//------------------------------// // Chapter 14. // Story: Neutrality // by Debonair //------------------------------// "What the heck are those things?" The Dragonling shouted. I looked at them closely from the air, as my blade began reacting. It glowed a faint green, but the closer we were to the giants. "I don't know the look like ten foot tall Changelings!" Lady Dash seemed to know about them and stayed the course, Coming out of the building were two creatures. A man and a Gryphon, the man was struggling to keep them at bay. "There they are!" "Let us assist!" I dived and readied my blade. "I've fought them before, they're stupid. easy to take out." "But they were your size," "X-Calibur, to battle!" I landed back to the man. "Lord Gawain, at your service." "You're a sight for sore eyes, I thought I was alone here." He took out a strange crossbow and fired it. Its arrows seemed to have little effect on them. "That sword work?" "Of course." "Then use it." He drew a black blade almost exactly like mine, instead of runes it glowed in long green lines. "Onward my brother!" His blade pulsed with magic, as it almost doubled in size. "Five for you, five for me, and five for them." He charged at the giants, almost taunting them. Long graceful strokes, carving through them, he was an artist. "Come on don't make me kill yours!" "Dragon Bane!" X-Calibur was engulfed in a green blaze, the giants seemed to laugh. The weight of the blade added to the force of the downward slash, cleaving one in two. From that moment on they actually tried. The Cavalry Boots gave me enough speed to clear their swings, slow and lumbering they were their speed was still far greater than a human. One left itself wide open as it swung down upon me. Its folly gave me the chance to sever its massive arm, and with a quick roundabout X-Calibur ripped through its neck. With each slash X-Calibur grew more and more heated, as if this oddly colored blood reacted with it. What are these creatures, and why have they come here? "A little help here Knight!" Lady Dash and the Gryphon were cornered. "Lady Dash!" I burst for them hefting my blade to counter a downward slash from a bladed arm. "Are you harmed?" "I've been hurt worse." "That is good to hear, are you able to continue?" "Yeah." The giant's bladed arm swung once again, but our new human ally pounced onto it and sent it to the ground. "Y'know, let's leave one alive, I need someone to interrogate." He had pinned the giant, and sat on it. "What is your name warrior?" "I am Martin Wildes, from the year 2185, this is Gilda." "Wait, your eyes," The Gryphon seemed to notice something strange about my eyes. Her eyes went wide as she bowed. "I know them anywhere. You're an Elite, you may have a human body but your soul is Gryphon 100%." "So, how did you know to come here? Not that I don't mind the assist." "I told them," The Dragonling appeared from behind a rock. "Something told me to come here." "A Dragon, how old are you?" "Seven," "You should be bigger," "I was once, I didn't like it." "Huh, okay I got it. No time for pleasantries, we've got exactly ten minutes before the next wave. We either run or stay and fight." "These things are pansies, I say we fight." Gilda shared Lady Dash's enthusiasm. "I have to disagree, though the code says to fight, it says to fight honorably, you cannot fight something which you know nothing about, it may have a separate Honor code." "These things have no Honor, they don't even have brains." Lady Dash shouted. "What do you know about them?" Martin scoffed. "I've taken out fifty at least, these were just bigger that's all." "Did they have green eyes, black skin, the same size as you, incredibly stupid?" "Yeah," "They always attack in waves, like sonar if they find you they send a stronger signal, the waves get stronger and stronger, until you're destroyed. That's how they killed all the humans, they hunted us down, trapped us like rats. the ones you fought were drones, weakest of the weak, these were just mutated Minotaurs." "They didn't wipe you all out, you're here he's here, even werewolves." "That doesn't matter they are programmed to assimilate and eradicate. They take control of a host body and create a plague designed to destroy all that fit the profile, they take control of a human slowly the plague will affect the humans and humans only. To weak to even scream the humans didn't stand a ghost of a chance." "Then how are you still alive?" "The only explanation is that hybrids are unaffected by the virus unless it is created with both strands of DNA." Martin looked at each of us. "I can tell this is going above all of your heads, I'll dumb it down later." He whistled. "Harlei drive through the turret. It will merge with you." A loud roaring came from inside the metal castle and a strange two wheeled chariot sped out. "We've got hostiles coming in hot, we don't have enough firepower." The chariot spoke as he mounted it. "Appalachia will have to wait, I need to get to Arthurian Mountain," "But it's ten hours by train!" "I ain't riding a train, Harlei engage Hummer Bird." The chariot reshaped itself into a metal bird. "I'm flying, race you Pegasus." "That thing can fly?" "Mach ten easy." "Wait, don't go!" A familiar voice shouted. Twilight had found her way here obviously through a teleportation spell. "Knight, something happened," "What?" "Pinkie had another Doozy, we need you back ASANOW!" Whatever this Doozy was she seemed awfully concerned about it, enough to risk life and limb for such a long distance. "You're wasting my time Kid." Martin was closed inside the bird, but he saw something. "Wait that mark, how on earth do you have that!" "What Magic, it's my Element." "Shit, I got to go, we'll meet again." The Metal bird blew flames from its backside and launched itself at tremendous speed." "Where is he headed?" "Camelot Castle." "C'mon you guys we have to get back to Canterlot." Twilight's horn began to glow and in a flash of light we were thrown into the throne room of the castle. "Whoa, I hate it when I do that," "What a rush," Gilda shook herself out of her daze. "Good day Knight, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Gilda." Celestia's ears perked up. "Do you hear that?" The roaring of the metal beast came closer. It burst through the doors and skidded to a halt. Martin stepped out and had wide eyes as he was embraced by the Princess. He kissed her forehead lovingly and laughed. "I thought I lost you," "I knew you lived long, but 3,000 years, you don't look a day over 200." "Such a charmer, as always." "Uh, I, what?" Twilight was once again speechless. "C'est la vie," Rarity chimed in after picking her own jaw off the floor. "C'est magnifique, finally a Prince for our Princess." "My apologies, this is Martin, we were dating before he disappeared. What happened to you?" "I can't remember," "Maybe I can help?" Celestia asked. "Be my guest." Martin turned and stretched his neck. "This won't hurt a bit." "It's gonna hurt a lot." Martin braced himself as she stabbed her horn into the base of hiskull. He let out a whimper as the foot long horn slowly sunk in. I have heard of magic to unlock memories or pass them on, but it always sounded painful. Celestia's eyes widened as she was thrown across the room and Martin fell to his knees. "No, you couldn't have, why?" The Princess tured to tears. "This has to be a mistake, those memories can't be yours, they aren't yours," "What are you talking about, what did you see?" "I wasn't there, at all."