//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8: Bountiful Day (50 AE) 
// Story: The Eternal Lonely Day 
// by Starscribe 
//------------------------------//

"You can take the blindfold off now." Alex leaned back in her seat, so she could see Amy's reaction. She had been to Bountiful plenty of times herself, it had no wonders for her. But for her friend...

Amy tugged on the blindfold, and her jaws fell open. Alex heard her gasp, letting her awe wash over her along with the flashing lights and colors. Alex remembered her first visit. It was good to see that emotion shared.

Bountiful was a city of steel and stone, as the old cities had been. In some ways it was like driving a car through Raven City: steel walls and bright lights and people in jumpsuits. Bountiful was Raven at scale, not compact like a space-ship. The city was not large. The entire collection of homes and factories and vertical farms took up a single valley, sheltered by mountains on either side. The whole valley was perpetually overcast by a blanket of angry clouds that never quite rained.

Yet for all it was like a pre-Event city, it was also fifty years more advanced. For every pony they passed, there were at least three robotic drones, either driving cargo along the road, or zipping through the air between buildings. Alex took them past "city hall", so named because it held most of the computational power.

Almost all the structures they passed looked big enough for humans, which meant they would be big enough for all but the most unfortunate of the transformed. Amy seemed able to form coherent words again, because she asked, "This is... how... how can this exist?"

Alex tapped the screen. "Athena, could you please drive us through the factory district? Get a good view for Amy. Take it slow, if that won't slow down any of your trucks."

"It will slow them down," said the voice. "I find the minor delay in this case acceptable."

"Psh. You want to show off and we both know it." Alex nudged Amy, gesturing outside at a driverless cargo truck. "See Amy, the HPI use a single system for all this stuff. Every vehicle you see, all the machines in every building you don't see, they're all part of the ATHENA network."

"So it was alive?"

"I am not alive. I am a distributed intelligence network, connected to this device and many others by way of radio and satellite communication."

"Athena is too modest." Alex rested a hoof on the controls. "I guess I wasn't forthright with you when I said they can't build living machines, Amy. They made Athena." She turned from her friend to the car itself. "Athena, what is the definition of alive?"

"The condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally."

"Athena, if you think about it you've been alive since we first launched you up there. You're constantly growing through nuclear and solar-powered metabolism. You reproduce... You make your own decisions about how to adapt to your environment. You've been doing it for decades. If I remember the stories, you sent the signal to us, even though that hadn't been in your programming."

They drove past the factories then, a dozen buildings of roughly similar shape. Sleepless machines labored within, the heartbeat of Bountiful’s iron blood.

"It was not an error." Athena had never expressed emotion to Alex, and she didn't now. No matter what she was saying, it was always flat and neutral. Yet even so, Alex imagined emotion behind the words as she heard them now. "I observe my directives."

She was a little taken aback by that response. Amy didn't seem to have noticed. "I meant that as a complement, Athena. I meant to highlight your capacity for reason." The synthesized voice said no more, so she continued. "You'll get to know Athena quite well if you spend enough time here, Amy. She runs everything."

"Sounds amazing."

"Oh, did I mention the part where she enslaves you and makes you into her robot maid?"

"That sounds-" Amy finally looked back, glaring. "You made that part up."

"Just making sure you're listening." She gestured at the factory. "So I made that part up. You can see Athena doesn't need our labor anyway, so there wouldn't be a point."

"Incorrect," the voice said, though as without emotion as ever. "Human survival cannot presently be achieved. Fulfilling my directive requires that humans and quadrupedal derivatives create the missing technologies."

"Well, you heard her." Alex grinned. "Clothiers first Athena, if you please." Her ears flattened in sudden embarrassment. "You might've noticed that everypony here is dressed all the time. If we get out of this car, well... we'll stand out. So let's get you an authentic Bountiful jumpsuit, then maybe we can find a cafe or something. Hell, grass would be better than liquid rations for dinner."

Amy didn't blush. She admired humans, but Cloudy brought her up in a household that had never known modesty. She had no conception of the embarrassment that Alex felt. "Ask me to come out here with you alone, and now you’re inviting me to dinner?" She nudged Day with one hoof, who only retreated further. Unfortunately, she could go no further than the door. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were taking me on a date."

Alex struck her back on the shoulder, as hard as she dared. "I'm too old for you, Amy. Don't even think about it." Athena stopped the car then, saving her from any further embarrassment. "Or I make you pay for your own crap. They use chits here too..."

Amy beamed. "That's great! That means I can buy souvenirs!"

They didn't buy souvenirs (forbidden cities didn't have gift shops). They did pick up jumpsuits, all light fabrics and Velcro fastenings. Civilian jumpsuits were short-sleeved, with a tail-hole that made wearing them bearable.

No matter how fancy Bountiful might look, it was still a small city with a small population. There were only a few restaurants.

She took Amy to one of the vertical farms, the one that grew most of the "real" food that Bountiful citizens ate. "Are you sure this is the right place?" Amy asked, staring at the building as they approached. Its windows were so clear she almost couldn't see them, except where metal supports held everything together.

"Absolutely." They stepped inside the first floor, a bustling grocer filled with ponies and others, herbivore and omnivore alike. They walked past refrigerated cells filled with identical plastic crates. Amy slowed as they walked through, attracting polite stares from the other customers. "Come on... it's just a supermarket..."

"But those were oranges!" Amy protested. "Those aren't in season! How can they-"

Alex hurried her into the elevator at the end of the room, which closed and began to rise. "Just look." The walls of the elevator were glass, and proudly displayed the interior of the farm itself. The second floor held tanks of fish and algae. Beyond those were racks and racks of vegetables, or single branches of fruit trees. Each was set into clear substrate gel and tended by drones that rolled through the narrow aisles.

"We had only just started building these when the Event happened," Alex explained, shrugging one shoulder. "They're not quite as efficient as an earth pony farm. But because they grow straight through winter, they actually produce faster than we can."

"Why don't..." Amy stammered, as they continued to rise. The elevator was not fast. "Why don't they teach ponies in other cities how to build these? Why don't they have earth ponies running them, wouldn't that make them even better? Why-"

Alex reached up with a hoof, closing Amy's mouth. "Instead of asking all those questions, why don't you think about the answers yourself? Ask me if you can't figure it out." They reached the roof.

Amy didn't answer for a long time. Not as they took a table near the edge of the roof, not as they ordered or chatted about nothing in particular. It got darker above as night approached. Lights just got brighter all around them, and the city continued uninterrupted.

"I think I get what's been bothering me," Amy finally said, when their meal was done and their plates were empty. "If the HPI can build all this amazing stuff, why aren't we all living this way. It's not just the farms! If we could live this way, maybe we could help them with their inventing! Unless ponies just aren't as smart as humans-"

"Nothing like that!" Alex answered, scooting a little closer to Amy in her chair. "Understand I wasn't part of the decision." At Amy's nod, she continued. "Consider the cost in resources." She gestured off the roof at the structures around them. "The HPI stockpiled to build this place before the event. It was intended to be right on top of Raven, and to expand as the anti-thaumic technology got better."

"They didn't come up with any big leaps in shielding, but they did end up with a way to keep their people alive longer. Well, Sunset Shimmer did." She shrugged. "But no matter who's living here, the supplies used to build this place are all gone. Repairs are all made with scavenged or recycled stuff, which is why the HPI still trades for scrap. As I understand it, that's the biggest limiting factor. The HPI could never build like this at a global scale. Even if they wanted to share, we just don't have the industry to produce the raw materials."

Amy considered that, then nodded. "So they're going to wait... until we can make the things they need. Until we've got better factories. I guess that makes sense. That's why the HPI has technical consultants flying around. They want us all to start making the things that humans used to make in the old world."

"It might be a long, long time before that happens. Their estimates suggest it might be hundreds and hundreds of years. It takes millions and millions of ponies to make an advanced economy. At the present rate..." she trailed off. Unless many more ponies started coming back, it would take more than a thousand years for the whole world to have enough.

She didn't say any of that. Oh no, she had an even more unpleasant truth to explain. "Just remember when you're here that Bountiful and Raven and everything else the HPI do isn't meant for everyone. They don't mind helping ponies, but... that's not what they set out to do. Their first priority is making sure humanity survives. It's so important to them that they have some pretty draconian ways of keeping ponies loyal once they're out. If you wanted to live here, you'd have to agree to all of it too."

