3 Ponies and A Supercomputer

Broken, laid the body of Lucky on the steps; bruised and bloodied he did not move, he did not breathe, he did not give notice to the cold shrill breeze that filled the room. He had his back left leg broken, his front hooves mangled and his right ear ripped off. The hair from his scalp was ripped from his face. Wings that were present were no more. Blood dripped down the steps; The mural to the Goddesses towered over the steps, their mural long stained in the world today. The dark room that was the sanctuary, house of Pain (as we called it), was silent as we left; leaving Lucky’s body to whatever fate has begot it.

When Lucky rejoined us we did not waste time contemplating what happened; We turned away, vomited, and knew that we had been tricked by the machine. The machine had its way with us once again, done its thing, and left us the pieces. Lucky had no memory of the incident, his body was whole once again. When we told him he just paled, Looked away into the dark, silent.

We had been in these tunnels for years, and still the machine tricks us. Every. Time. The machine always had its fun sending us into its traps, its lair’s, and damn well anywhere it chose. We knew no escape from the labyrinth. We would travel for months looking for the “gifts of life” he bestowed us, but it made no difference, we would find something, food, water, or shelter and have it be putrefied, contaminated, or decrepit. Lucky was laying with his face down on the ground, Lyra kneeled beside him, gently brushing his head. He murmured “What is it waiting for? Goddesses, Can’t it just let us die already?”.

That's how we all felt. The machine wouldn't ever let us die. We are slaves to it, play things. He would break his toys and always patch them up. We had given up on dying years ago.

The machine, Goddess Mainframe really, as those in antiquity called him. It. It is a computer that was used in the last Great War. As the times changed so did warfare, soldiers were replaced by machines, and strategists eventually replaced by computers. Of course none of these marvels were available for the common pony. The Royals in Canterlot took whatever they needed for the war, and left nothing for the ponies of Equestria to live on. Eventually the center couldn’t hold anymore.

We had spent considerable time in our room that connected to the tunnels before we noticed the scribbling on the walls, figures. Honestly, it's a miracle it (GM) has left us alone for so long. After we read the hieroglyphs that it was (basically), determining it to be the ramblings of a mad stallion, I sat down. “I ain’t going,” I told them.

“But why Swift, we’ve got nothing to lose. I’m starving to death, and think about it maybe there will be some food or something there.” Lyra pleaded to me.

“There will be nothing but disappointment there, like always! And you’re not starving to death, not that death is a concern with the machine here.”

“But-t-t”

“We will travel up and down these eternal hallways, facing goddesses know what, and all for nothing. If the tin can wants us to starve to death then let it do so. And, Don’t you remember what happened the last time with those “exotic” dishes we went for.”

“But I just want to try something, anything” tears started to form in her eyes. It was her big defense, the once bright Lyra Heartstrings now resorts to crying when she doesn’t get her way. We both looked to Lucky for some input. Once the pegasus saw us looking at him he just shrunk away.

Eventually I gave in. What the hell. Not like we would be safe much longer. But there actually was usually an incentive to make these travels, be it half putrefied food, or escape from whatever hell's it had presently set at our doorstep for us. And realizing only now, far too late… At this moment the incentive was probably both. Goddesses! What did it bring for us now.