My Little Progress : Technology Isn't Magic - Thread 46

I miss old comedy about pony have internet and then... Porn about anon.

>>30652671
be the change you want to see in the world

>>30652739
But that requires work

File: 1431306742777.gif (822KB, 488x525px)

822KB, 488x525px

If someone would have missed it Writefag_Is_Kill updated his story here: >>30649323 .

>>30653300
He said he was going to post in the new bread, aka this one, just wait a bit more

Hello!
Need help.
Looking for greens with tinkerer Anon in it, no super advanced tech. Would appreciate links, or at least names of writefags/stories.

>>30653693
Sadly the fic is dead but I remember enjoying this when it first came out

>Anon-no-mouse
http://pastebin.com/Vqp0BN4V (Anon Means Business)

It's about Anon opening a shop and selling stuff lightbulbs and batteries.

>>30653693
PeteQ's story might interest you
http://pastebin.com/9H8f7A0s

>>30654336
>>30653911
Good shit, too bad its dead.

>>30653659
He posted a paste.

>>30655065
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ He also said he was going to dump in this thread so whatever

“Careful… Just a little higher.”

>Lyra carefully levitated the package higher and higher.
>This was delicate spellwork that warranted the greatest of care.
>If she messed this up, it could be a massive setback to her work.
>And this work was of the utmost importance!
>If she failed at this, she might as well just give up on everything!
>Without this one act there was no meaning, no hope!
>THIS was the MOST important task she’d ever undertaken!
>And the greatest challenge of her LIFE!

>”What are you doing?”

“Oh, heya Bonny!”

>Lyra didn’t turn around to face her friend.
>There was no need to.
>She knew what she’d see anyway.
>Bon-Bon was standing in the doorway, reluctant to leave the warmth and comfort of home.
>She’d just opened the door halfway.
>Partially to preserve heat.
>But mostly because the snow buildup on their step wouldn’t allow her to open it any further.
>The sweeping winds would occasionally blow a healthy cloud of powder snow between the two obstructing vision.
>Which was a terrible shame.
>Bon-Bon deserved to see this unhindered.

“I’m making ART!”

>She dropped the massive snow boulder atop the other, making a three high stack of frozen water.
>her creation stood half again as high as their home.
>It was perfect.

>”You know snow ponies are usually longer than they are tall, right?”

“This isn’t a pony. It’s… umm. I don’t know what it is!”

>She waded through the deep snow toward the neighbor’s home.
>And then she ripped three branches off a fallen tree.
>The icy winds had taken their toll on the local flora, felling many trees beneath the weight of ice and snow.
>She buried a branch on either side of her creation.

“Two great big wings.”

>And then she shoved the third in its back.

“And a beefy leg coming out of the neck!”

>For the finishing touch she embedded several stones in the top snowball making a great big goofy grin.

>>30655805
“It’s perfect!”

>Lyra finally turned to look at Bon-Bon who was rubbing her face in frustration.
>But she was also smiling, and just barely holding back her laughter.

>”What- *pfft* what about the eyes?”

“Oh right! Totally forgot. Do you think they make googly eyes big enough for this thing?”

>”Get in here you goof. I made cacao.”

>That sounded VERY appealing.
>It took some effort but Lyra managed to push her way through the deep snow.
>When she finally got inside she began to strip layer after layer of clothing, shaking off huge amounts of frozen water.
>She quickly collected the snow into a pile with her magic and opened the door to cast it outside.
>But then she changed her mind.

“Collect it. Shape it into an edge. Compress it…”

>The pressure built around the floating snow.
>It melted beneath her pressure becoming the familiar water blade.
>She aimed it at her monstrous creation and opened fire.
>A cracking noise rang out and a heavy spray of water flew out.
>It froze in flight, becoming a flurry of ice crystals.
>It did not, however, do any damage.
>Lyra shrugged her failure off and went inside.
>Her ears itched fiercely as her body adjusted to the more reasonable temperature.
>Bon-Bon say at the kitchen table nursing a steaming hot mug.
>One sat opposite her awaiting Lyra.
>She sat before it and looked at the piping hot liquid.
>It was far too hot to drink.

>”How can you stand to be out in that cold for that long?”

“It wasn’t THAT bad.”

>”It’s FORTY BELOW!”

“Maybe I’m just fluffier than you?”

>”Make sure you don’t freeze yourself. Icicles are no good for cuddles.”

>Lyra blew gently on her drink hoping she’d be able to safely consume it soon.
>It was taunting her there.
>The tantalizing chocolatey sweetness was in reach, and still she couldn’t drink.

>”You don’t seem at all alarmed by this cold snap.”

“Naa.”

>>30655809
>Lyra loudly slurped at her cacao.
.The liquid stung her lips, but failed to burn.
>She put it back down.

“I reckon the windigo won’t be sticking around too long. Wait. Is it windegos? Windegi?”

>”Windigog. You think it’s a monster from a story?”

“Windigog? What a silly language. And it’s pretty obvious. There aren’t that many things that could cause a cold snap like this.”

>”Maybe there was a problem at the weather factory?”

“What, like somepony sabotaged it trying to prevent winter? I suppose that’s not the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Still. My bits are on windigog.”

>Lyra managed a small sip without burning herself.
>The warmth radiated through her body, taking the edge off a chill she didn’t even know she had.

