//------------------------------// // Chapter 43 // Story: Voyage of the Equinox // by Starscribe //------------------------------// Relax wordcount limit 73% They weren’t left waiting long. It became immediately apparent to Twilight that the alien facility wasn’t assembling parts from scratch, building Node a body as they had built it computation hardware and transmission hardware. The tower held parts, and it was assembling them. She could watch the process with Applejack, as the body slowly grew up from tiny segments. “Ain’t a pony shape,” Applejack said, from where she was investigating one of the spiders she had shot. Twilight followed her gaze. She was right—Node would stand on two legs when it was finished, like a minotaur. The body would be strangely proportioned too. But why shouldn’t it be? We don’t make our drones to look like ponies. They chose this body because it was convenient. It would stand at twice a pony’s height, with two sets of manipulator limbs and no wings. Curiously, the machinery was also cutting apart the probe shell, and most of the other pony hardware besides. It looked like only the alien computer would be left behind when it was finished. “It wouldn’t be,” Twilight said. “They’re aliens. Six limbs—their spiders had six limbs too. Think they might be insectoid? I mean… the real ones. Not the robots.” “Could be,” Applejack sounded unimpressed. “Could be you’re getting a wee bit too caught up in science fiction.” “Yeah.” Twilight sighed, and went back to what she was doing. Searching the room for useful clues about the Signalers. Does Twilight find any new insight into the Signalers in their facility? Success They hadn’t left very much behind, or maybe the robots had scoured anything that wasn’t functional out of the way. But as she waited, Twilight found a little side-corridor, and followed it to a tiny room. There was a ground made of sand instead of concrete, which had been precisely groomed into strange patterns. Lights came on as she entered, illuminating her way to the single object in the room. It was a low table, with a set of empty cups on either side. Alien writing covered the front of the table—more of a cabinet, she realized. And was that—yes. There was a sound in the room, one that was obviously synthetic. Like pouring rain somewhere far away, soothing and repetitious. The lights weren’t the harsh white of the room outside either, but gentler and orange. “Twi,” Applejack’s voice came over the radio. “Twi, it’s moving. You ought to come in here.” “Right, sorry.” Twilight took a picture with her camera, then left the cabinet and its strange room behind. Mysteries that she would probably never solve. By the time she made it back into the central chamber, Node was already moving. The body had no “head” segment, just a central torso with spindly limbs emerging from openings, and sensors along its length. She was relieved to see there weren’t any weapons mounted to the chassis. No swords or saws or gun-turrets. Each limb ended in a spindly manipulator more delicate than the daintiest hippogriff talon. Its whole body was made of metal covered in a dull, greenish paint. “Reassurance! We have achieved mobility. Compensated for poor understanding… robotics. Survival chances are significantly improved!” It still spoke with Starlight Glimmer’s recorded voice, though it sounded clearer, somehow. That didn’t mean it sounded like a pony, though. The words still came haltingly, an auditory representation of a foalnapper’s newspaper cutout ransom note. Node’s legs didn’t move like anything she’d ever seen before either, swinging from one side to another in measured, repetitive simplicity. Somepony actually built a probe that walks. If it can walk up stairs, it will be the most advanced bit of robotics anypony has ever seen. “Alright, Node. We did what ‘ya wanted. We took ya’ all the way down here, almost got ourselves eaten by…” she kicked one of the nearby spiders over with one hoof. Not hard enough that it would’ve been damaged, but hard enough. “Whatever these are. Now you gotta do what we want. That’s what fair means.” Node turned to watch Applejack, though there was no way to gauge its emotions. It had no face, and nothing on the screen could be used to make guesses about how it was feeling. Assuming it even feels anything. “I want to meet with your species,” Twilight said. “We followed your signal all the way here from Equestria. Each member of my crew sacrificed eighty years to be here. We came here to meet you. Where can we do that?” Node didn’t get a chance to answer, because at that moment the entire right side of the room was ripped away. Applejack and Node both were forced to dive towards Twilight’s half, as huge bits of steel went white-hot from the stress. Does Applejack make the jump? Success In the opening, through the sound of tearing metal, Twilight could make out a gigantic metallic shape. It resembled a worm, or maybe a snake, with interlocking rows of serrated steel teeth. It stopped in the opening, metal grinding as the entire right side of the room was processed into chunks. “New instructions!” Node called, running past her. “Back to the surface! Starship is waiting, go!” Not even Applejack argued this time. Twilight didn’t even stop to grab the cart with their camping supplies—she just ran. Behind them, the gigantic creature still seemed to be devouring the room behind them. Twilight wept inwardly at so much functional hardware being destroyed. Everything it could’ve taught them about the Signalers was being erased, one bite at a time. Now that they weren’t stopping to search, the trip up took far less time. After an hour or so of running the worm-thing had faded from a constant roaring to a distant rumbling below them, like an Earthquake that never quite stopped. Then they ran out of door, and Node shoved the door open, and the pale blue sky opened up above them. Then her radio went off. “Hourly wellness check,” said Fluttershy, her voice distant and fearful. “Is anypony there?” “Yeah,” Twilight felt exhausted, but she knew she couldn’t stop running yet. “We’re here. Prepare for takeoff, Fluttershy. We’re on the surface, and we need to prepare for an immediate launch.” “Uh…” Applejack nudged her from one side, pointing down at her suit. Twilight hadn’t noticed during their flight up the stairs, but now—now she could see the gigantic rip running up the side of the earth pony’s suit. “Did it get into your—” Applejack nodded. “Air supply reads as compromised, cap.” Node hadn’t stopped running towards the ship. But now it did. Curiously, it seemed to have incorporated the modifications they made, because it was still speaking over the radio as well as with its external speaker. “We can’t stay here! Chances of a surfacing… unacceptable risk. Starship!” “You know what you gotta do, cap,” Applejack said. Did she? 1. Leave Applejack behind with some supplies and a good radio. If she turns out to be okay, we can always pick her up later. No reason the rest of the crew needs to be endangered. [Significant risk to Applejack] 2. Wait here long enough to do all necessary examinations on Applejack. That thing isn’t going to follow us all the way to the surface, there’s no point! 3. Fluttershy suggests setting up the last isolation shelter in the cargo bay. She can have a fresh suit waiting outside the Prospector for Applejack to change into. If our suits can keep dangerous things out, then there’s no reason they shouldn’t be able to keep them in, either. 4. Don’t bother with safety precautions, bring everyone and take off right now! Fluttershy already said it was safe. Anything that will postpone our takeoff is unacceptable. Robotic monsters are dangerous, dead planets aren’t. We leave now. (Certainty 200 required)