Two: A New Beginning – Banshees, Aliens, and Ponies, Oh My! (EDITED)
"Well...there's definitely life on this planet," the Ghost quipped, taking notice of the flora and fauna around them. The trees were covered in moss, and vines hung from their boughs, which reached out like arms to grab them. "These trees...they're like oak trees, but...filled with Darkness. No, something more than that, something more...primal."
"They're just trees. As long as they don't up and grab me, it doesn't matter what they're filled with," Adric replied. He was no Warlock. The workings of the worlds, the Light, and the Dark, concerned him little. All he cared about was surviving, and protecting the City. Albeit he was with Dead Orbit, so he didn't put as much faith into it as most Titans, but still.
"Well excuse me for being curious," his Ghost retorted.
"Whatever, let's just keep going," Adric said dismissively as he trudged through the forest, brushing aside any plant or branch that got in his way. The blade of the Taken flickered ceaselessly on his back, seeming aglow with power from the trees and flora. More than usual. In fact, it was positively brimming with power.
"Adric, the Sword, look!" His Ghost pointed out. Adric took the Sword off his back and cursed under his breath as he took in it's more than usually erratic nature.
"Great. So either there's Taken here, or there's a powerful Hive nearby," he reasoned. "Well, guess that means that we're gonna have one hell of a fight," he mused. "Come on, let's not keep whatever it is waiting."
They passed numerous unknown flowers and plants, all of which the Ghost tried to scan as quickly as possible before it got left behind. "You're mapping the area as we go, right?" His Ghost was brought out of it's thoughts on the scan it was doing.
"Huh? What? Oh! Yeah, I am," the Ghost affirmed.
"Good. We never know if we might have to make a hasty retreat or not, and knowing the territory helps with that," Adric reminded.
"That's true," his Ghost agreed. The rest of the trek was made in silence, up until the two heard a number of screams.
"HEEEEELLLP!" cried a number of feminine voices.
"Someone is in trouble!" his Ghost pointed out.
"Noticed. Let's get going. Whoever they are, they need help," Adric replied before sprinting through the brush towards the sounds of screaming.
The Elements of Harmony were gathered at the entrance to the ever so wild Everfree. No matter how many times they had made journeys into it, it still remained a daunting obstacle. The Element of Kindness in particular, was terrified of going into it. Not to mention all of them were quite tired, having been woken up so late at night.
"Do we really have to do this?" asked the cyan pegasus, Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty. "I'd really like to go back to sleep."
"I must agree with Rainbow here darling, a lady needs her rest," Rarity, the Element of Generosity, agreed, bags under her eyes.
"And Ah need to git up early tomorrow to feed tha' livestock," Applejack added honestly.
"Yes, Rainbow. If we don't find out what is in that meteor quickly, all kinds of things could happen. You all felt the surge too, right?" Twilight began.
"Well...yes," Rarity admitted.
"If by surge, ya mean Ah felt like mah bones were 'bout to break and had the nastiest headache, then yeah," Applejack added.
"Was that the reason my wings felt like they'd been dipped in lava?" Rainbow queried.
"Yes! This could only mean one thing! An Augur's Meteor! And an Augur's Meteor hasn't fallen since the Unification! You girls remember the stories, right?" Twilight asked.
"Ya mean tha' ol' story 'bout the meteor that had the Princesses in it?" Applejack questioned. "Ah thought that was jus' an old mare's tale."
"Exactly! A magical surge of that magnitude right as a meteor lands, along with the reactions we, and undoubtedly, every pony in a two hundred mile radius, had, proves that it's not an old mare's tale!" Twilight finished.
"But do we honestly need to investigate so late?" Rarity whined.
"Yes! If it is an Augur's Meteor, then this could change everything! If whoever is inside it gets in the clutches of anyone nefarious, who knows what could happen!" Twilight expressed.
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go find this new pony and make them our friend!" Pinkie said exuberantly, dashing off, only for Applejack to catch her by her poofy tail.
"Hold on sugarcube, ya'll know how dangerous that forest is," Applejack warned.
"Oh, right, silly me!" Pinkie said with a nervous chuckle.
"Well, let's go, and stick together!" Twilight said, before they all set off into the Everfree. Applejack and Rainbow glanced around as they trotted, keeping an eye out for any predators. Fluttershy was hiding behind Applejack, whimpering and jumping at the slightest noise. Pinkie was hopping merrily without a care, simply happy to be on another trip with her friends. Rarity was quite the opposite.
"Oh, this mud is going to take hours to get out of my coat! And this temperate atmosphere isn't doing my mane any favors, that's for certain!" Rarity complained.
"Just push through it, Rarity. We'll be there and back before you know it," Twilight assured.
