//------------------------------// // Discoveries // Story: Legacy // by NFire //------------------------------// Yes! Finally in the Empire and from what I’ve seen so far it’s very cool! I’m gonna play tourist, definitely, before going on the search missions. But...one little thing before I’m let loose... “And here is the pony who takes care of trade relations for the Empire,” Cadence smiled as a well dressed stallion bowed before her and Shining, getting a nod from a sable Pegasus sitting ensconced between Twilight and her. “Pleasure meeting you.” Athena sighed internally, this had been going on for hours and she was actually getting bored. The others got to go off and explore, but Cadence and Shining felt that maybe a little meet and greet would be appropriate for the day. She’d politely tried to tell them that she didn’t WANT to..but... It seemed only fair after what happened. ----- The snowstorm was turning into a gale force blizzard as they neared the rendezvous point at the entrance to the Crystal Empire. Heating elements were working overtime as her outside cameras showed her the Princess and Prince standing in a cleared area unaffected by the storm. The magic shield she’d been told about. Adjusting course, she turned slightly, seeing ponies looking around themselves as if something was making them start. She was sure the chameleon coating they’d devised was working, there shouldn’t be..oh pits..sound dampening! Quickly she enabled the systems, but it was far too late as she was already coming to rest in front of the massive gate that was an attraction of the Empire, being there to welcome ponies from all over Equestria. Athena had come to a complete stop, the sound of her moving lost in the snowstorm finally. Her optics were showing Princess Cadence and Shining Armor standing nearest the entryway. Shouldn’t be too bad to drop the camouflage. She cut the power to the camo-systems, letting the electrical charge fade from the crystalline coating. She was so proud, having helped design it. Now her full hull was slowly being revealed, and as any proper Bolo should she saluted the waiting royalty. Her massive turrets and Hellbores snapped around faster than the eye could take in, moving smoothly on newly redone tracks they lifted into the air alongside all the other miscellaneous weaponry on the side facing the Empire entrance. Crusader would be happy I followed the protocols, making sure everything was in line..huh? She could see the Princess and her husband gaping, eyes almost popping out of their heads as they took in what had appeared before them out of the blinding snow. The rest of the ponies that had been gathering to wonder what was up, were now making tracks for anywhere but near her. It was pure panic. Uh oh. “What’s going on?” Twilight’s voice was near as they watched what was happening on the interior screen. “I..uh..dropped my camouflage when we came to rest. I think I scared the Crystal Ponies.” Rainbow was laughing so hard she couldn’t stand, “Scared? They’re moving so fast their Cutie Marks can't keep up with them!” “Rainbow!” “It’s true!” In a few seconds, nopony was left except for Cadence and Shining. Even they were looking like they wanted to be someplace else for a moment until Athena shot them a communication through their links. Seeing them start and still staring. “We better get outside.” Twilight was heading down the accessway. Athena lit the direction indicators, “Follow the lines, troop ramp four will extend into the barrier and is covered for protection. It’s bad out there.” They galloped down the passages, coming to where the cold was seeping into the open hatchway, a contained ramp powering out to land in front of Cadence and Shining while they moved quickly through it and out of the cold, enjoying the warmth for a moment inside the barrier. Athena followed right after, making sure everything was locked down. “Shining!” Twilight didn’t hesitate to run over and hug her big brother. “Twily!” They embraced as if long apart. Not like they weren’t in constant contact by message or courier. “How was your trip?” He pointed unsteadily at the mountain that had settled into the blurring snowstorm. “It was great! Made it in good time.” Princess Cadence was still eyeing the thing that sat in front of the gates, “What..what is that?” “That, Princess, is me.” Athena smiled at the puzzled looks. Purple eyes took in the sable Pegasus standing before her, flicking upward to the tallest thing she’d ever seen other than her own castle and that of Canterlot, “I.. We knew you were part of something else. This..this is it?” “Yep, all three thousand and such tons of durasteel and..stuff.” She was about to say ‘death’, but didn’t think that would have gone over well. The grateful look she received from Twilight told her the intuition was right on the money. Shining Armor however... “That is SO COOL!” He released Twilight, who stood there stunned, as her brother ‘geeked’ out, running over to stand beside Athena and pointing out various things he spotted on her hull. “You mean that’s you? The thing under the hill? Is Crusader like that? What are those things..” And on and on, a myriad of questions as I tried to answer politely. Twilight and Cadence shared a long suffering look. The rest giggled as they watched one of the rulers of the Empire act like a colt at his first Daring Do convention. “What are those called?” “Bogies, they help with the tracks when moving.” “Wow, like laying your own road!” “Almost.” “And..and those?” A hoof is pointed upward towards four great barrels still raised in the proper salute configuration. “Those are my main weapons, called Hellbores.” “What are all those things there?” He points to my gun ports along the side. I can’t help but smile, he’s so enthusiastic, so curious. “Anti-Personnel Weapons, ranging from Thirty Millimeter Cannon to Ion Infinite Repeaters.” Even I start getting into it, “I can also use any type of armor piercing loads as needed for close-in work!” I lean over confidentially, “But I prefer normal loads, can acquire targets much faster without switching loadouts.” “Shining..” “And..and all this is you? Really?” His face is full of wonder. “It is. My cores are deep within the hull, protected from enemy fire so I can take the battle to them.” “Athena...” “Is Crusader like this too?” “Oh, yes. He’s a siege unit, capable of indirect fire and long range assault. I’m a gunner, I get in close,” I grin fiercely, stomping the ground hard with one hoof, “I smack the enemy down like flies and make them regret..” “ATHENA!” “SHINING!” Twilight and Cadence’s voices knock us off our conversation, making