That got her attention. "What measures?"

"You can’t have children." Alex gestured around them. "Notice how you haven't seen a foal since you got here? That's cuz everypony here is sterile. When a human in Raven gets to retire, they choose whether they want to live here or somewhere else like Taylor. If they don't stay, they can't ever come back. So far as I know, Taylor's the only exception, since she was part of the team that helped build it. Neither her nor me can be citizens, cuz we've both had at least one foal. For the ponies in Bountiful, Raven is their family."

"That's what you meant earlier..." Amy frowned down at her hooves. "That's why you said I could live here, but you couldn't. You think they'd let me move in with just your word? You didn't make it seem like they let their own people come back..."

She shrugged. "The mayor still owes me a favor. If you really wanted to move in, I'm sure I could set it up. It helps when your word is good. Plus..." She grinned. "If I told them how I knew, I know they wouldn't doubt me."

Amy was too far away to shove her, but she did glare from across the table. "You'd really do that?"

"Psh, like anypony would care. Sweating the little things is part of the culture I hope we leave in the past. Just don't decide yet. We're going to be here all summer. If you decide you want to live here after all once we leave, I'll arrange it." She rose to her hooves.

Amy nodded. "I can wait." She got to her hooves too. "I've read the novels. Is this the part where you take me to a movie?"

Lonely day rolled her eyes. "The movie usually comes before dinner. Actually, I thought you'd rather see the gaming league. It's what most people do for fun around here."


* * *


The gaming hall was ablaze with lights and music, far louder than anywhere else in the city. The line was so thick in fact that Alex gestured away, tugging Amy down another street.

"Hey don't leave the line!" Amy protested. "It shouldn't take more than an hour..."

Alex persisted. She might be young, but she was also an earth pony. A pegasus standing against her stubbornness was like a sandcastle standing against the tide. "There's a smaller arcade down another street." 

Amy relented. "Is it as exciting as what everypony's in line for?"

"It's the same equipment." Once they were out of the line and walking down the street, Alex could hear herself think again over the thumping electronic music beyond. "It must be a tournament night, so if we went now you wouldn't even be able to play. You have to be on a ranked team for that."

"Tournaments are a big deal. Do ponies bet on them, like they do on races in Alexandria?"

She nodded. "Big time. The tournaments are the biggest way that Raven stays in contact with Bountiful. Teams have to be half human, half equine." As they walked, the crowds thinned very quickly, and they were soon on a street that was practically deserted. Alex hoped the arcade was even open on a tournament night.

"What kind of game is it exactly? It must be amazing if everyone likes it so much."

She shrugged. "It's a very thinly disguised training tool... but it can be pretty exciting. I really hope we can get them in Alexandria in a few centuries. Maybe remove a few of the, uh... scenarios." Like the ones involving hostile ponies attacking Raven. Those probably wouldn't do.

"You've played it?"

Alex nodded. "Only citizens can compete in the tournaments, but I've played smaller games when I visit. I bet you'll be better. It's all flying."

"You think we'll be able to play at the same time?"

Alex shrugged, walking up to the arcade door. It was lit inside, though she didn't see anypony actually moving about. She pushed, and the door swung in. It was open, then. She held the door open for her friend, then followed into the arcade.

Alex learned why the arcade hadn't been closed: Every single observation station had been taken, with little crowds milling around them. Evidently they weren't the first to give up watching tonight's games "in person".

"Hey Gordon!" She waved, hurrying over to the proprietor. The griffin froze, one claw on the rag he was using to clean his bar. Arcade this might be, but Bountiful had no children. She walked right up to the bar, then glanced over her shoulder. "Want anything?"

"Can you make a cosmopolitan?"

If Gordon's glare had been any harsher, it would've melted the ceiling tiles. "We don't have that." He reached behind the bar to a fridge, and drew out two different bottles. "Light or dark?"

"She wants light," Alex answered before she could, crossing the distance. "Me too." He grunted again, popping the lids open with an opener on the bar. He put a straw in each, then set them down at opposite corners of a six-drink carrier. Alex reciprocated by opening her satchel and depositing a few chits on the counter. Far more than the price of a drink.

