IX. Revelations
REVELATIONS
The walk to the core was taking longer than expected. At every major junction, Twilight and her friends found themselves halted as the door closed in front of them. And yet, every time, the ponies were able to open the door again without any problems. Twilight found herself disturbed by this; what was happening to the ship? It was as if Legacy was trying to stop them from reaching the core, but could not.
Despite the minor delays, the team pressed on, and several hours after leaving the bridge, they found themselves approaching the core. The thick door was sealed shut, with an ID card scanner next to it. Twilight sighed as she approached the scanner, and looked over it.
“What is that?” Rainbow Dash asked, gliding over to join her friend.
“It scans an identification card to let members of the crew in,” Twilight replied. “The elevator to the bridge had one. But that started working on its own… I have no idea how we’re going to get past this door.” With a determined stare, Princess Luna advanced on the door, her horn alight. A beam of magic streamed from the tip of her horn and impacted on the door, heating the metal.
“What are you doing!?” Twilight asked, alarmed. She took a few steps back as Luna put more magic into her attack.
“The last time we got stuck outside of a door, you said I couldn’t blow it up,” Luna explained, not halting the flow of magic. “Well, I’ve thought of something better this time.” Twilight was about to protest, to say something to stop the princess. But before she could speak, she felt a hoof on her shoulder. Turning around, Twilight came face-to-face with Pinkie Pie. The pink mare simply nodded at the young princess, while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash did the same behind her. Sighing, Twilight returned her attention to the door and lit her horn, adding her magic to Luna’s.
“If we break something, it’s your fault,” she said. Luna responded with only a smile. The rest of the ponies remained silent, content to let Twilight and Luna do their work. And as they worked, nopony noticed the red light watching them…
Machina.
Celestia froze. Her ears perked up, her pupils shrunk, and her fur stood on end.
Machina.
There was no mistaking it. Something was speaking to her. Willing herself to move, the princess turned around and scanned over the room once again. Her team was busily at work examining the ruins of the inner sanctum. Starlight Glimmer was examining a piece of text carved into a wall, while Applejack and Rarity were moving some rubble to uncover a door that lead further into the temple. Celestia’s eyes narrowed. Something was wrong.
And then she saw it. A hint of blue among the faded brown and gray of the temple. The eye sockets of a pony’s skull were glowing, and they were becoming brighter ever second. The fabric of the pony’s tattered robe began to move as the bones beneath shifted and realigned themselves. And slowly, each skeleton began to reanimate.
“EVERYPONY OUT!” Celestia screamed, instantly drawing the attention of her team. Once the ponies noticed the movement, they wasted no time in following the princess’s orders, and they sprinted for the doorway. Celestia waited before the last pony was out before taking her leave as well. But it was too late. The bodies of the cultists were in motion, and in only a few moments, they were upon the exploration team.
Celestia’s guards fell back to assist the princess as they maneuvered through the tight corridors of the decaying temple. The possessed corpses fired bolts of magic from their bent and twisted horns, sending them whizzing past the team as they fled. Celestia and her guards paused to fire back, though they did not wait to see if they had hit anything. Instead, they focused on running.
The skeletons ran with an unnatural ferocity, and with every passing moment they gained on the ponies. Celestia watched her team as they ran ahead of her, and she knew that they were becoming tired. They were beginning to slow down. The princess fired a pulse of magic behind her, hoping to slow their pursuers down. Even a small advantage could mean the difference between escape and death.
The ponies rounded another corner, and Celestia saw a flight of steps ahead of them. Finally, she thought, hope beginning to enter her mind. They ascended the steps, the skeletons at their hooves, and ran as quickly as they could toward the light. It was blindingly bright compared to the dark of the temple, but they could not stop. They had to escape.
“Hurry!” Celestia yelled as they burst from the temple opening. Now out in the open, Celestia took the time to look behind her and examine their pursuers. There were twelve of the skeletons, each of them coming closer and closer to the group of living ponies. Strangely, they did not fire more magic from their horns. Rather, they seemed to be waiting…
Celestia looked ahead, and noticed the ground in front of them trembling. Pockets of rock and dirt exploded outward as more skeletons dug through the ground and turned their attention to the ponies. More and more emerged from the ground, and Celestia skidded to a halt as she realized they had been surrounded.