>”How are you so certain?”

“They were making a LOT of noise last night. I’m honestly not sure how you slept through it all.”

>”They got close enough for you to hear them? Good grief. This is going to be hard to sweep under the rug. Oh, and if anypony asks they definitely don’t exist and you’re too old for foal’s stories.”

“Right, right. What about the balls of light in the sky last night? Weather balloon?”

>She planted her face in her hooves and let out a long suffering groan.

>”Yup. Definitely not highly potent air to air munitions being deployed way too close to town. Ugh.”

“You feeling okay?”

>”Peachy.”

>She didn’t remove face from hoof to say that.
>If anything she seemed more dismayed.
>Was this really such bad news?

“Okay. Now I’m worried about this cold snap.”

>She sat up and shook her head with dismay.

>”Don’t be. Windigog aren’t a big deal. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all taken care of by now.”

“How do you know they’re not a problem? Have you dealt with them before?”

>She ignored the question.

>>30655814
>”I’m just scared of how much paperwork this is going to generate. If ponies saw what happened there’s going to be a crazy mess to deal with. It already takes way too long to get anything through the bureaucracy these days. I don’t want to have to wait 6 to 8 weeks to requisition a spoon.”

>Not even S.M.I.L.E. was free of the burden of paperwork.
>These were dark times indeed.

*BZZZT*

>The lights cut out for a couple seconds as the loud zapping noise filled the house.
>When the lights returned, Bon-Bon was missing.
>She’d bolted to the living room with stunning speed.
>Lyra followed cautiously.
>On the floor lay a pony clad in a dull grey suit with a heavy battery pack mounted on their back.
>It looked like Derpy’s invisibility suit.
>But this wasn’t Derpy, it was a unicorn.
>A wire was attached to their barrel, leading up to a nail holding up a painting on the wall.
>The firing port was hidden in plain sight.
>And she’d not noticed it despite living right next to it.
>The pony on the ground groaned in confusion and pain.
>Bon-Bon gestured for Lyra to stay hidden.
>She did.
>But she didn’t stop listening.
>Lyra pressed her ear to the wall and held her breath.

>”What the hay was that for?”

>A stallion.

>”Sorry! Bit of a bug there.”

>”A BUG? That REALLY hurts you know!”

>”Yeah, yeah. I’ll make it up to you later.”

>A bit of grunting could be heard for a few second.
>Then relative silence for a little while.

>”I thought you lived with somepony. Where’s the canton?”

>Canton?
>What’s that?

>”Whoa, whoa. S.D., what’s wrong?”

>The lights went out again.
>The zapping noise filled the house once more.

>”Did- did you just shock yourself?”

>”Yup. Remember how that took you out so quickly? Remember how I was still more than able to beat your ass?”

>Did Bon-Bon just use her stunner on herself to prove she was tougher than him?
>That was pretty hardcore!

>>30655823
>”Don’t insult her. Ever.”

>”YES MA’AM!”

>”FRIEND is out at the moment. Now that we’ve got that straightened out, why are you here? I’m connected to the internet you know. You could have easily sent a message that way.”

>”Net outages. Ice storm took down a couple lines. Raptors finished in overtime so we’ve got some extra cleanup to do.”

>Raptors?

>”What happened? Were they unprepared?”

>”Beancounters decided to hold the Balefire missiles. Took a bit longer.”

>”Can’t blame ‘em too much I suppose. We’re always short on those things. So… what message you got for me?”

>”Your Ares suit is ready and awaiting approval.”

>Bon-Bon let out a loud squeal of delight.

>”Site three. All the mods you requested are done. Speaking of your mods, are you insane?”

>”Probably! I’ll be there straight away! I’ll see ya there.”

>”Bundle up. It’s stupid cold out there.”

>Lyra quickly pulled her ear from the wall
>Bon-Bon practically pranced out of the room.
>She was clearly giddy with excitement.

>”I gotta go for a bit see you tonight bye!”

>She bounced to the front door and began wrapping herself in cloth.
>A few minutes later what looked more like a walking laundry pile than a poly was struggling to wrap their scarf around their balaclava.
>Lyra decided to intervene, wrapping it around with her magic.
>She gave the giant bundle of winter wrappings a clumsy hug before watching it totter out the door.
>And then she had nothing to do.

“Now what?”

>She walked over to the sofa and sat down upon her rump.
>Being snowed in was no fun.
>She COULD leave the house, but it would be too much trouble.
>It was really cold and there was so much snow.
>Lyra was pretty much stuck.
>With time her thoughts began to wander.
>She wondered what a canton was.
>The dictionary said it was a decorative pillar, but that didn’t sound right.

