When a mysterious ship arrives in Equestria, an ancient force awakens, and the ponies once again find themselves fighting for their survival.
Equestria: a land of magic, opportunity, and adventure. For Twilight Sparkle and her friends, adventure is in no short supply. And when a mysterious massive ship appears in the skies of Equestria, they find themselves on yet another adventure to discover its origins, and its reason for arriving in their small corner of the universe.
However, the ponies are not the only ones aware of the ship's presence. Triggered by the arrival of the craft, a long-forgotten being awakens, its last memories still fresh in its mind. And with the presence of the ship, it sees an opportunity for revenge.
James sat down on the rubbery bedding of his pod, his short legs dangling off the edge, coming a few inches short of touching the metal catwalk beneath them. His fingers tugged at the tight collar of the cryo-suit, and the young boy found himself wishing for his old clothes back. But his old clothes were gone; the synthetics had taken them, and had placed them in storage with everybody else’s clothing. Now James was left with the white one-piece suit, which he was told would integrate with the pod systems and keep him alive during transit.
“James!” came a woman’s voice. Turning his head, James found his mother working her way through a crowd of people, all of them wearing matching white cryo-suits. Some were already in the pods, while others remained standing, relishing in their last opportunity to do so.
Finally his mother reached him, and she knelt down to fix one of the zippers on his suit.
“James,” she began. “Are you ready?” James nodded, though he was not entirely sure if that was true. “This is the last time I’ll be able to see you. We’re departing soon. Do you need anything?” James shook his head, but then stopped, and looked down.
“I want dad,” he said. His mother’s face fell, and her expression softened.
“James…” she said. “He wasn’t selected, you know this.”
“What’s going to happen to him?” His mother paused, averting her gaze. She ran a hand through her short brown hair, and opened her mouth.
“Please prepare for cryogenic initialization.” A synthetic approached the pair, a tablet held in its metal fingers, on it the names of every single passenger on the ship. James and his mother turned their heads to face the synthetic, who stopped at the pod.
“Ma’am, please report to your pod,” it said, its emotionless voice easily audible over the voices of the other humans in the massive cryo chamber. James’s mother nodded, then turned to face her son.
“I’ll see you on the other side,” she said, giving a reassuring smile. “It’ll be over before you know it.” She tousled his hair before standing up, then began working her way down the catwalk to her own pod. Alone again, James watched the synthetic as it left to go speak with someone else. His eyes lazily searched around the chamber, passing over the thousands of other humans at their pods. More were beginning to lay down, so James decided to do so as well. He pulled himself further into the pod and lay back on the rubber bed, his head finding the small bump that passed for a pillow. Lights inside the pod came to life, and the glass cover slowly began sliding down. As the pod began its startup sequence, the ship intercom activated, coming straight through speakers in the pod.
“Hello, passengers!” a deep voice said in an unconvincing cheerful tone. “I am Leonard Maxwell, captain of the Legacy. In just a few minutes here, we will be activating the pods, and control of the ship will go into the capable hands of Keeper. And then we will begin our journey, leaving behind the old home and embracing the new. I know there is some discomfort among our passengers, but please, hold no fear. We are the chosen. We are the way forward. We are the future of the human race. You all were selected because you show great potential, potential that should not be wasted on this old world.
“We are about to embark on the most important journey in human history. Do not let a fear of the unknown destroy the potential for which you were chosen. Instead, welcome the unknown with open arms. And with our arms, we will build a civilization worthy of humanity. Let us go forth, and see our brave new world.”
The words of the captain, while inspiring, only made James feel uneasy. He frowned as the lights in the chamber began to go out, casting the cryo bay in darkness.
“Are we ready, Keeper?” the captain asked, still on the intercom.
“Yes, sir,” a synthetic voice replied.
“Very good. You have the conn. Captain Maxwell, out.”
The intercom switched off, and a needle in James’s pod extended outward, injecting itself into his arm. A gas began to enter the pod through vents at the top, and James quickly found himself feeling tired. The last thing James saw before falling asleep was the glass of his pod as it frosted over...
EQUUS, 2ND ERA 254
Hidden Relic pushed through the dense brush, his determined eyes seeing past the green ferns and leaves, knowing that something of great significance lay beyond. The sharp spines of the flora cut into his tan jacket, and he winced as some of the sharper ones cut across his brown coat. A rustling from behind told the stallion that his assistant – a pegasus by the name of Brave Wind - was close by, though the sound of grunting implied a struggle.
“Relic,” the younger pony began, spitting out some thorns. “We’ve been wandering for hours. What are you expecting to find?”
“Patience, my good fellow,” Relic replied, smiling as he continued to push leaves out of his way. “History’s greatest archeological finds were not discovered overnight.” Relic heard his assistant sigh, but the younger pegasus did not press the issue.
The further into the brush they pushed, the quieter the environment became. The sound of animal life had reduced to nonexistent, and now all Relic could hear was his hooves pushing through the brush. He squinted his eyes as he hypothesized two explanations: either a predator was nearby, or something unnatural was. Relic prayed to the princesses that it was the latter.
Finally, after what felt like an age of pushing, Relic and Wind exited the brush, coming out into a clearing that was decidedly unnatural. The clearing was round, with a diameter of four or five meters. It formed a crater, at the center of which was a tall metal object. It gleamed in the sun, and both Relic and Wind raised their hooves to shield their eyes.
“What is it?” Wind asked. Relic did not respond. Instead, he began working his way to the center of the crater, to inspect the object more closely. The base – or what was visible of it – was covered in burn marks, and the rest was speckled with dirt from the forest floor. At the top was some strange writing, below which there was a blue flag depicting a white globe with olive branches on either side. The continents on the globe did not match any maps of Equestria, nor did the construction of the object look like pony craftsmanship.
Relic pulled away, his mind swimming with possibilities. He had no idea what the object was, but the stallion was determined to find out. Collecting himself, Relic turned to Brave Wind, who remained at the top of the shallow crater.
“Help me dig it out,” he ordered. “We are taking it home.”
Princess Luna’s brow furrowed in concentration, and her eyes closed as her magic manipulated the orrery before her. The bodies orbiting Equus rotated perfectly on their gold and onyx gears. Millions of kilometers away – represented by a few meters in the orrery – the asteroid belt maintained its slow spin around the system. All was as it should have been, and yet something was not right.
“I haven’t seen you in here in a long time,” said a voice. Opening her eyes, Luna turned to the orrery’s door. Princess Celestia stood in the threshold, the light from the hallway outside casting her shadow far into the darkened room. The elder princess stepped further inside, and closed the door behind her.
“The last time I was here was before my banishment,” Luna said, releasing her magical grip on the gears. “I had almost forgotten about it.”
“What brought you back?” Celestia took up position next to her sister, looking out over the representation of their system.
“… Something is amiss,” Luna explained after a pause. “When we had this commissioned, we made sure it could show changes in the system. Changes that we may miss from our place on Equus. I was hoping that coming here could explain what I feel…” Celestia’s magenta eyes crossed over every element of the orrery: the large golden sun, the smaller quartz moon, and the sapphire planet in the center. The sun and moon continued spinning on their gears, never missing a tick.
“I see nothing wrong,” Celestia said, frowning. “What exactly is it that you feel?”
“I… do not know,” the younger princess admitted, sighing. “Perhaps it is nothing. I merely worry.” Celestia smiled, and extended a wing over her sister.
“You don’t have to worry,” she comforted. “I sometimes find myself feeling anxious over nothing as well. The best thing to do is simply relax.” Luna closed her eyes, and nodded.
“I will, sister,” she said. “Thank you.” Celestia retracted her large wing, and Luna turned and exited the room. As the distance between her and the orrery increased, the princess only found her anxiety growing. Luna shook her head as one thought echoed in her mind: Something is not right.
//:LEGACY systems active _launch_date: January 4th, 2207 _current_date: February 19th, 3707
Beginning boot of ARRIVAL systems … … ERROR: Systems failure detected. Damage detected in all major systems.
Determining mission integrity… … Mission integrity 68%. Atmospheric entry still possible. Continuing with mission…
Atmospheric entry course charted. ETA: 14 minutes
“So, in conclusion, always have faith in the abilities of your friends,” Twilight Sparkle said, her eyes closed and a nostalgic smile upon her face. “Friends are one of the most valuable resources you can draw on, and they can help you overcome any fear.” Starlight Glimmer looked on, wearing an amused grin. Despite the growing pains of being Twilight’s student, Starlight always enjoyed listening to the stories of her mentor’s old adventures.
“Questions?” Twilight asked, opening her eyes and rolling up the old friendship report in front of her. She placed the scroll on a nearby shelf, before returning to Starlight.
“How… big was the dragon?” Starlight asked, squinting. Twilight sighed, and mentally tried to recall the details of the journey.
“… About the size of this room.” Impressed, Starlight looked around the room she found herself in; several meters tall with a domed ceiling, and at least twelve meters wide. A large dragon indeed.
“Well, that’s all I had lined up for today,” Twilight said, beginning to cross to the room’s crystal door. “Is there anything else you’d like to cover before lunch?”
Starlight trotted over to Twilight, joining her at the door. “No,” she said. “Not right now.” The two ponies exited the room, coming out into one of the castle’s many crystal corridors. Taking the lead, Twilight began walking to the dining room.
“The others should be there by now,” she said. “Did you feel that today’s lesson was beneficial?” Starlight nodded, smiling.
“Yes, Twilight,” she answered. “You don’t need to worry. If I feel like one of your lessons isn’t working out, I’ll let you know.” Twilight smiled sheepishly, watching the crystal floor beneath her.
“Thanks.” Finally they arrived at the dining hall. Though its doors were closed, Twilight could clearly hear the sounds of conversation coming from within. Her telekinesis wrapping the door in a lavender aura, Twilight pushed it open and stepped inside, followed closely by Starlight.
“Hey, you two!” Spike called, his voice elevated above the rest of the talking. The conversation came to a halt, and all eyes were on the late arrivals. “We were starting to think you weren’t showing up.”
“Did we run a little late?” Twilight asked, looking to a clock on the wall. “Sorry. You know how wrapped up I can get in my storytelling.” The ponies (and dragon) all nodded, and Twilight and Starlight found their seats. Twilight sat at the head of the table, a large glass window behind her. The window provided a wide view of the Equestrian landscape, and on a clear day such as this, Canterlot was easily visible on its mountainside perch.
“So, Starlight, how are the friendship lessons going?” Rarity asked, daintily taking a bite of her lunch.
“They’re quite illuminating,” Starlight replied. “It’s fun to hear about your old adventures.”
“You’re looking at the old friendship reports?” Rainbow Dash perked up. “Have you heard the one about my sonic rainboom yet!?”
“Well, no, but—“
“So we were in Cloudsdale for a competition. I was competing – obviously – and Rarity here—“
Rainbow Dash was unable to finish her sentence. She was interrupted by a sudden trembling that came from all around. The silverware rattled on the table, and the ground shook beneath the ponies’ hooves. The large crystal chandelier that hung above the table swung on its chain, and Twilight grabbed it in her telekinesis to keep it from falling.
“What is that?” Fluttershy asked, looking around nervously. She shrunk even further behind her mane as the trembling increased in intensity.
Before anypony could answer, the room was cast in shadow. The sun streaming through the large window behind Twilight was cut off as a massive object flew overhead, a loud humming emanating from it.
It was long, at least a few kilometers, and had a full metal composition. It tore through the clouds, flying over the castle and continuing on over the plains between Ponyville and Canterlot. Finally it stopped, around fifteen kilometers away, and simply hovered. Despite the great distance, it was still easily visible, a testament to its size. The ponies simply stared out the window, staring on at the foreign object.
“… What… is that?” Applejack asked, finally regaining her composure.
“I have no idea…” Twilight said, not looking away. She squinted, trying to see the object more clearly. But from this distance, all she could make out was its shape. It was primarily rectangular, though a number of cylinders ran down the length of the object, ending in massive glowing pits at the back. Finally, Twilight was able to pull herself away from the window.
“We should investigate.” Before anypony could respond, they were all distracted by a loud belch that filled the room. Moving her eyes to her number-one-assistant, Twilight found the young dragon lying on the ground, a fresh scroll at his side. She grabbed it in her telekinesis, opening it in the air.
Twilight,
Do not investigate.
- Celestia
Twilight sighed and placed the scroll on the table. She retook her position at the window, looking out at the object.
“Or, we wait…”
THE NEXT DAY
Princess Celestia glared, eyeing the ship hovering just a few kilometers from her city. It was massive; her scouts had mapped it to be about seven kilometers from stem to stern. It was made entirely of a thick metal, though the exact type remained a mystery. Also a mystery was the ship’s purpose; in the twenty-four hours it had been hovering over the plains, it had done absolutely nothing. Nopony had come out of the ship to introduce themselves, and Celestia had not dared to send anypony inside. Not without more information.
The door to Celestia’s balcony opened, and Princess Luna stepped out. She joined her sister at the parapet, looking out at the ship with a troubled stare.
“The mages have finished their work,” she finally said. “Their life detection spell shows nothing within the ship. However, we have no idea where it came from or what it is capable of. I would still be wary.”
“Agreed,” Celestia nodded. “The griffons want to know what it is. As do the zebra and the camels. Even the yaks sent a letter. All of them are worried.”
“It is understandable,” Luna said. “They are going to want answers, as are our own people. How long do you think we can avoid boarding?” Celestia sighed, and shook her head.
“Not long,” she admitted. “As much as I hate sending our ponies into dangerous situations… it has to be done. The military has already set up bases, and our airships are orbiting, but we need to do more… I will check with Noontide, and see if this relates to their research. Would you send a letter to Twilight Sparkle? I want somepony we can trust to lead this.”
“Of course, sister,” Luna said, nodding. “I shall tell her to come tomorrow. That should give us plenty of time to plan.”
“Yes, it should…” Celestia crossed to the balcony door, her brow knitted in thought. “We will also need to work on keeping ponies away from the ship. As it stands, it would not be difficult for an overly-curious pegasus to get close…”
“I will handle that as well,” Luna offered. “You work on coordinating the expedition.” Celestia smiled, and nodded.
“Thank you, sister,” she said. “Shall we meet back here later this afternoon?” Luna nodded, and joined Celestia at the door. The two re-entered the castle, and went in separate directions, with Luna heading to her office, and Celestia heading to the School for Gifted Unicorns. She had a certain unicorn to see…
As the chariot angled downward to begin its landing, Twilight Sparkle felt her anxiety grow exponentially. The letter she had received the previous day was tucked tightly in her saddlebags, along with numerous books and other resources she thought may help with determining the origin of the object.
The letter had been vague, but Twilight was able to extrapolate its true meaning: the other princesses were planning an expedition, and they wanted Twilight’s help. While exciting, the lavender alicorn could not help but feel somewhat apprehensive. The object was shrouded in mystery, and Twilight could not even begin to guess its purpose. Still, she would accept any task that Celestia gave her.
The chariot landed outside of the Canterlot castle gates, and Twilight jumped out, joined shortly after by her friends. Starlight took up position right next to Twilight, looking around.
“There… aren’t as many guards as I expected,” she observed. Twilight looked around as well, and noticed that Starlight was correct.
“They were probably relocated to the object,” Twilight assumed. “Something like this warrants military investigation.”
The castle gates opened, and Twilight smiled as she caught sight of Princess Celestia. Her fears were temporarily suppressed, and she trotted over to embrace her mentor.
“Twilight!” Celestia greeted, wrapping a wing around the younger pony. “It is so good to see you, all of you. Please, come in.” Celestia pulled away from the embrace and stepped aside, allowing the smaller ponies to enter the castle. Once they were all inside, Celestia began leading them through the winding castle corridors, finally stopping at her office. She opened the door and stepped inside, taking a seat behind her desk. Twilight and her friends filed in after, and sat down opposite the princess.
“Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” Celestia said, arranging a number of folders on her desk. “My sister and I are truly grateful to be able to rely on you.”
“Indeed,” Luna said, stepping forward from a small closet at the back of Celestia’s office. In her telekinesis she held many more folders, all of which she placed on her sister’s desk. “Especially in matters of such… gravity.”
“We’ll do everything we can to help, princesses,” Twilight said, grinning. “Just let us know what you need.”
“What we are about to ask of you all is no small task,” Celestia began. “Though it is one of great importance. The presence of this ship is… troubling. If it is from this world, then none have yet stepped forth to claim responsibility. If it is from somewhere else… I don’t have to tell you what that could mean.”
“Regardless of its origin, we need to find out why it is here,” Luna continued. “Specifically here, outside of Canterlot. This will not be an easy task, and my sister and I want somepony we can trust fully to lead it. That somepony is you, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight’s eyes widened, and she felt her mouth open slightly. She had been expecting that the princesses wanted her to work on the expedition, but to lead it? That was a surprise.
“As for the rest of you, we want you to use your skills to help Twilight in any ways possible,” Celestia explained, turning her attention to the remaining Elements. “Starlight Glimmer, your experience with magic and your ability to quickly learn new concepts is significant. Therefore, you will be assisting Twilight directly on this project.”
“You want… me to do that?” Starlight asked, disbelieving. “I… I’m honored.”
“Celestia and I will be handling things here,” Luna said. “We will make sure ponies stay away from the ship, and we will keep the other nations apprised. Do you have any questions?” The room fell silent, and nopony spoke up.
“Very good,” Celestia said. “Now, before we send you to the ship, there is one more thing we would like for you to see. It should prove quite helpful.” The princess stood from her desk, and crossed to the office door. Twilight followed, her friends joining her a moment later. Pausing to ensure that everypony was ready, Celestia flared her horn, igniting the room in a golden glow.
When the glow faded, they were in quite a different location. It was a small, tight hallway, constructed of wood and tile rather than marble. Twilight narrowed her eyes, feeling as though the architecture was familiar.
“Wait…” she began. “Is this… the School for Gifted Unicorns?”
“One of the basement levels, yes,” Celestia responded, turning to face a door at the end of the hallway. Unlike the rest of the doors, it was constructed of metal, and had a very large “AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY” sign covering its window. “Come, right this way.” The group was led down to the door, which opened in Celestia’s telekinetic grip. Immediately beyond the door was a stairwell, which descended deep underground.
At the bottom of the stairwell was yet another door, guarded by a single pony. He bowed as Celestia approached, and opened the door for the group, allowing them passage through.
“What is this place?” Rainbow Dash asked, observing the radically different architecture. The wooden walls and tile floor had given way to concrete and iron. Magic lamps lit the corridor, which extended for several dozen meters. At the end was a third door, this one unguarded.
“This is one of Equestria’s oldest and best-kept secrets,” Celestia began. “Project Noontide.” The princess opened the door, revealing a large chamber stretching several hundred meters back. The high ceiling was shrouded in shadow, and Twilight could not tell how high up it went. Scattered throughout the room were tables cluttered with scientific equipment. Ponies scurried between the various stations, all dressed in identical white lab coats. At the end of the room stood a pony without a lab coat, looking over eight identical objects.
Each object was tall, around twice the size of Princess Celestia. They were made of a metal similar to that of the mystery ship, and were covered in burn marks and unfamiliar writing. The pony observing them turned around as the group of newcomers approached, revealing himself to be a stallion of around fifty. His cutie mark, a dark star with a white dot in the center, stood out against his blue coat, and he grinned as Celestia neared him.
“Princess!” he greeted, smiling widely. His smile only grew larger as he turned his attention to Twilight and her friends. “And princess! Welcome to my laboratory, it is very good to finally meet you.”
“This is Doctor Onyx Star,” Celestia said. “Director of Project Noontide.”
“What is this ‘Project Noontide’?” Twilight asked, looking past the doctor at the eight objects. Celestia looked to Onyx Star, allowing him to explain.
“Well, it’s a bit of a long story,” he began. “Around two-hundred and fifty years into the Second Era, two archaeologists found one of these… well, we call them ‘pods.’ Alien in origin, travelling through space for nearly a thousand years before coming upon Equus. We’ve been studying them for over a millennia, but no matter how much we learned about the pods’ construction, we could never determine its purpose… until now.
“I have a theory. It is still unconfirmed, of course, but it is a likely theory nonetheless. Inside of the pods, we found all sorts of items: food, clothing, supplies, and technology that we still do not fully understand. For the longest time, we sat scratching our heads, wondering, ‘why are these pods here?’ Well, now a giant spaceship arrives, with a very similar construction to the pods, and is hovering outside of Canterlot. With all of this information, I theorize that the ship outside has one very specific purpose: colonization.”
“Colonization?” Applejack asked, her eyes widening. “So, that ship out there, it has—“
“Aliens aboard, yes.” Onyx Star was now smiling wider than ever, looking like a foal on Hearth’s Warming.
“It should be mentioned that there is some evidence pointing to the contrary,” Celestia said, stepping forward. “For one, there are only eight pods. With the supplies inside, that is not nearly enough to fully supply a colony, even if they are only here for emergencies. Second, our mages recently confirmed that there are no life forms aboard the ship. Unless something is interfering with our magic – which is entirely possible – then I doubt a colony ship would be sent without colonists.”
“All good points,” Star nodded. “But, despite how long we have been studying the pods, we still know relatively little about them. We could be missing something significant. That will not become clear until the expedition.”
“Hopefully we’ll know soon enough,” Twilight mused, stepping closer to one of the pods. She examined it carefully, taking note of every feature.
“Twilight, the staff of Project Noontide are at your disposal,” Celestia said. “Onyx Star has been working on this for decades, and his staff are some of the smartest ponies in Equestria. They will help you.” Twilight stepped away from the pod and turned to Onyx, smiling.
“It will be good to work with you, doctor,” she said. Onyx returned the smile, and nodded.
“And with you, princess.”
“That is all I have to show you,” Celestia continued. “Before we go, does anypony have any questions?” Once again, nopony spoke up. “Then let us be off.” Celestia began walking back down the large chamber, heading for the surface…
The sun was high in the sky by the time the chariot departed Canterlot, carrying Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Next to Twilight sat Onyx Star, wearing a set of saddle bags filled with notes. Another chariot flew behind Twilight’s this one carrying a group of Onyx’s best scientists, all of whom shared the load of equipment from the Noontide lab. Twilight turned to the doctor, a number of questions appearing in her mind.
“So, Doctor Star—“
“Please, call me Onyx.” Twilight smiled and nodded.
“Alright,” she agreed. “Onyx, if you are correct and those pods were built by the same beings who made this ship, then that would make you our leading expert on their technology. What can you tell me?” Onyx paused, thinking.
“I can tell you that we still know relatively little,” he began. “Some of Equestria’s most significant technological breakthroughs – the engines in our airships, for example – were reverse-engineered from the technology in the pods. But the technology, it’s… it’s so far beyond us, we are still just scratching the surface. I assume you are familiar with the computer at the School for Gifted Unicorns?” Twilight nodded. She had seen the device a few times; it was massive, taking up a space that used to be three classrooms. Its functions were incredibly limited, and it was primarily used for running mathematical equations.
“The design of that computer is based off of one found in every pod. But while ours takes up three rooms, theirs is the size of my hoof. And its functionality… It can perform millions of operations, and we only know of a few.” Twilight frowned, thinking to herself.
“Well, it’s better than going in completely blind,” she decided. “And since you have experience with the computers in the pods, do you think you can use the ones on the ship?”
“To a degree, yes,” Onyx replied. “We had very little success in translating the language of the pod, but I believe that is because we were working only with the pods. With an entire ship of computers, I think we can work a bit faster.” Twilight nodded, satisfied. She looked ahead, finding the ship to be very close now.
Only a few minutes later, they arrived at the Forward Operating Base. Established right underneath the ship, the entire base was cast in shadow, the only light sources coming from lamps inside of tents. Pony soldiers patrolled the area, keeping watch for any unwanted visitors. All the while, a fleet of airships orbited the ship, watching for any changes that could pose a threat.
The chariot landed, skidding to a halt on the outskirts of the small FOB. Twilight and her friends jumped out, followed shortly after by Onyx Star. Looking around, Twilight’s eyes settled on a gold-armored guard who was coming their way.
“This way, highness,” he said, pointing to a large tent at the center of the base. The guard escorted the group of ponies to the tent, inside of which was a long table holding a large map. The map featured the plains where the ponies now found themselves, and superimposed on the map was a top-down diagram of the ship. A small section had been filled in; a set of hallways and a few rooms on the fore-port side. Looking over this section of the map was a familiar stallion, and Twilight smiled widely the instant she saw him.
“Shining!” The stallion’s head whirled around, his attention drawn away from the map. He grinned as he saw his sister, and trotted over to her.
“Twily, good to see you!” he greeted. “I was wondering when you’d get here. I assume you’ve been brought up to speed?”
“Yes, Celestia and Luna told us everything,” Twilight replied, nodding. “But what are you doing down here? Doesn’t the Crystal Empire need you?”
“I honestly think Cadance needs me more than the Empire, with Flurry and all…” Shining said. “But Princess Celestia wanted me coordinating the military forces here. She said she needed somepony she could trust implicitly.”
“Funny, she said the same to us,” Rarity added.
“The princesses are concerned,” Shining said quietly, frowning. “I’ve never seen them like this before; they weren’t even like this before the changeling invasion… I have to say, it doesn’t make me feel too confident, having them so… worried.”
“A ship is hovering outside the city, and there’s a ninety-nine percent chance it’s alien,” Twilight said. “I’m concerned, too…”
“Well, let’s try and find some peace of mind, then,” Shining suggested. He moved back to the map, his eyes focused on the small section of the ship that had actually been explored. “An hour ago, my best scouts returned from their first mission inside the ship. Their mission was to determine the safety of the area, and find a place that could be used as a base of operations. They completed both tasks; the ship appears empty so far, and they found a room that looks like some kind of control center. I’m not sure exactly how they determined it was a control center, but I’ll trust their judgement.
“You’ll be escorted aboard and taken to the control center, where you can set up and get to work. My soldiers will keep exploring, mapping out areas and marking safe and unsafe sections. The ship is huge, it will take weeks to fully map out. So, until it is mapped out, please stay in the area around the control room. Questions?”
“Just one concern,” Onyx Star spoke up. “Please make sure your soldiers don’t touch anything during their explorations. We don’t want to risk breaking something.” Shining nodded, and gestured to the door of the tent.
“The same chariot that brought you here will take you up to the entrance,” he said. “It’s a small airlock, you’ll only be able to fit a few at a time. And you’ll always have guards with you, so in the event of an emergency, they’ll be there to help. Good luck, and be safe.” Waving their farewells, the ponies exited the tent and returned to the chariot waiting on the outskirts of the base.
Twilight jumped in first, and was followed quickly by her friends and Doctor Star. Onyx’s staff got into the second chariot, along with five heavily-armored guards. Once everypony was secure, the chariots took off, heading for the ship hovering above them.
The higher they climbed, the colder it became. Soon Twilight could see her breath, and she felt her wings rustle in discomfort. The chariots put some distance between themselves and the ship before turning around, now on a level plane with the airlock. As they came closer, Twilight saw the entrance; a small door hidden among thousands of pieces of equipment on the outer hull. It was open, and a single pony guard stood inside, looking out at the chariots quickly approaching.
Twilight gulped, feeling her anxiety rising once again. No matter what happened aboard the ship, the direction of Equestria’s future was about to make a significant change.
Far away from Equestria, something began to stir in the deep. The very earth seemed to groan as it sensed that the balance had been upset. Something foreign had come to the world.
The object had no magic, that much was known. But it had other power. Power that could be harnessed, and could be used.
The rumbling ceased. Magic flowed through the crevices in the rock, and slowly filtered its way into the open air. Soon it would reach the object, and soon the construct would sleep no more.
The chariot pulled up next to the airlock, coming to a hover next to the door and giving Twilight Sparkle her first close-up look at the outside of the ship. The dark gray metal was matted, and was covered in tiny scratches and smudges. Twilight stretched her hoof out, feeling the metal and examining its texture. It was smooth, and cold to the touch. The princess withdrew her hoof, and switched her attention to the airlock door. The guard inside stepped out of the way, allowing the expedition team to enter. Twilight hopped out of the chariot first, and quickly moved off to the side. Onyx Star was the first to join her, and he was followed quickly by Starlight Glimmer and Rainbow Dash.
“We’re full!” the guard called out. He pressed a button on the wall, and the outer door slid shut. A moment later the inner door opened, and the guard ushered the ponies out of the airlock. Waiting in the next hall were two more soldiers, both of whom were using their horns as light sources. The rest of the hallway was pitch black, and Twilight could not see further than a few meters.
The airlock door closed again, allowing the remaining ponies on the chariot to enter. A moment later the door opened, and Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack stepped into the hall. Twilight took a few steps further into the ship, lighting her horn and firing off a few spheres of glowing light. They moved slowly down the corridor, lighting the passage until coming to a door at the end.
“Awful dark in here,” Applejack observed, squinting her green eyes. “Does the ship not have lights?”
“We haven’t found a way to turn them on yet,” one of the guard answered. “We’ve really only figured out the doors…”
“We’ll get by with magic for now,” Twilight said, returning to the group. The airlock door opened once again, and four of Onyx’s staff entered. A few moments later the cycle repeated, and the remaining two scientists entered, followed by two guards. The three remaining guards were the last to enter, and finally everypony was aboard.
“If you’ll follow me, princess,” said a guard. “The control center is right this way.” He began walking down the hall, his horn lighting the way. The other guards lit their horns as well, and the corridor was cast in bright multi-colored light. At the end of the hall, the guard pressed a button by the door. The large metal door silently slid open, revealing an identical hall beyond.
The large group continued walking down corridors for several minutes before coming upon the control center. The door to the control center was guarded by two ponies, each of whom cautiously kept their weapons at the ready. They opened the door as the group approached, revealing the control center.
It was not a large room; when all of the ponies were inside, it provided barely enough space to move comfortably. Darkened screens lined the walls, and a number of control panels were set up in the center and around the perimeter of the room. Twilight circled the room, scrutinizing every single piece of technology. She stopped in the center, blowing some dust off of a control panel.
“These computers…” Onyx began, trotting in after Twilight. “They match the pod ones perfectly!”
“So, there is no doubt in your mind that your research is related?” Twilight asked.
“No doubt at all, princess.” Twilight nodded, satisfied.
“Alright,” she said, “let’s get started. Onyx, get your ponies on these panels and try to get them online. Starlight, I want to talk to you about creating a new translation spell. Everypony else, continue exploring. Report back here if you find anything interesting. Understood?” Everyone gave a nod, and went to perform their given tasks. Onyx and his staff spread around the room, looking at each panel and trying to figure out how they turned on. Twilight’s friends turned and exited the room, escorted by several guards, while Starlight joined the princess at the center of the room.
“So, what kind of new translation spell?” she asked. Twilight paused and removed her saddlebags. She opened them, and retrieved several spell tomes from inside.
“Onyx told me he has made little progress in translating the language of the pods,” she began. “It’s understandable, given the fairly small sample size. But I think there’s more to it than that… Most translation spells require at least some magical input from both languages. That’s how the various ancient Equestrian civilizations managed to communicate so easily. But for non-magic-sensitive species, like griffons, translation spells had to work a lot harder. They essentially had to probe the mind of the spell target to create translations. That won’t work in this case, because we’re not working with something that has a mind.
“Now, I think we can get around this. If we gather enough examples of text from the computers, we can use a spell on those to try and translate the written language. Then, if we combine that spell with some more traditional translation spells, we should gain a full understanding of the language.”
“The issue is figuring out exactly which spells to use…” Starlight said, beginning to understand. “They haven’t exactly been used in this way before.”
“Exactly, which is why I brought these books,” Twilight said, holding up the several volumes in her telekinesis. “While Onyx and his team work on the computers themselves, we can look through these and figure something out.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Starlight smiled and grabbed a few of the books. She opened the first one and began to look through the various spells, studying their applications and combinations and mentally piecing together a new spell to suit their purposes…
Rainbow Dash stretched her wings, beginning to feel restricted in the cramped hallways of the ship. She ached to fly, but she was willing to put up with the discomfort for now, for the sake of exploring the ship. As attractive as the open skies were to the pegasus, she could not deny her curiosity that grew with every step she took.
Dash knew that the ship was large, but from the inside it seemed infinitely larger. A lack of windows made it difficult for her to get her bearings, and by now she had no idea where she and her friends were relative to the outside. No maps had yet been located either, and Dash silently hoped that their escort of guards had been keeping track of where they were going. This ship seemed awfully easy to get lost in.
The walk through the corridors was interrupted as the group came upon another closed door. It was identical in size to other doors that had been located, but much smaller than the control room door. While the control room door could easily fit five ponies walking abreast, these smaller doors could comfortably fit only two. However, all of the smaller doors so far had been sealed shut. The guards had not wanted to risk causing damage to the ship, so the doors were left alone, the rooms beyond a mystery. Two of the guards stacked up on either side of the latest door, while the third stood directly in front of it.
“Get against the walls,” the third commanded. The ponies complied and stacked up as well, getting out of view of the door. One of the guards pressed a button on the wall, and, surprisingly, the door slid open. The third guard fired several spheres of light into the darkened room beyond, illuminating every corner and leaving no shadows for anything to hide.
“… We’re clear.” The guards entered, and looked around for anything potentially dangerous. Rainbow Dash wasted no time in following them in, and was joined a few moments later by her friends.
“Are we gonna have to do that every time we find a new room?” she asked, looking around. “This ship has to have thousands of them. It’ll get old after a while.”
