Chapter 52
Follow Twilight's magic underground 45%
“I don’t like any of the obvious paths,” Twilight said, turning away from the staircase up and the hallway deeper into the building. “Those might not show us the truth. But maybe if we can get behind all that…” she hesitated, closing her eyes for a second and following her horn. Yes, there was certainly something underground. It wasn’t that deep, they wouldn’t be climbing miles under the surface like last time.
She gestured, setting off in that direction. “What can you tell me about magic, Node? How much of it did your civilization have?”
Node followed without an argument, apparently content to search any part of the building so long as they were investigating it. But then again, without a face she could still only guess. “Magic is… hard to translate. It resembles aspects of… hardware. Your language is inadequate to describe machinery we built. The creators’ language was inadequate to describe ‘magic’.”
Inadequate. Does that mean it doesn’t exist, or just that they didn’t do much of it?
Twilight attempts a magic identification spell through the floor. Success
Though the magic was far away, through the floor and stone and who knew what else in terms of alien devices, she still recognized the spell. What is that doing there? The magic was weather-based, the most powerful she’d ever felt. There was only one other spell that could’ve ever rivaled it, from her visit to the Crystal Empire.
“Let me show you some,” Twilight said, sticking out one hoof. “I’m going to teleport us. Don’t move.”
“Teleport,” Node repeated. “This concept exists. But surely no organic could—” space fuzzed around them. Twilight kept her eyes closed, letting frost swirl around her. Opening a gate to somewhere she’d never seen was perilously risky business. Fortunately for her, the object she was sensing created a magical halo powerful enough that she could “touch” the space all around it. There was plenty of space to walk around surrounding the object, enough for her to put Node and herself and enough air to be sure it was safe.
She appeared with a harsh crack of air in a space almost completely dark. Except for the object in front of her, which cast a greenish onto everything. Every surface of the little square chamber had been coated with a thick layer of moss, fern, and other plants, growing bright green despite the near-total darkness and no visible irrigation system.
In the center of the room was a pedestal of sorts, containing a device unlike any she’d seen before. There was a metallic base, with the look of alien construction about its strange angles and exposed components. And floating over it was a crystal.
Twilight Sparkle had been wrong to think it was like the crystal heart. Twilight recognized it so well because it was the crystal heart. Its glow was green instead of blue, but the stone itself was exactly as she remembered it. Precisely the same width, the same height. She saw her own face reflected in the magical glow, enough to see the shock in her eyes.
“This can’t be here,” Twilight said, for the second time in a week. “I’ve seen this before.”
“That makes one of us,” Node said, from the wall.
Does Node notice? Success
It settled one of its grippers on Twilight’s shoulder, before she could move any closer. “Careful. Examine your appendages.”
Twilight glanced down, and realized that feelers of bright green were wrapping around her hooves where she’d moved closer to the heart. The effect had been so subtle she hadn’t felt it, but now that she noticed—she took off in a rush, ripping free of their grip and holding herself in the air. She watched the vines withdraw from her, and could almost imagine their predatory call of frustration. They ignored Node completely, even though it was just as close as she was.
“It’s an active spell…” Twilight muttered, as much for Node’s benefit as her own. “I remember this object requiring… the interaction of a civilization. The crystal ponies provided their love, and the object amplified it to protect the empire, mostly from weather.” There were no ponies here, no love, yet the heart was still active. Doing… something she’d never known it to do.
“How is an Equestrian artifact here?” Twilight asked.
“It was brought here, obviously. Likely by your own kind.”
“Sunset’s ship.” Twilight muttered. “The Solstice. It could’ve been aboard.” Maybe, but there was no way this building had been theirs. And if ponies had put the heart down here, why not save their own from being frozen? “She might need to answer this for us.”
“Maybe,” Node responded. “I don’t think we should move this. I have examined the path behind us, and determined it is heavily fortified. The likelihood of a hostile reaction seems significant.”
“And you couldn’t disable something like that?”
Node didn’t shake its head, though its tone did sound doubtful. “This structure is interfaced with me, but I have visitor access only. I cannot issue commands.”
“Oh.” Twilight backed away from the furthest edge of moss, landing on her hooves again. “Visitor access, huh?” She removed a camera from her pack, snapped a few pictures, then stowed it again. “What does your access say this place is?”
“The… memorial,” it answered. “This is the best translation. Your species lacks the—”
Twilight ground her teeth together, glowering. “I get it. Does the memorial have a map?”
Node hesitated. “There… affirmative. I have located a map.”
