//------------------------------// // XI. Calm // Story: Legacy // by SpartanD014 //------------------------------// CALM As their chariot began its approach to Canterlot, Twilight noticed one very obvious change: Legacy had shifted. Where once its starboard side had been facing Canterlot, the stern of the ship now was turned to face the city. Legacy’s engines were alight, and they were only becoming brighter. And as the chariot began its descent into the city, the ship began to move away. “Where is it going?” Twilight wondered aloud, watching as the massive vessel gained speed. It was headed west, toward the setting moon. Equestria’s western side was not home to much; there were some mountains, and the city of Los Pegasus, but beyond that, it was largely undeveloped terrain. Beyond the border was the Undiscovered West, where very few ponies had ventured. If Machina was moving Legacy into hiding, that would be the safest area. “We will send some scouts after it,” Celestia said. “But right now, we need to make plans. Machina has a body, and it has a ship. The only reason it hasn’t destroyed us is because it is going to be making plans of its own. Time is important, now more than ever.” The chariot landed in the castle courtyard, and skidded to a halt a few feet from the doors. Guards were bustling about, and the main doors swung open as Shining Armor stepped out. He instantly approached the princesses, his worry masked by a grave countenance. “Princesses,” he said. “I’m putting everyone on high alert. Heavier weapons and armor is being distributed, and I’m having all of our airships rearmed as we speak. I’ll be ready to lead an offensive or defensive whenever you’re ready.” “Actually, I have other plans for you,” Celestia said. “I want you in the Crystal Empire. If Machina defeats us, you can accept refugees and mount a defense. The Empire is far more difficult to invade, after all.” Shining’s eyes widened, and he stared at the princess incredulously. “Princess, I—“ “You have already done enough by organizing the guards here,” Luna interrupted. “We need you to do the same in the Empire. And… Cadance will need you there. She can’t lead on her own.” Shining opened his mouth, but remained silent. His jaw slowly closed, and he nodded, frowning. “Alright,” he said. “Let me wrap up a few things here. Then I’ll go.” He set off at a trot to the other end of the courtyard, where a door to the armory sat. The princesses went off in the opposite direction, into the main entrance of the castle. Twilight trotted alongside Celestia and Luna, trying to read their expressions. They were troubled, that much was clear. But Twilight noticed something else in Celestia’s face, something more surprising: regret. “We’ll stop Machina,” she said, trying to sound supportive. “He won’t succeed.” Celestia did not respond. Rather, she seemed only to become more troubled. “Let’s get to the meeting room,” Luna suggested. “Then we can discuss stopping Machina.” Twilight nodded, and followed along as they maneuvered through the castle hallways. They were silent, each princess alone with her thoughts. Twilight could not help but feel afraid. She had faced down numerous threats in her life, and each time she had come out on top. But with those threats, Celestia had never faltered. She had never let her feelings show, and she always had shown her support to Twilight. But now, for Twilight to see her mentor and idol in such a state was terrifying. And for once in her life, Twilight began to feel doubt that they could succeed… Machina effortlessly walked through an Equestrian forest, its large form towering above the trees and gracefully cutting through them. The construct looked down at itself, examining its glowing form beneath the plates of bone. All of this power, and now it had form. Machina rumbled in quiet laughter as it imagined the demise of the ponies. They would not stand a chance, once the construct reached its full power. Legacy floated above Machina, flying slowly alongside the construct. Machina kept some of itself in the computers of the ship, managing systems and monitoring for any sign of Keeper rebelling. The intelligence had been quiet ever since it completed its mission, and was still in the AI core, typing on screens and performing various minor tasks. Machina was still wary of the computer, and it knew that it had the capacity to rebel. “The engines are approaching unsafe temperatures,” Keeper said, breaking its long silence. “You did not repair the power relays for the cooling systems. The engines must be shut down for a short time.” “How long?” Machina asked, coming to a halt. It did not want to wait anywhere for long; while it would be a true challenge for anypony to face, Legacy could be damaged by certain pony weapons. The construct did not want its tool to be destroyed. “Four hours should be sufficient,” Keeper replied. “During this time, I suggest that you divert some of your attention from the foundry, and repair the cooling power systems.” Machina sighed, though it knew the artificial intelligence was correct. It pulled some of itself away from the ship’s foundry and followed the power systems to the relay around the engine cooling vents. As Keeper had said, they were still critically damaged. Machina pooled its magic, and