Chapters The Unknown Daughters Reunion: Bequest
Chapter 0: Forgotten Deep
Location: the planet Earth.
The Alicorn of Dark and Light was sitting upon her throne in her castle, when the next petitioner trot up for his appointment.
"Geology Research and Tracking, director of operations: Geode Breaker, your highness" He was introduced by Measured Time, personal assistant to her royal highness; Empress New Moon of the StarLight Empire.
"Thank you Measured. Are we scheduled for lunch after this?" Moon asked the mare.
"No, your highness. There are two more petitioners before lunch, it is only three quarters before noon" She replied with a pleasant demeanor.
"Hmph. How have I misplaced the larger part of an hour? No matter, how may I be of service to you, Geode?" the empress directed her attention back to the pony before her.
Put at ease by the alicorns aside, the earth pony began;
"As you are aware, our departments work in finding, monitoring, and predicting sink holes and faults in the Earth's crust, has continued without incident?" Geode opened the conversation.
Nodding, the empress replied;
"Making good use of our recently developed wide spectrum sonar scanning technology. With it, we can predict sudden changes in topography, yes?" the alicorn asked, getting on the same train of thought.
"Precisely, your highness. Even the remnants of mines from the old world can be found and valuated to determine their stability and whether they pose a threat of collapse" He went on.
"Our mapping work in the upper continent, has yielded... unexpected results. Constituting an.. aberration in our activities, there" He began.
"Remnants which were not eroded by the entropy?" the empress inquired.
Shaking his head, Geode expanded;
"At first, we thought that the case. We found a chamber, very very deep, which was connected at one time to the surface, by a now collapsed vertical passage. A lift passage we presumed, due to the iron oxides present at the bottom of it, amongst the considerable amounts of lime and gypsum; presumably at one time; concrete?"
"Go on" the empress urged him. Such things were very commonly found littered in layers beneath the thin topsoil which came during and after the hundred-year entropy.
"Finding it to be stable, we transported a couple remote scanners to the bottom of the shaft to get a better look. From there, the scanners gave us better pictures of what was behind a passage filled with natural rock. Rock which we believe to have been placed there intentionally, since there are no collapses present"
Intrigued, the empress had his full attention. She loved mysteries, especially when she knew they had an ending in sight.
"After some debate, we transported enough of the rock material out, to fly a thermal scanner into the chamber beyond... where they found equipment"
Pausing for dramatic effect, the director spoke;
"Still functioning for the most part. Along with spots of deep cold, where there should be none, your highness"
Her eyes going wide, she demanded;
"What are you implying, Geode??"
Smiling like a magician about to pull away a sheet for the reveal, he belabored;
"Before seeking my petition, I had to research for the word in old texts, your highness. That word was called; Cryogenics"
"What??" The alicorns demeanor had turned to incredulous.
Nodding seriously, Geode told her highness;
"The thermal scans show the area's of cold; to be a half-length wide, by nearly two lengths long. Hundreds of them..."
"H-hundreds?" the dark alicorn nearly squeaked, to which Geode gave a single nod.
"Hundreds"
"How? They.." Moon blurted out, her mind awash with all sorts of thoughts and feelings.
"Had not developed such methods to my knowledge, nor practiced the engineering which could sustain operation for millennias time? This simply must be something else??" she exclaimed.
"Would you care to view my data your highness? While I could very well be wrong, I didn't seek a petition unprepared" he smiled, glancing to his saddle bag.
"Yes. I implore you! This is indeed extraordinary!" Moon blurted aloud, loosing her composure.
Taking out his display projector from his saddle bag, he went to work narrating the visually reconstructed interior of the subterranean chamber.
"These scans here; show many of the components present, to be made of gold, some silver, and chromium infused alloys. All are materials, which would be suitable for very long term operation while resisting corrosion or oxidation. Additionally, the chamber is saturated with carbon dioxide; resulting in a generally oxygen free environment which is sterile and preservative to the equipment"
Switching to another scan;
"However not all of them held up to the test of time. These ones here, are showing no energy emissions or thermal variations. Leading us to presume that they're inoperative, which this scan.."
He changed the picture displayed to show some... less than stellar looking containers' contents;
"Illustrates to be the case..." Geode paused.
Wincing at a sight she hadn't seen in over a millennia, Moon asked;
"How do the operating units contents appear?"
"Here" He said, showing a reconstructed scan of an occupant with the container made transparent.
"My word!" Measured gasped. "Is that one of the Ones Lost?"