>>30655826
>She looked over to her spy novels.
>She’d awaited the most recent installment so eagerly.
>Yet it still sat unopened.
>Collecting dust.
>She tried to read it but failed to get lost in the words.
>The spies that surrounded her were far more interesting.
>And unlike the fictional agent 000, they could be nigh on anypony.
>They weren’t all suave highborn ponies.
>They didn’t carry badges.
>And they could be anywhere.
>Her thoughts continued to drift.
>The one who’d just visited them had one of Derpy’s invisibility suits.
>Wasn’t he cold in that thing?
>How many of them had those?
>Could there be invisible spies everywhere?
>What was an Ares suit?
>Some kind of armor based on the name.
>Why did Sweetie Drops just get hers now?
>She wanted some modifications, but Lyra couldn’t help but think that should have been done a while ago.
>Were these new?
>When Bon-Bon said that armor at the prison was obsolete, did she mean compared to this thing?
>Why are they making obsolete armor?
>Bon-Bon suggested that it was cheap. But why make any armor in the first place?
>If the agents of S.M.I.L.E. weren’t going to use it, who would?
>The guard had their bronze armor already.
>Why did they need better?
>It occurred to Lyra that this likely wasn’t for whatever great danger they were worried about.
>That was years away yet.
>They should have enough time to make the good stuff.
>Right?

“Maybe it’s for something else?”

>Was there a different fight coming?
>Was there no end to the violence S.M.I.L.E. faced?
>Today they battled windigog.
>Soon another battle would come.
>And later a fight they didn’t think they could win.
>Would they ever have ‘won’?
>Or was theirs an unending task?
>The computer began to emit a high pitch squealing noise.
>Lyra tried to ignore it at first.
>But it was far too annoying.
>She approached the device somewhat hesitantly.

>>30655832
>Lyra really didn’t know how to use the thing.
>She was more than a little fearful that she might damage it in some way.
>The screen bore a simple message in giant, bold letters.

URGENT MESSAGE FOR LYRA HEARTSTRINGS

>How did this message get here?
>Didn’t they say the network was broken?
>Was that a lie?
>Or had this message been delivered in pony?
>Lyra glanced at the wires that lay dormant on the ground.
>Bon-Bon hadn't reset them.
>There could be an invisible pony here right now and she'd have no clue.
>What were they trying to tell her?

“Where’s the open button?”

>After a few minutes of searching, Lyra saw no key that said it would open the message.
>She decided to try typing ‘open’.

“Why aren’t these things in alphabetical order?”

>She eventually found the O key and pressed it.
>The message changed.

Bon-Bon won’t return until after midnight. Go to the Everfree bunker, infiltrate, and discover. You’re looking for a message about lithium.
Try not to assault anypony this time. Staff are on duty. I repeat, staff are still on duty. Seek the smoke.

Failure to comply will result in your immediate arrest for breaking and entering, treason, espionage, and attempted regicide.

“Regicide!? I didn’t try to- augh!”

>Whoever had been helping her out was now blackmailing her.
>The ‘mystery’ benefactor was perhaps not quite so benevolent as they first seemed.
>Lyra was almost certain it was Starlight Glimmer.
>Perhaps if she had some evidence of that she could use it to protect herself?
>Investigating Glimmer suddenly became a very high priority.
>But it was not yet the top priority.
>There was a task right before her.
>This sounded like a REALLY bad idea.
>But she really had no choice in the matter.
>If she got caught she'd face the exact same thing that was being threatened.
>There was only one way out and that was success.

>>30655837
>She loaded a pair of unmarked saddlebags with her visor and a few stones before bundling up and heading out.
>Lyra stepped behind her hulking snow beast and donned the visor.
>A quick look at her house revealed no names.
>Either the stealth suits could hide from this or they'd already left.
>Or perhaps this pony wasn’t chipped?
>Too many questions, far too few answers.
>She needed some way to find these invisible ponies.
>Lyra thought back briefly.
>Derpy explained how it worked.
>The suit changed its colours to match the background.
>But if there were something ON the suit…
>Lyra decided to go into the city.
>For perhaps the first time, she was glad to be there.
>The snowfall had been cleared out of the busiest roadways saving time and effort.
>And she even had the option of ducking into stores when the biting cold grew to be too much.
>She eventually stepped into a party store.
>It was surprisingly buttoned down and orderly given its nature.
>Everything was neatly arranged and organised upon their shelves.
>Signs and advertisements plastered every wall in a desperate bid to move more product.
>Lyra made her way to the silly string intent on purchasing a couple cans.
>She hoped the toy would allow her to find the unseen ponies if the time came.
>It took her a while to determine which brand was the better buy.
>The canisters were different sizes marked with different units and tagged with different prices.
>Everything was done to obscure the actual value of the product, to make comparison as hard as possible.
>She eventually noticed a small detail with the corner of her eye.
>All three brands were made by R&A incorporated.
>The choice was an illusion.
>No matter which she purchased she was supporting Rarity.
>She rolled her eyes and went to the counter to pay for her purchase.
>With silly string in tow, Lyra hesitantly left the Party Plaza (a subsidiary of R&A incorporated).
>She walked back out into the cold.

