//------------------------------// // I. Arrival // Story: Legacy // by SpartanD014 //------------------------------// ARRIVAL EQUUS, 3E 1005 Something is not right. Princess Luna’s brow furrowed in concentration, and her eyes closed as her magic manipulated the orrery before her. The bodies orbiting Equus rotated perfectly on their gold and onyx gears. Millions of kilometers away – represented by a few meters in the orrery – the asteroid belt maintained its slow spin around the system. All was as it should have been, and yet something was not right. “I haven’t seen you in here in a long time,” said a voice. Opening her eyes, Luna turned to the orrery’s door. Princess Celestia stood in the threshold, the light from the hallway outside casting her shadow far into the darkened room. The elder princess stepped further inside, and closed the door behind her. “The last time I was here was before my banishment,” Luna said, releasing her magical grip on the gears. “I had almost forgotten about it.” “What brought you back?” Celestia took up position next to her sister, looking out over the representation of their system. “… Something is amiss,” Luna explained after a pause. “When we had this commissioned, we made sure it could show changes in the system. Changes that we may miss from our place on Equus. I was hoping that coming here could explain what I feel…” Celestia’s magenta eyes crossed over every element of the orrery: the large golden sun, the smaller quartz moon, and the sapphire planet in the center. The sun and moon continued spinning on their gears, never missing a tick. “I see nothing wrong,” Celestia said, frowning. “What exactly is it that you feel?” “I… do not know,” the younger princess admitted, sighing. “Perhaps it is nothing. I merely worry.” Celestia smiled, and extended a wing over her sister. “You don’t have to worry,” she comforted. “I sometimes find myself feeling anxious over nothing as well. The best thing to do is simply relax.” Luna closed her eyes, and nodded. “I will, sister,” she said. “Thank you.” Celestia retracted her large wing, and Luna turned and exited the room. As the distance between her and the orrery increased, the princess only found her anxiety growing. Luna shook her head as one thought echoed in her mind: Something is not right. //:LEGACY systems active _launch_date: January 4th, 2207 _current_date: February 19th, 3707 Beginning boot of ARRIVAL systems … … ERROR: Systems failure detected. Damage detected in all major systems. Determining mission integrity… … Mission integrity 68%. Atmospheric entry still possible. Continuing with mission… Atmospheric entry course charted. ETA: 14 minutes “So, in conclusion, always have faith in the abilities of your friends,” Twilight Sparkle said, her eyes closed and a nostalgic smile upon her face. “Friends are one of the most valuable resources you can draw on, and they can help you overcome any fear.” Starlight Glimmer looked on, wearing an amused grin. Despite the growing pains of being Twilight’s student, Starlight always enjoyed listening to the stories of her mentor’s old adventures. “Questions?” Twilight asked, opening her eyes and rolling up the old friendship report in front of her. She placed the scroll on a nearby shelf, before returning to Starlight. “How… big was the dragon?” Starlight asked, squinting. Twilight sighed, and mentally tried to recall the details of the journey. “… About the size of this room.” Impressed, Starlight looked around the room she found herself in; several meters tall with a domed ceiling, and at least twelve meters wide. A large dragon indeed. “Well, that’s all I had lined up for today,” Twilight said, beginning to cross to the room’s crystal door. “Is there anything else you’d like to cover before lunch?” Starlight trotted over to Twilight, joining her at the door. “No,” she said. “Not right now.” The two ponies exited the room, coming out into one of the castle’s many crystal corridors. Taking the lead, Twilight began walking to the dining room. “The others should be there by now,” she said. “Did you feel that today’s lesson was beneficial?” Starlight nodded, smiling. “Yes, Twilight,” she answered. “You don’t need to worry. If I feel like one of your lessons isn’t working out, I’ll let you know.” Twilight smiled sheepishly, watching the crystal floor beneath her. “Thanks.” Finally they arrived at the dining hall. Though its doors were closed, Twilight could clearly hear the sounds of conversation coming from within. Her telekinesis wrapping the door in a lavender aura, Twilight pushed it open and stepped inside, followed closely by Starlight. “Hey, you two!” Spike called, his voice elevated above the rest of the talking. The conversation came to a halt, and all eyes were on the late arrivals. “We were starting to think you weren’t showing up.” “Did we run a little late?” Twilight asked, looking to a clock on the wall. “Sorry. You know how wrapped up I can get in my storytelling.” The ponies (and dragon) all nodded, and Twilight and Starlight found their seats. Twilight sat at the head of the table, a large glass window behind her. The window provided a wide view of the Equestrian landscape, and on a clear day such as this, Canterlot was easily visible on its mountainside perch. “So, Starlight, how are the friendship lessons going?” Rarity