Anonymous X: Fragmentation

>It is. . .well, you aren't quite sure what year it is here
>In this strange new world that you have found yourself in
>It's surprisingly similar to yours, but there is one key difference: The fact that small, talking, pastel colored Equines are in charge
>The level of technology is the same, thankfully, so you won't have to worry about that
>Psis seem to be a common occurrence here, in the form of Unicorns
>There are even some who aren't Unicorns and are Psis, but more on that later
>Your therapy has been going decent
>Learning to adjust your gait to accommodate to your new legs was the hardest thing
>Adjusting to the weight of your augmentations and learning the features of your new eye computer wasn't that hard
>During your therapy, you got history lessons from the one known as Celestia
>She seemed to be the De Facto leader around here, so you usually listened intently whenever she spoke
>The technological revolution started not to long ago

>Some time ago, traveling salesmen and inventors Flim and Flam arrived with a miraculous piece of machinery called the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000
>The name sounded silly, but it was all business
>They challenged the local Apple Farmers to a cider making contest, the winner getting rights to the apple farm
>It was a ultimate test of old vs. new, in your robotic eye.
>The one known as Applejack wanted her friends to help when they were falling behind, but the brothers pointed out that would be cheating
>And then they won, and provided cider for all
>The Apple Family was devastated by this loss, but the brothers were not the malicious sort, and promised to give them a cut of the profits for whatever they sold from then on
>They would have to move out from the farm and find a new place to live
>It was a bittersweet conclusion,  as the Apple Family found places to live far out in the town of Appleloosa where they could continue their business
>Flim and Flam started to build a factory so they could make more  'Flim Flam Fabrications' to aid the citizens of Ponyville
>It all seems so innocent

>The years that followed lead to miraculous discoveries related to technology
>The rate at which they developed new tech was astounding, and you figured it was likely due to the presence of natrual Psis, who's large intellect and supernatural powers were a catalyst to this revolution
>The towns of Ponyville, Canterlot and Cloudsdale exploded in size and complexity
>The humble homes and shops of Ponyville were now massive apartment complexes and mega malls
>The regal city of Canterlot was now a hive of vice, full of clubs, casinos, and underground crime
>The humble hamlet of Cloudsdale grew to become a thick cloud cover over the two cities, covering them in a perptual darkness that the sun could hardly pierce
>Magical leylines were set up to sync with certain devices to emulate the telephone, the TV, and the internet
>And eventually came the development of cybernetics and augmentations at Celestia's bidding, claiming to want to develop the technology to give those who were born or became disabled a chance at equality
>Of course, like in your world, aug technology was powerful. . .and polarizing

>Schism would be the best way to describe the following years
>Celestia and Luna were argued endlessly about the augmentation technology, the former wanting to use it as a tool of piece and prosperity, the latter wanting to preserve the old ways as much as possible
>She was already fed up with Celestia's willingness to embrace this strange technology, and eventually broke off with her and a large group of ponies to form her own kingdom
>Luna's followers were few, but fiercely loyal, claiming the 'New Lunar Republic would rise!'
>That would have made Luna something other than a Princess though, wouldn't it?
>You weren't sure; Politics were a punchline in your world
>Celestia also looked spoke her most trusted ponies, the 'Main Six', as they were called
>Their stories were varied, and all told of how they reacted to the new technology

>Applejack's story is perhaps the most complex
>Appleoosa was quiet, peaceful, and in the middle of bumfuck nowhere
>It resisted the technological growth for a while, but when people started visiting in Hoverchariots and Landrollers and phased out the train, she got nervous
>She was worried it would be a repeat
>She was xenophobic to a fault, resisting new ideas and concepts and was distrusting of tourists
>Even if it did help her sell more Appleoosan baked goods and let her take care of her siblings and grandma more
>Her grandma was proud of her for sticking to the old ways, but not so much Big Mac and Applebloom
>They both had friends back in Ponyville, and wanted to go back
>It was  pride, fear of technology or stubbornness that kept all of them together
>But augs were the straws that broke the Ponies back
>Big Mac and Applebloom had had enough, and wanted to get augs for various reasons
>Big Mac wanting social augs to get over his shyness, and Applebloom to become stronger and help out at the farm
>Yelling, fighting, and tears followed, and the Apple family became a house divided
>While Appleloosa is still known for it's apples, some people comment on how sour they taste when brought back to Ponyville
>Unsurprisingly, Big Mac and Applebloom helped to develop the technology that made their augs possible and were pretty famous in the local area
>As if to spite them, Applejack became the leader of a radical group known as the 'Adherents of the Pure', a group prone to protesting, rioting and being general douches to people who had augs
>She preached she was doing the duty of bringing the truth to the ponies eyes
>Can't blame her, what with her apparently being the 'Element of Honesty'


>Pinkie Pie's story was a bit of a heartwarming one
>She was saddened when her friend Applejack left, but she had to remain chipper and upbeat
>She started eating more, however, to cope with the depression
>This lead to her developing a strange form of Diabetes, or some such
>You weren't really paying attention to that part
>Either way, she got sick, and because of it, her ability to heal injuries slowed
>She still partied as hard as she could, till she took a nasty fall that cost her one of her forelegs
>It would be years before it healed, and amputation was out of the question
>She opted, then, to undergo an experimental prosthetic augmentation
>This was before augmented prosthetic were common, so the risks were high, and the chances of survival low
>But she would do anything to keep going, anything to keep her friends smiling
>So she underwent the operation, and had one metal foreleg to her name
>She was back to partying in a flash, but she slowed down a bit, partying mild rather than wild
>She had to move out since the ponies she was staying with could not afford to kepe her afloat, since they had chipped in too much to pay for her augs
>She traveled around the city, preforming on the streets and sometimes at parties. getting just enough to keep her float
>She now lives in her own little bakery in Ponyville, and works part time as a foalsitter
>Since her friends have become consumed with the hectic life of living in the future, herself included, she's had less time to enjoy herself and throw her celebrations
>She still keeps party supplies on hoof, in case of party emergencies

