Chapter 12: Precursors

Celestia's throne room looked oddly empty with the whole court gone. Without the guards, without the servants, it seemed as though it were too big. Still there was Celestia, whose presence filled the massive vaulted space in ways not explainable by normal geometry. The guards had been a little surprised when Celestia had asked them and everypony else to depart. She was expecting somepony, and only she would be permitted to enter. They were less surprised that the pony Celestia was expecting was the new princess. They merely bowed respectfully and let her pass, shutting the huge doors behind her and leaving her to her princess.

It was hard for Twilight to describe the way she felt. She wasn't angry with Celestia, that was for sure. She wasn't sure she even could be angry with her mentor, with the one who had done so much for her. Perhaps she was confused, confused that so much had been kept from her, and from all Equestrians. She wanted to know everything that would help her raise her charge and make Chance into a proper pony. If her master knew more of Precursors than she had let on, Twilight needed to know. Curiosity was burning like a fire in her breast, and it must be satisfied.

"Princess Twilight." Her mentor reclined elegantly atop the throne, resting on the cushions and pillows. She nodded politely. "I've been expecting you."

Twilight stopped at the base of the throne, smiling slyly up at her mentor. "But were you expecting... this?" She suddenly removed what she had been concealing under one of her wings. It was a square pink box, containing a dozen donuts. She lifted it into the air with her magic, opening the lid and holding it toward the princess. "Donut Joe's! Best in all of Equestria!"

This wasn't the first time Celestia had shared one of these donuts with Twilight Sparkle. She echoed her former student's smile, selecting a single chocolate eclair and passing the box back. "Sweets are the happiest surprise, Twilight Sparkle." She took one demure bite, then set the rest down on a little plate Twilight hadn't seen there seconds before. "What brings the newest princess from Ponyville?"

Twilight was fairly sure she already knew. She didn't see how she couldn't. She might not be all-seeing, but she was far-seeing, and Ponyville was not so far from Canterlot. Still, she appreciated the opportunity to frame her own question. If it wasn't for her mouth stuffed full of donuts, she would've answered. Her manners had gotten better in recent years (thanks in large part to Rarity's suggestions), so she didn't say anything until she had finished chewing. "My apprentice, Princess. I've been trying to learn as much as possible about her people so I can understand her better. My research has..."

There was no use withholding her thoughts from Celestia. She would probably guess them anyway. "frightened me. I learned that her people have come to Equestria before. But until now, I hadn't ever heard of the Precursors before."

Celestia nodded, and remained contemplative for some moments. This was nothing new for Twilight, however. Her teacher never spoke lightly, and never said anything without careful consideration. She seemed to take longer than usual though, as though she were sizing her up. Or weighing what she might be ready to understand, maybe. "It's true I have done little to keep the memory fresh in Equestrian hearts. There has been no need. Not until now."

She knew better than to ask why. Celestia had her reasons. She trusted her master in that, even though she was powerfully curious. "I did not remind ponies of my sister during her absence, either. The wounds were too tender."

"Did..." Twilight took a step closer to Celestia. "did Leo the Bold hurt you too?"

The majestic Celestia, goddess of the sun, merely shook her head sadly. "No, I should think not. Then he would have been no different than so many other monsters bearing down on Equestria in those dark days. It hurts because he was a friend." Pause. "But... you did not come to hear old stories, my loyal student."

She shrugged. "I would like to know what Precursors are really like. Why did they come to Equestria, and will more be coming?"

"Many questions." Twilight did not see her cross the distance, or sense any flash of magic that might suggest a teleportation. One moment she was on the throne, and when she looked away she was beside her, leading the way. "Walk with me, Twilight. I will answer your questions as best I can. You've proven yourself to be a capable student, as always. I did not need to tell you of this for you to discover it. Again I am reminded of what made you such an excellent choice for my apprentice, all those years ago."

