Chapters 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.
3 Ponies and A Supercomputer
The air was thick. It felt as though the weight of the world began to bear upon us. Our room began to feel increasingly hot. GM wanted us out. Stepping into the tunnels we saw it. Big, grotesque and wondrous; six legged and four armed; colorful and vibrant; it was like a harlequin that bore two faces and two masks, though both unsettlingly delighted. This horror looked us down. We were easy quarry. A black residue slowly dripped from its body as it crawled towards us.
“Swift.. Lucky…” Lyra murmured. The creature halted its advance. It stood its ground watching our movements. We stood little chance of evading this creature.
“For the Goddesses sakes! Give us something to defend ourselves!” Lucky howled to the ceiling. Three crudely constructed spears began to materialize in front of us. Useless. We all grabbed one then circled around, drawing in closer to the beast. Fearlessly I stabbed my spear through torso of the beast with all the force a starved pony could manage. The spear disintegrated. Big mistake.
The Horror howled, it was as if a stallion was screaming at his most in fear, It thrashed about. I hit the wall right of it. My body ached from the immense trauma. It charged after Lyra and Lucky next; Lucky dashed out of its way. Lyra wasn't as fortunate… All that was left was her gored remains smashed into the wall.
“Shit!” Lucky scowled. He was flying a few feet above the ground behind the beast. Wrong place. In an instant before he could react the beast swung around bringing the full weight of its arms down on Lucky. His wings were all I could see of his crushed remains.
It slowly turned towards me. Huh.. I felt a warm sensation in my side. I am bleeding… I almost didn't notice. As it started towards me, my eyes slowly blacked out…
+---^--^--^----~----
Alive. I woke up, whole and intact. I was on a metal bed that barely reached my length. The room was dimly lit, but I could make out a hexagonal shape to it. There was a large metal cylinder rising from the middle of the room to the ceiling. There were other beds. One for each wall. Stepping onto the cool floor I fell, my side ached. There’s no mark… Nothing was left of the gash in my side. Pulling myself up, I limped around the room checking around every bed. One bed then two and so forth. four were empty. Then the final two came. And there they were, Lyra the unicorn and Lucky the pegasus. They almost seemed cute, peaceful even. Lying on the beds asleep, I kicked them both over.
“Hey!” Lucky barked. Lyra seemed to wake up red and in a daze.
“Get over it.” I wasn’t hanging around any longer than I had to.
When we all got around to leaving, we found ourselves in an unfamiliar place. Our hexagonal room exited into an underground warehouse of sorts. Always keeping us guessing GM? The room was large, huge actually, we could be wandering for hours before finding a way out. There were great stacks of cargo containers everywhere. And the wall and ceiling supports seemed to ache under pressure. Lyra feeling a sudden burst of courage decided to lead. A light glow from her horn soon became a bright light illuminating the way for us, she slowly walked forward.
There was an abundance of waste and debris in this warehouse, climbing all the way to the ceiling even. Many pathways either looked too treacherous cross or were blocked outright.
In different times this place would have been one of many warehouses stockpiling weapons, support equipment, and Goddesses knows what else the government had developed. In the end, places like these would have merely prolonged the world's survival from its impending destruction.
Crawling under a metal rafter that had fallen ages ago I joined with Lyra. She made a fire from the junk that was around. We had no food still, but the fire kept us warm and provided at least a small feeling of safety (not that safety mattered). Had we not been weakened crossing this place would have been easy. Still though, I had to climb and walk everywhere. Lyra when she had at least a little energy could float over most large obstacles. And Lucky could just fly everywhere, flying even in such extreme situations was manageable for most Pegasi. Unicorns and Pegasi have it easy…
The fire burned, flicking light in all directions. Lucky was away, He had left earlier to “scout”. Lucky, at least during the old days, was a scout for the Pegasi, or so he says...
The warehouse was completely dark except for our fire, though most of the time every place in the underground was. Many functions down here had long since ceased to function, much of this world mattered little to GM, it gave no thought of preserving most of what was left. GM gave us light every once in awhile, just to help keep time. Time, it never mattered for us, but for it, GM, time was almost everything. That light also was a rare commodity.
“Hey..” Lyra always had a kind of inquisitive look about her. The kind that made ponies think before they spoke to her. “Can I ask you something?” She always, even after so long, had a question to ask. It was her ability to constantly remain perceptive and inquiring that was lost on me.
“What?” I asked. Questions grew old.
“Can you tell me the story of how we met. All of us, you, me, Lucky? It's been so long... I just can’t remember everything like I once could.” We had been here for years, so long that I can’t remember how much time has past. With GM we are immortal. And even though our bodies stay preserved our minds are a different matter…
Feeling a bit willing I began to tell the story, as best as I could, there was no point in denying her in the end. “We all met during the end of the Great War. For years there had been stalemate, No force could cause a change in power, and even though towards the end the war favored us, the ponies of Equestria lived in constant fear of enemy attacks.
“The Manehattan metropolitan area had seen staggering growth during the war; Resources had to come in and out of the city easily. And so did the millions of ponies living there. Most of the growth was centered on the Manehattan subway system. This system eventually connected to all of the major cities of Equestria, excluding only Canterlot”.
“Why did it exclude Canterlot?” She asked.
“No one really has a clear answer as to why, some speculated it was for defense reasons to deny the enemy a clear way into the capital and a clear way to the Princesses, some say that those aristocrates didn’t want to be reminded that a war was going on to keep living out their lavish lives with their chateaux and the Grand Galloping Gala each year.