>>30655841
>She walked back out into the cold.
>To Lyra’s great surprise she was hesitant to leave the city when she arrived at the outskirts.
>Great heaps of powder snow stood between herself and her target.
>She was forced to wade through the snowfall, head barely peeking over the top.
>The effort helped to keep her relatively warm, but still she could feel the stinging pain of cold in her extremities.
>The trees of the forest started to come into view just above.
>Strangely enough, they didn’t seem to be covered in ice and snow.
>The green leaves were completely unburdened by snow.
>And as she pushed inward the snow began to grow thinner.
>There was a strange burning sensation in Lyra’s ears as her body began to regain heat.
>Somehow, some way, the Everfree forest had been spared the wrath of the windigog.
>Lyra was scared.
>This was the Everfree forest.
>Everypony knew that entering that forest was completely insane.
>She stood frozen in place for several minutes unable to enter the horrible place.
>The cold started to become too much and her hoof was forced.
>Move or freeze.
>Lyra stepped under the trees.
>Only a very thin layer of snow covered the forest floor.
>Puddles and streams were scattered about as the incredible amount of snowfall melted before her very eyes.
>The forest was positively soaked.
>Lyra was forced to tread carefully lest she become mired in.
>It wasn’t long before her winter clothing grew too hot in the strangely warm forest.
>Lyra began to strip down.
>She took some time to find a good hiding spot, stashing her clothing in the branches of an abnormally broad tree.
>She now wore nothing but a black bodysuit and a balaclava.
>It was still too warm.
>But she needed to conceal her identity somehow.
>Being in this forest was entirely too eerie for Lyra.
>She’d heard so many horror stories about these woods.
>But they seemed so peaceful.
>The atmosphere may have been a bit dark and humid for her tastes.

>>30655846
>But the constant noise of the city was gone.
>And in its place were the gentle sounds of nature.
>A reminder of the simpler life that she used to know.
>There was no shortage of birdsong in these woods.
>The sounds were wrong; whatever birds these were were not the ones she used to know.
>But they were still birds.
>She definitely preferred them over noise construction sites and generators.
>Somehow, despite being in the infamous Everfree forest, Lyra found herself calming.
>This place was supposed to be horrifying.
>And yet she was at peace.
>She wasn’t being towered over by ugly concrete spires.
>She wasn’t being pushed at from all sides by throngs of strangers.
>And she wasn’t barraged with the mindless noise of the city.
>Somehow, the Everfree forest had become more like home than her actual home.
>Tension began to bleed away as she wandered through the woods.
>This forest had withstood all the changes and horrors their world had been burdened with.
>It had even been spared the drought and the heat wave.
>In this small corner of the world things almost seemed…
>Normal.
>Was this all that remained of the Equestria of old?
>It was comforting to know that she could at least visit the old world at times.
>She put her visor back on and began searching.
>There was a spring in her step and even a small smile on her face.
>This wasn’t so bad.
>But what was she looking for?
>She moved inward almost entirely blindly.
>But what was that?
>A plume of smoke in the sky.
>She was reluctant to approach.
>Wasn’t running toward a forest fire really stupid?
>But it seemed pretty small right now.
>And she was specifically told to look for smoke.
>Lyra approached the flame.
>It took half an hour to reach it, but she found a small clearing.
>In the middle was a metal hatch in the middle of a concrete pad.
>Large electric pumps with nozzles were mounted upon the concrete.
>Pumps of some sort?
>And all around was ash and dust.

>>30655852
>She could see faintly glowing coals scattered about beneath the ash.
>Lyra could see the forest reclaiming the land before her very eyes.
>Vines were crawling their way towards the concrete pad at a steady pace.
>A small sapling sprouted out from beneath the still hot cinders.
>Within a minute it was taller than Lyra.
>A thick oily liquid sprayed out of the nozzles, splattering about the fresh growth.
>There was a spark.
>And then the area turned into a raging inferno.
>Lyra had to step back as the scorching heat filled the area.
>The plants burnt.
>Far too slowly, but still they burnt.
>When the flames subsided, the forest began growing anew.
>Could they not poison the soil in some way?
>Was this their best solution for controlling the Everfree forest?
>It seemed a lot of trouble.
>Why build anything here?
>Lyra knew she’d find no answers standing about.
>She needed to see what was under that hatch.
>Lyra approached, somewhat fearful that the flamethrowers would target her.
>She plugged on up with the stones she carried in her saddlebag.

“Okay. Okay, you can do this.”

>She didn’t move.

“Any second now.”

>The forest was regrowing.
>A vine began wrapping itself about her leg.
>That was all the push she needed.
>Lyra bolted toward the concrete pad.
>The turrets did not react.
>She stood on the landing, no more than fifty meters away from where she started.
>And yet she was short on breath.
>That was terrifying.
>If she’d been caught in that spray of burning liquid-
>Lyra shivered as she recovered the stones.
>And then turned her attention to the hatch.
>A raging inferno erupted around her.
>She couldn’t help but jump in fright.
>But the flames began to subside without any problem.
>She seemed to be safe here.
>How to get in though?
>There was a heavy steel hatch.
>She saw no way to open it.
>Prying at it with her magic accomplished nothing; it was locked in place in some way.
>Just a round slab of steel.
>No visible hinges.
>No keyhole.

>>30655859
>Nothing.
>There was only one way in.

“You can do this, Lyra.”

>Liquid fuel began to spray out.
>Lyra swiped a little bit with her magic before it was lit ablaze.
>Fire roared around her as she began to shape it.
>A small blade of oily black liquid hovered above the hatch.
>Lyra began to pressurize it.
>She started to sweat both from the heat and from exertion.
>Lyra struck.
>Nothing.
>She collected the liquid with her magic and began to try again.
>But her head was swimming with exhaustion from her failure.

“Clear your head. Stop thinking. Focus.”

>Easier said than done.
>The spell was complex.
>Not thinking too much was going to be extremely difficult.
>And focusing on so many different parts would be taxing.
>She needed to push thoughts aside.