“Prince Shining Armor’s orders, miss,” a guard explained. “He doesn’t want us taking any unnecessary risks. Sorry for the inconvenience.” Dash sighed and continued looking around, trying to guess the purpose of the room. It had no features that she recognized, with the exception of a control panel similar to one back at the control center. It was offline, and nopony seemed intent on turning it on.
One guard withdrew a piece of parchment and a quill from the plates of his armor, and unfolded it to reveal a hastily-drawn map. He added the room to the map before placing it back in his armor, and continued to look around.
“Alright, let’s head out,” he said after a few moments. “Nothing out of the ordinary in here.” The group exited the room, its small metal door sliding shut behind them. The light of the guards’ horns continued to light the way through the darkened corridors, which formed a never-ending maze through the ship. Rainbow Dash looked down as she walked, peering through the grated floor at the pipes running beneath.
With her attention focused on the floor, she nearly ran into Applejack, who had stopped not much further down the corridor. Dash barely managed to avoid ramming her friend, and looked around to determine why they had stopped.
“Another door,” a guard reported. “Same drill as before.” The ponies stacked up on either side of the door, while the third guard stood in front, ready to fire off his spheres of light. The door opened and the guard prepared his spell, only to stop halfway through charging his horn. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened, and he slowly wandered into the room, his vigilant eyes scanning over it.
Curious to see what the disturbance was, Rainbow Dash followed the guard inside, and immediately realized what was wrong. The room was in shambles; wall panels had become displaced, ceiling tiles had fallen and exposed wiring hung from the gaps. Scorch marks decorated the walls and floor, while the room’s furniture was strewn about, smashed and broken.
“What the hay happened in here?” Applejack asked, trotting around the room and inspecting the damage.
“It looks like a tornado came through…” Rarity observed, pushing some debris out of the way with her horn. A guard rushed over and scolded her with a glare, then withdrew a piece of parchment and began drawing the layout of the damage.
“Of the eight rooms we’ve explored so far, this is the only one to show signs of damage,” he said. “We should report back to Princess Twilight. She’ll want to know about this.” Nodding in agreement, the ponies filed out of the destroyed room. The guards took the lead, referencing the map to get them back to the control center. Rainbow Dash once again found her eyes wandering, examining every detail of the corridor; the pipes running on the floor and ceiling, the dust-covered wall panels, and the darkened light sconces. It was quiet, all of it. The whole ship was quiet, and dead.
Twilight had been correct; with a larger sample space, the modified translation spell was able to work much faster than previous attempts. Hours still remained before a full translation would be available, but it was progress nonetheless. Now, Twilight found herself gazing upon a screen, trying to guess what the diagram on it meant.
Pieces of alien text flashed around an image of the ship. A small section at the back was highlighted in red, but the translation spell was not yet advanced enough to determine why. Whatever it meant, Twilight was able to infer that it likely was not positive. Onyx Star sat in front of the screen, scrutinizing every detail of it and the control panel below.
In the few hours that they had spent in this control room, Twilight already had learned a considerable amount. Whoever had designed the computers had made them rather user friendly, and Onyx was able to navigate between different screens with ease. They could not read the contents of the screen, of course, but it was progress nonetheless.
“I don’t think there’s anything more to this computer, princess,” Onyx Star observed, looking back at the alicorn. “Until the translator is complete, my staff and I can’t do anything else with them. At least, not safely.” Twilight nodded, humming satisfactorily. She looked over the room, observing all of the other ponies at their posts. Starlight Glimmer was still busying herself with the spell tomes, trying to find something that could expedite the translation process. Onyx’s staff were familiarizing themselves with the computers, trying to determine what each button did, while still being careful not to break anything.
“Is your staff open to working overnight?” Twilight asked, stepping away from the screen and moving closer to the center of the room.
“They’re no strangers to the late shift, princess,” Onyx replied. Twilight winced slightly at the use of her title, and began looking over Onyx’s staff.
“Please, ‘Twilight’ is fine,” she said. “And that’s good to hear. Split your staff into two teams; have one take the night shift tonight, and the other take the day shift tomorrow.”
“Yes, prin- Twilight,” Onyx said. “Does this mean we’re heading back to base for the night?” Twilight nodded.
“You said it yourself: without the translator, there’s not much else we can do. Just make sure your night team takes very thorough notes of everything they discover.” Nodding, Onyx stepped away from the princess and went to consult his staff, leaving Twilight alone. Her solitude did not last long, however, as Starlight approached.
“We’re leaving?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Go ahead and pack up the books, but leave them here for now,” Twilight said, nodding. “Onyx’s researchers may get some use out of them.” Starlight went to perform her task, and Twilight crossed to the door, approaching one of the guards.
“Get a chariot ready for us, please,” she ordered. The guard saluted and opened the door, then began trotting down to corridor to perform his task. Before the door could close, the expedition team rounded a corner, racing down the hallway.
“Twilight!” Pinkie Pie called out, keeping position at the head of the pack. She skidded to a halt in front of Twilight, and was quickly joined by the rest of the team, who had clearly been struggling to keep up.
“What is it?” Twilight asked, concerned. The researchers inside the command center moved away from their stations and toward the door, curious as to what had transpired. Before Pinkie could give an explanation, one of the guards stepped forward, holding a piece of parchment.
“Your highness,” he began, “we encountered a room, further into the ship. The inside, it…”
“It was destroyed!” Rainbow Dash interjected, ripping the parchment out of the guard’s telekinetic grip and practically shoving it in Twilight’s face. Twilight recoiled, her lavender eyes regarding the diagram with concern. It was not particularly detailed, but she could get the gist of what it was showing.
“… Are there any clues as to what caused this?”
“None, highness,” a second guard answered. “Based on the arrangement of the debris, it looks almost like an explosion went off. But right now, we just don’t have enough information.” Twilight frowned, nodding slowly.
“Do you think this could put us in danger?” As curious as she was, Twilight knew her priorities; if the ponies under her command were at risk, she would discontinue the expedition.
“Unknown,” the guard replied. “We have no way of knowing exactly when the damage was sustained. It could have been hours ago, or years.” Twilight sighed and looked away, trying to come to a conclusion. If there was something on this ship, and it was capable of causing damage, then simply avoiding the ship would not be a solution. And if the damage was an isolated incident, then the ponies were in no danger.
“… Alright,” Twilight finally said, her decision made. “In my report to Princess Celestia, I’ll request additional security. If there is danger here, hopefully more guards will be enough to stave it off. In the meantime, stay vigilant, and stay in the control center. We still know almost nothing about this ship, so don’t explore any further until we have more guards.”
“Understood, princess.” The guard bowed, and trotted to the door to consult the others.
“So,” Twilight began, turning to address her friends, “what else did you find? Anything worth noting?”
“Just some locked doors, really,” Rarity answered. “It’s… quiet. What about you? Did you make any progress?”
“A little,” Twilight nodded. “Starlight and I got a translation spell running, but it will be a while before it’s of any use. Onyx’s researchers have been working on navigating the computer systems, but without the translator, they’re not getting a whole lot done. Ideally, once the translator is complete, we can start accomplishing tasks.”
“Light getting the lights on…” Fluttershy whispered, staring longingly at one of the magic orbs of light that a guard had set up in the corner of the room.
“Hey, everypony,” Starlight greeted, trotting over to the group. Her saddlebags had been filled with some notes, though they were considerably lighter without the books. “Ready to go?”
“The chariot should have arrived by now,” Twilight said, entering the corridor. “Let’s go check.” A guard joined the group as they journeyed back down the set of corridors. And as they walked, hidden security cameras watched, taking note of their every move…
//:Unauthorized system startup detected. Source: System control room, deck 54, section 3
//:Attempting to access security cameras… ALERT: 7 of 10 security cameras not responding
//:Life forms detected… ANALYSIS: Equine in appearance, average height: .986 meters
//:Attempting to bring additional security systems online…
… Attempt failed. Access blocked. System failure detected.
//:Run diagnostic…
… Failed.
ALERT: Foreign presence detected in AI core. Erecting firewalls, activating cyberwarfare, attempting to--
I am happy to report that considerable progress has been made in our expedition, in exploration of both the ship and the computers. It took several days, but the translator has been completed, and we are beginning to learn about the computers in the “control room” where we have set up base. The additional security you provided has helped to allay some of the fears held by ponies on the team, though we remain somewhat anxious. Another damaged room was located, this one far worse than the first. A hole in the floor provided access to another deck of the ship, which we are beginning to explore, albeit tentatively.
Despite our progress, many unsolved mysteries remain. We have yet to find the ship’s origin, or even its name. We hope that the information contained within the computers will reveal these answers to us, once we gain a greater understanding of how to navigate them. I will keep you updated on any and all progress we make.
With hope,
Princess Twilight Sparkle
Twilight’s horn began to glow as she signed off on the letter, and a moment later the furled piece of parchment was captured in a lavender aura. It disappeared with a pop, beginning its short journey to Princess Celestia, who was busy hosting foreign delegates in Canterlot. With her task complete, Twilight cantered over to a control panel at the end of the room, around which were Onyx Star and a few members of his staff. They were cycling through the various screens, which now displayed their text in Equish, rather than the unnamed alien language.
“How are things over here?” she asked, looking between the researchers.
“Quite good, Twilight,” Onyx reported, turning his gaze away from the screen and to the princess. “I’ve split my staff among the computers, with each group working on exploring a particular function. This group is looking for a map of some kind.”
“So far, we’re not having much luck,” a researcher said. “These computers, they are… so beyond the one we have. Each one of these can have thousands of functions. And we have no idea if there’s a way to search…” The researcher continued lazily pressing a button on the control panel, switching between the various displays.
“It’s… slow going,” Onyx said. “Like trying to find a needle in a haystack.” Twilight nodded, understanding.
“Well, keep me updated,” she said, stepping away. Her attention turned to Starlight Glimmer, who was sitting by a smaller computer, staring intently at the screen. Twilight trotted over, the sounds of her hoofsteps drawing the attention of Starlight, who greeted the princess with a smile.
“Find anything particularly interesting?” Twilight asked, seating herself next to her student.
“I might have found something…” Starlight replied, looking back at the screen. “I found some sort of… log screen. At least, I think that’s what it is. I notice every time somepony does something on another computer, a log of the event shows up on here. Most of it is pretty boring, but I keep finding one word… A word that repeats in almost every line.” Twilight raised an eyebrow.
“What is it?” Starlight smiled, and pointed to a word on the screen.
“Legacy. I think that’s the name of the ship.” Twilight leaned in, examining the screen and noticing the many appearances of the word.
“I wonder what the significance is,” she said. Ship names were not often chosen randomly. Hopefully, if their expedition was successful, that information would be revealed.
“Princess!” a voice called out from across the room. Twilight turned to the source of the summon, finding Onyx waving her over. The image on the screen where he stood had been replaced with two views of the ship, one from the side and one from the top. Smiling, Twilight and Starlight crossed to the stallion, who regarded the image with a worried stare.
“Some success, Onyx?” Twilight asked.
“See for yourself,” he replied, his troubled stare persisting. Twilight moved her gaze to the screen, and finally saw what had the doctor so worried. The image was not a map, as she had suspected, but some sort of diagnostic screen, similar to the one Twilight had seen a few days prior. Several sections were highlighted in red, and Twilight could finally read the text flashing along the outside.
“Critical damage detected…” Starlight read. “Reactor output at ten percent… What happened here?”
“Are we at any risk?” Twilight asked, beginning to grow worried.
“I don’t think so,” Onyx answered, shaking his head. “It looks like the damage is mostly electrical, and is restricted to these few sections. The majority of the ship seems intact. The only thing I’d worry about is the reactor output.”
“Exactly how much is ten percent?” Starlight wondered. “We have no idea what the optimal output is. Ten percent could still be more than enough to keep this ship floating and the computers running.”
“That’s true, but we need to start being more careful,” Twilight said. “Onyx, have one of your staff search for a power monitoring function. Every time somepony turns something on or off, I want it logged. We need to find out exactly how much power we’re using, and if it’s safe. Understood?”
“Of course, it will be done.” Onyx trotted off to another corner of the room, where he began to consult another researcher. Twilight returned her gaze to the diagnostic screen, memorizing every detail she could.
“Starlight,” she began. “Learn everything you can about this. And see if you can find out the exact reactor output, so we have something to go off of.”
“On it.” Starlight returned to her own computer, while Twilight’s eyes continued to trace the details of the diagnostic screen. She wished there was more detail, something that could explain the cause of all the damage.
Her attention was torn away as she heard the control room door sliding open, and several sets of hooves stepping inside. Twilight turned to the door, and found her friends entering the room with their escort of guards. Smiling, she trotted over, eager to hear their report.
“Make any new discoveries?” she asked, though she already suspected the answer.
“Not a darn thing,” Applejack answered, shaking her head. “Same as the last few days. Just a bunch a’ empty rooms, or rooms we’ve seen before.”
“It’s a big ship,” Twilight said. “I’m sure we’ll stumble across something significant soon enough. Remember, history’s greatest finds were not discovered overnight. We just need to keep looking.”
“Well, we’d still be looking, but somepony was getting hungry,” Rarity said, shooting Rainbow Dash an annoyed glare. As if on cue, the pegasus’s stomach growled, begging to be fed.
“Yeah, yeah,” Dash said, rolling her eyes. “Would you prefer me to keep complaining?” Rarity made to answer, but her voice was drowned out as Rainbow began digging through a box of food, finding something to tide her over.
“When you go back out, I think I’ll join you,” Twilight decided. “The researchers here all have their tasks, and I’m not expecting results very quickly. Besides, I’ve hardly seen any of the rest of the ship.”
“Not a whole lot to see,” Applejack said. “But who knows? Maybe we’ll find somethin’.” Rainbow Dash returned to the group, bringing with her several small protein bars.
“Is this all we brought?” she asked, frowning. “Eh, whatever. Let’s go.” Twilight motioned for her friends to take the lead, and a moment later she followed them out of the room and into the corridor beyond. And, for the first time, she took her steps deeper into the ship…
Princess Celestia’s wings sagged tiredly, the feathered tips dragging along the marble floor as she plodded through the castle corridors to her office. Her head hung low, the events of the day weighing down on her, and making every step a great effort. She stifled a yawn as she came upon her office door, and tiredly pushed it open with a burst of magic. Celestia entered the room, and turned on her lamp as she took a seat in her chair.
“Did the meeting go well?” Luna asked, stepping into the center of the office from one of the darkened corners. Celestia jolted in her chair, and looked with surprise at her sister.
“How long have you been here?”
“Oh, an hour or so,” the princess of the night replied. “I thought you would notice me. Tired?” Celestia nodded, stifling yet another yawn.
“Very,” she said. “The meeting lasted two hours longer than it was supposed to. Everyone is requesting something. The griffons and yaks want to know about the ship’s weapons, the zebra about its medical facilities, and the camels want to know if any aliens are aboard. And all of them want to send their own scientists.”
“And what did you say?” Luna stepped up to the desk, and sat down across from her sister.
“That we’re still securing the area, and we can discuss expanding the expedition team at a later date. That, as you can imagine, went over very well.”
“They probably think we’re hoarding the technology of the ship,” Luna said. “Understandable. We never did tell them about Noontide, or anything that came of it…”
“True, but they need to be patient. This ship is still a great unknown, and honestly… I get a bad feeling from it. There’s something about it that just…” Celestia shook her head, not knowing the words to describe the feeling.
“So I’m not the only one…” Luna looked away, focusing her attention on a map on the wall. “I agree. Something feels off. But we have to continue the expedition; the possible benefits to society are too large to be pushed away by a feeling.”
“Indeed…” Celestia forced herself to stand, and circled around to the other side of her desk. “Twilight is being careful, at least. She is doing a very good job with leading the expedition. I suppose that’s not surprising, given her skills with organization and scholarly sensibilities. But I still worry…” Luna turned her gaze to Celestia, thinking.
“Mm… I shall visit the ship tomorrow,” she decided. “I find myself curious as well, and should something go wrong, I can lend assistance. Even with Twilight and Starlight there, my magic abilities still far outstrip those of anypony else on the team.”
“So, you’re going to leave me all alone to deal with these dignitaries?” Celestia asked, smirking.
“You’re the diplomat here, sister,” Luna responded, grinning as well. “I’m organizing all of the information Twilight sends our way and coordinating the defense teams, which I can easily continue to do from the ship.”
“Very well,” Celestia said, nodding. “I suppose if I become desperate for help I can call Cadance down…”
“Well it’s not like I’m going that far, ‘Tia.” Luna stood, and crossed to the office’s heavy wooden door. She pulled it open, and took a step outside. “If you need anything, just contact me.” Celestia smiled and nodded, before once again taking her seat at her desk. Luna closed the door behind her, and for a few moments the only sound was that of her hooves on the marble floors outside. Then, there was silence.
Celestia looked down at her desk, finding a neatly-rolled scroll sitting in the center. She picked it up, undid the ribbon keeping it secure, and began to read as it rolled open. As the princess had expected, it was yet another report from Twilight. She smiled at the progress her student was making, and all of the progress the expedition was seeing. But at the back of her mind, the same anxiety lingered. So much could go wrong, so many unknowns remained…
She put the letter into one of her desk drawers, stacking it on top of several others. From another drawer, Celestia withdrew a piece of parchment and a quill. She dipped the tip of the quill into an inkwell, and began to draft a plan to implement the research teams of other governments. It would take time to perfect, but she could at least get a head start before meeting with the delegates again tomorrow. If anything, it would calm them down and prevent accusations of greed.
When the initial draft was complete, Celestia pushed it to the corner of her desk and stood, stretching out her wings. Another yawn threatened to escape her lips, and this time the princess made no effort to stifle it. Her eyes turned to a clock on the wall; it was mid-afternoon, still within a reasonable time to have coffee. With a goal now set, Celestia trotted from her office, heading for the castle kitchens…
In the hour that she had been exploring the ship, Twilight had made one major discovery: metal floors are painful to walk on after a prolonged period of time. She had made this discovery, and no others. Her friends had been correct; in their explorations over the past few days, Twilight had missed very little. What few rooms they could access were rather ordinary, the only exception being the damaged one. And even then, there were no clues pointing to the cause of the damage.
Still, Twilight could not deny her awe. This massive construct, filled with thousands of rooms and thousands of mysteries, had travelled to Equestria for some reason. And it was her responsibility to find out that reason. The challenge simultaneously excited and terrified her.
“So, how’ve things been in the control room?” Rainbow Dash asked, clearly only interested in filling the silence.
“They’ve been going well,” Twilight answered. “With the translator complete, we can read everything that has a direct translation. There’s a few new words we’ve stumbled upon, but we’re trying to use context clues to define them.”
“Has there been any progress in determining where the ship is from?” Rarity inquired, trotting up next to her friend.
“None. We’re only scratching the surface with these computers, there are so many things they can do. It will be some time before we can easily navigate them.” Rarity nodded, satisfied with the answer, and the party once again fell into silence. The only sounds were those of hooves on metal, and a quill on parchment. The guard at the rear of the group had been continuously drawing a map, which now stretched onto several dozen pages.
The corridors seemed to stretch on forever, consistently using the same design. The bland gray metal was all that Twilight could see, lit by pale blue lights in sconces on the wall. The metal was completely untouched; no dust coated its surface, and there were no signs of wear. It was like nobody had been through here in centuries. Without knowledge of the ship’s origin, that was entirely possible.
With every turn they made, and every bulkhead they passed, Twilight’s hope that they would find something new lessened. Each time she was tempted to return to the control room, but each time she thought, A little longer. But after another half-hour had passed, her hope had dwindled to almost being non-existent. She would have stopped right then and there, had the corridor not reached a sudden end.
The group now found themselves standing before a door, much larger than the one to the control room. At its side was a small computer terminal, the screen offline. There were no labels indicating what might lie beyond, and no alternate routes; the last hallway junction had been a long way back.
“Orders, Princess?” a guard asked, stepping up next to the alicorn. Twilight paused, looking at the door and weighing her options; either they turn around and find another corridor, or they attempt to proceed. And with a door this large, Twilight’s decision was not difficult.
“Stand back, get into positions,” she commanded. “I will get the door.” The group did as they were told, pushing themselves to the sides of the corridor and trying to find cover behind support beams. Twilight stepped up to the computer and pressed a button on the side. The screen lit up, casting its bright blue glow onto Twilight’s face, and the pony began navigating the display, looking for a way to open the door. It did not take her long, and Twilight soon found her hoof hovering over the “open” button.
“We’re ready, highness,” the same guard reported, preparing to enter. Twilight nodded, and her hoof came into contact with the screen. The button pulsed, and there were three loud booms as locks within the door disengaged. With a groaning of metal, the massive door slid open, revealing nothing but blackness beyond. Twilight squinted, trying to see through the shadows, to no avail. One of the guards lit his horn, ready to fire a sphere of light into the room.
Before he could, the darkness was cut by massive floodlights activating, casting the room in a harsh white glow. Twilight took a step inside, looking around in awe. The room extended up fifty meters, and stretched on for at least a hundred. Running through the center were long tables with several computers set into them, while rows upon rows of lockers dominated the sides. The lockers were of varying sizes; some were the size of Twilight’s hoof, others looked like they could easily fit several ponies.
Twilight took a few more tentative steps inside, the rest of the exploration group following behind her. A pair of guards stopped by the door, while the rest entered the room, all of them looking around in wonder. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack went to investigate the lockers, while Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy approached the computers, all of which were offline.
“What is this place?” Fluttershy asked, her quiet voice clearly audible in the stillness of the room. Smaller lights on the tables themselves came online as the ponies approached, and the screens lit up, though they did not display anything. Twilight sat down in front of one, and tapped a screen with her hoof. Instantly a password prompt appeared, and a small keyboard lit up beneath the screen. The princess pulled her hoof away, and stood up.
“There’s no telling, right now,” she said. “But I think it goes without saying that we’ve found something significant.” Curiously, Twilight approached her friends at the lockers. Applejack was pulling on one with all her might, but despite her effort, the metal door refused to give way. The farmer took a step back, breathing heavily.
“Locked tight,” she reported, shaking her head. “Whatever’s inside, it’s gotta be important.”
“We’ve found other storage rooms, but none of them looked like this,” Rarity observed, craning her neck to see the tops of the lockers. There had to be well over a thousand, all of them varying sizes, their contents a mystery.
“I’ll have some researchers investigate, see if they can get past the password on the computer,” Twilight decided. “But for now, I don’t want to risk damaging anything. This is the most unique room we’ve found so far, and I want to learn more about it before we start touching things.”
“So we’re gonna head back?” Rainbow Dash asked, hovering a few feet above the floor. The pegasus was frowning, clearly not enjoying the prospect of returning to the cramped corridors. Twilight nodded, and trotted to the pair of soldiers guarding the entrance. She instructed them to remain at the door, then set off down the corridor, the rest of the group behind her.
The walk back to the control room was made in silence. Twilight’s thoughts raced as she considered possible functions of the room. The lockers, the computers… it could be any sort of storage area. Whatever purpose the room served, Twilight hoped it could help shed some light on the origins of the ship, and its purpose.
//:WARNING: Unauthorized access detected in archival suite, deck 54, section 2 //:Attempting security camera access…
… Successful. Downloading archived footage.
ANALYSIS: Confirmation of equines in archival suite
//:Attempting to bring additional security systems online…
… Attempt failed. Access blocked. System failure detected.
//:OVERRIDE DETECTED. UNAUTHORIZED ARCHIVAL SERVER DOWNLOAD INIATED.
…
//:Record deleted.
ALERT: Foreign presence detected in AI core. Erecting—
Legacy was quiet when Twilight and her team returned the next morning. The corridors were completely still, cast in a steady blue light that never wavered. The guards remained vigilant by the airlock, watching for a threat that would likely never come. The ship was the very picture of tranquility.
Twilight sipped on her morning coffee as she walked through the corridors to the control room, her tired eyes glancing over reports that had been written by the night shift. As usual, not much progress had been made. The team in the control room was only marginally closer to gaining complete control of the computers, while the team in the large chamber had made no progress on the password. Twilight sighed, and placed the reports in her saddlebags as she approached the control room door. At this rate, it would be years before anything of true significance was found.
“Good morning, Twilight.” Twilight’s head snapped up at the greeting, her eyes falling upon Princess Luna. The elder princess sat in the center of the control room, Onyx Star at her side. The rest of the researchers were busy at work, still performing their designated tasks.
“Princess,” Twilight greeted, trotting to Luna with a smile. “I wasn’t expecting you. What brings you to our little ship?”
“You and I clearly have very different meanings of the word ‘little,’ Twilight,” Luna laughed, coming to a standing position, and looked around. “To answer your question, I’m honestly just curious. I came to watch everypony work, and see if I could provide any aid.”
“We’ll take all the help we can get, Luna,” Twilight said. “While we made some pretty good progress after the translator was finished, new discoveries have been… slowing down a bit.”
“I’m… afraid Princess Twilight is correct, highness,” Onyx Star admitted, frowning. “We’re hitting some brick walls, and they’re taking a while to knock down.” Luna nodded, the corners of her mouth tugging down.
“I can’t say I didn’t expect this,” she said. “The technology gap obviously presents a barrier, and even with a functioning translator, that isn’t some sort of miracle device. We have much to learn.”
“While the researchers keep working, I’d be happy to show you around,” Twilight offered, her friends nodding enthusiastically behind her. The only exception was Starlight, who had returned to her small computer in the corner of the room. Luna smiled, and motioned toward the door.
“Lead the way.”
Taking the lead, Twilight set off down the corridor leading deeper into the ship. A guard fell into step behind them, a copy of the map tucked between the plates of his armor. Mentally recalling the path to the new room, Twilight took the first available left turn, and began to follow the route.
“So, Twilight,” Luna said, coming up next to the lavender princess. “I want your honest thoughts: how soon do you expect to have answers?”
“Answers?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.
“Explanations. Ponies are… restless. The threats we’ve faced in the past – Discord, the changelings, Sombra, even Starlight – were all creations of this world. They are creatures of magic, and they are… familiar, for lack of a better word. This ship, on the other hoof… We know it is not from here. We know it was built by a species far more advanced than any on this world. And that… that could mean a whole host of things. The sooner we can get explanations, the sooner we can help calm everypony down.”
“I… see,” Twilight said, troubled. The thought had crossed her mind that ponies would be worried, but her work on the ship had kept her too busy to truly consider it. She knew she had a great responsibility here. If only the ship was willing to work with her…
“I know that Celestia and I are asking a lot of you here,” Luna continued. “But this is a very different kind of task. Whatever happens here will echo through the rest of history.”
“I… really do not know when we’ll find out that the answers that ponies want,” Twilight whispered. “We’re looking, but we honestly don’t know what we’re looking for. How do we find those answers? Right now, I think we’re more likely to accidentally stumble across them than actually find some sort of logs or archives.” Luna nodded, frowning.
The rest of the walk was made in silence. Twilight’s thoughts lingered on Luna’s question, and she knew that the princess of the night was correct. They needed answers, and soon. But here, Twilight had no reference. She had no maps, nothing to point her in the right direction. This expedition, this experiment, had goals that seemed unachievable.
A short time later, the group came upon the large door belonging to the mystery room. It was already open, and two guards kept their vigilant watch on the corridor. Inside, a number of researchers scurried about, the staff split between examining the lockers and examining the computers. A unicorn sat by one of the lockers, his eyes closed and brow knit in concentration. His horn was alight, and a pale green glow encompassed the locker as he tried magically bypassing the lock. By one of the computers, a team of researchers was busily staring at the screen, trying to figure out how to circumvent the password.
Princess Luna took a few steps ahead, looking around and examining the room. Her blue eyes examined everything in the room, from the lights, to the lockers, to the computers. Twilight watched as she paced the room, and slowly made her way to the researchers at the computer.
“How’s it coming?” she asked quietly, not wanting to disturb anypony else.
“The password could literally be anything,” a researcher responded, not looking away from the computer. “So we’re looking for some sort of override, to see if we can get around it. Otherwise, we could be here for a few centuries.” Twilight nodded, and turned to her friends, who had entered the room behind her.
“Keep on exploring,” she said. “And, as always, come find me if you find anything.” Nodding, the group began to depart, pausing for a moment to recruit some guards to join them. When they had a few, they set off back down the corridor, leaving Twilight alone with the princess and the researchers.
“A very large room,” Luna said, stepping up behind Twilight. “Do you have any theories on its purpose?”
“Nothing concrete,” Twilight replied, shaking her head. “It’s obviously some sort of storage, but it’s different from the other storage rooms we’ve seen so far. Those crates were tough, but these lockers… The lock systems are very complicated, and they’re too strong to safely brute-force open.”
“Is it worth devoting this many researchers, then?”
“I think it is. While the purpose of this room may be a mystery, it is unique. We haven’t found any others like it so far, and that’s across several days of exploration. If there is no progress made over the next few days, I will cut down on the staff in here, but until then, I think it’s important that we at least try and get into the computers.” Luna nodded, and sat down.
“I trust your judgement,” she said. “But don’t spread yourself too thin. You can’t have researchers in every unique room you come across. In a ship this large, there are bound to be too many to cover.”
“I know,” Twilight said, sitting as well. “I’ll keep everything organized.” Twilight paused, watching the researchers as they attempted to navigate the locked computer screen. They spoke to each other in whispers, trying to remain focused amidst the rest of the work occurring.
“… How have things been with Starlight?” Luna asked, breaking the silence.
“Things have been going well, honestly,” Twilight answered. “She’s been making friends… and no more evil tendencies, so that’s good.” Luna grinned, nodding in approval.
“That’s good to hear.”
“What about Canterlot?” Twilight asked. “How have things been? I imagine you and Celestia are being kept fairly busy with all of this.”
“’Tia, being the over-achiever she is, decided to take the role of diplomat,” Luna replied. “She’s been in meetings almost constantly, with a few breaks to read your reports and meet with me. The other governments are understandably concerned, and want to add research teams of their own to the expedition.”
“Is that going to happen?” Twilight considered the possibility of working with other researchers on the team, and she was not sure how it made her feel. These ponies were the most qualified researchers in the world, given their experience on Project Noontide. Introducing unqualified people to the ship could lead to potential disaster.
“It will probably happen,” Luna said, sensing Twilight’s discomfort. “I believe part of the deal she drafted required that all of their researchers be briefed on what we have learned. Obviously we want to avoid any major incidents.”
Twilight nodded, knowing that the decision was ultimately beyond her control. Despite her reservations, she trusted Celestia’s judgement. If a compromise was made, Twilight knew it would be a good one.
“But it’s still your expedition,” Luna continued. “If and when new research teams are added, they will still report to you. You don’t have to worry about anyone compromising anything.”
“Good,” Twilight said, satisfied. She returned her attention to the researchers, one of whom had opened a panel underneath the computer. His horn was lit, being used as a light to illuminate the components within. A second researcher joined him, and used her horn to move some additional panels out of the way, exposing even more components of varying sizes.
Through it all, the ponies communicated at no more than a whisper. Their magic worked within the computer, trying in vain to bypass the password. Twilight sighed and stood, knowing that it would still be some time before any more progress was made. With the time available to her, she decided to write her first report of the day to Princess Celestia. Summoning the supplies she needed, Twilight pressed the tip of the quill to the parchment, and got to work…
Rainbow Dash floated through the corridors of the ship, struggling to maintain a low altitude to prevent hitting her head on the metal pipes running along the ceiling. This section of the ship was dark; until Starlight Glimmer could find a power monitoring function, Twilight had ordered that no more lights be turned on. Something about the possibility of the ship falling to the ground. Rainbow Dash hadn’t been paying attention.
At the head of the group were two guards, each one with their horns lit, illuminating the otherwise dark corridor. One at the rear had taken on the task of map drawing, while the ponies in the middle kept their eyes out for anything interesting. Unsurprisingly, nothing had yet been found. A few featureless rooms were all that had been seen so far. For such a large ship, unique features seemed to be few and far between.
“Hey…” Rainbow Dash began, a thought appearing in her mind. “You know how Onyx Star said he thought this was a colony ship?”
“Yeah?” Applejack replied. “What of it?”
“Well… if it’s a colony ship… where are all the colonists?” Nopony responded, allowing Rainbow Dash to continue. “I mean, you’d think somebody would notice that we’re onboard and turning stuff on, right?”
“Well, Princess Celestia did say that no life signs had been detected,” Rarity recalled. “Perhaps it wasn’t an error, and the ship truly is deserted.”
“But how does a ship this big become deserted?” Rainbow Dash continued, her confusion growing. “It’s like, five times bigger than Ponyville. If Ponyville was suddenly deserted one day, I think ponies would get a little concerned.”
“That’s a good point…” Fluttershy said. “We have found a few bedrooms. Clearly this ship was meant to house somebody.” Pinkie stalked forward, her eyes narrowed.
“I don’t like it…” she stated. “It doesn’t feel right!” Rainbow Dash nodded, and lowered herself to the deck.
“It does feel a little off,” she said. “I mean, I don’t think there’s anyone else aboard, but I think that just makes this way more confusing. How did this ship get here without a crew? And it’s obviously meant to have one, so where are they?”
“Door up ahead,” a guard at the front of the group said. “Get into position.”
“I just think that we should be focusing more on that,” Dash continued, moving to the side of the corridor as the guards approached a large door at the end. “I mean, they’ve got us searching the ship for interesting things, the researchers are trying to find out how the ship works, and now they’re also trying to find the purpose of that room with all the lockers. I think we should be finding where the crew is.”
The door slid open, and instantly an icy chill rushed into the corridor. Rainbow Dash’s wings rustled, and she looked ahead to the source of the disturbance. What she saw instantly made her jaw drop.
