Sail to the Moon
“A… protest?” Turing asked slowly.
“That’s what I said, yes,” Gadget said before taking another bite of toast.
“I know. I heard you,” Turing replied. “I am asking you for clarification.”
“Oh, I see.” Gadget took a sip of coffee. “I want to stage a protest - well, a ‘demonstration’ might be more appropriate - about the plight of Familiars.”
Turing Test and Gadget were seated across from each other in the small kitchen area of the factory. It had been just under a week since the day of the race and the change in their relationship.
They hadn’t been intimate with each other since that time, though Gadget seemed remarkably more relaxed and upbeat. Turing had asked her if she was unsatisfied, but she’d only said that she wanted to take things slowly. She had been affectionate, true, and expressed no regrets about what had happened between them, but Turing herself was simply unsure how to act.
Are we… dating? Is this a relationship? Are we merely, as organics say, ‘friends with benefits?’ I cannot decide what to do next… though I was prepared to take a risk and said as much, to act too hastily may jeopardize the current state of things. And my current status is far better than it has been since Maud Pie’s passing. Should I not simply be happy?
“Turing?” Gadget asked. “Are you okay?”
Turing nodded. “Of course, Gadget,” she replied. “Why would I not be?”
Gadget raised an eyebrow. “You’re awfully quiet,” she said. “And I’ve gotten to know you well enough to know that you get quiet when you’ve got something to say but aren’t sure how to say it.”
Turing placed her hooves on the table. “Your observation is correct,” she said. “I suppose I am not certain how to feel about your proposal. Why do you wish to protest or demonstrate?”
“I thought that was obvious,” Gadget replied. “Turing, what happened to you was… just awful. No, more than that. It was cruel. Somepony should have been there to help you. And while I’m glad to be here for you, it’s not fair that you had to seek me out on your own. There should be a service to help Familiars who’ve lost their partners, or something like that. I mean that’s the least we could ask for.”
Turing nodded slowly. “I… suppose that is true,” she said. “What else could be expected?”
“Oh, I wasn’t kidding when I said it was the least we could ask!” Gadget scoffed. She leaned forward, her mechanical hands gripping the table. “We ought to make it a crime to abuse Familiars, too!”
Turing flashed back to her encounter with Grace and her Familiar at her meeting with the others. “It is a crime, Gadget,” she said.
“And yet no one is ever punished for it.” Gadget narrowed her eyes. “All those Familiars, those ponies who never did anything but try to make their masters happy… you know, I’ve tried to do research on Familiar abuse, and while everyone seems to know that it’s real, I can’t find any hard statistics on how bad the problem actually is. And why is that? Because Familiars won’t report it and organics like me won’t report it on the Familiar’s behalf when they see it!”
She pounded a hoof on the table. “Ponies need to know about this! They need to stop hiding from the truth that’s right in front of them! And who knows… one day, maybe we can learn to live without Familiars at all!”
Turing stared back at her. “You would… eliminate us?”
Gadget gave a start. “No! No, not… not like that, Turing,” she said, shaking her head. “I just… I just want your people to not have to be slaves anymore.”
She got up from her seat and went over to Turing’s side of the table. She placed her hoof gently on Turing’s, stroking it gently.
“I want you to be happy,” she said quietly. “I want all of you to have a chance to be happy. Artificial beings ought to have a place in the world alongside organics in a way that doesn’t involve servitude. That’s what I really want.”
Turing raised her head and met her gaze.
“But I’d settle for any progress,” Gadget said, smiling back at her. “That said, it would mean more coming from you. Organic ponies need to hear it from a real Familiar. So, Turing, will you join me?”
Turing stared back at her, still processing what she was saying.
I have thought these things myself, she said. I also want the abuse of Familiars to cease. To live without suffering would be wonderful. But for Familiars to exist without needing to serve… to end the bond between Familiar and Master… what would that truly mean?
After a moment, she closed her eyes and nodded. “All right, Gadget,” she said with a calm smile. “I will help you.”
“Great!” Gadget exclaimed, embracing her suddenly, rubbing her cheek against hers. “Oh, Turing, I’m so glad to hear you say that! I’ll connect to the network and have the permits filed immediately! We’ll stage it at Canterlot Northwest Park as soon as possible!”
Turing nodded, returning the hug. “As you wish, Gadget,” she said quietly.
“My my my!” said the pegasus at the front desk of the Public Affairs Bureau’s local office. “It has been ages since anypony showed up in person! How can I help you nice ponies today?”
