Chapter 14: Making a Friend

I stayed there for a long time on my back, just listening to the noise. How long has it been, praise and admiration… truly directed at me? And not just the group of soldiers you don't care to know the names of? It felt strange.

It… felt good.

But I quickly shook off the feeling and rolled over, glancing at the ponies gathering in the distance and their smiles. Turning back to the drained suit in front of me, I ran my hand over the cool metal looking for any damages.

A small smile cracked onto my face as I examined it. 'Heh, not even a scratch. Gonna be a bitch to haul though...'

Kneeling down I heft the armor over my shoulder, starting the arduous task of carrying to the library. Plus, I had to speak with the princesses more, and this thing needs to be relocated before it wakes up… I'm not so sure I could take it again without the suit.

Looking ahead I froze, my train of thought derailing at the scene. Ponies were everywhere, probably the whole town, all stomping their hooves and shouting at me in praise.

“He saved the town!”
“My house is still standing!”
“My stall isn’t!”
“Thank Celestia… no rebuild this winter!”

I couldn't help but smile a bit... even though I shouldn't. After all I didn't do it for praise... I helped because it was the right thing to do.

Bargaining points with princesses is just a bonus.

An unfamiliar voice rang out from the crowd. "Cmon’, that armor must be heavy... somepony give him a hoof will ya?!"

Just then the suit encased in a light blue aura, the weight temporarily negated as it gently lift off me. I rolled my shoulder, combing the audience for which pony had actually decided help. I spot her quickly, her horn alight the same color as she trot towards me with a smile.

"After what you did for the town... it's the least I could do." The purple equine stated with a bow of her head.

Nodding back, we both began the walk to the library as she followed closely beside, the armor in tow. "Appreciate it, that stuffs really heavy when it's outta power. What's your name?" I asked as a few ponies around us dispersed.

"Amethyst, Amethyst Star." She spoke with her head held a bit higher.

I chanced a glance at her flank to see the image of three… amethysts. 'Shoulda' guessed that one… but what does it mean?'

"Well I'm glad I'm not some terrifying alien to you guys anymore." I joked with a sigh of relief.

She shot a strange look back my way. "...alien? But, I thought you came from the Everfree?"

'Uh oh... I turned my gaze ahead, furrowing my brow. ‘-the Princesses didn’t tell me what to say in this situation. I suppose there’s no reason to worry them yet…'

I webbed together my lie quickly, trying to patch up my mistake. "I- uh... yeah I'm an alien. Like... not native to here alien. Like you know, originated from the Everfree?"

Giving me a calculating look for a long few seconds, she shrugged and continued trotting. "Alright... but I gotta say I don't remember seeing any of you come outta there before. You look awfully familiar to something…" She paused for a moment as the gears visibly turned behind her gaze, before looking at me with excitement. "-hey... I don't think you've ever been documented! You think you’d let me make some notes of you, for the sake of research?"

I shrugged, at this point someone asking me to be part of a scientific study beginning to get old. "Yeah okay, maybe some day… but right now I'm pretty caught up with things." I stated, pointing to the tree house and, in turn, the three alicorns waiting just outside.

I noticed, for just a moment, Amethyst’s smile replaced with momentary fear as her eyes hovered over the darker princess Luna. "A-Ah I see... where do you want me to set this?" She asked, nodding to the armor.

Shrugging, I motioned over. "Eh, just give it here. I'll carry it the rest of the way, thanks for the help though."

She nodded. "No problem... hey I didn't catch your name." She asked as I took the armor back from her magic grasp.

I politely nodded back. "Jake Carson. I'll see ya around.”

We parted ways, something she seemed to be a bit relieved with doing as she stole a couple more nervous glances at the princesses. As I made my way to said trio I gave a loud whistle, catching their attention as they stopped talking amongst themselves.

I stuck a thumb behind me towards the rest of town. "Hey, we're gonna need a cleanup crew or something to take that thing outta here!" I yelled over as they all quickly trot my way.

I watched Celestia whisper to a guard in passing, who saluted back and took off in a hurry. I guess they're cleanup.