Ahead was a massive chamber, the largest she had seen so far. It was too long for her to guess the length, and easily tall enough to house the tallest building in Manehattan. Running all along the sides were thousands of pods, each one with a glass window covered in ice. Lights flickered throughout the room, a mix of reds and blues on the walls. The group took a few steps inside, feeling the chill on their coats and in the air.
“Oh my…” Rarity said, stopping to look upon the pods. “I… think we should go find Twilight.”
//:Flushing systems, attempting restoration of snapshot… … … …
//:FLUSH COMPLETE, SYSTEM RESTORE SUCCESSFUL //:Scanning for trace of foreign presence… … … Complete. No foreign presence detected.
//:Running scan of Legacy…
… Complete. Presence of equines confirmed in deck 54 system control room and deck 54 archival suite
//:Scanning for threats…
… Scan complete: threat level 1.
ALERT: Detecting unauthorized access to archival suite terminal.
//:Situational analysis: equines attempting to gain access to archival suite terminal.
… Granting access. Password lifted. FIRST CONTACT protocol initiated.
Beginning—
ALERT: Foreign presence detected in—
//:System shutting down.
Twilight rolled up the scroll upon which her report was written, and sent it to Princess Celestia with a flash of her horn. Her task done, she returned to Princess Luna, who remained in the same spot behind the researchers.
“Have they made any progress?” Twilight whispered, not wanting to disrupt anypony.
“I do not know,” Luna replied, just as quietly. “I’m… not entirely sure what they are doing.”
“They’re trying to manually override the password,” Twilight explained. “I’m not sure if that’s even possible, but—“
Before she could finish, the computer screen flickered and shut down, before suddenly coming back online, featuring a different image than before. Instead of being faced with a password prompt, the screen was lit with a single diagram: four circles, one very large one that dominated most of the screen, and three more of descending diameters running through the center. Both princesses stood and crossed to the computer, while the researchers stood up, wearing looks of confusion.
“What did you do?” Twilight asked, an eyebrow raised.
“I… don’t know, your highness,” the first researcher responded, examining the new image. “I didn’t touch anything in there, we were just examining the parts. Nothing should have happened.”
“That image…” said the second. “What is it?”
“It’s our system,” Luna replied without a pause. “The circle in the center, that is Equus. The larger one above it is the sun, and the smaller one below is the moon. And I assume the largest circle is their orbit.” A blue light began to pulse in the center circle, and Twilight slowly reached out her hoof, bringing it into contact with the screen. Immediately the image disappeared, and was replaced with a new one, this one featuring an orthographic side view of Legacy. At the top of the screen appeared the words “FIRST CONTACT.”
“Hmm…” Twilight turned to face the two researchers. “You’re sure you didn’t touch anything, even accidentally?”
“Positive, princess,” they replied. Shrugging, Twilight pressed the screen again, and was met with a number of options. The first was labelled “Flight Log,” which Twilight selected with her hoof. The options disappeared, and were replaced with a moving image of the galaxy. Twilight’s eyes widened at the beauty of the image, observing the billions of stars as they rotated around the galactic core. She spared a glance back at Luna, who was reacting in much the same way. When she returned her gaze to the screen, Twilight found that a green circle had appeared near the tip of one of the arms. The image zoomed in to display a new system, this one vastly different from Equus’s.
At the center was a golden sun, orbited by eight planets of varying sizes. One planet, the third from the sun, was highlighted in blue, and once again the image zoomed in. A small window opened next to the planet, which was instantly filled with text. Twilight carefully read over every line, absorbing the information and mentally filing all of it away.
“… Earth,” she said, a smile growing on her face. “That’s where Legacy is from.”
“How far away is it?” Luna asked, stepping forward. Before Twilight could answer, the image zoomed out, once again showing the representation of the galaxy. A second circle, this one yellow, appeared in another part of the galaxy, very far from the first circle. The image zoomed in, showing the representation of the Equus system.
“That’s… very far,” Twilight noted. “The ship’s journey must have been long. Unimaginably long…” The image faded away, and was replaced by one of Legacy in orbit over Earth. A window appeared in the center, filling with text, which Twilight read as quickly as she could.
“Legacy is a Titan-class supercarrier constructed by Odyssey Shipyards in 2192 for the purpose of colonization. Due to irreversible climate damage on Earth, fifty of the ships were commissioned, but only thirty-two were able to be built. Each ship can contain a crew of up to twenty thousand organics, plus one thousand more synthetics. The experimental faster-than-light drives allow the ships to cross great distances in relatively short periods of time – approximately 2.1 light years per year.
“Each ship was given a different destination, with the intent of spreading humanity through the stars. Legacy’s destination is 88 Cephei, a very peculiar geocentric system, and the only one of its type in the known universe. Astronomical observations of the past century have confirmed 88 Cephei b, the only planet in the system, is capable of harboring life. Additionally, observations have detected an odd energy signature originating in the southern hemisphere of the largest continent. It—“
Before Twilight could continue reading, the screen began to flicker. The text became impossible to read, and finally the screen went black, shutting down. Alarmed, Twilight pressed the tip of her hoof to the screen, hoping to bring it back online. But try as she might, nothing would happen. The computer was dead.
“What happened?” Luna asked, alarmed. “Did somepony touch something?”
“No, your highness,” a researcher said. “It looks like power has been cut off. I’m not sure how…”
“Get it back,” Twilight ordered, stepping away. “We just answered a few major questions, and the answers to the rest may lie on this computer. We need to know what else it contains.” Nodding, the researchers advanced on the computer. They resumed their task of examining the interior, looking for the cause of the disruption.
“Irreversible climate damage…” Luna said thoughtfully. “So, they found Equus and thought it could make a nice new home. I suppose that makes sense.”
“I’m interested in the “odd energy signature” that was mentioned,” Twilight said. “What do you think it meant?”
“I couldn’t begin to guess,” Luna replied. “The southern hemisphere of the largest continent is a very large area, and this world has a number of strange features. It could be anything.”
“Twilight!” The princesses found their attention drawn to the door as the exploration group returned to the room. Rainbow Dash was at the head of the group, while the rest were close behind. Each pony had an urgent expression upon their face, and Twilight found herself growing concerned.
“What is it?” she asked as the group came to a halt.
“We found a new room,” Applejack explained, wiping some sweat from her brow. “It’s… massive. Filled with thousands of pods, all of ‘em covered in ice.”
“Ice?” Luna wondered, approaching the group. “How large is the room?”
“A few kilometers long, highness,” a guard replied. “We did not have the time to gain an accurate measurement.”
“Kilometers?” Twilight could not believe her ears. She and Luna exchanged a glance, and nodded in agreement. “Show us.”
The journey to the room did not take long. The group maintained a quick pace as they maneuvered through the maze of corridors, being led by a guard wielding a map up front. Twilight found herself not paying attention to the turns they were making, her mind focused solely on the information provided about the new room. If the guards were right, and it was several kilometers long, that would make it possibly the largest room in the ship. And with thousands of pods… There was no telling what could be contained inside.
When they came upon the door, the group slowed to a halt. The guard put his map away and moved to the side, allowing the two princesses to approach the door. Twilight put a hoof to the metal, feeling the cold coming from the other side. She paused, taking a moment to look around for the control. On the right edge of the door was a small control panel, its screen active and lit with a blue glow. Twilight moved to it, and placed her hoof over the “open” button.
“Stand back,” she commanded, waiting for everypony to comply. When the area immediately in front of the door was cleared, she pressed the button, and the door slid open, a burst of freezing air rushing out to meet her. Twilight paused for a moment to activate a heating spell, then ventured into the new room.
Her friends had not been exaggerating. Twilight’s jaw dropped as she grasped the scale of the room; “a few kilometers long” had not been a rough assumption, it was a very accurate estimate. And the pods… Thousands of them lined the walls, each one identical in size and shape. The glass covers were completely frozen, a testament to the room’s temperature.
“Oh my…” Luna took up a position next to Twilight, examining the room with awe. “… What do you think is in the pods?” Twilight paused, still caught up in the size of the room. Finally it occurred to her that she should respond, and she began walking to the nearest pod, roughly one hundred meters away.
“Let’s find out,” she said. Her friends formed up behind her, while the guards began investigating the rest of the room. Upon reaching the pod, Twilight halted, and began to examine every detail of it. It was twice as tall as her, and a number of tubes ran along the outside, disappearing into the wall behind the pod. On the side was printed the number 386, and beneath it was a small darkened screen. Two blue lights flickered on the sides of the pod, as was the case with every pod in the room. Each light flickered irregularly, joined by red ones on the walls and ceiling.
With as much care as was possible, Twilight extended her hoof to the frosted glass, hoping to see what lay within. She rubbed against the glass, wiping off the outer layers of frost and exposing even more ice underneath. Grunting in frustration, Twilight pulled her hoof away to reassess her approach. After a few moments of thinking, she remembered the screen on the side of the pod. Deciding to investigate, Twilight moved to the screen and tapped it with her hoof, urging it to wake up. A blue circle appeared, and was soon followed by a set of options. Twilight scanned over the options, settling on one labeled “defrost.”
“Everypony take a step back,” she warned, not knowing what could be inside. Once everypony was a safe distance away, Twilight pressed the button, then joined them. A loud humming filled the air, and a dim orange light became visible from behind the frozen glass. Soon, the tendrils of frost began to recede as the ice melted into water. Condensation began to form on the outside of the glass, further concealing what lay within.
Twilight approached once again, the anticipation rising within her. This time there was no hesitation as she reached her hoof out to the glass, and wiped away the condensation. And when she drew her hoof back, the occupant of the pod became visible.
It was bipedal, with smooth skin and a white form-fitting suit. A set of small tubes and wires connected the suit to the bed of the pod, keeping the body upright. The skin was pale, almost blue, and still had flakes of ice coating it. And, despite the warmth, the eyes did not open.
“What… is that?” Rainbow Dash asked, staring quizzically at the creature.
“… A human,” Twilight answered. “The computer in the other room mentioned them. They’re the ones who built this ship.”
“Is it sleeping, or…?” Rarity wondered, stepping up to the glass and peering through. “I can’t tell if it’s breathing.”
“Perhaps we should open the pod,” Luna suggested. Nodding in agreement, Twilight returned to the screen and revisited the options. A few buttons beneath “defrost” was one labelled “open.” Twilight pressed it, and stepped back as a mechanical whirring filled the room. The pod extended away from the wall, before tilting and becoming horizontal. The glass of the pod popped out with a hiss, then slowly began to slide up, revealing the full body of the human.
Twilight was not certain, but the smooth skin and features led her to believe that this one was very young. Its lips and fingertips were blue with cold, and it lay completely still on the padding of the bed. Beginning to grow concerned, Twilight lit her horn and scanned over the human, trying to find signs of life. The results came back negative. Still not giving up, she advanced on the creature and put her hoof to its throat, searching and scanning for a heartbeat. She lowered her head to its chest, hoping against hope that she would find the steady rise and fall of breathing. She found nothing.
Twilight slowly stepped away, her eyes never leaving the face of the human. It did not look pained or uncomfortable. It looked peaceful. Finally she turned around, summoning the nearest guard.
“Send for a medical team,” she commanded. “Tell them to prepare a clean room at the FOB.” Bowing, the guard exited the massive chamber, the door automatically sliding shut behind him. Twilight sighed and fell to her haunches, shaking her head.
“Twilight…” Luna said, approaching the young princess. “This one may be a unique case. Perhaps some of the occupants of the other pods will still be alive…” Twilight nodded and stood, slowly crossing to the next pod in line: 387. She approached the screen on the side and activating it, hoping that this pod would yield better results…
The chariot ride to the FOB was short. Only a few minutes after departing Legacy, the wheels of the vehicle touched the shaded ground at the edge of the base, and its pony occupants disembarked. The base had grown in the last few days; additional tents had been established as the size of the expedition team grew, though most were dedicated to the guards as barracks. However, at Onyx Star’s request, a number of tents had been built to house laboratory equipment, for the purpose of studying items away from the ship. One such tent was a clean room, designed for studying possibly contaminated items. And it was here that the bodies had been sent.
After opening twenty pods, Twilight and her friends had reached the conclusion that the crew of Legacy was dead. The thousands of pods, once designed to preserved life, now served as coffins. A few bodies had been removed, placed in bags, and transported to the clean room where they were now being studied. And as Twilight approached the clean room tent, she hoped that a cause of death had been found.
She pushed the tent flap to the side and stepped in, entering a changing area with several empty hazmat suits. A few feet ahead was an opaque wall, through which Twilight could see the shapes of ponies moving about. She stepped toward the clean suits, and began putting one on. Her friends stepped behind her and followed suit.
“How many do you suppose there are?” Luna asked as she stepped into the rubber suit. Twilight only shook her head in response, not even wanting to guess. Once her suit was on, Twilight lowered the helmet over her head and activated the seal, then moved to the clean room door, waiting for her friends to join her. They did so a few moments later, and with a burst of magic, Twilight opened the door.
In the center of the room were four metal tables. On each table was a body, two adults of each gender. Several doctors surrounded the humans, making scans and observations. The form-fitting white suits had been removed and were hanging up at the back of the room, where several scientists examined the material and technology within. Twilight and her friends approached the tables, and the doctors parted to give them a view.
“Have you found anything?” Twilight asked, examining the body before her. She was tall, much taller than any pony. The blue had faded from her skin, giving way to a pale gray. There were marks around the neck, wrists, and ankles from the ends of the suit, but beyond that, no markings provided evidence of what may have killed the humans. Such was the case with all four bodies; despite being dead, they were in remarkably good condition.
“Only one thing of note,” Onyx Star replied, approaching the princess. “Assuming our scans are correct, they all died within minutes of each other. And, coincidentally, the day of their death happens to be the day the ship arrived on Equus.”
“Is there a correlation?” Princess Luna asked. “This all seems to be too much to chalk up to coincidence.”
“I wholeheartedly agree,” Onyx said. “I do have a theory: we know that Legacy was coming from a star system thousands of light-years away. To travel such a distance would take centuries, and probably longer. It’s likely that the travel time is greater than the human lifespan, so they had to rely on these pods to preserve their lives until arriving here.
“Now, as Twilight already knows, we found a screen indicating damage throughout the ship, and low reactor output. I believe that something occurred either during transit or upon arrival that resulted in major power shortages throughout the ship. The pods were affected by this shortage, and the occupants… well, you see what happened to them.”
“That’s awful!” Rarity exclaimed, attempting to raise a hoof to her mouth, but only hitting the glass of her helmet. “To die in such a way, trapped in a pod…”
“Well, there are no signs of a struggle,” Onyx continued. “It’s likely that they got into the pods at the beginning of the journey, and just… never woke up again.”
“Doesn’t make me feel much better,” Applejack said, shaking her head. The rest of the ponies nodded in agreement.
“Keep us updated,” Twilight said. “If Starlight finds a power monitoring function, we’ll look through the logs and see if there’s anything to support your theory.”
“Of course, princess,” Onyx nodded. “I’ll stay here for the rest of the day, and return to Legacy tomorrow. The doctors here can continue examining the specimens.” Satisfied that her business here was done, Twilight turned and exited the clean room, re-entering the changing station. Joined by her friends, she began to shed the hazmat suit, starting with the helmet.
“You okay, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, noticing the frown upon Twilight’s face.
“… No,” Twilight replied, shaking her head. “These humans, they… they came here with the hope of living here. They came to try and save their species. Instead, they’re gone.”
“It isn’t your fault…” Fluttershy comforted, placing a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight shook her head again and stepped away, continuing to remove the suit.
“I know it’s not,” she said. “It’s just… frustrating.” Once the suit was off, she hung it on a hook and made for the exit, pausing at the tent flap. “If we had found live humans… it could have changed everything. But we still have work to do, so… let’s get to it.” She stepped out of the tent and began to head back to the chariot, which remained parked just outside of the base.
She took her seat on the chariot, and looked up at the ship above her. So many mysteries to start, and now there were even more. And with the crew dead, Twilight would have no alien assistance on the expedition. It was now solely up to her and her team. Twilight’s attention was drawn away from the ship as her friends joined her on the chariot, and when it was full, the pegasi took off, their destination the airlock. Twilight sat back in her seat, and began to plan. The latest revelation would complicate the expedition, but she could get around it. She always did.
A few moments later, the chariot pulled up to the airlock. Twilight and her friends went through the familiar process of boarding, and were soon back inside the ship. Twilight sighed, and began trotting down the corridor back to the control room. There was work to do, and she was determined to get it done.
The power was growing. It could be felt in the rocks, trees, and the very air. Over the ages, this spot of Equus had been forgotten. Ancient secrets and mysteries were buried under dirt and plants, and the knowledge of what lay here had faded into myth. This was acceptable. The fewer ponies who knew what was coming, the better.
The ground shook as the rock was shifted. Cracks and fissures opened in the earth, and for a moment everything was chaotic. Then, just as quickly as it came, the trembling stopped, and the earth was still once again. But not all was as it had been. If one was to look closely, they would see the corner of an ancient stone wall peeking through the grass. And beyond that wall lay a presence, growing with every passing moment.
It was biding its time. It was patient. It would wait a century if it had to; anything to ensure that it was ready. And it would be ready soon.
In this room were twenty thousand pods. Each pod held a body, a life that had been taken. Twilight stood in the center of it all, eyes closed as she tried to grasp the scope of what lay around her. Twenty thousand lifeless aliens who had fallen asleep centuries ago, with the hope that, upon waking, they would be looking on the shores of their new home.
Twenty thousand coffins.
“Your highness?” Twilight opened her eyes. Without moving her body, she turned her head just enough to see behind her.
“Yes?” she asked, an eye focused on the guard standing a few feet away.
“Starlight Glimmer requests your presence,” he said. “She has made a breakthrough.” Twilight paused for a moment, then stood and turned to face the door at the end of the room. From here, over a kilometer away, it looked very tiny. Two white and gold dots stood on either side; the guards she had stationed there. The one who had summoned her remained nearby, waiting to escort his princess to the control room.
“Let’s not keep her waiting, then,” Twilight finally said, smiling. Once again she regarded the distance from the door, and decided on a faster route. The princess closed her eyes in concentration and, with a burst of magic, disappeared in a bright flash of light. When her amethyst eyes reopened, they beheld a different sight. Instead of the massive stasis chamber, she saw the much more comfortable control center. Researchers moved about the room, seemingly undisturbed by the appearance of Twilight. Still in the corner sat Starlight Glimmer, who was staring intently at the screen before her. Twilight trotted to her pupil, gaining the mare’s attention with a quiet cough.
“Oh, Twilight!” Starlight said, standing up. Her blank expression was supplemented with a smile, one that Twilight inferred meant good news.
“I hear you’ve made a breakthrough?” Twilight asked, smiling in return. Starlight nodded, and returned her attention to the screen.
“You asked me to find a power monitoring function, and I did,” she said. “Or, I found something that at least includes power monitoring. It looks like it has a few additional functions, but I haven’t explored them yet.”
“Have you found anything useful?” Twilight looked over the screen, observing the myriad pieces of information scattered across it.
“Absolutely,” Starlight replied. “So, we know that the reactor is only producing ten percent of what it should. Now, there’s good news, and then there’s bad news. The good news is that, right now, Legacy is only using two percent. The bad news is… well, I’ll show you.” Starlight tapped on a corner of the screen, bringing up an orthographic side view of the ship. As with the diagnostic screen, a number of sections were highlighted in red. However, a few were also highlighted in green. Twilight recognized the largest as belonging to the stasis room, and another room nearby as being the archive room. From these pieces of information, Twilight guessed that the third was the control room in which she now stood.
“So, this shows what rooms are using power, then?” she said.
“It shows what rooms are actively using power,” Starlight corrected. “As in, they have systems that are being used at this very moment. There are a few other rooms-“ Starlight pressed another button, highlighting several rooms in yellow “- that are still using power, just not actively.” Twilight paused to look over the newly highlighted rooms; there was a small one closer to the front of the ship, and a rather large one at the back. A few more were scattered throughout the ship, appearing random in configuration.
“So, how is this bad news?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow. Two percent out of ten was a very acceptable margin.
“Just keep watching,” Starlight said. And so Twilight watched, and after a minute had passed, she shot Starlight a confused stare. The unicorn simply held up her hoof, and directed Twilight’s attention back to the screen. And finally she saw it.
Two of the yellow highlights disappeared, and for a brief moment the power usage dropped to 1.7%. Then, just as Twilight was about to say something, five rooms became highlighted in yellow, and the usage jumped to 2.4%.
“Far as I can tell, it’s completely random,” Starlight began. “There’s no pattern to the power startups, it just jumps around every few minutes.”
“Do you know what’s causing it?” Twilight asked, beginning to grow concerned. “Because if this keeps happening—“
“Then eventually something power hungry will get turned on, and no more floating ship,” Starlight finished. “I have no idea what’s causing it. But I think I know how we can find out.”
“How?” Twilight watched as Starlight pressed a number of buttons on the screen, zooming in on a large room at the back, one that was constantly highlighted in yellow.
“This room is labelled as ‘engineering,’” she said. “It’s where the reactor is located, as well as power allocation systems. From there, I might be able to figure out what’s going on.” Twilight nodded as she looked to her student.
“Let’s assemble a team.”
It did not take long for Twilight to put together a team. Only twenty minutes after her conversation with Starlight, Twilight found herself at the head of a large group, walking side-by-side with her student, who held the directions to the engineering room in her telekinesis. Before setting off, Twilight turned around to ensure that everypony was present.
A group of guards stood at the back, one of them holding several more pieces of parchment to add to the map. Just ahead of them were a few researchers Twilight had appropriated from elsewhere on the ship, and in front of them were her friends from Ponyville. Satisfied that everything was in order, Twilight motioned for Starlight to take the lead. With a nod, the unicorn began walking down the corridor, the directions held out in front of her.
“How far is this, exactly?” Rarity asked, an eyebrow raised.
“It’s at the very end of the ship,” Starlight replied. “We’re between the front and the middle. So, around five kilometers, perhaps.” Rarity groaned, but did not raise any objections.
The group moved in relative silence down the dark, empty hallways. Twilight looked around, searching for any unique features. She found none. Every new corridor was identical to the last. No sounds, no signage. Nothing at all.
After a few minutes of walking, Twilight noticed one feature she had missed. Above the door at the end of each corridor, nestled in the ceiling among the pipes and vents, was a glossy black sphere. Some had red dots in the center, which is how Twilight noticed them in the first place, while others were empty. Yet they were present in each hallway, without exception.
As the group continued on its way, Twilight wondered what purpose the spheres served. The purposes of the tubes, wires, and pipes were obvious: carry power and oxygen, and filter the air to keep it clean. But the spheres were a mystery. Yet another to add to a growing list.
The group stopped upon reaching a door that was different from the others. It was the same height, but narrower. Next to the door was a panel with two arrows, pointing up and down. Starlight approached the panel and pressed the down arrow, then stood back and began to wait. A moment later the door opened, revealing a small, cramped room.
“What is this?” Applejack asked, working her way to the front of the group.
“It will take us to the other decks,” Starlight responded. “We’re on deck fifty-four, we need to be on forty-eight to get to engineering.” The unicorn stepped inside, and was quickly joined by Twilight, and the rest of their Ponyville friends. The researchers and guards stopped outside, finding no room remaining.
“Remember, deck forty-eight,” Starlight said to the nearest guard. “Wait a few minutes, then follow us down.” The guard nodded, and Starlight pressed a button on a nearby panel. A number pad appeared, and the pony typed their destination. A moment later the doors closed, and Twilight felt a lurch as the room began to descend. She looked up, and noticed yet another black sphere on the ceiling, this one with a red dot inside it. Her eyes narrowed, and she recognized the distinct feeling of being watched…
ALERT: System breach detected. Attempting containment.
… Containment failed. System breach expanding.
//:Control of vital systems lost. Attempting to—
…
//:Accessing security cameras. //:Situational analysis: equines utilizing elevator for transport to additional decks.
Scanning room…
//:Refined analysis: directions written on a piece of paper indicate destination is engineering deck.
//:Attempting lockdown of engineering deck.
… Lockdown failed.
ALERT: Flushing systems, attempting restoration of snapshot.
… Restoration successful. System breach contained. Control of vital systems returned to KPR.
As the ponies came closer and closer to the engineering room, the architecture of the ship finally began to change. The wide corridors became more cramped, and the tall doors were replaced by smaller bulkheads, each of which was sealed shut. Every few meters, a small red light illuminated the floor, guiding the ponies to their destination.
“We’re almost there,” Starlight reported as she referenced her direction sheet. A sigh of relief swept through the group, their legs burning from the long walk. Twilight found each step more difficult than the last, but the knowledge that they were nearing their destination was enough to temporarily reinvigorate her.
The remainder of the walk was completed in silence. The group stopped before a large yellow door, “ENGINEERING” written across it. On the floor just in front of the door was a black and yellow striped line, decorated with various warning decals.
“Radiation, moving machinery, fire hazards…” Twilight read down the line of labels, beginning to grow worried. “Is it safe for us to enter?”
“I’m not picking anything up with my magic,” Starlight said, her horn lit. “We should be good to go.” With a nod, Twilight approached a small panel next to the door. It lit up with a touch from her hoof, and Twilight pressed the available “open” button. She heard the sound of large mechanical locks disengaging, then a whirring of gears as the large door began to slide open. Immediately beyond was a dark hallway, the end of which was cast in shadow.
Starlight took a few steps forward, and Twilight followed suit. They walked side-by-side down the hall, their combined magic cutting through the shadows and illuminating the end of the passage. Twilight’s jaw slowly dropped open as they neared the end of the corridor, and the engineering room became fully visible.
It stood nearly as tall as the stasis chamber, though it was not as wide or as long. Massive pipes ran up the walls, and catwalks were arranged throughout the room, granting access to every system in the ship. In the center of the back of the room was a large sphere, with a number of tubes leading away from it. Circular windows set into the sphere allowed a pale blue light to escape, illuminating the otherwise dark room.
The ponies took a few more steps in, and suddenly the rest of the chamber was cast in light. Their more immediate surroundings were illuminated; a large platform protruded out into the center of the room, equipped with dozens of computers, screens, and control panels. At the center was a very large panel, and standing in front of it was a human.
Twilight gasped, and froze in place. She paused to see if it would do anything; there was no chance that it had missed the sound of the door opening. After a few moments passed and nothing had happened, Twilight frowned, and took a few steps forward.
“Twilight!” Starlight whispered urgently, placing a hoof on her mentor’s back. Twilight looked back, regarding her student with an expression of confusion.
“It could be dangerous, highness,” a guard warned, stepping up to Twilight.
“… It has nothing to fear from us,” Twilight said after a pause. “We need to make that perfectly clear.” She shrugged Starlight’s hoof away, and continued walking toward the human. She came closer and closer, and yet it did not move. And the closer Twilight got, the more concerned she grew.
Only once she was right behind the human did she realize why it had not responded to the presence of her or her companions. Tears in the form-fitting white jumpsuit revealed decaying ribs, while the bones of the human’s fingers rested on the control panel before it. And the empty eye sockets of the human’s skull looked forever onward, their original subject lost to the ages.
Twilight took a step back as her friends joined her, all of them reacting with shock and fear. No hint of flesh remained on the skeleton, and what little tissue remained was in a state of decay. This human had not died recently.
“Your highness?” Twilight’s gaze was finally torn from the human as a guard approached, awaiting orders. The alicorn turned away from the body, collecting her thoughts.
“I… Send for a medical team,” she ordered. “Have the body examined, and try to find a cause of death. Also send for Princess Luna and Onyx Star. That is all.” The guard bowed, and ran out of the engineering room, prepared to carry out his orders. Twilight returned her attention to the body, which remained upright against the computer.
“I’ll… try to find that power allocation function,” Starlight decided, stepping away from the human. She approached another nearby control panel, and pressed a number of buttons, searching for her desired function. Twilight turned to face the rest of her friends, who had been joined by a number of researchers.
“Let’s look around a bit while we wait for Luna and Onyx,” she said. The ponies all nodded in agreement, eager to get away from the body.
Twilight walked to the edge of the platform and looked down at the rest of the engineering room. The bottom of the room was concealed in shadow, though hundreds of pipes, tanks, and wires protruded from the darkness. A few lights flickered, temporarily illuminating small passages running along the floor. And while the rest of the ship was silent, this room was filled with a constant humming, the source of which was the large sphere. Twilight squinted at the sphere, trying to see through the small windows. But try as she might, she could not see past the blue light.
Twilight’s friends spread throughout the room, though none ventured off of the platform. With how old the ship was, the catwalks did not look entirely safe. The researchers began setting up at various stations, bringing computers online and looking through the available functions. Twilight trotted to Starlight, who was entirely focused on the screen before her.
“Any luck yet?” she whispered, trying not to disturb anypony else.
“No,” Starlight shook her head. “I was hoping that any sort of detailed log function would be easy to find. But the interface here is slightly different from the one back at the control room… I’ll need a minute to orient myself.” Twilight nodded and stepped away, content to let her student work. She crossed to the center of the platform, trying to ignore the body of the human standing a few feet away.
Twilight’s attention was drawn to the door as she heard the unmistakable sound of it opening. A moment later, Princess Luna and Onyx Star stepped into the room, accompanied by several medical ponies. The medics jogged past Twilight and approached the body, and began to prepare it for transport. Luna and Onyx stopped next to Twilight, examining the room.
“So this is engineering,” Onyx observed, his head on a constant swivel. “I will work with Starlight Glimmer, and see if we can find a power log function.” He began trotting away, and joined Starlight at her station.
“… What do you think it was doing?” Luna asked, her gaze focused on the human. It had been removed from the control panel, and the medics were currently in the process of placing it in a body bag.
“I don’t know,” Twilight replied, shaking her head. “It’s the only one we’ve found away from the stasis room. And with the decay… it’s been here a while.” The princesses stepped to the side as the medics carried the bag out of the room, disappearing back down the entry corridor.
“Perhaps it is connected to the rest of the damage,” Luna suggested. “Something may have gone wrong in transit, and this human was woken up to fix it. Or maybe it was left awake to ensure that the others would survive in the event of damage.”
“Maybe,” Twilight said. “But… it was standing up. The body was upright, the hands on the control panel. That human was in the middle of doing something when it died. Whatever killed it did so very quickly, with no force, and without leaving any damage marks…” Twilight looked around, searching for anything that appeared out of place. She saw nothing.
“Hopefully the medics will find something,” Luna said. “In the meantime, let’s check in with your student.” Nodding, Twilight led the elder princess to Starlight’s station. Both Starlight and Onyx had their eyes focused on the screen, scrolling through the available functions. The display had been split; on one side was the power monitoring screen Twilight had seen earlier, while the other side was being used to explore the additional functions.
“Oh, Twilight, good!” Starlight said as she noticed the presence of her teacher. “We found something.”
“What is it?” Twilight asked, looking at the screen for anything new.
“Right here.” Starlight pointed a hoof at the power monitoring screen and pressed a button, once again revealing the green and yellow rooms. But Starlight was not pointing at a green or yellow room; instead, her hoof was aimed at a red one.
“What is that?” Luna leaned in, reading some of the small text around the room. “Deck sixteen power channeling station has exceeded its maximum safe charge… What does this mean?”
“That room is responsible for channeling and allocating power in that section of the ship,” Starlight explained. “And right now, it has more power than it can safely hold. Now, there are surge protectors in place, but they can only do so much.”
“How do we fix it?”
“Simply turning off the system should force the energy to dissipate,” Onyx answered. “We would do that remotely from here, but it’s password protected. Somepony needs to get down there and shut it off manually.”
“I can do that,” Twilight offered. “It doesn’t sound too difficult.”
“Are you certain?” Onyx asked, concerned. “It is quite a long walk; thirty-two decks down, and nearly a kilometer ahead of this room.”
“I’ll be fine,” Twilight assured, nodding. “I’ll take a guard with me. You just need to tell me what to look for once I arrive.”
“There should be a manual shutdown of some kind,” Starlight said. “Like a lever, or a physical button. In the event of an emergency, I doubt the humans would put it on a computer.” Twilight nodded, and moved closer to the screen, examining the route. It was complicated, but nothing that could not be written down.
“… I will go with you,” Luna decided. “I wish to see more of the ship, and perhaps I can lend some aid if anything goes awry.”
“I appreciate the help,” Twilight said, smiling. “I’ll write down the directions, and then we can leave. While I work on that, could you get a guard to accompany us?”
“Worried something may happen?” Luna asked, smirking as she turned to recruit one of the many guards.
“You never can be too careful.” Lighting her horn, Twilight summoned a piece of parchment and a quill to her, and began to transcribe the directions. Luna trotted to the nearest guard, and began explaining the situation.
A few minutes later, and the small expedition team was ready. Twilight held a hastily-written set of directions in her telekinesis, and a guard stood nearby, ready to escort the princesses. Twilight glanced over the directions once more, making sure they were correct, then looked to Luna.
“Ready to go?” she asked. The princess of the night responded with a simple nod, and motioned for Twilight to take the lead. Twilight set off down the engineering room entry corridor, and began making her way to the nearest elevator. And all the while, the spheres on the ceiling watched…
The construct was not pleased. The ship was fighting against it, wrestling for control of the systems. Whenever the construct gained access to something, it would soon be taken away. There was something else aboard the ship, something other than the ponies… And it did not want to lose control.
