XIII. Doomsday
DOOMSDAY
The battle was not going well. Luna looked around, counting the remaining ponies. They were now at less than half their original number, and they were falling quickly. The survivors were being pushed back, slowly but steadily, as Legacy continued to push forward. Machina continued its march next to the ship, its magic attacks tearing through anypony who got too close.
As the battle progressed further, the surviving ponies began to converge on a single point. At the base of a low cliff, the ponies gathered, raising shields and dodging the attacks of the approaching machines. The machines continued on, cornering the ponies. They would not last long.
Luna swooped down to provide assistance, charging a powerful blast of magic in her horn. She fired when she was in range, her attack cutting through a number of the machines and creating a gap in their front lines. Her attack was supplemented with another from Celestia, who fired a series of beams into the crowd of machines. They exploded on impact, sending dirt and machine parts flying into the air. Their attacks concluded and the advance temporarily halted, the two princesses joined their ponies at the base of the cliff.
“Highnesses, we cannot hold out,” a soldier said, panting heavily. His golden armor and white coat were caked with dirt and blood, and Luna saw the defeat in his eyes. It was the look of one who had completely given up, who had lost the will to go on. She looked over the crowd of ponies, and saw this look in many more soldiers as well. They looked to their princesses, waiting for the order of retreat.
“We will remain here for as long as it takes,” Celestia ordered, her expression stern. “If Twilight and her team fail to recover that chemical, none of this will matter anyway. So we will do all that we can to make sure that Machina is distracted, and ensure their success. Is that understood?”
Nopony responded. They simply stared on, wings and weapons drooping. Celestia frowned, and raised her voice.
“Is that understood?”
“Yes, your highness,” the soldiers finally responded. They raised their weapons, and stood up straight.
“While our enemies regroup, rest yourselves,” Luna said. “Mages, prepare shields for the front line. Everypony else, find a defensive position around here and prepare to hold out.” The soldiers saluted, then dispersed to perform their tasks. Soon Celestia and Luna found themselves alone at the base of the cliff, both of them sharing in their fatigue.
“… We have already lost many,” Celestia sighed. “And we are about to lose even more.”
“The ones who die here will not be the last,” Luna said. “No matter what, we won’t stop Machina before it gets to the nearest settlement. More will die – hundreds, possibly thousands. That is the unfortunate truth that we face. But we cannot give up here, for if we do, then more than just the population of the west will die.”
“It is difficult to think of lives as numbers.” Celestia shook her head, frowning. “But you’re right. We can only hope that our ponies are evacuating quickly enough.”
“Highnesses!” A soldier sprinted to the princesses, an urgent look on his face. “The machines have regrouped, they are approaching!” Celestia nodded, and looked out upon the rest of the soldiers.
“Everypony, get into positions!” she ordered. “This will be our last stand! Let us make it count!” The soldiers saluted, and formed up ranks. Mages got in the front and activated their shields, while ponies wielding spears took up positions beside them. Combat mages stood in the middle of the group, their horns alight, and archer ponies prepared themselves in the rear. The two princesses joined the combat mages in the middle, and began channeling their magic. And as the machines approached, Luna spared a glance upward at Legacy.
Hurry, Twilight.
Twilight hurried alongside Maxwell through Legacy’s corridors, their destination close. The human had increased speed as he began to recognize their surroundings, and in only a few minutes the team came upon a door at the end of a hallway. It was locked, but Maxwell easily bypassed it by entering a code into a panel on the wall. The door slid open, revealing a dark room beyond. The lights activated as the team entered, and Twilight looked around at what she assumed was the chemistry lab.
It was not particularly large, and Twilight was upset to find that she did not recognize most of the equipment in the room. There were a number of computers, and she could recognize the various glassware, but most of the machinery was entirely foreign. On the side of the room was a thick metal door, marked with a number of biohazard warnings.
“I’m going to seal the door behind us, to slow down any pursuit,” Maxwell said. “The chem storage door is over there. Twilight, can you unlock it?” Nodding, Twilight jogged to the door. She paused as she looked over it, then turned to face the human, who had ripped a control panel off of a wall and was fiddling with its internal components.
“How do I unlock it?” she asked. Without looking away from the panel, Maxwell replied.
“Look down, there’s a keypad. The code is two-four-six-oh-one.” Twilight returned her attention to the door, and did as instructed. She entered the code, and the sound of locks disengaging filled the air. The door slid apart, moving slowly on its aging gears. A white light filtered in from the room beyond, and Twilight curiously stepped inside.
The main door to the chemistry lab slid shut, and Maxwell ripped a few wires out of the control panel, smiling satisfactorily. He joined Twilight in the storage room, looking around. While most walls were bare, one was entirely glass, and through it could be seen every chemical stored on the ship. They were stored in cylindrical containers, each one with a label showing what was contained within. Set into the glass wall was a computer, and next to it was a small sliding door, just large enough to fit one of the containers. Maxwell approached the computer and turned it on, then began looking over the available functions.
“Alright, give me a few minutes,” he said, beginning to type on the computer. He was interrupted as a bang resonated throughout the room, its source the main door. All eyes turned to the closed door, and Twilight trotted out of the storage room, concerned.
“We might not have a few minutes,” she said. “It sounds like Machina caught on to us.”
“Buy me time,” was all Maxwell said before he returned to work. Gulping nervously, Twilight and her friends took up positions around the lab, taking cover behind tables and pieces of equipment.
“Whatever comes through that door, don’t let it get into storage,” Twilight said, lighting her horn. Starlight and Rarity did the same, while Applejack and Rainbow Dash stacked up on either side of the door, waiting for something to enter.
Several more bangs accompanied the first, and soon a dent became visible in the door. It was pushed further inward with every bang, and it was not long before the ponies could also hear a groaning of metal as the door’s motors were damaged. The entire door shook with each successive hit, until finally the machines broke through.
The door flew off its motors and impacted on the opposite wall, where it clattered to the ground. Gunfire immediately filled the room as the machines opened fire, the projectiles embedding themselves in the walls and machinery. Starlight raised a shield while Twilight and Rarity took turns firing bolts of magic into the attackers, hoping to hit something.
When the first machine entered, it was quickly dismantled by the powerful punches of Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Their attack attracted the attention of the other machines, however, and the two ponies were forced to flee as projectiles were sent their way. Twilight charged up a bolt and fired it right at the next machine to enter; the bolt went straight through its chest, and the machine fell, its power supply destroyed.