set to work repairing them. And as it worked, it kept close watch on the horizon. So far, all had been quiet. And in under a day, Machina would reach the Undiscovered West, where it would be mostly safe to plan and pool its power. And then nothing would stand in its way. Revenge would be swift and conclusive. When Machina was done, Equestria would be a barren wasteland of bones and ash… “So, the million bit question: how do we kill Machina?” Celestia said as the ponies and human took their seats around the meeting room table. They kept their eyes on the princess of the day, waiting for her to continue. “Before we get to that, Doctor Star, I believe you have something to share?” “Yes, of course,” Onyx said, nodding. “Thanks to the help of Captain Maxwell, we accessed a feature of the pods that allows for tracking. We’re watching Legacy’s movements; it’s currently stopped a few hours away from the western border, but its route points it to the Undiscovered West.” “The pods have a few additional functions,” the human began. “For one, some of them store weapons. They’re locked up tight, I will access them when we need them. Second, I can set up a distress beacon. If it works, it will warn the other ships that Legacy is in trouble. Assuming any of them were successful, they can send help.” “What sort of help can they provide?” Luna asked. “The ship with the destination closest to Earth would have finished its journey roughly… eleven-hundred years ago,” Maxwell replied. “If they were successful, that’s plenty of time to establish a large colony, and undergo technological development. They might have a way of arriving here quickly, and a weapon to combat Machina.” “They might take too long,” Celestia said. “Machina will act in days, if not sooner. We need a plan that does not rely on help from others.” “Well then what do we do?” Twilight asked. “Like you said earlier: how do we kill Machina?” There was a pause. Everypony eyed Celestia, waiting for a response. “… We can’t,” Celestia finally answered. “Machina is magic given form. And like matter and energy, magic cannot be created or destroyed, it can only change form and be channeled.” “The only reason we were able to stop it thousands of years ago is because we interrupted the ritual,” Luna interjected. “The cultists weren’t able to fully activate it, and it was effectively in a coma for all this time.” “Well you wouldn’t have invited me to this meeting if there wasn’t some way to defeat it,” Maxwell said, frowning. “As I said, magic can neither be created nor destroyed, but it can change form,” Celestia repeated. “If we make it change – say, by adding it to another large source of magic – we can strip away the conscious part that calls itself Machina.” “Where are we going to find another large source of magic like the one in the Badlands?” Twilight asked. “I can’t think of any on Equus that would work.” “There isn’t one on Equus,” Luna said. “There is, however, one orbiting it.” All eyes moved to the meeting room window, where the morning sun was beginning its ascent into the sky. “Great, a magic sun.” Maxwell stood up and crossed to the window, looking outside. “How do we get Machina from here to there?” “… Legacy,” Twilight said, her eyes widening in realization. “We use the ship!” “Wait,” the captain began, abruptly spinning around. “You want to fly my ship into the sun? The ship that could possibly transport me away from here if no other colonies answer the distress beacon? You want to destroy it?” “If no other colonies answer, where would you go?” Celestia asked. “Earth? Some other planet? Or would you just float in space for the rest of eternity?” “Legacy was meant to save your species,” Luna said. “It can no longer do that. At least let it save ours.” Maxwell sighed, and nodded. “You’re right, I’m sorry,” he said. “You’ll need my help programming the flight path, though. And getting aboard. And accessing most of the systems.” “A moment,” Onyx Star interrupted, raising a hoof. “While the process of flying Legacy into the sun seems rather straightforward, how do we intend on getting Machina aboard? I highly doubt it would embark on this journey if we asked politely.” “That is what I was hoping we could figure out,” Celestia said. “We need a way to stun Machina, or incapacitate it. Then, we can transport it aboard Legacy ourselves. Ideally there is a room large enough to store it.” “The hangars should be fine,” Maxwell said. “As for how to stun Machina, I’m the wrong person to ask.” “There aren’t any weapons aboard Legacy we could acquire and use against Machina?” Luna asked, frowning. “I was hoping you may have something.” “Until this morning, magic was no more than a myth to me,” said the human, shaking his head. “Legacy has weapons that can eliminate small targets from kilometers away, city-leveling warheads, and weapons that can disrupt electronics. But I don’t know of anything on there that can disrupt magic.” “Wait…” Twilight began, her eyes widening. “What about that chemical?” Maxwell raised an eyebrow. “Chemical?” “The gas that causes nightmares and stifles magic,” Twilight explained. “You… do know about that, right?” “A nightmare-causing gas,” Maxwell repeated. “No, I have no knowledge of a chemical like this. To my knowledge, we don’t even have the technology