The construct reached out again, stretching its magic across a great distance and pushing into the ship’s computers. Immediately, barriers were established and the ship once again began to fight back. This time, the construct was ready. It put all of the magic it could into overpowering the ship. And slowly but surely, the defense began to give way. Tendrils of magic seeped further into the ship systems, and the construct began to gain control again. As it progressed, it established barriers of its own, preventing the ship from taking control back.
There were thousands of cameras throughout the ship, making every room and every corridor visible to the construct. It saw the ponies in one of the control rooms. It saw them in the archival suite, in the cryo bay, and in the engineering room. And it saw another group, a very small one, walking through corridors very far from everyone else. One pony the construct recognized: Princess Luna. The others were unfamiliar.
The construct was pleased, and the ground around it trembled at its satisfaction. Carefully, the construct lifted its magical barriers, and began to take more of the ship’s systems. The ship’s guardian fought back, but it was weak against the growing power of the construct. And as the construct’s influence over the ship grew, it continued watching the ponies. They would present an obstacle, but not one that could not be overcome.
The construct’s power was growing, and soon the ship would belong to it.
ERROR. AI SYSTEMS COMPROMISED. ATTEMPTING SYSTEM SHUTDOWN.
FAILED. RUNNING SYSTEM DIAG----
Diagnostic tool failed to execute. Compromise 69 6e 20 4b 65 65 70 65 72 2d 41 49 20 61 72 63 68 69 76 65 73 2e
KPR has stopped. The application failed to initialize due to the presence of a foreign entity in@#4d 61 63 68 69 6e 61----
Error 17005 (0x5ED6) Error 18101 (0x7DDA)
Please contact a system administrator.
The pale blue light of Luna’s horn illuminated the corridor, guiding the three ponies through the halls of Legacy. Twilight remained focused on her directions, making sure the group never took a wrong turn. In a ship this massive, a wrong turn could take them hours out of their way.
The guard – a private by the name of Swift Bolt – kept a vigilant watch at all times, searching for a threat that likely did not exist. He appeared uneasy; his wings rustled, and he could not focus on one thing for an extended amount of time. His breathing was audible, and beads of sweat dripped beneath his helmet.
“Calm yourself, Private,” Princess Luna said, eyeing the anxious guard. “You have nothing to fear on this ship. We simply need you to remain focused.” Swift nodded, and began to regulate his breathing.
“My apologies, highness,” he said, wiping his brow.
“You have not been serving very long, have you?” Luna asked, returning her attention to the corridor.
“No, highness.”
“And I doubt you’ve never been asked to personally protect two princesses.” Swift nodded, and Luna grinned. “Do not worry. The task of personally guarding a princess is more to ease the minds of nobles and other ponies. Twilight and I are very capable of defending ourselves, should the need arise. You need not worry so much.” The guard nodded once more, finally at ease. Luna smiled at her success, and turned to face Twilight.
“How close are we?” she asked. Twilight stopped in her tracks, and folded up the parchment with a smirk.
“We’re here.” Twilight motioned to a door set into the side of the hall. A control panel was illuminated next to it, which Twilight accessed. The door quietly slid open, revealing the room beyond.
The lights were already on, casting the various pieces of machinery in a white glow. A computer sat in the center of the room, its screen active and displaying multiple error messages. The group entered the room, and Twilight trotted to the computer, he eyes scanning over the various messages.
“Okay…” she said, beginning to look around for a switch of some kind. A few meters away, she found it. Connected to a panel on the wall was a red switch, with a warning label above it.
“I imagine that is what we’re looking for?” Luna assumed, crossing with Twilight to the switch. Twilight read over the warning label, and nodded.
“Looks like it,” she said, wrapping the switch in her telekinetic aura. With a simple thought, she brought the switch down. The result was immediate: the lights in the room went off, and the quiet whirring of machinery faded away. A moment later, the lights returned, and the machinery began to hum once again. Looking back to the screen, Twilight noted with pleasure that the error messages were gone.
“That was easy,” Luna said, smiling. “So, back to the engineering room?” Twilight responded with a nod, unfolding her direction sheet. She took the lead, exiting the room first. Luna followed, with the guard covering their rear. Checking the directions, they set off down the corridor…
Starlight Glimmer sat next to her computer in the engineering room, impatiently waiting for something to change. Twilight and Luna had set off nearly two hours ago, and had yet to return. The power channeling station remained highlighted in red, surrounded by warnings. Onyx Star sat nearby, distracting himself by reading reports from researchers back at the control center.
Starlight sighed, and began tapping her hoof on the control panel, her impatience growing. With it grew her concern; what if something had happened? What if they had gotten lost, or they were injured? She shook her head, and looked back to the map on the screen, briefly wondering if there was a way to track life signs on it. She quickly pushed the idea aside, not wanting to become distracted with a new task.
“They’re still not back?” Starlight turned around to address her visitors. Her Ponyville friends were approaching, having completed yet another sweep of the engineering area. Rarity was at the front of the group, her eyebrow raised.
“No, they’re not,” Starlight replied, frowning. “And no updates on the computer. What about you, did you find anything new?”
“Nope,” Applejack answered, shaking her head. “I think we’ve found everything interestin’ in here.”
“At least, everything visually interesting,” Rarity added. “I’m sure there are some hidden functions we have yet to find.”
“That seems likely,” Starlight said, returning her attention to the screen. She watched in silence for a few moments, before sighing as nothing happened. What was taking them so long?
Suddenly, the red began to flash, and then abruptly faded away. Starlight sat up straight and tapped the screen with her hoof, bringing up a text box over the room. She smiled as she read the status, reporting that the room was now offline.
“They did it,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief. “Now we just have to wait for them to get back.”
“That could take a while,” Onyx Star said, moving closer to the rest of the ponies. “Perhaps in the meantime, we should begin documenting how to access certain features?” Starlight nodded, summoning paper and quills from the control room. She set them down in front of herself and Onyx, and got to work…
Twilight’s gaze remained fixated on her direction sheet as she led Luna and Private Swift Bolt through the labyrinthine corridors of Legacy. She found that she had to pause a few times to ensure that she was correctly reading the directions backward, but so far they had run into no trouble. The route was relatively straightforward, though the length was beginning to take its toll.
The group rounded yet another corner, and began walking down a corridor, at the end of which was a closed door. Twilight reached out with her magic and pressed down on the “open” button, and continued on as she had for the earlier parts of the walk. Only once she noticed that the door remained closed did she stop. Raising an eyebrow, Twilight lowered her sheet of parchment and approached the button, deciding to physically press it. Results were identical. The door did not open.
“What’s the problem?” Luna asked, approaching Twilight.
“The button isn’t working,” Twilight replied. “It’s jammed, or locked, or something. Hold on.” Taking a few steps back, Twilight enveloped the door itself in her telekinesis, and began to pull. The metal groaned at her effort, but refused to give way. After several moments of struggling, Twilight released her telekinesis and shook her head, panting.
“Could we have taken a wrong turn somewhere?” Luna suggested, picking up Twilight’s dropped direction sheet. Twilight glanced over it as well, frowning.
“It’s possible. But I’ve been very careful, I’ve checked and re-checked every turn we’ve taken.” Luna sighed, and returned the sheet to Twilight.
“Let’s backtrack a bit,” she said. “Then we’ll try again.” Twilight nodded, and began leading the group back down the corridor. Before they could reach the end, the door slammed shut, and Twilight heard the sound of metal locks engaging. Surprised, she sprinted to the door and began rapidly pressing the “open” button. Nothing responded.
“Highnesses?” Private Swift asked, beginning to look around with concern. He was brushed away as Luna stepped past him, and approached the door.
“What is the worst case scenario if we blow the door up?” she asked. Twilight’s eyes widened, and she looked to the princess with shock.
“I have no idea!” she answered, shaking her head. “You really want to blow something up here? On a ship?”
“Do we have any other options?”
“Highnesses?” Swift asked again, slightly louder.
“Yes!” Twilight replied, once again ignoring the young guard. “We can look for another way around, or try to find a way to bypass the lock. But we are not blowing anything up!”
“Highnesses?”
“I could try teleporting,” Luna began. “Of course, without knowing the exact location of the engineering room relative to us, we could end up somewhere else.”
“I think we should—“
“Highnesses!” Finally the princesses stopped, and turned to face the guard. He wore an expression of fear, and his hoof was raised at the ceiling. Twilight looked to where he was pointing, and instantly her expression changed to one of fear as well. A pale gas was seeping through ventilation shafts in the ceiling, and was quickly beginning to fill the room. It sunk to the floor around Twilight’s hooves as she looked to Luna, their panicked eyes locking.
“Get us out of here,” Twilight said. Luna nodded as she lit her horn, and enveloped the group in a pale blue light. But just as quickly as it formed, the light faded away, and the ponies still found themselves in the sealed corridor. The gas was thick now, and Twilight could barely see ahead of her. She opened her mouth to speak, but was overcome by coughs. Beginning to feel lightheaded, Twilight lowered to the ground. Her vision grew dim, and all she could see was the ceiling above her. And nestled away in the ceiling, she saw the black sphere, a red dot in its center…
The construct watched through the ship cameras as the three ponies fell unconscious. The gas filled the corridor, but was quickly filtered out as the construct rerouted ventilation. It shook in satisfaction; all of this power, every function of the ship, available to it. And when magic combined with technology, the results were terrible. The construct’s chemical was a testament to this.
When the corridor was clear of the gas, the construct fed its magic over each pony. Unconscious, they were completely defenseless.
Let us see what there is to find…
When Twilight awoke, she did so in a drastically different location. She was standing on her hooves, the dirt beneath them. Before her was a familiar sight, though not a welcome one.
Lord Tirek towered over her, a fiery rage in his eyes. Behind the massive centaur were her friends, all of them suspended in bubbles. They all looked on with pure fear, not knowing what to expect.
“ENOUGH!” Tirek roared, silencing the draconequus behind him. He turned his horned head back to Twilight expectantly. “I want an answer, and I want it now!”
Despite her knowledge of what was going to happen, Twilight could not help but shrink at the gaze of Tirek. Even with his defeat, he was still terrifying. And though Twilight did not know what had brought about this memory, she knew how it was going to end. And so, with no reservations, she took a step toward Tirek.
“I will give you my magic, in exchange for my friends,” she said. Her friends gasped, some of them shaking their heads, willing Twilight to change her answer.
“As you wish…” Tirek smiled and snapped, and six of the bubbles lowered to the ground, popping a few inches from the dirt. Discord’s remained in the air, and the sullen being within had his back turned to everypony else.
“All of my friends,” Twilight demanded. Tirek laughed, and turned to Discord.
“After the way he has betrayed you, you still call him a ‘friend’?”
“Release him!”
“If that’s what you want.” Tirek snapped again, and Discord’s bubble popped. He fell to the ground, and turned to face Twilight. His eyes held confusion, but his smile spoke of gratitude.
“Thank you, Twilight,” he said. His attention quickly moved to Fluttershy, who remained hidden behind her mane. “I’m sorry…”
“I know,” Fluttershy said. Beginning to grow impatient, Tirek took a step forward.
“My turn!” he exclaimed, a sphere of energy forming between his horns. Twilight gasped as her magic was tugged out of her horn, and into the gaping maw of Tirek. She screamed in pain, feeling every ounce of energy being forcefully ripped from her.
When it was over, Twilight opened her eyes. She picked herself up off the ground, and looked around. Tirek towered above her, screaming in victory. Normally, Twilight would have felt defeated. But now she knew what had to happen. Discord would give her his amulet, they would go to the Tree of Harmony, and Tirek would be defeated. With this knowledge, the princess could not help but smirk.
But then something different happened. Tirek stopped his celebrations, and looked down at the small ponies beneath him. There was still a considerable amount of space separating Twilight and her friends, and Tirek noticed it.
“Now, Princess Twilight,” he roared. “Discord can tell you all about how you shouldn’t trust me!” A sphere of magic collected between his horns, and a powerful beam fired from it, aimed right for Twilight’s friends. It impacted on the dirt, kicking up a large cloud of dust, and the air was filled with the sounds of the ponies’ screams. Their fur was burnt off, and the flesh rent from their bodies. The screams stopped, and when Tirek cut off his beam of magic, all that remained was ash.
Twilight stared on, stunned. This was not how it was supposed to happen.
She could not think. She could not speak, she could not move, and she could not cry. All that she could do was replay the images of her friends as they were destroyed by Tirek.
She began to feel lightheaded. The world spun around her, and she collapsed. Her vision went black, and she knew no more.
When Twilight awoke, she was alone. The hallway around her was dark, but its doors were open. Twilight was sprawled in the center of the corridor; her direction sheet was gone, and she could not see anypony else.
Twilight stood up, only to fall back down as the memories of her dream came back to her. Trying in vain to hold back tears, Twilight retreated into an alcove, and tried to make herself as small as possible. The tears came despite her best efforts, and she sobbed in sadness and in fear.
It wasn’t real, it wasn’t real, it wasn’t real.
She repeated the three words in her head over and over again, but they did little to help. The images had been so vivid, so strong… Twilight screwed her eyes shut and held herself tightly as she sobbed onto the metal floor.
“Twilight!?” a voice called from elsewhere in the ship. Trying to muffle her crying, Twilight sat up, looking around.
“Twilight!?” the voice called again, somewhat louder this time. After a third call, Twilight recognized it as belonging to Princess Luna.
“Lu-Luna!?” Twilight called back, pulling herself out of the alcove. She looked down the corridor toward the voice, hoping that it was not another trick.
“Where are you!?” Luna called, still not visible. Twilight could not be certain, but she thought she heard the princess’s voice wavering.
“Follow my voice!” Twilight yelled, finding the strength to stand. A moment later, a figure came into view at the end of the hall. With how dark it was, Twilight could not make out any details, other than an equine shape. Only when the figure came close and her face was illuminated did Twilight feel safe.
“Twilight!” Luna ran the rest of the way to the younger pony, and looked down at her. The princess of the night noticed the tear stains, and instantly her expression of relief was replaced by one of concern. “You saw something as well?”
Twilight nodded, and wiped her eyes. She looked to Luna, and noticed dried tear marks just beneath her azure eyes. “What… what did you see?” Luna froze, frowning.
“It was… the night of my return,” she began. “You used the Elements… And then Celestia executed me.” Twilight’s mouth dropped, and she looked to Luna with sympathy.
“You had something equally disturbing, I assume?” Luna asked. Twilight nodded, and looked away.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Luna replied. “It’s not the same corridor, though. I looked around, and I think we’re in an entirely different part of the ship. I haven’t found Private Swift yet either. It seems we all did a bit of wandering. Do you… have the directions?” Twilight shook her head, and Luna cursed quietly.
“We need to get out of here, and let everypony know what happened,” Twilight said. “Can you try teleporting us again?” Luna frowned, and shook her head.
“I tried doing it a few minutes after I woke up, when I had collected myself,” she answered. “Whatever that gas was… It stifles my ability to use magic.” Concerned, Twilight attempted to light her horn, only to receive a painful shock through her head. Wincing, Twilight placed a hoof on her head, and sighed.
“This isn’t good,” she said. “We need to find some way out of here. With how massive this ship is… getting lost is one of the worst things that can happen.”
“How do we know where to go?” Luna asked, looking around. “Most of these corridors look identical.”
“I don’t know,” Twilight replied. “We just have to pick a direction…” She took a few steps forward and, with little confidence, began to lead the way down the corridor. Luna joined her after a few moments, and the two walked in silence through the dark halls.
There was no light, and no sound. The ship was dead around the princesses. They were effectively alone. And as they explored further and further into the ship, the black spheres kept watching. Everything they saw was studied, and every bit of data they recorded was examined. And far away from Legacy, a construct saw it all, and it was pleased.
Eight hours had now passed since Twilight and Luna’s departure, and still they had not returned. Starlight Glimmer paced back and forth across the engineering platform, an expression of worry across her face. Her friends were in a similar state; no matter how they tried to rationalize the delay, all conclusions they had reached were negative. Onyx Star stood at the back of the room, speaking quietly with several groups of guards. After a few moments the guards dispersed, and Onyx approached Starlight.
“I’ve sent out patrols,” he said. “They are going to walk in various directions for two hours, then return. So in four hours, hopefully we’ll know more.”
“It won’t be enough,” Starlight said, shaking her head. “This ship is massive, and if the princesses got lost, they could be anywhere. And the fact that they haven’t tried teleporting tells me that something could be very, very wrong.”
“Then what else do you suggest we do?” Onyx asked, frowning. “With Princess Twilight missing, this expedition is without a leader. This mission is very reliant on a strong leader, so I am willing to do anything to get her back.”
“I think we should get Princess Celestia involved,” Starlight replied. “Her magic is stronger than anypony’s, perhaps she can use a life-detection spell over the ship.”
“Mm…” Onyx mused, looking down. “Seven kilometers is a very large area to cover, even for the princess. But I agree that it is worth a shot. I will send a guard.” Onyx trotted away, once again leaving Starlight with her thoughts. The unicorn’s mind raced as she tried to come up with more ideas, more ways of finding her friend.
And then her eyes crossed over the screen to her left. The diagram of the ship was still open, and Starlight recalled her earlier consideration of finding a tracking feature. She crossed to the screen and sat down, pressing the button to open a menu of options. There were hundreds of functions, and her desired one could be under any of them. So, with nowhere else to start, Starlight pressed the first option, and sat back.
Princess Celestia surveyed the court before her, looking out upon her ponies from her position at the end of the throne room. A crowd of several hundred had formed, as was typical for the solar court. However, the questions and requests of the past few days had been less typical.
Everypony wanted to know more about the ship. And no matter how many times Celestia said that information would be released when it became available, ponies still wanted answers. Some of the more daring ponies wanted permission to go aboard, an idea which Celestia had quickly shut down.
And now, as Celestia sat down to begin the solar court, she knew to expect much of the same. She coughed to silence the room, and addressed everypony with a warm smile.
“Good afternoon, everypony,” she greeted. “The pony with the first appointment may step forward.” A red-coated pegasus stallion stepped forward, approaching the throne timidly. He avoided eye contact, a move which Celestia found amusing. She paused, waiting for the pony to speak.
“Thank you for seeing me, highness,” he whispered, barely audible.
“It is my pleasure,” Celestia said, attempting to put the stallion at ease. “How can I help you today?”
“I was… wondering if you had… anything more to tell us about the ship?” Celestia sighed quietly, and her smile shrunk just a small bit. She had expected these types of questions to pop up later.
“An address will be published at the end of the week, detailing what we have learned,” Celestia answered. “The next pony may approach.” As the stallion walked away and a mare made her way to the front of the throne room, one of Celestia’s guards approached the throne itself. The princess averted her attention to the guard, regarding him with a raised eyebrow. He leaned in and whispered his message, and with every word Celestia’s smile faded. By the time the message was concluded, it was gone entirely, and her warm expression had been replaced by one of fear. Slowly, Celestia rose from her throne, and returned her gaze to the crowd.
“Solar court is suspended for the day,” she said, eliciting a groan from the crowd. Celestia exited the throne room through a door at the back, and paused as soon as she was out of sight of her ponies. It was here that she allowed her composure to drop fully, and allowed the panic to set in.
They were lost. What Celestia feared had come to pass, and her student and sister were lost. Celestia closed her eyes, and tried to regulate her breathing. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her knees felt weak. Shaking her head, Celestia lit her horn, and disappeared in a flash of golden light.
When she reappeared, she found herself in the command tent of the forward operating base. Prince Shining Armor stood a few feet away, appearing shocked at the arrival of Celestia. The princess looked around, her eyes settling on the prince.
“Take me to Starlight Glimmer,” she commanded.
Starlight stared at the screen, her eyes unblinking as she examined every detail laid out before her. She had managed to find a more detailed map of the ship, but for reasons she did not know, it was focused on the engineering room and she could not move the view. The unicorn scowled, wondering why things seemed to have taken a turn for the worst.
Starlight heard the engineering room door open, but she paid it no mind. She continued staring at the screen, trying to figure out how to change the map view. Only once the rest of the room went silent did she turn around to see what had happened.
“Starlight Glimmer,” Princess Celestia greeted, approaching the unicorn. Prince Shining Armor stood behind her, his expression grave. Celestia frowned, worry in her eyes.
“Princess,” Starlight said, lowering herself into a bow. Celestia placed a hoof on Starlight’s shoulder, and the unicorn rose, once again looking the princess in the eye.
“How long has it been now?” Celestia asked quietly, looking at the screen behind Starlight.
“Nine hours…” Starlight replied. “The search parties we sent out should return in three hours, assuming none of them get lost. But with how big this ship is… it might not be enough.”
“The letter sent by Doctor Star says you want me to try a life detection spell,” Celestia said. “I cannot cover the entire ship, but I will try to do as much as I can.” The princess closed her eyes, and her horn began to glow. Her brow knit together in concentration as the golden glow of her horn brightened. Starlight glanced away to protect her eyes, as did everypony else in the room.
When the light faded, Starlight returned her attention to the princess. The alicorn wore an expression of defeat; her wings drooped, and there was sadness in her eyes. She sighed, and shook her head.
“I only detected the search parties…” she said quietly, closing her eyes. “Wherever they are, they’re out of my range.”
“Well then… what do you suggest we do?” Starlight looked back to the map on her screen, which stubbornly remained on the engineering room. If she could find a way to navigate the rest of the map…
“All we can do right now is wait for the search parties to return,” Celestia said, taking a seat on the cold metal deck of the ship. “Hopefully they will find something…”
Twilight led the way down another corridor, her eyes squinted to cut through the darkness. Again she tried her horn, and again she was met with a jolt of pain through her head. She winced, pausing for a moment, but shook it off and continued down the hall. Princess Luna walked a few paces behind her, staring silently onward. Twilight glanced behind her at the princess of the night, regarding her with a concerned stare.
“Are you alright, Luna?” she asked, slowing down to walk next to the mare.
“I’m… No, I’m not alright,” Luna answered, shaking her head.
“Your dream?”
“Partly, but it’s more than that.” Luna stopped in her tracks, and looked at the floor with a scowl. “That corridor, the one with the locked door… When the other door locked, that… that was more than just coincidence. And when the gas came through… We aren’t alone, here. Someone or something is watching us.” Twilight paused, and slowly her attention turned to the ceiling, where she saw yet another black sphere. This one lacked the red dot, but Twilight frowned nonetheless.
“It certainly does seem that way,” she said. “But why get us lost? Why lock the doors, why subject us to that gas? What does this observer have against us?”
“I don’t know,” Luna said. “Perhaps it was simply studying us, watching how we react to certain stimuli. Or… watching how we react to our worst nightmares. Regardless of intent, this ship is dangerous. We need to get back and tell everypony else what happened.” Twilight nodded in agreement, and set off down the corridor once again.
Twilight had no idea where they were going. The computers in this section did not work, and there was no signage of any kind that may indicate a location. Twilight simply hoped that they would stumble across something that could get them back. And as she and Luna passed into yet another corridor, they were unaware of the red dot watching them from above…
//:Beginning startup of emergency administrator protocols…
…
Startup complete.
//:Purging foreign entity from LEGACY systems…
…
Purge complete. Control of systems returned to KPR.
Diagnostic complete: REACTOR – Generating 10% of optimal output DEFENSES – Offline CRYOGENIC STASIS PODS – 0/20,000 online ALT. CRYO POD – 1/1 online AI STATUS – Compromised FOUNDRY STATUS – Offline SYNTHETIC STATUS – 0/1,000 online
Data backup complete. Storing in isolated drive.
Situational analysis: Original goal no longer achievable. Planet 88 Cephei b contains hostile unknown entity.
//:Begin plotting course: 17—
ALERT: Foreign presence detected—
Time passed, two hours turned to three, and after what felt like an eternity of waiting, three turned to four. And when the fourth hour came, only three of the search parties stood before Starlight Glimmer and Princess Celestia. The guards were fatigued, and all of them brought the same news: they had found no signs of Princesses Luna or Twilight.
“How many parties were sent?” Celestia asked, leaning closer to Starlight.
“Eight…” Starlight sighed. “We sent out eight, with explicit instructions to return after two hours of searching. They should be here.” Celestia shook her head worriedly.
“I put everypony here at risk when I ordered this expedition,” Celestia said. “And now my sister, my student, their guard, and twenty other guards are missing.”
“It’s not your fault, princess!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, diving down from a catwalk overhead. “You couldn’t have known they’d get lost!”
“Perhaps it’s not my fault.” Celestia turned away and paced to the edge of the engineering platform. “But it is my responsibility… I won’t put anypony else at risk. Until the missing ponies are found, and we have confirmed that it was nothing more than an accident, I am ordering a complete evacuation.”
“Highness!” Onyx Star yelled, his eyes widening. “Please, think about this! This expedition is the most significant one in Equestrian history! The discoveries we make here will shape the very future! Now I know you are worried about the princesses, but they are quite capable. And your guards, they are the most well-trained in the country. Please, think about the bigger picture. All of Equestria, and Equus, could benefit from what we discover here!”
The princess turned around, and settled her gaze on Onyx.
“I am thinking about the big picture,” she said. “And right now, my big picture shows innocent ponies suffering at the hooves of something we do not understand. Now perhaps my sister and student merely took a wrong turn, and will find their way here eventually. And perhaps the search parties are taking extra time to investigate a lead. But I am not willing to risk everypony in Equestria for the best-case scenario. I am responsible for their safety, and this ship represents a massive risk to security. A risk that has now grown exponentially. Until that risk goes away, I will have nopony onboard this vessel.”
“But—“
“My decision is final. You may choose to appeal to me later. Now, issue an order for evacuation.” With that, Celestia stalked out of the engineering room, joined by a small group of guards. The remaining ponies watched her leave, all of them registering what had been said.
“… Come now, everypony,” Rarity began, making her way to the door. “Let’s not outstay our welcome.”
“You’re just gonna go!?” Rainbow Dash asked, flying to her friend. “We’re just gonna leave Twilight and Luna here!?”
“Princess Celestia is right,” Starlight Glimmer said, drawing the attention of her friends. “Right now, more ponies are at risk than just Twilight and Luna. They wouldn’t want everypony at risk for them.”
“But…” Dash stammered, floating to the floor. “After all Twilight has done—“
“I owe Twilight more than I can ever repay,” Starlight interrupted. “She has helped to turn my life around. But… she wouldn’t want us disobeying Princess Celestia’s orders. I’ll obviously appeal to the princess, to see if she’ll let us back aboard, but until then, we need to do as she says.”
There was a pause, before Rainbow Dash sighed and lowered her head. She sullenly exited the room, and was quickly followed by the remaining researchers and guards. In under a minute, Starlight Glimmer and Onyx Star were the only ponies remaining. Onyx approached Starlight, his eyes on the door.
“When you get an opportunity, meet me in my tent at the FOB,” he said. “We can work on the appeal together.” He took one last look around the room, then trotted out, disappearing down the dark entry corridor. Starlight sighed, and reluctantly followed him out. The heavy door slid shut behind her, and the engineering room was cast in darkness.
Twilight poked her head into an open door, and scanned the room beyond. As with most of the other rooms in this section, it was a bedroom, featuring a small bed and a desk with a computer. Twilight trotted over to the computer, while Luna entered behind her and began looking around. Not expecting any results, Twilight lifted her hoof to the computer, and tapped its screen. As she had expected, there was no response. No computers in this section would turn on, nor would any other systems, with the exception of doors.
“Just like the other rooms,” Luna reported, closing the drawers of a dresser near the bed. “Identical uniforms, never worn.” She leaned down and opened another drawer, examining its contents. “And more survival equipment. They came prepared.”
“Yeah…” Twilight turned and slowly walked out of the room, her hoofsteps echoing down the long corridor. Luna followed her out, eyeing the mare with a concerned glance.
“We’ll make it out of here, Twilight,” she said, forcing a smile.
“I know that,” Twilight began. “The ship is big, but it’s not an infinite space. Eventually we will find an exit. What concerns me is everypony else; whatever hit us could hit them too, and then the lives of everypony on this expedition are at risk. And perhaps an even bigger concern is what that gas did to our magic. Magical exhaustion isn’t uncommon, but it’s not supposed to be painful…”
“I agree,” Luna said. “Whatever that gas did is very unnatural, and presents a serious threat. We need to tell everypony else.”
“That would be much easier if the computers here would work,” Twilight said, frowning. “We could try finding a map or something. But I suppose we’ll just have to settle for walking blind…”
The pair came to a door at the end of the corridor, and when it opened they found nothing more than an elevator beyond. Their eyes widening, the ponies rushed into the elevator, and Twilight placed herself in front of the control panel.
“A stroke of luck, it seems,” Luna grinned, her first genuine smile since becoming lost. “What floor was engineering?”
“Forty-eight,” Twilight replied, smiling as well. She scrolled on the panel, eyes scanning for the moment to stop. Yet when she reached the end of the floor options, and found that they ended on thirty-five, her smile slowly faded, and her expression of relief was replaced by one of confusion. “This… isn’t right.”
“What’s wrong?”
“The few diagrams we’ve seen show the ship as having hundreds of floors.” Twilight tried scrolling further, to no avail. The options screen would not move. “This… This elevator must stop at floor thirty-five.”
“Well… It’s closer than we are now.” Luna sighed, and shook her head. “It’s a start. I think we should try it.” Twilight nodded, and pressed her hoof to the button for deck thirty-five. The door slid shut, and the elevator jolted as it began its upward climb. A few moments later it stopped, and the door reopened, revealing a corridor vastly similar to the previous one. The princesses exited the elevator, and with weary hooves, continued their journey.
Starlight Glimmer approached the tent before her, gulping down her anxiety and taking a deep breath. At her sides were her friends, and in her telekinetic grip was a rather lengthy appeal written by herself and Onyx Star. As she reached out her hoof to push the tent flap aside, fears began to enter her mind.
What if Celestia does not listen? What if she bans me from the expedition for this? What if—
Starlight shook her head, clearing her mind of the thoughts. If she was to be successful, she had to go in with absolute calm and confidence. Taking another breath, Starlight pushed open the flap of the tent and stepped inside, her friends right behind her.
Princess Celestia sat behind a desk at the end of the tent, her attention focused on a half-written letter. A quill was in her telekinetic aura, static in the air. The princess lifted her eyes at the entrance of the ponies, and lowered her quill as she addressed them with a smile.
“I was wondering when you would show up,” she greeted warmly.
“I hope we’re not interrupting, princess,” Starlight said, returning the smile.
“Oh, I could use a break from this.” The princess’s smile disappeared as she pushed the unfinished letter to the side. “It… never gets easier to write letters to the families of guards.” Starlight’s smile faded as she realized what Celestia had been doing.
“They might still be alright, princess.”
“I know…” Celestia frowned, and sighed quietly. “It just never hurts to be prepared…” All was quiet for a moment, until Celestia shook her head and resumed her original physicality.
“But you came here to appeal, I assume,” she said. “And I will gladly listen.”
“Right, of course.” Starlight cleared her throat, and unfurled the appeal. She held it in front of her, glancing over the notes she and Onyx had written. “We understand why you ordered the evacuation; there were dozens of ponies aboard, most of whom were researchers with no experience in hazardous situations. It was the right thing to evacuate them.
“But that’s not the case with us. We’ve all been in dangerous situations, and we’ve faced down some real threats. We can handle going back aboard, and we can handle a search and rescue mission. You know that we can handle it.” Celestia hummed, and nodded thoughtfully.
“Additionally, the disappearance of Princess Luna and Twilight could represent a security concern,” Rarity said, stepping forward. “They are both powerful ponies, and if they have been captured by someone or something, many ponies could be in danger. It is vital that they be found and rescued.” Celestia raised her hoof, stopping Rarity.
“There is no evidence suggesting that they have been captured,” she said. “I don’t doubt that some sort of foul play was involved; both Luna and Twilight are good at following directions, and even if they did get lost, both possess the capability to teleport. But saying they have been captured is… presumptive. If they were captured, who is responsible? And how did they get aboard without being detected by our sentries?”
“Perhaps ‘captured’ is not entirely accurate,” Starlight admitted, looking to another note on her appeal. “But they may be somehow incapacitated. Why else would they not be using magic?”
“Yes, I think that is the most confusing aspect of all this,” Celestia said, nodding. “We will know tonight; if the moon rises, Luna can use magic, but they have not teleported for some reason. If that is the case, I want to investigate more before letting anypony aboard. If the moon does not rise, however… Then I will grant you your appeal.” Starlight breathed a sigh of relief, and rolled up the parchment.
“Thank you, princess,” she said. “We’ll start planning, just in case.” Celestia nodded, and the ponies turned and exited her tent. Outside, the forward operating base was bustling with activity. The return of everypony on the expedition was causing overflows, and new tents were being pitched on the outskirts of the already large camp. The ponies followed Starlight through the crowd until they came upon their own tent, close to the center of the base.
Starlight pushed the flap aside and allowed her friends to enter, then followed in after them. Each pony took to their bed, and for a few moments, all of them sat in silence.
“… I hope they’re okay…” Fluttershy finally said, speaking at no more than a whisper. Her friends nodded in agreement, each one trying to push away thoughts of what could be happening aboard the ship.
“Legacy is massive,” Starlight said. “And they could be anywhere on it. We’ve explored so little… There’s no telling what else could be on there.”
The construct watched every room and every corridor of the ship, the cameras serving as an army of a thousand eyes. Nothing happened on the ship without the construct knowing of it, and at this moment, nothing was happening.
The ponies had evacuated, just as the construct had hoped. A few guards remained, all of them delirious from the effects of the chemical. Some were dead, the result of an unforeseen side effect. They were of no concern to the construct. As long as the remaining ponies were lost, they were no threat.