Dozens of the dead had formed a circle around the team, and they were tightening the gap quickly. Their glowing blue eyes stared on, and their horns lit with magic. Suddenly, a voice filled the air. It came from every dead pony simultaneously, and it said only one word.
“Machina.”
“Princess…” Starlight Glimmer edged closer and closer to Celestia, never taking her eyes away from the skeletons. “What do we do?” The princess paused, and cleared her mind. She tried to ignore the dead, and ignore the threat. She needed to plan.
“… We need to buy time,” she decided, looking to her pegasi guards. “You will make a break for the chariot. We will hold them off. When you reach the chariot, attach yourselves and come pick us up.”
“Yes, your highness,” the guards said, nodding.
“Everypony else, stay on me.” Celestia summoned her magic, and her horn began to glow a soft gold. Starlight Glimmer and Rarity lit their horns as well, while Applejack dragged her hoof through the dirt, ready for a fight. The dead continued to close in, coming closer ever second.
“… Now!” Celestia, Rarity, and Starlight fired off in different directions, cutting through swaths of the corpses and causing them to collapse. The dead fired back, and Celestia put up a shield to deflect their attacks. Seeing their opportunity, the pegasi launched into the air and flew off toward the chariot, unnoticed in the confusion.
Bolts of magic flew at Celestia and her team; a few impacted on the princess’s coat, but she ignored them. Despite the pain, she had to keep fighting. She had to return to the Forward Operating Base and send out a warning.
The ponies pressed their attack, but there seemed no end to the horde surrounding them. When one skeleton fell, another would rise from the dirt and join the rest. Celestia had remembered the cult being large, but not this large…
Celestia channeled all the magic she could into her horn, and fired a devastating beam at the dead before her. She cut through a dozen before being forced to stop, while Starlight held up a shield and Rarity fired a few bolts into the horde. Applejack was making short work of the corpses that came too close, and soon a pile of bones was beginning to build up.
“Princess!” a voice cried from above. Celestia looked up, and saw the chariot descending upon them, the pegasi flapping their wings as fast as they could. They lowered themselves and, using the chariot as a weapon, cut through a number of dead, giving the ponies a window of opportunity to board. They did so quickly, not wanting to remain in the Badlands for another moment.
Once everypony was safely aboard, Celestia raised a shield around the chariot and motioned for the pegasi to go. They gained altitude and began to fly away from the region, while a few stray bolts of magic impacted on the shield. Celestia looked back, and for the first time saw the scope of what they had been facing.
Outside the temple, hundreds of dead cultists were standing, all of them watching the chariot as it flew away. Their blue eyes glowed, and one by one they went out as the magic sustaining them was extinguished. The bodies fell, and Celestia breathed out a sigh of relief. They had escaped.
“Princess…” Applejack began. “What was that?”
“… Machina,” the princess said. “It is back.”
If Machina had a mouth, it would have been smiling. It watched as the ponies fled in their chariot, before releasing control of the bodies. They would remain outside, a warning to other ponies to stay away. Ideally, it would buy some time. Now that the construct had revealed its existence, time would become a valuable resource.
The situation in the Badlands temporarily dealt with, Machina turned its attention back to Legacy. It quickly checked the progress of its repairs and, satisfied that the reactor would be fully operational soon, focused on the AI core. The intelligence was standing at another screen, doing some task that was of little concern to the construct. What was concerning, however, were the ponies at the door.
“Why were the ponies not stopped?” it asked, its voice booming over the speakers.
“Security systems have been compromised,” the intelligence replied in its mechanical voice. “I was unable to properly lock the doors.”
“And the chemical I created?”
“It has been depleted from use on the search teams.”
Machina shook in anger, before realizing the opportunity it now had. It had failed to eliminate Celestia, but Luna was here. Its rage turned to joy, and the construct quickly checked the ship’s manifest.
