Hayden swayed a little after the teleport, struggling not to fall over. She felt little chunks of ice flake off away from her face, and her breath still clouded the air in front of her for a few seconds. “Damn,” she whispered, shaking her head. “That was awful.”
Star Swirl looked far more intact than she did, standing on the edge of a bluff. The air around them had transformed—no longer trying to rip the heat from her chest, but instead pressing down on them, heavy with moisture. The smells and sounds had changed too—she could hear exotic birds calling in regular rhythm, and the rich perfumes of tropical flowers. “If you think that was difficult, cross the continent with Celestia sometime.”
Hayden cleared away the ice from around her eyes, looking out over the bluff. Her heart practically stopped in her chest as she saw what was happening below.
It was as though Star Swirl had taken her back to Earth. Someone had clear-cut the jungle foliage, with rows and rows of stumps. Not burned, as poor farmers might’ve done to clear more ranchland in the third world. This was systemic, clearing space for the gigantic pit mine that was below them.
This was like nothing she had seen in Equestria, not when talking to the army engineers, or even the civilian miners in Icefalls. This was industrial mining, cutting an inverted pyramid into the planet to extract the mineral wealth it contained. It looked like it went down at least a mile.
And the crew working it—Star Swirl hadn’t been lying when he said they were strange. A pony would think they were strange. To Hayden, though… they were robots. Obviously taller than ponies, even at a distance. They came in different forms. Some had wheels, others had tank-like treads. Most of them had unmistakable plastic bodies. Some material a thousand years more advanced than anything ponies had the ability to manufacture.
“I warned you,” Star Swirl said into her ear, sounding smug. “I once thought Avalon might make a great addition to Equestria’s Pillars. But the more I have seen of him, the more I realize his kind of invention isn’t one we want to encourage. I would not want to see this come to the rest of Equestria. Better to keep it here, contained.
“Where is he?” Hayden spread her wings. “I assume he doesn’t live in this mine.”
“He will find us,” Star Swirl said, walking right to the edge of the ridge and waving down with one leg. At once, one of the drones with tank-like treads started rumbling up the mine towards them, ignoring the tiered levels and cutting a straight line. “Before we speak with him, we will need to address one of his servants. The gatekeepers may not even permit us further.”
“They will.” Hayden spoke without doubt now, staring at the drone as it got closer. It wasn’t unlike something she’d seen demonstrated at a tech show only a few months before arriving in Equestria. A distant prototype of something that might one day be used to build Musk’s dreamed Martian colony. It had no torso really, no head. But it did have two “arms” at about the human level, and a single screen where a head might be. All the hardware was located around the treads.
It rolled up over the ridge, stopping in front of them. Hayden could even recognize the familiar logo printed into the body. It was holding something made of plastic in both of its hands, something that looked a great deal like a gun. “Avalon landfall is restricted to primitive native species,” came the voice from speakers near the base. “I must ask you to depart at this time.” Its accent was thick, and Hayden found herself having to struggle to understand it. The software was obviously not made for the Equestrian language.
“We require an audience with Avalon,” Star Swirl said, turning respectfully towards it as though it were a person. “I am not a pony who will waste his time. He knows me.”
Pause. “Contingency is in place for your visit NATIVE_PRIMITIVE_ELDERLY_MALE_UNICORN_WHITE. Avalon regrets being unable to complete the agreement he made with you. Please do not return to AVALON again.” The robot turned to go, leaving Star Swirl stunned.
“Wait!” Hayden commanded, in English. “I don’t belong to primitive native species. Your commands don’t apply to me.”
It stopped, turning to face her again. The camera where its head would’ve been scanned up and down her body. She spread her wings a little, trying to accentuate the defense as much as she could.
“What are you saying to it?” Star Swirl whispered. “What language is that?”
“Your species is not registered,” the drone said, driving right up to her. “Please explain.” It was no longer using Poneish, but English. It sounded quite fluent, even though it had been ages since Hayden had heard it spoken. If it wasn’t for the music she had brought, she might’ve forgot how to make herself use this language completely.
“I am a traveler from Earth,” she said as clearly as she could. “I am human. My name is Hayden Powell.”
The drone froze in place, no longer moving at all. Star Swirl walked slowly around it, then back to her. “Strange incantation you cast. I’ve never seen them do this.”
“I never thought I’d see one of these in person,” Hayden answered him. “They were supposed to build space colonies. Why is there a human space colony in Equestria?”
“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” Star Swirl said. “Avalon is a diamond dog. His creations are… wonderous, yes. But they don’t need to be explained with supernatural cause. They’re merely good craftsmanship.”