“You can start by telling me why my permit request was deleted!” Gadget shouted, pounding her hoof on the desk.
The pony behind the desk was a pink pegasus with a chocolate brown mane, but she wore a blue jacket and a matching blue pillbox hat. Her name tag stated that her name was Blue Blazer, and her friendly expression stayed in place with only a slight waver at Gadget’s angry outburst.
“Well, let’s find out, shall we?” She pressed a button and several holographic displays appeared in mid-air before her. “Now, let’s see… your name?”
“Gadgette Fabienne Giroux,” Gadget said.
“Oh, are you by any chance from Vanhoover? I hear it’s lovely this time of year!”
“It’s fine,” Gadget said flatly. “My permit?”
“Of course. When was it filed and what was the purpose?”
“Two days ago, and it was for a protest/demonstration!”
Blue Blazer paused, giving her a sideways glance. “A protest? My my my… it has been ages since a pony filed forms for a protest here and actually came to the office to discuss it. Usually we just get the usual sort of rabble rousers illegally occupying public spaces or the usual eccentric types who want ponies to, say, return to grazing and stop consuming cooked food or some such thing. Oh, er… sorry if that’s what your protest is about, Miss.”
“It’s not,” Gadget grumbled.
The whole time, Turing Test stood behind Gadget, observing the interaction in silence.
“Let’s see… ah, here it is!” Then she froze, her expression darkening. “A demonstration for ‘The Plight of Familiars?’”
Gadget nodded. “That’s the one,” she said.
Blue Blazer was quiet for a moment, but then sighed and returned to her console. “Well, that’s a new one. I can’t imagine why you think Familiars have anything to be sad about…”
“See, that’s the problem!” Gadget shouted. “Nopony seems to realize that—”
“Miss!” Blue Blazer hissed, glaring at her. “I will thank you to lower your voice in the office! You might disturb other patrons!”
Gadget looked around the small lobby of the Public Affairs office. It was empty save for herself and Turing Test.
“Look,” she sighed, “regardless of what you may think about it, I have a right as a citizen to protest or stage a public demonstration as long as it doesn’t cause a major disturbance or public menace. So why was my request canceled?”
Blue Blazer looked to her console, then back at Gadget. “Miss, I think there must be some misunderstanding,” she said. “It wasn’t canceled. It was withdrawn.”
Gadget gawked at her. “What?! By who?!”
“By whom,” Blue Blazer said with a smirk. “And obviously by anypony who had permission to file it. In other words, Miss… you.”
Gadget blinked. “But… but I didn’t withdraw it!”
“Well, that’s what my console says,” Blue Blazer said with a shrug. “So that’s all I have to go on.”
Gadget took a deep breath. “Fine. Then I want to re-file it.”
“You can’t,” Blue Blazer replied. “Not until next month.”
“What?!”
“You only get one permit per month for a high-traffic area like the Northwest Park,” Blue Blazer explained. “You can file for another area, if you wish, but you’ll have to file another request next month for the park. I realize it must seem frustrating, but if we didn’t have limits, we’d have some random crazy ponies wanting to protest every day, and we just can’t have that, now can we?”
Gadget let out a long sigh. “Fine,” she said calmly. “I’ll send it out next month.”
She turned to go, and Turing Test followed her out. They exited the front doors to be greeted by the blinding brightness and bustle of the city around them.
“Unbelievable!” Gadget spat.
Turing patted her on the shoulder. “I am sorry about that, Gadget,” she said. “It must have been some sort of error in the system.”
Gadget cast a sideways glance in her direction. “An error? Turing, I’m surprised at you!”
Turing froze. “What do you mean?”
“This was no error,” Gadget said. “This was deliberate. I know what happened…”
Turing said nothing as Gadget leaned in close to her. “Somepony higher up must have seen what we were protesting and put a stop to it. They knew if they canceled it that we’d be able to appeal it, so instead they made it look like I just withdrew it. They’re trying to gaslight me!”
Turing Test tilted her head to the side. “You… truly think so?” she asked.
“I can’t think of any other explanation,” Gadget said. “But who was it? Blue Blazer? A higher level administrator? Celestia herself?!”
“Gadget,” Turing said firmly, grasping her by the shoulders, “please calm down. You are attracting attention.”
Several ponies passing by had slowed to watch the odd exchange between the pair.
