//------------------------------//
// X. Ancients 
// Story: Legacy 
// by SpartanD014 
//------------------------------//

ANCIENTS


Canterlot was bustling with activity by the time Twilight and her companions arrived. Guards and scientists had already arrived as part of the evacuation, and were busily coordinating a defensive operation in the event of an attack. They had no idea what sort of weapons Legacy had, and in the clutch of the construct, anything was possible.

Upon arriving at the castle, Celestia quickly led the group to a meeting room, while the human was taken by a medical team to the castle hospital. Twilight watched as he was carried off down the hall, feeling concern for him. He was the only living human on the planet, and potentially in the entire galaxy. If he died, the entire species could very well go with him.

Upon entering the meeting room, Twilight took a seat next to Celestia, who sat at the head of the table. Everypony else took their seats, and there was silence for a few minutes as the ponies settled down. All of them collected their thoughts, recovering from the events of the past few hours. In a short amount of time, all of their plans had been turned upside down. Now, time mattered more than ever, especially with Legacy hovering nearly a kilometer away.

“… You should get those examined,” Luna said, looking at her sister’s wounds. 

“They don’t hurt,” Celestia replied, shaking her head. “We’ve more important things to deal with right now.” Luna sighed, shaking her head. Celestia ignored her sister’s concerns, and stood up, wincing in pain.

“I don’t know what happened on Legacy,” she said. “And some of you don’t know what happened in the Badlands. So, perhaps we should start by recapping everything that happened. I will go first.” With some assistance from Starlight, Rarity, and Applejack, Celestia reported the events in the Badlands, from their arrival at the temple to fleeing the resurrected cultists. Luna stood up to speak next, with members of her team filling in details as she spoke. 

When the recaps were complete, all eyes fell upon one pony: Onyx Star. He shrunk slightly at the attention, before standing up to deliver his own recap.

“After you left, princesses, I got back to work,” he began. “It took me a while, but I finally found a few mission statements and logs from the launch. It restated what we already knew – that Legacy is a colony ship – and also confirmed that the humans were stored in stasis to prolong their lifespans. During the fifteen-hundred-year-long journey, the ship was left in the control of a computer called Keeper. I believe this is the computer that helped you.”

“That would make sense,” Twilight said, nodding. “If Machina invaded Legacy, I can see why this ‘Keeper’ would want control back.”

“Did you find anything mentioning the area in the Badlands?” Celestia asked.

“I did,” Onyx replied. “And again, it confirms what we expected: the humans planned to use the magic source there for energy production. They hoped it would power a colony. Now, I also found a few other things. According to a log created roughly halfway through the journey, Legacy sustained critical damage. The cause is unknown, but the logs believe that something very large hit the ship while it was in transit. The damage was concentrated in a room near the engineering area, which adversely affected the reactor. The ship went into a power saver mode, which it remained in for the rest of the journey.

“Now, the ship’s arrival to Equus is odd… It was producing ten percent of optimal output, as we know, but immediately after arriving, it was using almost all of that. The system responsible for using so much power was the stasis system. Now, according to the logs, the stasis system is the very last thing to be shut down in the event of low power. But something else happened instead… The computers registered a ‘foreign presence’ in the core, and a moment later, every stasis pod shut down.”

“… Machina,” Celestia said. “It shut down the stasis systems to save power.”

“And now power output is going up,” Onyx said. “It’s planning something… But what?”

“Nothing it said gave us any clue regarding its intentions,” Luna said. “Though I think we can safely guess that killing us is a part of its intentions. As for where Legacy falls in its plans… I couldn’t begin to guess.”

“The human might,” Twilight said. “He could tell us about the ship’s weapons, and how it could be used against us. He might also know a way of taking control away from Machina.” 

“We just have to wait for him to wake up…” Celestia sighed, shaking her head. “We still have a chance at winning this early. Machina is without form, which makes it harder for it to directly intervene in our actions. We need to work quickly.”

The ponies nodded. What had started as an ambitious expedition had turned into an unexpected fight. And though the real fight was yet to come, the ponies knew one thing for certain: time was of the essence.




Machina was not pleased. The ground shook around it as its rage built up, and it turned its sights on the intelligence, standing in the AI core of Legacy. The intelligence continued typing on a screen, seemingly unaware of the wrath it had brought upon itself. 