“Remember that feeling.”

>The feeling of anger, nay, FURY!
>The burning hatred and disgust she felt when she attacked Twilight Sparkle.
>She NEEDED to do this or she’d be imprisoned.
>She wasn’t going to fail!
>AND she was going to HUNT DOWN whoever DARED to blackmail her!
>Lyra was MAD!
>And she was going to take her anger out on this hatch.

“RARGH!”

>A cracking sound filled the air.
>The oil struck the hatch, bursting into flame upon impact.
>When the flames died down, Lyra could see a shallow gash had formed upon the hatch.
>Her knees wobbled.
>She collapsed.
>And then she smiled.
>It was poorly executed.
>She didn’t get through.
>And it had wiped her out.
>But something had happened.
>Her happiness was short lived though.
>There was no way she’d get through like that.
>Her magic was pretty much spent for the day, and she’d barely even made a dent.
>Lyra rolled over to lie upon her back.
>Smoke filled the sky above her, blocking out most of the sun.
>Staying here was probably bad for her lungs.
>But that wasn’t really at the forefront of her thoughts.

>>30655863
>Lyra wasn’t sure what to do.
>How to get in?
>A high pitched beeping noise chirped out.
>The hatch swung open.
>Someone had let her in.
>Was it her blackmailer?
>Why had they not opened it sooner?
>Were they testing her in some way?
>Perhaps they wanted to see if she could get in on her own.
>Lyra didn’t know.
>It took her a moment to get back up to her hooves.
>Lyra looked down the hatch.
>A ladder led into the inky blackness.
>This didn’t seem like a front door of any sort.
>It was more like an access tunnel.
>Where was the main entrance?
>Why would they go through this trouble to protect a secondary entrance?
>Why not just put everything through the front door?
>For that matter, why bother with Everfree at all?
>She didn’t know.
>Lyra began to climb down.
>Her legs trembled with weariness and fear and she was swallowed by the blackness.
>It kept going further and further down.
>Lyra had no clue how far below the surface she was when she finally reached the landing.
>She whipped up a light spell.
>Or at least she attempted to.
>A couple failures later and she could see.
>There was a metal door in front of her.
>It had a warning sign on it, the one she’d first seen back below the post office.
>Derpy had said it was dangerous.
>Lyra could either face the unknown or fall back.
>And be thrown into a dungeon for the rest of her life.
>Starlight Glimmer was going to pay.
>She opened the door.
>There were large metal tubes pointing straight at her face.
>Massive belts of metal cartridges were loaded into them.
>And they did nothing.
>Was this a weapon of some sort?
>She saw no room for an operator.
>Perhaps it was automated like Bon-Bon’s stunner?
>Why had they not attacked?
>She stepped past them.
>Nothing happened.
>Were they broken?
>Had they been told not to hurt her?
>Or could they not see her?
>Lyra needed to know how those worked.
>She walked through the unfinished corridor, wooden beams holding the earth aloft in the cramped tunnel.

>>30655868
>This place was so different from the one below the post office.
>It felt unfinished.
>No lighting, no actual walls, nothing.
The corridor was mercifully short.
>The door at the end had no warning sign.
>She pushed through.
>And entered a sweltering hot chamber.
>Lyra could scarcely believe that this place existed so close to the mounds of snow she’d so recently braved.
>And there was something strange about the air here.
>Breathing was easy, but not satisfying.
>The wet air was sustaining her, but she needed a lot of it.
>Lyra realised there was no need for her light spell and she let it go.
>In here there was no shortage of light.
>Row after row of vegetables grew in planters.
>This was a greenhouse.
>An automated, subterranean greenhouse.
>But why in Everfree?
>Lyra found herself breathing heavily once more as she approached the vegetables.
>The lighting in this area was strange.
>It lacked any green whatsoever.
>When she looked at the leaves of the plants they were pitch black.
>These lights were designed to only produce the wavelengths the plants needed.
>She examined one of the plants.
>It was a corn stalk.
>But it was way too short.
>And to Lyra’s surprise, there was no soil.
>The plants were suspended in a murky stream of water.
>What was in it?
>A fertiliser of some sort?
>An ear of corn began to sprout on the side of the plant.
>It bore no peel, and the corns themselves were unusually large.
>It looked perfect.
>Lyra was sorely tempted to bite into it.
>A small machine that sat on a rail system above moved into place.
>A clamp extended and plucked the ear.
>The machine zoomed off to who knows where.
>They had automated the harvest too.
>Produce of all sorts filled this place.
>And all of it was unnatural.
>Sugarcanes that oozed a thick syrup straight into bottles.
>Apples that grew from a stalk.
>Carrots hanging from a vine.
>They had somehow made plants of their own creation.