The screen in front of them flashed, filling with what Hayden could tell at once was a video feed. She could see a dark room, and a furred figure hunched over something. It turned to face her, and her chest immediately went cold.
Hayden had never seen a diamond dog before. Still, she doubted they very much looked so convincingly like a human wearing a fursuit. The only difference was the eyes, which lacked any plastic or inserts, but were awkwardly missing, an opening through to his actual face beneath, and pale wrinkled skin. “You.” The voice was English, though as badly accented in its way as the robots spoke in Poneish. “You who claim to be human!” The drone came to life at once, whirring towards her, gesticulating wildly with the rifle it carried. “You do not look human to me!”
Star Swirl retreated a step. His horn started to glow. “You’ve angered him, I can tell. I will get us out before he—”
“No!” Hayden turned her head, hissing sidelong at the unicorn. “Not yet!” She looked back at the camera. “You do not look like a dog,” Hayden said back, in much better English than the speaker had used. “You are wearing a mask. I am too, mine is just better than yours.” Hayden reached into her saddlebags with her mouth. She lifted her wallet from where it was tucked away and opened it towards the camera.
The figure slumped forward onto a chair, looking away from the camera on his end. He reached up with one hand, pulling at something behind his head. The gray fabric of his “head” came right off onto the workbench.
Beside her, Star Swirl’s horn stopped glowing, and he stared on in shock. “Stars and stones. He’s taken off his face!”
Yet when Avalon turned back to the camera, there were no exposed muscles, not the terrible horror she might’ve expected if his face had been removed. She was considering the eyes of an old man. The skin was pale, as though he had never seen the sun. Wrinkles bagged up around his brow, and on his hands. Tears streamed down his face. “After all this time… all these years. I thought I was the last.” The drone lowered its weapon. “I am sending a car.”
Their ride arrived only minutes later—dropping right out of the sky with a roar that Star Swirl warned her to expect but still shook her to her chest. Dirt and debris scattered all around them as the craft settled down.
It was like a helicopter, if a helicopter had forgotten its blades and decided to come in to work anyway. Glass windows polarized, and a dozen different logos were printed on the side. The largest were the block letters spelling “AVALON LUNAR COLONY”. Well, at least I don’t have to wonder where they came from. With one minor detail—there hadn’t been Lunar colonies in the world Hayden left behind. There hadn’t even been a manned mission there since Apollo.
The doors opened, but no one got out. The drone spoke from behind them, live camera feed gone. “Proceed inside,” it said, pointing with the gun. “Avalon is waiting.”
“Seems like everything here is named Avalon,” Hayden said, as they hurried down the ramp into the craft. It was air-conditioned inside, and obviously not built to pony size. The ceiling felt like it was way too high, and the seats had straight backs that made sitting difficult. There was no pilot, no controls either. Only a pleasant voice, speaking in English and suggesting for them to be seated.
“Why do you say that?” Star Swirl asked. “Only the inventor.”
“You didn’t read… right. You can’t read this.” She pointed to the safety labels printed on the ceiling above their seats. The ground began to shake, and they lifted into the air. It was smooth, like the quadcopter drones popular in the world Hayden left behind.
“You can read the inventor’s code? And speak his secret language too…”
“No.” Hayden rolled her eyes. “The inventor is human, Star Swirl. He’s from my world. I can speak his language because it’s my language.” She stopped short of pointing out the more uncomfortable bit—that she didn’t recognize most of the technology. The brands were the same, though. The company logos were recognizable, if slightly changed.
Star Swirl looked like he might protest, but then he pointed at the far end of the craft, where a large display was currently filled with text. “What does that say?”
“Please remain seated while airbus is in motion,” Hayden read, without skipping a beat. “Time to destination, eight minutes. No delays or turbulence expected.”
“Well.” Star Swirl nodded. “I see only one flaw with this interpretation. Avalon was raised by ponies. I met his parents, I know the whole story of his discovery, his weaning in the village of Cahuayo. He built all we see before us.”
Hayden shook her head. “You can’t just build OLED screens and… whatever kind of airplane this is. It doesn’t matter how smart someone is.” She raised a hoof preemptively. “No, you don’t understand. I know how this stuff works. It requires a huge infrastructure. Billions of humans, all working together. No one could do it alone.” She lowered her voice to a frustrated mutter. “I should know. I’ve been trying to do it alone for months now. And it hasn’t been enough.” Not that it was her fault. Hayden had accomplished tons in her month out in the field! If it hadn’t been for the invasion, if it hadn’t been for stupid ponies spreading her curse, or for Celestia trying to leave them to the griffons…
They were already starting to go down again, apparently at the other end of the parabolic arc. It was amazing just how smooth the flight had been. Hayden had barely even realized they were moving part of the time.