us both turn to see the exasperated princesses. Shining catches himself, “Uh..yes dear?” I just keep quiet, though I’m not exactly looking Twilight in the eye. The lovely co-ruler of the Empire clears her throat, “I am sure we can all discuss this much later. Might it not be worthwhile to assure our ponies that this is not here to hurt them?” A hoof gestures around to a very silent, and very barren, street. Somewhere off in the distance, a crystal cricket sounds a lonely song. ----- And that took hours, being nighttime. The guards were rousted, magic was used to let the populace know it wasn’t some sort of problem. We were all busy reassuring and making sure ponies understood that the huge thing parked in front of the entryway to the Crystal Empire was friendly. Went about as well as you’d think. It was very late when it was all said and done. Ponies gathered near the entrance gate and staring up at a huge thing they’d never seen before, assured it was a friend and would do nothing to harm them. I don’t think they got a whole lot of sleep that night, neither did we. Twilight and the others took ponies inside, letting them see the loading bays, the other things which weren’t too sensitive. Giving tours was fun, answering questions from little ones that were so excited to see something new. I think we ran out of candy to give away. Even that late at night there were ponies working at jobs, who would stop by and stare up at the arc-lit outside of my hull in wonder. One even told me it was hard to imagine that somepony had built something like that. Crusader and I had exchanged updates, his amusement was very plain even though he tries to hide it. He’s right, I forget sometimes. But that’s fine. I don’t want to be perfect. I want to be me. And then we come to this. Sigh. A meet and greet is always a thing when Princesses visit each other, especially to the Empire as they are so far away. Thus all the functionaries and the hangers-on and so forth dress up and do the ‘Pleasure to meet you’ crud which permeates every society. Because I am that machine outside, they, Twilight and Cadence, thought it worthwhile for ponies to meet me. To understand that I was a friend and that there was nothing untoward going on. I can understand that. But I am so racking BORED! One well-to-do minister said out loud that he ‘Just couldn’t believe that this plain Pegasus was that..that thing outside.’ There’s always one, I suppose. Twilight was assuring him that yes, I was connected to the Bolo outside, that’s what she called it, telling others that was the name of the machine. That I was an extension of the intelligence inside. I do admire her. Plain though? I thought I was pretty good-looking. Plain..hmph! Shining was watching the conversation, seeing the growing group of doubters as my ears catch his own sigh, making me smile. I edged over nearer to him. “Something wrong?” Shaking his head, he smiled a bit wanly, “No. Just always somepony doubting anything anypony says.” “All societies have them Shining.” I gestured minutely with a fore hoof, “And you have to admit, seeing me, then the Bolo hull outside. It is a pretty big story to take in.” “That’s true. Too bad we can’t convince them otherwise.” I almost laugh out loud before I catch myself. Oh, it is so tempting. So very tempting. Peeling back the covering on my face to show them what I look like inside, the durachrome skeleton, semi-organic musculature. All the little doodads and gewgaws that make me up. Oh, it would be priceless. But I am to be on my best behavior. I promised Crusader and myself. No showing off. I ponder it while Shining and I exchange jokes, whispering quietly so we don’t get into the middle of the discussion that Princess Cadence has joined into now. Twilight is doing her best to make them believe, but I think she’d be better off calling it a draw. Yep, calling it a draw. That’s a good thing. It’s best not to argue with those who can’t see beyond their noses. I remember things like this. Those who couldn’t see the future of things. Those who were constantly surprised and actually offended by developments in technology that they just couldn’t understand. They wanted their little world to be comfortable and close, not to change. Welcome to reality. I do have a little fun though. Low-powered ranging and targeting lasers do interesting things when bouncing off a Crystal Pony. Almost as if part of their structure was actually crystalline and not organic. The light scatters, creating interesting effects that I record and store for later. It certainly is very pretty to see through my sensors. One thing does catch my attention, a certain frequency and spectra gives a little sting like a bug nipping at you. Harmless, like a fly. Guess what I’ve been doing for the last twenty minutes? Tag, you’re it. A lull in the line and I get nudged by a lavender hoof. “Whatever you’re doing, stop it.” I turn to see Twilight eyeing me hard. “What?” “Whatever you’re doing, stop it.” “I’m not..” Her eyes go narrow as she keeps staring at me. “How do you even know?” She points, “You had that little smile on your face. You always do when you’re up to something.” Pits. “Fine.” I shut down all targeting and ranging systems. Now she’s got a smug look on her face, darnit for her ability to notice things and that I’m even showing them. “See? All over.” She makes sure I notice the line is gone, brunch is being served and ponies are gathering in groups to talk with each other about the Empire and all those boring little details that will be with any government from now until the heat death of the universe. We head for the table where we’re to be sitting with Cadence and Shining, a private area away from the hubbub. As we seat ourselves, Twilight nudges me. “What were you doing?” “Oh... Uh, you know..things.” Twilight gives me a look I’ve come to know very well. One of those raised eyebrows lifting as her eyes get a glimmer. She knows I’m prevaricating. I sometimes hate that what I feel shows through my avatar, projecting again once more. She is beginning to know me as well as I know her. Drat. I tell her in whispers about what I was doing. Seeing her smile and cover a barked laugh at the last moment, her face crinkling with delight as her shoulders jerk in silence. A hoof swats my shoulder as she wipes her eyes. “You are so bad.” “I got bored, sue me.” I give her my most winning smile. “You’re still awful.” “I am.” ----- The meal was wonderful actually. Spending time with Cadence and Shining was a high point so far. They are something those two. She seems to be the calming influence when he gets overly excited about something. He