She followed wordlessly behind Celestia, and she strode slowly past each of the stained glass windows in turn, each preserving a different moment in history. Her own likeness was even in a few of them, after some of their latest adventures. Of course, these scenes went back much further than her own recent life. Some of the scenes dated to the construction of the castle itself, many years ago. She was not walking very quickly, even with longer legs.

"Tell me, Twilight. Have you had any experience with postcognition spells yet?" The princess stopped in front of a large window, one Twilight had never taken the time to closely examine before. Of course, she was rarely as at ease in here as she was now. Before the events that had elevated her to her current position, she had usually only come in here to talk with her teacher. Never to just appreciate the scenery, that was for sure.

"Uh... no Princess, I haven't. My last experience with time spells didn't go so well..."

Her teacher smiled, looking away and out at the window. "Yes, I recall your letter on the subject. No matter. Now that you are an Alicorn, there are some additional options." There was a faint pop, accompanied by a golden glow. A small flask appeared in front of her, glowing with a distinct magical aura. The cream-colored fluid within bubbled merrily for a second before settling down. "It would take too long to explain, Princess Twilight. Instead, take this. Just one sip, we wouldn't want to overdo it."

Twilight knew better than to ask what was about to happen. Instead, she took the flask in her magic and took a petite sip. It was very bitter, and she wrinkled her nose at the taste. "Yuck!" She passed the rest of the potion back to Celestia.

Her former teacher's smile widened. "Not one of Starswirl’s better recipes." She agreed. "I tried adding lemon and sugar once to soften the flavor, but the results were... unpleasant."

Twilight could feel the strange magic building in her body, focusing most intensely on her horn. It was like a strange pressure, pulling on her perceptions. "But what does it-" She didn't finish her sentence. At that moment, her body went numb, and a brilliant glow began to emanate from her eyes. She cried out in fear as the throne room was ripped violently away.

"We found it near the Everfree, Princess. Walking up the road toward Canterlot." Twilight blinked, and realized she had not moved from where she was standing. She was still in the throne room. And yet... something was different. It took her a moment to realize what it was; the stained glass windows were all just soft pink now, without any of the scenes she remembered. Celestia had said this was a post-cognition spell, so that meant... looking back in time, right? Still, everything looked so real! She turned around to face the source of the sound, from where it came beneath the throne.

There were guards, though their armor looked a little different as she slowly approached. It took her only a moment to figure out what was different about it; instead of bronze, these royal guards wore iron. It was unadorned and in some cases quite crude-looking, with visible scratches and dents. The plumes seemed to be missing too.

"What do you think of it?" Celestia seemed to have changed very little indeed in however many years she was looking back. She didn't look smaller, or any less regal for the absence of so many years. Her throne was perhaps less well adorned, but it wasn't as though Twilight had ever counted the gems or anything. The guard she was speaking with seemed to be a captain or something, judging by the coat of mail that covered his body where the plate did not. Of course, this surprised her too. Chain mail hadn't been used in a very, very long time.

"Princess, if you ask me, the creature is a goblin spy. It moves as they do, walking on two limbs only."

Another princess stepped out from beside the throne into Twilight's view. It was Luna, though not as she had ever seen her before. Luna was not wearing the royal regalia that she was used to. Rather, she was armored. A coat of glittering silver chain, its luster almost white, and thin plates of silver metal with dark crescent insignia. She recognized the material for what it was: Mithril. Luna's armor was worth more than all the gems and gold in the throne. "Did the vile knave speak its cruel intentions?" She asked. Twilight was getting closer, just a few feet behind the captain. None of the ponies in the room seemed to be able to see her, or if they could, they didn't react.

The captain shook his head. "Indeed not, Princess. At least, not in any tongue we know. The beast grunted in an apelike language, and did not seem to understand our commands. If you ask me, we should dispatch the creature now, before it can report back to its vile masters." Luna nodded her agreement, taking a few more paces closer to the captain. It looked as though he was looking to her more than Celestia for approval. Was Luna the one in charge of the Royal Guard?

Celestia watched the situation from her throne, evidently thinking hard on what was being said. "Did the beast harm anypony?"