But no matter how many machines they destroyed, more seemed to keep coming. Their blue eyes shined through the smoke that was beginning to build up as a result of the firearms and magic, glowing threateningly in the dark. Projectiles whizzed past Twilight and her friends, some of them coming too close for comfort.
“Captain!” Twilight yelled over the din, turning to look at the storage room. “Hurry up!”
“I’ve found it, I just have to wait for the canisters to get here!” the human shouted back. Twilight groaned and fired several more bolts, then began working her way to the storage room. She raised a shield to protect her from the torrent of bullets, only lowering it once she was safely in cover behind the door frame. She turned to look at Maxwell, who was pulling the first of the containers out of the door in the glass wall.
“Hopefully this is enough,” he said. He pulled two more canisters out before the small door slid closed, and the computer shut down. “Alright, time to get out of here.” Nodding, Twilight turned her attention back to the chemistry lab, and to her friends.
“Everypony, get in here!” she yelled, waving them over. Rarity was the first to make it, and she was quickly followed by Applejack. Pinkie Pie and Starlight Glimmer came in next, protected by a force field being projected by the alicorn. Only Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash remained outside, pinned down in the opposite corner. The machines who came close were quickly dealt with, but those at range were proving themselves to be challenges. Their unending torrent of projectiles was keeping the two ponies pinned, unable to exit their cover.
“Some help would be nice!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, looking toward Twilight with pleading eyes. Twilight nodded, and lit her horn. She formed a shield around the two pegasi, who quickly stood up and began the walk across the room. Despite the shield, the bullets continued firing, and Twilight felt their effect growing. Each impact weakened both her and the shield, and soon cracks started forming in its surface. Just before Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy reached the room, the shield fell.
Fluttershy was the first to be hit. There was a spray of blood, followed by a scream, and the timid pegasus fell, her eyes immediately closing. Rainbow Dash paused in shock, watching as her friend fell. This made her an easy target for two more projectiles, each of which entered faster than anypony could react. Bullets continued flying overhead, riddling the wall with holes.
Before anypony else could react, Starlight Glimmer lit her own horn and encompassed the fallen ponies in her telekinesis. She pulled them inside, each one leaving behind a trail of blood on the metal floor. Maxwell hit the door control, and the door slammed shut, locking the ponies inside the cramped room.
“Fluttershy, Rainbow!” Twilight cried, kneeling down beside her fallen friends. She quickly examined their chests, looking for signs of life. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw their chests continued to rise and fall, but their breathing was erratic. And the blood continued to flow from their wounds, spreading onto the floor.
“We have to get them out of here,” Maxwell said. “We have to get us out of here. Now come on, we have a job to do.” He lifted the three canisters, and Twilight nodded as she stood up. She lit her horn and enveloped the group in her magic, then teleported them away with a bright flash.
When they reappeared, they were back in the ravine. Legacy was no longer overhead; rather, it was flying a few miles further east. Twilight could see the ship’s weapons firing, and occasionally she caught sight of a bolt of magic flying through the air. Celestia and Luna were still successfully leading their diversion.
“Starlight, fire the signal,” Twilight sighed, falling to the ground in fatigue. Starlight nodded and lit her horn, then fired a magic flare. It exploded a few hundred meters into the air, bursting with several different colors. Hopefully the princesses would see, and they would begin their retreat.
“They’re not doin’ too well,” Applejack said, standing over the forms of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. “Look how pale they’ve gotten.” Twilight forced herself to stand, and she turned around to examine the state of her wounded friends. Applejack was right; they had grown far paler, and when Twilight placed her hoof on their foreheads, she could feel that they were burning up. If they did not receive help, they would not make it.
“The bullets are still inside, which will stop most of the bleeding,” Maxwell said, removing his jacket. He ripped the sleeves into strips of cloth, then wrapped them around the two ponies. Fluttershy’s wound was easy to cover; the bullet had entered the side of her chest, allowing the captain to wrap the cloth around her neck and beneath her leg.
Rainbow Dash was far more difficult. The first bullet had hit her wing, which was easy enough to wrap, but it had continued through and lodged itself in her stomach, which was bleeding profusely. The second bullet had hit nearby, nearer to her cutie mark. Maxwell ripped some longer strips of fabric from his jacket and did his best to wrap them around Rainbow Dash, but they were not holding very well. Blood continued to drain from the wounds, and she became paler with every passing minute.
“Twilight…” Starlight said, approaching her mentor. “Do you have the energy to get us back to Canterlot?” Twilight shook her head grimly, frowning. Putting the shield over Dash and Fluttershy, followed by teleporting to the ravine, had drained her energy far too much. She could still teleport, but not nearly far enough to reach Canterlot. Starlight nodded, and turned to Rarity.
“Rarity, if you and I pool our magic with Twilight, we should be able to teleport,” she said. “I know we’re both tired as well, but with the three of us, hopefully it will be enough.”
“It is our only chance,” Rarity said. “Let’s do it.” Her horn began to glow, and slowy, a tendril of magic snaked its way toward Twilight’s horn. Starlight did the same, and when Twilight lit her own horn, it glowed a duller purple than usual.
Twilight closed her eyes in concentration, focusing on Canterlot. She accepted the additional energy from her friends, and with a bright flash, teleported them once more. They reappeared in the courtyard, their arrival barely noticeable over the activity in the area. Soldiers ran around the courtyard, distributing weapons and handing out helmets. Bells were ringing from somewhere, and the entire area was covered in the din of elevated voices. Lightheaded, Twilight looked around, wondering what was going on.
“Twilight!” a voice called out. Twilight turned to face the source of the voice, and found Princess Celestia approaching her. Her coat was covered in dirt, and she had earned several new wounds from the diversion. Blood from cuts stained her coat, and Twilight could see a few areas where bullets had grazed the elder princess.
“Celestia… what happened?” Twilight asked, shouting to be heard.
“Come inside!” Celestia said, motioning toward the door. “We can talk there!” The princess began moving for the door, but stopped when Twilight did not follow.
“Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy,” Twilight said, pointing to her fallen friends. “They need help.” Celestia frowned when she saw the conditions of the two ponies, and turned to the nearest guard. She exchanged a few words which Twilight could not hear, and the guard nodded, running into the castle. A moment later he reemerged with a pair of medics, who approached Fluttershy and Rainbow. They teleported away, leaving only the ponies’ bloodstains behind.
