Magic's Birth: The Sisters' Memories

by The Psychopath

Finally Home

Teaching the burnt machine wasn't easy. At first Luna managed pretty well, being able to keep an eye on it and introducing it gradually to the crew of the ship from a distance to make it more comfortable around makers. However, it became increasingly obvious to her that, while this machine had a rather simplistic and animalistic behavior, whatever it was doing to stay active without taking in the black or blue had done something to it. Celestia posited that it was perhaps that which acted as the catalyst to its gradual self-awareness.

As it became more and more comfortable around the caretakers, it would often sneak away from Luna and be caught observing the crew during regular activities, often scaring them with its unnerving staring from the shadows when found out. It adored spending time with the two sisters as well when it found something it considering interesting enough to replicate. The sisters discovered this after it had stolen several empty boxes and cups and attempted to perform what amounted to a coffee break with the two glowing robots. Luna scolded it soon after, and the crew began informing the pair of what the charred machine was doing when they weren't around. Over time the caretakers grew used to its sneaking and stalking. It wasn't harming anyone, and being a machine meant it didn't have any other motives other than observation. At least, that's what Luna believed and what she told the crew when they were confronted by her and threatened to throw the charred machine overboard. Their rage subsided partially when it was mentioned that the machine was replicating what they were doing around the ship like a very young child.

It wasn't an endearing thought, knowing that some extremely damaged and unstable machine was imitating you for who knew what reason. It was made worse by the crew being fully aware that the ones telling them this were two very sapient machines -things that shouldn't exist- aboard their own vessel. It was only after overhearing one of the crew commenting on the blackened robot that the sisters learned why they were tolerated despite not having actually given it any thought: The captain was paying them twice their normal salary for the trip.

The sisters and the charred machine were both staring off into the horizon, watching the sun rise with much effort from its rest, slowly turning the sky dark orange and purple, when the horns blared once more, early in the morning.

"We're reaching the docks of the blue. Perform standard checks and get all equipment ready for unloading," the captain announced. "Robots, I want you ready on deck as quickly as possible. Wake your companions up."

Celestia obliged and went below deck to get to the other four, leaving Luna and the charred machine behind. They emerged about fifteen minutes later with the sizable packs of backup black energy. Dissonance was quite upset as they went up the stairs with Celestia, visibly shaking with fury.

"You couldn't wake me up to see? I'm mostly not here on a pleasure cruise! I'm here to gain knowledge and inspiration for my work!" they said with an artistic and haughty tone. "That sludge would have made a magnificent prop if I had seen what it looked like!" they lamented. The flamboyant machine rubbed their temples. "At least we'll be to the blue soon. There's always that to look forward to I suppose."

The seven stood in place at the base of the bridge tower and waited, occasionally looking around, expecting the captain to come out, but only the crew did as they rushed back and forth to get everything ready.

"Is he gonna come out or am ah gonna have to take 'im out mahself?" Rahllup complained angrily.

"You're always so hot-headed," Biddy complained. "He's a busy caretaker. He'll come out when it's time...otherwise I'll be the one to pull him out by his neck." She emphasized by gesturing wringing the captain's neck.

"I'd rather you not, weird machines," the captain complained. He stepped out of the doorway after letting a few of the crew pass him. "If you didn't know already, you machines of the black can't actually be brought into the lands of the blue." He looked to the sisters and Galah having another poking war with the charred machine. "You three would have no issues going in, however."

Dissonance stepped forward. "So what do we do, then? We can't sneak past everyone."

"We'll use a crate and state that you're scrap that has been taken from the bottom of the sea during our emergency cleaning operation earlier," the captain answered.

The flamboyant machine's teeth spun around to display a dumbfounded expression. "So you were counting on that occurring? You didn't think of a plan beforehand? That's incredibly stupid," they stated in exasperation.

"No. The plan initially was just to say you were recovered and to be sent and sold to recycling. I just saw an opportunity and seized," the caretaker stated with a shrug. "Take it or leave it, it's still a more justified reason of having you with us." He performed a nasal laugh. "Besides, we're allowed to bring that stuff in here, so any issues can be waved off with my license." He winked at the robot who stared at him then shrugged and walked away.

"So what're we supposed to be expecting then?" Rahllup asked. "When are we going to get there? You said we were approaching that land."