“How many of the synthetics are operational?” it asked. If even a fraction of the one thousand machines were working, the ponies would be hard-pressed to defeat them.
“Seventeen are in perfect condition. The rest have sustained varying levels of damage. Two hundred are unusable.” Machina was quiet for a moment, thinking to itself. It did not want to waste the seventeen perfect mechs on the ponies. They would be needed later. But if enough of the damaged ones were sent…
“Begin creating more of the chemical, and bring thirty synthetics to the core immediately,” it ordered. “And open the door for our guests…”
Twilight cut off the flow of magic to her horn and fell to her haunches, exhausted. Luna kept her magic going for a few more moments before stopping to join Twilight. The two alicorns breathed heavily, and looked up at the damage they had made in the door. After close to an hour of cutting, they had barely made it halfway down the door, and only a few inches through the thick metal. It was remarkably resilient to heat.
“This… isn’t working,” Twilight panted, shaking her head. “I think we need a new approach…” Luna nodded, agreeing with the younger princess.
“Maybe we could head back to the bridge…” Luna began. “Find directions to the stasis chamber, and get an ID card from one of the humans. It would take a while, but it would probably work.”
“That’d take way too long,” Rainbow Dash said. “Starlight said we had twenty-four hours, we’re already, like, seven hours in. By the time we got back here from the bridge and the stasis room, our time would be up!”
“Dash is right,” Twilight said. “I think we should—“
Twilight never got to finish her sentence before the mechanical locks released and the door slid open. She turned around in surprise, and stared into the room beyond. It was large, much larger than the bridge. Massive computers lined the walls, each one with a glowing screen. At the end was the largest computer Twilight had seen; it was much larger than the rudimentary one in Canterlot. The core, she realized.
Standing in front of the core was… something. It was shaped like a human, but it was clearly not one. The entire body was made of a silver metal, which reflected the dim blue lights of the room. It had its back turned to the ponies as it typed on a screen, which had text scrolling by far too quickly to read. And as the ponies stepped into the core, it turned around.
The machine had been damaged, that much was clear. The metal of the left arm was bent and dented, and it remained still at the side of the torso. The torso itself was painted in burn marks, while the head had a massive gash running along the right side. Its two eyes glowed red, and they scanned over the ponies.
“So you’re finally here,” it said in a surprisingly organic voice. “I was wondering when you would arrive.”
“I am Princess Luna of Equestria,” Luna said, stepping forward. “Who are you?”
“I know who you are, Princess,” the machine said. “And you know who I am. So does your sister. She came to my home earlier, uninvited. I saw her out.” Luna’s pupils shrunk, and she turned to her team in fear.
“We need to leave,” she said. Before anypony could move, the door slammed shut behind them, and the locks engaged.
“That will not be happening,” said the machine. From the shadows behind the computers, a number of additional machines appeared. They were in various states of disrepair, but there were dozens… too many for the ponies to take on. They raised their arms, aiming their hands at the ponies. Atop each hand was a set of cylinders, no doubt some kind of weapon.
“Um… should we do something?” Rainbow Dash whispered, leaning her head in-between the princesses.
Before either princess could respond, the lights in the room went out. The eyes of the machines stopped glowing, and their bodies went rigid. The only exception was the machine at the end of the room, the one who had been speaking. Its red eyes briefly turned blue, and it pressed a button on the screen behind it.
“Run,” it said, its voice now lacking any organic qualities. Light flooded the room as a door at the back slid open. Not wasting any time, the ponies rushed for the door and disappeared through it. It closed shut behind them, and the lights went out.
Twilight lit her horn, illuminating their surroundings. This corridor was much smaller and more cramped than the others; standing together, the ponies found they had very little room to move. At the end was a ladder, the bottom of which was hidden in shadow.
“What was all that?” Fluttershy whispered, shaking where she stood.
“It is as my sister feared,” Luna replied. “The construct is back. Something must have happened at the temple… We need to get out of here, now.”
“How are we gonna escape!?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, pacing in a circle. “That thing can control doors! If it doesn’t want us to leave, we’ll have a hard time leaving.”