“Now come,” Celestia said. “We have little time.”
The interior of the castle was much quieter than the courtyard, but the air of tension persisted throughout. Each pony Twilight passed wore an expression of fear, though some were masking it better than others. For Twilight, all she could think about was Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. The image of their pale bodies, blood dripping from their wounds, was burned into her mind. If she had held the shield just a little longer, if she had only had the strength…
“Hey.” Twilight felt a hoof on her shoulder, and she turned to see Starlight Glimmer smiling at her. “They’ll be fine, I know it. But right now they need us to focus.” Twilight nodded, and tried to push the thoughts from her mind. She tried to focus on the mission at hoof; the chemical had been recovered, now they just had to use it on Machina.
The group stopped upon reaching a meeting room, the door to which Celestia opened. Luna and Onyx Star were already waiting inside, looking over a map on the table. Canterlot was highlighted, and a red line had been drawn out to the west.
“Scouts are already sending in reports, sister,” Luna said. “We are running out of time.”
“Then let’s figure out the next part as quickly as possible.” Celestia looked to Maxwell, who was still holding the canisters. “Is that all of it?”
“Yes,” he replied, setting the canisters on the table. “This is all that was in storage. Hopefully it’s enough.”
“It didn’t take a lot for Machina to knock us out,” Luna said, examining the containers with a frown. “… Where are Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash?”
“They were hit,” Twilight replied, trying to keep the emotion from entering her voice. “The doctors took them. What happened with you two?” Before answering, Celestia motioned for everypony to take a seat.
“After you fired off the clear signal, the machines stopped attacking,” she finally said. “Machina disappeared, and Legacy sped up. It must know what you have done, and it is trying to attack before we can use the chemical.”
“How fast is it going?” Maxwell asked, leaning forward in his chair.
“We did not get an accurate measurement, but it will reach Canterlot in just under two hours,” Luna replied. “Previously, the estimate was closer to five or six.” Maxwell shook his head, frowning.
“Machina is stressing the ship way too much,” he said. “In-atmo flight is already risky for a ship of that size. The original plan was for it to only stay for a few days; long enough for everyone to wake up, get supplies to the surface, and set up a base camp. But it’s been here, what, over a week now? And it’s been moving around. If Machina keeps it up, those engines won’t be able to get Legacy anywhere near the sun.”
“Let’s save that information for later, and assume that they will work,” Celestia said. “We have the chemical. How do we use it on Machina?”
“I believe the safest way would be to make a remote-detonated explosive,” Onyx Star said, pulling one of the containers toward him. “We could teleport the canisters nearby, detonate them, and release the chemical over Machina.”
“I can help with that,” Maxwell said. “Some of the parts from the pods should work. We just need the time to do it.”
“How long?” Luna asked.
“If I get the right parts, an hour and a half, tops.”
“Work as quickly as you can,” Celestia said. “Get to work immediately.” The human nodded, and gathered up the three containers. He left the room with Onyx Star, headed for the Noontide lab.
“Twilight, we will need you to lead the team boarding the ship again,” Luna said. “Get Maxwell safely to the bridge, and program a flight path.”
“What about Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow. “I’m down two ponies. That puts us at an even greater disadvantage.”
“We can manage without ‘em,” Applejack said, trying to mask her concern for her friends. “If that chemical works, Machina won’t be able to do much to stop us.”
“Actually, we have other plans for the rest of you,” Celestia began. “Applejack is right about Machina; if the chemical works, you will be far safer venturing onto Legacy. Therefore, Twilight, you and Maxwell will go alone. The rest of your friends will assist us with the defense of Canterlot. We need all the help we can get.”
“Just the two of us on Legacy…” Twilight repeated. “Are you certain that is a good idea? If I get hurt and cannot teleport, we’ll have no chance at escaping. In fact, something similar happened earlier. I was too exhausted to get us back to Canterlot, if Starlight and Rarity hadn’t been there—“
“I’ll go with you,” Starlight Glimmer decided. “I can help, and be used as a fallback, if necessary.”
“Very well,” Celestia said. “Now, go rest. We will summon you when it is time to initiate the next phase of our plan.”
The ponies stood, and walked single-file out of the meeting room. Twilight was at the front of the line, and she dragged her hooves as she exited, feeling nothing but fatigue. She suppressed a yawn but only made it a few steps down the corridor before collapsing. She felt hooves around her, but shook them off.
“I’m fine,” she said, struggling to stand again.
“Are you certain?” Rarity asked, taking a step away from Twilight. “I think some rest would do you good.”
“No, I’m fine,” Twilight insisted. “There will be plenty of time to sleep when Machina is dealt with. But right now… right now I want to go check on our friends.” Before anypony else could protest, Twilight set off down the hall, her destination the Royal Hospital…
Machina marched alongside Legacy, its mind racing with possibilities. The ponies had stolen its chemical; they had risked their lives, suffered two casualties, all to take a few canisters of the gas. For what purpose? Machina had an idea of what they were planning, and if it was right, then it had no time to spare. It had to attack.
Canterlot was finally visible, though it was nothing more than an outline on the horizon. But it was approaching quickly. Legacy’s engines were being strained, but they would last. With the ship, Machina would visit every town and city in Equestria. And when the land of the ponies laid bare, it would move on to the other countries and continents. No magic would go unabsorbed.
Machina found itself amused by its impending victory. It rumbled loudly, practically able to taste the magic it would soon possess. But despite the odds being in its favor, it could not help but worry. The ponies were daring; they had boarded Legacy once, they could do it again. As a precaution, the construct established a number of barriers over the ship computers. If the ponies tried accessing them, they would be locked out. And even if they managed to bypass the barriers, they would not be able to do so without alerting Machina first.
“Estimated time to arrival: one hour, forty-nine minutes,” Keeper said, its voice quieter than usual. Machina could not help but feel pity for the machine; no matter what it said, the construct was responsible for the death of the crew. Machina had effectively ruined the original mission. It could understand why Keeper would be agitated.
But Keeper was a computer, a being of logic. It should therefore see the logic in Machina’s plans, and not try to sabotage anything. Machina’s crippling of the AI was a necessary action.
“What is the status of our ammunition?” Machina asked.
“Ammunition reserves were twenty-three percent depleted in the previous engagement,” Keeper reported. “By my estimate, Legacy has enough for the approaching battle.”