"And which container are we supposed to go into?" Biddy added.

"I'll direct you to the container when we're in range," the captain explained. "We'll be there in at least fifteen hours unless we get grabbed by a new underwater current which could potentially accelerate us by about two to three hours." He scratched his face. "Could be dangerous, though. I'd honestly prefer to avoid such potential 'shortcuts'," the caretaker thought aloud. He looked at Rahllup. "As for what to expect, go on the sides of the ship and look away. You should be able to catch a glimpse of what is in the blue."

The giant's machine's flames almost died out. "From fifteen hours away? With the horizon? Do you think me stupid?"

"Yes, but that's besides the point," the captain teased.

Rahllup stared at him and started cursing as she raised a fist to crush him. Fortunately, Biddy and the two sisters stopped her and pulled her away towards the edge of the ship while she continued to scream obscenities. The charred machine stared at the man for quite a while, imitating him scratching himself and standing upright shortly afterwards. He stared right back at her, weirded out by its behavior.

Meanwhile, the giant machine was still struggling against her captors and cursing as loudly as she could. "Let me go! Ah'm going to teach 'im some manners! Who does he think he is, that consarn'd shriveled kellt!" Rahllup blurted out angrily.

"Would you stop it already?!" Biddy pleaded. "You're making a scene!!

"Wow," Dissonance spoke with a hush. "That's...amazing. I've never seen a building that huge..." they continued in awe.

The four stopped fidgeting when Rahllup managed to force herself to look over her shoulder. "Huh?" she said. "We had huge buildings in the nearby city, too. I doubt those of the blue are any different." She struggled out of the grasp of her captors and let the flames of her head spark and crackle. A way of 'huffing' one could suppose. "Plus, how are you supposed to see them from this distance? Are you trying to play a trick on me?" she asked sternly.

Dissonance couldn't answer. They slowly turned to her while stroking their feather scarf and slowly pointed to something in the distance. Rahllup would have rolled her eyes if she had any and reluctantly moved towards the edge of the ship while shaking her head in disbelief and exasperation. "I'm supposed to believe that you can see-What in the world?!"

In the distance were several massive spires of varying buildings climbing ever higher in to the sky. Their forms were paled by the sunlight and the thin sheets of cloud, giving them a pale, almost white coloration and appearance. They were far from each other, each being a significant distance away from the other. Around their bases were much smaller buildings still rising high into the sky in the vain hope of reaching their immense siblings.

"But that's...How?!" Rahllup strained to say in disbelief and anger. She turned to the sisters and grabbed Luna by the shoulders, lifting her up. The charred machine scampered away when it saw that. "What is this? How is that even possible? We've ever even managed to do something like that! The buildings are way too high!"

"It's because of the blue that we're able to do that," Luna explained as best she knew. "I don't know how they can do that with it. It provides more power?"

Rahllup's flames sparked up, doing her best to 'frown' at the blue machine. Blue, wispy trails started to make themselves known above; Deformed and almost fully dissipated.

"What is that stuff?" Biddydee asked with some fear in her voice.

"Trails left behind by the flying vehicles of the makers as they pass through the skies of our cities." She floated higher and stared at the paths. They shouldn't be this far out. Must be drifting away."

Rahllup scoffed and collapsed to her knees after something heavy collided with her back, throwing her into one of the containers far away and freeing Luna. The charred machine had commandeered one of the cranes and used its heavy metal hand to collide into her, freeing the blue machine.

"Oh no!" Dissonance shouted in genuine worry and disbelief.

Galah, however, laughed while Biddy just stared at the event. "Looks like she annoyed our newest member! he laughed. "Don't worry, fluffy," he said to Dissonance. "She'll be fine. Just give it a moment."

The robot came back in a daze, clutching her head. Her flames were dimmed and she seemed groggy as well.

"Don't move," Biddydee ordered. She placed her fingers on Rahllup's back and, with a tug, pulled out a dent in the machine's chassis. "And there's another scar for you."

Rahllup looked at the charred machine glaring at her while hugging Luna and keeping her raised in the air like a doll. Her flames flickered. "Doesn't even know you but wants to protect you like crazy." She chuckled and leaned against the edge of the ship. "Anyways, those of the blue complain about our use of the black energy, but at least we don't pollute anything," she stated sternly. "You're contributing to that sludge that's floating in the ocean!"