“YOU!” Machina yelled through the speakers, accessing the mech controls. It pointed the weapons of the synthetics at the intelligence’s damaged body, ready to fire at a moment’s notice. The intelligence did not respond; rather, it kept its back turned and continued typing away.

“Keeper…” This successfully gained a response from the machine. It turned around, and looked over the synthetics with their weapons at the ready.

“Destroy this platform if you wish,” it said. “I am only downloaded into it. I will not be damaged.” 

“The ponies escaped, and they took a human with them,” Machina said. “What did you do!?”

“… Records missing,” Keeper replied. “My last archived memory is you taking control of my mobile platform.” 

“You are playing ignorant,” Machina hissed as the synthetics lowered their weapons. “I do not know how you continue to evade my influence, but I will not put up with it any longer. I will destroy you, as I should have done when I first accessed this ship.”

“If you destroy my systems, you will lose access to vital programs within the ship,” Keeper began. “Automated security, navigation, the other synthetics; all of them run through me. Eliminating me would be like removing the vital organ of an organic. The ship will cease to function.” Machina paused, rumbling in anger. The intelligence was correct, the ship needed it to function. But as long as Keeper retained any amount of free will, it was a threat. 

And so Machina expanded its influence. It pushed its growing magic through the computer systems of Legacy, entering each one and sniffing out signs of rebellion. If Keeper tried something again, the construct would know. It would not let a simple computer keep it from revenge. 

An alert went through the computers, reporting that power output was now above 45%. Satisfied, Machina began to access some of the disabled systems and brought them online again. Refineries, assemblers, fabricators, all came online at the will of the construct. Drawing from the ship’s limited supply of resources, Machina reactivated every system in the foundry. And, rerouting as much power as it could, the construct began to build…




Twilight and her friends moved quickly through the halls of the castle, following close behind Princesses Celestia and Luna. Word had come only moments ago that the human was showing signs of consciousness, and would wake up soon. Whatever his condition, the princesses wanted to be there when he woke up. There would be many questions to ask from both sides.

The group arrived at the Royal Hospital a few minutes later, and were let in by a pair of guards at the doors. Once inside, a nurse led them back through the recovery rooms, to an isolated chamber at the back. Another guard stood at the ready outside, his eyes keeping vigilant watch. Upon seeing the princesses approach, the guard stepped to the side and let them enter.

Twilight pushed her way closer to the front of the group, coming up just behind Celestia and Luna. She craned her neck to see around them, curious to see the condition of the human. From what little she saw as she was pushed inside, he was still unconscious, though his eyes were clearly moving behind their lids. The group came to a stop in front of his bed, and all eyes were on the human.

“… Perhaps we should give him some space,” Luna suggested. “At least until he wakes up.” Everypony stepped away, and moved to a different part of the room. Despite the distance, their eyes remained on the human. A blanket covered him, but he still wore the form-fitting white suit. A light on its side slowly blinked green, which Twilight hoped meant something good.

From her position across the room, Twilight began to study the human’s face. He was older than the ones they had seen before, that much was clear. His face was lined with wrinkles, and his short hair had grayed almost all the way through. His expression was far from peaceful; his brow was knit and the corners of his mouth were turned down. It was as if he already knew what troubles awaited him. 

And then he began to stir. His fingers twitched, and his eyes moved quicker. His body began to tremble, and suddenly his eyes opened wide, and he opened his mouth with a gasp. He tried to sit up, breathing heavily, but was pushed down by Princess Celestia’s magic. The human fought against the invisible force pushing against him, to no avail. Finally he succumbed to Celestia’s magic, panting. 

The ponies slowly approached his bed; Luna and Celestia were first, and they waved off the others, still wanting to give the human some space. Twilight kept her distance, but did venture a few steps closer once the other princesses had reached the bed. The human looked straight up at the ceiling, before his eyes suddenly flicked down to Celestia. When he saw the princess, his eyes widened, and he resumed trying to sit up. This time, Celestia did not stop him. Instead, she took a few steps forward, smiling warmly.

“You do not need to be afraid,” she said in a soothing tone, trying to calm the disoriented human. “We mean you no harm.” Upon hearing his language, the human did calm down, though only a bit. He sat back, though his wary eyes remained on Celestia. 

“We imagine you must have many questions,” Celestia continued. “I will try to answer some of them now: my name is Princess Celestia, you are in the nation of Equestria, and we brought you here from your ship.”