Coming up next to me, Luna was the first to speak. "Please tell me you didn't harm it." She pleaded with a look of terror.

I brought my hands up in a calming gesture. “Relax, It's incapacitated. For now."

They all breathed a sigh of relief, Luna speaking up again. "Good... I wouldn't want to see its mother angry."

That caused a shiver to run up my spine... I'd rather not know. "Fair enough… Twilight, could you set this in the library for me? Its really heavy." I groaned, the suit definitely weighing more than myself and starting to feel that way.

She just nodded, wrapping the suit in her magic and disappearing with a sudden *POP*. My eyes bulged, witnessing the nonchalant teleportation that utterly shattered every notion of science I could fathom…

A small prodding feeling poked my ribs as I turned my head to the shorter blue princess. She was looking at me strangely, actually they all were.

I blinked rapidly, suddenly realizing they’d asked me something! “S-Sorry, what? I uh… got lost in thought there.”

Luna raised a brow at me, nodding towards the library. "We said, why couldn't thou just… wear it?"

I clasped my hands together. "Ah, well the shields had overloaded to disorient the Ursa, at the cost of it’s battery. It's basically dead weight until I can get it charged again."

Luna nodded as she turned to follow me towards the library. "Of course! Ursa’s are quite sensitive to light! That is quite clever...“ Her eyes narrowed slightly, “-pray tell, how did thou divine such a detail if, as stated, thou hath just arrived in our world?"

I rubbed my neck slightly. "That’d be Lucy's help. She's always looking out for me."

The princesses shared a look, before Celestia spoke up with a shake of her head. "Lucy? There's more of you here?" She glanced behind me as she said it, as if expecting another human to pop out.

"Oh uh- no, Lucy is... well... different." I paused, thinking of the best way to convey the concept of A.I. to people, or ponies, this primitive. “…don't worry about it. I'll explain it some other time."

Celestia didn’t seem thrilled by that answer, but didn’t say anything as she motioned to the library door with her wing.

As we all filed into the Library my mind wandered to how hard it’ll be bring the armor all the way back to base. Groaning inwardly, I pinched my nose.

The three of them noticed my look, casting questioning glances back as I motioned to the nearby armor. “I gotta make a stop at my ship to get the suit running. Can one of you... accompany me? I'd just be a free meal carrying that thing in there."

Before anypony else even had a chance to, Luna raised her hoof. "I'll help.” She blurted, looking between the surprised faces of the other princesses. “…I'd like to see this ship of his."

Shrugging, I nodded. "Lets get goin' then. It's already late out."

********************************

We entered the forest without saying a word, Luna walking with me on my left and carrying the armor in her magic like it was nothing. The trees seemed more silent than usual, not even the wind wanting to rustle their leaves. I looked at the blue princess, staring at her wavy hair for a moment before quickly turning away as she glanced over and caught my gaze.

I could see her turn away with a huff. “What?”

I glanced again. “How does the whole magic thing work, anyway? Can you even feel the weight?" I asked, pointing to the floating armor.

Nodding, she answered. "Yes, we can. Tis more like pressure at the base of thy horn… like something is dangling off it. Tis light work, though.”

Shrugging, my mind wandered back to the events in town. “…where were you guys? Back at the village.” I started, halting my steps as I watched the princess turn to meet my look.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, a wave of confusion overtaking her features. “What do you mean?” She watched me with confusion, before it dawned into realization as she shook her head and smiled. “Ah, you wonder why we did not help?” I didn’t answer, my silence enough of a confirmation as Luna bowed her head slightly. “Please, do not think we left you to the beast. We appreciate your assistance, we simply focussed on keeping our subjects safe.”

I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms. “You kept them safe? I mean… the ponies did mostly seem to be gone but… how?”

Her smile grew even more as she turned, looking deeper into the woods. “I simply whispered in their dreams to meet us at the library. We can always repair a home or two… but you provided quite an effective alternative, lieutenant.” She finished the with a strange glance before continuing her walk.

I stared at her, dumbfounded, before shaking my head and jogging up next to her. “I… see. So, destruction of property must be pretty common living near these woods.”

She nodded back. “Indeed.”

A small silence ensued, a twig snapping under my foot as I juggled around topics in my head. "So... got any funny stories while you ruled?" I asked, getting her to raise an eyebrow. "Oh come on, you look like- eh... twenty six or so? You must’ve seen some funny things by now during your rule."

She paused for a moment, before chuckling. "While we appreciate your flattery... we’re much older. We are 2375 years old... but yes, we've seen some funny things in our time."

My brain short circuited for a second, and I barely managed to hide it from showing on my face. 'Holy shit! Twilight really wasn't kidding with the immortal thing!'

I let out a low whistle. "Well gotta say, you sure as hell don't look it." I nodded with a smile, “All right, let's play a game then. We'll see who’s seen the funniest thing... you during rule or me during service.” I offered with a playful look. “I’ll warn you though… I’ve seen some things.”

She snorted, shaking her head. “And what do we get for winning?”

“Bragging rights of course.” I explained, “-come on, it’ll be fun.”

Thinking about it for a moment longer, as she stepped over a particularly large log and nodded with a smile. "Alright, you first."

I motioned ahead as I began. "Okay, so one day one the Starstreaker and we get this call, super weird comms and hard to make out… just something about a 'Naked guy on the deck!', and naturally he was completely covered in oil. So we-"

I frantically waved my hand at Luna, silencing her from sharing more details. "Hahahaha! God… you've got to be shitting me, there's no way." I affirm, nudging her side.

She waved a hoof back. "Tis true! We had walked into thy sister’s room and there she was... COVERED in solid chocolate! AND SHE COULDN’T MOVE!” Luna paused to laugh again before clearing her throat quickly. “-apparently, she had a sweet tooth that day and decided a chocolate bath was just perfect. We simply sat and watched as she freed herself the slow way!" Luna finished as I tried to hold back another bout of laughter.

When we finally settles down, I turned to her with defeat. “Jeez... it doesn't matter if I lived another ten thousand years... I don't think I could top that." I said, wiping a tear off my cheek.

"Ha! I win!" She said striking a triumphant pose.

I smiled at her antics, rolling my eyes. "Yeah... that you did."

I scratched my chin in thought, this forest seem so much more tame with her around. 'Honestly, I thought the Princesses were gonna be uptight and hard to talk to... I’m glad I was wrong'

I pulled myself from thought as my ship finally came into view ahead. I had to say... it looked much better than before. Lucy mentioned she’d enabled auto-repair systems, but I had no idea they’d work so quickly. Of course, we’d still need more supplies to repair much further as there’s only so much you can do with scrap. As soon as Luna noticed the ship her jaw dropped and she stopped in place.

A spider-like robot the size of a small disc skittered past her hoof, electing a sudden jolt from the princess. “Ah!” The robot just turned it’s single eye towards her, before running off towards the ship dragging a metal fragment in tow. "W-What are those?"

I watched one of them pull a piece of flat metal from the bushes nearby before scurrying off. "Repair drones. Lucy activated them when we crashed."

Luna looked at me with curiosity. "There's that name again, Lucy. Who is she? May we meet her?"

I scratched the back of my neck. "Yeah, I guess you’re going to the ship anyway. Just keep in mind shes… different." I explained with a motion of my hand.

Luna looked like she wanted to press me for more, but couldn’t find the courage to ask as she remained locked onto the idle ship. We both neared the side door, Luna approaching hesitantly as if it would open revealing a maw of teeth. Instead the doors slid open smoothly, allowing us entrance as I quickly took the lead. The inside looked much better than earlier, no more sparking wall panels and all the lights were on… though there was still some exposed wiring. The cockpit's controls seemed to back together too, they almost looked brand new.

I shook my head in disbelief as Luna hesitantly peeked in from behind me. "Lucy, wow... you did a damn fine job. Whats left that needs attention?" I asked aloud, electing a strange look from Luna as she went to speak.

A beep sounded off overhead. "Both engines still need repairs,“ Lucy began, shocking Luna as she looked around for it’s source, “-along with the rightmost wing. We have to prop the ship up to access underbelly repairs." The AI concluded, pausing for a moment. “…and greetings, your majesty.”

“But w-where-“ Luna looked around, startled by the disembodied voice and nearly losing concentration on the suit hovering nearby. "Where did that come from? Where is she?"

I smirked, motioning further into the ship. "I'll explain. Come on, follow me."

*******************************

The armor clicked in place, a light pulse of energy flowing over it as the shields up again. I nodded in satisfaction, stepping back as the cover closed on the armor dock. Looking at Luna, I could see her glancing at the interior. Things like the grated metal flooring, the two identical cots across the room from each other, and the long florescent light fixture in the ceiling.

I raised an eyebrow at her strange expression. “…something wrong?”

Luna snapped her attention to me, shaking her head. “N-No, it’s just… a lot of metal.”

I shrugged. “Yeah, can’t really make a spaceship out of wood, right?” I asked, getting a vacant stare from the pony. “…never mind.”

“But-” She started again, looking around more. “We don’t understand… how does thou travel in such a device?”

A small smile spread across my face. “Follow me…”

The cockpit doors opened with a hiss, Luna following close behind as she took in every detail she could. I walked around the small cabin and sat in the pilot seat, an array of monitors lighting up around me. Luna was awestruck as Lucy’s voice rang out following another beep.

“Sir,” She AI began, a small metal item suddenly sticking out of the console. “-please take this with you. I just finished writing the rest of the software for it and I am curious as to if it will work."

Luna and I stared at the item on the control panel, before I reached out and unplugged it like a USB drive. “What-“

Before I could finish my sentence the item came to life, a small purple light shining from a slit on the top and projecting a hologram above it. It was small, only about seven or so inches in height.

I blinked, not believing what I was seeing. "L-Lucy? Is that you?" I asked, getting the hologram to nod once. "Oh man that's weird... cool but... weird." I said as I waved my other hand through her, watching as it flowed straight through and fizzled slightly. “You developed holo-tech!?”

The miniature Lucy nodded. "Yes, this is an A.I hologram ‘disk’ that lets me speak and interact directly with you when you’re outside of the suit… provided you’re in range. As you know true holo-tech was deemed impossible as it needed something to project on and air wouldn't do, thus humanity abandoned it…" Lucy continued, turning to look at Luna. “Though, after studying your kind’s ‘Magic’, I developed some new theories.”

I just stared at her, flabbergasted. Turning to Luna, I could see her much in the same state as I was.

"Your take on this?" I asked as she turned to me, mouth wide open.

She went to speak a few times, stopping and thinking hard again each time like she changed her mind. "W-What… what is she?"

I scratched my neck with my free hand, sighing. "Well, she’s an A.I. It means artificial intelligence, a psyche of mankind’s creation. So, she's technically not alive... doesn't stop her from having an attitude though. Comes with the territory." I said a bit loud at the end, eliciting a small giggle from the hologram.

Luna shook her head, brow furrowed in thought. "That's... amazing!" She exclaimed, waving her hoof through the miniature human with a giggle.

She did it again. And again… and again.

I cleared my throat. "Almost done?"

Her ears splayed back a bit as a hint of rose spread onto her cheeks. "S-sorry..."

I shrugged. "It’s fine. To be honest, it’s kind of a relief." I ended with a yawn.

Luna looked at me questioningly. “Tell us, what is the relief?”

I motioned to the princess with my hand. “You.” She blinked in confusion, electing a shake of my head. “Well, not really YOU per se, but more like… your attitude. I’m just glad you seem nice.”

The princess looked taken aback by what I said. “Thou… thinketh we are nice?”

I nodded, “Of course. Does it really seem that surprising?”

She didn’t answer at first, only shuffling in place slightly before looking down. “Tonight is… a holiday for ponykind.”

I blinked. “Oh, nice.”

She continued, “It marks a day… I wish to forget…”

I mentally facepalmed. “Not nice”

The princess let out a stifled giggle, before shaking her head with a sigh. ”Tis fine. We’e had time to adjust and moping does not fit us.”

I chuckled back, and went to reply. However, just then I could feel my chest tighten and the words halted in my throat. A sickening feeling washed over my body as my vision suddenly contorted.

I could hear Luna’s voice shout my name as I collapsed in place. "Jake!? What, what’s wrong!?"

I tried to push myself back up, but it felt like I suddenly doubled in weight and couldn’t even muster the strength to stand. My form collapsed, hitting the metal ground with a clang as an equally cold darkness swallowed me.

Third Person Perspective

Luna rushed forward, reached him just in time to catch his head from hitting the floor. The holo chip clattered to the floor from his hand, before stopping in place as Lucy appeared above it with worry.

Luna’s horn glowed as she tried to think of a spell that could help. "Whats wrong with him?" She asked, glancing back at the AI as studied him with a calculating gaze.

However, it’s features quickly morphed into horror. “No... quick, lift him and take the holo-tab with you." She ordered as she disappeared back into the small piece of metal.

Doing as she was told, both the object and Jake lit up in a blue hue and hovered off the ground.

Lucy spoke up again, this time from the ship‘s speakers. "The med-bay is back online, hurry and bring him there! I'm not sure how much time we have left for stabilization."

Lights flicked on ahead, illuminating the doors leading further back into the ship as Luna took off. She didn’t have time to think about how the lights worked, or why the doors would open automatically when she approached, her only objective currently being the human in her care. She entered a room different than the rest, the floor a sanitary white with ventilation fans dotting the ceiling. A single silver table sat in the center, many retracted metal limbs high above it on the roof. Almost as soon as he was placed upon it a limb stretched down, shining a thin red laser over his whole body. As it went, Luna set the holochip on the table, allowing Lucy to appear as she looked towards Jake with a steely gaze.

Lucy shook her head. "Just as suspected..." She began aloud, another arm above the bed producing a needle from it’s end befoe twitching in place. ‘“Ugh… I suppose it’s not as fixed as I hoped.” The needle retracted, before popping back out of the table. "Take this and do exactly as I say," She paused as Luna nodded and picked the needle up in her magic. "-I’m sorry, but you’ll need to use your hooves. I'm not sure what effect your ‘Magic’ may have on his internal physiology… especially his heart.”

Hesitantly nodding, Luna took the needle between her hooves and waited for her next order. A few moments later the beep of a heart rate monitor began, it’s irregular pattern changing constantly.

A small dot appeared on Jake’s chest, "See this red dot?" Lucy asked, electing a nod from the pony. "That's his heart, I need you to stab the needle into his chest hard enough to make sure it reaches. We only have one shot at this.”

Luna thought hard for a moment, before steeling herself with a nod. Positioning it above his chest, she listened closely to the random pattern of heartbeats and slowly exhaled. The needle plunged downwards into his chest, causing his entire body to suddenly tense. His eyes fired open, turning to lock with the princess for a moment as he looked to her in surprise before passing back out.

There was a long silence as Luna watched him with bated breath, the needle still protruding from his chest. A small metal arm extended downward and daintily pulled the needle out before disappearing above. Another moment of silence… two… then the heart-rate monitor came to life as something much more akin to a ‘Pattern’.

Luna finally breathed, huffing as she sat in place. "Is he... will he be alright?"

Lucy turned to the princess with a nod. "Yes, I’ll keep him stabilized from here. Turns out, he was one of the unlucky few... almost comical, considering the circumstances.”

Luna furrowed her brow, "Unlucky few? What do that mean?"

Lucy looked back at the sleeping human, fiddling with her hands. "Well... Jake is a special breed. Genetically modified by serums developed in the labs of the Starstreaker. However, these changes are not immediate and happen over an undetermined amount of time and… sometimes while the body is going through mutations it can... give out." She paused, looking him over once more. "…I had you inject him with a mix that temporarily stunts these mutations, including some adrenalin to keep his heart going so I could stabilize him."

Mulling this new info over, Luna shook her head. "Genetically… modified? You mean like, altered him? That… thats horrible!"

Lucy looked down, a slight hint of shame in her features. "Come back to the cockpit... I'll explain to you why we do what we do." She explained, the door she entered through lighting up. "You’ll see why it’s still not enough."

Author's Note

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