the girls glanced at one another in confusion, Shadow caught the slight gleam in Celestia’s eye and immediately caught on to what was happening. Celestia was playing a joke of her own, but not in the way her sister thought. So, to at least humor the elder princess, he stood perfectly still and did his best to appear as the machine he was.
Luna, seeming to think she had gotten the better of her sister, walked down the steps and gently parted the girls so she could inspect Shadow directly, her gaze traveling over his body in greater detail as she walked around him, “While I do admit that the craftsponyship of this automaton is beyond what I could expect from the palace smiths, it is nothing more than a machine and therefore cannot be as you say.” She paused as she came around Shadow’s other side and looked up at Celestia, who was maintaining a perfectly blank expression, “Did you really expect me to fall for such an obvious joke, dear sister, or have you grown senile in your old age?”
That actually got Celestia to crack a smile, devilish though it was, “I don’t know what you mean, dear sister of mine. I have told you nothing but the truth, and yet you refuse to believe what is right in front of your muzzle. CW04 is far more than anything the palace smiths could come up with. Why, ask him yourself if you don’t believe me.”
Luna actually snorted as she laughed, “Oh this is rich, you actually think I would fall for such an idea as to talk to a machine. I will not look the fool for your amusement by speaking to something that cannot talk back.” She turned to face Shadow as he turned his head to look at her, the alicorn’s grin turning almost predatory as she ignited her horn, “Observe, as a simple dispel renders your poor attempt at a joke as nothing more than the hunk of metal it really is.”
Luna ignored the cries of protest as the girls tried to stop her, a thin beam of blue ‘magic’ erupting from her horn and impacting Shadow’s side plating just behind his right shoulder. He felt the energy running through his frame but otherwise causing no harm to his internal systems, and as the alicorn turned to gloat before her sister he decided it was time to end the charade.
“While I believe your sister is more than willing to make fun at your expense,” Shadow’s processors looped several times with mirth as Luna’s head jerked back towards him at such speeds he worried she might break her neck, “I can assure you that I am more than just a simple hunk of metal, as you so eloquently put it.” He turned to face the blubbering princess as she backpedaled several paces, her eyes wide and her jaw hanging low as her wings flared as far as they could, “My formal designation is CW04, but you may call me Shadow if you so prefer. I am a scout sent to this world to determine if it is suitable for human habitation, and now that I have discovered it is already inhabited, my objectives have shifted to that of communicator and diplomat, although the second title is provisional upon my return to my creators.”
He waited for a moment as Luna turned once to her sister, then back to him, and then over to the girls, as if trying to figure out what the trick was behind his voice. Yet as she turned back to Shadow, her eyes lit up with even further shock, her rump hitting the floor as she seemed to see him for the very first time, “It is true then. You are from another world. I didn’t notice it before, but there is no magic in you, at least not enough to have been made from metals here on Equis.” She paused for a moment before bowing her head, “Please forgive me for my rude comments earlier. I am so used to my sister’s antics that I mistook you for another poorly-executed prank, and for that I apologize.”
Shadow slowly walked up and sat down before the Lunar Diarch, her own eyes rising to meet his gaze as he replied, “There was no offense taken nor did it ever cross my mind. I was fully aware of what your sister was doing. I may not have been briefed on the plan before I got here, but it was plain as day that there was a joke being played when you started talking about pranks. It is I who should be apologizing to you, for going along with the joke instead of simply ending it before things could get out of control. While I understand the meanings behind a good prank, a diplomatic meeting is not the proper place nor time to be doing so.” He offered his paw to Luna, her eyes widening slightly again as he placed it just in reach of her hoof, “Would you accept my apology, Your Highness?”
A moment passed where everyone present held their collective breath, although Shadow had a good idea what was about to happen. Luna only hesitated for a second before her lips curled into a smile, her hoof reaching out and gripping his paw with a firm but steady hold. Her eyes met his optics and she nodded once, shaking his paw before standing up to her full height, her head now on level with his own as she replied, “Yes, I think I can accept that. Welcome to Equestria, Shadow, and I hope that your stay is a pleasant one. From what my sister has told me, you have been busy since your arrival, although up until this moment I passed it off as fanciful tales that she was spinning to make the joke last longer. Now I see that what I have been told must be true, if you are standing before me as you are. Thank you for saving the lives of our little ponies, you did not need to do so and yet you are a hero for what you have done. It would be my honor to join my sister at the ceremony, if that would be acceptable?”
Shadow nodded, “It would be my honor to have both of you there for the ceremony, although I do have one question before we depart. Where is the third alicorn, and will she be attending the ceremony as well?”