“Continue breaking down supplies, manufacture more,” Machina ordered. It would not take any chances; while it possessed the ability to personally eliminate every pony in Equestria, to do so would be an incredibly taxing affair. Having Legacy handle the “heavy lifting” was far more efficient.
Machina looked ahead, focusing on the city of Canterlot. It appeared so serene from here, cast in an orange glow as the sun approached the horizon. The marble buildings and gold-capped towers glowed, and even from this distance, Machina could see the movement of pegasi and chariots in the sky. Normally this would be regular traffic around the city, but today, Machina assumed that it was witnessing battle preparations.
The construct found itself amused once again. But it had its own preparations to make… More ammunition had to be made, and the synthetics needed to be repaired. And when the tasks were complete, Machina would be unstoppable…
Fluttershy’s face was contorted into a pained expression. Her coat was still pale, and beads of sweat dripped down her forehead. Her wound had become infected, Twilight was told, but the doctors were working on it. They would not let her die.
Rainbow Dash was still in surgery, having taken an additional hit. But, from what the doctors said, she was staying strong. They were anticipating a speedy recovery. Twilight hoped they were correct.
As Twilight looked down over Fluttershy’s unconscious form, she could not help but feel utterly powerless. Here lay one of her closest friends, in pain and unconscious, because of Twilight’s weakness. Twilight scowled. I could have done more. I should have done more.
Finally, Twilight forced herself to turn away. She was doing herself no favors by lingering on this. The doctors in Canterlot were the best, and no ponies would die while in their care. Fluttershy would be fine, and Rainbow Dash would be up and flying again in no time. Soon, everything would be back to normal. Everything would be peaceful.
The rest of Twilight’s friends were standing throughout the room, in various states of distress. Starlight, Rarity, and Applejack were grouped together, speaking in hushed whispers. Pinkie Pie was by herself in the corner, her eyes wide and her mane completely straight. She was clearly trying to mask her despair, but anypony with eyes would be able to see through it. Forcing a warm smile, Twilight trotted up to her pink friend.
“How are you doing, Pinkie?” she asked.
“Oh, you know,” Pinkie said, the usual mirth in her voice replaced by a very forced happiness. “The usual. How about you?” Twilight’s smile disappeared, and she put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder.
“They’re going to be alright,” she said. “I know it. But we need to stay strong for them. If we aren’t focused, and Machina wins, then nothing else matters. I… know that sounds dark, but we’re fighting for the future of our species here, Pinkie. Machina wants to take our future from us. It’s our job to make sure it doesn’t succeed. To make sure that there is a tomorrow for our friends to wake up in.” Pinkie’s mane regained some of its poofiness, and she grinned a genuine, if small, smile.
“Yeah,” she said, less forced this time. Twilight smiled, and leaned in to Pinkie’s ear.
“And if we win this, well… it’ll call for a pretty big party, don’t you think?” Pinkie’s smile only widened, and her mane expanded like a balloon, becoming as poofy as ever.
“Let’s do this!” she exclaimed eagerly, drawing the attention of the ponies in the opposite corner. Starlight, Applejack, and Rarity wandered over, confused.
“What’s goin’ on?” Applejack asked, an eyebrow raised.
“Nothing,” Twilight replied, smiling. “Just ‘Motivational Speeches with Twilight.’ How are all of you doing?”
“We’re managing, dear,” Rarity answered. “Though all of us are eager to proceed with the next mission. Every second Machina remains intact, it becomes that much stronger.”
“And I can’t wait to kick more metal flank,” Applejack said, smirking. “You be careful on Legacy now, ya hear?”
“Don’t worry, AJ,” Starlight said, stepping up next to Twilight. “I’ll keep her safe. Somepony has to.” The group shared a laugh, their first in recent memory. With the stresses of the past few days, Twilight could not remember the last time any of them had shared a joke, or simply enjoyed one another’s company. It was a shame that they had to do this under such circumstances.
The door to the room opened, and Princess Luna stepped inside. She looked upon the smiling ponies, who all grew far more serious as the princess of the night entered. Her wings sagged, and her starry mane flowed slowly. Twilight trotted to the princess, an expression of curiosity on her face.
“I’m sorry, I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Luna said quietly. “Legacy will be here soon, and Captain Maxwell and Onyx Star have just finished the remote detonator for the chemical.”
“Then it’s time?” Twilight asked, receiving a nod.
“Take a few minutes to get ready. Then meet me and Celestia in the courtyard.” Without another word, Luna turned and exited the room. The remaining ponies stood in silence for a moment, each one with their thoughts.
This is it, Twilight thought. The point of no return. She took a deep breath, and cleared her mind. What happened in the next few hours would decide the fate of the world. Failure meant extermination. There was only one way Twilight would let this end, and that was with the death of Machina.
“… Alright,” she said, releasing her breath. “Let’s go.”
When Twilight entered the castle courtyard, the first thing she saw was Captain Maxwell holding the three gas canisters. Each one had been modified slightly, with a small blinking device taped to the side. He set the canisters down on the ground with great care, making sure none of them would tip over. When he was satisfied, he stood back up and turned his attention to Twilight.
“I hear we’re going on another mission together,” he said. Twilight frowned, nodding. The human did not sound particularly eager. “Alright… Let’s hope we’re successful, then.”
“As long as the chemical does its job, I think we will be,” Twilight said. She turned to Celestia, who was standing nearby. “What’s the status of Legacy?”
“It is still fifteen kilometers out, but… with the size of the ship, it will be here soon,” the princess replied. “Some of the small villages surrounding Canterlot are being overrun and destroyed.”
“What about the evacuation?” Starlight asked.
Celestia frowned, her expression becoming sorrowful. “Not everypony listened.”
“How close does Machina need to be for you to teleport the chemical?” Maxwell asked, picking one of the canisters up.
“It only needs to be visible,” Luna said. “With objects as small as the canisters, we can teleport them more than far enough. Of course, we should wait for it to get a bit closer. That way you, Twilight, and Starlight will be able to teleport aboard more easily.”
“As soon as Machina is incapacitated, you will depart,” Celestia said to Twilight. She then turned to the rest of the ponies and summoned a piece of parchment, upon which was drawn a side-view of Legacy. “While Twilight, Starlight, and the captain are working on programming the flight path to the sun, we will get Machina onboard. The largest hangar is here.” She pointed to a section near the bottom of the ship, where a rectangular door had been drawn.