"The rest is for two simulators until closing time. Do you have two next to each other anywhere?"

Gordon rolled his eyes. "Little lady, nobody's using any of my simulators." A wave of screams echoed from the other side of the room, along with dozens of pounding hooves on steel. "If you wanted an observation console, forget it." His eyes narrowed on Amy. "Non-citizen?"

"Yeah, but she's clear. She'll get her gauntlet tomorrow, it's just not in yet..."

"She breaks my simulator, you pay." His beak flashed. "Not cheap for a little lady."

It was her turn to roll her eyes. She tilted her satchel towards him, showing him all it contained. "Good enough?"

If he was shocked by what was inside, he made no sign of it. "Just don't break anything." He turned his back on them, and went right back to cleaning. 

"Cool. Come on Amy." She took the carrier in her mouth, leading her friend towards the back of the room. She took a stairwell down into the "banquet area," where ponies could have parties and so-on. There were machines in here too, along with several empty tables. It was much quieter down here, not another pony in sight. Alex found two machines beside each other in the very corner of the room, and set the bottles down on a low table.

Alex took the straw out and spat it to the floor, before taking the whole bottle in her teeth and tilting backward. She didn't actually take that long a sip; Gordon didn't make anything weak or watered down, and she didn't drink often. Even so, the Alex that had been simply would not allow her to drink ale through a straw. That much of her old self had survived these fifty years.

"Take it slow with that stuff," she said, flicking her tail towards the table. "You can get beer like it in Alexandria, but you probably never have. If you like it, you can try the stout next time. It's too much for me."

Amy giggled. "You still take a few ounces of coffee in your milk in the morning, don't you?"

"It's called a Blondie." Her ears flattened, and Alex hurried past her to the machines. Her pride was somewhat eased by the choking gasp that came from behind her as Amy tasted real ale for the first time. There was a reason Alex hadn't chosen a table too close to any of the machines.

"Alright Alex, enough putting it off." She climbed up beside one of the machines. "Show me how to play!"

The simulator was easily long enough for a human to lie in without a limb sticking out, its central section raised and padded. Most of the rest of the mechanism folded away when not in use, except for the sensor dome meant for the user's head.

"Climb onto that. Stick your legs out, and hold still. If you move too fast, you'll break something and I'll probably have to blow the whole summer's budget to get it fixed.”

Amy stepped up, resting her underbelly on the soft padding. These things might not be sanitary in Alexandria, but here every user would be fully dressed, themselves not exempt. "What's-" She didn't even finish asking before servos began to whine from all around her.

"Occupant not recognized," the simulator said, in Athena's voice. "Pegasus, female adult. Should wing control module be configured?"

"Yes." Lonely Day answered before Amy could. "Use the standard control scheme otherwise. She wants all defaults."

"Acknowledged." The base of the machine opened, even as the bench itself shrunk down, fitting itself better to her body and nothing else. Each hoof received a thick glove, which tightened just enough to be rigid. Delicate manipulators clipped sensors to the edge of each wing.

Only when this was done did the sensor portion lower itself down over Amy's face, the whole thing folding over her and sealing her inside like a metallic insect. "Don't freak out, Amy!" she called though the simulator. "If you ever want to leave, just tell your simulator to ‘disengage’ and hold still ‘til it finishes. I'll be right behind you!"

Alex took another long draw from her bottle, then hopped up onto the neighbor machine. She scanned her gauntlet, and it asked no further questions of her. After just a few seconds she was as tightly enclosed as Amy.

The whole world was gone, replaced instead with a void. The simulator masked all outside light and sound. It tried to be as neutral in temperature and as comfortable as well, so that the occupant could focus entirely on the images projected within. When it first activated though, all she saw was the void.

She gave a few vocal instructions, ordering her stimulator connected to Amy's and placing the both of them on a team. She instructed the simulator to load the tutorial, then sat back as it washed over them.

Space appeared before her, seen from a hypothetical camera inside a fictional ship. She had already seen this tutorial, but Amy hadn't, so she sat as patiently as she could. A voice explained that their civilization was aiming for the stars, and that the skills to fly both in and out of atmosphere would need to be universal. It reiterated that the simulation was as accurate to the design and behavior of real and fictional ships as possible.