The captain looked a little uncomfortable on his hooves. "Well Princess, it, uh... no. It came with us without a fight. It allowed us to search it, and to bind it. No doubt it was struck with fear at the might of the Royal Guard and lost the force of will to resist."

"Perhaps." Celestia answered, though there was something of a smile on her face. Twilight recognized that smile, though the guard didn't. "I would like to speak with it. My knowledge of translation spells is somewhat beyond the training of the guard. Perhaps I may convince it to be more forthright."

"Art thou sure this is wise, dear sister?" Luna looked up at the throne, seeming quite worried. "We are the only real mystery to our enemies! If one returned with knowledge of our power, it might have serious consequences! Besides, what if it were a magical assassin, or had hidden a weapon somewhere the guard had missed!"

Celestia listened attentively to her sister's concerns. "Then I shall have my sister here to insure it does not succeed." She turned. "Captain. Bring in the prisoner. It has been searched for weapons and active spells, I assume."

He nodded. "Of course, Princess. There are no spells on it, and no magic of any kind. We suspect this to be another draconic ruse, to conceal the beast's true origins. It carries no weapons as we can tell, though its appearance is... most strange. Its armor is unlike anything we have seen on goblins before, and it carries strange objects of metal. They are not sharp however, and also lack any enchantment. Perhaps it may conceal a small knife in its armor somewhere, but nothing that could harm your majesties."

"Very well." Celestia nodded, and sat back to wait for her orders to be carried out. It did not take long. The captain bowed and darted to the door, and vanished into the castle. Then, moments later, the doors were opened, and a squad of the Royal Guard marched in. There were at least a dozen, surrounding their strange charge with spears at the ready.

Twilight was prepared for this, having seen the grave. The being was several feet taller than the ponies around him, dressed in glittering green armor in that strange pattern. The armor was quite thin compared to that the guard wore though, and she thought it must be ceremonial. It wasn't made of mithril, and steel would not be useful that thin. He wore the long object over his back, the one Twilight had seen in the glass case in the grave. He wore a helmet, concealing the somewhat primate-like face that lie beneath behind polarized glass.

He did not move like a goblin or an ape, however. His body was not the random mismatch of proportions of the goblins, but regular and even like a pony. He took long strides, proud, though he did swing his arms a little in the manner of an ape. Still, the proportions were wrong for a gorilla or a monkey. The arms, armored so that she saw no skin anywhere, were shorter than the legs, and much thinner and more delicate. He looked very silly, so gangly Twilight thought his limbs might snap off at any moment if he moved them too fast. But he didn't, and they all remained thoroughly attached all the way to the throne.

Even as he walked, a strange voice came from the helmet. The guards ignored him, and even Twilight could not understand the words. It was not an Equine tongue, that much she knew. She had heard it from Chance before. Unfortunately, she couldn't make out any of the words. She got out of the way as they approached, making way so that the procession could reach the base of the throne.

"Give respect to Celestia, Princess of the Sun and Sovereign over all of Equestria." The captain called gruffly to the strange beast. "And to Luna, Princess of the Moon and Supreme Commander of Equestria's Grand Army." The being obeyed without hesitation. He dropped to one knee, lowering his head before the diarchs. This seemed to amuse Celestia, though her sister only watched with cold and calculating eyes.

"I see he does not need to speak Equestrian to understand who we are." Celestia said quietly, perhaps just to herself. Then she looked back to the captain. "Captain Longspear, you and your men are not required. Please see that we are not interrupted for any reason until I send for you." If the captain or any of his soldiers wanted to protest, they did a very good job concealing that fact. None of them dared argue with Celestia once she had given them an order. The captain bowed hesitantly, and he turned and made his retreat.

This left the room strangely empty feeling, with only the Precursor on one knee and the two Princesses watching him. Twilight took this opportunity to get a better view herself, approaching as Luna did the same.