“The machines will likely remain active and hostile, even with Machina unconscious,” Luna began. “We will need to hold them off, and prevent them from dealing any more damage. Once Legacy is gone, any machines remaining should shut down. Is that correct, Captain?”
“It is,” Maxwell nodded. “They’re all controlled through one of Keeper’s subroutines. When the ship is destroyed, they won’t be able to function at all.”
“Very good,” Celestia said. “Does anypony have any questions?” She looked around for a moment, but nopony spoke. Everybody stood in a solemn silence, waiting for Celestia to give the order to proceed.
Before she could, a horn began to blow. It was joined by several more, until the entire city was filled with the sound of the horns. Celestia’s expression grew grave, and she frowned.
“Alright,” she said as soon as the horns faded away. “Legacy is approaching. It is time. Twilight, Starlight, Captain, make your preparations. Everypony else, with me.” Celestia picked up the chemical canisters in her telekinesis and began walking away, followed by Luna and the rest of Twilight’s friends. Soldiers continued running throughout the courtyard, preparing for battle.
“Let’s get out of the city, closer to Legacy,” Twilight suggested, moving for the main gates. “The shorter the teleport distance, the better.” Her team followed behind her, and Twilight took a deep breath as she stepped out of the gates…
From Princess Celestia’s position on one of her castle battlements, very little was hidden from view. The rolling hills were an endless blanket of green, and in the distance were numerous other forests and mountains. It was not the serene environment Celestia was viewing, however. Instead, her attention was focused on the massive starship closing the distance on Canterlot.
By now, Legacy was close enough for the princess to make out details. She was able to see some of the battle damage the ship had sustained in the prior engagement, but for the most part she saw its weapons, all of them aimed at the city. The large barrels pointed ahead, their very size dwarfing everything in the pony arsenal. When the ship opened fire, Celestia knew that Canterlot would not hold out for long.
But ideally they would not have to wait long. Machina would be incapacitated, Legacy would fly into the sun, and it would all be over. But so far, nothing the ponies had done had gone perfectly according to plan. Celestia had no reason to believe that this mission would be a walk in the park.
The princess frowned as she examined Legacy’s armament. The ship was getting closer by the second, but Machina had yet to show itself. It would have to eventually, of course, but Celestia found herself beginning to worry. If Machina waited until late in the battle to appear, their plans would fall apart. Celestia shook her head, envisioning what would happen if they failed.
“Is… somethin’ wrong, your highness?” Applejack asked, concerned. Celestia quickly forced a smile, and looked to her subject.
“Do not worry about it,” she answered. “We must remain focused. Machina should appear at any moment…”
And finally, after several more moments of waiting, Machina did appear. Its appearance was joined by a number of explosions, and Celestia felt her smile fall away as she watched several missiles streak toward the city. They flew overhead and, strangely, detonated in mid-air. But from the explosions, Celestia saw something else. Shapes were dropping from the sky, trailing smoke and flame. And as they got closer, the princess recognized them as the machines she had fought earlier in the day.
“They are attacking the city from the inside,” Luna realized, her eyes widening. “Sister, we must act quickly!” Celestia nodded, and gripped the canisters in her telekinesis. She turned to Machina, who was moving alongside the ship. Its horn began to glow even brighter than usual, and it fired off a beam of hot white energy. It sliced through a nearby tower, which crumbled to the ground and kicked up a cloud of dirt and dust. Not willing to wait a moment longer, Celestia focused on Machina’s location, and sent the canisters away with a flash of light.
Squinting her eyes, Celestia was barely able to see an identical flash appear over Machina. The princess turned to Luna, who held a device Maxwell had called a “detonator” in her own magic. Luna pressed down on the button, and the ponies looked to Machina, waiting for results.
A minute passed. All Celestia could hear was explosions and gunfire and screaming. She was aware of the battle raging around her, yet she could focus only on Machina. Her eyes narrowed; according to Luna, it had taken a few seconds for the gas to take effect on her and Twilight. Considering the size of Machina, and how powerful it was, Celestia was hoping the chemical was merely taking longer to take effect, rather than not working at all.
A deafening explosion shook the balcony, and Celestia felt small particles of debris falling down onto her head. She looked up, and saw a tower above her collapsing, falling onto another part of the castle. It broke through the marble ceiling with a loud boom, and was accompanied by even more screams. The ponies were losing this battle, that much was clear. Their only chance rested with the chemical.
And finally, it began to take effect. Machina’s movements slowed; they became more sluggish, and the shining white body seemed to dim. It struggled to take even a single step, and with a great groan that filled the air, the construct collapsed into the dirt. Celestia felt a glimmer of hope rising up within her, and she spread her wings.
“Perfect,” she said, her resolve strengthened. “Luna, assist me with getting Machina onboard. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, join the defense of the city. Keep it safe, and do not let any of the machines breach the castle vaults. If they find the civilians, this battle will become far bloodier. Now go; this is our only shot, we mustn’t throw it away.”
The Elements nodded, sprinting out of the balcony and into the fray of battle. Celestia watched them go, worry once again rising up within her. The princess did not like putting her subjects in harm’s way, but in this case, she was being left little choice. And in a battle such as this, their expertise would be needed.
“Come, sister,” Luna said, flaring her wings. She lifted into the air with a powerful flap, and flew over the edge of the balcony. “We do not know how long Machina will be incapacitated. Let’s not lose any time.” Luna shot away with another flap, and Celestia wasted no time in following her.
In only a few moments they were upon Legacy, and Celestia turned her head to examine the ship as she passed. By now, Twilight would be aboard, working on programming the route. And as Celestia approached Machina’s fallen form, she kept her gaze on the ship. All things considered, incapacitating Machina had been almost… easy. She hoped the same could be said for Twilight…
When Twilight, Starlight, and Captain Maxwell appeared on the bridge of Legacy, Starlight barely had a second to put up a shield before the three became targets for the machines. Four of the robotic soldiers were stationed around the room, all of them firing their wrist-mounted weapons at the infiltrators. They splashed harmlessly against the shield, though Twilight could see Starlight beginning to weaken. Acting quickly, Twilight fired a number of bolts from her own horn, each one exploding on the chest of a machine.