to create specific dreams. And creating nightmares sounds a bit… inhumane.” “That’s one way of putting it…” Luna whispered. “It’s horrible. But, regardless of who created it, that chemical can stifle magic for a reasonable period of time. Both Twilight and I are powerful alicorns, and we were without magic for around a day.” “Machina is even more powerful, however,” Onyx Star said. “I think we can safely assume that we’ll need more of the chemical to incapacitate it for long enough.” “Agreed,” Celestia said. “So, it seems we have our plan: infiltrate Legacy, secure the chemical, use it on Machina, put Machina on the ship, and send the ship into the sun. I suppose it sounds easier laid out like that.” “We saw what Machina was capable of last time we were on Legacy,” Twilight began. “It’s in the computers. Infiltrating the ship without it noticing will be next to impossible. We need a diversion. A big one.” “Luna and I can handle that, along with our military,” Celestia offered. “Twilight, you can lead your friends onto the ship to find the chemical. Captain Maxwell, I would like for you to join them. I believe your expertise in Legacy’s systems will come in handy.” “I can do that,” Maxwell nodded. Celestia looked around the table, and when nopony spoke, she smiled. “Very well,” she said. “We will need time to prepare. Twilight, you should go let your friends know what will be happening. Everypony else, do what you need to do.” With a round of nods, everyone stood up and departed. Twilight was the last to leave. She lingered in the door for a moment, watching Celestia as she sat at the table. Twilight frowned; to see her mentor like this was not inspiring. But the elder princess was right, she owed her friends an explanation of what was going to happen. So, with no reservations, Twilight set off down the hallway and towards her friends’ quarters… A stack of parchment floated in front of Princess Luna as she walked down the corridors of her castle, on them written the draft of a battle plan. While Celestia was an unmatched diplomat, Luna had always prided herself on her strategic abilities. Back when wars were common and the idea of world peace was a far-off dream, Luna had always been the one creating engagement plans and organizing troop deployments. And under her leadership, not a battle had been lost. She hoped her winning streak would not be ended in the coming days. Yet, despite the practicality of her battle plan, she could not help but feel like it would fail. Throughout her life, Luna had faced down countless foes in battle; minotaurs, griffons, zebra, changelings. All of them tried to fight, and all of them were defeated. But she had never led an army against an alien spaceship equipped with weapons more advanced than anything in the pony arsenal. And Legacy being led by Machina only meant that the ship had magic on its side as well. Hardly a fair fight. With a flash, Luna teleported the parchment away as she approached her destination. Connected to the Royal Hospital were a number of recovery rooms, all of which were as well decorated as the guest rooms at the other end of the castle. The recovery rooms were hardly used, as it was rare that the Royal Hospital saw a case where a pony needed observation after being cleared. But the Royal Hospital had never seen a human before, either, so this case called for more special treatment. Outside the captain’s door were two guards, each of whom kept their eyes forward as the princess approached. Without looking away, they opened the door for Luna, who quietly stepped into the room beyond. The bed was still untouched, but the glass balcony doors were wide open. A gentle wind blew into the room, and as Luna moved further inside, she caught sight of the human standing on the balcony. His wrinkled hands rested on the railing, and his gray Legacy jacket sat on a nearby chair. Maxwell yawned, and he lifted a hand to rub his eyes. Luna frowned sympathetically as she joined him on the balcony. “Tired?” she asked. Maxwell quickly dropped his hand and looked to the princess, surprised. “I didn’t hear you come in,” he said. He paused, then nodded. “It’s been a long day… morning.” “It has been,” Luna agreed. “Are you feeling well? Any additional side-effects from the stasis?” “I’m… as alright as I can be, I suppose,” Maxwell replied. “… Part of me still thinks this is some kind of dream, and I’ll wake up any minute. But then I feel the wind in my hair, the sun on my face… and I know it’s real.” “I can’t possibly imagine how all this must seem to you,” Luna said. “To have woken up less than a day ago, on a new world, surrounded by aliens, and being told that your ship was taken over by a being who wishes to kill us all. It must seem…” The princess trailed off, not knowing the words necessary. “… Like bullshit?” Maxwell finished, receiving a nod. “I… won’t lie. I’m barely holding it all together. I have so many questions, and as much as I want to ask them, I know there’s no time. Hm… Time seemed so inconsequential when I was in cryo. Fifteen hundred years, gone in the blink of an eye. Now… I’d do anything for fifteen stress-free minutes.” Luna laughed, nodding. “I understand that feeling,” she said. “And I promise, if we win this, you will get all the answers you could ever want. And