"You may rise." Celestia said, accompanied by a gesture with her head. It was impossible to tell whether it had been the words or the gesture that communicated to him, but either way he seemed to get the message. He stood, arms at his sides. The gesture reminded Twilight of the way her brother had made the guard stand for inspection, back when she had lived in Canterlot and he had been captain of the guard. The tall being stood rigid and alert, looking straight ahead and not moving. It was actually quite impressive. Even the best soldier would twitch and fidget a little, but the Precursor did not. He might as well have been made of granite. Not so much as a twitch.

"What do you think of it, dear sister?" Celestia asked. "You are Equestria's military mind. What have the dragons thrown at us this time?"

Luna walked forward, circling the strange creature. She never got within arm's reach however, and seemed wary the entire time. Eventually she seemed satisfied, and returned to her previous position. "Not intimidating; not even the height of a minotaur. Its limbs are thin and weak. Its armor looks fragile, and it doesn't seem to move very fast. Not a trace of a single spell on the thing." She looked back to her sister. "Extremely dangerous. Our enemies send not feeble minions into our lands. This being must be more than it appears, or it would have been cooked and used for fodder for their armies. Neither dragons nor their kin seem remiss to devour any fel meat, simians not exempt."

Celestia nodded. "They have no use for feeble creatures." She rose suddenly, walking slowly down the steps. As she did so, the being backed up several paces, so as to give her comfortable distance to stand on the floor without being in reach, as Luna had done. He did not run or attempt to flee. Not that it would've made any difference if he had. "A more interesting question, dear sister. Why did the standard translation spells not succeed? Is there any being in all of Equestria on whom such spells would not succeed?"

Luna considered that a moment, and her face hardened. "Only a master sorcerer. Mightier than most unicorns. To countermand the spell."

Celestia nodded. "Perhaps, sister. I would have feared as much, if this creature had any magic to it. Not even Discord could mask itself so completely as to have no resonance at all, even to us." She turned, looking more intensely at the being, staring into its helmet. Her eyes abruptly went wide, and she stepped back, shivering. "Or perhaps, the spell failed because this being had no brain upon which it might work." She turned away, looking for a moment as though she might be sick.

Luna gasped, and lowered her head, her horn glowing a little as she performed some simple spell on the creature. Whatever it was, it passed through the being with no discernible effect, and Luna too retreated. "Abomination! 'Tis a nightmarish construct! Mayhaps its creation was flawed, so that it knew naught what to do and simply wandered until it was discovered." Her eyes narrowed as she surveyed the being. Twilight couldn't say what she meant, though. Her own magic senses did not seem to be functioning within the vision, so there was no way to test what the Princesses had seen. "It needs be we dismantle this vile creation! Perhaps we might determine the method of its devising, and thus work a spell to unravel it." Her horn began to glow, as she pointed it at the creature.

How could this possibly be what Celestia had wanted her to see? Luna was about to kill it! As to how it was possible for anything to be intelligent without a brain, Twilight couldn't even imagine. Truly simple life sometimes lacked complex brains, like starfish. Or brains at all, like sponges. But Precursors were not sea sponges, they were supposedly the most skilled inventors and builders that had ever lived! Something had to be wrong. There was no way Celestia was going to let her sister just kill him, rip him apart to see how he worked. What she had seen in the tombs simply did not match with that future.

Celestia did not stop her sister, however. Rather, it was a voice coming from within, sounding muffled. It was clearly the same speaker as before, the one who had tried talking to the soldiers without success. "Please don't do that, Princess." Came a male voice from inside the helmet. "I assure you, I am very much alive. If you kill me now, then I would fail to deliver my message."

Luna's horn dimmed, and both sisters stared at the being who had just spoken as though it were a pony that had just sprouted another few heads out of spite. Neither stumbled back or recoiled as lesser creatures might have done, though. Celestia still looked disgusted. It was Luna who spoke, walking over to her sister, and standing at her side, a little further forward. But then, her duties were the military right now. Perhaps she considered protecting her sister part of those duties. "Whom dost thou serve, construct! Why hast thou come? Speak, that we may destroy thy affront to nature off Equestria's face!" She bellowed in her loudest Royal voice.