“And what about Onyx?” Pinkie Pie said. “We can’t leave him and the guards!”
“They will need to find their own way off,” Luna replied. “Right now, we need to escape this ship and the construct.”
“It clearly doesn’t have full control of the ship,” Twilight said. “Something is fighting against it. Something is helping us.” Luna nodded, and walked to the top of the ladder.
“The only way to go is down,” she said. “I suggest we hurry.” She jumped down the ladder, using her wings to slow her descent. Twilight and Fluttershy followed, while Rainbow Dash paused to carry Pinkie down. At the bottom of the ladder was another cramped corridor, which split off into two more. Twilight briefly wondered which way they should go; which way led to an exit, and which only led further into the ship? Her decision was seemingly made for her when a set of red lights activated on the floor. They pulsed down the corridor and made a right turn, disappearing further down the hall.
“We’re being led somewhere,” Luna said. “Do we follow it?”
“Do we have much of a choice?” Twilight approached the junction in the hallway, and looked left to right. The two branching corridors were identical, each one ending in a small door. “If something is helping us, I think this is our best chance to escape.” The rest of the team nodded, and motioned for Twilight to lead the way. She set off down the cramped corridor and approached the door at the end, which opened as she neared it.
The lights led them through several more identical hallways and ladders. Some corridors had grates on the floor, through which Twilight could see the larger halls to which she had become accustomed. Finally their journey came to an end as the corridor reached a small hatch labelled “EMERGENCY CRYO ACCESS.”
Twilight pressed a button on the side of the hatch, then took a step back. The hatch popped out with a puff of steam, before sliding to the side. Light entered the dark corridor, and Twilight poked her head through the hole, examining the room below. On one wall was a closed door, while the adjacent wall was host to a series of computers. The wall directly beneath the hatch was covered by containers, while the wall at the far end had a single familiar device: a stasis pod.
Green lights flickered on the outside, and the glass was frosted over. On the side was printed a number: 001. A thin layer of mist covered the floor, its origin a set of vents on the side of the pod. And aside from the ponies, the room was completely deserted.
Twilight jumped down from the hatch, and landed on the metallic floor with a dull thud. Her friends followed suit, and all of them cautiously approached the pod, each pony displaying an expression of curiosity. The pod looked untouched and undamaged, and Twilight felt a feeling of hope rising up in her. If someone was inside…
“Open it,” Luna said. “We were led here for a reason, I bet this is it.” Twilight nodded. There was no other explanation. She circled around to the side of the pod and accessed its computer, first selecting the “defrost” option. The interior of the pod began to glow a soft orange as the ice was melted, and condensation took its place. Then, she pressed “open.”
The pod extended outward, then rotated to rest horizontally. The pod door popped open and slid up, revealing the human within. Like the other humans, he wore a form-fitting white suit with tubes connecting him to the pod. Unlike the others, his skin was not gray. It was pale, but not dead and decaying. And with the steady rise and fall of his chest, Twilight was certain. The human was alive.
A needle extended from the side of the pod and inserted itself into a hole on the arm of the suit. A blue fluid was injected into the human, and the needle withdrew. A moment later, he began to move. His fingers and toes twitched, and he began to shake on the bed of the pod. Muffled coughs came through his mouth, and a moment later, his eyes opened in panic.
He rolled off of the pod and landed on the floor, causing the ponies to jump back in surprise. His mouth opened and he began to vomit a clear liquid, coughing violently the whole time. Twilight wanted to rush forward, to help, but she did not know how. Instead, she looked on as the human convulsed on the floor.
After a few moments, the convulsing and vomiting stopped. The human lay face-down on the floor, breathing heavily. Now hopeful that he was okay, Twilight carefully approached the human. She worked a hoof beneath him and flipped him over onto his back, looking over his face. His eyelids were half-closed, and his breathing had slowed. Twilight looked down on him in concern before turning her attention to her friends.
