> The Storyteller > by Wonder > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The Fall > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Personal Log- Entry 1 The world wasn't always like this. We didn't truly have peace like these creatures do. Our world wasn't beautiful like this one. We didn't nurture it. We murdered it. Where you now see fields of green and ancient forest were once endless expanses of concrete and steel. My people had a thirst for growth that could not be quenched and a lust for power that would not be tamed. We were naive, foolish even. We were blinded by our own pursuits. We had intelligence but we lacked wisdom. We had health but we wanted immortality. No matter how much we grew or how much we learned, we were never content. This ultimately led to our downfall. I was a but a child when the federation was born. I celebrated like everyone else at the peace our race had achieved. All countries unified under one banner, one goal and one belief. To strive forward and make the world a better place. To many it was a dream come true. With the resources of the world focused on a single achievable goal we flourished. It was only a year later that the Eden project began. Imagine a device that could restore the vegetation and clean the rivers. Bring back life to our dying world. It was our first triumph. Unfortunately on the day it was to be activated, something went wrong. Many lives were lost. While Eden did it's job, it did so at a cost. It didn't restore, it terraformed. seventy-three million lives were extinguished in moments. The entire City of Everfree was destroyed. The project was shut down and its activation was postponed. Indefinitely. We mourned the dead, sealed off the sector and moved on with our lives. Our next breakthrough came about only a few years later. For centuries our need for electricity had been destroying the planet. We had all but run out of coal to burn and fossil fuel was now a rarity. If we couldn't restore the world we would work on way to prevent further damage. From this idea the Ion project was born. There were a few setbacks along the way but eventually we succeeded. The first Ion core was completed when I was nearly a man. Many years of research in one small capsule. Completely Eco friendly. No emissions of any kind. It was our races salvation. After that things moved quickly. Transportation was improved upon vastly. Flying cars became a reality. Roads were all but forgotten now that we had the sky. If we needed power, Ion provided. Some resisted the idea but they were few in number. Ion was our savior and some believed it literally. For a time there was peace but even then we were not happy. We would squabble like children and the anger built up over time into rage. Only one thing came from our rage. Fire. A fire that consumed the whole world. One of the member nations sought to harness the power of Ion for their own gain. From it they devised weapons of wars. Tanks that could turn invisible and strike when you least expected. Suits that could withstand the blast of an atom bomb. Guns that could turn men into ash. Bombs that could erase a city from existence. The federation caught wind of their schemes and took action, but it was too late. War broke out. The newly created empire rose against use. We retaliated with our own weapons. The world suffered the most from our war. We left scars on the planet that would never heal. Both sides were losing and it seemed that we would all die for our crimes. I was with my father when the sirens sounded. I knew what was to come and I was scared. My father, a scientist of the federation, took me to his lab. He was frantic, talking about it being the only way. I didn't know why at the time but he commanded me to enter a pod. I didn't understand what it was but he seemed desperate. I obeyed. Looking back I wish I hadn't. He sealed me inside and the last thing I saw was a bright light and the city was turned to ash and the smile of my father, knowing he had saved his son. I do not know how long I was asleep. I cannot even begin to guess. But my awakening was not pleasant. When the pod opened all I did was cry. I didn't even acknowledge the world around me. The new creatures that inhabited this world of mine tended to me like they would a child. I may as well have been a child. Many days later I came to bearings with my new world. Against all odds life had found a way. I can only guess as to how but civilization was reborn. But humans were gone. Though they do not speak in a language I can understand, the ponies here are intelligent. They have become the dominant species through their mutations. Some have abilities that I can only explain as magic. Others have the ability to fly. The rest seem rather plain but display immense levels of strength. They are doing well for themselves. The one I assume is their leader has taken me under her wing, sometimes literally. She seems rather intrigued with me. She attempts communication but only visual communication seems effective. I do feel lonely on this world but I find comfort in the actions of my... friends, I guess you could call them. Seems wrong to call them pets. They are, after all, the dominant species. I hope that these logs won't simply serve as a hobby but as reminder. Maybe one day these ponies will learn to translate this or maybe even another human may one day appear in circumstances similar to mine and read this. If either is to happen, then I now address this to you. Do not seek power you cannot control. It will ultimately destroy you, like it did us. Do not make the same mistakes as us. I wish I could write more but the purple one seems to be wanting my attention. Until next time. > Charades are not an effective way of communication. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Personal log- Entry 43 Communication is slow. Through what I assume is some form of charades I have learn somethings of this species, though I am not sure of the accuracy of my information without someway to confirm my findings to the mentioned species. The names of my carers are almost definitely inaccurate considering the randomness of their names. I cannot imagine somebody being called Pink Pie. Other names I have managed to have most likely incorrectly guess are as follows. Dusk, which seems odd for a female name. Other possible names for the purple one could be Sunset, Eve or Twilight. I am leaning towards her name being Eve. Seems like the most sensible name so far. The orange one is named after something apple related, though I am unsure of what. I have taken to calling her Apple to keep this simple. Rainbow Sprint is definitely incorrect. I've actually started to think these aren't even names they are acting out. Many of the names do seem to have something to do with the symbols emblazoned on their rears. Maybe they are telling what theirs cultural tattoos mean and not their names? It is a possibility. The alabaster pony's name is still a mystery and I have considered giving up on her name and labeling her that other pony. All I know is that she has an affinity for gems. I have kept a note of this for later use. The last of my care takers seems to be rather... intrigued by me. Another name I cannot guess through charades but I will be calling Beast Lord for my own amusement. She shows larges levels of maternal affection towards me and is very shy around new ponies. I feel that she may have somehow imprinted upon me. I have noticed she acts the same way towards wild creatures. Maybe she believes I am a lost animal... How shameful. Reduced to the level of a simple animal. Even the rabbit seems to be of high rank than me. Among other things, I have managed to ascertain a small understanding of my discovery. I took many hours of guesswork and a fair amount of pictures to describe my word but eventually I gained a somewhat simplified version of event. Apparently there was some form of construction or renovation being performed in the city on the mountain, which I have named Aurea. During the aforementioned construction the ponies dug their way into the ruins of the Helix. The main research facility of the Federation. It seems the entire tower had remained standing and over time had been enveloped by the earth, forming the mounting on which Aurea now stood. I find this to be quite fascinating and have made a note to research this further. After discovering the ruins, a group was sent in to explore. They discovered many corpses of staff and civilians. They discovered a human inside a glass capsule and brought it to the surface. The purple one, Eve, somehow activated the pods revival function and that is when I awoke. I am extremely vested in returning the Helix. If the building is still in tact then perhaps I can use it's facilities to my advantage. I drew the Helix on the chalkboard and expressed my desire to go there. Eve seemed to be in agreeance. Judging by the way she is currently rushing around the tree it appears she is wanting to leave immediately. Apple, Rainbow, Pink, Beast Lord and the other one also seem to be interested in coming with us. I see no problem with them attending but the other one is beginning to concern me. She seems to be giving me looks of contempt. I have a feeling she is reading my mind and hearing me call her other. To test this I have begun calling her it but she has not reacted so I am fairly certain that is not the case. I am uncertain of where her anger spawns from but I will be keeping a close eye on her. I'm sure those horns are also useful for stabbing so I will remain two meters from her at all times. For now, I must prepare to leave to Aurea. > The power of Ion > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Personal log- Entry 44 This is better than I could have imagined. The building is almost perfectly preserved. The northern spiral has been damaged between floors twelve and thirty-four and seven of the connector bridges have been sheared right off from the initial blast but thanks to the Kinetic Field most of the debris that would have struck the building was deflected. It seems that only the shockwave caused any real damage. Upon further inspection I have found that many of the facilities systems are functional although they lack the power required to use them. Eve has been speaking non-stop since she entered the Helix. She seems excited. She has probably never seen technology from my time before. The equivalent would be me walking onto an alien