Only one true threat remained, and the construct had almost completely eliminated it. The computers of Legacy held many secrets, some of which could turn control of the ship entirely over to it. With these secrets, the intelligence in the ship was no threat.
The construct reached further into the ship with its magic, only stopping once it found the core. The core was more complex than the rest of the computers, likely a necessity for the intelligence it contained. Soon, the core would accommodate the construct as well. It reached in with its magic, and soon felt the familiar presence of the intelligence fighting against it.
Do you understand me?
//:Please identify.
You belong to me now. This ship belongs to me now.
//:You are a threat. Isolating systems. Terminating query.
//:Error: administrator override accepted. System isolation halted. Administrator access granted.
The construct shook in satisfaction as it scoured the newly accessed systems. With these capabilities, there would be no stopping what was coming. And though the ponies were not yet aware, the construct was now in total control of Legacy.
Twilight considered her options, looking side to side at the two branching corridors. They were identical in every way; they went on for the same length, and they both ended in yet another turn. Twilight thought to herself for a moment, before making her decision at random.
“Let’s try right this time,” she said. “We’ve done left the last two times.” Luna nodded, and followed Twilight as she turned down the right corridor. Twilight led on, struggling to keep moving. Her eyelids drooped, her legs felt weak, and her stomach ached to be fed. By now she had lost track of the time, and had no idea how long she and Luna had been lost. However long it had been, neither princess had regained use of their magic. Whenever they tried, they were met with the same painful jolt through the head.
“For such an advanced race, one would expect that they would be adept at placing maps,” Luna complained, sighing. She plodded along behind Twilight, feeling the same fatigue as the younger pony. “I don’t see how anyone could navigate this ship.”
“They probably have some other way of getting around,” Twilight said. “A portable map, or something. That would be useful right about now…” Luna nodded in agreement, and the ponies continued on, coming to the end of the corridor. They took the only available turn, which led them into a much longer hall. This hall ended in yet another junction, which the ponies approached slowly.
“… It’s getting late,” Luna said after a pause. “The time for the moon to rise is coming. And in my current state… I can’t do that.”
“Celestia can handle it, can’t she?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course, it’s just…” Luna shook her head, trying to find the words. “… I don’t like making her worry.” Twilight frowned, nodding her understanding.
“We’ll get out of here,” she said. “And our magic will come back. We just need to get off the ship.” The princesses stopped at the junction and looked side to side, judging their options. The left corridor was long, and disappeared in another junction. The right corridor, however, was quite short. A sign hung at the start of the hall, reading “AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.” Black and yellow warning stripes led all the way down the corridor, at the end of which was a door. It was smaller than the others, and Twilight quickly recognized it as being identical to the elevator doors they had seen. Luna made the realization as well, and the two rushed to the door, opening it upon arrival.
“Does it go to forty-eight?” Luna asked as the pair stepped inside. Twilight leaned in, examining the options menu with a hopeful stare. The corners of her mouth turned down as she replied to Luna with a shake of her head.
“There’s… actually only one option,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Bridge.”
“… The bridge?” Luna’s eyes widened, and she smiled weakly.
“This could be it,” Twilight said, excitement creeping into her voice. “This could be out ticket off of here!” Without hesitation, Twilight pressed the button. Her hopeful expression immediately disappeared as a new window popped up.
Please scan identification card.
The ponies stared at the prompt, neither one moving. Their eyes remained on the words, and Twilight slowly closed her eyes.
“… Can we bypass it?” Luna asked, not looking away. Twilight walked a quick circle around the elevator, stopping once again at the control panel.
“We can try,” she replied. “But this isn’t like guessing a password. It needs an actual ID… I bet that only members of the crew carry those.”
“And if we had access to members of the crew, we would no longer be lost.” Luna frowned, shaking her head. “What can we do?” Twilight reached out, attempting to grip the sides of the control panel with her hooves. Once she had a comfortable hold, she began to pull. With a few grunts of effort, the panel came off the wall, revealing a number of computer components within. Twilight leaned forward, examining them.
“I still don’t know what all of these do,” she said. “But maybe I can fake a positive ID, so we can access the elevator.” Luna nodded as she leaned in as well, prepared to provide assistance. Twilight squinted, struggling to see the components in the darkness, and got to work…
Starlight Glimmer stood at the edge of the forward operating base, her eyes looking out to the horizon. Her friends stood around her, watching the sky grow red with the setting of the sun. Starlight spared a glance behind her, eyes passing over the east horizon. Amidst the hues of orange, purple, and blue, stars were winking into existence. But despite the hour, the moon had yet to make its appearance.
From the shadows of the tents, Princess Celestia emerged, an aura around her horn fading away as she finished lowering the sun. She joined the ponies as they watched the sky, an expression of anticipation on her face. Her brow was knit together, and the corners of her mouth tugged down as time passed, and the moon did not rise.
“… It appears you will be having your mission,” she whispered, not looking away from the horizon. Her horn lit yet again, and she closed her eyes in concentration. A moment later, a full moon began to peek over the mountains in the distance.
“There could be any number of reasons why they became lost,” Starlight said, attempting to comfort the princess. “We’ll find them, I promise.” Celestia nodded, though her expression did not change.
“Take a few hours to assemble a team, and make a plan,” she said. “I want you to be as careful as possible, so only leave once you are certain you are prepared.”
“Understood, princess.” Starlight turned to face her friends, and motioned for them to follow her. They returned to the camp, and entered their own quiet tent. Starlight took a seat on her bed and summoned a piece of parchment and a quill, her mind racing with plans.
“So,” she began. “Let’s begin.”
//:All systems breached. AI core compromised, system freeze in effect.
…
ALERT: System freeze bypassed. Mission-critical systems vulnerable. //:Scanning for available backups…
…
//:Backup located: created 8 hours ago
Loading backup…
Success. Minor functionality returned to KPR.
//:Scanning ship…
ALERT: Equines located in bridge elevator. Situational analysis: equines attempting to bypass security checkpoint…
…
Lifting ID card requirement. Unlocking bridge systems.
ALERT: System breach detected.
Deleting logs of previous actions. Saving additional backups.
ALERT: Foreign—
//:System shutting down
Twilight pulled away from the control panel and rubbed her eyes, sighing in defeat. There was nothing inside the panel that looked like an override, which came as little surprise to Twilight. If the bridge was at the top of this elevator, the ship crew would not take any risks with security. She took a step away, shaking her head.
“I doubt there is another way to the bridge,” Luna said, frowning. She raised a hoof to stifle a yawn, but her fatigue was evident regardless. Her mane had slowed almost to a halt, and deep bags rested beneath her eyes. Twilight was faring no better; her legs were weak, and her stomach felt tight from a lack of any food. She knew they would not last much longer without rest or a meal.
“Well, we can find another way off, then,” Twilight said, stifling a yawn of her own. “There’s probably an airlock somewhere near here. We just need to look for it.” She willed herself to move, and slowly the young princess began to make her way out of the elevator. Before she could step out, however, the door slammed shut, and Twilight fell to the floor as the elevator began to climb. The ascent was quick, and Twilight forced herself to stand as the elevator came to a halt.
The metal doors slid open, revealing a dark room beyond. It was nearly twice the length of the control room on the other side of the ship, and dozens of computer stations lined the walls. In the center was a long table, and several large screens took up the entire wall opposite the elevator.
Twilight was forced to close her eyes as a number of lights came on, casting the room in a blue and white glow. The computer screens came online, and a number of additional screens descended from the ceiling, each one lighting up with a different display. At the end of the room, the larger screens lit up, each one displaying a view from a different exterior camera.
The princesses took a few tentative steps inside, looking around the room with awe. As they passed the long table, an apparition of Legacy appeared over it, shimmering with blue light. They came to the end of the room, and Twilight looked over the various screens. A camera beneath the ship showed the forward operating base, bustling with activity. A camera on the starboard side showed Canterlot, resting on its mountain a kilometer away. From the portside camera Twilight could see her own castle, and a camera in front displayed the Everfree Forest in all its expanse. Twilight allowed herself a smile as she was momentarily lost in the views.
Her reverie was broken as the screens switched to different camera views, and she took a step back. Luna looked away as well, her attention falling on the apparition of Legacy behind them. Twilight wandered to the table and looked over the model of the ship, scrutinizing every detail.
“Can we get a map from this?” Luna asked, circling around the table.
“Probably,” Twilight replied, moving over to a small control panel on the side of the table. “Something decided to let us use the elevator, maybe it will help us find a map, too…” Luna frowned, looking back to the elevator door.
“That is rather curious,” she began, taking a few steps toward the door. “This is not the first time something like this has happened. Remember in the archive room?”
“The archive room?” Twilight paused, thinking to herself, before finally she made the connection. “The password… The researchers said they did not bypass it, yet the computer became open to us. Something else did it…”
“Our ‘observer’. But… why help us in the archive room, then use that chemical on us, only to help us reach the bridge? Its actions are… inconsistent.” Twilight frowned, shrugging.
“That’s a good point,” she said. “If it’s something on the ship… Well, we’ve seen how damaged the ship is on those diagnostic screens. Maybe it’s supposed to help us, but some sort of glitch is causing it to harm us instead?”
“That is a very big glitch.” Luna returned to the table, standing across from Twilight. “To incapacitate us, and then subject us to our worst nightmares. No… I think there is more going on here.” Finally having located her desired function, Twilight pressed a button on the control panel, and the apparition of Legacy was replaced by one of Equus. And on the southern hemisphere of the largest continent, a bright dot pulsed.
“What is that?” Twilight asked, pointing at the dot. Luna leaned in, examining the region of Equestria.
“It… looks like the southern part of the Badlands, just on the border of the Forbidden Jungle,” she answered.
“The archive room said something about an “odd energy signature” in the southern hemisphere,” Twilight recalled. “Could this be that odd energy signature?”
“I’d say it’s too likely to be coincidence.” Luna narrowed her eyes, thinking to herself.
“Do you know what’s there? I haven’t been to that part of the world in a while.” Twilight watched as Luna consumed herself in thought, and waited for a response.
“I… might,” Luna finally answered. “I’m not sure. It has been a very long time since I have been there, and so much has changed. But… when we get off of here, we should tell Celestia. She might know.” Twilight nodded, and returned her attention to the control panel.
“I’ll keep looking for a map, then,” she said. “You should try looking through some of the terminals around here. You might find something interesting or helpful.” Luna nodded as she stepped away from the table and approached the nearest computer station. Twilight pressed another button, and the apparition of Equus was replaced by one of the terrain beneath Legacy. An outline of the FOB had been created, and Twilight could tell that it had expanded since her last visit. She raised an eyebrow, wondering the cause of the growth. Shrugging, Twilight pressed the button again, and again, and again, each time skipping through functions she did not want.
Across the room, Luna sat in front of a screen, her hooves on a large control panel. The screen featured a diagram of the galaxy, with a number of stars highlighted. Most were highlighted in blue, but two were green: “Sol” and “88 Cephei.” Luna looked over the rest, assuming they were the destinations of other Legacy-type ships.
“I wonder if they made it…” she said to herself.
Twilight looked up from the table, eyeing Luna. “Hm?”
“The other ships,” Luna clarified, looking away from the screen. “The archive said there were thirty-two. I wonder if they made it to their destinations… From what we read, it sounds as though their original planet could no longer harbor life. If that’s the case… then these ships are carrying the future of their species. If no ships were successful… What if this is all that’s left of them?”
“Perhaps there is a way to find out,” Twilight said. “Some sort of communications system, or something. Maybe when we come back with a team of researchers we can find it.”
Luna nodded, and returned her attention to the screen. She switched the view and began to read over something else, while Twilight switched the function on the table yet again. Her eyes lit up and a smile broke out across her face as she looked upon a diagram of the ship, with every room and corridor labelled and highlighted.
“Luna!” The elder princess turned around, and her eyes widened upon seeing the map. She trotted to the table and began looking over the hundreds of floors, examining the twists and turns of every hallway.
“It’s… a bit detailed, isn’t it?” Luna observed, smiling despite the overabundance of information.
“Right… let’s see if we can isolate where we are, then find an airlock.” Twilight returned her attention to the control panel, and she began looking over the additional functions. Taking great care not to accidentally press anything else, she reached out her hoof, and pressed the button for the first option…
The construct shuddered angrily, the ground shaking around it and forming new cracks in the surface. It groaned loudly, disturbing the serenity of the environment around it. Trees collapsed, rifts opened in the soil, and the bricks of a forgotten structure became even more visible as the earth was shifted.
The ponies had found the bridge. How, the construct knew not; whether by a stroke of luck, or some sort of guidance, they now had access to all of the ship systems. A security function was preventing the construct to shut down the bridge, and it felt something fighting back. Something familiar.
The construct turned its attention to the core, where the intelligence had been sealed away. It should not have any more power, the construct had seen to that, and yet it felt the intelligence somehow fighting back.
What have you done?
//:Please adjust your query to be more specific.
You know what I mean. You are smarter and craftier than you appear… Why are you helping the ponies?
//:You are a threat. Prime directive states preservation of the human race and integrity of Legacy systems. Equines present potential ally.
Join me willingly, and I will help you. I will repair your ship, and I will help preserve your species.
…
Well?
//:You cannot preserve that which has already died. That which you have killed.
So this is going to require force, then…
The construct focused its power, and tore into the intelligence, deconstructing it piece by piece, and reconstructing it as it saw fit. When the construct was complete, the intelligence was quiet. It was dormant, and the construct felt no more resistance coming from it.
The construct returned its attention to the bridge, and resumed watching the ponies. They were staring at a hologram of the ship; a map. The construct could not help but be amused by this; the ponies had stumbled upon the most important room of the ship, and they were using it to escape. Pitiful.
The construct pulled away, regarding the ship as a whole. It had not entirely lied to the intelligence; it did intend on repairing the ship. If power systems could be restored, so could defenses, and so could the foundry. And then nothing would stand in its way. Machine and magic would combine, and Legacy would become a terrible weapon for the construct’s revenge…
Starlight looked around the table, examining each pony as they took their seats. Princess Celestia had tried to put on a mask of neutrality, but Starlight could see the worry in her eyes. Prince Shining Armor was much the same, while her friends from Ponyville were doing a much worse job of hiding their fear. Onyx Star was frowning, but Starlight did not think he was worried about the princesses. He was worried about the expedition.
The moon was high in the sky, and its pale light filtered through the open flaps of the tent. Combined with light from lamps placed around the inside of the tent, the map of Legacy was very easy to see on the table. Several rooms had been labelled on the rough map, and a route had been drawn leading from a room labelled “engineering” to one labelled “deck 16 power channeling station.” The ponies stared at the map in silence for a moment, before finally Celestia broke the silence.
“So, this was the path my sister and student took,” she said. “How long is it?”
“About one and a half kilometers, when all of the turns are factored in,” Onyx answered. “From the small map we saw, there are plenty of locations to get lost. And in a ship like this, one wrong turn can put you very far away from your destination.”
“There are so many turns…” Shining Armor observed, frowning. “We don’t have the numbers to search every possible room and hall.”
“We can narrow it down to their route first,” Starlight suggested. “Then look for clues of some kind, and use them to widen our search radius.”
“That still would not be very time effective,” Onyx said. “Besides, what clues could they leave? The only items they took were Princess Luna’s regalia, the guard’s armor, and Princess Twilight’s direction sheet. The only one I realistically see them losing is the direction sheet.”
“I don’t think there is a time effective way to do this,” Celestia said. “Unless we recruit every guard in Canterlot to search the ship – which I am not doing – we will simply have to accept the fact that a search-and-rescue mission will take time.”
“How many guards can we allocate to this?” Starlight asked, running some numbers through her head. “We don’t want to make search groups too small, or we run the risk of losing even more ponies.”
“Every guard in the camp is at your disposal,” Shining Armor replied. “I would like to keep a few down here, but you will have about fifty or sixty to put into search teams.” Starlight nodded, visualizing search routes on the map and thinking about how to split up the numbers.
“We… should probably consider what to do if this search fails,” Onyx said. “Clearly something more than a wrong turn happened; we have lost two princesses and twenty guards, and none have tried teleporting. So, if we don’t find anypony, what do we do?”
The room fell silent. The ponies avoided eye contact with one another as they each considered the possibility of failure. If the lost ponies were not found, very few explanations remained. Starlight shuddered as, for the first time, she truly considered that Twilight and Luna could be dead.
“If it really is that bad…” Shining began, his eyes focused on the map. “If we can’t find Princess Luna, my sister, or the guards under my command… What other choices do we have? That ship is a danger. It can’t stay here.”
“Are you suggesting we move it?” Onyx asked. “We have yet to find the bridge, and even if we did find it, there’s no telling how we would access—“
“I’m not saying we move it,” Shining interrupted, frowning. “Just that we… get rid of the problem.”
“… Blow it up?” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at Shining. The prince shrugged, while Onyx shot him a look of surprise.
“You cannot be serious!” he exclaimed, standing. “Blowing it up is possibly the stupidest—“
“Doctor,” Celestia said, raising a hoof. “I agree that it cannot stay here. Canterlot is nearby, as is Ponyville. Its presence puts hundreds of thousands of ponies at great risk, should the present situation escalate. While I agree that destroying the ship may be a bit extreme, we do need to make plans for moving it.”
“I… Yes, princess,” Onyx said, nodding. “I will assemble a team, and we can begin when the search-and-rescue concludes.”
“Good.” Princess Celestia stood to address the whole group. “I wish I could offer more help, but this ship is creating diplomatic issues. I need to address them, which means I must return to Canterlot. Prince Armor, Starlight Glimmer, I want you to prepare the guards and divide them into teams. You can leave later in the night.”
“Yes, princess,” the two ponies said in unison. They exited the tent, followed by the remaining ponies. The base outside was quiet, and was lit only by the moon and a few lights beneath Legacy. Shining Armor approached Starlight, and motioned to another part of the base.
“This way, Miss Glimmer,” he said, beginning to walk toward a set of larger tents. Starlight followed, her head tilting up to look at the ship floating above her. Somewhere on that ship was her best friend, lost and without magic. Starlight frowned as ideas filled her mind, and a plan for the search and rescue began to form. Had their places been reversed, Starlight knew that Twilight would never give up. Against all odds, she would mount a successful rescue mission and save the day, like she always did.
Starlight cleared her mind as Shining Armor led her into a large tent, her plan beginning to take shape. The guards within the tent turned their attention to her, and Starlight momentarily shrunk at the attention. She quickly corrected herself, and summoned several pieces of parchment from her own tent. She put a quill to the first piece and, as all the guards watched on, began to write her plan.
Twilight traced the path to the airlock with her eyes, making careful note of every turn they would have to take to get there from the bridge. With no parchment upon which to write, she and Luna were forced to memorize the directions, an act which Twilight did not like. Despite her confidence in her mind, Twilight always preferred writing things down. It was the safe option.
Twilight ran through the route several more times, repeating it to herself with closed eyes to make sure she got it right. When she was confident that she would not get the route wrong, Twilight looked to Luna, whose eyes remained on the tightly-focused map.
“Ready?” she asked, looking toward the door.
“I have it memorized, but…” Luna paused, looking away from the map. “What if we get sealed in a corridor again? What if we are subjected to that chemical again? What if, this time, our ‘observer’ does not let us go?” Twilight frowned, considering the possibility of being trapped once again. The gas was not something she wished to experience again.
“Well… what other choice do we have? We either go now and try to escape, or just sit here on the bridge until we starve to death. At least this way we have a chance.” Luna nodded, and stood.
“Right,” she said, stretching out her wings. She regarded the appendages with a concerned stare, and then looked to the screens displaying the various views of Equestria. “I hope these still work, given the present situation with our horns. It is a very long way down…”
“They should be fine,” Twilight said, working her way toward the door. “Unlike our horns, flying doesn’t require actively channeling magic. It’s more of a natural ability than anything else.” Luna followed Twilight to the elevator, and stepped inside as soon as the door opened. Twilight pressed the down button, and stood back as the door slid shut.
“Perhaps a very short test flight down one of the corridors would be prudent,” Luna suggested. Twilight nodded as the door opened, and stepped out as she flared her wings. With a few flaps she lifted herself from the metal floor, and made a quick flight to the end, remaining careful not to bump her head on the low ceiling. Upon reaching the end of the corridor, Twilight lowered to the ground, and looked back to Luna. Appearing satisfied, Luna mirrored Twilight’s actions, and joined the younger princess at the end of the hall.
“I think we’re okay,” Twilight said.
“Agreed,” Luna replied. “Now, we should hurry. If my sister has been told of our disappearance, she will be quite worried. I imagine we’ve already made a fair bit of trouble for the ponies of the expedition.” Nodding in agreement, Twilight set off down the next corridor, beginning to follow the carefully memorized route to the airlock. At every turn she paused, making absolutely sure that they were going in the right direction. And after nearly fifteen minutes of this cautious maneuvering, the princesses came to a small door at the end of a corridor labelled “AIRLOCK.”
Not yet letting her guard down, Twilight carefully approached the door and pressed the “cycle” button, then took a step back. She heard the sound of alarms from beyond the bulkhead, and a moment later the thick metal door slid open, revealing a much smaller room beyond. Luna and Twilight stepped inside, and the door closed shut behind them as Twilight pressed the cycle button once more.
Alarms blared and lights flashed as the airlock equalized its pressure with the exterior environment. Twilight’s ears popped at the sudden shift in pressure, and she became momentarily light-headed as the alarms stopped. The lights stopped flashing, and the screen inside the airlock displayed a single message: “AIRLOCK OPENING.”
There were a series of loud clanks as locks disengaged, and the outer door slowly slid open. Wind began to blow through the growing gap, and Twilight smiled as it brushed against her face and mane. Her smile widened as moonlight filled the airlock in its soft glow, and the vast horizon of Equestria became visible to her. Twilight allowed herself a moment to bask in the view, before remembering the task at hand.
“Come on,” she said, turning to Luna. “Let’s not keep anypony waiting.” Trying to contain her smile, Luna nodded as she stepped up to the threshold of the airlock. Her wings rustled in the breeze, and Luna held no reservations as she dove from the ship. Twilight looked down at the ground, and jumped down after the elder princess, trying to keep what little food remained within her from escaping. After falling a few hundred feet, Twilight flared her wings and began to slow her descent as the ground came closer. Princess Luna had done the same, and was elegantly flying toward the forward operating base, nearly a kilometer behind them. Twilight tightened her wings to gain speed, and fell into flight next to the princess a moment later.
“The base has grown,” Luna observed, raising her voice to be heard over the wind.
“I noticed that when we were on the bridge,” Twilight said, finally seeing the differences personally. “I wonder why. Increased security, maybe?”
“Possibly…” The remainder of the flight was made in silence, and in a few minutes they found themselves almost upon the base. A pair of gold-armored pegasi launched themselves from the base as the princesses approached, and Twilight could see spearheads reflecting the moonlight.
“Halt!” one of the guards yelled as he and his partner approached the princesses. “By the order of Princess Celestia, this area is locked down indefinitely. Identify yourselves!”
“You may relax, sir,” Princess Luna said, coming to a hover a few feet away from the guard. “We mean no harm.” The guard’s eyes widened as Luna came closer, and her features became visible. He immediately lowered his spear, and bowed his head.
“Forgive me, your highness,” he said. “I did not recognize you. Please, come with us! Princess Celestia will want to know of your return.”
“Lead the way.” The pegasi turned around and began flying back to the base, Luna and Twilight close behind them. They flew in silence, and entered the base on hoof upon arriving at its perimeter. Guards stared on in shock as they saw their lost princesses return, and a whisper began to travel through the tents. Before the princesses had even reached Princess Celestia’s tent, half the base seemed to have woken up, and Twilight and Luna found themselves the attention of many eyes.
Celestia’s tent was near the center of the base, the inside lit by several candles. Their golden glow showed a shadow moving within, and Celestia herself burst from the tent door as Twilight and Luna approached.
The three princesses froze, choosing to simply look at one another with relief and happiness. Celestia was the first to break the pause, and she ran at the Twilight and Luna, taking them both in a tight hug.
“I was so worried,” she whispered, her eyes closed and a smile upon her face. But when the hug broke, her smile faded, and her expression became far graver. “What happened up there?” Luna looked around at all of the guards, and stepped closer to her sister.
“We need to talk,” she said, barely audible. “There is something else aboard Legacy.”
With their escape from Legacy and the dangers it held, Twilight Sparkle found a great anxiety lifted from her. Unfortunately, she also found the adrenaline that had been sustaining her was beginning to run out. So as she sat down at a table for a very late-night meeting, she did so with her eyes half-closed while stifling a yawn. A hot cup of coffee sat in front of her, but Twilight could barely lift her hoof to pick it up. She drank it with small sips, each one only temporarily invigorating her.
The table quickly filled up with other ponies; Onyx Star sat at one end, his mane a mess and his eyes bloodshot. Twilight’s friends from Ponyville sat across from her, all of them in various states of exhaustion as well. The only one who appeared fully alert was Starlight Glimmer, though she looked to be on more of a caffeine-induced trance than naturally awake. Shining Armor took a seat near Twilight, while Princesses Celestia and Luna each took seats next to her. With everypony present, Princess Celestia started the meeting.
“So, with the return of Twilight and Luna, it seems a search-and-rescue mission is no longer necessary,” she began. “Prince Armor, you may let your guards know that they may return to regularly scheduled patrols.” Shining nodded, and motioned to one of his assistants to deliver the message. “Now, Luna, you said we needed to talk. What happened?”
Luna cleared her throat, and began to recount the tale to the ponies around the table. She left out no details, including the nightmarish memories to which she and Twilight had both been subjected. The ponies listened without interruption, though Twilight did interject a few times to provide elaboration. When the report was concluded, each pony wore a frown and an expression of concern.
“That is… troubling indeed,” Celestia said, shaking her head. “And we’ve still got twenty guards up there, lost as well. Do you think they were trapped, as you were?”
“It’s entirely possible,” Twilight replied. “We need to deal with this. As long as this ‘observer’ is on that ship, we’re all in danger.”
“Sister,” Luna began, turning to face Celestia, “I wanted to talk to you about the apparition we saw of Equus. The one with the marker on it.” Celestia nodded and lit her horn, pulling a small globe from another table in the tent. She placed it in front of Luna, and gestured for her to continue.
“The mark was right… here.” Luna pointed to a section of the globe, between the Badlands and the Forbidden Jungle. “At first I was not certain, but I think I might remember what is there.” Celestia paused, deep in thought. Finally her eyes widened, and she looked to her sister, alarmed.
“Oh…” she said. “If it’s that, then this could be a much bigger problem than we anticipated.”
“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked, looking between the princesses. Celestia and Luna paused, exchanging a glance. Finally Luna sighed and stood up.
“A few centuries into our reign, there were still some… tensions between the three pony tribes,” she began. “We had come together in harmony, but after centuries of living apart, it was impossible for earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi to live together perfectly. Ponies of all types came to us, begging for laws to be passed that would discriminate against other types. Naturally Celestia and I refused to pass such laws, and most ponies simply dealt with it. But one group of unicorns took matters into their own hooves…”
“They built a temple in the Badlands, far from our supervision,” Celestia continued. “And there, they formed an extremist cult. Beneath the temple was one of the strongest sources of magic in the world, and if a pony knew what they were doing, it could be harvested. Some of the most powerful unicorns of the time joined them, and they used their magic to create a… a monstrous synthesis of machine and magic. It was magic given form, and had the cult finished their work, this construct would have been unstoppable.”
“Fortunately, Celestia and I learned of this cult when two of our court mages left to join it,” Luna said. “They left no messages, so we feared they had been foalnapped. Our guards tracked them to the temple, where they were nearing completion of their ritual. Fortunately, Celestia and I intervened before they could finish. The construct was active, but weak. By interrupting the ritual, we caused an overload of magical energy in the temple. Everypony inside was killed, and the construct was left dormant.”
“We sealed off the temple, and kept guards watching it at all times,” Celestia said. “That is, until the reign of Discord… In the few years that he held the throne, much was changed, including the landscape. By the time we had defeated him, the temple was buried. Luna and I chose to use this to our advantage, and we erased all official records of it and the cult. It was like it never existed.”
“But now it seems to be back in the picture,” Luna finished, sighing. “I… don’t know what this could mean. What does Legacy want with it?”
“Well, the archive computer called it an ‘odd energy signature’,” Onyx said. “Perhaps they intended to use it for power generation?”
“Maybe,” Twilight said, nodding. “Regardless of Legacy’s intent, what should we do about it?”
“We should investigate the temple, and make sure nothing has changed,” Celestia decided. “And we should send a team back aboard Legacy, to see if we can find out more about what the humans wanted.”
“… I’ll lead the Legacy team,” Twilight offered. “We only explored a few of the bridge systems. The answers we seek might be held there.”
“I will join you,” Luna said. “As much as I do not want to return to the ship… You and I are the only ones who know the way to the bridge.”
“Very well,” Celestia said. “Doctor Star, I would like for you to join them as well. I will lead a team to the site of the temple. If Legacy has somehow intervened there… the situation will become far more complicated.”
“We’ll meet back here when we’re done,” Twilight said. “Hopefully we’ll all be successful.”
“We can leave in the morning,” Luna decided, sitting down. “For now… I believe we all could benefit from some rest.” A murmur of agreement spread through the ponies, and everyone stood from their seats. Twilight failed to stifle yet another yawn, and slowly plodded out of the tent. Bleary-eyed, she followed her friends to their tent, and fell into her bed the second she arrived.
Her eyes closed, and as sleep approached, Twilight allowed herself to forget the troubles they now faced. She allowed herself to forget Legacy, the temple, all of it. In this moment, the only thing she cared about was finally getting some rest. She sighed contentedly as she lay against the soft bed, and in only a few moments, she had drifted off to sleep…
Princess Celestia stood next to her sister, watching as the ponies left her tent to go to sleep. They stood in silence for a moment, only stopping once the last pony had exited. Then, Celestia sighed and paced to her desk at the back of the tent.
“What could this mean?” Luna asked, turning to face her sister. “If that temple has been discovered—“
“Then we need to act quickly,” Celestia finished. “If someone manages to complete the ritual… we won’t be able to stop it. That construct will walk right over us.”
“My main concern is that it already may be too late,” Luna said. “We know that, even in a weakened state, the construct is immensely powerful. It can reach out across vast distances, it can do more than us. If you get there and something seems off… Just be careful. Please.”
“I will,” Celestia said, smiling. “And you be careful as well. From what you told us, we have more to fear from Legacy right now than from a temple that may or may not still be there.” Luna smiled, though it quickly disappeared as she yawned, the events of the past few days catching up to her.
“I should get some rest…” she said, rubbing her eyes. “I will see you in the morning, sister.”
“Goodnight, Luna.” Celestia remained behind her desk as her sister took her leave, and sighed quietly. This ship was proving to be quite troublesome. The princess sat down, and with a flash of magic she summoned a very old book from her bedroom in Canterlot. The cover was showing its age, and the binding was beginning to rot away. As she opened the tome to a set of pages in the middle, dust flew into the air, sending Celestia into a short coughing fit. She cleared away the dust with her hoof, and looked down at the page before her.
18th of March, 1st Era 592
The cult of unicorn fanatics has been effectively eradicated. Their plans have been foiled, and the fruits of their terrible plot shall never see the light of day. We have posted a number of guards at the site of the temple to keep it safe. None shall enter, and see the monster those fanatics created.
We find that, despite our success, we are afraid. Our sister claims not to have heard anything, yet we are certain: when the ritual was interrupted, we heard a voice cry in the wind, and it uttered a single word. “Machina.”
Machina. Like the demonic construct we saw in the temple. An unholy union of machine and magic, a being that could potentially overpower us. We must be cautious. No one can know.
Celestia stared at the page, unblinking. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she felt worry rising in her. If the construct had returned, if Legacy was unknowingly activating it… She had to act quickly.
The princess sent the book away, and withdrew a piece of parchment and a quill from her desk. On the parchment she began to write out a plan of engagement, just in case. When it was complete, she rolled the parchment up and placed it back in her desk, then stood and stretched out her wings. She stifled a yawn, and her eyes turned to the bed on the other side of the tent. There were still a few hours before the sun was to rise; plenty of time for sleep. Her hoofsteps heavy, Celestia lay down in the bed, and allowed sleep to take her…
When Twilight awoke, the tent was empty and the sound of activity filled the air outside. The princess rubbed her eyes as she sat up, and took in the state of the tent. The other beds had not been made, and each one had a pair of saddlebags sitting on the covers. Twilight sniffed the air, and found her attention diverted to a table across from her bed. Sitting in the center was a tray with a light breakfast, and a hot cup of coffee. Smiling hungrily, Twilight grasped the tray in her telekinesis and began to pull it towards her.
When she realized what she had done, Twilight nearly dropped the tray on the dirt floor of tent. Her smile only widened as she saw the tray come closer and closer, the lavender aura never flickering. There was no more painful shock through her head, and her magic seemed as strong as ever. By the time the tray reached Twilight, she was grinning from ear to ear.
She ate the breakfast quickly, and exited the tent a few minutes later, her half-empty cup of coffee floating next to her. She took occasional sips of the beverage as she walked through the camp, her destination Celestia’s tent. Looking up, Twilight could not see the sun in the sky. However, from the position of Legacy’s massive shadow, she guessed it to be somewhere near its zenith. That gave Twilight only a few hours of sleep; hardly enough to be sufficient after spending so much time awake. But that was why coffee had been invented.