asked, daintily taking a bite of her lunch. “They’re quite illuminating,” Starlight replied. “It’s fun to hear about your old adventures.” “You’re looking at the old friendship reports?” Rainbow Dash perked up. “Have you heard the one about my sonic rainboom yet!?” “Well, no, but—“ “So we were in Cloudsdale for a competition. I was competing – obviously – and Rarity here—“ Rainbow Dash was unable to finish her sentence. She was interrupted by a sudden trembling that came from all around. The silverware rattled on the table, and the ground shook beneath the ponies’ hooves. The large crystal chandelier that hung above the table swung on its chain, and Twilight grabbed it in her telekinesis to keep it from falling. “What is that?” Fluttershy asked, looking around nervously. She shrunk even further behind her mane as the trembling increased in intensity. Before anypony could answer, the room was cast in shadow. The sun streaming through the large window behind Twilight was cut off as a massive object flew overhead, a loud humming emanating from it. It was long, at least a few kilometers, and had a full metal composition. It tore through the clouds, flying over the castle and continuing on over the plains between Ponyville and Canterlot. Finally it stopped, around fifteen kilometers away, and simply hovered. Despite the great distance, it was still easily visible, a testament to its size. The ponies simply stared out the window, staring on at the foreign object. “… What… is that?” Applejack asked, finally regaining her composure. “I have no idea…” Twilight said, not looking away. She squinted, trying to see the object more clearly. But from this distance, all she could make out was its shape. It was primarily rectangular, though a number of cylinders ran down the length of the object, ending in massive glowing pits at the back. Finally, Twilight was able to pull herself away from the window. “We should investigate.” Before anypony could respond, they were all distracted by a loud belch that filled the room. Moving her eyes to her number-one-assistant, Twilight found the young dragon lying on the ground, a fresh scroll at his side. She grabbed it in her telekinesis, opening it in the air. Twilight, Do not investigate. - Celestia Twilight sighed and placed the scroll on the table. She retook her position at the window, looking out at the object. “Or, we wait…” THE NEXT DAY Princess Celestia glared, eyeing the ship hovering just a few kilometers from her city. It was massive; her scouts had mapped it to be about seven kilometers from stem to stern. It was made entirely of a thick metal, though the exact type remained a mystery. Also a mystery was the ship’s purpose; in the twenty-four hours it had been hovering over the plains, it had done absolutely nothing. Nopony had come out of the ship to introduce themselves, and Celestia had not dared to send anypony inside. Not without more information. The door to Celestia’s balcony opened, and Princess Luna stepped out. She joined her sister at the parapet, looking out at the ship with a troubled stare. “The mages have finished their work,” she finally said. “Their life detection spell shows nothing within the ship. However, we have no idea where it came from or what it is capable of. I would still be wary.” “Agreed,” Celestia nodded. “The griffons want to know what it is. As do the zebra and the camels. Even the yaks sent a letter. All of them are worried.” “It is understandable,” Luna said. “They are going to want answers, as are our own people. How long do you think we can avoid boarding?” Celestia sighed, and shook her head. “Not long,” she admitted. “As much as I hate sending our ponies into dangerous situations… it has to be done. The military has already set up bases, and our airships are orbiting, but we need to do more… I will check with Noontide, and see if this relates to their research. Would you send a letter to Twilight Sparkle? I want somepony we can trust to lead this.” “Of course, sister,” Luna said, nodding. “I shall tell her to come tomorrow. That should give us plenty of time to plan.” “Yes, it should…” Celestia crossed to the balcony door, her brow knitted in thought. “We will also need to work on keeping ponies away from the ship. As it stands, it would not be difficult for an overly-curious pegasus to get close…” “I will handle that as well,” Luna offered. “You work on coordinating the expedition.” Celestia smiled, and nodded. “Thank you, sister,” she said. “Shall we meet back here later this afternoon?” Luna nodded, and joined Celestia at the door. The two re-entered the castle, and went in separate directions, with Luna heading to her office, and Celestia heading to the School for Gifted Unicorns. She had a certain unicorn to see… As the chariot angled downward to begin its landing, Twilight Sparkle felt her anxiety grow exponentially. The letter she had received the previous day was tucked tightly in her saddlebags, along with numerous books and other resources she thought may help with determining the origin of the object. The letter had been vague, but Twilight was able to extrapolate its true meaning: the other princesses were planning an expedition, and they wanted Twilight’s help. While exciting, the lavender alicorn could not help but feel somewhat apprehensive. The object was shrouded in mystery, and