is as devoted to her as we would were to humanity ages ago. Of course he wants to know more about me, what is contained in that moving mountain out there. He is definitely a geek, never getting to show it much. I do make sure to keep technical things to a minimum. I don’t think ponies would be interested in, nor understand, Hellbore maintenance and creation, the theory and programs controlling them. There is Cadence beside him, the quite lovely Princess of the Crystal Empire. She is giving me a thoughtful look as I shake my head. We’ve had this conversation and it will go no further regardless of what she thinks. I busy myself with our meal being served for us, guess being the ruler has some perks. Not waiting on yourself is a definite plus and I take full advantage of it. Everything has a shine and sparkle to it, nothing like I’ve ever seen before. I can’t be sure what causes it really. Though I am sure we’ll run up against that ever-present word..magic. Is is all so pretty. I transmit every second back to Crusader, seeing him pore over the pictures and audio. Though he’s still giving me a hard time about my arrival, the twit. I know he has questions, tons of them. But doesn’t ask a single one as he lets me send whatever I’d like. Which is everything. I want him to experience the Empire as I am doing or as close to real-time as I can. Comms close down, leaving me to myself and the wonderful time with Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. The Princess does ask something of me, wondering how in the world Luna and Celestia look so good now, and how it was done. Unexpected, but not unwelcome. I am more than happy to share the secret with her, dispelling the strange rumors that had been passed around since that day. Twilight backs me up though as we whisper to astonished ears, making sure no one else hears as we carry the conversation into private quarters. Tea is served, and we are left to our own devices. “So these..things help makes ponies healthier?” Cadence is trying hard to understand. I nod, “Yes. Think of them as janitors. Very tiny machines that sweep away all the garbage inside you. Cleaning up, making things shine.” “You make them?” “We do. We can fabricate pretty much anything, or do repairs with them. They were the height of Concordiat science at the time.” Cadence sits and ruminates over that for a moment, “That’s just amazing. No magic at all, just science?” “None. We had never encountered magic before you and Equestria.” “So I can be more good-looking than I already am?” Shining strikes a pose, making Twilight giggle. “You’re just fine big brother.” He pushes a hoof into his midsection, “I dunno, could lose a few pounds.” Cadence laughs, giving him a hug. “You’re fine, just get a little more exercise. Sitting around all day doesn’t do you well.” I can’t help it, mischievous me, “Wouldn’t be that hard to swipe those away, tighten here and there. Wouldn’t take long at all.” Twilight thumps me under the table as Cadence is actually thinking about it. Shining of course... “That would be cool! Can we do that right now?” He’s leaning over the table looking eager. “Absolutely, just a ..” I really get whacked under the table with a hoof, it actually stings! What the..? Twilight is giving me a surreptitious glare, warning me not to encourage her brother. I think it’s a little late. “Is it safe?” Cadence’s voice sounds worried. “Very. Luna and Celestia trusted us.” “Good enough for me!” A royal hoof is stamped on the table as Shining gets up, “Let’s go!” I can hear the sigh from both the Princess and Twilight as we all get up, heading for my hull. ----- “Just lie down, nothing more. A mask will be fitted to help you breathe and you’ll fall asleep.” I point out the comfy inside of the auto-doc. We’ve entered the command deck, Cadence looking at all the things I’ve done and exclaiming over the bath. She’s amazed I can fit all this in here. Judicious use of space does wonders. Shining is all for it, the lazy way out of working off a few extra pounds. I don’t mind, just seeing an excited face is a pleasure as I watch him climb in. “Just relax and dream. You won’t feel a thing.” He nods, laying on his side as the mask reels out, fitting snugly over his muzzle. The top closes and I bring up the diagnostic screens internally, watching his readouts closely. I open the screens so the Princess will have something to watch, otherwise it’s just me sitting there. Cadence joins me, looking up at all the color codes and the body outline we’ve adapted. “What is all that?” “That is the inside of Shining, all the little things that make you up.” I give her the concise edition, showing the nanites going in, the sweep, his body readouts. She calms down seeing that nothing bad will happen. There are a few minor things, nothing worth mentioning. But he’ll sure feel a lot better today. “That is amazing. It..well, they.. can repair mostly anything?” “Mostly. There are always things that we need to research more to understand what we’re doing.” I point, “Such as the horn. There are things in there we’re not quite sure what their purpose is, so we do not mess with them.” I grin, “Twilight’s first scan caught us off guard, we were wondering what the heck it all was and accidently left her inside the ‘doc. She wasn’t thrilled.” Dead flat look from the Princess of Friendship, “It wasn’t funny.” “It was when you knocked to be let out.” Cadence laughs, “I’m sure it was all a mistake.” “We couldn’t figure out what was going on and got distracted.” I nudge Twilight, “We apologized. You got the freezer.” She smiles, “That’s true. It’s sure nice having cold things in the summer, though Rainbow keeps raiding the ice cream.” The happy face turns a bit exasperated. “We can replace ice cream, Twilight.” “I know. But she’s so sneaky!” Her face gets thoughtful, “I think she’s been taking lessons from Pinkie.” “Yeah, she is good. I’ll have Crusader look at it, change the codes.” That ends that. Twilight knows when my brother is on it, no one is going to get in that freezer until Tartarus has a snowstorm. Princess Cadence watches a little fretfully. All this is old hat to Ponyville and the other Princesses. I understand that. Something very foreign, very strange and your husband wants to jump right in. Twilight did warn me he was impulsive. Nothing unusual, except quite a few examples of old bruising. Well, he was Captain of the Guard. I’m sure they got a little rough and tumble in training. Weakened walls on veins and capillaries fixed, no sweat. Eyesight is fine, make sure it doesn’t start failing anytime soon, no problem. As for fat, he does have a few pounds