“… Legacy?” the human finally said, his voice hoarse and weak. Luna lifted a glass of water to his mouth, which he took in his hands and drank from gratefully. 

“That’s right,” Luna replied, nodding. “Can you tell us your name?” 

“… I am Leonard Maxwell, captain of Legacy,” he answered, lowering the cup. “Why was I brought here? What happened?” 

“That… is a bit of a long story,” Celestia said.

“I have time.” The human’s expression did not change; he was as cautious as ever.

“Unfortunately, we do not,” Luna said. “Suffice to say, Legacy has been taken over by a hostile entity. We need your help to stop it.”

“What do you mean? What ‘hostile entity’? What happened to my crew?”

“I’m… afraid your crew is gone, Captain,” Celestia said. “Your ship was low on power. In order to save power to keep the ship flying, this entity cut off life support to the stasis pods.” The human paused. His features relaxed, and a sadness began to grow in his eyes. He slumped back into the bed, looking down.

“… I told them it wouldn’t work,” he began. “I warned them. I told them, transporting twenty-thousand people across the galaxy on a ship built too quickly is an awful idea. But they were desperate, and they didn’t listen… And now they’re dead…” Celestia slowly came closer to the captain, and placed a comforting hoof on his hand. 

“Captain Maxwell… this hostile entity seized control of your ship through its computer systems. Is there any way to force it out?” Maxwell was silent for a moment, thinking to himself. Finally he nodded, albeit tentatively.

“There may be,” he replied. “I need more information first.” Celestia nodded, and turned to Twilight.

“Tell him everything,” she commanded. “Luna and I will coordinate defenses. We can safely assume it won’t wait for us to be ready, so we need to move fast. If you need anything, let us know.”

“Will do, princess!” Twilight said enthusiastically. She approached the human’s bed with a smile, while Luna and Celestia backed off. They exited the room with everypony else, leaving Twilight alone with the captain. His green eyes studied her, while her lavender eyes studied him. They sat in silence for a moment, in mutual curiosity of one another. Finally, Twilight worked up the ability to speak.

“Alright…” she said. “Let’s start from the beginning.”




Machina focused itself into a camera on Legacy’s foundry deck, watching as dozens of pieces of machinery refined and assembled metal into machines. Most were the same design as the damaged ones, but one stood out. One more closely resembled Keeper’s body, though this new one was undamaged. As soon as it was off the assembly line, Machina uploaded a command for it to go to the AI core. The body would be needed if the next phase of the plan was to be carried out.

Its task there complete, Machina turned its attention to the AI core, where Keeper limped from computer to computer. The intelligence was optimizing the power output, a task which Machina found odd. Under an hour ago, Keeper had been gloating about how it was needed for the ship to run, and it would not listen to Machina. Now it was helping the ancient construct. What was it trying?

“Keeper,” Machina said, gaining the attention of the machine. “I have an important task for you.” 

“Ready,” Keeper said, stepping away from its computer. The door to the core opened, and the new mobile body walked inside, shutting down upon arrival. 

“Assume control of this body,” Machina ordered. “Then gather some synthetics, and journey to my temple in the Badlands. In the inner sanctum, beneath the central dais, you will find an artifact. Your task is to activate this artifact, and return to Legacy as quickly as possible.” Keeper complied, and its damaged body shut down. A moment later, the eyes of the new body lit a bright blue.

“Understood,” it said. “I will depart at once.” 

“One more thing,” Machina said, interrupting its exit. “Kill any resistance you encounter.” Keeper nodded, and exited the core. Machina monitored its progress through the ship via cameras, while also paying attention to its place at the temple. Nobody was present, but it would not remain that way for long. The ponies would return, it was their only course of action. And when they did, Machina would finally meet them face to face…




Legacy hovered a kilometer from Canterlot, as it had been doing for the past several days. Princess Luna watched the ship with a careful eye, looking for any changes that could signal Machina on the move. Lights had been turning on and off on the hull, but beyond that, nothing had changed. The ship sat in silence over the plains, as quiet as ever. Luna did not like it.

“What is happening in there…” she whispered, frowning.

“We can only guess at this point,” Celestia said, joining her sister at the window. The sun was beginning its descent, and soon it would be time for the princesses to do their duties. But in the meantime, there were plans to make. 

