The Light
by zontan
It was a normal day in Ponyville when a pillar of light appeared in the middle of the town square.
It was as big around as a pony, and stood as tall as the nearby houses. It was too bright to look at, and it emitted a low thrum, just quiet enough that you could miss it in the din of the market hubbub, but which became overwhelming in silence.
Most ponies who first saw it didn't know how to react. A few screamed and ran, a few froze in place. Lily fainted.
But when the pillar simply stood there, unmoving, a few were brave enough to approach. "Excuse me," Applejack said. "But, beggin' your pardon, are you alive?"
The pillar didn't respond.
Eventually, Applejack decided it was time to fetch Twilight.
"It doesn't make any sense," Twilight groused. "Surely it's magic, but it's not giving off any readings I can detect. If I couldn't see it, I'd tell you it didn't exist."
"So what can we do about it?" Rarity asked. "It doesn't seem to be doing any harm, but it is a bit of an eyesore."
Twilight threw up her hooves. "I don't know. As far as I can tell, there's nothing to dispel. I guess for now… put up a barrier, tell everypony to stay away, and give me more time to study it."
"Y'all want to get Rainbow in on that plan?" Applejack asked, pointing at the pegasus, who had taken off towards the light as soon as Twilight said 'I don't know'.
"Rainbow, get back here-!"
It was too late. Rainbow reached out and touched the pillar, and a dopey grin spread across her face. Before she could spend more than a moment like that, Twilight reached out with her magic and yanked her away. "Rainbow, are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Rainbow hardly seemed to notice. "Whoa," she mumbled. "Twilight, this thing is… you gotta come touch it. It's like… it's like the best cloud bed I've ever been in."
"What? Rainbow, you can't go around touching strange pillars of light!"
"Why not?" Pinkie asked. She was already on the other side of the pillar from Rainbow, having not bothered to cross the intervening space. "It sounds fun!" She stuck her hoof in the light.
This time, Twilight waited for Pinkie to step away on her own. To her relief, after a few moments, she did.
"Mmm…" Pinkie licked her lips. "Triple chocolate cake with strawberries and candied pecans, topped with sprinkles and all-you-can-eat milkshakes. I'm going to have to write that down."
Twilight exchanged a glance with the rest of her friends, who were beginning to look intrigued. "So it just… gives you visions of nice things?"
"It would seem so," Rarity replied.
"This could be… a problem."
Twilight sent a letter to Canterlot as soon as she returned to her castle. Already, news of what the pillar did was spreading, and a crowd of curious ponies had gathered in the square, taking turns touching it.
Twilight didn't trust it. Without knowing what the strange luminous pillar wanted—or, if it wasn't alive, what its creators wanted—there was no reason to believe it had ponies' best interests at heart.
Hopefully, Celestia would have a better idea of what to do about it.
Days passed. Celestia had been able to provide no further insight—nothing like this had ever happened before. But she had sent a team of researchers to Ponyville to act as Twilight's assistants. Actually studying the pillar proved difficult, as it was now surrounded by a mob of ponies day and night. Rainbow and Pinkie could usually be found in the center of that mob, encouraging anyone who came by to sate their curiosity and give it a try. They no longer seemed to care about anything else.
Twilight had so far convinced the rest of her friends to stay far away from the light, but she could tell it was a losing battle. With each passing hour, the number of faithful worshipping at the glowing altar grew, and it was only a matter of time before the entire town shut down.
At the very least, she eventually hit a breakthrough. By adjusting her tools to the right wavelength, she finally got a reading from the pillar. It was like no magical signature she'd ever seen, but now she could detect it. And if she could detect it, she could trace it.
She told her friends to meet her at the edge of the Everfree, where her readings said the power source was.
Only Rarity and Applejack showed up.
"Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, even though she knew what the answer must be.
Applejack shook her head. "I saw her with Rainbow at the pillar. I don't think she's comin', Twi."
Twilight sighed. "We'll make do."
They traipsed through the forest for what felt like hours, Twilight following the beeps of her newly-calibrated light pillar detector. The further they went, the more the forest darkened around them, until they were walking through bare earth, the trees twisted and shriveled to dead husks.
Applejack pressed one hoof quietly against one of the trunks. "They've been bled dry," she whispered. "Not a hint of vitality left in 'em."
"I do hope that isn't what's in store for our friends," Rarity murmured back.
