Chapter 39: Armored Fate
Just because Silver wanted desperately to be out in the city didn't mean his magical recovery was going any faster. He could cast the spell just as easily as last time—easier, really, since he hadn't been teleporting around. But almost the instant he'd finished performing the spell, he could feel the pressure of it against his brain. It was like working his legs again after a difficult day digging. They moved the way he wanted, but they didn't want to. All he had to do was push a little too hard and his magic would probably give out completely.
He'd never been properly awake for the passage through the library's airlock. He'd been hoping it would be something amazing, some incredible technology he could use to understand things in Moonrise a little better. But no—it wasn't even Alicorn built, but clearly welded together by Moonrise Gatecrashers to get in and out of the library. But it still worked, even after decades of neglect, so credit to the creatures who had put it together.
"You didn't want to go out here until a piece of glass talked to you in nonsense-words," Magpie muttered, following along behind with nervous, fleeting steps. "Are you sure it's a good idea? The city can do strange things to creatures. It doesn't want to kill you, but maybe it wants you for something else."
He rolled his eyes, not even turning around. He'd never been properly awake to appreciate any of this before, and he didn't want to waste any time arguing with Magpie. The hallway outside wasn't another boring stone tunnel, but an elevated walkway along the library. Curiously he hadn't been able to see it from inside—but from this angle, the library's walls were transparent. Presumably the metal pillars and tubes running everywhere were supposed to look elegant and beautiful. Maybe Alicorns had a different sense of beauty? "Cities can't want anything, Magpie. Even an incredible city like Vanaheimr is really just lots of metal and glass. Or... probably metals we don’t know about, and glass strong enough to keep out the vacuum even when it's thin. But basically, the same materials we have."
She galloped along for a few steps, obviously frustrated by how short her legs were. She had to move quite quickly to keep up with him. "That's not true, Silver. Vanaheimr is different, even the princess said so. The Alicorns could put a mind in their machines. There's a guardian here, an ancient eye that can see one end of the universe from the other and never wavers in its judgements. Polestar: The Unerring."
She spoke with such conviction that even Silver had to consider there might be some truth to it. Magpie hardly seemed like a pony to be superstitious. And it would take some kind of thinking to decide to use defenses against her and not against a living pony. "In one of those books you stole for me, I read about a theoretical magic that our ancestors used. There's a... sort of crystal that grows in one part of the world, that can store a spirit after it dies, preventing it from... returning to wherever it is spirits go. The ponies there could trap animals, and train them to perform simple tasks. The book said they had eventually done the same thing to themselves, creating a race of immortal ponies from stone. Maybe Polestar is something like that? I think there might be at least one in the library. How else could a machine talk to me?"
Magpie met his eyes, looking haunted. At least she didn't seem angry that he wasn't taking her seriously anymore. "I don't understand the magical side, and I don't really care what it is. All that matters is that it's older and more powerful than you. It was more powerful than Scion. I saw him cut down a dozen soldiers without a scratch, barely even touching the ground. Vanaheimr's defenses could track his movements, it could stop him from shadow-stepping to get away. I'm sure it can use its powers against living ponies just as easily. You're not immune just because you're a unicorn."
He stopped, leaning down to rest a foreleg on her shoulder. Silver still couldn't quite process where Magpie sat in their relationship. She was beautiful, certainly—but without any of the usual mare scents, and as short as a filly. But her body wasn’t immature. Being so close to her for so long was doing strange things to his perception. "Okay, Magpie. I promise not to do anything crazy just because a voice tells me to. And... if you think I'm doing anything dangerous, I promise I'll listen to you."
He waited for a few seconds, not looking away from her. Eventually she nodded. "That's... a start, I guess. But Silver... I know this seems strange to you. Maybe even silly. But you can't understand what it's like to have a power greater than you stealing your free will and making you do whatever it wants. That was my whole life for longer than Moonrise has existed. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, especially a pony like you."
Silver wasn't sure what that could mean, but he didn't want to ask her here. He set off again, following the map he'd memorized towards the destination the library spirit had given him. Walking the upper levels of Vanaheimr felt even more forbidden than what he'd done on the ground floor—as though the military police would arrive at any moment and demand to check his color before he could proceed. But of course they never did. The Gatecrashers had all been Greens to begin with.
"You think the Alicorns had color in their city?" he asked conversationally. They passed a large statue as he said it, like a resting insect that pivoted to watch them as they walked. Wait, no. It's not watching me, it's following Magpie.