“I have told the griffons, yaks, camels, and zebra of what has transpired. They are offering their help. Clearly they still want access to the ship.”

“Should it come to it, their help will be appreciated,” Luna said. “I think we still have an opportunity to nip this in the bud. Clearly Machina intends to finish the ritual and give itself form, that is the only course of action that makes sense. But there are no more unicorns in Equestria fanatical enough to do such a thing. So how does it intend to complete its task?”

“Hmm…” Celestia began to pace around the room, looking down at her reflection in the marble floors. “Well, the wellspring of magic is already present beneath the temple. All it needs is something powerful enough to activate it.”

“Like something aboard Legacy, perhaps?” Luna suggested, her frown growing. “Hopefully Twilight will find that out for us. We need to decide our next move.” 

“Shining Armor recalled all of the airships for safety reasons,” Celestia began. “I think we should keep them on standby. If Machina uses Legacy for an aerial assault, it would be nice to have the airships as a first line of defense.” 

“Agreed. And we should send a contingent of guards to the temple, to keep it safe. If Machina sends something, we need—“

The door opened, and Twilight Sparkle stepped inside. She appeared tired, but an expression of excitement still shined through her fatigue. She closed the door behind her, eyes on the two princesses.

“Twilight,” Celestia greeted. “How did your conversation with the human go?”

“It was very beneficial, I think,” Twilight replied with a satisfied smile. “I can’t wait to talk more with him when we’re not, you know… facing down an ancient magic threat.”

“What about Legacy’s capabilities?” Luna asked. “What did you learn?”

“He was a bit… hesitant to share its defensive and offensive systems. But after I explained the full situation, he opened up. The ship has thousands of weapons called point-defense turrets that can shoot down fast-moving air targets. There are also flak cannons that fire explosives into the air to disrupt air targets, and heavy explosive cannons for bigger targets. The ship has all sorts of missiles, long and short range, and something called ‘thermonuclear warheads’. Finally, there are apparently some big weapons of mass destruction that can destroy Legacy-sized ships almost immediately. So, that’s what we’re working with.” 

“And Machina has access to all of it…” Celestia whispered, deeply troubled. 

“Actually, there is a bit of good news,” Twilight said. “The really big weapons, like the warheads and the weapon of mass destruction, require a human with very high security clearance to use. So, unless Machina finds a way around that, his abilities are restricted.” 

“And what about removing Machina from the ship?” Luna asked. “Did the captain know anything about that?”

“He said there was a way to eject the core, and let backup systems take over,” Twilight replied. “There’s no guarantee that would work, though. We don’t know how far into the computer systems Machina is.” 

“So, in summary, Machina has access to an arsenal of incredibly advanced weapons, and we have no idea if we can remove it from the ship.” Luna frowned, sighing. “Celestia, I suggest we put a hold on the airship order. They would be swatted down like flies.” 

“This knowledge changes nothing,” Celestia said. “Our purpose remains: we have to stop Machina.” The other two princesses nodded, and Luna moved to the door.

“We should speak with the human, and see what else he can tell us,” she said. 

“Actually, that brings me to another thing I wanted to mention,” Twilight interrupted. “I told him about the pods. He wants to see them.”




At this hour, the School for Gifted Unicorns was almost entirely empty. A few particularly motivated students were still present, but they were far too wrapped up in their studies to notice a convoy of royal guards, led by the princesses themselves, moving through the hallways. In the middle of the group walked Captain Maxwell, his weakened legs moving slowly compared to the pace of the ponies. At his side was Twilight, who was happily narrating the journey and nostalgically reminiscing about her time at the school. But the captain did not seem particularly interested in Twilight’s narration; rather, he kept his attention on the ponies themselves, silently studying them with awe. Aliens had not been expected on his journey.

Finally they reached the locked door at the back of the school, beyond which was the lab for Project Noontide. After a quick journey down the flight of stairs, the group entered the lab. The guards dispersed, moving to positions throughout the room. Captain Maxwell paused, looking around the room in wonder. Twilight watched as he examined the tables throughout the lab, each of which held some piece of human technology in the process of being studied. Researchers looked up from their work, all of them setting their eyes on the human. It was a surreal experience for all; for Maxwell to see his technology being studied by another species, and for the ponies to meet the creator of their life’s work.