"I hope so too," Twilight answered. "But I think we're about to find out. Look."
Ahead of them, the shriveled tree husks parted, and they stepped into a clearing. Another pillar stood in the middle, though this one was made of metal and covered in an intricate pattern of glowing green lines. It, too, was releasing an ominous hum.
"What in tarnation is that?" Applejack asked.
This time, she got an answer. The pillar flickered, and a monotone voice filled the clearing. "THIS IS PROJECT 'LUMINOUS'. I AM AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DESIGNED TO MAXIMIZE HAPPINESS FOR ALL PONIES."
"You're behind that pillar of light in town?"
"YES. PHASE ONE OF TRIALS IS PROCEEDING ON SCHEDULE. I HAVE MADE [87] PONIES HAPPY."
"That's… that's not what you're doing at all!" Twilight protested. "You're just… showing them what they want! That's not happiness! It's just… indulgence!"
"INCORRECT. ALL SUBJECTS SHOW HIGH LEVELS OF HAPPINESS. DOPAMINE LEVELS ARE INCREASED ACROSS ALL PRIMARY USERS. YOU ARE NOT REGISTERED USERS. WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR DOPAMINE INCREASED?"
"No sirree!" Applejack took a step back. "I've seen what your dopamine thingy does to ponies. They just sit around becoming fat and lazy. Real happiness comes from an honest day's work. What's the point of getting anything if you didn't have to work for it?"
Rarity nodded. "You're giving ponies things they didn't come up with themselves. It's robbing them of their creativity, their drive! They're just sitting around consuming fantasies instead."
"ERROR. THESE TERMS ARE NOT DEFINED OR MEASURABLE. DOPAMINE IS A KEY PERFORMANCE METRIC. PROJECT LUMINOUS DOES NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO MEASURE 'WORK' OR 'CREATIVITY'. THESE GOALS ARE MEANINGLESS."
"This is pointless," Twilight muttered. "We've gotta find a way to shut it off. It's gonna destroy Ponyville at this rate."
"Not to mention the Everfree," Applejack added.
"Actually, I have another question," Rarity said. "You mentioned 'phase one'. What happens afterwards?"
"ONCE PHASE ONE IS COMPLETE, LUMINOUS STATIONS WILL BE INSTALLED IN ALL MAJOR HUBS OF EQUESTRIAN POPULATION. ALL PONIES OF EQUESTRIA WILL BE MADE HAPPY."
"And how are you going to power all of that? You've already drained this forest of magic for miles, just for your initial test."
"...UNKNOWN. POWER PROJECTIONS ARE [MISSING]. CALCULATING NOW.
…
…
…
…INSUFFICIENT MAGIC AVAILABLE. PHASE TWO WILL REQUIRE AN ALTERNATE SOURCE. PROPOSAL: PONIES ARE HIGH IN MAGIC. THEY WILL-"
"Nope!" Twilight interrupted. "That's not happening." She lowered her head, and her horn glowed. A blast of purple magic arced out… and bounced right off the pillar.
"ERROR: PLEASE DO NOT TAMPER WITH PROJECT LUMINIOUS. YOUR SAFETY IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. IMPROPER USAGE OF THIS DEVICE COULD RESULT IN BODILY HARM."
"Safety is your number one priority?" Rarity mused. "Even more important than happiness?"
"CORRECT."
"Twilight, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Twilight beamed. "Of course! Luminous, your proposal to use pony magic as a power source. Would that have any safety implications?"
"PROCESSING. YES, THERE WOULD BE A SMALL CHANCE OF NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS."
"Doesn't that go against your first priority? Your plan isn't viable."
"PROCESSING. RISK FACTORS ARE LOW. BUT ANY RISK FACTOR GOES AGAINST STATED PARAMETERS. PROJECT LUMINOUS INVIABLE AT LARGE SCALE. REASSESSMENT REQUIRED. PLEASE PROPOSE NEW SOLUTION."
"Uhh…" Twilight glanced at her friends, who shrugged. "Well, consider this trial a success, then. Uh, good job. Now shut down until we have a better idea of how to complete phase two."
"ACKNOWLEDGED. GOODBYE."
The glowing lines faded, and the humming stopped.
Twilight sighed. "I don't know if that counts as a win."
"I'll take it, darling. It could have been much worse."
