Redemption

After a quick jog to the castle, as it was quickly nearing the ninth hour of the day, I joined Twilight, Lyra, and a few other archaeologist-type ponies in a carriage.

"Sooo... where exactly are we going? I figured we'd be heading towards another dig site or something, but d'you know where it is?"

Twilight looked at me for a moment, her eyes filled with excitement, and then answered. "It's actually directly adjacent to where you were found. You were just in the atrium of the building. We haven't found a fully intact building of yours for over a year. This could be the breakthrough we've been looking for!"

I looked back at her, a slight smile on my face. The infectious excitement of these ponies spreading was spreading to me. These ponies looked like something out of a fairy-tale, now that I took the time to examine them. I stared at the curvature of their muscles and the protruding points of their bones. I also noticed the fact that they could bend like no other equine on old-Earth could. That must be an adaptation for dexterity of flexibility.

The carriage continued it's path, and we soon reached the entrance to the tunnel. We filed out of the carriage, and I followed the archaeologists down a set of tunnels, past dig-sites and other marked areas. Finally, we began to reach the end of our path, the amount of ponies mulling about eventually dwindling to none. I glanced around the tunnel, and it seemed familiar, but that was to be expected as I'd come from here not too long ago. We finally reached the fallen pair of doors, the giant slabs of metal laying on the ground, like fallen behemoths from a lost age. In my mind, I could see the comparison between the ponies and humans with clarity. We were warriors, and our doors reflected that. They were huge metal contraptions built to scare people and keep them out. The ponies, however, were artists. They built their doors to impress and draw people in. How the Earth had changed in a billion years...

Within moments, the cryopod, no, my cryopod came into view. That little, tiny capsule had been my home for billions of years. Whether this was a blessing or a curse, I have yet to decide. Behind my pod, there was another set of doors, close still, and a control pad next to it. The mint-green pony, Lyra, walked up to it, and her hoof hovered over the flat panel, unsure of what to do.

I stepped forwards and gently pushed her out of the way. She reminded me of my... I shook the thought out of my head. This wasn't the time. I looked at the dark pad for a moment, and then swept a finger across it. A holopanel shined above it, ready for use. I quickly hit the 'open' panel, and it prompted me for a code. I entered my access code, the same one I had before the Earth died, in the hopes it would work. I was surprised.

A mechanical voice called out from hidden speakers. "Welcome, callsign Virus. We would like to inform you that you have now been given administrator access to all of our systems as we have detected no awake and active agents of a rank above you. You are now hereby appointed commander-in-chief of the United States of America. Congradulations."

I stared for a moment, unresponsive. A tear began to form in the corner of my eye. I was really alone. I was the last... one... left... Wait! It said 'awake and active'! That means there could be some active but sleeping agents out there... We might still have a chance after all!

I quickly pushed the last key, prompting the doors to open. And open they did.

We filed into the currently dark room, and one of the unicorns' horns began to glow. A soft lavender light filled the gloom, but we could still not see anything. Let's see here...

"Designation: Virus, command: LIGHTS." I spoke out loudly and clearly, emphasizing the last word. I waited for a moment, and then stopped, something was off...

"Do you ponies hear that?" They had been following me, some taking notes, some taping, and all watching with intent silence. They all shut up as I spoke.

"Hear what...?" A pegasus spoke out. Just as he spoke, a soft hum began to fill the air. It grew louder, and the ponies began to look around them, wary of the noise.

"That." I was relieved, and very surprised. It seems as if electronic circuits can last as long as s a cryopod can. Then, a set of lights overhead flickered to life, thirty feet above us. And then another. And then another. Rows of lights began to light up, each one illuminating another section of the building we were in.

I stared in wonder as I looked upon thousands of thousands of crates, each one labelled with a complex set of numbers and a designation. I turned around to see the faces of the ponies behind me, looking on in confusion.

"Crates. What do we do with crates...?" One pony hesitantly asked. I turned to him, a huge smile on my face.

"It's not the crates... it's what's inside of them that matters." I noticed a holopanel sign hanging over the door we just entered. "I would like to welcome all of you ponies to..." I paused for dramatic effect, sweeping my arms wide as the last of the lights turned on in the background. "The last archive of humans. You are standing inside Project Warehouse Prime, the first, only, and last complete history of humans." I began to go into full lecture mode. "Long ago, before the Third World War, this place was known as the Smithsonian Institute, the greatest museum institute on Earth. This is where you will find the pride and joy of our species, along with the most detailed history of it you would ever be able to find in all of the world. We stored, in this room, every single historical artifact we could lay our hands upon, and if not, a replica of it. We have, in this room, the history of the greatest race to live on this planet. You have, here, the legacy of a species long dead..." My face turned down. "Welcome..." I trailed off, turning back around to the part storage, part archive, and part museum of a building.