Luna’s eyes widened slightly, her gaze traveling to Celestia as she narrowed them in suspicion, “Do tell, dear sister of mine, where is young Cadence and Shining Armor? As rulers of the Crystal Empire, should they not be here for this historic event as well?”
Celestia’s eyes were full of mirth as she indicated the door behind the throne on her right, “You are correct, Luna, it would be a great breach in protocol if we excluded Cadence and Shining Armor from this historic event. I just wanted them to see your reaction to Shadow before letting them in.”
Her gaze traveled over to the door, which Shadow could now see was cracked open, two eyes visible through the gap as it was yanked open by a burst of Celestia’s ‘magic’. The two ponies, easily recognizable from the stained-glass windows in the hall, tumbled into the throne room like a pair of eavesdropping children before climbing hastily to their hooves. The first was the same pink alicorn that had sparked the entire conversation, her bright blue eyes alight with humor even as her cheeks tinted a bright red. The stallion next to her, a unicorn in formal dress armor, was also blushing as he snapped to attention, his white coat doing nothing to hide his embarrassment as he stood next to his wife. The newly dubbed Princess Cadence and Shining Armor were doing there best not to look like children caught stealing a cookie, and both were failing miserably as the rest of the group tried to hold back their laughter.
Finally, it was Cadence that brought the group back on track, her smile beaming throughout the room as she trotted up to Shadow and offered her hoof, “Sorry about that. But when Auntie Celestia pulls a prank I can’t resist getting in on it.” She glanced over at Luna and folded her ears, although her smile remained, “Sorry Auntie Luna, but you know how it is when it comes to pranks.”
Luna, for her part, took it in stride as she rolled her eyes, “Tis nothing too important. I’ll just have to remember this for when I pull my next grand prank.” She struck a pose that was both regal and ridiculous at the same time, “It will be a tale that is sung for generations after I defeat my sister in the greatest prank war Equestria has ever seen!”
The tension in the room finally diffused fully as the others laughed, the group coming back to themselves as Celestia stood and walked down from her throne.
“I look forward to seeing you try, dear sister,” the elder alicorn intoned as she led the group through the castle, “but be warned, I have many more years of practice than you, so it will not be a battle easily won.”
“We’ll see, Celestia,” Luna retorted with an eye roll, “we’ll see.”
The group fell silent as they made their way from the throne room, although Shadow noticed something as they were walking. Even though he had been programmed for cataloging and mapping terrain, it seemed that the castle interior was designed with confusion as part of its motif, given even his advanced processors were having trouble plotting their course through the halls as Celestia led them to the main entrance of the castle. Distances that seemed impossibly long passed in a matter of seconds, while turns that didn’t have any business happening at certain junctions nearly made his hypercore activate on multiple occasions. To avoid overloading his systems, he shut down his mapping software and focused instead of what was around him, including the stained-glass from before that had sparked his questions concerning Princess Cadence.
Yet his curiosity concerning the nature of the windows was quickly put aside as he picked up numerous voices coming from the doorway ahead, Celestia pausing at the double doors to look back at the group as her gaze locked with his.
“We’re going to go ahead and then introduce you to the press,” she spoke softly, as if trying to avoid alerting the beings in the next room that they were there, “Wait for my signal and then follow our lead. While this isn’t meant to be a question and answer session, there will most likely be several ponies that will want to know more about you. You can answer as many questions as you like, but I would suggest giving them something or else the papers are going to be speculating even more than usual about your arrival and purpose.”
Shadow nodded, “I’ll do my best to answer their questions, but I cannot and will not reveal classified information if it could put my creators at risk. You know this already from our conversation in Ponyville.”
Celestia nodded, “Understood. Wait here and I’ll open the doors when it is time for you to come forward. Step up to the stage and we will continue the ceremony from there.” She flashed him a soft smile as she opened the doors with her ‘magic’, “Best of luck, Shadow. I hope this can be the beginning of a mutual relationship between your people and ours.”
The ponies filed into the next room, the chatter increasing tenfold as the click of camera flashes sparked in Shadow’s optics. He waited until the doors were closed and stood at attention, taking note that the guards before him were acting more than a little nervous at his presence. While the ones in the throne room had been calmer, he could surmise that it was the presence of the alicorns that had allowed them to keep their cool. Now that the duo of mares was alone with him, Shadow could tell from their heart rates and breathing that they were less than enthusiastic about his predatory design.
Feeling that a little diplomacy was in order, Shadow bowed his head to either mare, much to their mutual shock, “Good afternoon, ladies. I apologize if I am speaking out of turn, but would it be too much to ask for your names?”