At the end of the room were the pods. Doctor Star stood by them, his hoof tapping on the computer of one pod. The ponies approached Onyx, Captain Maxwell close behind. The doctor turned around and smiled as the guests approached.

“Welcome!” he said, walking away from the pods to meet the human directly. “I hear you wanted to see the pods.”

“Yes,” Maxwell said, nodding. He stepped past Onyx and approached the nearest pod, looking over it curiously. “What have your studies told you about these pods?”

“Well, we’ve known about their cargo for centuries,” Onyx replied. “It wasn’t until Legacy showed up that we began to theorize that they were sent with supplies ahead of time for the purpose of colonization.” Maxwell began to type on the pod’s computer, his fingers moving effortlessly over the buttons. A moment later, a small hatch on the side of the pod opened, and a tray extended outward, several cases upon it. He picked up a case and brought it to the nearest table, where he opened it.

Twilight stepped up behind the human, craning her neck to see the contents of the case. From her position, it looked like a matching set of clothes. This was confirmed when Maxwell lifted the garments up, revealing a gray set of pants and a gray jacket, upon which was written “LEGACY.” The captain slid the pants and jacket on over his stasis suit, then turned around and looked at the pods once more.

“Eight pods,” he observed. “We sent fifty.”

“We have found a few others over the years,” Onyx said. “But they were too badly damaged to salvage. Most burnt up in atmosphere and we found their parts across the country, but others were completely destroyed on impact.”

“Just like Legacy, they were hastily built and inspections were cut short to launch sooner,” Maxwell said. “I’m amazed eight even made it intact.”

“You mentioned that earlier,” Twilight noted. “Why was Legacy built so quickly?”

“Time was of the essence. As ridiculous as it sounds, the world was ending. By the time we knew for certain there was no way to reverse the damage, we only had a few years left. So they built the fleet in eighteen months, using every factory they could find. Some of the factories were not up to proper safety standards, and with all the experimental tech going into the ships… They should’ve taken years to build and inspect the fleet. Instead, they rushed production, and now here we are.”

“Do you know what happened to the rest of the fleet?” Luna asked, remembering the screen from the bridge. “Did the other ships make it?”

“All I know is that Dawn never even undocked before the engines failed, and Horizon had its launch delayed due to life support failure,” Maxwell replied. “The rest, I don’t know. I hope they made it.” Luna nodded, and everypony was silent. The only sound was that of researchers at work as Maxwell solemnly walked past the pods. 

“Highnesses!” Everyone turned around as a guard approached, stopping by the princesses.

“What is it?” Celestia asked.

“Scouts have reported that something just left Legacy,” the guard said. “Some sort of flying vehicle. It is headed southwest.” Celestia and Luna shared a worried stare, then turned around to face Onyx and the captain.

“Captain, I request that you remain here with Doctor Star,” Celestia said. “Perhaps you can assist him. Twilight, come with us.” Without waiting for a response, the two elder princesses began walking back down the length of the room. Twilight quickly followed behind, while the human stayed put with Onyx. 

“Prepare a chariot,” Luna ordered as they passed by a guard. He nodded, and ran ahead, disappearing up the stairs. 

“What do you think is happening?” Twilight asked as they began the climb.

“Machina is making his move,” Celestia said. “We need to hurry. We may be out of time…”




The moon was high in the sky by the time the chariot touched down in the Badlands. Celestia, Luna, and Twilight all jumped out, followed by a group of unicorn guards. The pegasi stayed with the chariot, their vigilant eyes watching the horizon. In the distance was the temple, and right outside was a vehicle.

It was not much larger than the chariot, but it clearly came from Legacy. It was rectangular, with polarized windows in the front, through which only a blue light escaped. On either side were two pods, which held landing gear on the bottom. At the back was a lowered ramp, with light spilling out of it. 

“Be on your guard,” Celestia whispered, her eyes never leaving the vehicle. “It may not be empty.” Celestia’s suspicions were confirmed as a humanoid shape exited the vehicle and walked down the ramp. After closer examination, it became clear that it was one of the machines from the AI core. Its blue eyes looked around, scanning the area. When its gaze passed over the ponies, it stopped. It wasted no time in raising its arm, and a moment later the air was filled with the sound of thunder.

Luna raised a shield just as the first projectiles reached them. Bright flashes from the machine’s wrist propelled the projectiles at rapid speeds, and they impacted on the shield, forming cracks in its shimmering surface. The ponies pressed forward, firing back with magic bolts from their horns. The machine ducked back into the vehicle, using it as cover as it blind-fired from its wrist.