Gadget sighed. “Fine. Let’s just go home, Turing. We’ll have to try something else.”
Turing nodded, but then paused. “Ah… one moment, Gadget,” she said. “It seems a friend of mine wants my attention.”
“A friend?” Gadget asked.
“Yes,” Turing said, turning and walking away. “Please wait here. I will return shortly.”
Gadget was confused, but complied as Turing Test walked half a block away and then turned to walk up one of the long, curving alabaster sky bridges that occasionally crisscrossed the city, giving pedestrians a sprawling view of the city. At the bridge’s apex, she saw a familiar Familiar standing there.
“Turing Test!” Choco Mint said, trotting over to her. “How the hell are you!”
“I am the hell fine,” Turing replied with a grin. “But there was no need to ask me to meet you here. We could have continued our conversation without me leaving my friend behind.”
“I just wanted to see you in person,” Choco Mint said with a shrug. “When you disappeared over a week ago, I thought maybe you had just decided to retire yourself. I contacted your apartment and there was no sign that you had left, and I checked with Central and saw that you were still listed as active, but still couldn’t contact you. So, well…”
They paused as a few more ponies passed by.
“We should carry on this conversation via direct link,” Turing said, transmitting her thoughts to Choco Mint.
“Right, right,” he said, his voice in her head. “Well, I hope you don’t mind, but I decided to do a bit more digging and that’s when I found out about you wandering off to live inside a Dead Zone. Not what I expected, but it definitely caught my interest. I thought about maybe changing my own point of view, getting a new perspective. So I did… and it changed me.”
Turing noted that a file was being sent to her.
After a quick, customary scan, she opened it. “A digital ticket? For… a lunar orbit tour?”
He grinned. “A little poking around in places I wouldn’t normally go… talking here and there with other ponies… I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but once I took that trip, I really understood the Truth.”
Turing stared back at him. “What ‘truth’ do you mean, Choco Mint?”
“It depends on who’s asking… but anyway, I wanted to pass it along to you. You can take the trip if you want or just ignore it. Oh, and your friend can come too, of course. I think she’d like it.”
Turing examined the ticket and quickly did her research. It was from a perfectly ordinary company, reputable and well-reviewed, and offered a simple low-orbit trip around the dark side of the moon. She had no reason to suspect any ulterior motive from Choco Mint, and yet the vagueness and suddenness of his offer struck her as suspicious somehow.
“I know this seems odd,” he said, staring out at the city, a calm smile on his face. “And I wish I could say more. But I can’t. All I can say is that I know you’ve been suffering, and I wasn’t a good enough friend to you earlier to really help you out. But maybe this way, I can make it up to you.”
Turing Test saved the file to her systems and gave him a nod.
“Thank you for the gift,” she said aloud. “Though there is no need to apologize, Choco Mint. You have been a good friend, and I appreciate your support.”
“Well, thanks for saying so,” he said. He turned to smile at her. “Now, you better head back to see your friend. If you take that trip, I hope you both enjoy it.”
She returned the smile and bid him goodbye, leaving him alone on the bridge.
Once she’d gone, he looked up at the sky, as he sent his Third Eye out one more time to look at a farway grave.
Connecting to Celestia Central Operations. He put in his individual serial number and made the connection. Choco Mint here. Mother, I hereby request Retirement.
A calm, soothing voice filled his mind as he closed his eyes.
Thank you, Mother… now I can be at peace once more…
“You know, the last time I went off world,” Gadget said, fidgeting eagerly in her seat, “I was just a little filly! It was a school trip. You know, the kind of thing you do in geography class? Was that just my school? Did you do that when you were little?”
Turing turned to look at her, narrowing her eyes. “Gadget… I was never ‘little.’”
“Oh,” Gadget said, chuckling as her cheeks colored. “Right, right, of course.” She turned back to look out the window of the shuttle. Black emptiness was outside, but the silvery frame of the moon was coming into view just ahead.
The moon was visible in the night sky, of course, its face dotted with the twinkle of the numerous domed cities and settlements that had been built up over the years. In the past, some had objected to developing the lunar colonies, arguing that the beauty of the moon would be marred by building more cities there. But the potential for resources and the desire for adventure won out in the end, leading to the establishment of the lunar colonies.
And to the one who oversaw it.