She slept through the operating instructions. Each race had its own slight variation, using each available limb in order to get maximum dexterity. So far as she was concerned, earth ponies and unicorns had it the worst (magic wasn't permitted).

Still, you could learn. Nothing like the dexterity of a pair of hands, but... she managed. Alex enjoyed coming to this arcade far more than the tournaments (she couldn't ever compete anyway, so what was the point of watching?). She could pilot most HPI drones, aircraft, or hypothetical spacecraft with competence now, though nothing like the effortless multitasking of Taylor or Moriah's grace.

Eventually the tutorial was over, and their first scenario began. Alex's ship appeared "around" her, a little mining probe not unlike the ones Athena used now. She scanned the horizon and found an escort fighter not far away, it's path erratic in the void.

"Lonely Day to Surefire, come in Surefire!"

"Amy here." She sounded annoyed. "Took long enough. Are you this stupid octopus-looking thing?"

"Roger, Surefire." She giggled. "You heard the mission parameters. A transport shuttle requested our help, and we're the closest ships there are."

"I was listening!" She groaned over the radio. "You don't have to talk so silly."

"It's fun, over." Alex accelerated her little probe, folding in all its mining extensions as she did so. She had done all the starting scenarios and their every detail was ingrained in her mind, but that didn't matter. She was here so Amy could have fun.

"If the earth pony gets drunk before I do, this night is going to be even crazier than I thought," Amy replied.

Alex still had most of the bottle. She had no intention of getting herself drunk in public. She was here to enjoy the arcade! "This earth pony needs you to protect her drone. If you think this simulator is going to take it easy on us just cuz it's the first level, think again. Got the controls down?"

"Let's find out."

Amy was no Moriah, but she was a fast learner and willing to keep trying when they failed at first.

It was a good night.


* * *


"I don't understand... we have to tear out all of this?" Amy gestured at the floor. "Why? It looks just fine to me."

"Oh, it looks just fine," Edmond agreed. "But live here for more than a night, and you'll start smelling the mold. We had some flooding a few years ago, and it got into the whole floor. See the warping there? If we don't tear it all out soon, it could spread. Frankly it's a miracle it hasn't already."

Alex dropped the mallet from her mouth onto the pile of tools they had carried inside. "It's what we're here for, Amy. Or... one of the reasons."

Taylor already had a mask on her face, and she tossed the rest at their hooves. "I warned you you were coming to be slave labor. Should've said no while we were still in Alexandria."

Day glared at her, even as she took one of the masks in her mouth and turned sideways so Edmond would notice her. He did, and with a little glow of magic the elastic straps cinched tight around her ears. "If you would rather spend today hauling supplies into the storage shed, you could always do that. Taylor and I could probably start on the floor."

It was already late afternoon, and the interior of the house was transformed. Plastic had been hung on most surfaces, as well as blocking off access to uncontaminated areas. All the windows and doors were open, even if that meant they couldn't air condition the place in the sweltering heat. Better to be sweaty than cooped up with the spores they were about to be letting loose.

"Yeah, have the weakest pony do the hardest manual labor. That makes perfect sense." She pulled her mask on, then glared at them. "Just show me where to start."

Clark did not stoop to physical labor, despite his more than satisfactory grasp of levitation. He did circle around them like a helicopter, offering orders cloaked as suggestions at every stage. He was right about the mold, and they built a growing pile in the backyard of half-rotten hardwood. Alex would not allow the use of power tools, and as such they had only made a dent in the floor when they ran out of daylight.

A brief swim in the nearby pond served as a good rinse for sweat and spores both, before the three exhausted mares retired to a single upstairs bedroom to eat popcorn and watch the movies Alex had promised using an old projector. Old enough that Alex kept the movies in 35mm reels and sometimes had to make transfers in the middle of the movie.

Of course, nopony really paid much attention, Alex least of all. The joy of old movies had been stolen from her with the gift of a perfect memory. Only her first post-Equestria viewing of any given film held magic for her, so just as with books she continued to hold back films she hadn't seen to use as little rewards for herself during special occasions.