"That, appears to be the case... one of the ancients; Both splendid... and terrible..." Moon spoke in a quiet voice, as if looking upon the dead.
"Your highness?" Geode asked of the cryptic description.
Shaking her head clear of cobwebs, she answered him with a serene smile;
"They accomplished the impossible, Geode. Be it; survive an extinction event, or destroy their world"
Looking back to the scan pictured she remarked;
"All these many many years, and they still surprise me.."
Taking a deep breath, she addressed Geode;
"Geode Breaker, director of operations in Geology Research and Tracking. Do you believe you have the resources at your disposal to stabilize as required, passage to the chamber for further research teams? I intend to know if they can be revived, and what will be required to perform such a task? Other ponies, ones versed in medical disciplines will need access to the site in order to do so" she asked him.
"I do, your highness. Whatever else I need, I can get with support from the construction division in a joint venture" Geode replied confidently, the gears already turning in his head.
"Excellent. You have my authorization to use any materials that you deem necessary to provide access and maintain the stability of the chamber, safety of the occupants, as well as other ponies. Inform Measured Time as soon as you are confident in the safety of the chamber, for I wish to visit there as soon as possible" Moon directed Geode Breaker.
"I will, your highness!" Geode bowed and collected his things.
After Geode left, the empress didn't speak.
Eventually, she turned to her assistant, and in a despondent voice, asked her;
"Please send in the next petition Measured.... and, a summons to Colony Prospects..."
As Measured's hoof reached up to her ear communicator to notify the door guard, she paused. Her eyes widening some as realization settled in over the second part of her request; the summons.
Colony Prospects? For..?? she thought as she looked back up to the empress.
But the empress didn't see Measured's double take. For she was lost in a thousand yard stare, a thousand light years away from the throne room, where she sat.
The Unknown Daughters Reunion: Bequest
Chapter 1: The Claim Jumpers Decree
"I will not give them the means to repeat their actions, with merely the greater ease in doing so." The empress announced her intentions in grand fashion, standing from her chair, hooves upon the table.
This meeting was taking place in the empress's dining hall. The dining table having been cleared of its usual serving ware, it was now seated with ponies from across the empire.
At the head of the table, the empress was in rare form; Leaving little room for misconceptions of her stance on bringing the ancients technologically up to speed.
"With time we have developed, for example; The ability to deploy environments to barren worlds, and the same ability can be used to remove the same. In contrast, with comparatively meager abilities at their disposal... past deeds stand as testament to their applications." She finished softly, sitting into her chair.
This stance, had a knock-on effect which would be costly for the empire, in the areas of; planning and time.
"Should they envision and desire such abilities, I put it to them to devise such, and not be hooved it. That through the toil, wisdom of application can be attained and held this time, with more success than previous. I attest that there would be little recurring consideration, for an ability; so lightly bartered" The empress finished her opening declaration.
"But your highness, these're developments made from their works and ideas, at least in some small way? Shouldn't they be given something??" Cliff Edge; Organizer of Terraforming Operations, pleaded.
"They will, however it will be but a fraction of what I had preserved." Moon responded.
"So little? Why?" Sandy Beaches; Ocean Formation Planner, added to his argument.
"What comparatively little I had salvaged, would have otherwise been eradicated by their own devices. It is my position, that due to those self-imposed actions, everything that we possess from that time; no longer exists to them. Had I not intervened, it would not exist, nor would there be anypony or other to wake them. Nor anyplace habitable for their kind, should they have revived successfully, at any point in time" The dark alicorn rambled on.
"Well... still.." Cliff Edge maintained.
"Provided that I duplicated my library in it's entirety, by the time their population grew sizable enough to utilize it; it would have crumbled beyond repair. Eventually coming to the tomes to learn of their contents, only to have the pages
"Only through meticulous exact reprinting, of contents not fully understood...could they maintain the advanced knowledge. To a time where it could even be used, provided it not having been lost through corruption, or even disregard" Moon finished.
"Maybe, that's why we found nothing stored alongside them, where they slumbered?" Stone Arch proposed.
"Oh? But you did, Arch, in a fashion" Moon corrected him.
"Huh? What do you mean, your highness? The data storage units were all blank?" He asked.
Nodding in agreement, the empress explained;
"Those storage units had something on them at one time. However, the contents fade into nothingness as they slowly discharge, reverting to their inert natural state, over time. Akin to words fading from a page, they became blank."
