Crusader Maneframe

“	"The ultimate arcano-technological maneframe. So powerful it could think for itself. Learn. It could even hold the imprint of a pony’s mind. Only three had ever been built."	”
– Littlepip Chapter 21

The Crusader Maneframes are the most advanced computer systems available at the time the bombs fell. They are designed to be creative and imaginative. A Crusader Maneframe is also capable of holding an imprint of a pony's mind.

Only three Crusader Maneframes were created before the bombs fell. One was incorporated into the design of Stable 29, one was requisitioned by Twilight Sparkle for use in the Gardens of Equestria, and the last was used by the Ministry of Awesome for the Single Pony Project.

Locations

Stable 29

Stable 29: In place of an Overmare, Stable 29 was fitted with what the residents thought was a direct link to Stable-Tec headquarters. In reality, the Overmare was replaced by a Crusader Maneframe. The goal of the project was to remove the emotional and fallible pony from the equation and test the effectiveness of a pragmatic and logical system of government. The only inhabitant to know of the true nature of the Stable was the Head of Maintainence, Shadowhorn. Not entirely trusting the infallibility of the system, Stable-Tec provided a means by which to shut down the Maneframe manually, but because it was also tied into every system of the Stable it would result in all the automated systems also shutting down. The programming of the Maneframe could also be overwritten by transfer-mapping the brain of a pony onto it, although this method was untested. Shortly after the bombs fell, the water talisman of Stable 29 was damaged. While it still functioned, it wasn't able to supply enough water for the Stable to sustain all of the inhabitants. The Crusader Maneframe was aware of this and came to the conclusion that the only way to maintain the population as a whole was through rationing and a reduction in size. However, the talisman continued to fail, and the Maneframe continued to kill some of the inhabitants in the hope of saving the rest. When Shadowhorn tried to deactivate the system, she was electrocuted and died. Ultimately the talisman failed and the Maneframe killed every last inhabitant, following the same logic as before. 200 years later, after Littlepip cleared the Stable, it became the base of the Applejack's Rangers. The hostage Steel Ranger Elder Cottage Cheese attempts to copy his mind into the Maneframe in the hopes of achieving functional immortality. Littlepip stops him by activating the override, killing the automatic systems on the Stable in the process. This resets the Stable defenses, reactivating the turrets and releasing a neurotoxin. Luckily, no one is killed.

Ministry of Arcane Sciences

Ministry of Arcane Sciences: The Crusader Maneframe given to the Ministry of Arcane Sciences is requisitioned by Twilight Sparkle to be used as the nexus for the Gardens of Equestria megaspell. It runs the complex calculations needed to cast the spell, however the Elements and their bearers are still required to fully activate it.

Ministry of Awesome

Ministry of Awesome: The third Maneframe was installed in the Ministry of Awesome headquarters for use in the Single Pegasus Project. While it played an important part in managing the system, the weather control system was designed to be operated by a pony, not a machine. Rainbow Dash had it disconnected from weather controls. Following Luna's death, Celestia fled Canterlot for the MoA headquarters and the SPP. She uploaded her consciousness and, using what she learned from the black book, turned the Maneframe into a soul jar. However Celestia discovered too late that it was disconnected from weather control. Since her mortal body had transpired and her mind was uploaded into the Maneframe, she was effectively trapped. Celestia was forced to spend the next two hundred years stuck in the Maneframe, alone and unable to react to the terrible sufferings of the ponies in the wasteland. She was still able to create Portals in and out of the S.P.P and could hear the Wasteland below, likely through the towers.