She didn't miss the thing, and darted along to be on his other side every second. It didn't come to life and attack her or anything. "Colors? You mean like... that weird military rank thing Moonrise has? I mean... I think they only had two ranks. Or two ranks the princess ever mentioned."
"Oh?" They were getting close, though the metal rooms nearby gave him no more idea of what might be inside than any of the stone ones down below. Those doors didn't look like they'd just let him open any one he wanted. "What were they?"
"Alicorns and slaves," she supplied. "The princess said that..." She slowed, resting one hoof on her head and frowning in concentration. "Something like... Vanaheimr always followed the sacred commandments. They never built thinking machines. They used, uh... she called them 'properly lobotomized' servants. But I could be remembering that wrong. The princess was never very good about explaining things. She expected us to just understand what she meant. And if we didn't, she'd be infuriated but never explain what we'd done wrong."
"So she didn't say... what 'lobotomized' meant? Or what a... thinking machine? The library just talked to me, why wouldn't that count?"
Magpie shrugged. "No, she didn't explain. I just said so. Whatever Vanaheimr did to follow the rules, it obviously wasn't enough. Otherwise there would still be Alicorns living here, instead of ghosts."
Finally they reached the door. It didn't look any different than any of the other little storage rooms, but Silver was certain of his memory. He approached, but it didn't open automatically like the storage rooms did in the library. There was nothing to turn like a Moonrise airlock, but... there was a little square thing on the wall next to it. Silver prodded at it, and the flat surface lit up white, just like the glass had in the library. When he poked it with his hoof, the lock clicked, and began to swing outward. Far enough for him to wedge a hoof under the edge and shove it the rest of the way open.
Inside was another storage room, almost exactly like the one in the library. Like that one, this space was mostly empty, with lots of plastic shelves left behind. A little metal track ran around the outside, with a claw that he guessed would be used to grab boxes from high up and bring them to the front of the room. But none of that was as interesting as what he saw at the back.
There was a metal bar there, and a rack not unlike the ones used in clothing stores for the Reds. But instead of clothes, there was air-armor hanging from the racks. He knew it instantly, even if he'd never actually seen what the Alicorns wore for themselves. There just wasn't another explanation.
Where the Moonrise-made armor was massive and bulky, stealing any semblance of dexterity and making the pony inside bounce around like a fool, this stuff looked more like the tightly-woven clothing that dark colors wore at night so they could walk around their skytowers in comfort. If it wasn't for the slightly thicker part on the back, he wouldn't have even known it was air-armor. No, it isn't. It's a space suit. Much better than armor.
"I admit, Silver. I was sure that letting you live with me was going to cut into my stealing game. But this... robbing the Sacred City for a relic out of time... the balls on you."
Was that a... compliment? He ignored her either way, marching right up to the rack and levitating both suits down. He tossed one to her. "Two sacred relics, Magpie. This one's yours."
She caught it, tossing it over her back. "I guess I... should've known how we'd be getting the fabric for my wings. Have to cut it from somewhere."
"Eventually," he said. "In the meantime, we're going to bring these back to the library, and..." How did you even begin with priceless artifacts like these? "Figure out how these work. And probably not cut yours apart right away." He leaned in close, grinning at her. "You think staying with me is protecting you from Vanaheimr's defenses. Maybe it does, maybe not. But imagine how much safer it would be to be wearing Alicorn magic? I bet the city would just see you as one of its citizens after that. You could probably go anywhere you wanted!"
Magpie grinned, then hastily looked away. Apparently he wasn't supposed to see that. "That sounds like... wishful thinking," she said. "But if you're right... what then? Aren't we just hiding here to steal some cloth and stop the army from killing you?"
"Not anymore," he declared. "The ponies of Moonrise are suffering. All around us is the power of the Alicorns. In a way, this is like... the First Commander himself. I even have a Voidseeker to be my loyal bodyguard, just like he had."
She shoved him hard, sticking her tongue out. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Silver. We're in a business relationship only. I already told you I don't know anything about fighting. I've been very careful to sometimes tell you the truth."
The Alicorn space suit was like nothing Silver had ever touched. It felt as smooth as expensive fabric against his coat, yet became as rigid as steel when he twisted or yanked on it too hard. As soon as the force was gone, it flopped back to its neutral shape, no firmer than a piece of clothing on the line.
Silver spread the stolen space suit beside the old air-armor, each one resting on the back of a chair, so he could glance between the two and try to compare them. The Gatecrashers would've had access to one of these, right? That was probably how they'd designed the armor that Moonrise used. So much of what the city did was making inferior copies of things that the Alicorns had mastered long ago.