"Yeah, a lil' mud and grime won't hurt ya none," Applejack agreed.
"Applejack, darling, while I admit you wear the rough and tumble look quite well, some of us prefer to be clean and presentable," Rarity shot back.
"What's that s'pose ta mean?" Applejack said, tone dangerous.
"Nothing at all, darling! I'm just saying that not everypony likes to be covered in dirt all the time," Rarity stated matter of factly.
"Yew sayin' Ah don't wash?" Applejack asked, eyes narrowing.
"Oh no, of course not, dear! Well...maybe," Rarity admitted.
"Well not all o' us have tha' luxury to be all froo froo and fancy shmancy," Applejack shot back.
"Froo froo? Well I never!" Rarity said indignantly.
"Girls!" Twilight called.
"At least I don't prance about smelling like compost and muck!" Rarity argued.
"Oh yeah? Well at least Ah don't fuss about mah mane not being perfect every five seconds!" Applejack retorted.
"GIRLS!" Twilight yelled.
"WHAT!?!" the two mares roared.
"If you two would quit yelling, then maybe you can help us find the path again because now we're lost!" Twilight informed. Sure enough, they looked around and were unable to find the old dirt path that kept them from the predatorial hunting grounds.
"No sweat! I'll just fly up and look for the path from above!" Rainbow proclaimed. But just as she made it up above the tree line, a force knocked her back to the earth hard.
"Rainbow!" Fluttershy cried. Rainbow looked up blearily to see what looked like a solid, bipedal shadow with wings and glowing red eyes, before conking out. Only when her friends heard an earpiercing shriek did they realize what had come upon them. A Banshee. And lo and behold, from the shadows of the trees came the tall woman garbed in red, mist flowing out from under her robes and shrouding the area, while her features remained hidden in the dark of her hood. Two bony, grey arms lay at her sides, not unlike a Minotaur. She shrieked once more, and dozens of those solid shadow beings appeared from the trees.
The mares huddled close together, while Rainbow remained on the ground, shaken from her hard impact with the cold earth. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Twilight were shaking with fear. They had faced many a terrible foe, but Banshees were the most malevolent spirits out there. They were the ones who corrupted King Sombra, and helped fell the now lost Minotaur Kingdom. They were beings of nature, not unlike Wendigoes, only they were made of doubt, of guilt, of sorrow and pain. No being to date had fought one and lived.
So, with fear and desperation gripping their hearts, the mares cried, "HEEEEELLLP!"
But none came. Tears streamed down their eyes as the shadows closed in. The shadowy figures seemed to smirk, and raised their blades.
"Please... Faust... Help us..." Fluttershy prayed.
CRACK!
A shadow's head was snapped as a gauntleted fist impacted it, dispersing the foul creature. The other creatures turned to where their brother had been to see a being not unlike them, but it looked much more menacing, being hewn from the bone and marrow of a creature so alien and surreal that all present could only gawk. It's head resembled that of a shark, but much more sharply angled. It raised an arm, allowing those present to see a strange weapon with a similar design, and a strange barrel. The being squeezed what looked like a trigger and then a deafening boom rang out and the banshee screeched, and the ponies saw a gaping hole in it's head before it dispersed into fog that retreated. The shadows retreated with their mother, leaving the ponies to the whims of the new arrival.
"St-st-stay away!" Twilight stuttered, pointing her horn at it while it slowly drew near. The being crouched down to eye level, placed it's weapon down, and raised it's arms in surrender. Then, out of nowhere, a strange floating creature appeared with a shimmering black and white shell in the shape of a cluster of diamonds, all rotating around an eye. It was much smaller than the other being, easily able to fit inside it's palm.
"I think they're scared," said a voice. The pony's eyes widened, whipping their heads around in an attempt to find the source.
"Wh-who said that?" Rarity asked.
"I did," the voice said again. The pony's glanced around again. "Over here," the voice said, and their gazes were turned to the floating eye.
"Y-you can t-talk!?" Twilight exclaimed.
"Of course I can. But I'm more surprised all of you can. Fascinating, really," the eye said.
"Y-you're not going t-t-to hurt us?" Fluttershy queried.
"Not unless you plan on attacking us, no. Right, Adric?" the eye asked it's companion.
"Exactly," came the deep answer from the larger being. A groan from Rainbow Dash drew the gaze of the two creatures. "Ghost, can you...?"
"On it," the eye replied, flying over and casting a blue light over the mare. Applejack immediately jumped to the mare's side.
"Don't yew touch her!" she snarled.