"Wouldn't that actually be you who is contributing to it?" Celestia asked. Galah immediately looked to her, upset and surprised that he couldn't respond himself. "With what we've seen, the lands of the black are...different from ours."

Rahllup was taken aback by whom the response came from. "What are you trying to say?" she asked with surprising calm.

"Well, our lands are much cleaner and brighter than yours," the white machine continued. "There isn't what looks like multiple layers of thick gray clouds above us, and there isn't any snow falling constantly."

"But--" Before Rahllup could begin, she was interrupted by Dissonance.

"Isn't that just a false comparative?" they suggested.

"A what?" Celestia asked.

They pointed to the white machine. "You're basing what you know based on where you're from. Isn't it logical to conclude that neither is better than the other?" They patted their scarf, chasing away the grime of the salty sea air. "I had to do some research for my shows. I wanted to make plays to show the caretakers what they were like in the past, but I couldn't find any records concerning that."

The white machine nodded. "I have data going back many centuries." She hummed and looked to her sister. "It is true that I haven't found any references to how the lands were before, simply what happened and the circumstances regarding many events."

Rahllup crossed her arms and raised her head. "So what, we're both wrong?"

Dissonance shrugged. "If information is lacking, then no sides are correct."

---

"I still find it odd that I can't dig in my storage to find information on the state of the lands in the past," Celestia noted with concern.

"Isn't it like that long before Equestria was founded?" Twilight asked. "I've read several historical books pertaining to the subject matter. There was one by Melon Fields about--"

"We were there, Twilight. We don't need a history lesson," Luna complained. She shook her head. "Or at least partially. We have everything in storage."

"We would have written all down, but the languages kept changing so often," Celestia explained with a shrug. Her arms drooped. "We were tired of rewriting it all so many times," she groaned.

"Ugh, and then all those ponies who refused to believe that they were real and an affront to us," Luna groaned and dragged a ring hand over her face.

Celestia lowered herself and leaned against the rocky walls. "The idiots actually started a war over who started the books and we were only told about it about two years after it happened."" She banged her head against the wall several times. "They did it after we left to visit other lands to both learn of this new world and establish relationships with those around us."

Luna's eyes dimmed. "When they all learned that we were the ones who wrote them, they grew red in the face from rage and anguish." She snorted. "Idiots. 'We thought it was an affront!' some said. 'But it was tearing the history of our people asunder! And there were so many versions!'." The lights along Luna's body glowed a fierce, blinding blue. "Excuses! They slaughtered each other because of ideologies!" She ignored her sister calling to her. "Everything destroyed, lives lost! All that was given to them!"

"Luna that's enough!" Celestia bellowed. "That is the past, and we are in the future. Look what has been done under our supervision. Don't be stuck in a loop again, sister," the princess pleaded. "You're also scaring Twilight," she said flatly.

Luna's trembling body slowly relaxed itself and her lights dimmed. "I'm sorry. I don't like remembering the stupidity of the masses back then. We didn't get many opportunities to see this world after they...Well. It was unexpected but not altogether a bad thing."

Comments

[The Psychopath]

Knowing what you readers think of my chapters and their contents would make this a lot more fun.

[Frazikar]

Hmmmm?? Travelogues (slow ones) are only mildly interesting ...

[Inucroft1]

Awww, reached the most recent chapter.
Tis been a good binge.

[The Psychopath]

10896289
I'm writing the next chapter as our cells regenerate! If I can concentrate it should be finished by today or tomorrow.

[The Psychopath]

10896289
I couldn't concentrate :c

[Inucroft1]

10898942
tis fine XD
*stares at his untouched stories*
it's fine

[The Psychopath]

10899012
I'm trying to get the new chapter out right now, though. I'm worried the quality might suffer, but it's best to get it out and get to the juicier bits around.

[tzening]

"But that's...How?!" Rahllup strained to say in disbelief and anger. She turned to the sisters and grabbed Luna by the shoulders, lifting her up. The charred machine scampered away when it saw that. "What is this? How is that even possible? We've ever even managed to do something like that! The buildings are way too high!"

Never

[tsaukpaetra]

Advantages and disadvantages. There's no free lunch when it comes to energy, you just need to determine what you're willing to tolerate...