Flashing a knowing look, the empress added;
"There was a reason why I exhaustively enchanted every book and item in my libraries, along with the infrastructure of my city, with degradation wards. Every single device, would have eventually suffered irreversible amnesia. Becoming pointless inert objects, had I not"
"Wouldn't at least, their mechanical equipment have eventually outlasted the effects?" Swaying Tree; Atmospheric Establishment Designer, asked her highness.
Shaking her head, Moon said dejectedly;
"No it would not have. In a mere thousand years, a drop in a glass, it was already failing them. I presume they trusted to fate, whether there would be any revival, as they entered preservation. Such fate, has its cost; Knowledge lost, is one of those desperate trades. They themselves, have pushed them into a more primitive means of living"
"Life is going to be harder for them, for a long time... There won't be any machines, beasts of burden, or even mining experience, I expect" Green Fields; Flatlands Designer, remarked.
"It will indeed be more laborious than they are accustomed to. Those refugees, are of a living time capsule. Sealed at the zenith and decline of their time, their minds and culture adjusted to that era... One which I am familiar with its advantages and shortcomings"
Looking up to the ceiling, the empress mused openly;
"Perhaps they will come to know themselves and each other, once again?" she said cryptically.
"What do mean, your highness? They didn't know who they were?" Wooden Beam; Historical Architecture Consultant, asked.
Shaking her head, she dismissed his question;
"I...will not elaborate further. Merely maintain hope for their prosperity, as it is all we can offer to them in perpetuity. Hope that they will abandon the ways which forced them into those containers.. to await a bleak landscape, nothing in hoof, should they have revived on their own..."
"Why the directive to transport them to another world? The isolation?" Pointed Pick; Head of Resources Mining and Geolocation, asked.
Thinking it over for a moment, she put her thoughts into words;
"Given time, I am quite certain that they would come to see us as oppressive... Living here, yet denied our advancements and means, would turn their envy, into anger"
"How could that happen? Lots of ponies have access to things, and still farm or do things without them?" Paper Pulp; Head of Physical Publications Production asked the empress, not comprehending a connection between the two.
"Oh? Ah. The wonderful thing about the ancients, was there desire to do something more effectively. It drove them to craft, and devise crafts. That same desire, would drive them to apply existing means into their labors. Should they see a more effective means, yet be denied access to it... Their impatience would turn their perspectives, often quite darkly"
As he thought on it, the empress summarized her point;
"Showing them what they could not have, would be cruelty in their eyes. Which is one of the ways I empathize with them. And thus, I will not tease them with things beyond their reach"
"So that's why... far away, out of sight?" Paper Pulp confirmed.
Nodding in response, Moon told her;
"Only a hint of what is out there and exists. To inspire their imaginations, their sense of wonder. I hope?"
"How will you hint? How can you hint without giving too much away?" Vector Graph; Manager of Materials Transportation wondered.
Smiling a little, she told her;
"I believe a plaque will do."
"A plaque?" Brass Ring; Their Consultant of Metallurgy's ears having perked at that, asked.
Nodding "Yes, a message. One that tells of what happened. Of an intelligence that revived them, made a world habitable for them as their old world would no longer sustain them. One that hopes to meet them again amongst the stars one day. That we will be waiting, with memory of their past deeds where they were found. Trusting that they would prove that our efforts were not wasted..."
"Hm. Sounds...parental, I guess?" Canopy Shade; Director of Terra-forming Forestry Implementation remarked.
"I, it does. Like grown foals having left home, wishing them our best..." the empress became a little misty eyed.
"I suppose, they are like adopted foals to me. Though ones I had not raised since their births, and yet I care for their well being, more than I dare admit to myself" She sniffed.
Wiping her eye, she added;
"And like any other foals, they were at times... quite trying of my patience" she finished with a laugh.
Thinking about it for a few moments, she made a prediction;
"With what they already know and remember, combined with what they are about to find out? I doubt we will have to wait long before we see them again.."
The conversation turning to the dry logistical planning phase, ponies around the table traded ideas back and forth of the hows, wheres and whens.
The hundreds of ancients having been recovered and stabilized in their own stasis methods, it was now time to work out the practical part of where they were going to have their first village and settlement.
As she listened to her ponies, the empress thought;
"I am going to have to talk to them...at least to know which tongue to print their books in? However, memory suppression spells do not work very well...and my linguistics in their tongues is rusty. How can I avoid exposing myself, whom we are, and what we are up to? The last thing I need is to portray pony-kind as deep seeded enemies of the ancients..."
The Unknown Daughters Reunion: Bequest
"Mutchelle! Mutchelle!!" A man came barging through the door, yelling.