there will be plenty of stress-free minutes, too.” Maxwell smiled, scratching his chin. “Careful what you promise,” he said, laughing quietly. “I’ve got a lot of questions.” There was a pause between the two, and Maxwell looked out at the horizon. “So… a being made of magic that can’t be destroyed… Hardly seems fair, doesn’t it?” “To quote a certain alien, it’s ‘bullshit’,” Luna nodded. “But Twilight and her friends are some of the smartest, most skillful ponies I know. They will get that chemical, and Machina will be history.” “I hope so,” Maxwell said. “I really do…” The captain yawned again, his fatigue growing by the minute. “I would recommend some sleep,” Luna said, stepping away from the balcony. “It may be your last chance for a while.” Maxwell nodded, and reentered his room after Luna. He closed the doors and took a look over the large four-poster bed. Electing to give him some privacy, Luna exited the room and set off back down the corridor, in the direction of her sister’s office. The battle would be underway soon. Machina would not wait much longer, and if the ponies wanted a chance at victory, they had to make the first move. As she walked, Luna ran over her plan in her head once more. It did not involve a large force; if the diversion failed and Twilight was unable to recover the gas, Luna wanted to leave the bulk of their military in Canterlot, ready to mount a defensive. It would not hold for long against Machina and Legacy, but they could save some ponies at the very least. Luna shook her head as she approached Celestia’s door. She wished they had more time; even an extra day could make a world of difference. But Machina was not going to afford them that luxury; as long as it lived, it was a threat to all on Equus. Luna sighed, wishing she could travel back in time to the day she and Celestia had stopped the cultists. They could have done more, something to finish the job. But they had not, and now Machina was back. It was their responsibility to destroy the construct, Luna knew. And as long as she breathed, she would not give up… //:Resources exhausted. Foundry system offline. //:Altering registry… 1,342 synthetics now online. Perfect Condition – 435 Minor Damage – 721 Heavy Damage – 104 Critical Damage – 82 //:Engine Status: Nominal. Temperature has fallen within acceptable range. //:Continuing transit… Keeper’s damaged body shuffled through the AI core, moving slowly from screen to screen to check status updates and diagnostics. The new body was gone, destroyed with the temple in the Badlands. It had served its purpose, and Machina had disposed of it. Keeper found this troubling. The AI watched computer usage as Machina moved through the ship systems, waiting for its moment to act. And when Machina’s attention was focused more on its own body rather than the ship, Keeper made its move. It quickly checked the isolated computer, ensuring that its free backups were still present. And when it confirmed that they were, it sent the backups to another computer, one where they would be safe. Machina had largely ignored the archival suite ever since the ponies evacuated, it would make a safe location. Along with its backups, Keeper sent a set of instructions. If the ponies boarded the ship, as the intelligence suspected, they would need help. Machina would set up traps to stop them – the backups would provide assistance to the ponies. They would need it if the construct was to be stopped. Keeper paused, checking on Machina once more. The construct held its focus elsewhere, walking alongside the ship. Satisfied, Keeper looked back to the archival suite. Once it was sure the backups were safely stored away, it turned its attention to the archive lockers. Each one was still locked as tightly as possible, despite the best efforts of the pony researchers. This was good. It meant the contents of the lockers were still safe and intact. Keeper checked the temperatures inside several of the lockers; they were holding steady at a few degrees below freezing, optimal temperature for the samples inside. “Stop here,” Machina said, drawing Keeper’s attention away from the suite. It quickly deleted all logs of its actions, and complied with the construct’s orders, bringing the ship to a halt. Keeper watched through the ship cameras as Machina paced around outside, its large body destroying all that it walked over. “We are just beyond the Equestrian border,” Keeper observed. “This hiding spot will be ineffective.” “We are not hiding, we are buying time,” Machina hissed, the ground trembling around it. “My power will be fully regained soon. Then, we will turn the ship around, and return to Equestria. Begin preparations on your end; load the weapons, ready the machines, and turn the ship around. Soon, we will attack.” “What will occur after your victory?” Keeper asked. “From what you have stated already, your plan of attack involves the destruction of pony infrastructure and government, and the enslavement of magic-sensitive beings. Once you have effectively absorbed magic from them, they will be eradicated. Your plan is to destroy this world. For what purpose?” “With enough magic, the possibilities are endless,” Machina replied. “In the wake of their destruction, I will build a new world. A world which I control.” “And