Twilight could not even begin to guess its purpose. Still, she would accept any task that Celestia gave her. The chariot landed outside of the Canterlot castle gates, and Twilight jumped out, joined shortly after by her friends. Starlight took up position right next to Twilight, looking around. “There… aren’t as many guards as I expected,” she observed. Twilight looked around as well, and noticed that Starlight was correct. “They were probably relocated to the object,” Twilight assumed. “Something like this warrants military investigation.” The castle gates opened, and Twilight smiled as she caught sight of Princess Celestia. Her fears were temporarily suppressed, and she trotted over to embrace her mentor. “Twilight!” Celestia greeted, wrapping a wing around the younger pony. “It is so good to see you, all of you. Please, come in.” Celestia pulled away from the embrace and stepped aside, allowing the smaller ponies to enter the castle. Once they were all inside, Celestia began leading them through the winding castle corridors, finally stopping at her office. She opened the door and stepped inside, taking a seat behind her desk. Twilight and her friends filed in after, and sat down opposite the princess. “Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” Celestia said, arranging a number of folders on her desk. “My sister and I are truly grateful to be able to rely on you.” “Indeed,” Luna said, stepping forward from a small closet at the back of Celestia’s office. In her telekinesis she held many more folders, all of which she placed on her sister’s desk. “Especially in matters of such… gravity.” “We’ll do everything we can to help, princesses,” Twilight said, grinning. “Just let us know what you need.” “What we are about to ask of you all is no small task,” Celestia began. “Though it is one of great importance. The presence of this ship is… troubling. If it is from this world, then none have yet stepped forth to claim responsibility. If it is from somewhere else… I don’t have to tell you what that could mean.” “Regardless of its origin, we need to find out why it is here,” Luna continued. “Specifically here, outside of Canterlot. This will not be an easy task, and my sister and I want somepony we can trust fully to lead it. That somepony is you, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight’s eyes widened, and she felt her mouth open slightly. She had been expecting that the princesses wanted her to work on the expedition, but to lead it? That was a surprise. “As for the rest of you, we want you to use your skills to help Twilight in any ways possible,” Celestia explained, turning her attention to the remaining Elements. “Starlight Glimmer, your experience with magic and your ability to quickly learn new concepts is significant. Therefore, you will be assisting Twilight directly on this project.” “You want… me to do that?” Starlight asked, disbelieving. “I… I’m honored.” “Celestia and I will be handling things here,” Luna said. “We will make sure ponies stay away from the ship, and we will keep the other nations apprised. Do you have any questions?” The room fell silent, and nopony spoke up. “Very good,” Celestia said. “Now, before we send you to the ship, there is one more thing we would like for you to see. It should prove quite helpful.” The princess stood from her desk, and crossed to the office door. Twilight followed, her friends joining her a moment later. Pausing to ensure that everypony was ready, Celestia flared her horn, igniting the room in a golden glow. When the glow faded, they were in quite a different location. It was a small, tight hallway, constructed of wood and tile rather than marble. Twilight narrowed her eyes, feeling as though the architecture was familiar. “Wait…” she began. “Is this… the School for Gifted Unicorns?” “One of the basement levels, yes,” Celestia responded, turning to face a door at the end of the hallway. Unlike the rest of the doors, it was constructed of metal, and had a very large “AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY” sign covering its window. “Come, right this way.” The group was led down to the door, which opened in Celestia’s telekinetic grip. Immediately beyond the door was a stairwell, which descended deep underground. At the bottom of the stairwell was yet another door, guarded by a single pony. He bowed as Celestia approached, and opened the door for the group, allowing them passage through. “What is this place?” Rainbow Dash asked, observing the radically different architecture. The wooden walls and tile floor had given way to concrete and iron. Magic lamps lit the corridor, which extended for several dozen meters. At the end was a third door, this one unguarded. “This is one of Equestria’s oldest and best-kept secrets,” Celestia began. “Project Noontide.” The princess opened the door, revealing a large chamber stretching several hundred meters back. The high ceiling was shrouded in shadow, and Twilight could not tell how high up it went. Scattered throughout the room were tables cluttered with scientific equipment. Ponies scurried between the various stations, all dressed in identical white lab coats. At the end of the room stood a pony without a lab coat, looking over eight identical objects. Each object was tall, around twice the size of Princess Celestia. They