mothership. While alien life hasn't been disproven, it would still surprise the hell out of me. I have checked some of the labs in hope of finding something useful but everything in the damn place requires power. It is unlikely but perhaps the Ion reactor is still operable. If I see what is wrong with it I may have a chance of fixing but I don't want to get my hopes up. The lights are off for a reason and I doubt it's a good one. Thankfully I managed to find a flashlight is one of the labs. As with everything from my time it is powered by Ion. Specifically an Ion cell. From memory I can recall several Ion storage devices. Cells powered small electronics such as phones and remotes. A core could power large object like cars. Ion generator were less common and were expensive but could power small towns if required. Mostly people got their power from the grid so it was uncommon to see them outside of hospitals and places that required emergency power supplies. Ion reactors were the second most powerful of the series. Reactors were large in size, being twelves meters in height and eight in diameter. They could provide power to an entire city with plenty to spare. For this reason they were always kept secure as they were also very dangerous. A reactor overload could result in catastrophic damage. My father taught me much of what he knew in while he worked here much to my mother's chagrin but at least the information was usefull. He once told me of the most powerful Ion system ever created, although most of it was just rumors. The Ion Drive was suspected to have been build in secret to power some sort of military device. Unfortunately that was the extent of the rumors. But I'm getting off topic. With the lights of it was difficult to explore far but the torch did help. I made sure to keep the ponies in my sight. It would be easy for them to get lost in here. After all, the Helix was appropriately named after its design. It was originally going to be called Double Helix but everyone thought Helix by itself sounded better. Every corridor looked the same and if you weren't careful you could find yourself lost in its labyrinth. The blue flying pony seems to be getting restless as a write this and keeps pulling m҉~y҉ ҉a҉m҉nrm҉ my arm. I believe she wishes to go further into the helix. I looked to the main group for confirmation and Eve nods to me. For a moment it seemed like she understood what I wanted without words being relayed. Are we developing a bond from being in close proximity or is this just coincidence... maybe it's just common sense. I never really was one for logic. I just wish I could talk to these adorable ponies. It would make things so much easier. > The blue one is rather odd > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Personal log- Entry 45 Further exploration revealed nothing of consequence. The blue one seems fascinated by it all, zipping from lab to lab. See did find something I found quite intriguing. Apparently the members of lab four-seven-zero had been working on something called the Titan project. I found a few pieces of what look like armour but they seem too large to fit me. The armour is rather bulky in design, seeming to be designed more practical than aesthetics. I am not sure who it was designed for, but the wearer must have been enormous. At least eight feet tall, judging by what armour I could find. Rainbow adorned the helmet but kept crashing due to the added weight. She threw it on the table after seeing me laugh at her. Apparently she doesn't take well to being made a fool of. She made gestures and spoke to me. Judging from her attitude I think she was asking what was so funny. She reminds me of my sister in a way. Never did like my sister, but this pony is relatively likable. Maybe it's because she's fuzzy. It does seem they have a calming effect but maybe that's just the fact that they're the only sentient creatures around. I must admit it is odd not having any humans to talk to but I am mostly content with playing charades with these equines. Mostly. There are things I can do with humans that I cannot do with these creatures. I cannot speak to them... well I can but they can't speak back. I definitely can't have a conversation. That would take hours of charades. That would probably be the biggest problem with me. Humans are naturally sociable so how do I fit in with these creatures. By all rights I should have died with my people but it is too late to dwell on the past. What's done is done. Mother always said to go with the flow so I guess I do that. These ponies do hold secrets that baffle me, so at least I can busy myself with studying them. For example, I have found something quite extraordinary. This speedy blue pony that always causes chaos and seems to be noisier than a construction site somehow managed to sneak up behind me and has been looking at me write for what must have been the past five minutes. Apparently she can be quiet when she wants to. If that's not a miracle then I don't know what is. Blue ponies are stupid. Was hoping she might somehow understand the words somehow but she seems to think the words are important. I may have to close this entry here. She is tapping me rapidly for some reason. She seems startled. Maybe scared. > Everyone has their fear, at least most do. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Personal log- Entry 63 To this day I still do not remember what made me interested in the military. My father was a scientist and my mother... well she was opposed to war, to say the least. When the war broke out she was at the front of the protests. I guess you could say she was a modern day hippy. Despite all this I somehow became fascinated with war. I often found myself reading up on the history of wars and the evolution of weaponry. To think that something a simple as a bladed weapon could be so effective. It wouldn't do anything against modern armour but it was still impressive. I always did have a thing for blades. This is perhaps one reason why I enjoy this new world. Almost every guard carries a sword! I'm not even sure how these equines could even hold them, excluding their unicorn brethren. Sadly when I tried to ask to use it, they didn't take it so well. Ended up in a cell until Eve bailed me out. Surprising how much influence she has. She just appeared and they let me out. I have a few theories but they're all most likely wrong. On the bright side I've learned a lot about my caretakers over the last month. Just two weeks ago in fact, I found out the Rainbow is afraid of the protection units. She ended up spotting an inactive one in The Helix. She thought it was a dead human and freaked out. She still won't go back in the building. Poor thing. They all seem to have their own little fears. Most of them at least. The pink one is practically immune to fear. I've tried everything from jump scares to faking a murder scene and she doesn't even flinch. I think she might be evil in some way or another. Pink's friend, Eve, seems afraid of casadias for no apparent reason, don't ask me how I found out. You don't want to know. The other pony is afraid of anything dirty. She seems to like things to be clean and orderly. I think she may suffer from mild form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. For example, she went out of her way to clean my shirt when she spotted a single stain on it. It's nice that she cleaned my clothes but she could have asked before ripping the clothes from my body. Thank the gods my pants weren't dirty. Beast Lord is afraid of pretty much... everything. She screamed when I sneezed once. Apparently they can scream. She seems fine with animals though. A bit too much. I am unsure of what Apple's fear could be. She owns a farm so she isn't afraid of getting dirty and she has fought of strange wood foxes, so I'm not sure she is scared of much. She seems like the type to punch fear in the face... Do horses punch? Maybe hoof them in the face but that sounds a little odd. Nevertheless I will have to test a few things out. She must have something she is afraid of. Hopefully she doesn't punch me before I find out. > Not the world I thought it was. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Personal Log- Entry 67 I may be losing my mind but I swear I heard Eve speak a word of English. She had me in her basement with all her gadgets which were medieval compared to what we had in my time. She kept talking to me which I thought was pointless considering I couldn't understand her. Maybe she was talking to herself or something. She was reading from multiple books and kept looking at machines so I gather she was experimenting on something. Maybe me for all I know. I was considering leaving when she said it. Out of nowhere she said 'possibly'. In pure unadulterated English. I am ashamed to admit it but I jumped in surprise. I'm not sure if she even knew what she said but she definitely noticed my reaction. She circled something on a list she had drawn up and pushed me hurriedly out of her home. She seemed excited. I'm still not even sure if I had heard her right but maybe she was learning my language from that book she found in the Helix. Finally I wouldn't have to act out my sentences! I'm wondering if there is a way I could help her translate but that doesn't seem possible without knowing what she is attempting to say. While I may not be of help in translating, I did discover something very... concerning. While I knew the ponies were wary of the forest nearby, I didn't believe their fears were valid but not even three days ago I saw a viscous beast of some sort. Some form of reptile. I guess you could call it a hydra. It came out of nowhere and attacked the town. It almost ate a young pony child. Thankfully I managed to grab the tiny thing and run to safety. She seemed upset that she lost her hair bow thingy but at least she's safe. Now I face the problem of Apple tackling me to the ground and hugging me every time she sees me. I'm not entirely sure but I believe it was her sister I had saved. While it is adorable in it's own way, it is getting tiring. Especially for my ribs. She has strong arms... hoofs? I'm not sure what I find scarier, the beast or this mare. The hydra would have eaten me and Apple is trying to suffocate me. If I am going to die, I think I would prefer the quick way out. I know I am rambling but this is my journal and I say it whatever way I want. It's just surprising to me that such creatures exist in a