Twilight was impressed this being could stare into the face of such power without flinching. The Sisters were beings greater than other ponies. Their power could be felt by all living things. It warped the space around them. Not painfully, no. Ponies felt safer in their presence, protected and warm. Other creatures... usually just felt fear, particularly when the sisters were angry. Twilight had no doubt one of them was angry at this very moment.

Celestia chuckled. "Perhaps you should have told him you wanted to destroy him after he answered your questions." She seemed to have recovered from her initial shock, and was watching the creature with her royal mask restored. If anything, she seemed only mildly curious.

"I am servant to no man." He said clenching one fist and folding his arm across his chest. It was a strange gesture, one that did not translate into pony body-language very well. Was it a salute? An insult? Preparations for violence? "I am a Knight, free to give my service to whom I will. Yet I once served the King, and it was out of choice alone."

"The Dragon King!" Luna hissed, lowering her horn again. "We shall scorch thee from the earth for thy master's crimes!'

Celestia gently put a hoof in front of her sister, shaking her head. "Not yet, dear sister. Be still."

The being waited for their interaction to conclude, remaining still. As though it didn't matter to him one way or the other what they did with him. Either that, or he was very, very confident they would rule in his favor. It was hard to tell which without being able to see a face, even an alien face. "Indeed not." The being reached up slowly with both arms, careful not to move fast enough that his gesture might be interpreted as a threat. He took hold of the helmet, and there was a loud click. He lifted it from his shoulders, letting it fall onto the stone beside him.

There was the face Twilight had seen carved into the grave under Canterlot. He had long brown hair down the back of his head, not a proper mane at all. "I served in the household of King Richard Morgan, Sovereign of the Steel Tower. No dragon did I serve, nor any beast of this world. It is for this purpose I have come." He dropped to one knee again, lowering his head respectfully. "I come to swear my service to Equestria, and fealty to its diarchs."

Luna's jaw dropped. Celestia merely looked on evenly. "You are not from my world." She said, without emotion. It was not a question.

He nodded. "Indeed not, Princess. Would that I brought better news. Still, let my tidings be first sign of my honest intent."

"If you came to deliver a message, why did you not say as much to the guards who apprehended you? Why did you wait to speak until now?"

He frowned. At least it looked like a frown. It was impossible to be sure on such a strange face. Twilight was struck by just how symmetrical it looked, how absolutely perfect. It was like something carved from stone. Perhaps it had been? As she looked into the being's brown eyes, she thought she could make out faint lines running through the irises, in perfect symmetry. Like incredibly tiny wires. Indeed, the eyes seemed capable of strange motion indeed, with internal twisting and adjusting that was unlike what a biological eye could do. The Precursor looked so absolutely perfect because it was not an animal at all, but a machine. A machine built to resemble an animal. That was what the princesses had meant!

"It is only now that I can understand your tongue. This armor has limited processing power. It has required these several hours to complete a translation program." He stood again, though his head was still lowered in reverent respect.

Not all of what he said made sense to Twilight, but Celestia did not seem to be confused by it. "Very well. Let us hear your message, then. It must be quite important, if you have come this far to give it."

The precursor nodded. "I come as the herald of doom. You know there are enemies massing for war. Within a few years, they will attack. Unless something is done, your nation will fall to the onslaught. I was sent by my King to prevent that from happening, and as a token and ambassador of our species. I know the strategies of your enemies. I know what weapons they will use. More importantly, I know what Equestria can do to win this war."

"Why?" This was Luna, still sounding suspicious. "What is it to thee should Equestria fall? If thou art truly from another world, what reason hast thou to cast in thy fate with ours?"

The precursor smiled faintly. It was a little unnerving to Twilight, seeing those teeth. He had sharp canines, like a carnivore. No, some of his teeth were flat. Probably an omnivore then. That made him frightening, but not nearly so frightening as his answer. He spoke with acid, his eyes going dark. "Vengeance."