She had no such films tonight, but that didn't matter. What she had instead was friends, which were much better. "I don't see why you bother with all this effort," Amy said, over the exaggerated screams coming from whatever was on. "You want to see your family when they come back, I understand that. Couldn't you just let this house rot away, but put up a stone plaque or something telling your family what happened? You could even get Athena to leave a drone here just watching it all the time. I'm sure she could spare one camera."

Lonely Day shrugged. "I'm sure that would work."

"Not to mention," Amy continued, "you have no way of knowing how long it's going to take. If you just go with the odds then it's probably going to be at least five thousand years before they show up, maybe more. You could skip the first thousand years and not do anything and there'd only be a teeny chance you missed them."

She nodded. "That's true too. But..." It took her a few moments to find words. On the screen, a black-and-white zombie finished devouring some hapless victim, and advanced towards the frame. "It just feels like something I ought to do. I'm not some Alicorn princess, and I can't just wave my horn and make things great for everypony who comes back. I can't be all over the place at once, or even get around faster than a Hummingbird flies. I..."

It was very hard to explain. She wasn't even sure if what she did with this house was something she would've done no matter what, or if it was just what her nature as Archive demanded she do. Preserve, protect, remember. "Read the Equestrian books, and you see that ponies were a race of heroes. A few of 'em... the princesses, Elements of Harmony and so-on... solved all the big problems for the huge majority. Without those heroes, the majority were helpless in a crisis."

The older pegasus nodded. "I guess so. But what does that have to do with your house?"

"Humans were the other way around," Archive continued, as though she hadn't been interrupted. "We lived our lives on the small scale just like Equestrian ponies did. But when a real big problem came around, we didn't have any heroes. We couldn’t all hide away and let some larger-than-life Alicorn come around and turn our enemy to stone."

"Instead, every person did a little. And all those drops together could put people on the Moon, or rebuild a country, or wipe out a disease. My house is... my little drop. It's what I wish I could do for everypony. But since I can't, I'd be damned if I didn't do it for the people I love. We've got radio broadcasts and leaflets and scouts to try and find as many returning ponies as we can, but... for my family, I'm going to make sure the transition is as seamless as possible. Hope to God they all come back together, but if not... they won't be cold, they won't be hungry, and they won't be alone."

Taylor sighed. She'd been silent through their conversation, but now she looked wistful. "You're so lucky you don't have anybody to miss, Amy. This 'Preservation Spell' is the fucking pits."

They were both silent for several seconds, though it was Amy who replied first. "Who are you waiting for, Taylor?"

The earth pony sniffed, glaring down at the ground. "Mostly... Mostly my twin sister Becky. When we were growing up... we were always together."

Alex inhaled sharply, drawing away from Taylor on the couch. It made no difference. The mare spoke, and in her mind she saw a forest, a frayed tire swing over a pond, and a pair of freckled faces.

"We both went air force. I went engineering, she ends up deployed flying transport missions in the asscrack of nowhere. Now..." She made no attempt to fight back the tears. "I'll never see her again. Hell, she could have come back years ago and I wouldn't know."

"She hasn't." Archive spoke without meaning to, without even considering her words. "Your sister hasn't come back yet. I'd know it if she had."

Taylor looked up, eyes still red and swollen. She didn't look angry so much as shocked by the remark. She sniffed harshly, then shook her head. "I a-appreciate that Alex, but... you don't know that. Nobody can. I ch-checked already, her last assignment was an airbase in Afghanistan. Unless you... travel more than I think you do..."

She still didn't know where the thoughts were coming from, but she didn't fight them. Knowledge spilled into her, as much through Taylor's belief and willing friendship as anything Archive was. Taylor hadn't ever talked about her life before the Event, few in the HPI did. Unlike the rest of humanity, having their lives stolen from them, every member of the HPI had agreed to abandon everyone they knew, fully expecting them to die. That was why she had never brought up the subject before.

"Becky always swore she was taller than you were, even thought she wasn't. She used to..." Archive sniffed. Seeing these memories carried the same pain that Taylor was feeling. She understood the agony of guilt that Taylor lived with every single day. "... she used to call you Tally. When you were in high school, your boyfriend Dwyane from across town dumped you a few days before homecoming. Becky stayed up all night making-"

Archive hadn't noticed Amy getting out of the way, hadn't noticed Taylor approaching until she closed her mouth with a hoof, preventing her from going on. Tears streamed uncontrolled from her eyes. She opened her mouth, but mostly awkward squeaking noises came out. "H-How... How do..."