“We’re not leaving this place until I learn everything we can,” Twilight muttered. “I think Fluttershy will probably try and give me forced medical leave after this stunt. I’ve got to make every moment count. What on that map sounds interesting?”
Node hesitated, then began to read.
1. Perseverance of Insight
2. Infusion of Stability
3. Alter of Perpetuity
4. IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS
(Certainty 205 required)
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#First. Calling off work was worth it!
Perseverance of Insight
seems most likely to grant us ... Insight
What could possibly go wrong with
greenish hue/light
Altar [I guess]
"Perserverance of Insight" definitely sounds like a library or archive. With Node translating, it sounds like the best place to get some hard data on what transpired... assuming the Verdant Heart hasn't consumed the place.
Speaking of which, I hope It That Hungers is satisfied by salad. Assuming that It isn't the Heart itself.
.... Is it just me, or is anyone else getting a vaguely Sombra vibe from the constant hungering?
9443723
Might be changelings, especially given their thematic link to the Crystal Heart. Sombra never really struck me as hungry so much as obsessed.
9443723
I was thinking more Queen Chrysalis with how her origins is describe in the comic books and what color her magic is.
Could this be an indication of just how messed up their world is back home? All the big bads came out when a power play came about when Twilight and her friends left.
I'm thinking Twilight was walking on a Corrupted Chrysalis.
Anyway, I'm going with Insight. Don't want to mess with anything unless we have that. Can even take that back to the crew and decide from there what to do. Probably want to take a couple of months to get the ship working and get the rest of the crew up, anyway.
I'd normally ignore the "IT HUNGERS" on the grounds of "That's goddam creepy and gives me Lovecraftian vibes."
But this is the second time we've seen it. It must hold some significance to the mystery surrounding Sunset and the Heart. Voting for it.
Wonder if it truely is Lovecraftian or just a starving changeling?
Well, an altar requires a sacrifice, so Perpetuity is a definite nope. Stability--eh... Stability of what? Best not to touch the big thing we don't understand and also tried to trap/kill Twilight. Insight is what we're looking for, isn't it? You know, the whole reason we're in the temple.
Also why the buck have 10 of the first 32 of you (31%) voted for IT HUNGERS?
9443696
I want to vote for THE HUNGER but it seems the most like 'hold your finger on the previous page' type of choice to read a silly death and then flip right back to the story....
Suuuuuuure thing, let's go into the obviously insanity clad option... NOT!
No risk, no reward. IT HUNGERS!
This is a bad, bad, bad plan. We could use all the help from our friends we can get- the colored options are almost always better, and we’ve got none of those while we’re here. Oh, except the option to turn back, which we ignored.
We’re almost alone in an undeniably dangerous situation- I don’t know why everybody thought this would go well.
9443828
Coming into this building was already a risk. Do you want Twilight to be as mentally unstable as Pinkie? We wanted knowledge, right? That's Insight.
Hmmmmmm. I’ve got 3 theories here.
1: Equestria was actually a life seeded planet by the civilization that biult this Ecumenopolis. Equestria simply has by far too many sentient species to be natural. The seeders could have allowed the different species to Darwin themselves into the apex species that would then technologically advance far enough to make contact.
This would explain the crystal heart as not being the one Twilight is thinking of, but this green one is the original template. The crystal empire itself could have been a pre-biult city for one of the groups to inhabit. Some artifacts could also be gifted technology the ponies mistake for magic.
2: Equestria is a lost colony of a fallen civilization. The original colonists could have arrived shortly before the fall, so they were too dependent on outside assistance to maintain thier technology and fell to a medieval and fractured society. This again will explain the heart and other potential artifacts that were misidentified. The other intelligent species could have been pets or allied species of a multinational federation.
3: Equestria was a planet wide experiment. This would better explain the multiple intelligent species than theory 2. And could better explain the Crystal Empire’s existence in a frozen wasteland. It is also possible that ponies were an experiment in creating biological entities that could wield abilities originally reserved for machines: telekinesis, weather control, enhanced farming, even movement of celestia bodies. Again, the planet would have likely been abandoned by the scientists at the civilization’s fall.
I'm going with option 1 since option 4 is obviously a HORRIBLE idea. I mean shit I'm willing to bet taking option 4 is what ultimately forced the crew of the solstice back into cryo and an eventual frozen death
Yeah, option 4 totally doesn't seem risky at all!
In all seriousness, Preserverance of Insight actually seems useful
I’m going for Option 4 as it’s obviously the building’s cafeteria. Never explore on an empty stomach.