Math, like reading, seemed to be divided into standard levels, with students taught at their respective understandings. Like reading, Chance got a booklet from the first level. Unlike with reading, she didn't stare blankly at the booklet and try to squeeze her brain into shapes it wasn't meant to go. Instead, she took her pencil and finished the first three levels in an hour.

There were two hours allotted for math today, during which her teacher Cheerilee went about instructing the students in little groups. She hadn't spent much time with Chance though. Not after their first conversation. "I've got your first workbook, Chance! It's basic arithmetic, so it shouldn't be too hard! Addition in the first half, and subtraction in the second half."

She tried not to feel insulted. It wasn't just that all the other students around her were on much higher levels, but this time she actually belonged up there with them! There was no way to argue with her, though. She was just so sweet and kind. "Yes Miss Cheerilee." Chance opened up the booklet, glanced at the first page, and began filling in the answers. Her pencil flew across the page, and she hardly looked at it. Her instructor stared, as the pencil shimmered in grey magic and solved every problem, with Chance not so much as hesitating for each problem, or seeming to think about them at all. Why should she? This was simple addition.

There were explanations on how to do the problems and little drawings in the margins, with addition and subtraction represented by ponies doing different things. She couldn't read the words, but it didn't matter. For some reason, the symbols all seemed the same. How many levels would that keep up for?

Cheerilee leaned close to the page, inspecting the work as Chance did it. "Well then, Chance! I had no idea you were so good at math! What level were you in your old school? Maybe we should start there instead."

The little filly nodded. "I would appreciate that, Miss Cheerilee. I was..." She paused, struggling. "What level are differential equations? I guess I could use a review on those. I never got the difference between linear and nonlinear equations."

Her teacher stared, slack-jawed. Then she smiled. "Oh, algebra! I'll go get level four." She took Chance's arithmetic booklet. There were no differences in level four, or level six either. After an hour spent with no additional time to solve the problems (except for the word-problems, which she left blank), Chance got bored and began to doodle on the blank pages. Well, maybe doodle wasn't quite the right word. She was drawing out the insides of the generator. She drew each tank and engine as she remembered it, along with the spools and coils of wire. Then there were the magical components, which used unicorn magic to somehow assist in the process. How could those work? Maybe Chance wouldn't revolutionize the planet's economy, but she could at least fix one generator. Whatever Twilight wanted all that power for, it had to be important. Maybe that was the surprise?

She looked like she was busy, so she wasn't bothered while she worked. Except by her next door neighbor. The little colt, Pip Squeak, was having some problems with graphs. She leaned over to his desk, eager to help. Helping sure was more fun than this boring math. "The first one's the x axis, and the second one's the y." She explained, gesturing with her hoof. "You just count. If you're trying to plot (4,1), just count sideways four, then up one." And so forth.

By the end of the class, Cheerilee had noticed what she was doing. Instead of reprimanding her though, Chance was soon appointed her official helper, and was moving around helping all the other students with their math. This suited her fine, and many of her fellows seemed quite grateful for the help. Some gave her angry looks, but those seemed to be in the minority. Helping sure was better than staring bored at the page.

Chance found herself wandering alone through one of Ponyville’s many parks. Of course the Crusaders had tried to persuade her to come with them and try to earn her "Base Jumping" cutie mark. But Chance was afraid of heights, and more than that, she had a feeling Twilight would have plenty of practice and study for her to catch up on from the previous day. No apprentice of Princess Twilight Sparkle's was going to reflect ignorance upon her master, no sir!

So she took a little more of a circuitous route home, walking through the pleasant park and humming to herself. The spring in Ponyville was very beautiful. It reminded Chance of the arcology her mother had taken her to as a child. There had been so many different flowers, in colors that nature had never produced. Genetic engineering had made for a beautiful park. This one was even better. Outside, with the grass and the smell of damp wood all around her and the sky filled with picture-perfect clouds.