Archive met her eyes without fear. "You started thinking about her, and I can see her," she explained. "I feel... what you feel." The shelves of her imagined library rose around them, at least to her mind. She could see a human face, still bright with youth, red hair short and a helmet on her head. She could hear the sound of her voice. "I can't actually talk to her. But I know her, the way she knows herself. If... I think if she could see what you've done, she'd be really proud."

That was too much for Taylor. She wrapped her forelegs around Alex like she was a doll, tugging her close and squeezing her hard. She rocked back and forth, muttering incoherently.

But not for long. Soon enough she shoved Alex roughly away, looking more collected. "Th-Thank you, Archive. Sometimes I forget... you make it easy to forget. But I've never seen you..."

Archive nodded. "I'm learning. I don't... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to violate your privacy. I need to... learn to control this somehow..."

"Don't apologize." Taylor rose to her hooves, switching off the projector. "It just took me by surprise, that's all. Nopony's even said her name in... forty years. More." She sniffed. "I just wish I'd had the chance to say goodbye."

Archive rose as well. Taylor’s emotions were fading from her perception, which was just as well. It hurt enough to know the pain she had just caused without feeling all of that pain as well. "If you ever feel like leaving a message for her, I could memorize it for you. I might not find her, but... if anypony would..."

Taylor nodded. "That's... That's a great idea, Alex. I'll have to think about it. Give me a few... few years." She sniffed. "I'm going for a walk. You two... whatever." She fled down the stairs almost at a run, leaving Day and Amy alone.

The pegasus mare sat back down on the couch where she had been, though she didn't say anything for a good minute or so. "Could you help me understand what just happened?"

Day looked back, dropping onto her haunches. "I'm not completely sure," she admitted. "I didn't really understand what Celestia and Luna were doing when they made me. I thought I was gonna die, and somehow it was going to help make sure that humanity was remembered. That it would somehow stop time from coming by and erasing us in the new world. I'd seen them wield such power, I thought..." she trailed off.

"If I really try, especially if a pony is like Taylor and cares about what humanity stood for... sometimes I see things. About the person they were, the life they had. The people they loved. I feel like this should be telling me something about what 'Archive' really is, but I don't know what."

Amy nodded. "Can you do me?"

Alex opened her mouth to object with the obvious: Amy wasn't from Old Earth. But then, she had never tried on a willing pony who had been born in her world. "I guess I could. Why don't you... tell me why you decided to work in the museum. Please don't say it was for me..."

"Of course not!" Amy didn't hit her, the mood was far too solemn for that. She glared, though her expression quickly relaxed. "It's cuz I cared about what you care about, though. Ponies came into Alexandria all the time, and it seemed like none of them wanted to talk about where they came from. Some of my brothers and sisters didn't even believe what they taught us in school. Some of their foals didn't even believe humans had existed. Not me, though. I always felt like..."

Archive had it. "Like you didn't belong. Like you were supposed to do something big and important but you were born too late. You never felt like you belonged. During the construction you would sneak down and walk through the exhibits..." Her eyes widened. "You talked to the statues!"

"Okay stop!" Amy did shove her now, enough that she stumbled. "I think I understand why you haven't done more with that power. That's invasive."

She shook her head. "You told me to!" She got up again, turning her back on Amy. "It really doesn't happen that often. I've probably spent years around Sky and she never once triggered whatever instinct they buried in my head."

"There isn't anything about her old life Mom wants to remember."

"Yeah." Alex walked past her, flicking off the light. Of course she didn't need the light to navigate in the bedroom. She wondered idly what her sister would think if she came back tonight. "Well, I'm exhausted. Tomorrow's going to be even harder work than today. You ought to sleep too, while you can. Work starts at sunrise."

"Yeah." Amy grumbled, tripped over a few things, and one of the other beds creaked. "Slave labor. Just like Taylor said."

"Taylor should've said indentured servant. Just last until summer's over, and you get to go home."

"If I even want to."