Nearly jumping out of his clothes, the man he was seeking spun around answering;
"Yes Delek? What, in all of the stones of the rivers, has you scaring the life from me??!" He answered the cries.
"You have to see this at once! Come on!" Delek said, grabbing his arm gently but firmly.
Coaxing him to follow, they made their way to the northern part of the village on foot.
When he asked, all Mutchelle could get from Delek, was 'You have to see for yourself to believe it'
Along the way, more and more people were coming together. Already congregating around the familiar black stone, there were hushed murmurs bandied about.
Finally having arrived, the black stone looked like it always had, since the beginning.
"Why did you drag me here? What is everyone mumbling about?"
Coming around to the far side of the monolithic onyx landmark, his eyes widened in surprise.
There, where there was nothing but smooth unblemished stone before, were words. A single phrase, accompanied by an image.
The new message wasn't chiseled into it like the originating one was. These lines sparkled and reflected the suns light as if they were made from clear quartz, embedded into the onyx as if they had formed naturally and had always been there.
Bending down, Mutchelle read the words to himself;
"We look forward to and welcome that coming day"
To the side of the phrase; Was an outline of a creature with four legs, extended wings, and a horn. Small specs of the shining crystal halo'd the creatures horn tip, and trailed to the the phrase written in their own tongue.
"What is it? What are they called?" he wondered. His mind never conceiving the possibility that other intelligent life might have more than two legs.
Getting back up, he asked aloud to anyone who was listening;
"What day, do they mean? And how long has this been here?"
The one who dragged him there, just shrugged in bewilderment.
Stepping up to him, Stapeqe told him;
"Its not been here very long. I keep the grounds here, and something this obvious would have caught my eye. I expect, days at most" she said.
Falling into silence, the wheels turned in his mind. Another, to the gathered group, made the supposition;
"They, who-ever...what-ever they are.. Must have gotten our transmissions?"
A sea of slow comprehending nods spread across the crowd as they put it together in their minds.
For a few years now, they had begun transmitting signals into space. The carrier frequency, getting ever higher, year on year as their transmitters were refined.
In the coming next few years, the first orbital transmitter was to be launched. Propelled by solid fuels, it was their first planned foray into space.
Now, it seemed that the transmitter was merely a stepping stone into a much wider universe.
And by this simple appearance, their imaginations were also being opened to a much wider scope.
The Unknown Daughters Reunion: Bequest
"Here's the report you asked for your highness" Long Script presented to the empress.
Looking over the report, the empress's expression rose to that of a tiny smile.
"The population has increased by fold, yet density remains low... Dams, hydro-electric? ...yes, tension lines! As well as the presence of electro-mechanical machinery tethered to them.." she observed as she read and looked over the images.
"In a scant few centuries, they have done much. And with lesser resources than they had available historically" She spoke aloud.
"How I wish that I were there to see it being done..." Moon lamented her attention being drawn elsewhere.
"Script? Have they yet mined for germanium or silicon, to your knowledge?" she asked the earth pony.
Shaking his head, he responded;
"Not as far as we can tell. Their works so far, consist of varying aggregates and metals. Their infrastructure seems to have been built to focus entirely on agriculture?"
"I presume that a cultural evaluation is not yet available?" she asked him, his head tilting in response.
"Cultural, your highness?"
"Mmhm. How they interact with each other, and spend their idle times. Presuming they have much to spend?" she clarified.
"Ah! Yes, that's not been done yet. To avoid any slip-ups, we've limited our observations, to the macro" Long Script answered her.
"Slip-ups?" Moon asked him.
"Unintentional incursions, your highness" he answered.
"I see. Speaking of, does the message still stand?" she asked him.
"Yes it does, it's still intact. Made of onyx, the ancients have not repurposed it for other uses. It's proved to be a good choice"
Nodding, the empress floated the report pad back to him.
"The next few centuries, I feel... Will be the interesting ones. I wonder how they will makes use of the more subtle minerals that are abundant?"
"Only time will tell. Meanwhile, if you'll excuse me, your highness?" He asked.
"Why the hurry Script?" Moon asked him.
Looking a little embarrassed, he admitted;
"I um...have a dinner to attend, and I'm really nervous..." he blushed.
"Oh, I see! Well, off you go then. Good evening Script, and good luck." she bid him leave.
"Good evening, your highness" He bowed, excusing himself with a bounce in his trot.
Chuckling to herself, the empress got up from her throne and walked over to the balcony.
From there, she took wing and headed off in a northern direction. To a place where a river was once, interrupted by a lake.