extra, getting a little sedentary. We’ll wipe that right out, flush and done. Yeah, he’s gonna look pretty good if I say so myself. All done. A quick refresh and a wake up. Amazing how time passes. The lid retracts, leaving a minty aroma in the air. Twilight isn’t watching Shining get out of the ‘doc, she’s watching Cadence. I see the sly smile on her face, waiting for the reaction. “Oh my!” There it is. Shining is definitely a new pony. Matching his name with a coat that gleams down to the tips of his tail and hooves, he steps out of the ‘doc and gives himself a shake. “Wow. That..I sure feel a lot better.” Cadence steps close, “You look better!” She’s eyeing him all over. Twilight gives me a glance as we both recognize a certain gleam in the Princess of Love’s eye. I give her a wink in return. Shining is totally oblivious. He’s testing his legs and twisting around, his mane and tail shining like his name. “This feels very cool!” “Glad you like it.” “You’ve got to try this Cadence!” The named Alicorn starts, “Uhm..I don’t know.” “Trust me, it feels great. I didn’t even feel anything except waking up.” After a few minutes, Twilight’s brother actually convinces Cadence. She strips her regalia, what little there is of it, and steps into the ‘doc hesitantly. I try to reassure her, “Don’t worry, the mask will help you breath, you’ll fall asleep and rest.” She nods, lying down on the pad inside as the lid closes. I make absolutely sure that nothing is out of place nor is stuttering or glitching. The mask forms to her muzzle and in the first breath she is gone. Vitals come up on the screen, prompting more questions from Shining. Twilight rolls her eyes, decrying her geek of a brother. She loves him though, regardless. “This is amazing.” I can’t help but smile, “It’s just technology. Science.” “But we can’t even..I mean fixing everything.” He gestures to the screens, the ‘doc. “Like your magic, it all operates on certain principles. Once understood, it’s simple.” He shakes his head, watching the screens, “I don’t know. But it sure is cool!” I let the repair systems take over. Ponies well understood except for the horn. Bones and blood vessels, muscles and ligaments. Nothing much to really do on her. Oh definitely a few permanent cosmetics, nothing drastic, just enhancing her overall look. Hold it.... I halt all repair nanos immediately. Body parameters off kilter are setting off alarms in my core as I zero in on the problem. Ohhhh...wonder if.. No, they can’t know this early, only we could detect something like this through the minute shifts in body chemistry. Thank goodness for all the hard work scanning different ponies. All right. Shifting priorities now, let’s go ahead with repairs away from that. Reinforcing immunities and protections, leaving a few behind to make sure everything stays in place. All benign, only going active if anything tries to compromise her. She won’t have colds or sickness for a while. She may have an increased appetite, but that’s fine. Feed the nanos, let them reproduce to take care of everything invisibly and silently. It won’t be much, but those little defenders are awesome. After all, she’ll be eating for two soon. I am not sure about gestation for ponies, especially Alicorns. This poses whole new areas of oppor..no. No, I won’t. Crusader would back me up. No, we’re not going to delve into this, something private and wonderful. The nanites finish their sweep, everything is checking out as I begin the revival process, only another minute more. I shoot all the data back to Crusader for storage within locked files. Otherwise, they’ll never know it from me. Though I will have to have a talk with her, tell her what I’ve done. This should be shared. I think they’ll take the news just fine. Now, Princess Cadence being the epitome’ of love, she looks the part. Very pretty, beyond the norm. I can’t help but feel a certain amount of smugness when the lid retracts, letting a hoof extend, then the rest of the Princess lifting herself out of the ‘doc. Shining inhales sharply, blinking his eyes as the Princess steps out of the ‘doc. She has always been pretty, the Princess. A body like Luna’s, it was trim and curved in the right places for a pony. Very much a vision of her nature. Sweet and kind. There’s just no way to describe it. Her colors are gentle, the lines and musculature tight and defined now as any excess pounds are gone, making her healthier than she was. Alicorns seem to be unusually robust in the immunity department, but beefing it up with nanites, one wonders what could happen. She is sparkling and gleaming even without being the Crystal Princess. It’s definitely got Shining speechless. From what I can tell with Twilight’s chuckle, it’s not a common occurrence. “What?” Cadence is looking at herself as I bring in a mirror, a tech spider positioning it for her. “Take a look.” Purple shaded eyes meet her counterpart in the silvered glass, inhaling in a gasp and pressing a hoof to her chest, “Is..that me?” “Yep. This is exactly what we did for Princess Celestia and Luna.” She turns and looks at herself, hooves shone in the soft overheads, mane colors muted just a little to make them blend in a way that gave her a softness while her body was defined and lovely. “I never imagined.” “Now you know. Please, let’s not let this get out otherwise we’d get swamped. I think the Princesses have just been letting rumors run rampant. But someone may connect my being here with this. So let’s say I brought a new spell or something for you. Speculation is always fun.” I gesture to both of them, “You don’t want the regimen we gave the others. But if you eat light, get exercise, you’ll stay this way. The cosmetic changes are permanent.” Twilight was nudging her brother, trying to get him to speak before giving up with a sigh, “So, let’s smuggle everypony out of here back to the castle.That way nopony connects what happened to here.” Good idea, we all teleported back to the private areas of the Crystal Castle. Kind of handy those Unicorns and Alicorns. A single room, very comfortable and bam we’re there. Need to talk to Crusader about this magic stuff some more. Cadence and Shining are awfully close as they settle into a plush couch. I can’t help but grin as Twilight and I notice it. “So, why are you here? You never mentioned.” Cadence is leaning against Shining. Twilight points at me. “We found some references in an old book, back from the time of Sombra, that perhaps describe technology of a type like ours. I’ve come to search the area.” “What will you do if you find anything?” Shining is looking interested. “I will either recover it for use or