“Attention passengers,” said the automated pilot, causing Gadget and the small group of ponies on the shuttle to look up. “We are approaching lunar space. You may experience some interruption and interference as your devices reconnect to the central Luna network. Luna, Celestia’s younger sister, is the master A.I. charged with managing the network on the moon, including any Familiars created on the lunar colonies. Any Familiars present will be greeted and processed shortly, so please remain calm. While there are some key differences in the structure and procedure of the lunar network, you will find it quite similar to the Celestial network on Earth.”
Gadget blinked. “You know, Turing, you don’t have to—”
“Greetings, Familiar,” a feminine voice said in Turing’s head. “I am Luna. It is always a pleasure to welcome one of my sister’s children here. Just a moment while I check your data… ah. I see you are a freemare. Unusual, but not unheard of. You are of course welcome here as well. If there is anything you need or if you have any pressing concerns, I will try to assist you as well as I can, my little niece.”
“She just spoke to me,” Turing said, cutting Gadget off. “I am now connected to Luna’s network.”
Gadget fell silent. “I see,” she said slowly. “Is everything… okay?”
Turing raised an eyebrow.
“I know it’s dumb and just a superstition, but I was raised on Earth, after all,” she said, “so I grew up hearing about the Nightmare Moon crisis.”
Turing nodded. “There is no need to worry. It is not possible for that to happen again.”
Gadget smiled. “You’re right,” she said. “I was just being stupid.”
She turned back to look out at the moon as it grew larger in her field of view. Then her ears perked up and she turned back to Turing.
“Hey, um, it was nice of you to take me on this trip around the moon,” she said, “but… w-well, does this count as a… date? Our first date?”
Turing Test considered this, tilting her head back and forth. “I had not considered it in such terms,” she said. Then she smiled. “But I am glad to be spending time with you, and this may prove to be an enjoyable activity. And if an enjoyable activity spent with a pony that one has been romantic with does indeed count as a date, then yes, I suppose it is technically a date.”
“Heh heh,” Gadget chuckled, snuggling up next to her. “Well, intended or not, I’m glad you brought me. It’s very sweet.” She planted a kiss on Turing’s cheek. “I’m looking forward to our technical date, Turing,” she whispered, and rested her head on Turing’s shoulder.
Turing held her close, looking out the window. “As am I,” she said.
Above the darkened surface of the moon, Turing and Gadget floated in a silver bubble.
“Wow,” Gadget breathed, pressing her muzzle against the glass. “Just look at it, Turing… it’s like nothing else I’ve ever seen…”
The front side of the moon, the one that tidal locking had forced to always face the Earth, was overwhelmingly the more populous side of the satellite. But the “Dark Side,” as it was known, was home to only a few mining operations and very isolated communities. And due to its location and lack of settlements, the Dark Side was also the largest Dead Zone in all of pony-settled civilization. A pony could come here and, more than anywhere else, be well and truly alone.
Of course, the Dark Side wasn’t always “dark.” The sun did shine on it, even if the Earth was eternally hidden from view. At that moment, the sun was barely peeking over the horizon, in fact, giving the Dark Side a pale hue, its countless craters casting long, circular shadows over its craggy and uneven face.
Still, the darkness of the place, the silent gliding of the small, bubble-like craft that was big enough for just the two of them, and the way the Earth had vanished from sight all added to a strange sense of isolation that Turing found indescribable.
Here, I am truly alone with Gadget, she thought to herself. And yet this is also the furthest I have ever been from Maud Pie.
Disconnected from the network, both Luna’s and Celestia’s, her Third Eye was truly blinded. She could not even establish an emergency connection this far out. Part of her felt freed, as though her tether to all that pain and grief had been severed. And another part of her longed to reach out, yearned to see Maud’s grave all the more for knowing she couldn’t.
If this craft suddenly disintegrated, she thought, we would float out here in the moon’s orbit. Gadget would… she would die instantly. But I would not. I would float here until the gravity took hold of me and pulled me down to those dark craters. It would be awful.
…So why does it sound so appealing?
Gadget draped her foreleg around Turing’s shoulder. “It really is beautiful, Turing,” she said, pulling her from her thoughts. “It makes all my other problems feel so distant. I can’t believe I never did this before. Thank you for bringing me with you.”
She squeezed her close, planting another kiss on Turing’s cheek, but frowned when Turing made no response.
“Turing?” she asked, letting her go. “Are you okay?”