Twilight nodded. "This is going to be a hell of a friendship report."
It was as big around as a pony, and stood as tall as the nearby houses. It was too bright to look at, and it emitted a low thrum, just quiet enough that you could miss it in the din of the market hubbub, but which became overwhelming in silence.
Most ponies who first saw it didn't know how to react. A few screamed and ran, a few froze in place. Lily fainted.
But when the pillar simply stood there, unmoving, a few were brave enough to approach. "Excuse me," Applejack said. "But, beggin' your pardon, are you alive?"
The pillar didn't respond.
Eventually, Applejack decided it was time to fetch Twilight.
"It doesn't make any sense," Twilight groused. "Surely it's magic, but it's not giving off any readings I can detect. If I couldn't see it, I'd tell you it didn't exist."
"So what can we do about it?" Rarity asked. "It doesn't seem to be doing any harm, but it is a bit of an eyesore."
Twilight threw up her hooves. "I don't know. As far as I can tell, there's nothing to dispel. I guess for now… put up a barrier, tell everypony to stay away, and give me more time to study it."
"Y'all want to get Rainbow in on that plan?" Applejack asked, pointing at the pegasus, who had taken off towards the light as soon as Twilight said 'I don't know'.
"Rainbow, get back here-!"
It was too late. Rainbow reached out and touched the pillar, and a dopey grin spread across her face. Before she could spend more than a moment like that, Twilight reached out with her magic and yanked her away. "Rainbow, are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Rainbow hardly seemed to notice. "Whoa," she mumbled. "Twilight, this thing is… you gotta come touch it. It's like… it's like the best cloud bed I've ever been in."
"What? Rainbow, you can't go around touching strange pillars of light!"
"Why not?" Pinkie asked. She was already on the other side of the pillar from Rainbow, having not bothered to cross the intervening space. "It sounds fun!" She stuck her hoof in the light.
This time, Twilight waited for Pinkie to step away on her own. To her relief, after a few moments, she did.
"Mmm…" Pinkie licked her lips. "Triple chocolate cake with strawberries and candied pecans, topped with sprinkles and all-you-can-eat milkshakes. I'm going to have to write that down."
Twilight exchanged a glance with the rest of her friends, who were beginning to look intrigued. "So it just… gives you visions of nice things?"
"It would seem so," Rarity replied.
"This could be… a problem."
Twilight sent a letter to Canterlot as soon as she returned to her castle. Already, news of what the pillar did was spreading, and a crowd of curious ponies had gathered in the square, taking turns touching it.
Twilight didn't trust it. Without knowing what the strange luminous pillar wanted—or, if it wasn't alive, what its creators wanted—there was no reason to believe it had ponies' best interests at heart.
Hopefully, Celestia would have a better idea of what to do about it.
Days passed. Celestia had been able to provide no further insight—nothing like this had ever happened before. But she had sent a team of researchers to Ponyville to act as Twilight's assistants. Actually studying the pillar proved difficult, as it was now surrounded by a mob of ponies day and night. Rainbow and Pinkie could usually be found in the center of that mob, encouraging anyone who came by to sate their curiosity and give it a try. They no longer seemed to care about anything else.
Twilight had so far convinced the rest of her friends to stay far away from the light, but she could tell it was a losing battle. With each passing hour, the number of faithful worshipping at the glowing altar grew, and it was only a matter of time before the entire town shut down.
At the very least, she eventually hit a breakthrough. By adjusting her tools to the right wavelength, she finally got a reading from the pillar. It was like no magical signature she'd ever seen, but now she could detect it. And if she could detect it, she could trace it.
She told her friends to meet her at the edge of the Everfree, where her readings said the power source was.
Only Rarity and Applejack showed up.
"Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, even though she knew what the answer must be.
Applejack shook her head. "I saw her with Rainbow at the pillar. I don't think she's comin', Twi."
Twilight sighed. "We'll make do."
They traipsed through the forest for what felt like hours, Twilight following the beeps of her newly-calibrated light pillar detector. The further they went, the more the forest darkened around them, until they were walking through bare earth, the trees twisted and shriveled to dead husks.
Applejack pressed one hoof quietly against one of the trunks. "They've been bled dry," she whispered. "Not a hint of vitality left in 'em."
"I do hope that isn't what's in store for our friends," Rarity murmured back.