world as colourful as this. These ponies might be in serious danger. I guess this world isn't as perfect as I thought. > Back to the Helix > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Personal Log- Entry 83 Well holy crap. Eve is actually learning English. These furry little ponies never cease to amaze me. She somehow spoke a full sentence today. Although somewhat broken, I'm pretty sure 'You is under knowing my saying words?' counts as a sentence, even if it is the worst translation I've ever heard. But hey, progress is progress. Speaking of progress, the big white horse that I have decided to call Big One sent a letter to Eve today. Through broken English and a painful round of charades I think they found something interesting in the ruins of the Helix. They don't have a word for anything in the building, so I'm guessing they want me to tell them what it is that they actually found. The others mares are busy packing their saddles bags so I'm assuming this will be an extended visit. Unfortunately I have nothing to pack so I am stuck watching them. At least they are kinda cute so I won't be completely bored. Damn, why are these creatures so adorable. If these things existed back in my time, they would have been a hit with kids. I'm a little curious as to how we are getting there, this time. The train is fun and all but I really would like to try out one of those chariots. They look unsafe but fun at the same time. ...oh, never mind. Eve is holding train tickets. She has to suck the joy out of everything. Even if it's unintentional. Apple is starting to concern me. While I am now used to all the unnecessary hugs she has been giving me, after all I did save her sisters life, I am not used to is her cuddling me. She has had her hooves wrapped around my torso and been nuzzling me for the past seven minutes. She doesn't even seem concerned that other ponies are looking at her odd. Her friends seem to be finding it hilarious as they are just watching and giggling as I use Apple's head as a bench to write on. We have at least an hour before we get to Aurea. Sixty minutes of boring cuddle filled minutes. Normally I wouldn't care about waiting but this would seems to be affecting me on a mental level. Maybe there is something in there atmosphere that has an affect on human physiology. Only time will tell. > State of disrepair > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Personal Log- Entry 84 I can not believe it. I have no idea how but these ponies manage to find a working C-U-37. With it could get most of the Helix working. I would prefer a more modern construction unit but it's a start. The unit is bulky and unpleasant to look at but at least the robot seems to be completely undamaged and I've set to work restoring its power supply. I manage to hook it up to a spare solar panel I found in one of the labs which I've placed outside. Unfortunately the C-U-37 is too heavy to move so I had to find a few extension cords. I'm just hoping that the energy from the panel will be enough to jump start the Ion core inside the unit. Only time will tell. In the meantime I been searching the Helix for any more useful pieces of tech. I managed to find a portable holocom which once I find an energy source for it will be of great use. That's probably the most annoying thing about the Helix. Without power, almost everything is useless. Our greatest achievement is also our greatest weakest. We were too dependent on our technology. I wanted to explore further but yet again lack of power is getting in my way. I have been unable to access the southern spiral. Emergency blast doors have separated both towers. I definitely need to get to the reactor and fix it. Once the construction unit is complete, I'll program to clear the debris in the damaged floors. The stairwells are also in a state of disrepair. I can't get past floor ninety-four. We seem to be stuck on the top several floors for now. When I get that robot working it's going to have it's work cut out for it. I almost feel sorry for the thing. I've sent to ponies away so I can focus. I need to think of what to do next. > The depths of Helix > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Personal Log- Entry 87 Success! The energy from the solar panel managed to jump start the Ion core inside the C-U-37. I've checked it's memory for anything useful but so far all I've found is a few automated protocols set up from before the war. I've instructed it to clear debris along major routes. Sadly it's too big to fit in the stairwells so my goal is to get to one of the maintenance elevator shafts and climbs down to the reactor. You would think that climbing down an elevator shaft would be difficult but thanks to the spiraled shape of the Helix's twin structures it'll be more like a steep hike than a climb. From what I remember, only one elevator in each tower goes all the way down to the reactor so hopefully I remember which one is which. The C-U37 has a tough job ahead of it so it wont happen over night but it will happen soon. I don't envy the machine. All I can do now is wait, so I guess I'll hang out with Eve and her friends. Perhaps she has made some development with her translations. Hopefully the days of charades is over.