>>30655871
>Disguised as the normal foods from before.
>And they were harnessing the strange magic of Everfree to make them grow faster.
>Was this the source of her fresh, out of season produce?
>Did the stir fry she’d made so recently come from here?
>Was this safe to eat?
>Why was S.M.I.L.E. bothering with agriculture?
>There were plenty of farms up above.
>That had all just been buried in ice and snow.
>A global snowstorm had wiped them out.
>There might be no harvest this year.
>THIS, right here, was where food came from.
>All of it.
>There were even plants ponies couldn’t eat here.
>Oversized tomatoes hung from dwarf vines.
>Toxic to ponies.
>Delicious to minotaurs and centaurs.
>They had taken it upon themselves to feed the whole world when this happened.
>Not just ponies, but thinking beings everywhere.
>But she didn’t know.
>Either way, they were going to make a fortune.
>And EVERYBODY, be they pony or not, was forced to buy from them.
>Doubtlessly through Rarity’s company.
>She kept walking through the area.
>Her movements were sluggish and clumsy.
>The heat and bad air were taking their toll.
>She could see another door in the distance.
>Lyra moved towards it without really knowing why.
>Her thoughts were muddy and confused.
>She passed potatoes that hung from stems, grains and berries that fell into chutes when they grew too large, there was even a pineapple stalk.
>Lyra reached the far door and pushed through.
>She sat on the far side for a few moments before her head cleared.
>And when she could finally see straight?
>She was staring a stunned Applejack in the eye.
>The ‘pony’ before her seemed too frightened and confused to act.
>Clearly they were not expecting to ever see another down in this place.
>Lyra turned to go back through the door-
>The metal barrels popped out of ‘Applejack’s’ back and began spinning.

>”These will turn you into paste in under a second if you try anything funny. Get on the floor.”

>She did.

>>30655878
>’Applejack’ produced a rope out of the storage compartment she apparently had in her rump.
>She walked up to Lyra and began tying her legs.
>But there was an opportunity here.
>Their leg was near Lyra’s horn.
>If she stretched she could just barely reach it.
>Lyra remembered the curse she’d learned recently.
>She tapped her horn to the leg.
>It made the distinctive clicking sound of metal.
>She quickly pushed her magic into the machine.
>And it stopped moving.
>It just stood there, barrels spinning.
>Not moving.
>The curse had worked.
>Somehow, Lyra’s desperate bid for freedom had won the day.
>But she couldn’t curse machines.
>Could she?
>She didn’t know.
>What Lyra DID know was that it wouldn’t move for a couple hours.
>And that her legs were tied together.
>It proved surprisingly difficult to disentangle the knot with her magic.
>Whatever method had been used was very thorough and suggested a great deal of knowledge and experience with rope.
>But half an hour later she was free to move again.
>Lyra could hardly believe her luck.
>She’d gotten out from under that thing’s hoof without so much as a scratch.
>But she knew that trick would never work again.
>She had a time limit before the thing woke again.
>And by that time she had to be well away from here.
>But in that time, she was free to poke around.
>This room looked to be an office of some sort.
>The climate was controlled, and there was no shortage of oxygen to be had.
>And the walls were lined with desks that were burdened by tomes, papers, folios, and of course computers.
>One of the computers was turned on.
>And to her great delight, whatever passcode was needed to access the files had already been put in.
>In the bottom right corner of the display, the user ID AL5 was showing.
>Lyra’s attempts at browsing the files were clumsy.
>She really didn’t know what she was doing.
>But every now and then she’d accidentally find something.

>>30655885
>It looked like this place had been in the works for years.
>And they barely finished on time.
>The goal was indeed to feed the whole world in the event of a famine.
>But there was so much more information here.

“What’s this?”

>A message from an unknown sender.
>It was labeled as new.
>And the subject line was ‘lithium’.

We need Lithium or we’re sunk. We will have it one way or another. There are means that we could extract it if we had more time, but as it stands there are only two viable options. Invade Saddle Arabia or invade Labyrinth. The horses of Saddle Arabia have done eveything in their power to spite us, but they are a much more formidable threat. The minotaurs of Labyrinth would be easily defeated despite the power of their warriors because of poor logistics, however they have long been our allies. If we invade Saddle Arabia we will lose more forces. Do we shed more of our own blood or betray an ally?
There is so much more you need to know to make this decision, but for reasons beyond my control I cannot tell you.

>That was definitely what she was sent here to find.
>It arrived while she was here, and it was about lithium.
>But why did she need to know that?
>And why did they have to send her here to find it?
>Why not just send her the message directly?
>This was all so terribly weird.
>Whatever the case, mission accomplished.
>But she wasn’t done.
>Not yet at least.
>She kept digging for a while.
>It was very dry, mostly progress reports and shipping manifests.
>How they shipped anything in or out of here she still didn’t know.
>Eventually she found a file with a different icon.
>A sound file.
>Lyra opened it.

>”Howdy. This here’s Applejack.”

>She quickly turned to the machine.
>It was still stationary.

>”Just wanted to record my thoughts in case this goes south.”

>”Applejack, PLEASE! You don’t have to do this!”

>Twilight’s voice.
>A door slammed in the recording.

>”That’s nice of her to say, but somepony’s gotta. And we all know I’m the least important one that can do it. Gotta be somepony we know so we know any changes when we see ‘em. Gotta be somepony healthy enough to do it. Gotta be somepony bound by the contract. Gotta be somepony expendable. It’s gotta be me.”

>There was frantic banging in the background.
>Twilight trying to knock down the door?

>”Docs say they can change a pony in a way that might help us get through this. But we gotta know how it affects our heads. I gotta do my part to see us all through this, and far as I can tell this is the only thing I can really do to help. It’s… It’s darn scary. I might not be me afterward.”

>The recording let out a long, shuddering sob.

