Cyber-Buck
By Narrative Lockheart.
Prolog:
Progress: As defined progress is the movement towards the actualization of a goal. I believe that behind all our motives is the need for progress. The hunger to seek advancement is at the core of who and what we are. For proof of this you need look no further than our own self-imposed necessity to discover our cutie marks.
We start our lives innocently enough, with nothing but a bare flank and a future open to endless possibilities. Placing so much meaning into such a little thing we believe that to go without would be as if we were living an incomplete life; a half-life. Demanding that we to be true to ourselves we come to find that it is not the machinations nature or magic that compels us to seek our destiny. It is our choice and ours alone.
Once we learn what lay before us and the path to our future presents itself we attempt to use our gifts in whatever ways we can. For what good comes from a talent if it is not used. But imagine if we had no intention to use it for the benefit of others. Would we still search for it, and accept whatever destiny has in store for us? I truly believe that we would. Should that belief be accurate then from this one possible truth we might learn that we are not compelled to seek progress for altruistic purposes, but for our own sakes.
As we look towards our future with wide eyes full of hope and wonder, believing that our nature will inherently allow us to improve upon ourselves we must ask. Will our search for progress bring us the satisfaction we believe it will? What will we do if the fate in store for us falls short of our dreams? And what do we risk losing of ourselves in order to initiate such growth? When confronted with these questions I begin to realize that our pursuit for progress is a hollow one indeed and despite all the wisdom we are said to possess I could find no answers.
But there is one unspoken question that links those that came before. It is but another circumstance that we have failed to conceive any possible solution for. But so singular and potent in its disturbing nature we are compelled only to omit it. We omit it in part out of fear and perhaps no small amount of blind hope that these events shall never come to pass. This question may never be answered, but I feel it must be asked none the less.
Will we be able to safeguard ourselves form the horrors we create or worse become all in the name of progress?
This question had never become so important than in the years following the coronation of Princess Twilight Sparkle. The peaceful land we had once known as Equestria had become lost to us. Neither decimation nor subjugation was the fate that befell our home. Instead our nation became corrupted and perverted until its own people became a pathetic farce; unrecognizable as the harmonious beings we once called ponies. Perhaps we could have done more to save ourselves; perhaps we should have foreseen where this path was leading us. And perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself.
Equestria still exists today though not as you would remember it, as dose the ponies that still walk its surface though seldom do they ever touch its fertile soil. Strife, violence and bigotry permeate the world in a miasma that has found its way into the hearts of ponies. But before I can tell you of our story you will need to learn where these changes began. You will need to know of the iron hoofed Mega-corps that hold Equestria under there sway, the cybernetics that infest every strata of pony society and most importantly you will need to know of the sparkle drives.
Within one lifetime we had come from a simple period of magic and harmony, to one of computers, industry and engineering. Intrigued by science and technology Princess Twilight Sparkle gave every available resource she possessed to the finest minds and researchers that Canterlot had to offer; believing that Equestria could only benefit from more knowledge. With the princess's backing and influence the technological state of Equestria blossomed forth at an extraordinary rate as small towns and villages expanded into vast cities and sprawling metropolises.
More so now than ever before magically powered machines were needed to produce more products for Equestria. Technology, food and medicine were not only needed to be produced with greater efficiency but were also required to evolve as time passed. With a need for resources and materials on the rise new businesses and companies appeared in response to these growing demands.
Even with the expansion of small businesses and industries nopony could have ever predicted the most influential advancement of all. Home computers made of new sciences. The base of these new sciences focused well beyond the normal concepts of magically powering these machines of industry, but rather on combining both magic and technology together. These special computers were named after their creator. These computers were given the name of Sparkle Drive Systems.
The potential of merging technology and magic together was extraordinary as it allowed the Sparkle drive systems to put magic in the hooves of ponies that could otherwise never have used it. Over time magic had become less distinguishable from a special talent unique to only a hoof full of ponies then as an effective means to accomplish a chore. As the Sparkle Drive Systems changed how ponies viewed magic they had also begun to lay the ground work for the nextbig step in Equestrian history.