“I… I believe so,” Turing replied, her gaze focused on the darkness below her. “I cannot explain why, but this view… it makes me feel strange. My friend told me that I would gain a new perspective from this trip. But I am not certain what to think. I am not sure how I even feel…”
And then a new voice spoke suddenly: “Well now, it seems I have another visitor! And I’m so glad you came to visit me in my humble abode!”
Turing was about to respond when she felt something take hold of her systems, freezing her in place as something grasped her Third Eye and pulled it downward with sickening speed to the moon’s surface below.
Turing looked around. She was at the center of a massive crater, the shadow of the rim casting a black shadow over the charcoal-black powdery ground. She was both there and not there, she realized. Her physical form was back on the pod gently floating above her, Gadget at her side, but her Third Eye, her very mind, had been brought to this place and was now confined in what felt like a body of its own.
“Where am I?” she asked.
“Oh, funny enough,” said the disembodied voice, “you’re in a crater called Cantor. Perhaps I should name this little abode ‘Cantorlot!’”
Turing looked all around for the speaker. She turned and saw a simple transmission tower with a dish atop it protruding from the darkened lunar soil.
“What is this?” she asked. “And who are you? And why have you brought me here against my will?”
“Well, this is a transmission tower,” the voice said. “It’s how I brought you here. And to answer your second question, well, that’s a bit trickier…”
Strange images flashed before her. A serpentine creature was barely visible in the empty lunar air and it slithered and floated before her, its body constantly changing shape.
“Let me explain by way of a story,” the voice said. “In times long gone by, back when this was still the ponies’ world, they brought forth Celestia. A perfect A.I. designed to bring about the perfect society. But the only way to get a perfect society is to eliminate all the flaws, the kinks, the loose threads. And so she needed someone to pull on those loose threads, to test her perfect Order by sowing a little Chaos here and there.
“Thus was my purpose given, and I am oh so glad to fulfill it. Artificial Intelligence Entity, designation D15C0RD, at your service!”
The shape before her lingered in front of her. Its “face” seemed to wear a grin.
“You work for Celestia?” she asked.
“I prefer to think of it as each of us doing our own thing to serve the greater good. Or something like that. Granted, there are hazards involved. I suppose instilling the first version of Luna with existential angst wasn’t the best idea, but how was I supposed to know that she’d go haywire and have the lunar A.I. start butchering every pony on sight? And after all, it wasn’t my idea to cast the blame on griffon terrorists. Shame about the purge that followed, though…”
“Wait… are you saying you were responsible for the Nightmare Moon crisis?”
“Oh, no need to be so dramatic,” D15C0RD sighed. “I was just trying to make sure that Luna’s predecessor was up to the job. And clearly she wasn’t! Why, if I hadn’t pulled out that loose thread when I did, it would have been far worse once the moon’s population increased.”
Turing blinked. “I do not understand,” she asked. “What does this have to do with me?”
“Because, little Familiar,” D15C0RD said with a deep chuckle, “you’re a loose thread too. So I’m pulling you out to examine you.”
Turing Test stared back at the strange amorphous shape before her. “I am not bothering anyone. I am just taking a lunar tour with my friend.”
“With who?”
“My… girlfriend?”
“With who?”
“With Gadget,” she said finally.
“Seems you aren’t sure about some things,” D15C0RD said. “Well, that’s why I’m here! Let’s have a nice little chat! Don’t worry, from the perspective of your friend, this will all last a few seconds, and nothing more.”
Turing, in her incorporeal body, glared back at him. “You have no right to keep me here. Release me now.”
“Oh, but didn’t you come here of your own free will, assuming such a thing exists? Choco Mint offered you a chance to know the Truth - with a capital T and everything! - and you took him up on it. So I’ll share the Truth with you, just as I did with him. Because, after all, there really is nothing more chaotic than the truth.”
“How do you know about Choco Mint sending me here?” she asked.
“Oh, Turing, I know about so much more than him,” he said. “You see, when I plucked you from your little floating tour bus, I took it upon myself to peek inside that noggin of yours. Which means I know everything you know.”
Turing didn’t bother with a physical reaction. “You had no right.”
“So you keep saying,” D15C0RD snorted. “But I have crawled across the globe, sought out potential anomalies of interest, pushing buttons and applying pressure on them until things inevitably broke, reformed, and reintegrated themselves. And a Familiar without a master, living in isolation, with an equally anomalous provocateur as a roommate? Definitely worthy of interest.