>”Just in case you don’t know who you are, remember this. You love your family and would do anything to protect ‘em. Absolutely anything. You cherish your friends so so much. They mean the world to ya. Take care of ‘em for me, would ya? Make sure Applebloom eats enough. I’m- I...”

>The recording just broke down into crying.
>Lyra looked over to the machine.
>No, to Applejack.
>She wasn’t staring at a heap of scrap metal.
>She was staring at a martyr.
>One who’d risked, or perhaps even lost her very self to help protect others.
>Had she retained her self?
>Or was it lost when they changed her?
>Lyra didn’t know.
>But she was sure she’d be going to check in on the former pony.
>Lyra didn’t know how much time she had left before Applejack woke up.
>She decided it was time to leave.
>Lyra went back out the way she came.
>She passed through the sweltering greenhouse.
>Went into the corridor.
>And started climbing the ladder.

>”The hatch is locked. You can’t use the other exit. The only way you’re getting out is if I let you.”

>Lyra froze in terror and let go of the ladder.
>She dropped hard on her rump.

“Who’s there?”

>She looked around.
>But she could find nopony.

>>30655898
>”I’ll let you go once you answer the question. Labyrinth or Saddle Arabia? Give me your reasoning. The choice is not yours alone, I am consulting many on this matter. But one of them shall fall. Betray a friend, or send our own to die? I can tell you no more.”

>Why couldn’t they tell her?
>Why did they have to start a war?
>And most importantly…

“Why me?”

>There was no answer.

That's it.
Not particularly happy with this one. I think I tried to do too much at once, since I really want to move on to the next stages of this green.
Some of you will point out that they have an amazing bargaining chip and violence is not needed to get their way. This is not an oversight. I'll not tell you why just yet, but it's safe to assume Lyra is being lied to in some way shape or form.

This question is actually relevant to how things play out. Cast your votes if you care. http://www.strawpoll.me/13619236

>>30655837
Lithium? You mean like Lithium-6? Is this going where I think it's going? Thermonuclear warheads?

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>>30655915
"Equestria was built on friendship, we shouldnt just throw away our principles simply to get something we want quickly, did you even try and negotiate with the minotaurs? No matter, we should face this danger together with our friends and allies, not hide it from everyone and try to deal with it alone"
"Who are you and why are you showing all this to me?"
First would be my reasoning for why we should 'bleed', and second an extra question in the heat of the moment, after all she s talking to us, wont hurt trying to get some answers will it?
>Implying it will matter and we ll get any
Wouldnt be an anti-spy agency if they just gave it all away, still wish Lyra said something like that...

Also, its just a hunch which i have absolute no way of proving, but i m starting to think that this 'helper' is literally bonbon, private S.M.I.L.E. trainer for no real reason(at least as far i remember there wasnt a reason, maybe an excuse but kinda far fetched looking back at it, an S.M.I.L.E. trainer for a civ just because of burglars?), computer message exactly right after Bonbon leaves AND bonbon said she d install some better security, and i m pretty sure it d be some darn good security AND then we meet this pony who sent us the message while bons was trying her 'new suit', then there s the part of she making Lyra think by herself, not trusting whatever is said on papers and downright showing the prison workers.
I still wish for a final battle Lyra vs Bon, where Lyra has no real chance but is let go, yet starting to think that it may be bonbon all along
Like i heard someone say once: "the best place to hide is somewhere in plain sight, right under your enemy nose", and bonbon sure is right under our nose

Lastly cant we recognize who it is from the speaker voice? It never said that the voice was distorted or anything

>>30656324
It does seem dumb that they wouldn't inform their allies about a world ending threat and the resources they need to fight it

>>30656813
I think this complaint has been mentioned before but I can't remember if WiK addressed it or not

>>30658026

>>30657322
I could have sworn he addressed it but I can't find it in the archive so it's likely I misremembered.

>>30658026
pmub

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>>30655915
we need more votes guys

>>30655915


>>30655915
>I can tell you no more.

This pony is asking for Lyra’s advice and trying to show her everything they can about what's going on. It seems very strange that they'd withhold key information right there. Maybe they literally mean they can't. Like they're physically incapable.

>>30660687
How likely is it that they just don't have any more info to give?

>>30660687
Just curious but what type of info do you think she might be hiding if she were hiding something

>>30662562
WiK says that they can't starve them out despite a global crop failure and this isn't a mistake.
Maybe they have similar programs?

>>30656324
Woops. The voice is synthesized, I just didn't write that down. Thanks for catching that, fixed for the paste. Speaking of, paste updated. I'm WAY too lazy about that.

>>30656813
Yeah. That would be pretty dumb, wouldn't it?

>>30657322
I haven't yet.

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>>30652659
>flying boats bigger than ponyville

>>30663910
I don't think anybody knows what the original op was thinking of when they wrote that

>>30663910
>>30665202
I think it might be referring to carrying capacity. You could probably fit a small village into an Airbus.

>>30665443
You may have a point there. After doing just a quick look around it seems that most villages had around 250-300 people. With A380's being capable of holding 853 passengers they could actually fit multiple decent sized villages by that metric

>>30662959
>Yeah. That would be pretty dumb, wouldn't it?
You know that's about the response I was expecting from you

>>30666755
It's like in a DnD campaign when you question the something about the plot and the GM goes "Huh, that is strange" and then smirking at you

>>30659503

>>30652659
>Rainbow
>Science
As if

>>30669044
There's a really good story by PeteQ about it. I recommend reading it.

http://pastebin.com/9H8f7A0s

>>30667704
most of the time in d&d though it feels like they're covering a mistake by making it look like it was all apart of some master plan.

