Author's Note

Sorry if this seems a little (or a lot) rushed and incoherent. Admittedly it's been some time since I last wrote anything so I'm already pretty rusty, and I figured that the only way to refine it would be to just write this chapter and release it.

Not sure when I'll work on the next chapter, but hopefully I won't be gone for as long as I was for this one.

The meeting of the Mare and the Machine

With a loud crash, the object impacted the moons surface, a large cloud of moon dust and rock exploding out from the impact zone accompanied by a small fireball lighting the otherwise colorless surface of the moon. Luna assumed it was some stray asteroid, and so she was about to turn tail and leave. She was going to go back to her sulking when suddenly-

BREEEP BREEEP BREEEP

What sounded like some sort of... Alarm began to sound? It was a strange and unfamiliar sound, but it felt oddly similar to some spells that had been cast on some doors of the Royal Palace. Should they be opened by strangers, an alarm would sound, alerting the guards. The strange sound aside, Luna looked to the crashed object and squinted her eyes, as if to really focus on it. It was a... Tube? As the moon dust cleared, Luna could see whatever it was. It was a metallic tube with strange blue panels protruding out of either side of it, though they looked damaged? What was this strange thing?

{// notice . . . lifeform detected . . . //}
{// external scanner damaged . . . adjusting . . . //}

It was then a strange, almost metallic whine emitted from the strange object, Luna folding and grasping her ears in pain. Whatever the sound was, it was loud and piercing. A small piece of the objects shell popped off, an odd creaking and scrapping taking the place of the metallic whine. Though her ears were still ringing, Luna caught glimpse of a small light coming from the new, perfectly square opening in the shell of the object.

{// scanning lifeform . . . please wait . . . //}

The small strange light was the core of CT33-DP. Thanks to it being constructed almost entirely out of nanomachines, it could take any form it needed to. And at the moment, it chose to cut a hole in it's already damaged chassis and peak through it. Though only the very core of CT33-DP, which acts as a mechanical eye for it, CT33-DP had taken on a four legged form for traversal.

As Luna stared at the strange light, and the light stared back, the color of blue it emitted almost the same as Luna's very own mane, she couldn't help but feel concerned and cautious. Whatever this thing was, it didn't take a genius to figure out that it was clearly studying her. But why? What would it do? Was it dangerous? Questions she wouldn't get the answers to. At least not yet.

{// scan complete . . . data archived . . . //}
{// notice . . . planet scan complete . . . //}
{// notice . . . localized earth-like atmosphere detected . . . //}
{// O2%27.81 . . . //}

Odd. That's what one would think to learn that this barren, gray space rock with gravity comparable to earths moon, would have oxygen. In fact, it was even more odd that the oxygen bubble seemed to radiate from one point. The very spot this alien life form was standing. What's more, that alien lifeform seemed rather similar to a species of earth. An equine.

{// anomaly detected . . . activating primary A.I. Core . . . //}

Suddenly, the light from the small opening in the strange shell disappeared. Or rather, turned off. The lesser artificial intelligence that was only meant to handle the essentials of CT33-DP's journey was not equipped to deal with what would be considered an anomaly - something impossible. And so, the primary A.I. Core was booting up. The true DT33-DP. The pride and joy of human science and engineering.

>>> Primary Core Activation Complete <<<

It was then the light from the hole began flickering, though this time it was purple, rather then blue. The primary core now having been activated, CT33-DP's entire way of operation would now change. A sort of research and development mode. With the correct resources, CT33-DP would be more then capable to rebuilt it's chassis and components, and even launch itself back on it's path to continue it's journey.

>>> Consciousness Core Activation Complete <<<

One of the many features of the primary A.I. core was a sort of artificial consciousness. One wouldn't expect such a thing to be necessary for an artificial intelligence, but the humans knew through their own research that no A.I., no matter how genius and perfect, was capable of harboring the same curiosity and ingenuity that humans are capable of through their conscience. It was for that reason that one was given to CT33-DP, should the need for it ever arise. As artificial as it may be, there would be no doubt in it's creators minds that it would be the very thing that saved it and it's mission.

Suddenly, the purple light from the core grew solid, no longer flickering. All the while, Luna was now crouched down behind a nearby moon rock. The sudden change in the color and the flickering of the strange thing in the hole of the odd tube was enough to spook her, just a bit. In fact, it seemed as if this strange light was occasionally... Blinking?

>>> Memory Cores 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 appear to be damaged. <<<

CT33-DP declared internally. It was strange. Even though it was a machine, CT33-DP felt alive. Which was even more strange, because it didn't know it could feel. It's form of processing no longer resembled lines of code, but seemed more coherent and human in the way it would describe incoming information to itself.

>>> Opening recent archived files. <<<
>>> Odd equine found on the surface of this moon. It seems to generate a field of oxygen. <<<

CT33-DP essentially spoke to itself internally. While it's human creators did intend for it to function the way it currently was, CT33-DP itself was unfamiliar and confused by it. Confusion. Another emotion it didn't know it had. Despite this, it continued with it's analysis.

>>> Approaching the anomaly. <<<

It was then the small purple light emerged from the hole in the object, Luna, who was still peaking out from behind a rock, flinched at. She was not expecting it to move, much less appear almost like a spider as it moved towards her.

As it moved towards her?

Realizing that whatever it was was skittering in her direction, Luna began to panic. Unfurling her wings, with one quick flap Luna was in the air, or the lack there of.

The strange spider like creature stopped, it's purple eye following Lunas movements. After a few seconds of silence, Luna let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like she was safe as long as she was high off the ground. Unfortunately for her, she would quickly find her judgement to be wrong.

>>> The anomaly is flying. So shall I. <<<

"I"? Why was it referring to itself as "I", it thought to itself. The thought of thinking was a strange thought in and of itself.

Nonetheless, the nanomachine legs of the spiderlike CT33-DP retracted, though it hovered there in place. Thanks to the fact that it was made of nanomachines, it could fly, only made easier by the low gravity of the moon. With it's mechanical eye still on the strange flying equine - luna, it then began to float up towards her.

To Be Continued