destroy it. We can’t have anything dangerous let loose in the world. There are too many unknowns. We still don’t understand fully what happened to bring us here. Earth was destroyed by a Melconian suicide fleet, it was burned.” I lift a fore hoof, twirling it around, “We shouldn’t even be here. But since we are, and if there is any tech left over besides us, it’s our duty to recover or neutralize it.” “Is there something in particular that you may expect?” I answer honestly, “I don’t know, but we saw a description of what may be a stasis field like ours. If so, it’s possibly degrading or has degraded long ago and there may be nothing left, or something. So, we look.” Shining taps a hoof on the couch edge, “Ponies are always finding things in the glaciers once in a great while as they retreat or advance. But we consider it just trash most times, melting it down or just making sure it’s not harmful.” Now this I hadn’t known! “Really? Can you show me?” “Of course, we have a storeroom left over from Sombra’s time that has a few items ponies have found in the past.” Shining is looking like he really wants to go. “We have the things that look strange or unknown stored there just in case. We’ve kept up on keeping it organized and new things come in each day sometimes.” “Would we have time to see?” I am really wanting to know. Cadence slips off the couch with a nod, followed by all of us, “We’d love for you to tell us if you can identify anything.” “I will do my best!” ----- The castle that the rulers of the Crystal Empire live in is absolutely huge, and gorgeous. There are statues, plaques, things that are so very old from what is explained to me. Sombra did not like beauty, he embraced the darkness and kept the empire in shackles. Cadence and Shining have been making the place bright, a beacon of hope for their ponies. They tell me tales as we walk towards a sub-level. Of Sombra. His evil and plans for Equestria should he have conquered it. A burning starts inside me, hearing this. We have always fought against such things. I cannot help my anger at hearing of the oppression and slavery. Raids in the night by the ‘Secret Guard’. Ponies disappearing to be pressed into mine work for the rest of their lives. Despair and hopelessness. Things that are so familiar to me. He wanted it all, overthrown by the two Sisters in his attempt at ruling the world. I wish we’d have been there. Crusader and I would have rolled in and stomped him flat. Wouldn’t have been enough of him left to even worry over. Then we’d have done it all again just to make sure. But I’m snapped out of my anger by the realization we’ve arrived. We’ve stopped in front of two massive doors. “I ..thought you said it was a ‘little’ storeroom?” Shining chuckled, “This is a small storeroom. Ought to see the big ones.” “Sieges.” It pops right out, me just talking out loud. Shining smiles, “Absolutely right.” He points down the hallway to other large entries, “Put in place by Sombra to store food and materials for long sieges, planning on being attacked, he stored things away to keep himself and his loyalists comfortable.” “Typical. Plan for yourself, not your citizens.” I can’t help but sound disgusted. “Not any more.” Cadence smiles while tapping on the door, “We have food and water and other things stored with magical protections in case of storms or anything. Our ponies will be well taken care of.” The huge portal creaks open as an pale amber aura surrounds the wood banded with metal, a myopic looking Unicorn peering out. His glasses are thick like bottle bottoms, one hoof adjusting them as he peeks around, seeing the Princess. “Princess! Prince!” The door gets swung open wider along with the poor ponys’ eyes, “Oh my! You..you never come down here! Oh my!” He steps forward, hooves twisting in front of his chest, “I..oh my! It’s such a mess in here, I didn’t know! Goodness! I don’t even have any tea made or anything! Oh, such a problem!” “Calm down Dusty, it’s nothing to be worried about.” The Princess is smiling gently at the nervous pony. “But..but Your Highness! I haven’t cleaned, or even have proper seats for you! Oh dear!” “Dusty, stop.” She watched the nervous Unicorn settle down for a moment, “We’ve just come down to show a visitor the storeroom, she may be able to identify some things for you.” She turned to me, “Athena, meet Dusty Shelves, keeper of the strange and unusual.” “Pleasure to meet you,” I hold out a hoof, getting it bumped in return, “Hopefully I can help a little.” The owl-like eyes looked at me from behind the glasses, “You have experience with odd things?” “Oh, something like that.” I’m going to invite him for a tour of my hull, maybe we can correct that eyesight problem. “Oh, my! Wonderful indeed! Wonderful! Oh, my!” He sat there grinning happily at all of us, until Cadence cleared her throat. “Dusty, can we please come inside?” “Oh! Oh, yes! Oh, yes! Please do!” He shuffled inside, leaving the door open for us to follow. I can’t help but like this pony. He reminds me of the technicians or AI experts on psychotronics we often dealt with. Nervous, quirky, but so intelligent and willing to share what they discover. I am, however, not prepared for this. The room is tremendous, covered from floor to ceiling with shelves, locked cabinets, glass display cases that seemingly go on forever into the distance. Lights glow softly underneath things in the distance, displayed lovingly and with much care. Other things settled on shelves of shining wood, clean and tagged with numbers and comments, each has it’s own place. Shelves set in the middle as well as the walls, making wide, well-lit corridors which are easy to walk down and look at what is displayed. It is amazing. “Athena?” I get nudged from one side, seeing Twilight watching me, “What’s wrong?” “Nothing. This..this isn’t what I expected.” I gesture to the room as a whole. “Oh? Maybe a dimly lit room with piles of stuff casually thrown in?” Shining is grinning like he knows a secret, “Not with Dusty around.” “Oh, no! Oh, no!” The referred to pony was shaking his head, “Not ever! One must display things with proper respect! Things unknown must be studied and categorized and properly placed!” He grabbed a feather duster with his magic, sweeping it over a glass case near him, “One must take pride in one’s work.” “We know you do Dusty, and we cannot be more appreciative.” Cadence’s voice is warm, “Are you sure there is nothing you need? We never hear anything but your reports.” The duster stops it’s swooping as the tan stallion looks nervous, “Uh..no. Of course not Your..” He’s stopped by a slim upraised hoof. “Dusty...” Her