Ponies might not have genetic engineering, but their control of the climate was far more absolute. In that, perhaps they were not so unlike her kin. Only, her people had only pretended to have mastered nature. The ponies actually had. Every plant, every animal, even the clouds in the sky depended on them. It was like their whole world was an Archology, the biggest and most perfect Archology ever built. It was wrong to think of them as primitive just because their machines weren't as advanced.

There was such sweet music here, music that was more than trees and wind. She stopped to listen, closing her eyes. It was such a sweet sound, yet slow and mournful. She listened for a moment, and realized to her great shock she was already singing along, and had been the whole time.

"Erhöre einer Jungfrau Flehen,
Aus diesem Felsen starr und wild
Soll mein Gebet zu dir him when."

The words were no more Equestrian than the song she was hearing, that she had joined without even realizing she was hearing it. In that instant, she turned and galloped across the grass and flower-beds straight for it. There was someone else here! Not a warrior, not a robot, but someone like her! Someone who loved beautiful ancient music and just wanted to be free. They had been here in the park this whole time!

Chance skidded to a halt at the foot of a cute wooden gazebo. There was a unicorn mare sitting on the steps playing a lyre, a mare with mint coat and gold eyes. She held a golden lyre in her magic, and played the ancient hymn with surprising accuracy, like something out of an old avcast. Chance had seen her before many times in Ponyville, and even heard her performing once or twice before today. Could this really be her fellow traveler? The mare only smiled politely and went on playing, finishing the ancient hymn. Chance sat down on her rump right there, humming along in German. Or at least, what German sounded like when an Equestrian tried to pronounce it.

"Da uns die heil'ger Trost anweht;
Der Jungfrau wolle hold dich neigen,
Dem Kind, das für den Vater fleht.
Ave Maria!"

Second Chance was, of course, no vocalist, but she did her best. The words sounded very strange, and perhaps their like had never been heard in Equestria before. Even so, she had an ear for the sound, and could at least carry a tune. There was no audience to hear them, none but the trees and the flowers. And a few squirrels, who seemed to have stopped to listen. For all Chance knew, these squirrels might very well enjoy German music.

When the song was over, Chance tossed a few bits from her saddle-bags into the open case. She had intended to get a milkshake with that money, but this seemed a little more important. "You play Schubert?" She asked, when the green mare had finished and was looking at her with wide eyes. Celestia only knew what she must have thought of Chance's attempt at singing along. And maybe on Earth she would've been laughed at or at least considered eccentric for such behavior. This was not Earth.

The unicorn watched her without recognition. "I... didn't know that song had words!" She said, levitating the lyre away into its case so she could get a better look at Chance. "You're Princess Twilight's new apprentice, right? Guess Twilight must have taught you about the Precursors. I'm glad, it's important to learn everything about them! Isn't their music beautiful?"

She felt as though she were deflating, her hopes fading rapidly. Precursor must have something to do with... humans? Still, she couldn't abandon hope so easily. Even if this mare was not from her world, she might know someone who was! In that moment, Chance felt a powerful longing for home. Not the domes of Luna-7 either. No, she wanted the sweet fields of grain, she wanted her city of steel and metal, and her family who had lived there. How could she check to see if this mare knew more about her people without making her think she was strange? Chance nodded. "Yes, I'm Twilight's apprentice. What do you know about the Precursors?"

It was as though Chance had offered her a lifetime of free candy. Her grin couldn't have been wider. "Probably more than anypony in Equestria!" Chance barely resisted the impulse to giggle. The mare looked suddenly stern. "Hey, don't laugh at the Precursors! They're real! Even Celestia knows! It's there if you know which books to look in!"

She did giggle then, getting up. "Oh, that wasn't what I was laughing at." The mare watched her with a frown as she got her giggles out, though she waited patiently all the same. "I was... I was..." She collected herself. "Just laughing, because until a month ago, I was a Precursor, and my name was Kimberly Colven."

"You what?"