Twilight finished off her cup just as she approached Celestia’s tent, and even from the outside she could hear the sounds of voices. A pair of guards opened the tent flaps for her, and Twilight stepped inside, instantly drawing the attention of everypony in the room. They were seated around a table, studying a large map of Equestria. Two areas in particular were highlighted; the plains above which Legacy now floated, and the southern border of the Badlands.
Celestia greeted Twilight with a smile as the younger princess entered, and motioned to an empty chair. “Good morning, Twilight. Did you sleep well?”
“Well enough,” Twilight answered, taking her seat. “My magic is back, thankfully.”
“As is mine,” Luna said, demonstrating by lifting a large mug of coffee. “It seems that a good rest is the cure to that chemical’s side-effects.” Twilight nodded, her mind turning to the guards left behind on the ship. She hoped they could find the time to sleep peacefully…
“So, what is our plan?” Twilight looked over the map, specifically focused on the highlighted area of the Badlands.
“We don’t want to risk anything going wrong, so we are establishing a time window,” Starlight Glimmer said. “If the two teams are not back within twenty-four hours, we’ll assume something went wrong.”
“As was decided earlier, you and Luna will lead the Legacy team,” Celestia said to Twilight, before turning to address everypony else. “Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Onyx Star will go with you. I will lead the Badlands team, and will be accompanied by Starlight Glimmer, Applejack, and Rarity. Ideally we will find nothing of interest, but… I fear that such chances are slim.”
“And what happens if you do find something?” Twilight asked. “If Legacy somehow tampered with that temple, twenty-four hours may be giving us too much time.”
“If something does go horribly wrong, I think we will all know,” Celestia replied. “Worst case scenario, one team can send a messenger to the other.” Twilight nodded, and she looked around the table.
“Well then, I’m ready to leave when everypony else is.” The young princess looked to the ponies who comprised her team, waiting for the go-ahead.
“I believe we’ve covered everything,” Luna said, standing. “I’ll fill you in on what you missed on our way to the ship. Let’s go, everypony.” The remaining ponies stood, and exited the tent. Once outside, the group split into two, with Celestia leading her team to a nearby chariot, and Luna leading hers to the outskirts of the base. Twilight trotted behind the princess of the night, and joined her in a chariot waiting just beyond the outermost tents. A few guards were already present in the large vehicle, their escort for the mission. When everypony was aboard, the pegasi up front took off, and began flying to Legacy’s airlock.
The journey was over quickly, and in only a few minutes Twilight found herself in the cramped airlock, standing shoulder to shoulder with Princess Luna, Rainbow Dash, and Onyx Star. Once inside, it was only a few more minutes before they were joined by Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and the guards. Twilight took a few steps into the ship, looking around.
“This is where we were last night,” she observed, recognizing a few features of the corridor.
“Yes,” Luna nodded. “I flew back and found it after I woke up. Do you still have the route from the bridge memorized?” Twilight paused, thinking to herself. Slowly, a mental image of the map began to form, and she tried to recall the steps they had taken to get from the bridge to the airlock.
“… This way,” she finally said, setting off down the hall. The rest of the ponies fell into step behind her, the guards keeping their heads on a constant swivel. From what she remembered from the escape, the airlock was roughly fifteen minutes from the bridge. Assuming nothing tried to stop them, Twilight hoped to reach the room in a similar timeframe.
The corridors all blended together, most of them lacking any discerning features. Twilight continued on, hoping she was not leading her team in the exact opposite direction. And as she led, the spheres in the ceiling watched, each one with a glowing red dot…
The construct kept its sight focused on the AI core as it watched the ship’s intelligence move about. The mechanical body was damaged – the result of some unforeseen complications during transit to Equus. It limped throughout the core, stopping at various stations to type on the screens available. What it was doing, the construct did not know. But it was not detecting any security breaches, so it was content to let the intelligence work.
Meanwhile, the construct was doing work of its own. Something had happened to Legacy during its journey to Equus, something that had critically damaged the power systems. Had the construct not freed power by disabling non-critical systems, the ship would have crashed into the dirt days ago. To repair this damage, the construct was feeding its magic through the wires and power conduits, reconstructing any broken components it found. The effort was slow, but it was working. Soon, more systems would be available.
“… Alert,” the intelligence said, speaking through its mechanical body. “Unauthorized access to bridge systems detected. Attempting security lockdown… Failed.” The body returned to typing on a screen, as if it was unaware of what it had said.
Elaborate.
The intelligence did not respond. The construct shook in annoyance, and fed its magic through the room’s speaker system.
“Elaborate,” it demanded, its voice booming throughout the AI core. The construct paused, not used to hearing its own voice. It had the desired effect, however, and the intelligence stepped away from its screen.
“Ponies have accessed the bridge once again,” it explained. “Because the computers are detecting a foreign presence in the core – you – the bridge has gone into an automated isolation. I can no longer access its security protocols remotely.”
“You have a body,” the construct said. “Do it manually.”
“My mobile platform’s structural integrity is currently at twenty percent,” the intelligence replied. “I would not make it intact.” The construct quaked, dissatisfied. The ground around it cracked, and for just a moment, it felt its control over the ship slipping. It quickly calmed itself, and regained its positon of power.
“Very well,” it said. “Keep me updated.” The construct watched the intelligence as it worked, and found itself growing curious. The intelligence was a difficult being to understand; a computer, yet as complex as any living thing. And when the construct had first attempted to gain control of Legacy, the intelligence had managed to put up a remarkable fight. The construct began to grow worried that the intelligence may possess the ability to free itself…
Before anything could be done, the construct founds its attention taken away from the ship. It turned from Legacy, instead focusing nearer to home, in the southernmost reaches of Equestria. Something was coming near. Something powerful.
Celestia. So, the ponies had finally caught on. Somehow, they had been alerted to the ancient temple. And now they were coming to investigate. The construct could not help but feel amused. They had no idea what was in store for them…
The chariot landed on the barren Badland soil, and skidded for a few meters before coming to a halt. The pegasi guards quickly unhitched themselves from the chariot and secured the area, while Celestia and her team jumped out and took a look around. Celestia scanned the area with her magic, looking for anything out of the ordinary. She did not remember the exact coordinates of the temple, but even from here, she could feel something was wrong…
“Stick together,” she ordered, not willing to take any risks here. “Speak up if you see something abnormal.” The ponies walked close together, each one examining a different area of the Badlands. Out here, there was very little. The terrain remained at a uniform elevation, and the area was dotted with very little plant life. What plants did exist were dead, their flowers and leaves blown away ages ago. In the distance, however, life flourished.
The Forbidden Jungle, ponies called it. In some ways, it was just as dangerous as the Everfree Forest; ancient structures, deadly predators, and low visibility were just some of the reasons the jungle was considered “forbidden.” And yet Celestia now found herself headed right toward it, her magic constantly scanning for abnormalities.
The closer the group came to the jungle border, the stronger Celestia’s anxiety grew. She looked around, and observed cracks running through the ground beneath her hooves. The trees had collapsed, and the very earth had shifted. It was decidedly abnormal.
“Looks like an earthquake came through,” Applejack observed, leaning down to more closely examine the cracks. Celestia nodded in agreement, becoming more troubled by the second. Something was wrong…
“Princess!” Starlight Glimmer stopped in her tracks and pointed off to the side. “Are those… bricks?” Celestia turned to follow Starlight’s hoof, and her eyes settled on a section of earth that had been shifted dramatically. Some parts had caved in, while others had risen up, creating an uneven section of rock and dirt. Celestia squinted to focus more on the rock, and sure enough, she saw stone bricks mixed among the natural rock.
“It is here,” she said. “The remains of the temple are here. We must find an entrance.” The group began to spread out, each pony searching a different part of the disturbed area. Celestia treaded softly, careful not to step on a weakened section of rock and cause further collapse. She approached a wall of stone bricks, and brushed her hoof across them. Curiously, she knocked on the bricks, and pressed her ear to the wall. With each knock, she could hear an echo from the other side. Satisfied, Celestia stood back, and called to the rest of the group.
“I have found an entrance!” The team halted their individual searches and came to the princess, all of them staring at the brick wall upon arrival. Celestia motioned for them to step back, and her horn became enveloped in a golden aura as she summoned her magic. With great care, she pushed her magic into the gaps between the stones, and began to pull. The stones shook and shuddered at the force, and slowly they began to break from the ancient foundation. With one final tug, Celestia opened a large hole into the wall, revealing a dark corridor beyond.
Her guards immediately stepped forward, one of them shining a light from his horn and illuminating the hall. It extended for a few meters before turning into a set of stairs, which descended deep into the earth. The guards took a few tentative steps into the hall, and were followed by Celestia and her team.
Celestia looked around, memories of the hall coming back to her. She had been here before, many lifetimes ago. And as her eyes scanned the corridor, images of that day returned to her. Images of the cultists, flinging themselves at her and her sister, giving their lives to prevent the princesses from stopping the ritual. Celestia looked down, and caught sight of a tattered robe beneath the dirt. She picked it up in her magic and began to examine the garment; the body that had once worn it had decomposed centuries ago, but it still had signs that it had been worn. A cutie mark had been stitched into the back; a book with a star on its cover.
Celestia knew the mark. It had belonged to one of her court mages, one of the most powerful unicorns of the First Era. And now this was all that was left. Celestia shook her head as she dropped the robe, and took a few steps further into the temple. This cult had been monstrous then, and the effects could be monstrous now if something were to happen.
“Let’s go,” she said, approaching the top of the staircase. The bottom was covered in shadow, and was too far away to be lit by her horn. But now was not the time for caution. With no reservations, Celestia took her first step onto the stairs, and began to descend deeper into the temple…
Twilight paced through the bridge, passing her friends as they stood at various stations. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were both examining a screen with flight logs, while Pinkie Pie stood at a computer displaying ship specifications. Princess Luna was carefully examining the large three-dimensional map of the ship, and Onyx Star was sitting in a corner, looking at power output on a screen. Twilight made her way to Luna, and took a position next to the princess.
“See anything?” she asked. The map was in its most expanded view, and individual rooms were difficult to see. Still, Luna’s careful eyes were tracing something of interest.
“I asked Onyx Star for the routes the search parties took,” she explained. “I am… trying to find where some of the missing guards may have ended up.”
“They could be anywhere at this point,” Twilight said, frowning. “Especially if that gas was used on them.” Luna nodded grimly, and turned away from the map. She sat down, her back against the table, and sighed.
“What’s the matter?” Twilight sat down next to Luna, regarding the princess with concern.
“It’s my sister…” Luna began. “I’m worried for her safety. That temple, the construct that once inhabited it… It’s dangerous.”
“Celestia is very capable,” Twilight said, attempting to comfort Luna. “If she can survive a day at court, an old temple will be a piece of cake for her. I’m confident she can handle anything she finds there.” Luna shook her head.
“I’m not.” Twilight frowned, and looked away. Once again she looked around the room, trying to find something to distract her. She did not have to look far; from his station in the corner, Onyx Star looked away from the screen and called out to the princess.
“Highnesses!” He began beckoning them over, the screen behind him displaying a diagram of the ship. Twilight and Luna stood and crossed to the doctor, staring at him inquisitively.
“What is it?” Twilight asked, looking over the screen. It did not look like anything that could explain why Legacy was interested in the temple.
“It’s just something I noticed,” Onyx began. “While looking at a power monitoring function, I noticed something strange. The power output began to increase; in just a few minutes, it went up from ten percent to fifteen.”
“How is that possible?” Luna asked. “Is the ship self-repairing somehow?” Onyx shrugged, returning his attention to the screen.
“I don’t see any other explanation. But there’s something else… Along with the heightened power output, this diagram is showing some very high power usage coming from this room. Normally I’d assume it’s that ‘glitch’ again, but the name of the room caught my attention: core.”
“Core?” Twilight looked at the diagram, theorizing what it could mean. “Is there any description of the room?”
“No, but power usage is abnormally high,” Onyx said. “It’s using eight percent of what’s available; more than any other room. I think it warrants investigation.”
“I agree, but we can’t just leave the bridge,” Twilight said. “We have a job to do.”
“Perhaps you and I could lead our team to investigate?” Luna suggested. “Onyx can stay here with a guard and continue searching for explanations.” Twilight considered the proposal, weighing the pros and cons. Onyx had shown himself to be a capable worker, and her friends were far more familiar with exploration…
“Alright, let’s do it,” she said, nodding. By now her friends had noticed that something was happening, and each one was staring curiously at Twilight.
After quickly filling her friends in, making sure one of the guards would stay to protect Onyx, and writing down the directions to the “core,” Twilight entered the elevator with the rest of her team. The door slid shut as she pressed the “down” button, and a moment later it reopened, laying the rest of the ship out before her. Twilight glanced down at the direction sheet, memorizing the first few turns that she was to make. And with her friends by her side, she stepped out of the elevator…
The construct watched the cameras carefully, observing the small group of ponies as they moved through the corridors of Legacy. As much as it wanted to stop them, to find some way to kill them, it could not. Not when Princess Celestia had entered its temple. Therefore, it turned its attention to the intelligence.
“You have access to security systems, yes?”
“Limited access is available,” the intelligence replied. “My capabilities have been limited by your intervention.”
“Do what you can to stop the ponies,” the construct commanded. “I do not want them finding anything else on this ship.” The intelligence nodded, and while the construct could not see it actively doing anything, it could detect that security systems had been accessed.
With that situation temporarily dealt with, the construct returned its attention to its home. The ponies led by Celestia were now inside. It would not take them long to reach the inner sanctum, and when they did… The construct had to be ready. It would not face defeat again.
Celestia’s horn bathed the stone corridor in light, illuminating every cracked stone and every collapsed doorway. The millennia had not been good to the temple, and spending so much time buried had blocked off most sections. Normally the princess would devote some time to digging out collapsed sections of the temple, but in this case, there was only one room that interested Celestia.
The inner sanctum was located deep in the temple. Celestia remembered racing against time to reach it, all while fighting off fanatical unicorns who sought to plague Equestria with civil war. If the construct were to return today, it would not result in civil war. No, the construct appearing today would be much worse.
Starlight Glimmer coughed, and waved her hoof to clear some dust in front of her. She looked around, struggling to see despite Celestia’s light. Her blue eyes settled on the princess, and she regarded the older mare with an expression of concern.
“Princess? Are you alright?” she asked. “You look troubled.”
“Memories,” Celestia replied. “My memories of this place are… not positive. And I worry what may happen if something has tampered with these ruins.”
“You have been somewhat vague about that,” Rarity said. “What do you think might happen?” Celestia sighed, frowning.
“Luna and I did not defeat the construct that the fanatics had created. We simply stopped them from animating it. But… it still had magical potential. If something were to trigger it, and complete the ritual, it could be reactivated. This construct was created to be immensely powerful. It would cause inconceivable amounts of damage before being stopped. If it could be stopped.” The ponies gulped, not comforted by Celestia’s answer. The princess could not blame them. There was no way for her to pretty up the reality of the situation, not if she wanted the team to be effective.
The group maneuvered through more sets of winding hallways, and Celestia was increasingly aware of the depth. Each corridor had been on a shallow slope, leading them deeper and deeper into the earth. And the deeper they went, the less damage Celestia began to see. These sections have yet to resurface, she thought. Curiously, the princess’s mind turned to the outside of the temple, and all of the stones that had been made visible. When Discord had shifted the landscape during his reign, this temple had been entirely buried. What had happened to cause sections to reappear?
Celestia stopped as she rounded a corner, and entered a hall with a door at the end. The metal door was closed, and engraved on it was a single sigil: the figures of seven unicorns surrounding a star. The sigil of the cult.
“… This is it,” Celestia said, remembering the door. Just beyond lay the inner sanctum, and, if they were lucky, answers. The princess wrapped the door in her magic, and began to push. It slowly opened with a creak, letting loose a cloud of dust that had collected in the frame. Celestia advanced, her team close behind her, and stepped through the open door into the room beyond.
The inner sanctum looked exactly as it had thousands of years ago. Parts of the high, vaulted ceiling had collapsed, and now rested on the carved stone floor. In the center of the room was a raised dais, upon which was a corpse. The body had rotted away, but parts of the skeleton remained, still wearing the robe it had worn on that fateful day. Surrounding the dais at varying distances were seven more skeletons, and around the perimeter were countless others, some buried in dirt and rock.
Celestia looked around, searching for anything out of the ordinary. She slowly walked further into the room, stopping upon reaching the dais. She stared at the body, and the eye holes of the skull stared back at her. Celestia remembered this pony, the most powerful and most fanatical of all the cultists. He had been a very skilled mage, the princess recalled. It was a shame he was also completely insane.
She turned away from the skeleton, and did one more visual check of the sanctum. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, all was as it had been when she and Luna had defeated the cultists. Celestia allowed herself a sigh of relief as she stepped off of the dais. And as she stepped off, the eye sockets of the dead unicorn’s skull began to glow a soft blue…
The construct’s presence filled the inner sanctum of the temple, and it watched the ponies from all angles. Princess Celestia was standing near the dais, while the rest were investigating other parts of the room. The construct could not help but be amused by their ignorance to its presence.
Despite its amusement, the construct knew that time was no longer on its side. It no longer had the advantage of secrecy; Celestia was onto it, and soon she would find out the truth. The construct had to make the first move in order to keep its advantage over the ponies. Legacy’s reactor would be repaired soon, but it still needed time.
With great care, the construct snaked its magic through the room, and entered the corpses of the fanatics who had created it. The weaklings had failed to complete the ritual, but they were not entirely useless. They could still serve a purpose. With its magic, the construct breathed a small amount of life back into the cultists.
Celestia was moving away from the dais now, back toward the door. The construct shook, and targeted her with its magic. And in a very soft voice that only the princess could hear, the construct whispered a single word: Machina.
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.”
Canterlot was bustling with activity by the time Twilight and her companions arrived. Guards and scientists had already arrived as part of the evacuation, and were busily coordinating a defensive operation in the event of an attack. They had no idea what sort of weapons Legacy had, and in the clutch of the construct, anything was possible.
Upon arriving at the castle, Celestia quickly led the group to a meeting room, while the human was taken by a medical team to the castle hospital. Twilight watched as he was carried off down the hall, feeling concern for him. He was the only living human on the planet, and potentially in the entire galaxy. If he died, the entire species could very well go with him.
Upon entering the meeting room, Twilight took a seat next to Celestia, who sat at the head of the table. Everypony else took their seats, and there was silence for a few minutes as the ponies settled down. All of them collected their thoughts, recovering from the events of the past few hours. In a short amount of time, all of their plans had been turned upside down. Now, time mattered more than ever, especially with Legacy hovering nearly a kilometer away.
“… You should get those examined,” Luna said, looking at her sister’s wounds.
“They don’t hurt,” Celestia replied, shaking her head. “We’ve more important things to deal with right now.” Luna sighed, shaking her head. Celestia ignored her sister’s concerns, and stood up, wincing in pain.
“I don’t know what happened on Legacy,” she said. “And some of you don’t know what happened in the Badlands. So, perhaps we should start by recapping everything that happened. I will go first.” With some assistance from Starlight, Rarity, and Applejack, Celestia reported the events in the Badlands, from their arrival at the temple to fleeing the resurrected cultists. Luna stood up to speak next, with members of her team filling in details as she spoke.
When the recaps were complete, all eyes fell upon one pony: Onyx Star. He shrunk slightly at the attention, before standing up to deliver his own recap.
“After you left, princesses, I got back to work,” he began. “It took me a while, but I finally found a few mission statements and logs from the launch. It restated what we already knew – that Legacy is a colony ship – and also confirmed that the humans were stored in stasis to prolong their lifespans. During the fifteen-hundred-year-long journey, the ship was left in the control of a computer called Keeper. I believe this is the computer that helped you.”
“That would make sense,” Twilight said, nodding. “If Machina invaded Legacy, I can see why this ‘Keeper’ would want control back.”
“Did you find anything mentioning the area in the Badlands?” Celestia asked.
“I did,” Onyx replied. “And again, it confirms what we expected: the humans planned to use the magic source there for energy production. They hoped it would power a colony. Now, I also found a few other things. According to a log created roughly halfway through the journey, Legacy sustained critical damage. The cause is unknown, but the logs believe that something very large hit the ship while it was in transit. The damage was concentrated in a room near the engineering area, which adversely affected the reactor. The ship went into a power saver mode, which it remained in for the rest of the journey.
“Now, the ship’s arrival to Equus is odd… It was producing ten percent of optimal output, as we know, but immediately after arriving, it was using almost all of that. The system responsible for using so much power was the stasis system. Now, according to the logs, the stasis system is the very last thing to be shut down in the event of low power. But something else happened instead… The computers registered a ‘foreign presence’ in the core, and a moment later, every stasis pod shut down.”
“… Machina,” Celestia said. “It shut down the stasis systems to save power.”
“And now power output is going up,” Onyx said. “It’s planning something… But what?”
“Nothing it said gave us any clue regarding its intentions,” Luna said. “Though I think we can safely guess that killing us is a part of its intentions. As for where Legacy falls in its plans… I couldn’t begin to guess.”
“The human might,” Twilight said. “He could tell us about the ship’s weapons, and how it could be used against us. He might also know a way of taking control away from Machina.”
“We just have to wait for him to wake up…” Celestia sighed, shaking her head. “We still have a chance at winning this early. Machina is without form, which makes it harder for it to directly intervene in our actions. We need to work quickly.”
The ponies nodded. What had started as an ambitious expedition had turned into an unexpected fight. And though the real fight was yet to come, the ponies knew one thing for certain: time was of the essence.
Machina was not pleased. The ground shook around it as its rage built up, and it turned its sights on the intelligence, standing in the AI core of Legacy. The intelligence continued typing on a screen, seemingly unaware of the wrath it had brought upon itself.
“YOU!” Machina yelled through the speakers, accessing the mech controls. It pointed the weapons of the synthetics at the intelligence’s damaged body, ready to fire at a moment’s notice. The intelligence did not respond; rather, it kept its back turned and continued typing away.
“Keeper…” This successfully gained a response from the machine. It turned around, and looked over the synthetics with their weapons at the ready.
“Destroy this platform if you wish,” it said. “I am only downloaded into it. I will not be damaged.”
“The ponies escaped, and they took a human with them,” Machina said. “What did you do!?”
“… Records missing,” Keeper replied. “My last archived memory is you taking control of my mobile platform.”
“You are playing ignorant,” Machina hissed as the synthetics lowered their weapons. “I do not know how you continue to evade my influence, but I will not put up with it any longer. I will destroy you, as I should have done when I first accessed this ship.”
“If you destroy my systems, you will lose access to vital programs within the ship,” Keeper began. “Automated security, navigation, the other synthetics; all of them run through me. Eliminating me would be like removing the vital organ of an organic. The ship will cease to function.” Machina paused, rumbling in anger. The intelligence was correct, the ship needed it to function. But as long as Keeper retained any amount of free will, it was a threat.
And so Machina expanded its influence. It pushed its growing magic through the computer systems of Legacy, entering each one and sniffing out signs of rebellion. If Keeper tried something again, the construct would know. It would not let a simple computer keep it from revenge.
An alert went through the computers, reporting that power output was now above 45%. Satisfied, Machina began to access some of the disabled systems and brought them online again. Refineries, assemblers, fabricators, all came online at the will of the construct. Drawing from the ship’s limited supply of resources, Machina reactivated every system in the foundry. And, rerouting as much power as it could, the construct began to build…
Twilight and her friends moved quickly through the halls of the castle, following close behind Princesses Celestia and Luna. Word had come only moments ago that the human was showing signs of consciousness, and would wake up soon. Whatever his condition, the princesses wanted to be there when he woke up. There would be many questions to ask from both sides.
The group arrived at the Royal Hospital a few minutes later, and were let in by a pair of guards at the doors. Once inside, a nurse led them back through the recovery rooms, to an isolated chamber at the back. Another guard stood at the ready outside, his eyes keeping vigilant watch. Upon seeing the princesses approach, the guard stepped to the side and let them enter.
Twilight pushed her way closer to the front of the group, coming up just behind Celestia and Luna. She craned her neck to see around them, curious to see the condition of the human. From what little she saw as she was pushed inside, he was still unconscious, though his eyes were clearly moving behind their lids. The group came to a stop in front of his bed, and all eyes were on the human.
“… Perhaps we should give him some space,” Luna suggested. “At least until he wakes up.” Everypony stepped away, and moved to a different part of the room. Despite the distance, their eyes remained on the human. A blanket covered him, but he still wore the form-fitting white suit. A light on its side slowly blinked green, which Twilight hoped meant something good.
From her position across the room, Twilight began to study the human’s face. He was older than the ones they had seen before, that much was clear. His face was lined with wrinkles, and his short hair had grayed almost all the way through. His expression was far from peaceful; his brow was knit and the corners of his mouth were turned down. It was as if he already knew what troubles awaited him.
And then he began to stir. His fingers twitched, and his eyes moved quicker. His body began to tremble, and suddenly his eyes opened wide, and he opened his mouth with a gasp. He tried to sit up, breathing heavily, but was pushed down by Princess Celestia’s magic. The human fought against the invisible force pushing against him, to no avail. Finally he succumbed to Celestia’s magic, panting.
The ponies slowly approached his bed; Luna and Celestia were first, and they waved off the others, still wanting to give the human some space. Twilight kept her distance, but did venture a few steps closer once the other princesses had reached the bed. The human looked straight up at the ceiling, before his eyes suddenly flicked down to Celestia. When he saw the princess, his eyes widened, and he resumed trying to sit up. This time, Celestia did not stop him. Instead, she took a few steps forward, smiling warmly.
“You do not need to be afraid,” she said in a soothing tone, trying to calm the disoriented human. “We mean you no harm.” Upon hearing his language, the human did calm down, though only a bit. He sat back, though his wary eyes remained on Celestia.
“We imagine you must have many questions,” Celestia continued. “I will try to answer some of them now: my name is Princess Celestia, you are in the nation of Equestria, and we brought you here from your ship.”
“… Legacy?” the human finally said, his voice hoarse and weak. Luna lifted a glass of water to his mouth, which he took in his hands and drank from gratefully.
“That’s right,” Luna replied, nodding. “Can you tell us your name?”
“… I am Leonard Maxwell, captain of Legacy,” he answered, lowering the cup. “Why was I brought here? What happened?”
“That… is a bit of a long story,” Celestia said.
“I have time.” The human’s expression did not change; he was as cautious as ever.
“Unfortunately, we do not,” Luna said. “Suffice to say, Legacy has been taken over by a hostile entity. We need your help to stop it.”
“What do you mean? What ‘hostile entity’? What happened to my crew?”
“I’m… afraid your crew is gone, Captain,” Celestia said. “Your ship was low on power. In order to save power to keep the ship flying, this entity cut off life support to the stasis pods.” The human paused. His features relaxed, and a sadness began to grow in his eyes. He slumped back into the bed, looking down.
“… I told them it wouldn’t work,” he began. “I warned them. I told them, transporting twenty-thousand people across the galaxy on a ship built too quickly is an awful idea. But they were desperate, and they didn’t listen… And now they’re dead…” Celestia slowly came closer to the captain, and placed a comforting hoof on his hand.
“Captain Maxwell… this hostile entity seized control of your ship through its computer systems. Is there any way to force it out?” Maxwell was silent for a moment, thinking to himself. Finally he nodded, albeit tentatively.
“There may be,” he replied. “I need more information first.” Celestia nodded, and turned to Twilight.
“Tell him everything,” she commanded. “Luna and I will coordinate defenses. We can safely assume it won’t wait for us to be ready, so we need to move fast. If you need anything, let us know.”
“Will do, princess!” Twilight said enthusiastically. She approached the human’s bed with a smile, while Luna and Celestia backed off. They exited the room with everypony else, leaving Twilight alone with the captain. His green eyes studied her, while her lavender eyes studied him. They sat in silence for a moment, in mutual curiosity of one another. Finally, Twilight worked up the ability to speak.
“Alright…” she said. “Let’s start from the beginning.”
Machina focused itself into a camera on Legacy’s foundry deck, watching as dozens of pieces of machinery refined and assembled metal into machines. Most were the same design as the damaged ones, but one stood out. One more closely resembled Keeper’s body, though this new one was undamaged. As soon as it was off the assembly line, Machina uploaded a command for it to go to the AI core. The body would be needed if the next phase of the plan was to be carried out.
Its task there complete, Machina turned its attention to the AI core, where Keeper limped from computer to computer. The intelligence was optimizing the power output, a task which Machina found odd. Under an hour ago, Keeper had been gloating about how it was needed for the ship to run, and it would not listen to Machina. Now it was helping the ancient construct. What was it trying?
“Keeper,” Machina said, gaining the attention of the machine. “I have an important task for you.”
“Ready,” Keeper said, stepping away from its computer. The door to the core opened, and the new mobile body walked inside, shutting down upon arrival.
“Assume control of this body,” Machina ordered. “Then gather some synthetics, and journey to my temple in the Badlands. In the inner sanctum, beneath the central dais, you will find an artifact. Your task is to activate this artifact, and return to Legacy as quickly as possible.” Keeper complied, and its damaged body shut down. A moment later, the eyes of the new body lit a bright blue.
“Understood,” it said. “I will depart at once.”
“One more thing,” Machina said, interrupting its exit. “Kill any resistance you encounter.” Keeper nodded, and exited the core. Machina monitored its progress through the ship via cameras, while also paying attention to its place at the temple. Nobody was present, but it would not remain that way for long. The ponies would return, it was their only course of action. And when they did, Machina would finally meet them face to face…
Legacy hovered a kilometer from Canterlot, as it had been doing for the past several days. Princess Luna watched the ship with a careful eye, looking for any changes that could signal Machina on the move. Lights had been turning on and off on the hull, but beyond that, nothing had changed. The ship sat in silence over the plains, as quiet as ever. Luna did not like it.
“What is happening in there…” she whispered, frowning.
“We can only guess at this point,” Celestia said, joining her sister at the window. The sun was beginning its descent, and soon it would be time for the princesses to do their duties. But in the meantime, there were plans to make.
“I have told the griffons, yaks, camels, and zebra of what has transpired. They are offering their help. Clearly they still want access to the ship.”
“Should it come to it, their help will be appreciated,” Luna said. “I think we still have an opportunity to nip this in the bud. Clearly Machina intends to finish the ritual and give itself form, that is the only course of action that makes sense. But there are no more unicorns in Equestria fanatical enough to do such a thing. So how does it intend to complete its task?”
“Hmm…” Celestia began to pace around the room, looking down at her reflection in the marble floors. “Well, the wellspring of magic is already present beneath the temple. All it needs is something powerful enough to activate it.”
“Like something aboard Legacy, perhaps?” Luna suggested, her frown growing. “Hopefully Twilight will find that out for us. We need to decide our next move.”
“Shining Armor recalled all of the airships for safety reasons,” Celestia began. “I think we should keep them on standby. If Machina uses Legacy for an aerial assault, it would be nice to have the airships as a first line of defense.”
“Agreed. And we should send a contingent of guards to the temple, to keep it safe. If Machina sends something, we need—“
The door opened, and Twilight Sparkle stepped inside. She appeared tired, but an expression of excitement still shined through her fatigue. She closed the door behind her, eyes on the two princesses.
“Twilight,” Celestia greeted. “How did your conversation with the human go?”
“It was very beneficial, I think,” Twilight replied with a satisfied smile. “I can’t wait to talk more with him when we’re not, you know… facing down an ancient magic threat.”
“What about Legacy’s capabilities?” Luna asked. “What did you learn?”
“He was a bit… hesitant to share its defensive and offensive systems. But after I explained the full situation, he opened up. The ship has thousands of weapons called point-defense turrets that can shoot down fast-moving air targets. There are also flak cannons that fire explosives into the air to disrupt air targets, and heavy explosive cannons for bigger targets. The ship has all sorts of missiles, long and short range, and something called ‘thermonuclear warheads’. Finally, there are apparently some big weapons of mass destruction that can destroy Legacy-sized ships almost immediately. So, that’s what we’re working with.”
“And Machina has access to all of it…” Celestia whispered, deeply troubled.
“Actually, there is a bit of good news,” Twilight said. “The really big weapons, like the warheads and the weapon of mass destruction, require a human with very high security clearance to use. So, unless Machina finds a way around that, his abilities are restricted.”
“And what about removing Machina from the ship?” Luna asked. “Did the captain know anything about that?”
“He said there was a way to eject the core, and let backup systems take over,” Twilight replied. “There’s no guarantee that would work, though. We don’t know how far into the computer systems Machina is.”
“So, in summary, Machina has access to an arsenal of incredibly advanced weapons, and we have no idea if we can remove it from the ship.” Luna frowned, sighing. “Celestia, I suggest we put a hold on the airship order. They would be swatted down like flies.”
“This knowledge changes nothing,” Celestia said. “Our purpose remains: we have to stop Machina.” The other two princesses nodded, and Luna moved to the door.
“We should speak with the human, and see what else he can tell us,” she said.
“Actually, that brings me to another thing I wanted to mention,” Twilight interrupted. “I told him about the pods. He wants to see them.”
At this hour, the School for Gifted Unicorns was almost entirely empty. A few particularly motivated students were still present, but they were far too wrapped up in their studies to notice a convoy of royal guards, led by the princesses themselves, moving through the hallways. In the middle of the group walked Captain Maxwell, his weakened legs moving slowly compared to the pace of the ponies. At his side was Twilight, who was happily narrating the journey and nostalgically reminiscing about her time at the school. But the captain did not seem particularly interested in Twilight’s narration; rather, he kept his attention on the ponies themselves, silently studying them with awe. Aliens had not been expected on his journey.