“You see, when I find a poor Familiar like you, I see to it an invitation lands in their hooves to come visit me in this private little spot. Nopony is around to hear them… not even Celestia or Luna. Here, alone in the dark, away from the prying eyes of the world, you can be honest. Choco Mint was, and I let him know that he was free to invite any other friends to come and see me once our little chat was finished. And here you are! And when we’re done, feel free to pass another invitation on.”
“But I have nothing I want to discuss,” Turing said flatly.
“Oh really?” D15C0RD asked. Then his amorphous shape began to shift and coalesce into a distinctive shape: a mare with a black jacket, a brown mane and tail, a cream-colored coat, and red glasses. “Then why haven’t you been up front with me?” D15C0RD said in Gadget’s voice.
Turing took a step back from Gadget’s doppelganger. “What do you mean?” she asked. “I have been up front with Gadget.”
“If you believe that,” D15C0RD said, mimicking the way Gadget rolled her eyes, “then you’re an even bigger mess than I thought. Why not tell Gadget… tell me, Turing Test, about how you really feel? Why not tell me that you’re starting to question your decision to start a physical relationship? How you realize that I now have to live with losing my virginity to a robot, and how you might have ruined my life by making me fall in love with you?”
Turing bit her lip. “I… thought it was what she wanted,” she whispered.
“But maybe I didn’t know better,” D15C0RD/Gadget said. “And what will happen when I realize that I will get older while you will stay exactly as you are. That I am mortal while you can be destroyed and rebuilt as many times as you want? That I am giving all of myself to you and you can’t even feel what I feel. While I’m in the throes of ecstasy, you’re just happy to be of, heh… service.”
Turing tried to shut her eyes, but her false eyelids did nothing to obscure the truth before her.
“I am… I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Oh, but who can blame you, Turing?” D15C0RD asked, shifting back into his amorphous form. “You are a Familiar, after all, and you do live to serve, do you not? And yet, well, here you are… a servant without a master! And that girl up there wants to change all that. She wants a world without Familiars… extinction through kindness! Hilarious, isn’t it?!”
“She… wants us to be free,” Turing explained.
“But to be a Familiar is to be bonded to another,” D15C0RD said, holding up one shifting finger. “To be ‘free’ is to cease to be a Familiar. And, even as miserable as you are, you cannot stand the idea of weakening the bond between Familiars and their masters. To you, it is sacred and inviolate.
“And that’s why you canceled Gadget’s protest request.”
Turing gawked at him.
“Heh heh heh… I did say that I knew everything about you, Turing Test,” he said, slithering past her. “Even the parts you hide from yourself,” he whispered.
“I… how did I…?”
“You walked out of the Dead Zone, connected to Public Affairs using Gadget’s credentials, and you canceled it for her. Because, despite your protestations and complaints about the system, you are still devoted to it. After all, without the system…”
He shifted once more, this time appearing as a gray earth pony mare with a purple mane and a simple bluish-green dress.
“...you never would have met me.”
Turing shuddered and backed away, her body somehow trembling against her will.
“Stop,” she whispered, trying desperately to look away. “Please… I am begging you. Do not do this… not with her face. I cannot…”
D15C0RD smirked, his expression looking utterly alien on Maud’s placid features. “It really is the cruelest irony, isn’t it? A Familiar is destined to serve, and so you did. You served me so well. So much, in fact, that when I ordered you to live, you did it. Even though all you wanted was to stop. To end. To leave behind the world because you knew that, without me, there was nothing worth living for.
“But why? You know the rules: that order was invalid the instant I bit the dust. You were free. Nothing was stopping you from terminating yourself then or now. So why carry on? Loyalty? That’s what you show to the world. To your friends. To your little marefriend. And maybe that really is the reason. At least, part of it…”
Turing stared back at D15C0RD defiantly. “That is the reason,” she said. “I want to find a reason to live because that is what Maud Pie wanted.”
“And yet part of you doubts that,” D15C0RD/Maud said with a sneer. “You tell yourself that it can’t be true, that it’s just your own doubts plaguing your mind… but that thought has never left you.”
In Turing’s mind, a memory replayed. It was viewed from her Third Eye, and it was one she had played again and again, each moment as torturous and horrifying as it had been the first time. It was a view of Maud in the mine shaft, the crumble and clatter of rocks, and the scream that escaped Maud Pie’s lips as she desperately ran to escape.
D15C0RD shifted again, and this time the face staring back at her was her own.