Within twelve years' time after the Sparkle Drives were made available to the public extraordinary news came from Canterlot. The highest researchers spoke through tightened lips and hushed tones upon inquiries about their latest discovery. They would tell nopony about what they had unearthed in their laboratories, but secrets of this magnitude could not be held forever. Even to this day nopony knows quite how the scientists and researchers came about these radical new concepts, but once word had leaked of what they had begun testing in their labs they were forced to tell the princesses everything. It was here that everything changed.
What they discovered broke all the rules and taboos of modern medicine. Pony kind had found a path to improve themselves in ways that had never before been conceived as possible. We had thought then that Sparkle drives were the epitome of pony engineering, but they were just the first step before a massive leap into the future. Equestria had reached the technological singularity.
The ponies of Equestria found a method that (if done properly) could theoretically fuse working mechanical parts with living flesh. It was little more than a decade after Twilight sparkle had been crowned as a princess of Equestria that cybernetics were conceived not as a fanciful dream but as a real possibility. The potential for cybernetics far exceeded the use of Sparkle drive systems (no matter how practical they were) and compelled Princes Twilight to dedicate herself and many of Canterlots finest minds to make this dream a reality.
It would seem that the path to advancement is never as easy a road as we would like it to be. Months turned to years, and as time went by no progress was made. The countless grueling tests that were performed all ended in failures or inconclusive data. Marred by a track record of disappointments it was looking like the dream of cybernetics would stay just that. It was in the third year of testing before Princess Twilight was ready to declare the whole attempt a complete boondoggle. That was until news of the first series of successful tests returned.
Princess Twilight had become so elated by their success that she decided nay felt obligated to hold a grand celebration that lasted several days. Streamers were hung, silly hats were worn and cider flowed like rivers as the ponies partook in the festivities. Princess Twilight truly believed it to be the beginning of a new chapter of prosperity for Equestria, and reveled every moment of this monuments achievement. The joy however was not to last, and the time of celebration was short lived. As all good things come so too must the bad.
With these new cybernetics ponies that had become crippled by accidents or mishaps were given new more powerful limbs and bodies. These bodies made of chrome, metal and wires were able to out preform even the most athletic and strongest of ponies. Ostensibly this was received as one of the many positive outcomes as they found that one pony alone could buck apples from sunrise to sun set or clear the sky in "five" seconds flat and feel only minor fatigue if any.
It was from these benefits that our troubles came. If one pony could pull the weight of an entire work team then ideally there was no need to have a full staff. The outsourcing was subtle at first. One layoff one month, then two, then three; slowly but surely the jobs in Equestria began to dry up.
With the job market scarce the jobless ponies of Equestria descended into poverty. Granted living assistance by new tax laws the numerous disenfranchised ponies found little comfort in the meager amount they were forced to live on. An economic crisis that seemed to have no foreseeable end fell over Equestria. It wasn't long before ponies became desperate, and in the grip of desperation ponies will do crazy things. As always if there is something that can be made to benefit others it could also be subverted for personal gain.
With Equestria in a state of turmoil a criminal element quickly emerged. Utilizing cybernetic implants as weapons the ponies became emboldened by their new physical might, and began to terrorize the good ponies of Equestria. However before too long the civilian ponies failed to yield enough of a profit for the criminals to target. Instead they elected to target the companies that produced these advanced technologies along with medical grade narcotics as they presented a much greater reword.
Companies like Bountiful Butterfly Pharmaceuticals, Tiaracorp and others found themselves under attack frequently and brutally by cybered up delinquents. New security measures were implemented to stave off this rabble, but it wasn't enough. They just kept coming. The once unthinkable became a necessity for protection as security forces and police were forced to carry firearms, but still the crime wave still would not relent.
In order to protect their interests the corporations were forced to demand royal intervention. After many days and nights of contemplation the princesses could do nothing to arbitrate the problem. Even if it was for the greater good aggression against these ponies would only spark more bloodshed. And so they declared that form that point on the independent businesses were to be held responsible for their own goods and services.
No help came from Canterlot that day, and so the companies became desperate. And in the grip of desperation ponies will do crazy things. It was not long before the corporations divined a new way to protect there investments. With their backs against the wall they were forced to find aid outside of pony kind. That aid came in the form of griffins and cyberneticly altered diamond dogs.
