Mystery's Book of Awoken Bullshit

(Facts) The Prototype and Prototype 2.0

People seemed to like my entry on the cloning device, so here's one on the Prototypes. I'll explain both Flare's version and Tyra's version here.

First I'll give an overview of how the device works. Basically, the chip is inserted into the back of the neck, and as soon as it comes into contact with the conditions of the pony body, it begins to grow. The chip is powered by the energy from the body, so essentially, it sucks out the things that you kinda need to live and channels it into it's own use. No need for batteries. The chip was designed to expand within the span of a month. The wires that grow out of the chip are coated in a special acid that burns flesh and carves out room for the Prototype to expand. The bars and metal and such are formed by chemical reactions in the body, when the chip introduces a reactant into the system.

Because of the acid, ponies with a Prototype experience itchy skin or aching pains as the device expands. This is why Blueprint kept scratching his neck, and also why Silver went to see a doctor in the first place. They may also experience fatigue, since the chip is absorbing energy that the body could have been using as fuel.

Anyways, once the tissue is gone, it's gone for good, which is why it's impossible to remove a fully-formed Prototype without killing the pony in the process. Silver was lucky to have caught the thing in it's early stages, when it wasn't far along. He only lost some muscle tissue and a bit of bone, which the doctors replaced with artificial material.

The structure is made up of aluminum beams that replace the bones and artificial joints that allow for movement. If the Prototype is inserted correctly, the host won't notice a difference in their balance or mobility. The main part of the Prototype is the tiny wires that encase the host's muscles and organs. The main organs affected are the brain and heart.

Obviously, the brain is the most essential part, because in order to gain control of the host, the chip has to block the brain signals from getting to the rest of the body. Once the signals are blocked, the host enters a dream-like state. The chip then sends it's own signals to the body, telling it how to move and react. Likewise, the body sends it's signals back to the chip instead of the brain, which is why the host isn't aware of what's going on. They don't feel pain, or gain any memories when the chip is in control.

In terms of the difference between the Prototype and the Prototype 2.0, I'll start with Flare, since his version came first. Back at the factory, after the spectra experiment, Hide built the Prototype specifically for him. Since Flare didn't have wings at the time (Dash had torn them off), his Prototype wasn't made with wings, which is why he didn't have Blueprint's problem.

Other than that, Flare's design was pretty similar to the one that Tyra used, just considerably less dangerous. In fact, Flare was merely considered a test for the technology, and his chip was never actually meant to become a weapon. It was however, equipped with a AI program (artificial intelligence) that Hide was testing out. That was where things got weird.

After Flare built his bio-mechanical wings and eye, the chip was actually able to connect with them and integrate them into the system. Because it was just a test, Flare's Prototype didn't have any means of attacking (no hoof spikes or teeth yet), but the chip was programmed to kill, so it did the best it could with what it had. Which turned out to be Flare's blades-for-wings. Lowkey probably a better weapon than hoof spikes.

Flare's Prototype also only had two commands: Activate and Self Destruct. Hide added the others later when designing the Prototype 2.0. Command: Freeze wouldn't have worked on him.

So let's go over some of the features that Hide added the second time around.

First of all, he ditched the AI program because it was too unpredictable. The Prototypes that took over Cloudsdale just had straight programming, without the ability to adapt. A good thing for FEARED.

He also added the hoof spikes and the metal teeth as a replacement for Flare's wings. There's also defensive mechanisms such as a pacemaker in the heart (to keep blood pumping through the body even if the heart itself is damaged) and the wings (which automatically block any projectiles that come at the host). Flare also blocked bullets with his wings, but that was a result of the AI, not preprogrammed. There's also the control panel located in the arm area, which is used to edit the programming. This is what Blueprint took advantage of to reprogram his own system.

Opposite to the PDVII clones, Prototypes have enhanced senses, especially vision. They lock onto a target based on movement and sound, and they can sense even the slightest instance of either of these. Other things such as smell and touch are rendered useless. As stated earlier, Prototypes can't feel pain either, since the brain is completely taken over by the chip. Nerves are automatically switched off when the chip is activated.

Hide added a lot more commands, such as Command: Freeze (pauses the attack), Command: Standby (sends the Prototype into sleep mode), and Command: Retreat (sends Prototype in the opposite direction of the enemy. Tyra never used this in the book).

There is no way for a Prototype to return to its dormant stage. Once activate is used, the only way to deactivate the machine is to use the self destruct command. Flare however, had a few differences in this aspect. He was programmed to kill everything in sight, then revert to normal when the coast was clear. The reason that the Prototype 2.0 doesn't do this, is because the hoof spikes and teeth damage the host. The host wouldn't be able to survive for long with those alterations, so it would be pointless to deactivate one.

Tyra made a few changes when she acquired the device too, or, well, she got Spark to do them for her.

Spark's chemical engineering background came in handy when it came to speeding up the growing time. While Hide designed the device to form in a month, Tyra was impatient and wanted it to be done forming within a week. Spark achieved this by replacing the acid and reactants that were used to form the structure, and strengthening them all to speed up the process. In this case, though the Prototype developed faster, the host also felt a lot more pain and discomfort.

She also made a few copies of the device without wings, so that she could inject chips into any race of pony (unicorns and earth ponies too). Keep in mind that Blueprint had made and inserted his chip himself without knowing what it did, which was why his did have wings.

I guess now we'll go through what Blueprint did to modify the Prototype for his own use. The first thing he did was disable the inhibitors that created the block between the brain and incoming/outgoing signals. This allowed him control over his own actions. As a side effect, this also allowed him to feel pain, emotions, and gain memories. While other Prototypes went to their deaths without even knowing, Blueprint felt every second of it.

Secondly, he modified the command system. You may have noticed that when Tyra activated all of the other Prototypes at the end of the book, Blueprint didn't activate too. This is because he programmed the system to only react to his own voice. He was the only one who could give the commands to himself, which prevented him from activating at random whenever someone else said the words.

I think that's about it, so I really hope I didn't forget anything. I hope this wasn't too confusing, I know it's very technical. If anyone has questions, throw them in the comments and I'll try to answer. Also, comment some themes for more Guess the Quotes, because people seemed to enjoy the last one.