“So getting to our part of it now. When the final air raid sirens went off I was at the gym. I had been an aspiring runner during those days. Even though I never made it to the professionals, I still trained everyday. I don’t remember much of the details on what happened next, I remember going to the subway because it would have been the safest place in the city, and then something happened and I was alone…
“Lucky said that he was stationed back in the mainland during those times, having been given orders to escort something along with a team in Manehattan, that ‘something’ according to him naturally made its way underground.
“You told us that you lived in Ponyville, far from any major transit station. And that you worked as a musician there alongside a choir.”
“I played the lyre with the choir… yes. I remember a little now… It was the Ponyville choir. But that wasn’t just it, if I remember right…” She said, of the three of us I knew the least about Lyra. She’d rather most of the time be searching for something, anything really. Innocent in a way she had always seemed, but I’ve been around her too long to let myself believe that completely.
“Well if it ain’t the two lovebirds” a voice said from the shadows. Lucky was not back yet.
“Son of a…”
3 Ponies and A Supercomputer
It was too late. The machine had it’s way once again. The voice of the shadows echœd into my very being, pounding away at my insides. It was a tangible presence. That initial burst was said with a groping sensation of my insides. It was said with the splitting sensation of a whip upon my back. And it was said with a domineering pull of my head, of a bridle that could have been. The overbearing of its will over my mind made me capitulate. Closing my eyes I felt a drift.
Lyra struggled. The words that pierced my being resonated through her. We were kept in place, there around the fire. I was able to open my eyes, just a little at that moment. And at that moment I could see a shadow coming off of the fire that was there. It grew and grew, gaining in size in all ways. It seemed to retain a viscous form throughout the whole process. A blob it began as, but then as it ached and stirred as it began to take a shape. It seemed embryonic, until it stopped.
Before us layed a creature my eyes have never seen before. Thereon in front of us it stood tall, in a bipedal form. It’s flesh was darker than the night, and hair clung all over its body. It stood proud with a musculature that was unbelievable. It possessed a tail of a Peacock and a head of the Mule. The creature that GM had placed here for us made no move, with it’s chin held high looking as though we were unworthy of its presence. Suddenly the grasp that had held me and Lyra in capitulation let go. We fell to the ground before the beast, and we breathed heavily. While we were there a foul stench hit our snouts. It was a putrid smell that brought water to my eyes, and I could tell it intensified closer towards the beast. That beast, a Dæmon incarnate, reeked of burning flesh .
He lifted a hand up, beckoning us towards him, but we would not move. Even after all of the horrors that I have faced this one seemed to instill a kind a artificial fear in me. It beckoned to us again. This time I stood up trembling. Lyra seemingly enchanted by this beast stood up and took a step forward. Something about this creature had flooded Lyra’s mind with memories of old. She timidly approached the creature slowly as it commanded. So far it had made no indication of attack. Lyra got even closer to the beast, seemly undeterred by its aura, she looked up at him.
“Is this a human---” said Lyra
“Silence!” The beast said. It was a powerful shout, however, these words did not bring us down like the previous ones. I had a feeling that this was not what had spoke earlier.
I eyed the shadows around the fire, that didn’t seem to die. With the fire’s flickering I saw new forms all around us, taking all shapes. A bead of sweat formed on my brow, sliding down my face. Where the hell was Lucky. Lyra wasn’t taking notice of what was all around us, and that creature remained silent. That silence was broken, however, when a new creature came out of the shadows behind us.
“I saw you two hanging around the fire there. I thought maybe I’d join in,” the new creature said coming towards us. His features were of decay, most of which was covered by the hood and robe he donned. He moved slowly, looking like a hunchback. The creature, that stood like a monolith before, looked straight at the Hunchback. “Now we don’t need there to be any problems do we,” The Hunchback said. He was confident even before the monolithic creature that had been with us.
“Go, Live another day,” he said to the Hunchback. Me and Lyra watched in dreaded anticipation for what would unfold.
“I have made plans for tonight, and I they start off here. I will go where I please, and you cannot stop me.” The air became cold, and time seemed to slow before the two. What the Hell am I watching. A straight to Goddesses conversation is happening right in front of me. And it isn’t between one of us. This must be GM’s doing, but even after all of the years, it never sent something like this to us. Seemingly intelligent creatures!!!
The monolithic beast stared down the Hunchback. What unfolded was not what we had anticipated. The Hunchback moved towards us. And then in a split moment, as he began to kneel to sit, he burst into flames. He let out a long terrible scream that was deafening to hear. My ears felt as if were blistering as he rolled all along the floor. Lyra went down to her elbows from the noise. The scream didn’t let up, it kept going and going. The monolithic creature then went to him, and, with a single hand, grabbed and lifted the Hunchback up through the flames, tossing him into the shadows that had engulfed all of his light. We did not see him after that. The shadows from the fire dissipated.
“You have seen what happened to that vile creature, you have seen what happens to those who do not follow as I say,” The monolithic creature said to us. “Now come over to me.” After seeing what had just occurred we made no argument. “Good. now you, the green one, lift up your hoof.” Lyra slowly lifted her hoof up at his command, and the beast placed something there for her. “Keep this red cloth close to you until I say otherwise, do not lose it or I will do onto you what I did onto him.” He looked back in the direction that he had threw the monster before. “Understand,” He said. I had a feeling it wasn’t a question.
“Yes-s,” Lyra said. She was half way in fear and in amazement with the creature that was before her.
“Now, the both of you may call me Adramelech. We will be travelling together for awhile,” Adramelech said. What is going on!?