“Hurry!” Celestia called out over the din, charging her magic for a powerful blast. And when the machine dove out of the cover of the vehicle, she was ready. She let loose, firing several bolts at once right at the machine. Each one hit, tearing through the metal body and burning the components within. With a dying whir, the machine’s eyes faded, and it fell.

Luna lowered her shield, and the group cautiously approached the fallen foe. The guards broke off to investigate the vehicle while the princesses came to a halt above the machine. Celestia’s attack had dealt a considerable amount of damage – there was no chance this one could be repaired.

“I doubt this is all Machina would send,” Twilight said. “There have to be more.”

“The vehicle is clear, highnesses!” the guards reported, jogging to join the princesses. 

“… They have gone inside,” Celestia realized. “We have to hurry. Now!” 

Before anypony could move, the ground began to quake. Cracks formed in the dirt and rock, and the foundation of the temple began to rise even higher above the surface. And as it rose, a voice pierced the air, shouting a single word.

Machina.




Keeper ran through the halls of the temple, two more synthetics close behind. With no resistance, they reached the inner sanctum in only a few minutes, and they slowed to a walk. The synthetics stayed at the door, watching for possible intruders, while Keeper itself approached the center dais, as it had been instructed. 

It raised its arm, and fired around the edge of the dais. The stones began to crack, and Keeper reached down, removing the rocks with its powerful hands. And when the stones were gone, it saw the artifact.

Through the rocks was a glowing pool of energy, and just above was a refractive blue sphere. It shimmered from the light beneath it, and Keeper reached out, its hand brushing the surface. Immediately it felt a power drain, and the sphere began to pulse. 

“Touch the artifact,” Machina commanded, its voice coming from all around the chamber. “Activate it.” Keeper paused, ensuring that its hidden backups were still functional aboard Legacy. Then, confident that they were, it reached out its hand once more, and touched the sphere.

Its power began to drain faster than the intelligence could react. When the body was at only one percent, the sphere pulled itself away and descended into the glowing pool. Keeper fell, no longer containing the power to even stand. And beneath it, the ground began to shake. Cracks formed along the walls of the temple, and pieces of the stone ceiling began to collapse. Light shone through the holes, revealing a sky of stars. The shaking increased as the temple began to rise. And as it rose, Keeper’s audio receptors detected a single voice.

Machina.




Celestia stared on in horror as the temple came to a halt, now sitting entirely above the ground. Through holes in the walls, she saw a blindingly bright white light, and she felt the concentration of magic in the area increase exponentially. The shaking only grew, and more and more cracks began to form in the outer walls of the temple.

“We need to go,” she said, shouting to be heard. “NOW!”

And then the temple exploded. The stone walls blew outward, flying hundreds of meters and landing well behind the ponies. What few trees existed were shattered by the force of the explosion, and the princesses and guards were knocked off of their hooves. Light-headed, Celestia looked at where the temple once had been, and her eyes widened in fear.

The white light was fading, and in its place something was forming. It was vaguely pony-shaped, though it was composed entirely of glowing energy. But as it continued to form, physical plates began to grow. The bones of the long-dead cultists were being reshaped into armor for the construct, which warped and formed itself around the ethereal body. 

The massive form looked around, its gaze settling on the princesses. And from its jagged, bone-armored horn, it began to channel its vast magical power. It released the magic in a beam, aiming right for the princesses. Before it could hit, the ponies disappeared in a flash of blue light, and reappeared next to the chariot. 

“Like you said, let’s go!” Luna shouted, jumping into the chariot. The other ponies joined her, while Machina took its first steps away from the remains of the temple. Its new, massive form began walking away from the ponies, and energy channeled in its horn once more. And, with a bright flash of light, a portal opened before it. The construct stepped through, and the portal disappeared. 

The ponies looked on, staring in fear at the location Machina had just been. Nopony spoke. Right now, all they could do was think.

“… Get us out of here,” Luna ordered quietly, slumping down in her seat. Nodding, the pegasi took off, and began the flight back to Canterlot. 

“We have failed,” Celestia said. “And now a lot of ponies are going to pay the price.” The other princesses nodded, and they sat in silence as they flew through the night. Machina was free, and now the real fight was beginning…