>Rarity was an interesting case
>After contracting a disease known as Hoof Rot, as disease which turns a pony's legs green and rots them from the inside out
>A form of magical necrosis, incredibly painful and practically fatal
>Legs were a ponies lifeblood, but there were stories of unicorns of pegasui who lived through Hoof Rot
>However, with the advent of augs, she could have a second chance
>She got herself hooked up with the full package, getting her front and rear legs replaced with metallic equivalents
>When she saw how simply gaudy they were, she resolved to improve them
>Collaborating with the designers of the young augmentation corporation, she improved the original designs one hundred fold
>She developed a protective, smooth carapace to cover the augs, some with a Chameleon enchant so they could blend with the ponies natrual coat color
>Her brilliant designs and eye for fashion lead to the development of the Intrigue line of augmentations
>Fashionable, functional, and encrusted with beautiful focus gemstones to promote synchronization and make augs a real head turner
>That's why her designs for a carapace were modified for your reconstruction, making them more while sacrificing the Chameleon enchant
>She controlled a massive fashion empire now, leader of Generosity Inc., and is married to a unicorn named Fancy Pants
>You wonder if these ponies even wear pants

>Rainbow Dash jumped at the opportunity to become even better and '20% cooler' than she already was
>She became more machine than pony, but her involvement allowed for augmentation tech to expand rapidly for Pegasus as a whole
>With her new, improved and metallic body, she thought she was ready to join her childhood heroes, the Wonderbolts
>Sort of a Blue Angels kinda deal with pegasai, you surmised
>Her dreams were dashed, as it were
>The Wonderbolts had banned augs from joining their group, saying that only the best, and most natrual flyers could enter
>Rainbow Dash was admittedly  crushed, and seemed to withdraw from society
>No one quite knows what happened to her, but some say that they see a rainbow blur speed and help them by whenever they are in trouble


>The remaining two ponies, Fluttershy and Twilight, you didn't get to hear about
>She didn't wish to talk about Twilight, and in her words, Fluttershy 'finally got to be a tree', or something along those lines
>Whatever, you didn't care. You were preoccupied with some other things.
>Where were you going to stay? What did you want in exchange for saving me? And will I ever get robotic legs at least?
>She answers without mirth, as usual, but does compliment you on being to the point
>She says no, you won't get robotic legs, since they don't have a good reference to develop augs from
>Your legs were completely blown off, it seemed
>She said you would stay with a one 'Lyra Heartstrings', an advocate of augmentation and one of her lab ponies, who was at her beck and call to try out experimental augs
>Her appearance was similar to yours, heavily auged and bipedal, and you figure she could use some company
>And she wanted you to report to her each week about the state of the neighborhood you and Lyra were staying in
>It was known as the Transpony District, and it was full of heavily auged ponies, and subject to
riots and violence
>She had installed a recording device in your eye-computer, and tasked you with recording any suspicious activity you saw or heard so she could send out her agents to route out any violence
>You were less a courier now and more so a glorified surveillance camera
>But you were still alive, and that's what mattered

>After two and a half months of therapy, final touches and an advance payment of 4000 NeoBits for your service to CelestCorp, you were on your way
>You had been outfitted with an nano-weave black trench coat, and a white t-shirt and some jeans as well
>A gift from Generosity, Inc., of course
>You were never going to quite get used to the metal 'clank clank clank' sound you made when walking with these hooves
>Whatever, you could still walk, and more importantly, run
>You wished to give your new legs a test run, but you had no idea about the layout of the city
>You opted to take a Taxi instead, hailing a Pegasus down and entering the yellow and checkerboard painted vehicle
>'Where too, bub?' The rather brawny, thick built brown Pegasus asked
>Didn't bat an eye at your appearance, thankfully.
'I need to get to the Mana Spire in the Transpony district.'
>The pegaus chuckled. 'Yeah, youse look like youse from there. Alright, hang on.'
>The pony flapped his massive wings, lifting up the chariot and entering the flow of vehicles above
>You were quiet most of the way through, analyzing the sprawling city bellow, trying to get a feel for it

>Eventually, you had arrived at the Mana Spire
>The pegasus landed in front of the massive, spike shaped building, and you paid him your fare of 350 NB
>You'd hate to see how much it costs for some coffee
>Or maybe he was scamming you
>Couldn't say. You had to get settled in with your new roommate
>Lyra Heartstrings lived on the third floor, room 333
>You walked up the stairs and made it to the room, knocking on the door gently as you could
>Never knew what would be inside of your new arm
>Could blow the door right off it's hinges
>You hear a faint clopping down, and you hear someone fiddle with the lock
>A mint green unicorn opens the door, sporting two arms here her forelegs should be, her chest wrapped up in bandages, and wearing a pair of brown pants
>She is also standing on two legs
>'Yes, how can I-' She asked, looking up at you and gasping.
'Hello. Are you Lyra Heartstrings?'
>She doesn't respond as her eyes seem to roll back in her head as she elects a pleasurable moan, and she faints
'Well, at least I'm not the one passing out this time.'
>You also know the answer to your question
>Ponies do wear pants.