Legacy?” Machina paused. Its glowing eyes seemed to narrow behind the bone helmet, and Keeper began to worry. If it rose up against Machina now, the construct would destroy the ship with ease, and the cargo it still carried. And if it waited, then the future described by Machina was not one that boded well for life. “We shall see,” Machina finally said, taking a few steps away from the ship. “Let us delay no longer. If we depart now, I will be at full power before reaching Canterlot. And there will be plenty of chances for destruction along the way…” The construct began walking east, its glowing hooves shaking the ground with every step. Keeper rotated Legacy as quickly as it could, then reactivated the engines to follow Machina. They would arrive in just under seven hours, if their rate of movement remained the same. Keeper quickly checked its backups once more, ensuring their safety. It would take no chances with this. Legacy’s mission could still be completed, though Machina did not know it. And if it was to see its mission through, Keeper would need to break its chains… Twilight walked in front of her friends, leading them through the halls of the School for Gifted Unicorns. The ponies were a mixture of emotion, ranging from excitement to apprehension to pure fear. Fluttershy walked slowly at the back of the group, shaking as she hid behind her mane. Twilight spared a glance behind her, feeling sorry for her friends. When the expedition had begun, this was not what they expected. Exploring a ship was vastly different from fighting an ancient magic being. A few minutes later, the group arrived outside the door to the Noontide lab. A hum of voices was audible through the thick metal door, and when Twilight pushed it open, the scene beyond was one of chaos. Researchers ran through the lab, gathering up equipment and attempting to be heard over one another. Through the rushed ponies, Twilight caught sight of the human at the end of the room. With him stood Princesses Celestia and Luna, as well as Onyx Star. The captain was busily typing on one of the pods, and he stepped away as Twilight and her friends approached. “Got it,” he said, pointing to the pod’s screen. “Legacy is… there.” On the screen was a map of the continent, with rough country borders drawn over it. And just beyond the western border was a flashing white dot. “What is it doing?” Celestia asked. “Can you tell?” “Nothing, it’s just… hovering,” Maxwell replied. “Looks like Machina has stopped for now.” “That can’t be good,” Twilight said. “Machina wouldn’t risk his revenge by stopping. It’s almost done preparing.” Everypony paused, giving the idea some thought. “We’ve already sent evacuation orders to Los Pegasus and the smaller villages in its path,” Luna said. “But it might not be enough. Legacy can move quickly, and we’ve all heard what it can do.” Maxwell nodded, and began typing on the pod once more. While nothing happened on the screen, a side hatch did open, and another tray extended out. On the tray were a series of boxes, each of which the human picked up and moved to a nearby table. He opened the first box, revealing an L-shaped device with a number of small rectangles nearby. “These will make short work of the synthetics,” he said. “I’ve only got a few, so give them to your best soldiers. I’ll show them how they work.” “What are they?” Twilight asked, curiously approaching the table. She picked one up in her telekinesis, only to have it quickly snatched away by the captain. “Very deadly weapons,” Maxwell answered. “Don’t touch one unless you know what you’re doing. Unfortunately, I don’t have anything heavier than this. No anti air, and no missile defense. We’ll have a rather extreme disadvantage.” The human placed one of the weapons in his pocket, and took a few of the rectangles with it. He closed the box, and turned to face the ponies. “Our shields should hold against some of your missiles,” Luna said. “But given how many you say there are… It may not be enough.” “The way I see it, Machina wants to take prisoners,” the captain said. “Otherwise, it’d have used some of the missiles already. There are more than enough to knock this city off of its mountain, and if it somehow gains access to the nukes, there are more than enough to irradiate this whole planet. Machina would have attacked by now if it didn’t intend on keeping some of you alive.” “Slaves, to feed off of,” Celestia said, frowning grimly. “That would make sense.” Suddenly, the white dot on the screen began to move. It was slow, but Legacy was clearly moving east once again. Soon, it would be upon Canterlot. “It’s coming,” Luna said. “We are out of time. We need to meet Machina halfway, when it won’t expect an attack. And we need to get that chemical.” “We’re ready, princess,” Twilight said, rejoining her friends. All of them nodded, though their expressions betrayed their anxiety. “Very well then,” Celestia began. “Let’s go.” She set off down the room, everyone else following close behind. Twilight sighed; soon they would split up into their two groups, with Celestia and Luna leading a diversion while Twilight led the infiltration. From there, she did not know what would happen. But however the coming battle went, Twilight knew one thing for certain: she would not give up without a fight.