were made of a metal similar to that of the mystery ship, and were covered in burn marks and unfamiliar writing. The pony observing them turned around as the group of newcomers approached, revealing himself to be a stallion of around fifty. His cutie mark, a dark star with a white dot in the center, stood out against his blue coat, and he grinned as Celestia neared him. “Princess!” he greeted, smiling widely. His smile only grew larger as he turned his attention to Twilight and her friends. “And princess! Welcome to my laboratory, it is very good to finally meet you.” “This is Doctor Onyx Star,” Celestia said. “Director of Project Noontide.” “What is this ‘Project Noontide’?” Twilight asked, looking past the doctor at the eight objects. Celestia looked to Onyx Star, allowing him to explain. “Well, it’s a bit of a long story,” he began. “Around two-hundred and fifty years into the Second Era, two archaeologists found one of these… well, we call them ‘pods.’ Alien in origin, travelling through space for nearly a thousand years before coming upon Equus. We’ve been studying them for over a millennia, but no matter how much we learned about the pods’ construction, we could never determine its purpose… until now. “I have a theory. It is still unconfirmed, of course, but it is a likely theory nonetheless. Inside of the pods, we found all sorts of items: food, clothing, supplies, and technology that we still do not fully understand. For the longest time, we sat scratching our heads, wondering, ‘why are these pods here?’ Well, now a giant spaceship arrives, with a very similar construction to the pods, and is hovering outside of Canterlot. With all of this information, I theorize that the ship outside has one very specific purpose: colonization.” “Colonization?” Applejack asked, her eyes widening. “So, that ship out there, it has—“ “Aliens aboard, yes.” Onyx Star was now smiling wider than ever, looking like a foal on Hearth’s Warming. “It should be mentioned that there is some evidence pointing to the contrary,” Celestia said, stepping forward. “For one, there are only eight pods. With the supplies inside, that is not nearly enough to fully supply a colony, even if they are only here for emergencies. Second, our mages recently confirmed that there are no life forms aboard the ship. Unless something is interfering with our magic – which is entirely possible – then I doubt a colony ship would be sent without colonists.” “All good points,” Star nodded. “But, despite how long we have been studying the pods, we still know relatively little about them. We could be missing something significant. That will not become clear until the expedition.” “Hopefully we’ll know soon enough,” Twilight mused, stepping closer to one of the pods. She examined it carefully, taking note of every feature. “Twilight, the staff of Project Noontide are at your disposal,” Celestia said. “Onyx Star has been working on this for decades, and his staff are some of the smartest ponies in Equestria. They will help you.” Twilight stepped away from the pod and turned to Onyx, smiling. “It will be good to work with you, doctor,” she said. Onyx returned the smile, and nodded. “And with you, princess.” “That is all I have to show you,” Celestia continued. “Before we go, does anypony have any questions?” Once again, nopony spoke up. “Then let us be off.” Celestia began walking back down the large chamber, heading for the surface… The sun was high in the sky by the time the chariot departed Canterlot, carrying Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Next to Twilight sat Onyx Star, wearing a set of saddle bags filled with notes. Another chariot flew behind Twilight’s this one carrying a group of Onyx’s best scientists, all of whom shared the load of equipment from the Noontide lab. Twilight turned to the doctor, a number of questions appearing in her mind. “So, Doctor Star—“ “Please, call me Onyx.” Twilight smiled and nodded. “Alright,” she agreed. “Onyx, if you are correct and those pods were built by the same beings who made this ship, then that would make you our leading expert on their technology. What can you tell me?” Onyx paused, thinking. “I can tell you that we still know relatively little,” he began. “Some of Equestria’s most significant technological breakthroughs – the engines in our airships, for example – were reverse-engineered from the technology in the pods. But the technology, it’s… it’s so far beyond us, we are still just scratching the surface. I assume you are familiar with the computer at the School for Gifted Unicorns?” Twilight nodded. She had seen the device a few times; it was massive, taking up a space that used to be three classrooms. Its functions were incredibly limited, and it was primarily used for running mathematical equations. “The design of that computer is based off of one found in every pod. But while ours takes up three rooms, theirs is the size of my hoof. And its functionality… It can perform millions of operations, and we only know of a few.” Twilight frowned, thinking to herself. “Well, it’s better than going in completely blind,” she decided. “And since you have experience with the computers in the pods, do you think you can use the ones on the ship?” “To a degree, yes,” Onyx replied. “We had very little success in translating the language of the pod, but