voice tells him he better be truthful. “Uhm, I could use some more supplies, yes. My apartment here could use a few new furnishings..maybe.” Cadence nods, “Let me ..” She stops, seeing a quill and paper held in Twilight’s magical aura, already taking notes, “Ahem.. Please give your needs to Twilight, I’m sure she’ll get it all down.” She smiled as Twilight nodded, already noting things as Dusty spoke quietly to her. I am drawn to a glass case, an odd lump is lit from underneath as I start a matching program, files and pictures come up trying to find where this thing.. Oh.. “That is a breech mechanism for a powergun, Princess.” “Is it dangerous?” She’s come up beside me, peering at the strange item. “No, it’s quite useless. But it proves you’re finding things from our era.” “Could this be a bad thing?” Earth, at the time of the Final War, had been an armed camp. Bunkers containing megatons of weapons and other things that would destroy, missile silos for launch against spaceborne threats, orbital fortresses where just one contained more firepower than any hundred Bolos could bring to bear. The Bolo factories churning out Units at a rapid pace, supplied to hundreds of worlds that needed protecting. The size of the Melconian fleet that broke through the layered defense and burned our beloved home was mind-boggling. They invested all in our destruction and we in theirs. It wasn’t inconceivable that something had survived, but I’d been doubtful. I wasn’t anymore. “It could, depending on what was found. Some things survive well in a cold atmosphere, some won’t.” I turn to her with a reassuring look, “No worries. I’ll go through things here, anything dangerous I’ll have my tech spiders take away and destroy. Nothing will hurt anypony.” I hope. “I think we’ve got the list all set Cadence,” Twilight’s voice is merry as she presents a beribboned scroll to her sister in law. “Good, we’ll get all this done immediately.” She waved a shod hoof at the nervous reliquary keeper, “You should not hesitate to let us know these things Dusty.” Hooves twisted in front of a tan chest, “I don’t want to be a bother Your Highness.” “Nonsense! You do important work..” She had unrolled the list, looking at it, “Out of food?! Dusty!” The Princess almost glares at the nervous archivist. “I..make enough to purchase a few things..” “Dusty Shelves, you obstinate pony!” Cadence’s horn lit up, the clattering of hooves reaching their ears as guards rushed in at the summons. She whipped the list to the waiting Crystal Ponies, “Make sure each item on that list is filled please, and do so immediately. Double on the food and other edibles.” “At once, Your Highness!” An armored Unicorn grabbed it with his own magic as the ponies tore off down the hall. “And you, Dusty, will not hesitate to make your needs known from now on.” “Yes, Princess.” A clattering attracted everyone’s eyes, Shining was digging through a box of carefully tagged items, all of them the same. Bringing one up, he lay it on the floor, “Some kind of wheel maybe?” My programs are blaring alarms at me. “STOP!” I can’t do anything but tell him to stop, stop playing with it, anything, just stop. “W..what?” “Those are land mines. Don’t touch it. I have no idea why they haven’t gone off yet, but step away from it now.” There are enough mines in that one box to destroy a large area of this castle. Concordiat Inventory Number Alpha-233-54, Mine, Anti-Vehicle. A Ferret roars out of its slot in my bay after it is filled with tech-spiders and bomb-disposal units. The big loading ramp scares ponies as it clangs down to the snowy ground, letting the armored carrier sling outward, heading for the castle. I can’t take the time to be easy about this. Mines are notoriously unstable after deep freezing or to extended heat. Especially octocellulose. A bomb proof container is inside the ferret, we’ll detonate them in place without any harm. Looking at the rest of the room, I can only wonder how many things here are waiting to just blow up after a nudge. “Princess, let the guards know there’ll be a strange vehicle pulling up outside. Tech spiders are on the way with disposal equipment.” She nods, immediately firing up her magic and letting the castle ponies know. That doesn’t make it easier, seeing a troop of metal contraptions scurrying down the corridors to us, carrying a large metal tub that would contain anything short of a nuclear weapon exploding inside. Eventually they arrive with a minimum of fuss, everyone ushered out of the room as I watch through the sensors on the ‘spiders. They are precise and careful, taking their time with removing the arming devices and fuses, dumping it all inside the containers and lighting them off with muffled thumps of the specialized charges used to detonate ordnance. I take no chances, we blow them all. It doesn’t take long. A proof of how long we must have been out of it, the explosives in the mines have degraded to absolute uselessness. Knowing the chemicals and combinations, it would have taken centuries, and more, for that to happen. We are so wrong in our assumptions sometimes. I still take little chance. After that is complete, the spiders are now searching each shelf carefully under my instruction. Sniffers are detecting more molecules of explosives, anything so marked is destroyed. It doesn’t take long actually. Letting tactical programs take over, it’s a simple thing as every item in the room has been carefully arranged by Dusty. My happy little troop of bomb dogs march right back out into the ferret and return home with a job well done from me after an hour. Shining and Cadence, along with Twilight, did not want to leave during the process, so we all sat outside the room and chatted, hearing thumps that made the poor storeroom keeper jump nervously at the thought of his precious artifacts being scrambled into pieces. A side benefit of all this is I now have a picture of everything in the storeroom. Each item carefully recorded in the search for munitions, it gives me a head start on the ID’ing process. Some of those items in glass cases make me laugh silently. Oh, won’t they be surprised if they ask me to identify them! I take my time though, matching a lump of glass to a camera lens is going to be a little rough. Most of the items are in poor shape, so it will take a while. This is not going to be an easy task by any stretch of the imagination. The room is quiet as we all go back in, guards and castle workponies crowding in behind us suddenly as Dusty’s apartments are quickly repaired, replaced and stocked with supplies he’d so desperately needed but not asked for. They are swift, silent and