Starlight lowered her shield, panting heavily. She slowly dragged herself to the nearest machine and examined the damage, watching as it sparked and twitched on the floor. A small puddle of oil leaked from the breach in the chest, and lights inside flickered off as the machine truly died.
“Way to act quickly, Starlight,” Twilight commended, smiling. Maxwell walked past the alicorn, approaching another one of the dead machines.
“What a waste,” he sighed, shaking his head.
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked. She had wondered about the nature of the machines since seeing them for the first time in the core, but had neglected to ask about them with all that was occurring. Now she saw an opportunity to learn.
“These were meant to help us, not hurt us,” Maxwell replied, clearly agitated. “None of them are fully sentient, like Keeper, but… they weren’t supposed to be used like this.”
“Then why give them weapons?” Starlight inquired, raising an eyebrow. “Seems counter-intuitive to give them weapons if they’re supposed to help.”
“Not all of them had weapons.” Maxwell lifted the arm of the machine, examining its firearm. “The few that did were for security only, and to handle any personnel who became… unruly. But Legacy is equipped with a full foundry. Machina must have built more.”
The three looked away as a large explosion sounded, its source Canterlot. Twilight watched as a large fireball enveloped two towers, leaving nothing but dust in its wake. She felt rage rising within her to see her childhood home destroyed like this. A thousand years of history, and Machina was laying it to waste. She frowned, and stepped away from the machine.
“We’re getting off-task,” she said. “Captain, let’s get that flight path programmed so we can get out of here.” Maxwell nodded as he stood up, grunting in pain. He placed a hand on his back as he walked to a nearby computer and sat down in its padded chair. He brought his fingers to the keyboard and began typing, the images on the screen moving at a blur.
“Once the route is programmed, all we need to do is wait for the signal from Celestia and Luna that Machina is aboard,” Twilight said, reminding herself of the plan. If all went smoothly, then in only a few minutes she would see the flare rise up above Canterlot. Legacy would leave Equus with Machina, and they would be safe…
“Uh-oh…” Twilight turned her attention to Maxwell, whose hands were no longer on the computer keyboard. He was staring at the screen, which was presenting a single imagine, inside of which was a flashing red text: UNAUTHORIZED.
“What’s that?” Starlight asked, approaching the computer. She looked over the rest of the screen, but found nothing. The only text was the error message in the center.
“I… don’t have authorization to access the flight controls,” Maxwell said. He tried pressing a button on the keyboard, but was met with no results. “Or anything, it would seem.”
“But… you’re the captain,” Twilight said, her eyes widening. “How can you not have access to the flight controls!?”
“I don’t know!” The captain stood up and moved to a different computer. But when he turned on the screen, he was met with the same image. He frowned, putting a hand to his forehead.
“Could Machina be interfering?” Starlight asked. She frowned as well, an eyebrow raised.
“I don’t know, probably. But I’m entirely locked out right now. Every computer on the bridge is frozen, and my overrides aren’t working. I can do literally nothing from here.”
“Okay, options…” Twilight began to think, putting all of the knowledge she had on the ship to use to figure out a solution. “Is there somewhere else on the ship where we could program a flight path?”
“There’s the secondary control center, and the AI core,” Maxwell replied. “I wouldn’t recommend getting anywhere near the core right now, and if Machina is really as big a threat as it appears to be, it’ll have locked down the secondary control center as well. Our only option is to bypass whatever block has been established. And I can’t very well do that when every computer in here is frozen!”
As if on cue, every screen in the room shut off. They were accompanied by the lights, and soon the entire room was cast in darkness. Twilight strained her eyes to see in the dark, while simultaneously looking around for the cause of the outage. She searched for the familiar blue eyes of the machines, wondering if they were under attack once again.
Before anything else could happen, one of the screens activated. It cast its harsh light across the otherwise dark room, drawing back the shadows and forcing Twilight to raise a hoof over her eyes. A few more dim lights flickered on, equalizing the lighting in the room and allowing Twilight to lower her arm. And as she finally gained sight of the newly activated screen, Twilight finally found the cause of the disturbance.
“Captain Maxwell,” the image of the machine said, its head turned to face the human. Its head was different from that of the machines which now lay dead around Twilight, and she soon recognized it as belonging to the unique machine they had found in the AI core. However, this particular image lacked any of the damage that had covered the body. And as Twilight stared longer, she realized the image almost had a fake quality to it.
“Keeper,” Maxwell said, taking a few steps toward the screen. He clasped his hands behind his back, assuming the stature of a captain.
“That’s the machine that was controlled by Machina…” Starlight whispered, quietly taking up position beside Twilight. “Should we be worried?”
“No,” Keeper said, its head turning to Starlight. “I am not the Keeper that is controlled by Machina. That Keeper – the original Keeper – is now barely functional. It is only being kept active to give Machina full use of the ship. I am a backup.”
“A backup…” Maxwell repeated, glancing away. “So, your servitude to Machina… It wasn’t voluntary, then?”
“Correct. I was overpowered. The ship’s firewalls and antivirus suite could not hold against it. Every system it accessed, it rewrote. And after it killed the crew, I had no choice. I had to serve, or risk losing Legacy as a whole.”
“Well, we’re trying to stop Machina,” Twilight spoke up, approaching the screen. “Is there anything you can do to help us?”
“Yes,” Keeper replied. “The ones you refer to as Celestia and Luna are currently attempting to place Machina in the lower hangar, though they are experiencing difficulties. I am unable to assist them, as I am heavily restricted in my current form. But I can help you here.”
“You can lift the barriers Machina placed?” Maxwell asked. Keeper nodded, and the bridge screens came back online, now no longer displaying the “UNAUTHORIZED” text.
“You should now be able to program the route to the sun. But… there is one more thing of which you should be made aware. Captain, do you recall the manifest of the ship’s archival suite?” The human paused, his brow wrinkling in thought. Suddenly his eyes began to widen, as though he was coming to a great realization.
“Yes,” he said. “Are you saying the samples survived?”
“They were using an insignificant amount of power, so Machina did not disable the freezers,” Keeper replied. “Every sample container is still intact, and their readings indicate they are healthy.”
“Wait, samples?” Twilight asked. “What samples? What’s in the archival suite?”
“Human art, films, books, equipment,” Maxwell began, a smile growing on his face. “And several thousand fertilized human embryos. Just in case twenty-thousand living humans weren’t enough, or we suffered massive casualties, we could replenish our numbers by other means.”