>>30668948

>>30671886

>>30672512

>>30670797
Yeah true but I have enough faith in WiK to believe he does actually have this planned out

>>30672959
Greentext will surely return

>>30673408
For the most part, yeah. This project is too ambitious for me to plan out every detail in advance. I am merely human after all, and but one man. It's an unfortunate fact that the details must be filled out as we go along, even if the general structure of the story is already laid out. Ideally I'd go back and patch up any mistakes after I finished but this method of 'publishing' doesn't allow for that. If you're observant enough you will find fuckups before all's said and done. All that said however, I don't consider the attitudes and relationships of major foreign powers to be a minor detail. It's unlikely anything that big would be forgotten.

>>30675428
Well, notepad is a wonderful thing, one that doesn't rely on human memory...

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>>30675475
Way ahead of you. This would already be beyond salvaging otherwise. Strongly recommend any aspiring writefags keep notes.

>>30675688
Oh yeah, of course. Just make sure you keep backups, mate.

>>30675947
that should be easy

>"Dear Princess Celestia, I learned today that friends sometimes can do stupid things for stupid reasons. Also, Anon said he's going to 'nuke' us over communication device he gave us. What does that mean? Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."
>the letter is sent, and twilight relaxes
>a few minutes pass, waiting for the next communication from anon, as he said he would soon
>a message appears
>"Look towards Canterlot", it reads
>twilight and spike do as asked
>they look at the gleaming city for a few seconds, curious as to what he meant
>then they see it
>a trail of steam or smoke
>it looks like one of those rockets he was talking about
>it was going very fast
>and pointed toward the ground!
>and then it happens
>it's engulfed in a bright light
>they look away, the brightness too much
>and then the mushroom cloud appears, the entire city engulfed in nuclear fire
>twilight and spike are shocked, unsure about what happened
>they think it's a prank at first, he has very advanced 'magic' after all
>then they see the aftermath
>the city is visibly totaled, even from such a distance
>a message appears on the screen
>"Heh. A nuke. Nice, innit?"
>they look at it, and twilight is engulfed in rage
>she's about to go to what she thinks is his base location
>only to be engulfed in nuclear fire herself, along with all the mane six, leaving equestria free to be conquered by chrysalis
>in the changeling hive, a certain changeling queen and human celebrate
the end

This is the original green I made. Would you guys like to see such a idea expanded upon? It'd end up being like a 'tech anon with a crush on chryysy helps her take over the world'
I think it deserves a expansion, but I'm going to wait for you guys to say, because I have plenty of other ideas, and I'm not sure if it's worth it to put in any time.

>>30677522
Thermonuclear war/anons hi-tech panties
It was good?

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>>30677522
OW THE EDGE

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So uh...

It's been a lot longer than February. I know what I told you and things didn't go quite as planned. It's been so long since I've even thought about writing, or even 4chan as a whole, that I don't even remember my old trip. If it's correct then perhaps I am a wizard after all.

Anyway, I just wanted to say sorry for being gone for so long. I'm going to do what I can to write and continue/refine my stories, so bear with me in these coming weeks as I might start off slow.

I want to write more and with more meaning but it's 4:30 in the morning and quite frankly I need to sleep. I just wanted to get this out there that I most certainly am going to be writing.

>>30678254
reeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

I'm tired and didn't trip right.
New trip incoming.

>>30678254
>That trip
Wow, that sucks...

>>30678254
Sweet glad to see you back droid

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>>30678254

>>30678254
So did you manage to move away to Texas like planned?

>>30680285
No. That's where things went badly. I had all the shit in place and just a week before I was supposed to leave my friend was arrested for rape. I had to cancel everything and eventually my family figured everything out. Shit happened, arguments took place, and one night I just took my shit and left.

I'm not in Texas, but I'm away. Indiana isn't all too bad.

>>30677522
I love Chrysalis, so sure

>>30680353
>Rape

>>30680353
Jesus. Well at least you're out of there

I want to invent magical computer science with Twilight.

>>30677522
Do you mind telling us what some of those other ideas are?

>>30677522
I do like Chrysalis so I would at least be curious enough to read it

Next chapter coming out on Friday, sorry about that. Been too lazy to write stuff

>>30683241
Alright thanks for the heads up

>>30680416

>>30684946

>>30683241
Hey man it's cool. Updating a day later isn't a big deal but it's nice to know

>>30685684
Wasn't there a Warfarm green for a while?

>>30688128
There was but the Ivan was so bad at english Sergei had to tell him to stop.
Seriously, it was painful to read. Even for someone who's first language isn't english.

>>30652659
I've seen this pic a few times, but I can't figure out what that machine is for.

>>30688927
Well it look's like it has something to do with testing test tube samples

>>30689688
I thought it was some sort of nuclear thing.

>>30690409
what makes you say that?

>>30691030
I've seen stuff involving control rods, or that thing about separating isotopes, that looked a little like that in documentaries.

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>>30691186

>>30691186
I just thought it might be test tube related because of that thing in front of RD