I believe that is because we were working only with the pods. With an entire ship of computers, I think we can work a bit faster.” Twilight nodded, satisfied. She looked ahead, finding the ship to be very close now. Only a few minutes later, they arrived at the Forward Operating Base. Established right underneath the ship, the entire base was cast in shadow, the only light sources coming from lamps inside of tents. Pony soldiers patrolled the area, keeping watch for any unwanted visitors. All the while, a fleet of airships orbited the ship, watching for any changes that could pose a threat. The chariot landed, skidding to a halt on the outskirts of the small FOB. Twilight and her friends jumped out, followed shortly after by Onyx Star. Looking around, Twilight’s eyes settled on a gold-armored guard who was coming their way. “This way, highness,” he said, pointing to a large tent at the center of the base. The guard escorted the group of ponies to the tent, inside of which was a long table holding a large map. The map featured the plains where the ponies now found themselves, and superimposed on the map was a top-down diagram of the ship. A small section had been filled in; a set of hallways and a few rooms on the fore-port side. Looking over this section of the map was a familiar stallion, and Twilight smiled widely the instant she saw him. “Shining!” The stallion’s head whirled around, his attention drawn away from the map. He grinned as he saw his sister, and trotted over to her. “Twily, good to see you!” he greeted. “I was wondering when you’d get here. I assume you’ve been brought up to speed?” “Yes, Celestia and Luna told us everything,” Twilight replied, nodding. “But what are you doing down here? Doesn’t the Crystal Empire need you?” “I honestly think Cadance needs me more than the Empire, with Flurry and all…” Shining said. “But Princess Celestia wanted me coordinating the military forces here. She said she needed somepony she could trust implicitly.” “Funny, she said the same to us,” Rarity added. “The princesses are concerned,” Shining said quietly, frowning. “I’ve never seen them like this before; they weren’t even like this before the changeling invasion… I have to say, it doesn’t make me feel too confident, having them so… worried.” “A ship is hovering outside the city, and there’s a ninety-nine percent chance it’s alien,” Twilight said. “I’m concerned, too…” “Well, let’s try and find some peace of mind, then,” Shining suggested. He moved back to the map, his eyes focused on the small section of the ship that had actually been explored. “An hour ago, my best scouts returned from their first mission inside the ship. Their mission was to determine the safety of the area, and find a place that could be used as a base of operations. They completed both tasks; the ship appears empty so far, and they found a room that looks like some kind of control center. I’m not sure exactly how they determined it was a control center, but I’ll trust their judgement. “You’ll be escorted aboard and taken to the control center, where you can set up and get to work. My soldiers will keep exploring, mapping out areas and marking safe and unsafe sections. The ship is huge, it will take weeks to fully map out. So, until it is mapped out, please stay in the area around the control room. Questions?” “Just one concern,” Onyx Star spoke up. “Please make sure your soldiers don’t touch anything during their explorations. We don’t want to risk breaking something.” Shining nodded, and gestured to the door of the tent. “The same chariot that brought you here will take you up to the entrance,” he said. “It’s a small airlock, you’ll only be able to fit a few at a time. And you’ll always have guards with you, so in the event of an emergency, they’ll be there to help. Good luck, and be safe.” Waving their farewells, the ponies exited the tent and returned to the chariot waiting on the outskirts of the base. Twilight jumped in first, and was followed quickly by her friends and Doctor Star. Onyx’s staff got into the second chariot, along with five heavily-armored guards. Once everypony was secure, the chariots took off, heading for the ship hovering above them. The higher they climbed, the colder it became. Soon Twilight could see her breath, and she felt her wings rustle in discomfort. The chariots put some distance between themselves and the ship before turning around, now on a level plane with the airlock. As they came closer, Twilight saw the entrance; a small door hidden among thousands of pieces of equipment on the outer hull. It was open, and a single pony guard stood inside, looking out at the chariots quickly approaching. Twilight gulped, feeling her anxiety rising once again. No matter what happened aboard the ship, the direction of Equestria’s future was about to make a significant change. Far away from Equestria, something began to stir in the deep. The very earth seemed to groan as it sensed that the balance had been upset. Something foreign had come to the world. The object had no magic, that much was known. But it had other power. Power that could be harnessed, and could be used. The rumbling ceased. Magic flowed through the crevices in the rock, and slowly filtered its way into the open air. Soon it would reach the object, and soon the construct would sleep no more.