But side-by-side, the two sets of armor had almost nothing in common. They both kept their working parts on the back, but the air-armor was a massive set of saddlebags. Inside he found no small amount of gear: there was a large tank of air, and two smaller containers covered in warning stickers. Tubes and knobs connected each of them, little gages with colors and numbers written along the outside rim. He couldn't say what any of them meant, or what way to turn them all to make the suit work. The indicators were on the "black" section and far away from the "white" section, so he could only hope that meant the suit would work in an emergency. But maybe now he'd never need to find out.
By comparison, the Alicorn space suit almost seemed like a toy. The suit's back section was entirely enclosed, and resisted his prodding to get it open. When he poked at the back with magic, lights shone through the metal plate, filling a little bar with green. Was that good? The Alicorn suit also had sleeves for wings, which would be empty of course since he wasn't an Alicorn. But otherwise the size looked like it would work pretty well. Maybe being tall was just a natural shape for creatures on the moon. Magpie was still short because she wasn't from here. It only made sense.
"I'm going to try and put it on," he announced, moving the fastener down the back of the Alicorn suit. It was superior in that way too, opening all the way to the flank with only a little pressure. Of course a non-unicorn would probably need help to pull the fastener back up once it was on, but... Alicorns had all had magic, so it made sense they wouldn't take steps to help the creatures who didn't.
"Sure." Magpie pulled out a nearby chair and climbed up. "That's way less insane than trying to fight all of Moonrise by yourself. Maybe doing something that will make you actually think will stop you from doing something you'll regret."
He ignored her, holding his tail high as he worked. He started with the back legs, since he had far less vision of what was going on behind him. The suit slid easily over his coat, not getting stuck on his fur the way cheap fabric often did. There was even a place for his tail, though he had to force it down first to fit. "I won't regret it. Even if it goes badly. Even if they capture and kill me like those rebellion ponies. Isn't dying for something good the best thing a pony can hope for?"
Magpie shook her head, glowering. "That's... something I never understood. Luna's rebellion was all about that. Fight against injustice. No more serfdom. Give your life for freedom. Lots of noble calls to action. Ponies sung about the heroes who fought and the battles they won. But what good does it do me if they sing songs about me after I'm dead? I'm dead. Dead ponies can't hear songs. They don't care who remembers them. They're gone forever, like they never existed at all."
Silver didn't respond for a few moments, focusing all his concentration on getting his forelegs into the suit. It wasn't quite the right length, but once he got his hoof down to the bottom the clothes seemed to tighten around him on their own. There were no straps he could see, but it didn't seem to need them. "My father told me about... The Elysian Fields? Where ponies go when they die, to run forever with the rest of the herd. Everypony together, with no more pain and no more suffering. As beautiful as Equestria was when we lived there. You don't believe in that?"
Magpie hesitated. All the mockery that had been in her voice before was gone when she replied. "I've heard ponies preach about it before, Silver. It sounds wonderful. But a nice-sounding promise was never enough for me. How am I supposed to know it's real? Only the dead can go there to see it, and they can't share what they see with any living ponies. It always seemed more like... a convenient lie. Ponies can't help themselves from dying, so they need something pretty to tell themselves. That way their future won't seem so unfair."
It made sense. Never see my brother again, or my father. Could they really just be... gone? Like they never existed at all?
The front of the suit was entirely clear, a round section of fabric that would make his head seem larger than it was. It was probably big enough to accommodate an oversized horn on top. This one section had no fasteners, and he'd have to seal the whole thing from behind. He hesitated. "If you're trying to convince me not to fight, Magpie... you're not doing a good job. If you're right, then that's more reason to stop Flint from ruling. How many ponies has she killed? How many has Rockshanks killed? Not just my family. There are probably... hundreds of others. That would only be more reason to try to make life better, since we don't have anywhere coming after to make it fair."
He lifted up the helmet, pulling it on. Something moved on his back—the suit was sealing on its own, entirely without his magic to pull it closed. It tightened around his body, pulled rigid as though another unicorn was there to fit it for him. Then there was a slight hiss of air. The crumpled clear material of his helmet straightened into a near-perfect sphere, becoming almost entirely transparent. Light appeared in his vision there, more bars of green. There were numbers too, some changing and others staying the same. "Environmental suit pressurized. Safe atmosphere detected: exchange with environment is enabled. User may remove helmet at any time."
Magpie was on her hooves again. Her voice was muffled, like she was on the other side of a thin wall. Which, in a way, he supposed she was. The space suit was like wearing around a little room. "That's a noble way of thinking about it, Silver. Just don't think other creatures are going to see it the same way. You're too innocent for this. The ones running the world don't care about creatures like us, down in the dirt. We're less than nothing to them. Flint will kill you without even thinking."