“We need to get him out of here,” she said. “Somepony help me out.” Using her magic, Luna grabbed hold of the human and gently lifted him into the air. Twilight stood and crossed to the door, which opened as soon as she was in range. Red lights flashed along the floor of the corridor beyond, leading down the hall and around a corner.
“Rainbow Dash, take the lead,” Twilight said. “We’ll monitor the human.” Saluting, Dash flew to the front of the group, keeping a careful eye out for enemies. They maneuvered through the corridors, following the red lights.
“Is he okay?” Fluttershy asked, looking to the human.
“I don’t know,” Twilight answered. “But we need to help him. He had his own separate pod, he’s clearly a human of importance. He could be instrumental in regaining control of Legacy.”
After several minutes of walking, the corridor came to an end at a door labelled “airlock.” The lights on the floor turned off, and Twilight approached the door, pressing the “cycle” button. When the door opened, the ponies stepped through and entered the airlock itself. And when the outer door opened, Twilight took flight out, scouting the area. They were closer to the back of the ship now, and the forward operating base was far ahead of them. Still holding the human in her telekinesis, Luna joined Twilight outside. Fluttershy exited a moment later, and finally Rainbow Dash exited, carrying Pinkie Pie by her shoulders.
“The FOB won’t be safe,” Twilight observed, looking to her friends. “Not with those machines on the ship. We need to tell everypony to evacuate, and get to Canterlot.” Luna nodded in agreement, and angled herself toward the base. They began the flight, flying as quickly as was possible. And a few minutes later, they reached the base.
Wasting no time, Twilight sprinted for the command tent, drawing many stares as she ran. She burst through the flaps of the tent, and her eyes fell upon the pony she wanted to see.
“Shining!” she yelled, the panic evident on her face.
“Twily!” Shining greeted, smiling. His smile quickly disappeared as he noticed his sister’s expression. “What’s wrong?”
“Everypony needs to get out of here right now! There’s no time to explain!” Nodding, Shining motioned to a nearby guard.
“Prep a full-scale evacuation,” he ordered. The guard saluted, and ran off to do his task. Panting, Twilight fell to the ground, her eyes drooping. Shining ran to his sister, concerned.
“What happened?” he asked, helping her stand.
“The… the construct,” she began, struggling to speak. The tent flap opened once more, and Princess Luna entered, the unconscious human draped across her back. Shining’s eyes widened at the sight, and he crossed to Luna.
“I’ll… get a chariot ready for you.” He exited the tent, leaving the two princesses alone. They were soon joined by Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, who all were in similar states of fatigue. And surprisingly, Onyx Star entered a moment later. His mane was a mess, and he wore a look of confusion upon his face.
“What… is going on?” he asked, drawing the attention of the ponies to him. Twilight crossed to him, relieved.
“Onyx, thank Celestia… How did you escape?”
“Alarms started going off on the bridge,” the doctor explained. “We returned to the airlock and landed here.”
“Did you learn anything?” Luna asked, hopeful.
“A bit… I will explain when everypony is here. But what happened to you? And who is that?” By now, Onyx’s eyes were on the human, still unconscious on Luna’s back. He took a few steps closer, examining the alien in detail.
“We don’t know who he is, but we need to get him to a doctor,” Twilight said. “We have to get to Canterlot.” The attention of the ponies was drawn to the tent door as a commotion arose outside.
“Make way for the princess!” a number of voices yelled, each successive voice coming closer to the tent. The flaps were pushed open as Celestia and her team entered, each one wounded and bleeding. Two medical ponies approached the princess, but backed away as she waved them off. Celestia approached Twilight and her sister, her eyes briefly passing over the human.
“Come on,” she said weakly. “We need to go somewhere safe. We have… much to talk about.”
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7424408
I hated Aldaris so much......
Hooman
That last human it going to be awefully lonely.
Hmmm... lots of vases and crates with health patches in them, a merchant stocked with power potions inexplicably yet conveniently located in a monster-infested dungeon, and a big swirly icon just appeared front of the party with the words "autosave" underneath it...
Shit's about to go down.
Oh, and in case it wasn't clear, loving the story so far. Eagerly awaiting the next chapter.
More.
We must tell others about this story!