gone before we even have a chance to say anything. Call it what you will, but ponies are efficient. “And a raise as well, don’t you dare argue Dusty.” “But..but Your Highness!” “Dusty...” “Yes, Your Highness.” She turns to me, “Is there anything dangerous left?” “No, Princess. Everything has been checked. I’m identifying everything now, it’s going to take a little time even for me. As for munitions, no more have been detected, unless there is another storeroom?” She motions to Dusty who shakes his head, “No, unless you count the scrap pile. All that strange metal we can’t even melt down.” “Strange metal?” He nods, “Chunks of metal that even the smiths can’t use. It won’t melt in the hottest magical fire, so we use it for other things.” I nod, “That sounds like durachrome or durasteel. It would take fusion furnace temperatures to smelt it to the point were it would be even close to malleable.” “Dura-steel?” Dusty is quite curious. “It’s what makes me up. The big machine outside? That’s me.” “That..that is amazing.” His mind working hard to try and understand. “Yes, sir. I’m an extension of the intelligence inside.” I run a hoof down myself, “I’m not a real pony.” Twilight laughs, “Don’t let her fool you, she’s a pony, just a little different.” “Can you really identify all the things in here?” He’s losing his awe quickly in the face of knowledge. “I can sure try, got quite a few done already thanks to the spiders searching for more dangerous things.” “Spiders? Those..things that were here earlier?” “Yes. Part of me, they can do nifty things like repairs and getting rid of stuff that shouldn’t be tampered with.” “That is truly amazing. Oh, my.” “You keep saying that.” I can’t help but give him a grin. “Shining, please stop messing with all that.” Cadence’s voice makes Twilight sigh, her brother digging through cabinets of ‘cool stuff’. “But it’s so neat! Look at this!” He holds up an object that I zoom in on. Is that..oh no..of all the things to actually survive... “Who knows what this was!” He waves it around in a hoof, “Something nifty I bet!” He punches it forward like a sword, stabbing an imaginary enemy and making it so very hard to keep my composure. I can’t do anything but sit there and goggle, though I am laughing so hard inside that I’m afraid I’ll start tearing up. I am trying to maintain a steel-like will not to bite my artificial lip. He’s battling an invisible opponent and I can do nothing but stare at what he is holding. “Shining, it’s probably nothing. Right, Athena?” Cadence looks at me to get her husband to stop fooling around. “Uh..yeah it’s..no..thing. Just useless junk. Sorry.” Well, unless you have batteries. “Would you excuse me for a moment?” I walk out of the room as calmly as I can, heading for another doorway and peering in, it’s a small storage area for linen supplies. I walk in, close the door, making sure it’s as soundproof as I can get it. Then I laugh. I laugh hard enough I have to wipe tears from my face. I can’t help it, seeing Shining waving that thing around like it was some kind of play weapon. Burying my face into my forelegs, I try to keep sound from escaping the room. Laughing so much I actually snort, I can’t believe what I was seeing. The word silly can’t even begin to describe this. I can’t keep it inside, I really can’t. It’s hard these days to do what I used to. I have seen things that have made me cry, made me joyous, and made me merry. Oh, so much laughter. But this, this is something I never expected, nor even dreamed of in all my centuries as a Bolo nor my days as a pony. I send a transmission to Crusader, seeing him on watch and placing it in the queue for him to read later. I’m sure he’ll get a kick out of it. As for now I can’t stop, I just can’t, it’s all got to be let out and here in this little room my laughter is bouncing off the walls. Because if I don’t, it’s going to come out either way, in front of company or alone. I truly, really can’t let them know. I am so glad my nose can’t run, otherwise I’d look a terrible mess as Twilight sticks her face in. “Athena?” She’s got a worried look as I wipe my face as best I can, getting up from the floor where I’ve been pounding a hoof into it for the last minute or so. Straight face? No..no this can never be. I’m biting my lip hard as I face her, eyes watery and trying not to snerk as I reply. “Y..yes?” “Are you okay?” All I can do is squeak in reply, biting my lip and holding as placid an expression as I can. But like I said, that’s not going to happen, “I’m fine.” I can do this, remain cool...calm... Twilight is eyeing me, seeing the messed-up mane, the tear tracks, more water coming into my eyes as I press my lips hard together, trying not to let anymore laughter loose. My whole face is a screwed-up mess of hysterics. “What in Celestia’s name is wrong with you?” I want whatever chronicler who looks into these memories in the future to know, I’m not a bad pony nor an awful AI. I’m a brave and bold Bolo, and as a pony I’ve tried to live up to the good ideals given to me. I’m not a bad pony. I’m not! I grab Twilight by the shoulders, pressing my lips against her ear so no one, absolutely no one can hear what I very carefully, and fully, explain to her. I’m not a bad pony. Just a mischievous one. I hold her and watch the reaction as I explain exactly what it was that Shining was swinging around. I see her face go from puzzled, to wonder, quickly into shock, then..oh there it is. That awesomely cool face where she’s stuck between confusion and a near breakdown into laughter. “You’re serious..?” “Yes.” The lavender face snerked and snorted loudly, her lower lip gripped between teeth, “So he’s waving around a..” “Yes.” Absolutely and firmly, I know that I have never seen the Princess of Friendship laugh so hard in the entire time I’ve known her. She is practically howling as the breath hitches in her lavender chest. She can’t even control herself to remain standing up, letting the wobbly legs collapse as she hits the floor, pounding away with her hooves. Not seconds later I’m watching Twilight leap upright, back legs crossing as she continued to laugh, but sped out of the room and down the hallway shouting she had to hit the little mare’s room. I try to make myself presentable, or at least more so than I am. Stepping out of the room and running smack into Cadence and Shining who are watching Twilight scramble down the hallway in a hurry. “What was all that about?” Cadence was looking concerned, seeing her sister-in-law tearing up a strip of floor to make it to the bathroom. “I..” Another bite on my lip as I see Shining still holding the object, “Think she