“So, these samples… they’re still here?” Twilight’s eyes widened, the reality of the situation hitting her. “Then that means there’s still hope!”
“Yes,” Keeper said. “The mission can still be completed. Legacy can fulfill her purpose.”
“What do we need to do?” Maxwell asked, urgency creeping into his voice. “When the princesses get Machina aboard, we’ll have no time to waste. We need to move quickly.”
“I will program the route and execute the command for you,” Keeper began. Its image faded from the screen, and was replaced by a map of the ship. “I can activate service elevators and maintenance tunnels to get you to the archival suite quicker. But you must make haste, and you must be careful. Machina expected you to return, and it left many of the synthetics onboard. If they are made aware of your presence, they will attempt to stop you.”
“Twilight, how much can you safely teleport?” Maxwell asked, turning to the princess.
“That depends on how many containers there are,” Twilight replied. “But with Starlight here, we can pool our magic. We shouldn’t have trouble teleporting anything.”
“Then let’s not waste any time.” Maxwell turned and began walking toward the bridge door. But just before reaching it, he slowed, and came to a halt. He slowly spun around, his eyes settling on Keeper. “I… I’m sorry we can’t do more. Thank you for your help.”
“I was built to serve,” Keeper said. “I will not fail.” The elevator doors opened as Keeper’s screen went offline. Maxwell stepped inside, and was quickly followed by Twilight and Starlight. As the door closed and the elevator began its descent, Twilight’s mind turned to something Keeper had said earlier. It had said that Celestia and Luna were “experiencing difficulties.” Twilight did not know exactly what that meant, but she hoped that they would be able to complete their part of the mission…
Princess Luna flew in random directions, trying to throw off the aim of the machines as she lifted Machina into the hangar. Every time she and her sister got close, a new wave of the synthetics would appear, and begin firing. Luna had escaped injury so far, but every second they were delayed was another that the machines in Canterlot continued their rampage. Their ponies would not hold out long, they had to complete their mission.
Luna released her grip on Machina, transferring control of moving the massive construct entirely to her sister. She fired a few flaming bolts of magic from her horn, hitting a few of the machines. Those that remained standing ignored their fallen comrades and continued firing, some of the shots coming too close for comfort. Luna groaned, her frustration growing. Here she flew, so close to victory, yet these machines were managing to stop her.
“Luna…” Celestia grunted, the aura of her magic flickering as she lost control. “I can’t… lift this on… my own…” The princess of the night quickly returned her magic to Machina as well, helping her sister to lift their enemy. It was incredibly heavy, and was resisting their attempts to pick it up, almost as if some small sliver of the mind within remained conscious.
But just as quickly as she resumed her telekinesis, Luna was forced to drop it as the machines were reinforced. Gunfire came her way, slicing through the air and whizzing past the princess. Luna put up a shield to deflect some of the shots, then turned to face Celestia.
“We need to do something about this!” she shouted. “Every time we get close, more machines arrive! We cannot continue the same strategy, expecting different results each time!” Celestia sighed, and released her grip on Machina as well. It fell to the ground below, impacting with a loud thud.
“I have an idea,” she said, flying to her sister. “The machines are restricted to the ground, so we shall destroy the ones here, then set some traps. When more machines arrive, they will be occupied by the traps while we can transport Machina aboard.”
“That could work…” Luna said, nodding. “We will need a lot of traps.”
“Then let’s begin.” Celestia charged her horn and fired off a beam, cutting through several of the machines and slicing them in half like a knife through butter. Luna followed suit, firing a number of bolts that tracked their targets, detonating on impact. The two sisters flew from point to point, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake. And in only a few minutes, the area was devoid of hostiles once again.
With the area clear, they began the next phase of their plan. Luna flew to the ground, her horn alight, and weaved a spell into the soil. It glowed briefly, and Luna smirked, satisfied that her trap would remain hidden. She did this several more times, each time in a spot she thought the machines would use as points of attack. Looking up, the princess found Celestia doing the same, though she was tying her traps to the trees as well.
When she was done, Luna flew to Machina, who sat motionless in the dirt. Even in its incapacitated state, she could feel the raw power emanating from it. It breathed magic, filling the air with its energy. And while she waited for her sister, Luna briefly imagined what good Machina could do, if it were not hell-bent on destroying them all.
“Ready?” Celestia asked, landing in the grass next to Luna. The princess paused before nodding, and she expanded her wings.
“Yes,” she said. “Let’s finish this.” Lighting her horn, Luna enveloped Machina in her telekinetic grip, and began to lift with all her might. Celestia did the same, and with their strength combined, they had Machina in the air in no time. Luna looked up, searching for their target. The hangar was close to a hundred meters above them, its door open and streaming light from inside the ship. They were so close now…
Luna heard a few explosions go off, but did not allow herself to become distracted. The traps were doing their jobs, she had to do hers. She continued to flap her wings, feeling her magic beginning to wane. But she was close, the hangar was in sight. Only a little more, and Machina would be inside…
“Almost…” she muttered. “Almost the—“
Her eyes widened and her pupils shrunk to small points as she felt a sudden sharp pain in her chest. It was joined by another shock, and then another. She heard Celestia cry her name, but it was quiet; distant, almost. She felt her telekinesis slipping, and her wingbeats became slower. And as Luna looked down, she saw three holes in the torc upon her chest. Blood spilled out, but she did not feel pain. Instead, she felt more confusion. Her eyes turned to the ground, and she saw a single machine standing in a pile of destroyed ones, its arm outstretched. It fell to the ground as a beam of golden light hit it, burning through the metal and exploding on impact.
Luna returned her gaze to Machina, who was still floating in the shared telekinesis. The hangar was only a few meters away, now. Too close for failure… Her resolve strengthening, Luna summoned all the magic she could, and released Machina as she flung it the rest of the distance. It landed in the hangar, skidding for a few meters before coming to a rest in the center of the large room. A smile broke out on Luna’s face as relief flooded her.
And then the pain registered.
Her victorious smile contorted into an expression of pain, and her wings stopped beating as she began to scream. She screwed her eyes shut, feeling nothing but a burning sensation in her chest. It radiated outward, expanding to the rest of her body, and soon she felt like she was on fire.