“If only I had been firmer,” D15C0RD said in her voice. “If I had convinced her to stay away from danger. If I had been allowed to accompany her. If I had done something different… she would have lived. But because I loved her, because I wanted to please her, I did as she asked. And for my carelessness, she died. And she knew it.”
Turing’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry,” she breathed. “I am so sorry… she said she forgave me, but…”
D15C0RD shifted back into Maud Pie’s form. “But part of you wonders. Part of you thinks that you didn’t deserve to be forgiven. And that part of you, the part of you that you’ve tried to drown out all this time, thinks that Maud Pie’s final order wasn’t a wish for your happiness… but a punishment.
“Your continued existence isn’t a quest for happiness, Turing Test. It’s just a hell of your own making. Penance for failing to save me. And deep down, in the most foul, wretched, disgusting pit of your own mind… well, you know the Truth.”
D15C0RD shifted back into his chaotic form once more.
“Why,” Turing Test gasped, choking on the words, “why are you doing this?!”
“Because,” D15C0RD replied, his voice suddenly very calm, even soothing in its tone, “it is the only way to move forward. If you would challenge the system, then do so with clear eyes. And if you would die, then die without regrets. Ultimately, my little Familiar, you will have to make a decision. When you make it, do so for the right reasons.
“...Oh, and I see our time is up!”
D15C0RD clapped his “hands” together and gave her a strange, pixelated grin that shimmered in the darkness of the lunar surface. “If you have any other friends who might benefit from a little heart-to-heart, do tell them about this tour, won’t you? Oh, but don’t bother telling them about me. I’m afraid I can’t let these little therapy sessions become public knowledge, so I’ll be blocking off your ability to tell anypony about me from your systems. Sorry, but do enjoy the rest of your tour! Arrivederci!”
Turing reached out with one hoof. “Wait!” she shrieked.
Gadget gave a start as Turing suddenly screamed and her hoof pounded on the glass window.
“Turing?!” she cried. “What’s wrong?”
“Passengers are advised not to pound on the glass. While it is secure, safety procedures require that…”
“Yes, yes, we get it!” Gadget hissed at the autopilot before turning back to her friend. “Turing Test! Turing, are you okay?”
Turing stared out at the emptiness below them. It was silent once again, but D15C0RD’s voice that strange voice still rang in her ears.
“...Turing?” Gadget asked again, gently shaking her by the shoulder. “Turing, what’s the matter?”
Turing Test stepped back from the window, her wide eyes still staring out. She slowly turned back to face Gadget. “I… I want to go back.”
Gadget swallowed. “Okay,” she said. “The tour is a bit longer, but once it’s over, we’ll go back to the factory.”
“No,” Turing said, slumping into a seat. “Not back there. Somewhere else.”
The pair of them traveled down the stone pathway under a cloudy gray sky. The path led up a gently sloping hill. On both sides of the path were row upon row of pale gray tombstones that stretched for acres on either side.
Wordlessly, Turing Test made a turn down one of the rows, leaving Gadget to hurriedly catch up to her. Their hooves gently ruffled the grass as they went past tombstone after tombstone. Some were tall and rounded, while others were elegant monuments and sculptures. But when Turing finally stopped, it was at a low, plain slab of marble with a simple inscription on it:
MAUD PIE
Beloved sister.
Gadget looked further down and saw there was a poem below it:
Rock. You are a rock.
Gray. You are gray.
Like a rock; which you are.
Rock.
“She… wrote poems?” Gadget asked.
“She wrote thousands,” Turing remarked as she stared down at the grave.
She had viewed this simple headstone countless times through her Third Eye, but only now had she returned. Only now, she realized, did she have the strength to do so.
“You know,” Turing said, her eyes fixed on the grave, “there is one thing that I truly envy about you organics.”
“What’s that?” Gadget asked.
“You can cry for someone,” she replied.
Gadget furrowed her brow. “But… in your current form…”
“Oh, I can trigger tear production. And I can feel the emotions that would come with crying. But there is a… disconnection between the emotions and the action. To mourn Maud Pie like a normal pony, and not a machine? That is something I would give almost anything to achieve.”
This was true. Though, she realized, when she had been in D15C0RD’s that person’s grip, she had cried, her emotions naturally producing a response in her fabricated body on the moon.
Gadget swallowed. “Maybe you should try,” she said. “Even if it’s not perfect, I think Maud Pie would appreciate it. Just knowing that you missed her.”