Tiaracorp was the first to make effective use of these mercenaries. The dogs though stupid were amazingly mobile, while griffins held the advantage of flight as well as impressive combat prowess. Commanding both fear and respect griffins made even more effective leaders than any pony ever could. It was not long before every company, every business, and every corporation had their very own private army. Those who did not were picked off. Not just by criminals but by their rival companies as well. Somehow the main concern of Equestria had turned from industry and prosperity to a burgeoning arms race between criminals, companies and even Canterlot itself.
Protected as it was Canterlot had not been sheltered form the troubles that plagued the rest of Equestria. They had to contend with their own hardships and difficulties along the way. Coming under siege on all sides Canterlot was bombarded by every business that based there. The royal princesses and high born ponies found themselves over run, but not by weaponized cybernetics or cut throat mercenary forces. Instead the princesses had become assaulted by lobbyists, protesters and mountains of potions. All of which required the Royal seal of approval.
As time went on the demand for cybernetics, medicine and even weapons grew. The princess's authorization was needed for everything from permits to licensing agreements and even copyrights. At the forefront of these arguments was the earth pony corps of engineers led by the ever growing Tiaracorp, and the unicorn science division of Canterlot. With declarations that stated that the U.S.D.C were infringing on earth pony engineering Tiaracorp appealed to the princesses to pass an edict that would regulate the further creation of magical based technology.
To this day I don't know who to blame for this shortsightedness. The princess found in favor of Tiaracorp, and implemented their edict within a few short weeks. Unknown to anypony at the time this edict gave the earth pony corps of engineers a monopoly on nearly all future contracts and designs. This effectively halted the production of nearly all magically fused technology. The end result of witch terminated the further creation of any Sparkle drive systems. The magical technology industry shattered overnight. Sparkle drive systems quickly fell off the market and into obscurity. More jobs were lost, more ponies were driven to crime, and between the pony races a burgeoning resentment was beginning to form.
After this new law was passed earth pony technology boomed now that strict technologically based computers and cybernetics dominated the market. With access to cybernetics made more available the ponies who could afford it began purchasing more outlandish and superfluous implants as time went on. This new trend grew to the point that cybernetics were no longer just for prosthetics; they had now become a fashion statement.
We learned in those days that ethics and what's right must always take a back seat when set against self-interest and profit. The ponies resorted to brute force invasive surgery in order to implant their new cybertech instead of the relatively safe yet difficult process of magically fusing technology into the body and with a list of growing side effects it became harder for some ponies to continue to trust this emerging fad.
Numerous ponies in Ponyville vilified cybernetics and those who used them. Believing cybernetics to be abhorrent they blamed them for driving good honest ponies to crime and insanity. After numerous occasions of requesting the princesses to ban the further use and distribution of cybertech aggression began to grow between Canterlot and the citizens of Ponyville. Until the day it all boiled over, the day they marched upon the castle.
The details of that day are sketchy and nopony really knows exactly what happened. What is known for certain is that day ended with the spilled blood of countless innocent ponies, and the princesses who were said to be so horrified and outraged by what had transpired decreed that the skies above Ponyville would be closed off forever as punishment for their crimes. On that day and every day since the Pegasus of Cloudsdale were forced by royal decree to cover the sky above Ponyville in a blanket of thick clouds blocking out both sun and moon.
After those events the ponies that survived the massacre returned home only to find themselves surrounded by enemies on all sides. No longer were they just against the firms, but also the royalty of Canterlot and the other ponies that lived in Ponyville as well. They were hated and reviled, cast out of civilized company and were declared as traitors of Equestria.
The traitorous ponies implored their fellow Ponyvillions to believe that they were innocent of these crimes. However earnest there pleas may have been they were still hated and despised as traitors, and as long as they lived in Ponyville the sky would be closed off forevermore. Embittered from their alienation by those they had sought to protect the Ponyville rebels vowed that they would never forget, they would never forgive and they would never leave. So the renegades fled into the dark places of Ponyville, and prepared to strike when the time was right.
The world has changed much since then. Well over fifty years have passed since the advent of cybernetics. More than fifty years since the sun last shined on Ponyville. And for nearly fifty years the princesses have stayed in seclusion within Canterlot Castle. Speaking to nopony and being seen by nopony. Their only noted actions as of this day have been the passing of new laws and raising the sun and moon. It is at this dark time that our story really begins. It begins with a young unicorn stallion named Bright-eyes, an emergency call, a chance encounter and a piece of old technology that would change Equestria one last time.