The Stronger Tiara

by computerneek

Chapter 2

As my first contact with sentient life in longer than I have cared to count loses consciousness in my medical nanovat, I silently pray to myself I have made the correct decisions. The collapse of my armor was expected; as the point closest to the surface, that area received the most erosive energy over the years. At first, I assumed it was just a collapse. The breathing detected by sensors along the path the landslide had taken could easily have been non-sentient life.

Then everything settled down. The breathing changed pattern a couple times; I was beginning to suspect whatever creature had fallen into my hull was at least intelligent when whatever it was let out a scream.

This scream was enough to suggest that it could even have been sentient life- so I turned on a light in a nearby passage.

The creature had limped its way out, dragging a broken limb, and made a beeline for the light- before positively sitting down and looking around.

It looks like some kind of miniature equinoid creature. I’m not sure what it is called- but I have noticed a few interesting features: The fluffy, multicolored mane and tail, the diamond tiara on its head, rather amazing to have stayed on through the fall, the enormous eyes for the size of its head, the enormous head for its body.

It had then spoken. I did not understand its oration, but attempted to respond; the oration was very clearly a word.
Unfortunately, my speakers in the area did not respond; I have since run a check on all of my internal speakers, for a flat zero rate of functionality. I’m lucky my cameras and microphones still function.

It had spoken again, with a different oration- also clearly language. I entered both orations into my lingual database- for parsing into another language, once I have enough samples- and turned on the lights in the passage to my medbay. Well, one of the two- but the other one is at the far end of my hull and besides, it’s nonfunctional.

The creature had then, very slowly, crawled up to the open door to my medbay. I rather doubted it would make the jump down to my only working medical nanovat- but I could only offer it.

To my surprise, after some looking and calling, it did. As expected, the stretchers that had fallen out of their storage locations so long ago were not a comfortable landing. The creature had taken refuge inside the nanovat… which I activated. The rest is history.

… Or, not history, it simply hasn’t happened yet.

Hold one. This creature is female; Medical has just discovered her sex chromosomes.

Her hind leg is broken; crushed, presumably, during the landslide. She has bled some, but not enough to affect her cognitive function. I am not aware of what a healthy blood pressure might be for her kind.

I consider myself lucky my nanovats are, despite being attached to a normally ground-bound Bolo, designed to function in microgravity- and any other gravity the designers could think of, all the way up to about twenty gees. More than that and it becomes impossible to maintain a stable environment inside for medical operations.

In any case, as the nanovat fills, I float her up in the nanite gel, centering her in the machine. My nanites quickly penetrate her form, hunting for problems.

I find her leg. Rather predictably; I already knew that was damaged. I find numerous bruises, scratches, and cuts; presumably from her rather tumultuous journey down here.

I find a few other health problems. Not significant ones, yet- but ones that would crop up on her later, ruin her future. Things like her race’ equivalent of HIV, developing slowly into a case of AIDS.

Fortunately, unlike twenty-first century medicine, this is an easy problem for me to solve- even before she becomes aware of it.

I discover numerous similarities and differences between her biology and that of my creators, humanity. I do find it convenient, at least, that her small size means she won’t have any trouble whatsoever in fitting through my cramped passages.

---

She has a strange dream. She knows it’s a dream, because she can’t jump nearly that high. She jumped on top of the strange box thing, hopped to one of the higher ones, then spun around and made a flying leap back out the door. She slides a little down the hallway, before turning back to gallop up the passage, jumping urgently over the open doorway. She follows the path of the light, including jumping up to reverse direction a couple of times. As she goes, the sense of urgency intensifies… until she hops down through another door, landing on something… before moving to the side and connecting a wire. A sense of accomplishment washes through her, all urgency gone.

Then she wakes up. She sucks in a deep breath, eyes flying wide as she examines her surroundings- the inside of the box thing. Oh, and that big slab over the opening is sliding up again.

The fluid stuff is gone. Every last drop, leaving her mane, tail, and coat gleaming with cleanness.

She shakes herself out, and rises to her hooves… Then looks back at her hind leg. It’s no longer broken.

She looks back forwards again, shakes herself again, and steps carefully out onto the stretcher pile. She does not want to be stuck in that box again.

She pauses on the pile, scowling at her hooves. She knows she’s an earth pony, and that that comes with strength- but she feels… stronger, somehow. She balances herself carefully on the stretchers and makes a jump for the top of the box thing, like in her dream. She doesn’t expect to make it.

She overshoots. She nearly falls back off of it again, but recovers in time, before staring down at the stretchers… and the box. Exactly what is this thing?

“Hello?” she calls.

No response.

So she hops carefully onto the higher box. She underdoes it this time, just barely hooking a hoof over the corner of the box to pull herself up. She balances herself on this corner, looking at the door.

She leaps for it. Who knows, that dream might have been true!

It was. She sails out the door, hitting the ceiling before she crashes back to the floor, sliding down until she gets caught against another door. She climbs out of the doorwell and walks back up the passage to that one door. It’s still open, showing her the strange boxes inside it.

She shudders, looking up the passage. Why not? She follows the path from her dream.

Ten minutes later, she pushes the wire together. She holds it in place for a few seconds before she raises her eyebrow and withdraws her hoof. She doesn’t even know what a wire is- so why does she know this is a wire…?

It stays together.

The lights seem to flicker slightly. She follows the flicker- including returning to the passage outside. She follows the passage up, following the light once again. She calls out for somepony every once in a while, as well.

Finally, she stands underneath what looks like torn metal. Thin, torn metal, with dirt and rock on top of it.

One flying leap later, she’s back outside in the sunlight. She glances at the sun, shivers, and sets off for the schoolhouse. She hopes it’s not past seven just yet; she’d hate to make Silver Spoon wait.

Comments

[LostArchivist]

Ah. Forgot to subscribe the story.
Pardon my tersity; I am having to type one-handed.

Rather concerned over that disease, since it has bad implications. If those weren't intended, you may just want to call it one with a long onset or something and not list a name.

[computerneek]

9239108
Actually, those bad implications are intended...

Having to type one-handed? What happened?

[Killjoy1221]

9239108
Seems like she got it from her mother as a baby.