I have played Stalaris since its release, I know where option 4 leads
9443907
Found the Stellaris player
As much as I want to see what happens with option 4, I'm going to go with 1.
I just discovered this story today and I feel it does the CYOA angle correctly. I've enjoyed the story so far, as well as the background info gleaned occasionally, such as Nightmare Moon evidently controlling a potential fleet or singular super-ship/carrier. I imagine Chrysalis's swarm was actually piloting lots of very small ships that swarm their enemies too. Eager to see what happens next and learn more of this world.
Oooh... Sounds so cool. I hope I don't catch up until the end of the book. >.>
How reticent as I am to see this become a horror story, and as much as my video gaming strategy says explore all the other options before the right one, Im pretty sure that for plot reasons she should investigate the scarier option that relates to the message in the pod. Although maybe not by herself. Dang can we go back out and wake up Rainbow Dash?
What could possibly go wrong with #4? It's not like an Eldritch Horror Beyond Imagination is awaiting us, right?
On second thought, maybe I'll take #1.
Also, hooray for more plot twists! And the fact that the color green in a magic that's supposed to be blue doesn't bode well.
Research, medical, gym?
Let's go to the library!
The Crystal Heart? The hell?
Good thing Twilight didn't come completely alone.
It is past time to get the hell out of this building, and possibly off the planet and out of the solar system as well.
But since there's no option for that, anything but 4. 1 is the furthest away from 4 numerically, so let's go with that.
Never split the party. To hopefully help reinforce this universal constant I have placed my vote firmly with “IT HUNGERS”
9444323
So “IT HUNGERS” is just the cafeteria then?
I hope this is true /so much/
9444368
Your language is insufficient to properly describe the cafeteria.... Wait...
9443785 Remind me, where was the first instance of IT HUNGERS? I vaguely remember but can't find it.
5) The gift shop of over-priced novelty items and coffee mugs, with 25% off "Sunset Shimmer visited an alien civilization and all I got was this stupid t-shirt" t-shirts.
9444379
In the same ship Sunset was found in. (Chapter 50) Here I grabbed a quote:
Welp, we are officially in the first step of the very steep spiraling stair of doom and plot twists I've come to expect and love in Starscribe's story.
The discussion now boils down to "do we really want to go towards that IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS?"
Nope. I don't, and if you do, stop it. Not without everypony else, and at least one (1) weapon.
Uh, hey guys, a few too many people chose 4, just thought I'd say something.
44 people (as of this post) would not survive in a horror film. Either that or they root for the monster
Im starting to wonder if there is maybe some meta stuff going on and every time IT HUNGERS appears its actually something else. It might also be related to the brain tissue damage twilight and pinkie suffered at some point. What if every time we encounter IT HUNGERS said damage gets worse?
As fun as 4 sounds from an observer's point of view, this is Twilight, and anything that even suggests library will trump (not Donald) all, so gonna go with 1. And what type of green? Different ponies use different greens, and there is a green that is specific to Changelings, who are always hungry. Or so said Queen Chrysalis. At least in the unreformed state...
Considering Twilights hunger (geddit) for knowledge, I'd vote for option 1. The primary mission is to gather data after all.
Ohh! I caught up!
I can actually participate now!
:: Vote submitted ::
#4 cause good crap does it sound scary!
9444682
Pinkie got a taste of it. Evidently she woke up early and kicked something off the Equinox that had the same sort of effect (its kind of why she is kind of nuts right now).
This story is so amazing! I'm inspired to do a comic/poll driven story too!
I'm excited to see new installations, and I'm sharing this story with all my friends, pony loving or not!
Heck, I'm working on some fanart for the story!! XD
9446291
You should share it with us here in the comments if you make anything like that, either art or your own comment-driven story. I'd be interested to see how a project like this goes for someone else.
9443703
Actually, "alter" sort of works in a thematically ironic way (like "infusion of stability"), but if this was intentional then I would think it must be "alteration" to work grammatically. "Altar" misspelled is the obvious first guess. If we could get authorial confirmation or disconfirmation that would be ideal.
9446342
Sure! rn I'm working on the concept for a story (Cadence, Celestia, and The Crystal Heart Heist) and I'm working on drawing the background and ponies for the artwork
I'll keep yah posted!
9444953
I just voted, bringing the total to 204 votes, and that number has risen to 58. But hey, if the horror movie is a zombie one, that means less (living) mouths to feed, right?
4 - Seems legit
Why, "IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS IT HUNGERS" sounds like a lovely place to explore.
67 people are either very dumb or... dumb. No alternative