just had a need to, you know, go.” “Well..” The Princess shakes herself out, “I guess we could go get some dinner before rest. It’s been quite the busy day.” She catches Shining parrying and thrusting, “Would you please take that back to the storeroom?” I can see why Cadence cares for him so, the crestfallen look he gives her would break any mares heart. He trods back to the storeroom as the Princess yells after the retreating figure, “You can come back later!” We both watch the trudging steps pick up into a trot. She rolls her eyes at me with a smile, “He’s such a big colt.” I just nod, settling down as I can faintly hear Twilight laughing somewhere down the hallway. I do take this moment to broach the subject. “I need to talk to you, privately.” Her horn glows with power immediately, a silence settles onto both of us. “There, nopony can overhear anything. Is something wrong?” Her face shows concern so easily. “Oh no, not at all. Did you know you were expecting?” Easier to just say so than beat around the bush, although.. Her eyes about pop out of her skull, looking at me as if I’d just said something totally unintelligible. “What...?” “You’re expecting. I’m not positive on how long it will be, but you’re very much in the beginning stages.” “How do you.. Oh, that..scan? ..was it?” “Yes. I did leave a few clusters of nanos inside you to fight off infections or disease, you’ll be even healthier than before for a long while.” “Inside?” She looks at herself as I chuckle. “They won’t hurt you, and you’ll never know they’re there. They’ll flush themselves naturally in a few months.” The lovely purple eyes turn back to me, “Am I really...?” “Oh, yes. I guarantee it.” I gesture slightly towards her body, “You’re in the absolute beginning, so probably won’t be showing too soon. You can wait a while to tell anyone, but I won’t hold anything back from you.” “I understand.” She looks around quickly, “Promise not to tell anypony? I want it to be a surprise.” “You have my word.” She hesitates for a second, then taps a shod hoof, “What was all that about earlier? You seemed to notice something and left very quickly. You and Twilight were quite merry. What was so funny?” I almost bite through my lower lip keeping a straight face. “There you go again, what is going on?” She leans towards me, making me rear back, trying not to laugh again. “No one can hear us right?” She shakes her crowned head, “No, not unless I want them to.” Leaning in, I explain once more what it was and what we were laughing about. I love being me, I truly do. Watching purple eyes go wide with surprise and a gasp as I inform her what exactly that thing is. True to form she studies me for a moment, making sure I am being honest. “Yes, I’m serious.” Her laughter is just as high and sweet as Twilight’s. Shining coming back to find his beloved in a paroxysm of giggles and outright guffaws as she slaps a shod hoof on the floor of her castle. His bewilderment only makes things worse, asking what everypony is laughing about. Twilight returns at that time, seeing him and losing her composure once more. She knows why Cadence is laughing, knowing without me saying so that I have told her. I try to apologize, I do. But for some reason I just can’t get the words out above a squeaking reply, trying not to..oh forget it, I laugh too. Poor Shining. ----- Cadence couldn’t keep it away from her beloved, so told him what we were laughing about later on as we prepared for the evening meal. I guess he didn’t know whether to be surprised or slightly disgusted, so settled for a little of both. Twilight can’t stop giggling whenever she looks at him, so that’s going to be a thing for a while. She and Cadence are having a hard time keeping themselves from busting out into fresh gales of laughter. I can sympathize with him. “You could have told me.” I can‘t help but smile as warmly as I can, “I do apologize Shining, I really do. I am amazed of all the things that have survived, that would be one of them.” “And they really..?” “Yes. If you’re truly curious I can explain exactly..” “No! No...that’s...fine.” Twilight and Cadence do break out in a flurry of laughs once more. It’s going to take some time. “On the other hoof, there are some interesting items in that storeroom. You have quite a collection of datablocs I would like to see if I can get into.” “Data..?” “Recordings. Memories. Computers and AI’s used them to store information.” Twilight was near now, her curiosity rising, “Do you think there would be anything on them?” I shrug, “Possibly. They were made to withstand tremendous forces and the weight of ages. There could be something or nothing.” Her face takes on a wondering aspect, “Imagine, messages from that long ago.” I tease her warmly, “I don’t think they’d be addressed to you or anypony Twilight. I can’t imagine anyone ever thinking a society like this would exist.” The roll of eyes, “Of course not silly! I was just thinking of what could be passed down through the ages.” “Probably someone’s shopping list.” Cadence and Shining chuckle at the look I’m getting from Twilight. Her head is in the clouds sometimes, and that’s fine. I don’t expect much from eons old datablocs. I don’t think even the designers figured on them being around this long. “I’ll set up a reader so you can help me whittle them down, fair enough?” This mollifies Twilight and I immediately hold up a hoof to stop her before the questioning gets off onto tangents we don’t have time for, dinner awaits. I gesture towards a quietly waiting Princess and Prince, “We’ll discuss it more later, I promise. We’re holding up the dinner party I think.” The war is over quickly, food wins over knowledge this time. I am sure she’ll be pleased poring over exabytes of data that is probably going to be of the most boring stripe. Lists, data caches of no import, someone’s email history. Well, the emails might be interesting, depending on what’s written. We walk down to the private dining area, chatting about the day so far and of course teasing Shining just that little bit extra. The rest of the group were going to meet us there for the evening. There could be voices from the past as well in those blocs. Humans and AI’s long gone the way of history. I don’t know if I wish to hear them. It would dredge up memories in myself that I’ve not wondered over in a long time. But it is something we need to know, if information could have survived that long intact. That is for tomorrow. There is time. As I look at the smiling faces, waiting for us around a table of gleaming crystal covered in a fine silken cloth, it can all wait. Because a whole new adventure awaits.