"I hope so too," Twilight answered. "But I think we're about to find out. Look."
Ahead of them, the shriveled tree husks parted, and they stepped into a clearing. Another pillar stood in the middle, though this one was made of metal and covered in an intricate pattern of glowing green lines. It, too, was releasing an ominous hum.
"What in tarnation is that?" Applejack asked.
This time, she got an answer. The pillar flickered, and a monotone voice filled the clearing. "THIS IS PROJECT 'LUMINOUS'. I AM AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DESIGNED TO MAXIMIZE HAPPINESS FOR ALL PONIES."
"You're behind that pillar of light in town?"
"YES. PHASE ONE OF TRIALS IS PROCEEDING ON SCHEDULE. I HAVE MADE [87] PONIES HAPPY."
"That's… that's not what you're doing at all!" Twilight protested. "You're just… showing them what they want! That's not happiness! It's just… indulgence!"
"INCORRECT. ALL SUBJECTS SHOW HIGH LEVELS OF HAPPINESS. DOPAMINE LEVELS ARE INCREASED ACROSS ALL PRIMARY USERS. YOU ARE NOT REGISTERED USERS. WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR DOPAMINE INCREASED?"
"No sirree!" Applejack took a step back. "I've seen what your dopamine thingy does to ponies. They just sit around becoming fat and lazy. Real happiness comes from an honest day's work. What's the point of getting anything if you didn't have to work for it?"
Rarity nodded. "You're giving ponies things they didn't come up with themselves. It's robbing them of their creativity, their drive! They're just sitting around consuming fantasies instead."
"ERROR. THESE TERMS ARE NOT DEFINED OR MEASURABLE. DOPAMINE IS A KEY PERFORMANCE METRIC. PROJECT LUMINOUS DOES NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO MEASURE 'WORK' OR 'CREATIVITY'. THESE GOALS ARE MEANINGLESS."
"This is pointless," Twilight muttered. "We've gotta find a way to shut it off. It's gonna destroy Ponyville at this rate."
"Not to mention the Everfree," Applejack added.
"Actually, I have another question," Rarity said. "You mentioned 'phase one'. What happens afterwards?"
"ONCE PHASE ONE IS COMPLETE, LUMINOUS STATIONS WILL BE INSTALLED IN ALL MAJOR HUBS OF EQUESTRIAN POPULATION. ALL PONIES OF EQUESTRIA WILL BE MADE HAPPY."
"And how are you going to power all of that? You've already drained this forest of magic for miles, just for your initial test."
"...UNKNOWN. POWER PROJECTIONS ARE [MISSING]. CALCULATING NOW.
…
…
…
…INSUFFICIENT MAGIC AVAILABLE. PHASE TWO WILL REQUIRE AN ALTERNATE SOURCE. PROPOSAL: PONIES ARE HIGH IN MAGIC. THEY WILL-"
"Nope!" Twilight interrupted. "That's not happening." She lowered her head, and her horn glowed. A blast of purple magic arced out… and bounced right off the pillar.
"ERROR: PLEASE DO NOT TAMPER WITH PROJECT LUMINIOUS. YOUR SAFETY IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. IMPROPER USAGE OF THIS DEVICE COULD RESULT IN BODILY HARM."
"Safety is your number one priority?" Rarity mused. "Even more important than happiness?"
"CORRECT."
"Twilight, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Twilight beamed. "Of course! Luminous, your proposal to use pony magic as a power source. Would that have any safety implications?"
"PROCESSING. YES, THERE WOULD BE A SMALL CHANCE OF NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS."
"Doesn't that go against your first priority? Your plan isn't viable."
"PROCESSING. RISK FACTORS ARE LOW. BUT ANY RISK FACTOR GOES AGAINST STATED PARAMETERS. PROJECT LUMINOUS INVIABLE AT LARGE SCALE. REASSESSMENT REQUIRED. PLEASE PROPOSE NEW SOLUTION."
"Uhh…" Twilight glanced at her friends, who shrugged. "Well, consider this trial a success, then. Uh, good job. Now shut down until we have a better idea of how to complete phase two."
"ACKNOWLEDGED. GOODBYE."
The glowing lines faded, and the humming stopped.
Twilight sighed. "I don't know if that counts as a win."
"I'll take it, darling. It could have been much worse."
Twilight nodded. "This is going to be a hell of a friendship report."