"She can try."
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I'm really enjoying their exploration of Vanaheimr. Silver and Magpie's philosophical interactions are really engaging, and their interpretations of the Alicorn's technology are really interesting to think about.
More lore! What fun!
How does one square these two statements? Does the Polestar not quite count as a machine, if it was created by trapping a pony spirit, as mentioned by Silver? Or was it just Vanaheimr that was not allowed to create thinking machines, and perhaps another place could create such things?
Curious. Seems the Polestar (or who/whatever had control of the city's defenses) already knew how to deal with Voidseekers? Or did it just figure out how shadow-stepping worked on the fly?
Wonder if Scion is going to be mentioned again later. I think this is the first mention of him?
I'd imagine it isn't quite that simple, since the city seems to have at least some intelligence. Even if it were true, there's really only one way to test that hypothesis, and guessing wrong means bye-bye Magpie. Don't think that's a risk they would be willing to take unless forced to.
That's what Penumbra thought at first, too
She did? That's surprising, coming from a Voidseeker. What skills did she bring, then?
Is there a missing word here?
Would Alicorns born and raised in reduced gravity be even taller than "regular" Alicorns?
At least Silver can understand the suit's audio cues. It'd be a bit hard to track consumables without that.
10051669
I just realized... Celestia and Luna were born on the moon. They are much taller than ponies born on Equus. But not taller than ponies born on the moon.
I think they are so tall because they were born on the moon. And Alicorns born on any given planet will have the same height as the other ponies born on the same planet.
I are genious!!1
10051669
She was a spy and assassin if I remember correctly.
10051669
They are probably following Mechanicus rules for A.I. : No A.I., if you need something like it you gotta use a biological inteligence and modify it to interface with the machine.
Which in turn means that Polestar is either no true A.I., a true A.I. that is a exception to the rule or a actual alicorn brai that wasn't completly lobotomized into simple automaton.
10052126
Ah, that makes more sense, then, although I'm curious what those duties entail that other Voidseekers couldn't also pull off with their shadow sneaking and such.
10051884
Possibly? Wasn't Cadence somewhat larger than other native ponies, though? Then again, this is an alternate universe...
10052293
Mechanicus?
But yeah, I'm curious to see the origins of the Polestar.
10052370
Look up Warhammer 40k Abominable Inteligence, should tell you what you need to know.
10052347
From her own words she was probably one of the "least useful" of the void seekers... I do wonder what happened to Penumbra.
10052380
Ah, I see. Sorry, the only Warhammer-related thing I have seen is the Astartes shorts.
10052434
That's fair. Curious if Nightmare has standards on who it accepts, or whether it'll take anyone.
10051669
My interpretation is, a property lobotomized AI would not be considered a thinking machine.
Which makes me think of a philosophical question.
Would a cloned from scratch, idiot savant, be considered a Slave?
10052484
If you're interested in more, you might try Richard Boyland's Hell's Reach on youtube. Mad lad animated almost two hours of the book of the same name and now has a job making movies for Game's Workshop.
She may not be wrong, but that may not be a bad thing. And Polestar's a lot better about preserving its agents' free will than Nightmare... or at least it has been.
That probably hasn't changed.
Well, there's a confidence booster.
Great touch. Colors mean different things to different societies, and Moonrise had a preexisting "best to worst" spectrum when making their first spacesuits.
"Aren't you kind of dead?"
"Completely dead ponies can't hear songs. And I'd rather you end up that way than like me."
In any case, Silver certainly has the revolutionary spirit, but he's going to need a bit more to actually topple the regime. The question is, what's his next step? We'll find out soon enough.
10052293
Those rules were based on idea that machine doesn't have a will, a want of its own, but when being sapient it able to earn to have it, leading to inevitable corruption by Warp. The rule was born from resukt of machine uprising humanity faced in WH40 universe.
In Starscribe's worlds machines or digitized consciousnesses are unable resist Outsiders because they haveo imunity to influence.
Immunity related to magic, to be alive, something like that. I think Polestar is either some kind if soul-vessel computer, magical in nature.
Oh that's almost certainly true. There's a moderate chance that it'll be a beneficial something else, though.
He's doomed.
Or maybe she's doomed.
Yikes! So much for the sacred city being particularly sacred.
Hah!
Sometimes.
Why not both?
Ooo, fancy.
10064494
Starscribe's ancient advanced civilization always has to be something that doesn't pass the great filter. Legalized slavery is one of them.