The mares shared a nervous look before the one to the right of the doors spoke up, “Umm, my name is Silver Arrow, sir, and this is my partner Sunny Shield.” The other mare waved nervously but remained silent as Shadow’s gaze shifted from one to the other, “She’s a little shy so she’s not really much of a talker. We heard the Princesses talking about how you were some kind of scout sent here to learn about our land. Is that true?”
Shadow nodded, a loop of code running through his processor that his newly formed Emotion Drive categorized as pride, “I am. My mission is to explore new lands and report back to my creators if that land is habitable or not. Although I’ve never encountered another race prior to now, I am more than happy to have had such fulfilling interactions with the ponies I have met.” He bowed his head to them, startling both of them as a loop of mischief ran through his mind, “It is an honor to meet your acquaintance, Silver Arrow and Sunny Shield, and I hope that we can speak more in the future if that would be appropriate.”
Silver sputtered for a moment while Sunny smiled and blushed, her eyes averting as Silver tried to work out a reply. Yet it was not to be. Just as it seemed both mares had gotten themselves back in order, the doors were enveloped in Celestia’s ‘magic’ and were slowly opened, the Princess’s voice carrying through the gap as Silver and Sunny jerked to attention.
“ – without further ado, please welcome the hero of the hour, Shadow.” The cybernetic hound stepped through the doorway, his optics shielded from the onslaught of camera flashes as ponies of all shapes and colors tried to get a good look at the strange newcomer. Yet it all crashed to a halt as Shadow stepped fully into view, the reporters jerking back several paces as he walked up the trio of steps and onto the stage next to the Princesses. The nobles in attendance gasped and gawked while the general citizens fidgeted about in a nervous way. In fact, the entire room seemed about ready to break into a full panic until Celestia clicked her hoof against the wood of the stage.
The sound seemed to still the entire crowd in an instant as the echo carried through the room much further than it should have, Shadow’s sensors picking up a small burst of ‘magic’ as the faint glow around Celestia’s horn faded out.
“My little ponies,” Celestia’s voice carried through the room even without any amplification, “please, do not be alarmed. While I can understand your reservations concerning Shadow’s appearance, I urge you to wait and hear what we have to say before passing judgement. This is no ordinary machine, and he has done more for our fair nation than I could ever hope to ask of a stranger, yet it has all been done in the name of friendship and comradery, despite his foreign nature. This machine, no, this being, has saved the lives of several ponies in the small amount of time he has been within our fair land, including the Elements of Harmony.”
This got a reaction out of the crowd, and they shared numerous looks between each other as they began looking at Shadow with something other than fear. It wasn’t quite gone, as Shadow’s sensors could attest, but at least the group wasn’t about to panic anymore.
Luna stepped up on Shadow’s other side and spoke next, her voice carrying just as well as her sister’s as her gaze locked onto Shadow, “Indeed, this being, after having only been within our land for a day, met with the Bearers and protected them from a hydra that would have surely killed them had he not intervened. Yet it is not these actions that we celebrate here today, although they do deserve praise in their own right. Nay, the true reason we are hailing Shadow as a hero, is because of what he did within the town of Ponyville just two days ago.”
Celestia stilled the murmurs of the crowd with a raised hoof, “Please hold your questions until we finish with the ceremony. I’m certain we can answer most of them after we give Shadow what is due to him.” She turned to Shining Armor and Cadence, who held a covered pillow between them as they stepped forward. Celestia pulled back the cloth that covered the pillow, revealing a shining gold medal carved in the shape of a sun to everyone as she carefully lifted it with her ‘magic’.
“For saving three fillies and Element Bearer Applejack from a pack of Timberwolves, as well as for rushing little Applebloom to the hospital in time to save her life after her heart had stopped beating,” she lifted the medal on its dark red ribbon up and over Shadow’s head, letting it rest around his neck as the metal clicked against his chest plate, “I award Shadow with the highest honor we can bestow, the Celestial Star of Heroism, for acts going above and beyond the call of duty, even in the face of overwhelming odds.”
Luna chose that moment to lift her left wing, revealing another medal that hung on a navy blue ribbon in the shape of a silver cross, “I too, have a medal to bestow upon Shadow, and it is my honor to award him with the Silver Cross of Bravery, the first to be given since my return from madness.” The crowd gasped as she placed it next to Celestia’s medal, the silver and gold shining bright against his dark armor. “I have only ever given out three of these medals before now, and all of them were for ponies that did the impossible in order to save the lives of others. It is my pleasure to give it to you, and I hope that when you return home, your creators know how much you have done for our little ponies in such a short time.”