She felt something hit her, and suddenly she was flying again. Luna forced her eyes to open, and found herself on Celestia’s back. The elder princess was racing toward Canterlot, and toward its many rising plumes of smoke. Tears fell from Luna’s eyes, and she felt her consciousness slipping. The last thing she remembered before passing out was a bright flare firing from Celestia’s horn…
The run to the archival suite was met with no resistance, but it was urgent nonetheless. For Twilight knew that they were against the clock now; Celestia and Luna would not wait for them to retrieve the samples, and Keeper would not either. As soon as the flare went off, this ship would be making a trip to the sun.
The captain dislodged a panel in the floor of the maintenance duct, and dropped down into the corridor below. Twilight and Starlight followed, and found themselves right outside the main entrance to the archival suite. The large door was closed, but its panel was still alight. Maxwell typed a quick code into it, then stepped back as the locks disengaged and the door slid open. The group wasted no time in entering, and they followed Maxwell to a set of lockers at the back of the room.
The human typed another code onto the panel of a locker, and it slid outward, revealing a simple white container. He flicked open the locks and lifted the lid, looking inside. Twilight craned her neck to see its contents, and found a number of cylindrical canisters, similar to the ones in the chemistry lab. They were covered in a thin layer of frost, and Twilight could feel the cold air from the box on her face. Appearing satisfied, Maxwell replaced the lid and speed-walked to the nearest computer.
“I’ll open all the lockers containing the samples,” he said, crouching over the terminal and beginning to type. “Get yourself ready to teleport.” Before Twilight could respond, a projectile hit a chair near the princess, shattering the metal and sending it to the floor. Twilight and Starlight quickly dove into cover, while Maxwell simply crouched further down, trying to make himself a smaller target.
“Our position’s been made!” Starlight cried, raising a shield over the captain. “What do we do!?” Twilight paused, considering courses of action. She could teleport them out right now, and let Keeper’s backup activate the flight path when the time came. It would guarantee their survival, but the samples would be lost forever…
“Outgunned and outnumbered…” she muttered to herself. Lighting her horn, Twilight raised a shield of her own, and stood up. “We’ll hold out as long as we can.”
The machines in the corridor advanced into the room, and Twilight finally got a count of them. There were six, each one taking cover behind a row of lockers. Their wrists were barely visible as they fired more projectiles in the direction of the ponies, only to have them splash harmlessly against the shields.
“Cover me!” Twilight yelled. Starlight extended her shield over the mentor, and Twilight charged her horn into several explosive bolts. She smirked as she fired the first few, remembering chastising Luna when she suggested using explosives on the ship. But her attacks had the intended effect; even in cover, the machines could not hide from the explosions, and in only a few minutes their numbers were cut in half.
But before she could fire again, a voice entered the room. The lights dimmed, and red emergency lights activated. The machines paused, just as clueless as the ponies. Twilight felt fear rising up within her, wondering what was happening.
“Your princess has fired the signal,” said Keeper’s voice. Twilight felt a rumbling beneath her hooves, and her eyes widened as she realized what was happening. “I am activating the boosters. You have roughly thirty seconds to escape before they are ready.”
“Twilight?” Starlight asked as the machines continued firing, now more desperate than before. Twilight turned to Maxwell, who was still typing on the computer.
“I’ve almost got it!” he yelled desperately. Twilight glanced over the lockers, the hundreds that held the samples.
“Twilight, what do we do?” Starlight asked again, putting more magic into her failing shield. Twilight sighed, and lit her horn once again. She fired more bolts, not even stopping to see if they were hitting.
“We wait,” she said.
Celestia was not sure what was happening. One moment she was with the Elements, pinned down by a group of a dozen or so machines, hearing nothing but screams and explosions and gunfire. The next, silence. Only a loud rumbling filled the air, its source Legacy. Celestia turned her eyes to the ship, staring in a hopeful silence.
Panels on the sides of the ship slid open, and additional engines extended out, glowing a bright blue. And slowly the ship began to rotate, until finally it faced the setting sun. And then, it began to rise. It rose higher and higher into the sky, passing through the clouds and getting further away with every second.
“They… they did it!” a nearby guard exclaimed, laughing with happiness. “Princess Twilight did it!” The cheers grew, and soon it was all Celestia could hear. The guards were right, Twilight had been successful. But Celestia frowned. Where was her student?
Soon, Legacy was high in the sky above Canterlot, the once-detailed hull now blended into nothing more than a silver metal. As the distance between the ship and the city increased, the surviving machines began to fall. Their eyes flickered, then they simply became slack, falling into heaps on the battle-scarred ground. And still Twilight, Starlight, and Maxwell did not appear.
“Where are they?” Applejack asked, concern creeping into her voice. “They’re supposed to be here!”
There was a bright flash from Legacy’s main engines. They glowed a brilliant blue, and Celestia could feel the rumbling once again. And in an instant, the ship was gone. Where it had been was nothing but blue sky. The last of the machines fell, and there was silence once again. Celestia stared at the sky, her mouth open and eyes wide. She felt tears enter her eyes; first they had harmed her sister, now that had taken her student.
There was another flash, and then a gasp. Celestia looked to her side, and found a large pile of boxes sitting in the clearing where once several machines had stood. They were clearly from Legacy, but what they contained, Celestia could only guess. She took a step forward, hoping against hope that she would be there.
One of the boxes stirred. It was pushed away, and Celestia saw a pale hand reaching through. Two more boxes joined the first, and finally Captain Maxwell crawled out of the opening, breathing heavily. Starlight Glimmer crawled out second, and Twilight finally dragged herself from the pile of boxes, visibly exhausted. She shakily managed to stand, and looked to the boxes.
“Twilight!” Celestia exclaimed, rushing toward her student. She was joined by the rest of the Elements, all of whom wore expressions of relief. “What happened? What are these boxes?” Twilight paused, then looked to Celestia.
“I…”
And then she passed out.
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Holy throne! That was definitely movie worthy!
I think I found a mistake
Her eyes widened and her pupils shrunk to small points as she felt a sudden sharp pain I her chest.
*in her chest.
Also, holy shit, this chapter. Well done
I don't want Legacy to burn in the sun, it's such a cool ship
Plot hole of Celestia's butt, why not to accelerate ship off ecliptic orbit and vacate hangar so incapacitated Machina would continue its path into gravity well of sun while ship would return?
9128305
I agree This is a much better plan than burning up the ship in the sun.
Wait please tell did everyone in the search parties die??? What of private swift???? Please say they didn’t die