"I'm not going to hurt her. I'm just going to check her vitals," the now established 'Ghost', assured. Applejack glanced between her friend and the strange eye, before slowly letting the eye pass. The Ghost cast a blue cone of light across her body, not unlike how a unicorn would scan something.
"I-Is she o-okay?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yes, though I'm not very well versed with your kind's anatomy. Far as I can tell she just has a mild concussion, but we should take her to a doctor to make sure," the Ghost informed. The mares all sighed in relief while the Ghost flew back to the larger being.
"We should get moving," the larger being said simply as it stood up to it's full height and picked up it's weapon. "More of those things might come."
"Th-thank y-you..." Fluttershy said gratefully.
"We're not out of it yet. You can thank me when we are," the larger being said, before saying, "Ghost, where's the nearest town?"
The eye made sounds that were very much like a machine calculating something, before answering, "About half a mile to the east," and with that, the tall creature turned and started to walk away.
"H-h-hey, wait up!" Twilight called before galloping after it, the rest of her friends following, Applejack hauling Rainbow Dash up onto her back.
"Hold on, just who are you?" Rarity asked once she and the others caught up to the tall being.
"And how are you talking without moving your mouth? Or without a tongue?" Twilight queried.
"My name is Adric–9. My 'mouth', is beneath this helmet, that's how I'm talking," the now dubbed Adric explained.
"Adric...nine? Why do you have a number at the end of your name?" Twilight questioned.
"It's the amount of times he's been rebooted," Ghost explained.
"Rebooted? You don't mean..." Rarity began.
"Yes, I'm a robot," Adric finished.
"What!? But-but that's not possible! Everypony knows that sentient robots are just fictional!" Twilight ranted, mane fraying. Ghost glanced towards Adric at these words, and Adric simply sighed before stopping suddenly and turning around, muttering something about eggheads. Slowly, he grasped the edges of his helmet and lifted it off, revealing his robotic visage. His face was a mixture of black and green metal, with two metal horns poking out from his forehead, both painted a deep red along with the braces running to the back of his head. His optics were simply red lights, and he had an exposed jaw that showed more inner workings and had red lights as well.
"Is this proof enough for you?" he said in a bored tone. The girls simply stood and gaped, Twilight stuttering and stammering as she watched all his inner workings spin and whir as he talked, red lights lying behind the two pieces of his jaw that seemed to serve as a mouth.
"I think you broke them," Ghost stated. Adric sighed before raising his weapon and pulling the trigger, causing all the mares to yelp and clutch their ears in pain.
"That's better. Now, let's keep going," Adric ordered before marching off again after placing his helm back on. The mares recovered, though most were shooting the robot nasty glares. Ghost floated to their side.
"Sorry about that. He's been very...single-minded, ever since an incident that happened a few years back. More than usual for a Titan," Ghost explained.
"Incident?" Applejack asked, adjusting the cyan mare on her back so she could walk better.
"It's probably best you ask him yourself. I'm not the one liable to tell it," Ghost said somberly. It perked up quickly, though. "So, what do you call yourselves? You look remarkably similar to horses, albeit smaller and technicolored."
"Oh! Well, we're called ponies. I'm Twilight Sparkle, an Alicorn, Applejack and Pinkie Pie are Earth ponies, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are Pegasi, and Rarity is a Unicorn," Twilight explained, pointing to each of her friends as she said their names.
"Pegasi, Alicorn, and Unicorns? That's just like the Pre-Collapse mythes..." Ghost muttered.
"What?" Twilight queried.
"Hm? Oh! Nothing! I was just noticing some similarities between our cultures," Ghost said noncommitaly.
"Like what?" Twilight asked, curiosity piqued.
"Well..." Ghost began. As Twilight and Ghost talked about other similarities in their cultures, Rarity strided forward and decided to ask their stalwart defender about his armor.
"Darling, excuse me for asking but wherever did you get such...unique, armor?" she asked.
"It is the hard earned reward I received for defeating a hated enemy," Adric said curtly, seeming to spit the word enemy.
"It seems so...brutish. Maybe I can whip up a new outfit for you? I have some lovely ideas for a design–," Rarity started.
"No," Adric interrupted. Rariy sputtered at that.
"But darling–," she tried.
"No. That is final," Adric said tersely, before striding forward. Rarity was stunned, before huffing and turning her nose up.
"Well, I never!" she said indignantly. Applejack was watching this from behind the rest of the group, and in particular she was looking at the sword on his back. It glowed an eerie purple, and shimmered and flickered a mixture of black and white. All in all, it just looked wrong. Applejack thought of this as further reason to not trust Adric. He was rude and seemed to be hiding something, and that didn't sit well with her. Pinkie had little restraint, however, and zipped up to him.
"Hi! Do you like parties? