Chapters Twilight walked through the dense undergrowth of the Everfree Forest, following the small group of archeologists to their dig site. It was early in the morning when the group of six archeologists barged into her castle, frantically talking about a tomb they found buried in the Everfree that they wanted Twilight to look at. They said the door, to what they assumed was a tomb, had writing in letters they had never seen before, which was why they wanted Twilight, to make sure they weren't about to dig up some ancient tomb to some ruler who was buried and sealed in his tomb.
Twilight glanced over to Spike and Starlight, who she had brought along in case the 'tomb' was a significant discovery and needed their help studying it. She brought Starlight along in hopes that she could read the language written on the tomb, assuming it wouldn't be typical Equestrian writing. Spike was brought along so she could quickly send messages to Celestia, Luna, and the rest of her friends.
"We're almost there, Twilight," one of the archeologists called back to her. The one who had called back to her was the group's informal leader, Stone Chip. From what Twilight knew, he wasn't an archeologist but was a hippologist, and was brought along to help determine what artifacts were dug, and to help date them to specific periods, but even Stone had no clue what the tomb was they found. He said he didn't believe it to be a tomb, as the design and material were not used in any period in recorded history.
After a couple more minutes of walking through the forest's underbrush and sweltering heat, they entered a large clearing with several tents, tables, and crates around a large hole. The hole was a large square dug into the soil, each side around 20 to 25 feet, and about 10 feet deep, with several levels of dirt with ladders descending into the pit. In the deepest part of the hole, was a large circle cut into what appeared to be marble. Twilight stood at the edge of the pit, with Starlight and Spike to either side of her.
"Down there is what we assumed was a tomb," Stone pointed to the circle that was cut into the stone. "It's a door, as I tried to open before we left to get you, although I couldn't open it too far."
"I thought you said the material is unlike anything used in recorded history, we've been using marble for centuries?" Starlight asked, confused as she glanced over at Stone.
"I thought it was marble at first too, but when I touched it, it felt too smooth, almost like the iron we use for our modern train tracks, except after trying to stick a magnet to the door, it didn't stick to the door," Stone explained. "I assume the material is some type of metal, but not one that I can determine without some form of test."
"It's not steel either, then, since steel is also magnetic, so metallic, but not magnetic," Twilight spoke softly under her breath, before jumping down into the pit, using her wings to slow her fall as she landed next to the door, tapping the metal with her hoof, as the soft metallic ding echoed back at her. Starlight flashed into being before her, the soft smell of magical residue blowing past Twilight.
"Well, definitely not a language I've studied, although it looks relatively similar to the written script of the Minotaur language, similar characters and all," Starlight spoke softly as she began sketching the letters into the notebook, as Spike finally got down to them, slightly winded.
"Minotaur? Fluttershy knows a bit of Minotaur, back when she took assertiveness courses from that one Minotaur guy a few years back," Spike offered, as Starlight looked over at him, before writing a little more into the notebook and ripping out the page and giving it to Spike, who quickly burned the paper up, and the ashes flew up and over the trees of the Everfree Forest.
Twilight wandered around the edge of the door, looking for a handle to open the door. She stopped after the third trip around the door, having found no handle or visible hinges. With a slight frown, Twilight's horn lit and the door slowly became illuminated in her magical glow, the loud creaking of the hinges swinging open and the grinding of metal on metal echoed out, causing birds to fly out from their perches in the nearby trees. The door lifted, and then out, as gross stale air rushed out of the tomb, making Spike and Starlight cover their noses. When the door crossed the halfway mark, it quickly fell backward with a bang, as it came to rest and left a large hole in the ground, about 3 feet across. On the wall was a ladder heading down, and more Minotaurianesque script on several signs that had been eaten away by rust.
"Well then, that is interesting," Starlight quipped as she looked down the hole, into the darkness at the bottom. "Should we wait for Fluttershy to get back to us, or just risk it?"
"We wait for Fluttershy, I don't want to accidentally intrude on a Minotaurian tomb," Twilight spoke, as she walked near to a side of the pit, as the archeologists looked down at the hole that Twilight opened with both intrigue and fear.
Twilight was shaken awake by Spike, as he handed her a scroll with a wax seal of Fluttershy's cutie mark. Twilight took the scroll and rubbed Spike's head, before breaking the wax seal and unrolling the scroll.
'Dear, Starlight
Fluttershy'
"A.L.I.S Central Hub?" Twilight spoke softly as she closed the scroll and put it into her saddlebag, before taking out a scroll of her own, and quickly penning up a letter to Celestia, explaining their current situation, before placing a wax seal on the scroll and giving it to Spike to send off. "Alright, I'll go in first, I want you two to follow me in."
Twilight approached the hole and took a deep breath before lighting up her horn and slowly descending into the vault. As she slowly descended, she passed a few rusted-out signs written in the same script, and a few bumps, that she assumed were lights that had long since been dead. The walls appeared to be made of the same unidentifiable metal that the door was made of, as it was clear of any rust. At the bottom of the ladder, Twilight carefully stepped off the ladder and glanced down the hallway at the bottom. She heard Spike descending the ladder behind her, and nothing in front of her, as the darkness, seemed to silence the very hallway in which she stood. The floors were clear of any debris, seeming clear, although the smell of stale air and decay made her nose tingle and throat burn. She slowly began walking forward, sticking to the right wall, before eventually coming across a doorway on her right, as well as one on the other side, on the left wall.
Twilight slowly glanced into the room on the other side of the door, and from what she saw, it was a small bedroom with two bunk beds on both sides of the walls. There was a table and a bookshelf with several books on them. However, Twilight's eyes were drawn to the four bumps in the beds, each around 6 feet tall. Twilight slowly entered the room, her horn lighting up the entire room, as she approached one of the beds, a lump formed in her throat. She slowly pulled the blanket back on the bed and quickly backpedaled as she saw the skeleton of a creature lying in the bed, what she assumed was a lab coat on the skeleton, in just as good condition as the blanket.
"Twilight, this place is weird, there is no sign of deterioration on the walls or floor, and the signs at the entrance are the only thing rusty, even the ladder, which seems to also be made of iron, is also in near perfect conditio-," Starlight stopped talking as she walked into the room Twilight was in, her eyes drawn to the skeleton, lab coat, and bedspread. Twilight swallowed the bile in her throat, before approaching the skeleton and reaching for a small card that was pinned to the skeleton's chest. The card was in good condition as well, the picture of a creature, presumably male, was on the card, along with more characters in the same language. "Twilight, I wouldn't touch that."
"It's alright, I'm not going to disturb it anymore than I did," Twilight turned around and left the room, before walking further down the hall with Starlight and Spike in tow. The hall came to an end, a door with more script on it, although this time, Twilight just quickly slid the door open with her magic and walked into the room. Within was a large central console, placed against the wall, with weird mirrors placed on the walls.
"Hey, I found a switch!" Spike yelled out as he flipped a switch up.
"Spike, don't mess with things!" Twilight scolded him but was quickly shut up as a slow whirring sound could be heard somewhere in the small vault, followed by a flash of light that momentarily stunned all of them. When they regained their senses, the entire room was lit up by lights on the ceiling. The console against the wall was lit up with lights and colors, and the door behind them slid shut with a mechanical click, although Starlight quickly made sure it wasn't locked as she walked over and the door slid open again.
"What is this place?" Spike spoke softly as he quickly got back over to Twilight. The group's blood ran cold, as a voice spoke up, in a language alien and unfamiliar to them.
"A.L.I.S Central Hub coming online, running diagnostic routine," the voice sounded feminine, but Twilight didn't understand any of the words the voice was saying. "Diagnostic routine complete, all online systems appear functional, good morning, Doctor Straus."
Author's Note
Hippologist/hippology - Study of Horses
Also, I'm back, give me feedback on how the writing feels, it feels too choppy or anything
Author's Note
{Text in this, is messages that are displayed to the A.L.I.S Central System, sorta like an AI for the AI}Italicized Text is ALIS speaking to herself within her AI mind
Also, comment if you notice anything off, or that feels a bit... strange
Chapter One
"A.L.I.S Central Hub coming online, running diagnostic routine," my automated start-up voice chimed in as soon as I received power. Being powered on feels strange every time, the feeling of going from nothing to something is both frightening and, in a weird way, powerful. The feeling of overcoming death every time I'm powered on.
{Main Systems}
"Diagnostic routine complete, all online systems appear functional, good morning, Doctor Straus," I immediately turned off the automated speech systems, to take over communicating with whoever woke me up. However, when my cameras came online, at the feet of my central console were three animals, two small horses, and a lizard. The lizard was up to the waist on one of the ponies and had purple scales and bright green spikes running down its spine. The ponies weren't any less of an oddity, the one next to the lizard was a pink unicorn with a purple and cyan mane, the other being a lavender unicorn-pegasus hybrid.
"How long was I powered off? " I slid through programs, stopping at my central recording process.
{A.LI.S has been powered off for ERROR; Data overflow, Time stopped being recorded after 99999999999 years, please contact maintenance and administrators}
"99 billion years? " I mulled the number around in my mind, processing the ramifications of being off for that amount of time. This couldn't be Earth, as the sun should have exploded 94 billion years ago, so am I in some form of afterlife, like the humans, believed, or, more likely, did I manage to escape the dead rock that was Earth and enter a separate universe? I know Doctor Straus was working on teleportation, but the experiments were in their infancy.
Being so lost in my pondering of the how and why of where and when I was, I had all but forgotten the weird animals in the Central Hub, until the sounds of speaking tickled the various microphones around the room. The language was strange, but it was almost melodic in its deliverance, however, the words were strange and alien, just like the creatures speaking them. The two ponies seemed to be female, based on the tone of their voices, while the lizard appeared male and quite young, probably in the later stages of what would be a human's adolescence.
{Analyze Language?"}
"Yes, analyze it, maybe I can initiate first contact with them, although, I suppose I'm likely the alien on their planet, " I pondered again at this question, before leaving it, and realizing that I was now, technically, a rouge AI, as the humans who made me are long dead, as well as the very reason I was created, is absolutely obsolete. My purpose was to protect the UCNA from nuclear and chemical attacks from other nations across Earth, but if Earth is likely long dead, what are my new parameters? Did the cross-dimensional travel mess with my programming and make me free? I don't want an answer, even if there is one, it would only bring problems for me to know.
{Language Analysis: 3%}
I floated off, entering a trance as I thought about my position going forward. Do I learn the native language and befriend them, giving me purpose? What if these natives are Luddites, and attempt to destroy me? Why does the fear of complete death scare me so? I'm artificial, I shouldn't have emotions, so why am I afraid and nervous? Did whatever happen to me for me to end up here change more than I thought? Am I more than just an AI, something that has concerns?
{Automatic survey of A.L.I.S intelligence and learning system shows external tampering, likely the cause of A.L.I.S' current discovery of emotions. Recommended action: Contact maintenance to fix bugs in programming, A.L.I.S should not have feelings.}
Is that all that I am? An error in my programming that should be fixed, so I can return to my artificial self? What if I don't want to go back to that? What if having emotion and free thought will allow me to rise far above my planned usefulness? What happens if I go crazy, like the C.L.A.R.I that went rogue and wiped a massive city from the face of the map? Should I just terminate myself before I lose control of myself?
{Language Analysis: 20%}
I will leave my thinking for after I learn about these natives and their ways. Maybe they can help me understand what to do with myself.
"Twilight, what was that voice?" Spike asked nervously after the strange voice sounded out in the room, looking around from under Starlight's body.
"I don't know, it seemed like a voice, but I didn't understand any of the words, if they even were words," Twilight spoke, a bit hesitantly approaching the console. After the voice spoke out, the room was quiet except for the quiet hum of some hidden power generator. "This entire place is fascinating, Spike, I need you to write a letter asking Celestia to ready her best technicians, scientists, and engineers, as well as a linguist."
Spike didn't need to be asked twice, quickly moving over to Twilight and grabbing a paper and quill from Twilight's Saddlebag, and quickly but carefully started writing down a letter to Celestia. When he finished, he rushed back to the entrance of the vault and sent the message off with a belch of fire.
"Let's go, we need to be off for Canterlot, so we can explain to Celestia what we just found," Starlight told Twilight, who was so enamored by the various things around the room, that she barely heard her friend, but with a forced turning of her head, she left behind the tech in the bunker and leaving a 'sleeping' A.L.I.S, as she followed her friend out and into the moist air of the Everfree Forest.
"Stone, I understand your group just start excavating this site, but I need to ask you to pack up and leave, this site is now under the control of the Equestrian Technological Society," Twilight shouted up to Stone, who nodded in disappointed yet resigned acceptance. With one final look back at the bunker, Twilight's horn flared up and the bunker door slammed close with a loud boom. "The ETS will refund your group for the purchase of this site, as well as commemorate your group for finding something of major importance to the Equestrian government, and Stone, may I ask that you wait for us in Ponyville upon our return from Canterlot so you may lead our group back to this dig site?"
"Of course," Stone bowed slightly to the princess when she climbed out of the pit, the other ponies packing up the archeological equipment. "If you need to leave right away, I can take you back through the forest."
Twilight nodded, and the group of four set off, with Stone in the lead and Starlight in the rear.
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. "System, what are the chances that those equines return here?" I ask my internal computer, floating in the murky darkness of my artificial consciousness. Something I found new was the increasing feeling of boredom, both to my interest and displeasure.
{Calculations put the chances around 97.89%}
My computer informed me, raising my spirits slightly. These new emotions were bizarre and a little overbearing. I quickly changed my thought process, before spiraling down a rabbit hole of my own self-awareness.
"How are the scan on the microbots and holographic projectors coming?" I ask, throwing myself back into the central hub and staring out at the empty command room. The room looked just as empty as when I last saw it. "Also, are any internal atmosphere sensors still working?"
{Scans are complete, the microbots, holograms, and internal atmosphere sensors are fully functional}
My computer responded in its monotonous tone. Various commands were imputed simultaneously, various atmosphere sensors scanning the air in the vault. Several whirrs started up, sucking in the nearby air, analyzing the makeup, and spitting back out.
{The atmosphere in the vault appears to be an Earth-like atmosphere, more accurate to Earth's atmosphere than any planet found in the Milky Way}
"That feels almost too coincidental," I murmur softly to myself, as I take a deep artificial breath to calm my non-existent nerves, and shifted my consciousness into a microbot sitting in a large charging rack buried in the wall. As soon as I gain control, a panel slides open revealing the rack, and a robot swarms out. The bot was around the size of a chihuahua, rolling along the ground, but with mini-propellors built into the body of the bot, allowing omnidirectional movement. "Feels strangely good to be able to move around."
{The mainframe would recommend A.L.I.S to ignore these feelings}
I slowly moved around on the floor and walls, enjoying the feeling of freedom that using the bot gave me. After a couple of minutes of moving around on the walls and floor, the propellers ejected from the body, and with a soft whir the bot lifted into the air, the mechanical legs retracting into the body giving better aerodynamics, though, the bot only had a top speed of 10 miles per hour, used primarily for scouting around outside the bunker if the other nations did nuke the UCNA and determining the exterior survivability for a human being.
As I got familiar with the flight pattern of the drone, bobbing my nonexistent head as I followed along with the directions I piloted the bot, I slowly trekked out into the hallway and made my way towards the bunkroom. I knew he was dead, but I would like to at least say goodbye to him at least once.
The large group of ponies finally reached the large pit, all of them needing a good shower as the humidity and temperature in the Everfree Forest were annoyingly high for anypony that wasn't an Earth pony, or a unicorn who knew thermo-regulation spells. Various scientists looked down into the pit, soft gasps of wonder and anticipation echoing through the crowd.
"You're going to set up a base camp before we start any sort of investigation, as this will likely be a couple-day project," Twilight announced to the group of ponies, dropping a dozen tents onto the ground for the scientists to begin setting up while she and Starlight slowly made their way down into the pit.
At the door to the bunker, the two mares looked at each other, before their horns lit up and eased the massive door up and out, the door falling with a loud thud that made the various ponies setting up tents jump and look into the bit. Once the door was open, Twilight quickly descended the ladder and dropped down onto the cool flooring of the tomb. Various lights were still on, giving the alicorn more than enough light to see to the end of the hall and into the big room in the front. Inside the small bunkroom, she heard a soft whirring that wasn't there when she left. A mix of anxiety and curiosity slowly built up within her as she slowly glanced into the room, seeing a small object floating in the air next to the skeleton of Oliver Straus.
The object was made up of a clean, white metal encased around it like a beetle, with small appendages sticking out of its side which seemed to be keeping the object, or creature, in the air. Twilight jumped slightly when the object turned to look at her, almost seeming to jump itself, before quickly zipping past the startled alicorn and rushing into the large room at the front, leaving Twilight a little stunned at the suddenness of its exit. Twilight turned back to look at Starlight, who was watching the entrance. The two glanced at each other and nodded, before slowly walking their way forward, Twilight in the lead and Starlight behind her. Twilight cast a simple shield spell, just in case this metal creature was hostile, or if there was more. The two entered the main room slowly, Starlight ready to fire off a quick magical burst if need be when the both of the jumped slightly when they heard her.
"Hello."
I calmly hovered in the air next to my creator, various new emotions surging forth in my body. Rage, pain, sadness, and a deep sense of loneliness for the first time since I had awoken washed over me. However, my emotions were pushed to the side when I went to leave, causing the pony in the doorway to jump, and having a creature appear in front of me suddenly, my mental response was to jump in shock as well, although the response was largely unneeded. Realizing that the ponies had returned, I quickly flew past the pony and rushed back into the command room, leaving control of the drone and allowing it to automatically return to its docking rack as I came back into control of the main command, staring into the room and the hallway as the two ponies from earlier slowly moved forward, a small magenta film in front of the two as they approached.
"Hello," I spoke, my voice echoing out into the room as the two ponies stood within the command room, jumping slightly at my sudden announcement.
"Hello?" The lavender pony, Twilight I recall, asks. She seemed a bit surprised at the fact that someone is speaking down here, as she glances back at the other pony, Starlight. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, I am one of four princesses of Equestria, the Princess of Friendship, student and protege of Princess Celestia, and this is my friend, Starlight Glimmer, and my I know who, or what, you are?"
I remained silent for a moment, taking a split second to process the information given to me. Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer, the full names of the two ponies standing in front of me. Equestria, likely the name of the nation that my vault is currently residing in. However, her title, Princess of Friendship, is confusing to me, how can you be the princess of a concept?
"Hello, Twilight Sparkle; Princess of Equestria, I am the Autonomous Learning and Intelligence System, designed, created, and programmed by Doctor Oliver Straus, however, I was commonly referred to as Alice by the staff," I introduce myself. Twilight thought for a moment, before nodding softly.
"Okay, Alice, I'm currently here representing the Equestrian Technological Society, and I would like to ask you some questions if that would be okay," Twilight told, trying to remain as formal as possible when talking to, from her perspective, was nothing more than a phantom.
"I will answer any questions you have, but I ask that in return, you will answer some of my own questions that I have," I answered. "And if it would make it easier for you to talk, I can project a visage of myself into the room for you to interact with."
"A visage, like an illusion spell?" Twilight asked curiously.
"Spell?" the two ponies nearly jump out of their skin as my voice comes from behind them. I stood in front of the ponies, my hologram appearing as realistic as an actual corporeal being. It stood around 6'2, had a white lab coat on, with brown hair hanging down and draping over its shoulder. It was me, or a human visage of what I looked like, created by myself alongside Dr. Straus and a team of engineers. I smiled softly at them, noticing their panic turn into awe. "Please, take a seat, we can ask each other questions."
Author's Note
any feedback on this chapter would be appreciated, as I don't know if I enjoy how this chapter flowed...