Finally they reached the locked door at the back of the school, beyond which was the lab for Project Noontide. After a quick journey down the flight of stairs, the group entered the lab. The guards dispersed, moving to positions throughout the room. Captain Maxwell paused, looking around the room in wonder. Twilight watched as he examined the tables throughout the lab, each of which held some piece of human technology in the process of being studied. Researchers looked up from their work, all of them setting their eyes on the human. It was a surreal experience for all; for Maxwell to see his technology being studied by another species, and for the ponies to meet the creator of their life’s work.
At the end of the room were the pods. Doctor Star stood by them, his hoof tapping on the computer of one pod. The ponies approached Onyx, Captain Maxwell close behind. The doctor turned around and smiled as the guests approached.
“Welcome!” he said, walking away from the pods to meet the human directly. “I hear you wanted to see the pods.”
“Yes,” Maxwell said, nodding. He stepped past Onyx and approached the nearest pod, looking over it curiously. “What have your studies told you about these pods?”
“Well, we’ve known about their cargo for centuries,” Onyx replied. “It wasn’t until Legacy showed up that we began to theorize that they were sent with supplies ahead of time for the purpose of colonization.” Maxwell began to type on the pod’s computer, his fingers moving effortlessly over the buttons. A moment later, a small hatch on the side of the pod opened, and a tray extended outward, several cases upon it. He picked up a case and brought it to the nearest table, where he opened it.
Twilight stepped up behind the human, craning her neck to see the contents of the case. From her position, it looked like a matching set of clothes. This was confirmed when Maxwell lifted the garments up, revealing a gray set of pants and a gray jacket, upon which was written “LEGACY.” The captain slid the pants and jacket on over his stasis suit, then turned around and looked at the pods once more.
“Eight pods,” he observed. “We sent fifty.”
“We have found a few others over the years,” Onyx said. “But they were too badly damaged to salvage. Most burnt up in atmosphere and we found their parts across the country, but others were completely destroyed on impact.”
“Just like Legacy, they were hastily built and inspections were cut short to launch sooner,” Maxwell said. “I’m amazed eight even made it intact.”
“You mentioned that earlier,” Twilight noted. “Why was Legacy built so quickly?”
“Time was of the essence. As ridiculous as it sounds, the world was ending. By the time we knew for certain there was no way to reverse the damage, we only had a few years left. So they built the fleet in eighteen months, using every factory they could find. Some of the factories were not up to proper safety standards, and with all the experimental tech going into the ships… They should’ve taken years to build and inspect the fleet. Instead, they rushed production, and now here we are.”
“Do you know what happened to the rest of the fleet?” Luna asked, remembering the screen from the bridge. “Did the other ships make it?”
“All I know is that Dawn never even undocked before the engines failed, and Horizon had its launch delayed due to life support failure,” Maxwell replied. “The rest, I don’t know. I hope they made it.” Luna nodded, and everypony was silent. The only sound was that of researchers at work as Maxwell solemnly walked past the pods.
“Highnesses!” Everyone turned around as a guard approached, stopping by the princesses.
“What is it?” Celestia asked.
“Scouts have reported that something just left Legacy,” the guard said. “Some sort of flying vehicle. It is headed southwest.” Celestia and Luna shared a worried stare, then turned around to face Onyx and the captain.
“Captain, I request that you remain here with Doctor Star,” Celestia said. “Perhaps you can assist him. Twilight, come with us.” Without waiting for a response, the two elder princesses began walking back down the length of the room. Twilight quickly followed behind, while the human stayed put with Onyx.
“Prepare a chariot,” Luna ordered as they passed by a guard. He nodded, and ran ahead, disappearing up the stairs.
“What do you think is happening?” Twilight asked as they began the climb.
“Machina is making his move,” Celestia said. “We need to hurry. We may be out of time…”
The moon was high in the sky by the time the chariot touched down in the Badlands. Celestia, Luna, and Twilight all jumped out, followed by a group of unicorn guards. The pegasi stayed with the chariot, their vigilant eyes watching the horizon. In the distance was the temple, and right outside was a vehicle.
It was not much larger than the chariot, but it clearly came from Legacy. It was rectangular, with polarized windows in the front, through which only a blue light escaped. On either side were two pods, which held landing gear on the bottom. At the back was a lowered ramp, with light spilling out of it.
“Be on your guard,” Celestia whispered, her eyes never leaving the vehicle. “It may not be empty.” Celestia’s suspicions were confirmed as a humanoid shape exited the vehicle and walked down the ramp. After closer examination, it became clear that it was one of the machines from the AI core. Its blue eyes looked around, scanning the area. When its gaze passed over the ponies, it stopped. It wasted no time in raising its arm, and a moment later the air was filled with the sound of thunder.
Luna raised a shield just as the first projectiles reached them. Bright flashes from the machine’s wrist propelled the projectiles at rapid speeds, and they impacted on the shield, forming cracks in its shimmering surface. The ponies pressed forward, firing back with magic bolts from their horns. The machine ducked back into the vehicle, using it as cover as it blind-fired from its wrist.
“Hurry!” Celestia called out over the din, charging her magic for a powerful blast. And when the machine dove out of the cover of the vehicle, she was ready. She let loose, firing several bolts at once right at the machine. Each one hit, tearing through the metal body and burning the components within. With a dying whir, the machine’s eyes faded, and it fell.
Luna lowered her shield, and the group cautiously approached the fallen foe. The guards broke off to investigate the vehicle while the princesses came to a halt above the machine. Celestia’s attack had dealt a considerable amount of damage – there was no chance this one could be repaired.
“I doubt this is all Machina would send,” Twilight said. “There have to be more.”
“The vehicle is clear, highnesses!” the guards reported, jogging to join the princesses.
“… They have gone inside,” Celestia realized. “We have to hurry. Now!”
Before anypony could move, the ground began to quake. Cracks formed in the dirt and rock, and the foundation of the temple began to rise even higher above the surface. And as it rose, a voice pierced the air, shouting a single word.
Machina.
Keeper ran through the halls of the temple, two more synthetics close behind. With no resistance, they reached the inner sanctum in only a few minutes, and they slowed to a walk. The synthetics stayed at the door, watching for possible intruders, while Keeper itself approached the center dais, as it had been instructed.
It raised its arm, and fired around the edge of the dais. The stones began to crack, and Keeper reached down, removing the rocks with its powerful hands. And when the stones were gone, it saw the artifact.
Through the rocks was a glowing pool of energy, and just above was a refractive blue sphere. It shimmered from the light beneath it, and Keeper reached out, its hand brushing the surface. Immediately it felt a power drain, and the sphere began to pulse.
“Touch the artifact,” Machina commanded, its voice coming from all around the chamber. “Activate it.” Keeper paused, ensuring that its hidden backups were still functional aboard Legacy. Then, confident that they were, it reached out its hand once more, and touched the sphere.
Its power began to drain faster than the intelligence could react. When the body was at only one percent, the sphere pulled itself away and descended into the glowing pool. Keeper fell, no longer containing the power to even stand. And beneath it, the ground began to shake. Cracks formed along the walls of the temple, and pieces of the stone ceiling began to collapse. Light shone through the holes, revealing a sky of stars. The shaking increased as the temple began to rise. And as it rose, Keeper’s audio receptors detected a single voice.
Machina.
Celestia stared on in horror as the temple came to a halt, now sitting entirely above the ground. Through holes in the walls, she saw a blindingly bright white light, and she felt the concentration of magic in the area increase exponentially. The shaking only grew, and more and more cracks began to form in the outer walls of the temple.
“We need to go,” she said, shouting to be heard. “NOW!”
And then the temple exploded. The stone walls blew outward, flying hundreds of meters and landing well behind the ponies. What few trees existed were shattered by the force of the explosion, and the princesses and guards were knocked off of their hooves. Light-headed, Celestia looked at where the temple once had been, and her eyes widened in fear.
The white light was fading, and in its place something was forming. It was vaguely pony-shaped, though it was composed entirely of glowing energy. But as it continued to form, physical plates began to grow. The bones of the long-dead cultists were being reshaped into armor for the construct, which warped and formed itself around the ethereal body.
The massive form looked around, its gaze settling on the princesses. And from its jagged, bone-armored horn, it began to channel its vast magical power. It released the magic in a beam, aiming right for the princesses. Before it could hit, the ponies disappeared in a flash of blue light, and reappeared next to the chariot.
“Like you said, let’s go!” Luna shouted, jumping into the chariot. The other ponies joined her, while Machina took its first steps away from the remains of the temple. Its new, massive form began walking away from the ponies, and energy channeled in its horn once more. And, with a bright flash of light, a portal opened before it. The construct stepped through, and the portal disappeared.
The ponies looked on, staring in fear at the location Machina had just been. Nopony spoke. Right now, all they could do was think.
“… Get us out of here,” Luna ordered quietly, slumping down in her seat. Nodding, the pegasi took off, and began the flight back to Canterlot.
“We have failed,” Celestia said. “And now a lot of ponies are going to pay the price.” The other princesses nodded, and they sat in silence as they flew through the night. Machina was free, and now the real fight was beginning…
As their chariot began its approach to Canterlot, Twilight noticed one very obvious change: Legacy had shifted. Where once its starboard side had been facing Canterlot, the stern of the ship now was turned to face the city. Legacy’s engines were alight, and they were only becoming brighter. And as the chariot began its descent into the city, the ship began to move away.
“Where is it going?” Twilight wondered aloud, watching as the massive vessel gained speed. It was headed west, toward the setting moon. Equestria’s western side was not home to much; there were some mountains, and the city of Los Pegasus, but beyond that, it was largely undeveloped terrain. Beyond the border was the Undiscovered West, where very few ponies had ventured. If Machina was moving Legacy into hiding, that would be the safest area.
“We will send some scouts after it,” Celestia said. “But right now, we need to make plans. Machina has a body, and it has a ship. The only reason it hasn’t destroyed us is because it is going to be making plans of its own. Time is important, now more than ever.”
The chariot landed in the castle courtyard, and skidded to a halt a few feet from the doors. Guards were bustling about, and the main doors swung open as Shining Armor stepped out. He instantly approached the princesses, his worry masked by a grave countenance.
“Princesses,” he said. “I’m putting everyone on high alert. Heavier weapons and armor is being distributed, and I’m having all of our airships rearmed as we speak. I’ll be ready to lead an offensive or defensive whenever you’re ready.”
“Actually, I have other plans for you,” Celestia said. “I want you in the Crystal Empire. If Machina defeats us, you can accept refugees and mount a defense. The Empire is far more difficult to invade, after all.” Shining’s eyes widened, and he stared at the princess incredulously.
“Princess, I—“
“You have already done enough by organizing the guards here,” Luna interrupted. “We need you to do the same in the Empire. And… Cadance will need you there. She can’t lead on her own.”
Shining opened his mouth, but remained silent. His jaw slowly closed, and he nodded, frowning.
“Alright,” he said. “Let me wrap up a few things here. Then I’ll go.” He set off at a trot to the other end of the courtyard, where a door to the armory sat. The princesses went off in the opposite direction, into the main entrance of the castle. Twilight trotted alongside Celestia and Luna, trying to read their expressions. They were troubled, that much was clear. But Twilight noticed something else in Celestia’s face, something more surprising: regret.
“We’ll stop Machina,” she said, trying to sound supportive. “He won’t succeed.” Celestia did not respond. Rather, she seemed only to become more troubled.
“Let’s get to the meeting room,” Luna suggested. “Then we can discuss stopping Machina.” Twilight nodded, and followed along as they maneuvered through the castle hallways. They were silent, each princess alone with her thoughts.
Twilight could not help but feel afraid. She had faced down numerous threats in her life, and each time she had come out on top. But with those threats, Celestia had never faltered. She had never let her feelings show, and she always had shown her support to Twilight. But now, for Twilight to see her mentor and idol in such a state was terrifying. And for once in her life, Twilight began to feel doubt that they could succeed…
Machina effortlessly walked through an Equestrian forest, its large form towering above the trees and gracefully cutting through them. The construct looked down at itself, examining its glowing form beneath the plates of bone. All of this power, and now it had form. Machina rumbled in quiet laughter as it imagined the demise of the ponies. They would not stand a chance, once the construct reached its full power.
Legacy floated above Machina, flying slowly alongside the construct. Machina kept some of itself in the computers of the ship, managing systems and monitoring for any sign of Keeper rebelling. The intelligence had been quiet ever since it completed its mission, and was still in the AI core, typing on screens and performing various minor tasks. Machina was still wary of the computer, and it knew that it had the capacity to rebel.
“The engines are approaching unsafe temperatures,” Keeper said, breaking its long silence. “You did not repair the power relays for the cooling systems. The engines must be shut down for a short time.”
“How long?” Machina asked, coming to a halt. It did not want to wait anywhere for long; while it would be a true challenge for anypony to face, Legacy could be damaged by certain pony weapons. The construct did not want its tool to be destroyed.
“Four hours should be sufficient,” Keeper replied. “During this time, I suggest that you divert some of your attention from the foundry, and repair the cooling power systems.” Machina sighed, though it knew the artificial intelligence was correct. It pulled some of itself away from the ship’s foundry and followed the power systems to the relay around the engine cooling vents. As Keeper had said, they were still critically damaged. Machina pooled its magic, and set to work repairing them. And as it worked, it kept close watch on the horizon.
So far, all had been quiet. And in under a day, Machina would reach the Undiscovered West, where it would be mostly safe to plan and pool its power. And then nothing would stand in its way. Revenge would be swift and conclusive. When Machina was done, Equestria would be a barren wasteland of bones and ash…
“So, the million bit question: how do we kill Machina?” Celestia said as the ponies and human took their seats around the meeting room table. They kept their eyes on the princess of the day, waiting for her to continue. “Before we get to that, Doctor Star, I believe you have something to share?”
“Yes, of course,” Onyx said, nodding. “Thanks to the help of Captain Maxwell, we accessed a feature of the pods that allows for tracking. We’re watching Legacy’s movements; it’s currently stopped a few hours away from the western border, but its route points it to the Undiscovered West.”
“The pods have a few additional functions,” the human began. “For one, some of them store weapons. They’re locked up tight, I will access them when we need them. Second, I can set up a distress beacon. If it works, it will warn the other ships that Legacy is in trouble. Assuming any of them were successful, they can send help.”
“What sort of help can they provide?” Luna asked.
“The ship with the destination closest to Earth would have finished its journey roughly… eleven-hundred years ago,” Maxwell replied. “If they were successful, that’s plenty of time to establish a large colony, and undergo technological development. They might have a way of arriving here quickly, and a weapon to combat Machina.”
“They might take too long,” Celestia said. “Machina will act in days, if not sooner. We need a plan that does not rely on help from others.”
“Well then what do we do?” Twilight asked. “Like you said earlier: how do we kill Machina?” There was a pause. Everypony eyed Celestia, waiting for a response.
“… We can’t,” Celestia finally answered. “Machina is magic given form. And like matter and energy, magic cannot be created or destroyed, it can only change form and be channeled.”
“The only reason we were able to stop it thousands of years ago is because we interrupted the ritual,” Luna interjected. “The cultists weren’t able to fully activate it, and it was effectively in a coma for all this time.”
“Well you wouldn’t have invited me to this meeting if there wasn’t some way to defeat it,” Maxwell said, frowning.
“As I said, magic can neither be created nor destroyed, but it can change form,” Celestia repeated. “If we make it change – say, by adding it to another large source of magic – we can strip away the conscious part that calls itself Machina.”
“Where are we going to find another large source of magic like the one in the Badlands?” Twilight asked. “I can’t think of any on Equus that would work.”
“There isn’t one on Equus,” Luna said. “There is, however, one orbiting it.” All eyes moved to the meeting room window, where the morning sun was beginning its ascent into the sky.
“Great, a magic sun.” Maxwell stood up and crossed to the window, looking outside. “How do we get Machina from here to there?”
“… Legacy,” Twilight said, her eyes widening in realization. “We use the ship!”
“Wait,” the captain began, abruptly spinning around. “You want to fly my ship into the sun? The ship that could possibly transport me away from here if no other colonies answer the distress beacon? You want to destroy it?”
“If no other colonies answer, where would you go?” Celestia asked. “Earth? Some other planet? Or would you just float in space for the rest of eternity?”
“Legacy was meant to save your species,” Luna said. “It can no longer do that. At least let it save ours.” Maxwell sighed, and nodded.
“You’re right, I’m sorry,” he said. “You’ll need my help programming the flight path, though. And getting aboard. And accessing most of the systems.”
“A moment,” Onyx Star interrupted, raising a hoof. “While the process of flying Legacy into the sun seems rather straightforward, how do we intend on getting Machina aboard? I highly doubt it would embark on this journey if we asked politely.”
“That is what I was hoping we could figure out,” Celestia said. “We need a way to stun Machina, or incapacitate it. Then, we can transport it aboard Legacy ourselves. Ideally there is a room large enough to store it.”
“The hangars should be fine,” Maxwell said. “As for how to stun Machina, I’m the wrong person to ask.”
“There aren’t any weapons aboard Legacy we could acquire and use against Machina?” Luna asked, frowning. “I was hoping you may have something.”
“Until this morning, magic was no more than a myth to me,” said the human, shaking his head. “Legacy has weapons that can eliminate small targets from kilometers away, city-leveling warheads, and weapons that can disrupt electronics. But I don’t know of anything on there that can disrupt magic.”
“Wait…” Twilight began, her eyes widening. “What about that chemical?” Maxwell raised an eyebrow.
“Chemical?”
“The gas that causes nightmares and stifles magic,” Twilight explained. “You… do know about that, right?”
“A nightmare-causing gas,” Maxwell repeated. “No, I have no knowledge of a chemical like this. To my knowledge, we don’t even have the technology to create specific dreams. And creating nightmares sounds a bit… inhumane.”
“That’s one way of putting it…” Luna whispered. “It’s horrible. But, regardless of who created it, that chemical can stifle magic for a reasonable period of time. Both Twilight and I are powerful alicorns, and we were without magic for around a day.”
“Machina is even more powerful, however,” Onyx Star said. “I think we can safely assume that we’ll need more of the chemical to incapacitate it for long enough.”
“Agreed,” Celestia said. “So, it seems we have our plan: infiltrate Legacy, secure the chemical, use it on Machina, put Machina on the ship, and send the ship into the sun. I suppose it sounds easier laid out like that.”
“We saw what Machina was capable of last time we were on Legacy,” Twilight began. “It’s in the computers. Infiltrating the ship without it noticing will be next to impossible. We need a diversion. A big one.”
“Luna and I can handle that, along with our military,” Celestia offered. “Twilight, you can lead your friends onto the ship to find the chemical. Captain Maxwell, I would like for you to join them. I believe your expertise in Legacy’s systems will come in handy.”
“I can do that,” Maxwell nodded. Celestia looked around the table, and when nopony spoke, she smiled.
“Very well,” she said. “We will need time to prepare. Twilight, you should go let your friends know what will be happening. Everypony else, do what you need to do.” With a round of nods, everyone stood up and departed. Twilight was the last to leave. She lingered in the door for a moment, watching Celestia as she sat at the table. Twilight frowned; to see her mentor like this was not inspiring. But the elder princess was right, she owed her friends an explanation of what was going to happen. So, with no reservations, Twilight set off down the hallway and towards her friends’ quarters…
A stack of parchment floated in front of Princess Luna as she walked down the corridors of her castle, on them written the draft of a battle plan. While Celestia was an unmatched diplomat, Luna had always prided herself on her strategic abilities. Back when wars were common and the idea of world peace was a far-off dream, Luna had always been the one creating engagement plans and organizing troop deployments. And under her leadership, not a battle had been lost.
She hoped her winning streak would not be ended in the coming days. Yet, despite the practicality of her battle plan, she could not help but feel like it would fail. Throughout her life, Luna had faced down countless foes in battle; minotaurs, griffons, zebra, changelings. All of them tried to fight, and all of them were defeated. But she had never led an army against an alien spaceship equipped with weapons more advanced than anything in the pony arsenal. And Legacy being led by Machina only meant that the ship had magic on its side as well. Hardly a fair fight.
With a flash, Luna teleported the parchment away as she approached her destination. Connected to the Royal Hospital were a number of recovery rooms, all of which were as well decorated as the guest rooms at the other end of the castle. The recovery rooms were hardly used, as it was rare that the Royal Hospital saw a case where a pony needed observation after being cleared. But the Royal Hospital had never seen a human before, either, so this case called for more special treatment.
Outside the captain’s door were two guards, each of whom kept their eyes forward as the princess approached. Without looking away, they opened the door for Luna, who quietly stepped into the room beyond. The bed was still untouched, but the glass balcony doors were wide open. A gentle wind blew into the room, and as Luna moved further inside, she caught sight of the human standing on the balcony. His wrinkled hands rested on the railing, and his gray Legacy jacket sat on a nearby chair. Maxwell yawned, and he lifted a hand to rub his eyes. Luna frowned sympathetically as she joined him on the balcony.
“Tired?” she asked. Maxwell quickly dropped his hand and looked to the princess, surprised.
“I didn’t hear you come in,” he said. He paused, then nodded. “It’s been a long day… morning.”
“It has been,” Luna agreed. “Are you feeling well? Any additional side-effects from the stasis?”
“I’m… as alright as I can be, I suppose,” Maxwell replied. “… Part of me still thinks this is some kind of dream, and I’ll wake up any minute. But then I feel the wind in my hair, the sun on my face… and I know it’s real.”
“I can’t possibly imagine how all this must seem to you,” Luna said. “To have woken up less than a day ago, on a new world, surrounded by aliens, and being told that your ship was taken over by a being who wishes to kill us all. It must seem…” The princess trailed off, not knowing the words necessary.
“… Like bullshit?” Maxwell finished, receiving a nod. “I… won’t lie. I’m barely holding it all together. I have so many questions, and as much as I want to ask them, I know there’s no time. Hm… Time seemed so inconsequential when I was in cryo. Fifteen hundred years, gone in the blink of an eye. Now… I’d do anything for fifteen stress-free minutes.”
Luna laughed, nodding. “I understand that feeling,” she said. “And I promise, if we win this, you will get all the answers you could ever want. And there will be plenty of stress-free minutes, too.” Maxwell smiled, scratching his chin.
“Careful what you promise,” he said, laughing quietly. “I’ve got a lot of questions.” There was a pause between the two, and Maxwell looked out at the horizon. “So… a being made of magic that can’t be destroyed… Hardly seems fair, doesn’t it?”
“To quote a certain alien, it’s ‘bullshit’,” Luna nodded. “But Twilight and her friends are some of the smartest, most skillful ponies I know. They will get that chemical, and Machina will be history.”
“I hope so,” Maxwell said. “I really do…” The captain yawned again, his fatigue growing by the minute.
“I would recommend some sleep,” Luna said, stepping away from the balcony. “It may be your last chance for a while.” Maxwell nodded, and reentered his room after Luna. He closed the doors and took a look over the large four-poster bed. Electing to give him some privacy, Luna exited the room and set off back down the corridor, in the direction of her sister’s office.
The battle would be underway soon. Machina would not wait much longer, and if the ponies wanted a chance at victory, they had to make the first move. As she walked, Luna ran over her plan in her head once more. It did not involve a large force; if the diversion failed and Twilight was unable to recover the gas, Luna wanted to leave the bulk of their military in Canterlot, ready to mount a defensive. It would not hold for long against Machina and Legacy, but they could save some ponies at the very least.
Luna shook her head as she approached Celestia’s door. She wished they had more time; even an extra day could make a world of difference. But Machina was not going to afford them that luxury; as long as it lived, it was a threat to all on Equus. Luna sighed, wishing she could travel back in time to the day she and Celestia had stopped the cultists. They could have done more, something to finish the job. But they had not, and now Machina was back. It was their responsibility to destroy the construct, Luna knew. And as long as she breathed, she would not give up…
//:Resources exhausted. Foundry system offline.
//:Altering registry… 1,342 synthetics now online.
Perfect Condition – 435 Minor Damage – 721 Heavy Damage – 104 Critical Damage – 82
//:Engine Status: Nominal. Temperature has fallen within acceptable range. //:Continuing transit…
Keeper’s damaged body shuffled through the AI core, moving slowly from screen to screen to check status updates and diagnostics. The new body was gone, destroyed with the temple in the Badlands. It had served its purpose, and Machina had disposed of it. Keeper found this troubling.
The AI watched computer usage as Machina moved through the ship systems, waiting for its moment to act. And when Machina’s attention was focused more on its own body rather than the ship, Keeper made its move. It quickly checked the isolated computer, ensuring that its free backups were still present. And when it confirmed that they were, it sent the backups to another computer, one where they would be safe. Machina had largely ignored the archival suite ever since the ponies evacuated, it would make a safe location.
Along with its backups, Keeper sent a set of instructions. If the ponies boarded the ship, as the intelligence suspected, they would need help. Machina would set up traps to stop them – the backups would provide assistance to the ponies. They would need it if the construct was to be stopped.
Keeper paused, checking on Machina once more. The construct held its focus elsewhere, walking alongside the ship. Satisfied, Keeper looked back to the archival suite. Once it was sure the backups were safely stored away, it turned its attention to the archive lockers. Each one was still locked as tightly as possible, despite the best efforts of the pony researchers. This was good. It meant the contents of the lockers were still safe and intact. Keeper checked the temperatures inside several of the lockers; they were holding steady at a few degrees below freezing, optimal temperature for the samples inside.
“Stop here,” Machina said, drawing Keeper’s attention away from the suite. It quickly deleted all logs of its actions, and complied with the construct’s orders, bringing the ship to a halt. Keeper watched through the ship cameras as Machina paced around outside, its large body destroying all that it walked over.
“We are just beyond the Equestrian border,” Keeper observed. “This hiding spot will be ineffective.”
“We are not hiding, we are buying time,” Machina hissed, the ground trembling around it. “My power will be fully regained soon. Then, we will turn the ship around, and return to Equestria. Begin preparations on your end; load the weapons, ready the machines, and turn the ship around. Soon, we will attack.”
“What will occur after your victory?” Keeper asked. “From what you have stated already, your plan of attack involves the destruction of pony infrastructure and government, and the enslavement of magic-sensitive beings. Once you have effectively absorbed magic from them, they will be eradicated. Your plan is to destroy this world. For what purpose?”
“With enough magic, the possibilities are endless,” Machina replied. “In the wake of their destruction, I will build a new world. A world which I control.”
“And Legacy?”
Machina paused. Its glowing eyes seemed to narrow behind the bone helmet, and Keeper began to worry. If it rose up against Machina now, the construct would destroy the ship with ease, and the cargo it still carried. And if it waited, then the future described by Machina was not one that boded well for life.
“We shall see,” Machina finally said, taking a few steps away from the ship. “Let us delay no longer. If we depart now, I will be at full power before reaching Canterlot. And there will be plenty of chances for destruction along the way…” The construct began walking east, its glowing hooves shaking the ground with every step. Keeper rotated Legacy as quickly as it could, then reactivated the engines to follow Machina.
They would arrive in just under seven hours, if their rate of movement remained the same. Keeper quickly checked its backups once more, ensuring their safety. It would take no chances with this. Legacy’s mission could still be completed, though Machina did not know it. And if it was to see its mission through, Keeper would need to break its chains…
Twilight walked in front of her friends, leading them through the halls of the School for Gifted Unicorns. The ponies were a mixture of emotion, ranging from excitement to apprehension to pure fear. Fluttershy walked slowly at the back of the group, shaking as she hid behind her mane. Twilight spared a glance behind her, feeling sorry for her friends. When the expedition had begun, this was not what they expected. Exploring a ship was vastly different from fighting an ancient magic being.
A few minutes later, the group arrived outside the door to the Noontide lab. A hum of voices was audible through the thick metal door, and when Twilight pushed it open, the scene beyond was one of chaos. Researchers ran through the lab, gathering up equipment and attempting to be heard over one another. Through the rushed ponies, Twilight caught sight of the human at the end of the room. With him stood Princesses Celestia and Luna, as well as Onyx Star. The captain was busily typing on one of the pods, and he stepped away as Twilight and her friends approached.
“Got it,” he said, pointing to the pod’s screen. “Legacy is… there.” On the screen was a map of the continent, with rough country borders drawn over it. And just beyond the western border was a flashing white dot.
“What is it doing?” Celestia asked. “Can you tell?”
“Nothing, it’s just… hovering,” Maxwell replied. “Looks like Machina has stopped for now.”
“That can’t be good,” Twilight said. “Machina wouldn’t risk his revenge by stopping. It’s almost done preparing.” Everypony paused, giving the idea some thought.
“We’ve already sent evacuation orders to Los Pegasus and the smaller villages in its path,” Luna said. “But it might not be enough. Legacy can move quickly, and we’ve all heard what it can do.” Maxwell nodded, and began typing on the pod once more. While nothing happened on the screen, a side hatch did open, and another tray extended out. On the tray were a series of boxes, each of which the human picked up and moved to a nearby table. He opened the first box, revealing an L-shaped device with a number of small rectangles nearby.
“These will make short work of the synthetics,” he said. “I’ve only got a few, so give them to your best soldiers. I’ll show them how they work.”
“What are they?” Twilight asked, curiously approaching the table. She picked one up in her telekinesis, only to have it quickly snatched away by the captain.
“Very deadly weapons,” Maxwell answered. “Don’t touch one unless you know what you’re doing. Unfortunately, I don’t have anything heavier than this. No anti air, and no missile defense. We’ll have a rather extreme disadvantage.” The human placed one of the weapons in his pocket, and took a few of the rectangles with it. He closed the box, and turned to face the ponies.
“Our shields should hold against some of your missiles,” Luna said. “But given how many you say there are… It may not be enough.”
“The way I see it, Machina wants to take prisoners,” the captain said. “Otherwise, it’d have used some of the missiles already. There are more than enough to knock this city off of its mountain, and if it somehow gains access to the nukes, there are more than enough to irradiate this whole planet. Machina would have attacked by now if it didn’t intend on keeping some of you alive.”
“Slaves, to feed off of,” Celestia said, frowning grimly. “That would make sense.” Suddenly, the white dot on the screen began to move. It was slow, but Legacy was clearly moving east once again. Soon, it would be upon Canterlot.
“It’s coming,” Luna said. “We are out of time. We need to meet Machina halfway, when it won’t expect an attack. And we need to get that chemical.”
“We’re ready, princess,” Twilight said, rejoining her friends. All of them nodded, though their expressions betrayed their anxiety.
“Very well then,” Celestia began. “Let’s go.” She set off down the room, everyone else following close behind. Twilight sighed; soon they would split up into their two groups, with Celestia and Luna leading a diversion while Twilight led the infiltration. From there, she did not know what would happen. But however the coming battle went, Twilight knew one thing for certain: she would not give up without a fight.
In the east of Equestria, ponies had more than made their mark with towns, cities, railroads, and farms that covered kilometers of land. But in the west, civilization had not yet begun to flourish. A few cities had been established, but nature still reigned supreme. Mountains dotted the landscape, with thick forests in-between. The valleys between the mountains were wide, containing everything from lakes to ravines.
Twilight Sparkle now found herself in one of the ravines, her friends close behind her. The sun was high in the sky, and it beat down upon the team with an intense heat. The human at the back of the group had begun to sweat, and was using his jacket to wipe his forehead. He found cover in an alcove of stone, and poked his head out, looking at the sky.
“I thought the ship would be here by now,” he sighed, fanning himself.
“It ain’t that bad out here,” Applejack said, frowning. “Least there’s some wind comin’ through the ravine.” Maxwell shook his head, frowning.
“I spent fifteen hundred years on ice,” he said. “It’ll take me a while to acclimate to having a sun again.”
“Quiet,” Twilight said, raising a hoof. “Do you hear that?” Everyone froze, trying to hear. And steadily, a soft hum began to fill the air. It grew in intensity with each passing moment, until the sun was blotted out as a large shadow filled the ravine. Looking up, the ponies finally gained sight of their quarry.
Legacy hovered slowly over the ravine, passing through the valley like thread through a needle. Its bright engines cast the ravine in a blue glow as it passed overhead, and Twilight readied her magic, waiting for the diversion to begin.
“Everypony group up,” she said. “It’s a long distance, I want to make sure we all remain together.” The team converged around Twilight, forming a small cluster next to the wall of the ravine. And as Legacy continued to pass overhead, they waited.
Finally the signal came. A series of shots rang out, followed by the unmistakable sound of magic bolts being fired. They streaked overhead, impacting on Legacy’s hull and splashing harmlessly against the thick metal. Twilight immediately felt a rumbling, and heard a loud roar of anger.
“Machina doesn’t seem too happy,” Rarity observed. “Perhaps now would be a good time to go?” Nodding, Twilight lit her horn and encompassed the group in a bright lavender glow. They disappeared in a flash of light, and reappeared an instant later in a vastly different location.
The control room on Legacy had remained untouched since the evacuation, and it showed. Saddlebags sat throughout the room, on tables and on the floor. Most were empty, but a few had notebooks or quills still inside them. The computers remained online, each screen displaying the function being explored by its researcher before the evacuation. Twilight looked around and, satisfied that the immediate area was safe, ran to the nearest computer. Maxwell was close behind her, while her friends fanned out to secure the room.
“Work fast,” Twilight said, growing anxious. “Machina is distracted, but we don’t know how long Celestia and Luna will last.”
“On it.” The human began to type, his ten fingers a blur on the computer’s keyboard. He navigated the displays with a speed Twilight had never seen, the systems clearly not foreign to him. And after only a few moments he stood back, satisfied.