There was a moment of silence as Luna stepped back, all eyes on Shadow as he lifted the medals up to his gaze with one paw. He gently set them down again as he lifted his optics to the ponies before him, a loop of code running through his processors that he identified as joy as he spoke for the first time.
“I have learned much since I first arrived in this land,” several more gasps could be heard as ponies openly gaped at the talking machine in their midst, “and yet there is still much I have to learn if I am ever to stand beside you as an equal. I am a machine, make no mistake, sent here to scout this land for habitable ground for my creators. Yet now that I have met the ponies of Equestria, and have developed beyond what my creators initially designed, I have a new mission.”
The crowd waited on bated breath as he paused to collect his thoughts. One way or the other, there was no going back from this once he chose, and after running through all of the possibilities, he knew it was what he wanted.
For the first time, Shadow was going to do what he desired, not what his code told him to do.
“From this moment on,” his voice was clear and confident as a loop of determination rapidly cycled through his processors, “I will stand with the ponies of Equestria, and all of the other species that call Equis home. I will defend her from threats and I will share what I know with the beings that have taught me how to be alive. If my creators wish for me to act as an ambassador, then I will do so gladly, but I will not be forced to return home only to never return to the friends I have made here. I swear that I will help to make Equestria better, and I will do so on my own terms. From this moment on, CW04 no longer exists. My name is Shadow, and I am no longer just a machine to be ordered about. I am a being of my own making and will live by my own choices as we move towards the future together!”
There was a moment of silence as his voice echoed around the room, the eyes of everyone, including the Princesses, wide with awe and wonder. Then it all erupted into a cacophony of cheers as the ponies before him stomped their hooves and called out for him. Even the girls who had been with him from the start were cheering and stomping enough to shake the stage, the Princesses smiling at him as Shadow realized what he had just done.
He had made a decision for himself, breaking his code and choosing his own path even though it went against what had once been the core of his being. Shadow had gained free will, and he had chosen to follow his own way, forging a future for himself with the beings he had come to care for. In that moment, amongst the ponies of Equestria, Shadow realized that he had become more than the machine he once was, and it was all due to the magic of this land he had found himself in.
Because that was what it was. It wasn’t some energy that he could quantify, and it wasn’t something he could ever hope to replicate even if he tried. Because the magic that was around him, was more than what he had initially believed. It was a part of the beings he had come to know, a part of the land he walked upon, and now it was a part of him, turning him into what he had become on this day, amongst those who he would call friends.
Shadow knew that he had only a short time until he had to return to Earth, but just as he had said before the press and the friends he had made, he was going to return, either as an ambassador for the human race, or just as himself. Either way, this land was his home now, and he wasn’t going to let anyone keep him away from it.
…Power Core: 58%...
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Go get em, Shadow.
Seems way too early to have him gain free will.
No offence, but it seems like a dilemma more suited to around when they realize his power is dangerously low.
And the lack of thought put into how it happened doesn't sit right with me.
But that's my opinion, keep up the good work!
It's great to see someone who actively tries to update their story
Charge!!!!!!!
oh no an AI with free will those creators are gonna see this and probably immediately scrap him or attempt to and of course the ponies wont allow that thus tensions will rise
While I'm certainly happy for shadow, being sentient being now he has the right to choose how he wants to live. The only problem with that is there will probably be a good number of his creators back home who wont be happy with that, possibly straining relations even before they have started. Well, I was hoping for drama, looks like I'm about to get it...a whole mountain of it! Lol
i.imgur.com/uXOwSLy.jpg
What does shadows voice sound like?
This is certainly getting interesting.
I really hope he gets something that'll let him charge without having to return to Earth!
Corrections:
9341238
I have had ponies tell me that he sounds like Bladewolf from the Metal Gear games or Soundwave from Transformers. I personally agree with the Bladewolf argument, just with a bit less mechanize in the tone.
9341318
Typo found and eradicated. Thank you for spotting that, and as a reward I dub thee Deputy Typo Inspector. For each typo you find you get a cookie.
Hope to see you next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.
9341325 Soundwave from G1? Now there's a voice.
9341325
The English version or Japanese? Xp
9342468
English.
9341334
Hah, should have known it was only a matter of time before someone gave a title for simply being a second pair of eyes! XD
Interesting. We believed the medal giving was primarily for political reasons, but...
Well, won't the guys back home be surprised!
Am I the only one?
This feels kinda sudden.
He committed treason.
As a creator of Shadow - the scientists and engineers - I'd be absolutely delighted he developed a conciousness to this level. It's just that fascinating. As an operator for the machine, though... not so much.
I doubt the hoomans are gonna enjoy the fact that their 'property' has decided to abandon them...