“You claim as much, yet the facts do not stand with you. Avalon is a native to Equestria. There are the testimonies of a whole village to say as much.”
He could barely speak English, Hayden found herself thinking. His English had been thick, but his Poneish had not. “Maybe he found something then,” Hayden said. “A ruin, perhaps.” She sat back against the seat as they rumbled down through the jungle. “Oh god, I hope this isn’t planet of the apes. If this is the future and all my friends are dead, I’m gonna scream.”
“I have no idea what you are speaking of. Avalon’s true face did not seem very much like an ape. More like an aging vulture.”
Hayden groaned. A few seconds later, the ground thumped beneath them, and they stopped moving. The side door opened and the ramp descended again. “Please exit to your right. Thank you for riding.”
Hayden climbed out of the strange aircraft and into an active hanger. There were half a dozen airships parked here, none of them familiar. Some vaguely resembled the most modern stealth-fighters she’d seen pictures of the air force testing, though more were stranger still. None looked like the magical ‘airships’ that ponies used, which were really just sailing ships with magic to lift them. These craft were aerodynamic, with obvious openings.
Then she saw him, standing at the bottom of the ramp. He looked much as he had on the screen, an old man weighed down by many years. His face was covered with wrinkles, his shoulders slumped with the burdens he had carried. There was a haunted look in his eyes, but as he saw her, it seemed to lift. The clouds parted, and he smiled. “You are the visitor,” he said, resting his weight on the metal walking stick in front of him. “From home.”
She stopped in front of him, ignoring Star Swirl’s stares. It was obvious he had never seen a human figure before—but Hayden didn’t stare. “Yes,” she said, extending a hoof towards him. He towered over her—she felt like a child in his presence. “My name is Hayden. Hayden Powell.”
“Avalon,” he responded, taking the offered hoof. “Please, Hayden, you must help me save Equestria—we don’t have much time.” Just like that he turned, making his way to a distant doorway with surprising spring in his step.
“Time for what?” she called after him, hurrying to match his pace. She had to trot to do it, despite his age. Avalon’s longer legs were clearly to his advantage.
“I wasn’t aware you were interested in Equestria’s problems anymore, old friend,” Star Swirl muttered, falling into step behind them.
“The princess forbad me to interfere,” Avalon said, his voice rueful. “I couldn’t tell you without her eventually learning about it. But now you’re here… and the hour is late anyway. If I know about this, I’m sure your princess does as well.”
Singular, Hayden noted, though she didn’t say anything. Even you don’t consider Luna a part of the government?
They passed through a set of automatic doors, which looked like the kind of sturdy steel that could’ve stopped bullets. They parted in front of them, opening into a brightly lit hallway. It looked like something Hayden might’ve imagined finding in a NASA base somewhere, with conduits running along the wall and lots of little markings and panels.
“I will do what I can,” Hayden said. “But I’m already trying to save Equestria from one threat, that’s why I’m here. I can’t fight more than one at once.”
Avalon stopped, turning around and looking at her again. He seemed to see her for the first time then, eyes lingering on her wings, her eyes, her ears. “I don’t mean you personally, Hayden. The ones who sent you, though… surely the UEF can send experts. Not the Tower… this problem is too rooted in biology. I have not lived long enough, have not had the resources to teach myself what I would need.”
Hayden didn’t know what he meant, and just now she didn’t care. She had Avalon’s attention. “I don’t know what that is, Avalon. I suspect… based on what I’ve seen here, I wonder if you and this equipment might be from…” It sounded so stupid when she thought it, but how else could she explain all the autonomous vehicles, and the crazy way they looked? “My future. I will give you any help I can, but I’m not a biologist either. I’m here because Celestia has abandoned the north to invasion. She is frightened of the new magic spreading through Equestria, and I think she wants the Stonebeaks to wipe us out. I need your help to prevent genocide.”
Avalon remained silent for a long time. He looked into her eyes, staring intensely. She didn’t look away. “I think… I think there are more urgent details than discovering your origin. Can’t help me… no time.” He turned down the hall, striding a few more steps until they were in front of another set of automatic doors. They slid open, revealing a massive workshop filled with advanced equipment. “We may be able to help each other, Hayden. Let us find out.”