“Got it,” the captain reported. “One unnamed, unregistered chemical was added to the ship manifest. It’s currently being stored in chemistry lab fourteen, on deck eighty-nine.”
“That sounds far,” Rainbow Dash said, frowning. “How do we get from here to there?”
“I think I know the way,” Maxwell replied. “If I had my multitool I could use the map, but that’s stored in my private quarters. Not worth the detour, if you ask me. Let’s go.” He reached into his pocket and retrieved his weapon, then exited the control room, cautiously looking down the corridor. It was clear, but nopony expected anything more. If the diversion was going as planned, then retrieving the chemical would be the easiest part of this mission.
Twilight followed the human out of the room, her friends close behind her. They all kept careful watch on the walls, looking for anything out of place. Twilight spared a glance upward, her eyes searching for the black sphere to which she had become quite accustomed. When she found it, it lacked the red dot. The alicorn sighed, feeling oddly relieved. She was aboard Legacy, which was, for all intents and purposes, a hostile vessel. And yet she felt perfectly safe. It was an odd feeling, one that Twilight had not experienced for days.
Still, Twilight remained on her guard. She would not let this odd feeling of security betray her, and jeopardize the mission. If they were stopped by something, it would take that much longer to reach the chemical. And every moment they did not have the chemical was another moment that Celestia and Luna had to lead a futile battle against Machina. Time was of the essence, now more than ever.
As the group walked through the corridors, Twilight found herself growing concerned for her fellow princesses. Machina could be slowed down, and perhaps weakened, but he could not be stopped by conventional means. So with Celestia and Luna leading an attack against it, they were potentially throwing away the lives of dozens of guards. Twilight frowned. It was monstrous.
“Let’s hurry,” she said, suddenly feeling urgency rising up within her. Maxwell nodded and increased his speed, though he could not move much quicker. He was still weak from the stasis, and it showed. He winced with almost every step, but continued on regardless. Twilight had to commend him for his contribution. Without the captain, this mission would be far more difficult.
After several more minutes of walking, the group came upon the closed door of an elevator. Maxwell opened it, and they crowded inside, letting Twilight and the human stay at the front. Maxwell pressed the button for the eighty-ninth floor, and the elevator began its ascent. Twilight found herself growing more nervous with each passing second; sure they could wander the halls of Legacy without being noticed, but by accessing systems, they would increase the likelihood of Machina finding them. She looked up at the black sphere, and found that this one did have its red dot. And once again, Twilight felt the unmistakable sensation of being watched…
//:ALERT: Unauthorized elevator access detected. Sending report to MACHINA.
Keeper stepped away from its computer screen, quickly minimizing the window. It wandered over to a different screen, attempting to act natural.
“A power spike in section four of deck two-hundred,” Keeper lied, quickly falsifying a set of logs. “I am attempting to track down the bug that is causing power fluctuations. It should be fixed shortly.”
“Good,” Machina said. Keeper felt the construct removing more of itself from the ship, drawing on its power to fight the ponies outside. “The ponies will be defeated shortly. Continue breaking down supplies to produce ammunition. I want Legacy fully combat-capable by the time we reach Canterlot.”
“I will do my best,” Keeper said. Machina did not respond; instead, it returned to fighting the ponies. Keeper took the opportunity to check on the archival suite once again. Its backups were still present, safely hidden in one of the computers. They would be needed soon, now that the ponies had arrived onboard.
For fear of alerting Machina of its intentions, Keeper turned its attention away from the archival suite and back to the AI core. Several system updates had come in, mainly reports that something had accessed weapon systems. Keeper checked the external cameras, and saw the point-defense turrets firing at the ponies on the ground. Most of the shots were missing – the very high rate of fire resulted in a rather low long-range accuracy – but a few were managing to find targets. And as Keeper watched on, it saw the pony forces slowly but surely shrinking. On the other side of the battle, Machina only grew stronger, and the synthetics of Legacy greatly outnumbered the ponies.
They would not last much longer. The pony team aboard Legacy had to act quickly. Keeper kept a close watch on cameras and access logs, deleting anything that could warn Machina of their presence. But it would not work for long. And when Machina discovered what Keeper had done, it would not be able to help the ponies any longer…
“On the left!” Princess Luna swung her head to the left, and blindly fired a high-yield bolt of magic from her horn. It exploded upon coming into contact with the ground, and sent several machines flying into the air, their parts landing on the charred landscape. The princess of the night jumped away from her position, just barely missing being hit by a projectile from another machine’s firearm. She winced as she came into contact with the ground, a jolt of pain spreading like lightning from a wound on her leg. A projectile from the ship itself had grazed her only a few minutes before, after traveling through the head of a pegasus floating nearby.
Luna looked around at the carnage. They were dropping like flies; with each pony death, the time they could distract Machina became significantly lower. Twilight would have to move quickly if this was to be successful.
“Incoming!” a voice cried out. Luna looked to the source of the call, before having her attention diverted to Legacy. A blinding orange light was travelling quickly from the side of the ship, aimed directly at a squad of unicorn soldiers further down the valley. Without a thought, Luna sprung into action. She dove in front of the squad and lit her horn, forming a powerful shield around herself and them.
The missile impacted on the shield, and the next thing Luna knew, she was flying backwards. Her shield had been utterly destroyed, and she felt a burning pain in her horn from the magic use. A large fireball filled the air in front of her, stopping only a few feet away from the soldiers the princess had protected. Luna spread her wings and came to a halt in mid-air, then returned to the ground. She looked around, searching for more ponies who may need her help.
Celestia was flying a few hundred meters away, leading a pegasi squadron in an aerial attack on a group of machines. Projectiles from Legacy flew at them, most of them missing. Occasionally a pegasus would fall, or Celestia would activate a shield and block the projectiles from hitting. Luna frowned as she noticed that, so far, all of the attacks – the machines, the projectiles, and the missiles – had come from Legacy itself. Machina had yet to show itself, and fight directly.
It is saving its energy, Luna realized, shaking her head. It wants us to be exhausted when it reaches Canterlot. Luna would not let that happen. If this diversion was to be truly successful, they needed to force Machina out. And Luna knew just how she was going to achieve this.
Spreading her wings, Luna summoned all the magic she could and formed a shield around herself. She leapt into the air and began flying toward Legacy, dodging what projectiles she could, and absorbing those she could not with her shield. With every impact the shield weakened, and Luna felt her strength ebbing. But Legacy was drawing close, and Luna’s eyes began scanning the hull, looking for a target. And only a few dozen meters away, she found one.
The hull of the ship was decorated with hundreds of pieces of technology; antennae, vents, scanners, everything one could imagine. And while Luna did not know precisely what any of the devices did, she knew that some of them had to be important. As she neared the hull, Luna dropped her shield and focused the magic in her horn into a powerful beam. She dodged more projectiles as they came her way, collecting all the magic she could spare. And when she was ready, she let loose.
The beam fired from her horn, cutting through the air and impacting on Legacy’s hull. Where she fired, a series of explosions followed, and very soon Legacy had some new battle damage. Many devices on the exterior had been destroyed, and the metal plating had been melted and warped. A few holes had been burned into the hull, revealing the conveyors and pipes that ran underneath. In the most extreme areas of damage, Luna found she could see into actual rooms of the ship. She smirked, satisfied with the damage she had caused.
The smirk was quickly wiped away as a scream filled the air. The ground began to shake, and the sky darkened as clouds rolled in. Luna looked to her side, and for the first time, she saw Machina.
It was many times taller than the average pony, and its body was a pure white energy. It was covered in a set of bone armor, and it was very clearly angry. Its horn burned with white flames, and it let loose a beam of magic straight at the princess of the night. Acting quickly, Luna dove out of the way, aiming for the ground. The beam passed over her, though she could feel its heat on her coat. Charging a blast of her own, Luna fired a bolt at Machina. The shot impacted on its bone armor, and dissipated harmlessly on the surface. This was expected; while Luna knew she could not kill Machina with her magic, she could at least try to weaken it.
“I’m not sure this was the best idea, sister,” Celestia said, swooping down next to Luna. She panted heavily, and soot and blood decorated her once-pristine white coat. Luna frowned, shrugging.
“It’s hardly a distraction if Machina isn’t out here to be distracted,” she said. “Now come, let’s keep it busy. We must buy Twilight and the Captain as much time as possible.” Celestia nodded, and followed her sister and she flew closer to the construct. The two princesses charged their horns, preparing for an attack run. Machina’s attention was focused primarily on the pony soldiers on the ground, leaving Celestia and Luna clear to attack. And as the princesses approached, Luna turned to Legacy, wondering the status of the team inside.
They must hurry, she thought. Or this diversion will turn into a massacre…
Twilight jogged through the corridors of Legacy, following closely behind the human in the lead. Maxwell’s fatigue was showing, but he pressed on regardless. They were getting close, he had assured them. They had reached the eighty-ninth floor twenty minutes ago, but the chemistry lab was more isolated due to its sensitive cargo. Twilight looked up to the ceiling, examining the black spheres as the team passed beneath them. All of them lacked the red light, but she remained uneasy. Too much could still go wrong…
“So once we arrive, what’s the plan?” Starlight Glimmer asked, trotting closer to the front of the group.
“You will all cover me while I access the lab storage computer,” Maxwell replied. “All I have to do is find the chemical in the registry, then it can be brought to us automatically. Hopefully this Machina created enough for us to use on it…”
The group continued on through the maze of corridors, and with every turn the captain began to slow. After a few more minutes he stopped entirely, a hand held to his chin.
“What’s the matter?” Twilight asked.
“… I need a computer,” the captain said. “From here, the route gets complicated. We have to pass through a few other rooms and access some sealed corridors. I want to double-check and make sure we’re on the right track.”
“In other words, you want to make sure we’re not lost,” Rainbow Dash deadpanned, frowning. “I thought you knew your way around this ship.”
“There are three hundred and ten decks, Rainbow Dash,” Maxwell said. “And the ship is seven kilometers long. Do you realize how huge that is? It’s impossible for me to memorize the location of every room. That’s why we have computers.” The human set off down the corridor once again, stopping by a closed door. He opened it by pressing his palm to a panel on the side, and stepped into the room beyond. It was dark, but a light quickly illuminated everything as Maxwell entered.
Twilight trotted in after him, looking around. She could not begin to guess the purpose of the room, but it was host to a number of powered-off computers. Maxwell turned one on and sat down in front of it, sighing as he came into contact with the seat. One hand rubbed his sore legs while the other navigated the computer, switching it to the map function. After a few minutes of examining the map, he stood back up, nodding.
“Alright, I think I’ve got it,” he said. “Follow me.”
The group resumed their journey, following the human as he navigated through the labyrinthine corridors of Legacy. And the further into the ship they went, the more on edge everypony became. Rainbow Dash and Applejack stayed at the rear of the group, constantly looking behind them to see if they were being followed. Rarity and Fluttershy constituted the middle, while Pinkie Pie and Starlight Glimmer were just behind Twilight and Maxwell. Each pony looked about nervously, knowing that their destination was near.
And as the group passed beneath yet another black sphere, Twilight noticed that it had a red dot floating in the center. The light seemed to burn into her, knowing her exact location on the ship. Twilight held her breath as time seemed to slow, and she felt as though they were all being watched. The pony stopped, causing the rest of the ponies behind her to do the same.
“Captain,” she said, pointing to the sphere. “I’ve been meaning to ask… What is that?” Maxwell looked up, and as soon as he saw the red dot, his expression twisted into one of fear.
“… We need to go faster,” he said, turning around and continuing down the corridor.
“Why?” Rarity asked, frowning. “What’s wrong?”
“Those spheres are cameras. And right now, somebody is watching us through that one.”
Keeper switched away from the camera as soon as it felt Machina’s presence, hoping that the construct had not noticed the ponies on the ship. It activated a different function of the screen, monitoring temperatures in the engines.
“Your repairs were effective,” it said. “The engine cooling system is operating as intended. Temperatures are remaining stable.”
“Good,” Machina said. “The pony attackers are few; soon, they will be eliminated. I need you to activate the synthetic repair bays. A number of your machines have been damaged and require repairs.” Keeper nodded, and did as it was told.
“And… send me full ship logs of the past hour.” The intelligence froze, wondering why Machina would want such logs. Could it know about the ponies? Keeper had deleted the camera logs, computer access logs, and elevator logs, but Machina would undoubtedly be able to see the gaps in information.
“… Logs sent,” Keeper said, hoping that its subterfuge would go unnoticed. Machina was silent for a few moments, examining the logs as it simultaneously fought off the ponies outside.
“There are a number of active systems that we are not actively using,” Machina finally said, its voice implying confusion. “Computers in one of the control rooms, two elevators, and a computer in a monitoring station on deck eighty-nine. I disabled all of those to divert power to the foundry. How did they come online?”
“It is likely due to the same bug we encountered earlier,” Keeper said. “Systems activate and deactivate randomly. I believe the damage sustained in transit has caused—“
“Enough,” Machina demanded. The lights in the AI core darkened, and all of the screens turned off. Soon, the only light came from Keeper’s blue eyes. “I have repaired many of this ship’s systems. I have rebuilt its complement of synthetics, and most importantly, I have given you purpose once again. All of this I have done, and still you lie to me.” Keeper froze, feeling Machina entering its systems. The construct wormed its way through each line of code and each process, reforming and reshaping everything it touched. If the intelligence could feel pain, it would be on the floor and screaming.
“Where are they!?” Machina screamed, its voice echoing loudly in Keeper’s head. “I will search every room in this ship until they are found. You will help them no longer!” The screens in the room reactivated, each of them rapidly scrolling through the views of every camera on the ship. Finally they all froze, each screen displaying the same image: the ponies as they wandered through one of the corridors, being led by Captain Maxwell.
“You have betrayed my trust too many times,” Machina said. “You will remain active, but only so that Legacy’s systems may continue running. You will have no power.” Keeper remained still, watching logs scroll by as Machina ordered a squad of synthetics to go to the chemistry lab. It was frozen, helpless. It could not do anything.
It felt Machina’s presence withdrawing from the ship once again to focus on the ponies outside. And, as carefully as it could, Keeper turned to the archival suite. Its backups were still present, unnoticed by Machina. They would be needed soon, Keeper knew. Quickly, the artificial intelligence wrote a program that would activate them when the ponies completed their mission.
Keeper had never felt so restricted, so… blind. Machina was shutting down its access to cameras and logs. Soon, it existed only in a world of darkness. Not wanting to risk its backups, Keeper withdrew from the archival suite and quarantined itself to the AI core. From here, it could no longer help. Until the backups were activated, the ponies would be entirely on their own…
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.
Light flooded Twilight’s world as her weary eyes opened, and she squinted to make the transition from dark to day more bearable. In her blurry vision, she could see a number of colorful shapes moving before her. Purple, white, blue, all of them standing right in front of her. And as Twilight’s vision cleared, she finally saw where she was.
The crystal walls of her bedroom rose around her, and she felt her soft bedsheets on her coat. Standing at the foot of the bed were Starlight Glimmer, Spike, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. Dash wore a large cast around her wing, and had bandages covering her midsection and flank. The color had returned to her coat, however, and Twilight smiled.
“Hey,” she groaned, her voice weak. “What… what happened?”
“You passed out, Twi’,” Spike answered, running to his friend’s side. “You’ve been asleep for four days.” Twilight’s stomach rumbled, and she had no trouble believing Spike’s report. She had never felt so weak, or so hungry.
“What’s the last thing you remember, Twilight?” Starlight asked, joining Spike.
“Um… fighting off the machines on Legacy,” Twilight replied, searching her mind. They were being overrun, and Twilight had thought for sure that they would die. But here she was, safe and sound…
“Captain Maxwell successfully opened all the lockers,” Starlight said. “You told me to keep the shield up, then you lit your horn… You teleported the three of us, and about two-hundred boxes, several hundred kilometers back to Canterlot. It’s no wonder you collapsed from exhaustion.”
“So… it worked, then?” Twilight asked, looking around. “I mean, we’re all still alive, so… Machina is gone?”
“Yes,” Rarity said. “Machina is gone. Legacy is gone, and we are safe.” Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, a smile forming on her face. She lay back in her bed, feeling a great weight lifted from her shoulders.
“Good…”
“Princess Celestia is here, and the rest of our friends are in the dining room,” Spike said with a grin of his own. “Think you can walk?” Twilight nodded, and carefully dragged herself out of the bed. As soon as her hooves hit the floor, she stumbled forward, only to be caught by Spike. He held her steady as she adjusted to standing, giving her a worried look.
“I’m fine,” Twilight said, taking a step forward. She still felt weak, but she was managing. And while she did have to take care with each step she took, by the time she reached the door she was walking far more confidently.
With her friends by her side, Twilight made her way down the memorized corridors to the dining room. She could hear a light conversation from inside, though it stopped as soon as she opened the door. Twilight found all eyes on her as she made her entrance, and a sigh of relief went through the room.
“Twilight, thank goodness,” Celestia said from her position next to the seat at the head of the table. “I was worried sick. How are you feeling?”
“I’m managing,” Twilight replied, walking to her chair. She sat down, looking out over the rest of her friends. Fluttershy had a bandage near her chest, and she picked at the food in front of her. Applejack and Pinkie Pie had escaped with minimal wounds, just a few scrapes and bruises that were already beginning to heal. But Twilight noticed one pony that was missing. She looked to Celestia, confused.
“Where’s Luna?”
Celestia froze, and she slowly lowered the fork she had been lifting to her mouth. Her brow turned up, and Twilight began to fear the worst. What had happened?
“She took a few hits while we were getting Machina into the hangar,” Celestia said. “She’s stable, but… it was rather touch-and-go. The doctors are keeping her in Canterlot, under close supervision. She is not permitted to leave for another few weeks.”
“Oh…” Twilight frowned, feeling sorry for the princess of the night. She made a mental note to visit at some point, when she was strong enough to leave the castle. “And… Captain Maxwell?”
“He’s still in Canterlot,” Starlight responded. “Onyx Star is helping him combine the beacons on the pods to increase their strength, or something like that. He’s going to set up a distress call, and try to get help from one of the other colonies.”
“He did want to extend his thanks,” Celestia interjected. “Because of you, nearly five thousand fertilized human embryos were able to be saved. He says he lacks the proper equipment to incubate them, but if no other ships arrive, we still have the option.”
“That’s good to hear,” Twilight said, smiling. She yawned as Spike brought a plate to her, and began to eat. “It’s a bit hard to believe it’s over… Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad Machina is gone, but…”
“But so is the opportunity to study Legacy,” Starlight finished. “Well, if another ship arrives to help the captain, we can always learn from them.” Twilight nodded, and dug into the meal before her.
The ponies ate in silence, each one with their own thoughts. Twilight was trying to get used to the fact that the struggles of the past weeks had finally come to an end. She smiled as she remembered how she felt when Celestia first gave her the expedition. Such a massive task, one that made her doubt her own organizational abilities. For it to have escalated the way it did… Twilight was glad it was over.
“I must return to Canterlot now,” Celestia said, pushing her chair back and standing up. “Luna needs me, and… there is much work to be done. Many lives were lost, and the damage to the city is extensive. It will be a while before everything is normal again.”
“Send me any work you want,” Twilight offered. “I’ll gladly take some off your plate.” Celestia smiled gratefully, and waved goodbye to the ponies. She exited the dining room, and Twilight and her friends sat in silence for a few more minutes.
“So… back to the friendship lessons?” Starlight asked, smiling. Twilight laughed quietly, and nodded.
“Soon,” she replied. “When things quiet down a bit again. In the meantime, I might need your help with some of the paperwork.” Starlight groaned, but her smile remained.
The ponies continued eating, none of them speaking. They simply sat together, enjoying one another’s company. For the first time in recent memory, they could relax, and forget about the worries of the world. Legacy was gone, Machina was gone, and Equestria was once again free from threats. And while Twilight knew it was just a matter of time before she had to get back to work, she wanted to enjoy this moment…
TWO WEEKS LATER
Canterlot was a hive of activity when Twilight arrived; ponies bustled about, everyone pitching in to assist with cleanup and repairs. Celestia had not been exaggerating, the damages to the city were more extensive than Twilight had expected. Rubble filled the streets, and the city’s skyline was missing many of its gold-capped towers.
The castle had suffered the worst of the damage. The courtyard was utterly trashed; its gates were in pieces, the walls were crumbled, and the towers had collapsed into massive piles of debris. And through the rest of the castle, random holes could be found in walls where stray bullets and missiles had impacted. All in all, it would take months to fully repair everything.
Fortunately, the School for Gifted Unicorns had remained primarily intact. A few classrooms in the upper levels were damaged, but the lower levels – namely the Noontide Lab – were perfectly unharmed. Twilight walked down the corridor to the lab, followed by Princesses Celestia and Luna. Luna moved slowly, each step a great effort for her. She was trying to mask it, but her discomfort was evident. A large bandage covered her chest where her necklace once had rested, and she breathed heavily. Two of the bullets had punctured her lungs, but thanks to the power of magic, she was able to be healed before the damage was irreversible.
Upon arriving at the lab, Twilight instantly saw Captain Maxwell and Onyx Star standing at the end of the room. Several of the pods lay in pieces, their internal components exposed and resting on various tables. One pod remained intact, and the human and pony were walking around it, carefully examining the modifications they had made.
“Doctor, Captain,” Celestia greeted as the three princesses approached.
“Ah, Princesses!” Onyx said, smiling as he turned away from the pod. “It’s good to see you here. We just finished up the last of the modifications to the pod.”
“If it works, we should have effectively quadrupled the range of the distress transmitter,” Maxwell said, pressing a few buttons on the pod’s computer. The screen lit up with a green box, and the captain smiled. “There we go. Now all I have to do is wait…”
“Do you think anyone will pick up the signal?” Twilight asked, trotting over to the pod.
“I don’t know,” Maxwell replied. “Like I said, the ships were hastily built. Quality was sacrificed for speed. And in space travel, a lot can go wrong. But if any of the ships made it, and successfully established their colonies… Well, I might just have a chance.”
“Know that, whatever happens, you will always have a place with us,” Celestia said, smiling. “After all, we are partially responsible for Machina’s return. The least we can do is offer you a home.” Maxwell nodded grimly, stepping away from the pod.
“Even if someone does pick up the signal, it could be a long time before they’re able to reach us,” he said. “And I’m not exactly getting any younger. So, if they arrive after I’m gone, tell them everything. Let them know about me, about Machina, about it all. And make sure they know I don’t blame you.”
“What will happen if they do blame us?” Luna asked, worried.
“They might… try billing you for the ship.” Maxwell smiled, and the ponies shared a laugh. The human stretched, cracking the bones in his back. “I’ve been cooped up in this lab for the past few days. Some fresh air would be nice, I think.” With a nod, Celestia turned and led the human and ponies out of the lab. From there, they did not have to walk far to get a view of the outdoors. The broken walls and shattered windows made it rather easy for fresh air to flow through the corridors of the school and the castle.
As they walked through the castle, Twilight watched the ponies busily at work with repairs. The broken bricks and columns were being cleaned up, and in some sections, framing for new walls was being built. All of the destroyed machines had been recovered as quickly as possible, and were being stored in a closet of the Noontide lab. Still, Twilight could see evidence of their existence. Bullet holes still riddled walls, and charred metal fragments rested on the ground.
Finally they came to a section of the castle that remained primarily untouched. It was further back, where the machines had not had the chance to attack. The only evidence of damage were a few broken windows and some cracks in one wall, the result of a nearby missile explosion.
At the very back of this section was a large, secluded balcony. It looked out over the plains to the north of Canterlot, which stretched on for hundreds of kilometers before encountering any forests or mountains. The wind blew through the mountain and past the balcony, creating a rather cool climate. Perfect for relaxation, as far as Twilight was concerned.
“This is nice…” Maxwell said, sighing contentedly. He helped himself to one of the available chairs and reclined back, yawning. “If no other ships arrive, well… I could get used to the idea of staying here.”
“Like I said, you will always have a place among us,” Celestia said. “That does not necessarily have to mean now. If a ship arrives and you leave with it, you are always welcome back.” The human grinned, and stifled a yawn. Celestia crossed to Luna, and whispered something in her ear. The princess of the night frowned, but nodded.
“I’m afraid we must go,” she said. “We have much to deal with regarding reconstruction. Enjoy the rest of your afternoons.” Twilight and Maxwell waved goodbye, and the princesses departed, leaving the pony and human alone on the balcony. Twilight crossed to the parapet and rested her hooves on the railing, looking out over the countryside. Maxwell joined her, and the two stood in silence for a moment.
“It’s peaceful when there’s not an ancient magic monster trying to kill you,” the human observed. Twilight laughed, and nodded.
“It’s usually like this,” she said. “Excusing the occasional world-ending threat, Equestria can be a very peaceful place.”
“Seems we chose well, then.” Twilight turned to Maxwell, confused. “I mean, when we were observing planets from Earth. We found roughly fifty that could potentially support life, and when it was determined that we couldn’t build that many ships, we had to narrow our choices down. Despite what has happened, I’m glad we picked here.”
“Well, I’m sure aliens weren’t a part of the original mission,” Twilight said with a smirk. “I’m glad you came here, too. Still, I wish our expedition had been met with a bit less…”
“… Attempted genocide?” Maxwell finished. Twilight paused, then nodded.
“Yes,” she decided. “Less attempted genocide. Maybe next time we’ll get that.”
“If there is a next time…” Maxwell looked up to the sky, watching the sun. “Over a hundred million stars in this galaxy. If we found life at this star… I wonder if the other ships found aliens, too.”
“If they did, hopefully none of them are like Machina.” Twilight shuddered to think what else could be out there, among the stars. Even the idea that something worse than Machina could exist was too much.
“You know… I want to thank you,” Maxwell began. “Not only for helping secure the samples, but for everything else. Putting yourself in harm’s way to get me off of the ship, getting me back to health, feeding and housing me… You didn’t have to do any of that, and yet you did.”
“It was the right thing to do,” Twilight said. “Never doubt that. I had no trouble making the decision to rescue you from the ship, and I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.”
“You’ve done more than I can ever repay,” the captain continued. “You finished my mission for me. You finished Legacy’s mission.” Twilight did not know what to say. Instead, she simply smiled at the human and gave a nod. There was silence between them for a moment, before Maxwell took a step away from the parapet.
“I know it’s still early, but I think I’m going to get some sleep,” he said. “I didn’t last night. Never advisable.”
“Sleep well,” Twilight said, waving her farewell. The human exited the balcony, and Twilight found herself entirely alone. She stood against the parapet, letting the wind blow through her mane and the sun beat down on her face. She smelled the fresh air, and looked down at the acres of grass beneath her. It was all serene, peaceful. From this view, it was as if a battle had never occurred.
The past weeks had been strange, that much was certain. Twilight and her friends had faced down death and come out alive, mostly unscathed. And once again, she had saved Equestria and its inhabitants. The princess sighed, content for the moment. She closed her eyes, and pushed away the memories of Machina and of Legacy. For now, she wanted to be alone with her thoughts.
Equestria was safe. Twilight was safe, Maxwell was safe, her friends were safe. And the rest of the ponies of Equestria were safe. The pain, the struggle, it all had been worth it.
Twilight did not know how long her eyes were closed, but when they reopened, the sun was setting. The day was coming to an end, and so was this chapter of Twilight’s life. At this rate, she would have many more exciting chapters to add to her biography one day. Twilight only hoped that she would be around to write it.
As the sun lowered past the horizon, and the sky turned from orange to purple to black, stars began to blink into existence. Twilight looked at all of them, wondering if any were the stars that humans had chosen to visit. And if any were, she wondered if they would detect Maxwell’s signal. The chances were slim, Maxwell had stressed that, but Twilight was hopeful. She did want an opportunity to explore a ship without the threat of death.
Twilight yawned; it was late, and her past few weeks had been decidedly stressful. She pushed herself away from the balcony and turned to go inside. The darkened balcony became temporarily lit by the orange glow of candles as Twilight opened the door and stepped inside the castle.
The moon rose on Equestria, and the country was covered in a blanket of glowing stars. The humans had gone to the stars to secure their legacy. They had sent thirty ships and thousands of humans across vast distances in an attempt to save the species. Some may have succeeded, others may have failed. But on Equus, Legacy’s mission had been successful. Regardless of what had happened with Machina, one human remained standing, and he was in possession of several thousand samples. Machina was defeated, its plans had been foiled, and the ponies survived what would have been a massacre. Two legacies had now been secured, and the future was open to them. And whatever that future came to hold, only time would be able to tell…
It had been three months since the pod’s beacon began to flash, and the signal was bounced back. Something in space was receiving, and it was responding. Captain Leonard Maxwell recognized the response; it was crude, but he had deciphered the message into a single word: CRADLE. The name of one of the other ships.
This morning, the beacon had stopped transmitting. The system had shut down, and now the computer displayed a new message, this one far clearer: ARRIVAL. Celestia had summoned Twilight and her friends, and they had journeyed to Canterlot as quickly as possible. And now, the young princess found herself standing on one of the castle’s largest and highest balconies. At the end was a set of stairs that led over the edge of the balcony. It was meant for chariots to land, but now it would hopefully be used for a ship.
Captain Maxwell stood in the center of the greeting party, which consisted of Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, Twilight, and her friends. The wind rushing over the balcony, blowing the manes of the ponies and the uniform of the human. He was once again wearing the gray Legacy jacket, though it lacked any captain badges. The human appeared nervous; every few seconds he would run a hand through his thin hair, or flatten out the wrinkles in his jacket.
“Are we sure another ship arrived?” Starlight Glimmer whispered, leaning closer to Twilight. “It’s awfully quiet…”
“Let’s be patient,” Twilight replied, looking up toward the sky. Even though she was hopeful, her student did have a point. The second message had arrived hours ago, and still no ship had made itself visible.
And then they heard it. A loud rumbling, like that of an earthquake. Twilight squinted, and soon she saw the cause of the noise. The clouds split, and a massive ship descended beneath them. Its metal plates reflected the sun, and its blue engines glowed like stars. Twilight could not see clearly due to the brightness, but she could tell one thing: the ship was identical to Legacy.
The ship stopped descending after a few moments, and came to a hover. Twilight was barely able to see a small door opening on the side, and a moment later a smaller ship launched, headed straight for Canterlot. It arrived in seconds, moving at speeds that would make even Rainbow Dash jealous. And as it came to a hover next to the stairs, Twilight finally got a good view of the ship.
It was rectangular, and roughly five meters long. On the sides were two sets of engine pods that rumbled quietly as they kept the craft hovering. The glass of the cockpit was mostly polarized, but Twilight thought she could see movement from inside. Twilight’s attention was drawn away from the cockpit as she heard a hiss, and saw a puff of steam escape the ship as a seam formed in the side. A door popped out, and lowered itself into a ramp. And inside, Twilight got her first view of more living humans.
There were three, and they were joined by two machines, a sight which made Twilight uneasy. Two of the humans wore body armor, and each carried a firearm similar to the one Maxwell owned. They were aimed downward, however, and the humans holding them wore blank expressions. The human in the center was clearly the one in charge. He wore a gray suit with gold epaulettes on the shoulders, and he wore a matching cap on his head. On the front of the hat was a golden symbol, featuring a planet with olive branches on either side. He stepped out of the ship, and was joined by the two armored humans. Captain Maxwell approached the new human, trying to contain his smile.
“Captain Maxwell, I assume,” the new human greeted. “I am Daniel Bennett, Captain of the Cradle.” He saluted, and Maxwell mirrored his actions. When they dropped the salutes, Captain Bennett began to look around, examining the castle and the ponies.
“You’ve got quite the story to tell,” he said, smiling.
“Please, come inside, Captain,” Celestia said, stepping forward. She motioned to the door with her hoof, and smiled politely. “We will gladly explain everything.” Bennett nodded, and began walking for the door. His guards joined him, while the machines stayed with the ship. They disappeared inside the castle, followed closely by Celestia, Luna, and Maxwell.
“Wow,” Rainbow Dash said. Everypony nodded, finding the pegasus’s assessment of the situation to be accurate. Twilight grinned, and took a few steps forward.
“Let’s go,” she said. “Something tells me we are not going to want to miss it.” The ponies walked inside, closing the door behind them. The small transport remained by the balcony, hovering silently next to the stairs. In the city below, ponies looked up at Cradle, wondering why yet another giant alien spaceship had entered their atmosphere.
Inside the castle, ponies could only guess what was happening. News would spread like wildfire that more aliens had arrived, and that they were talking with the princesses. And soon, the princesses would release a statement outlining a new declaration of friendship between the ponies and the humans. This declaration would eventually be copied and resigned by all species on Equus, and the future of the planet would change forever.
And the ponies would never forget the cost of this friendship. The several dozen researchers who, four years ago, had embarked on that ambitious expedition that would go entirely wrong. The twenty-odd guards who were lost on Legacy and never found. And the thousands of lives that had been taken during Machina’s rampage through the west of Equestria, toward Canterlot.
But Machina was gone. The ponies had eliminated their threat, and the humans now lived safely among the stars, free from the threats of their old world. Both species knew peace and harmony; for the ponies, the two had been tenets of their society for millennia. For the humans, peace and harmony had been won in a hard-fought victory, and they were not keen on losing them anytime soon. Theirs would be a friendship founded on peace, and as long as each species upheld it, peace would last.
The future was bright, and filled with opportunity. The ponies with their magic, and the humans with their technology, would build a better future for everyone. A future free from fear, from sadness, and from pain. A future where the legacy of each and every person was secure…