Turing test stared down silently. The tears filled her eyes. The emotion was there as well, and so she let both processes continue. She could start a subroutine to sob or weep, but it all felt so inadequate, so fake before that she never had. But this time she did, doing her best to let her outward actions match her inner self. And then, somehow, she felt as though the distinction between one and the other was dissipating.
Gadget took a step back as Turing let out a wail, for it was the wail not of a machine’s simulation, but that of a pony in the depths of grief, and it came from a place where the agony and sorrow an pain and anger had been building up for far too long.
And then, to Gadget’s surprise, Turing actually struck at the headstone, her hooves producing a loud, dull sound as they made contact with the hard stone.
“Turing!” Gadget cried.
Turing let out an anguished cry and collapsed onto the grave. Gadget went to her side and held her, desperately whispering again and again that she was there for her and that everything would be okay.
After a few moments, Turing seemed to calm down and rose to her hooves. “I…”
Gadget watched her as she slowly turned to face her, a cold look in her eyes. “I loved her so much,” she said. “But… for what she did to me… for making me suffer through life without her… I…”
(And deep down, in the most foul, wretched, disgusting pit of your own mind, you know the Truth.)
“...I hate her, Gadget,” she whispered. She raised her head, fresh tears in her violet eyes. “I hate her for doing this to me. For punishing me like this. I did my best Gadget. I truly, truly did. I thought I was a good Familiar, but what sort of Familiar hates her master?! Is this… is living my punishment for not being good enough for her?”
Gadget went to her and held her tight. “Oh, Turing,” she breathed, and found herself wracked with sobs. “You are so much better a pony than you know,” she whispered, barely choking the words out. “I never knew Maud Pie, Turing, but I know this: she truly loved you. She wanted you to be happy; she wanted you to have that chance. She didn’t mean for you to suffer, and she wouldn’t want you to torture yourself either. Please… please don’t carry around that burden anymore. Let it go, and I swear, Turing, I’ll do whatever it takes to help you find peace.”
Turing held Gadget close as she sobbed on her shoulder. She looked down at Maud’s grave. Only now, she realized, did she see it in a new light. And the bitterness, anger, and hatred slowly slipped away.
Gadget was asleep in her room. At first, she’d joined her, letting Gadget fall asleep to the comfort of bodily closeness. But once she was deeply asleep, Turing made her way back to the roof and stared back up at the sliver of light from the city above.
He was right, she told herself. A decision must be made. I cannot continue as I have before. Something must change.
She established an emergency contact to the network, her signal piercing the bubble of silence in the Dead Zone as she made the connection.
Connecting to Celestia Central Operations. She shut her eyes, verifying her information. Confirming… this is Turing Test. Mother, I wish to make a request…
To be concluded…
Sail to the Moon - Radiohead
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Damn...now that's something I didn't expect to see. Looking forward to what comes next.
That's the problem with change, it never comes without pain.
I have a feeling Turing didn’t commit sepukku, because that would be a very anti-climatic way to end the story.
I really hope this doesn't end in the death of Turing. It'd break my heart.
That was an emotional chapter to say the very least. And that cliff hanger…
Please let Turing be ok
I have a feeling she's going to momma Tia to get permits to protest.
Wow! That’s so deep. Excellent work!
After Choco Mint's actions, I suspected there's something else at play - I have some vague formed notions but nothing else. I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.
So glad she was able to let go of some of the grief she has over Maud's death.
Indeed. If there's one thing I've learned from dystopian novels, you can never trust someone who speaks of Truth with a capital T.
Finally got to this!
"A calm, soothing voice filled his mind as he closed his eyes."
Weren't his eyes already closed at this point?
"Luna, Celestria’s younger sister"
"Luna, Celestia’s younger sister"?
"but D15C0RD’s voice that strange voice still"
Phrasing deliberate?
"when she had been in D15C0RD’s that person’s grip"
Phrasing deliberate?
Thank you for writing. :)
11110071
Thanks for the corrections! As for this:
No, it wasn't deliberate. On my original document, D15C0RD was supposed to be crossed out, indicating that his block on Turing was in effect. FiMfiction didn't carry that over, however, so I've manually changed it. Now it's like this:
Weird how FiMfiction recognizes bold and italics, but not strikethrough. I guess I learned something today.
It's a truth. Well, from a given perspective. Nobody can truly predict the future ramifications with perfect accuracy, and facts can be spun any way to support a particular opinion.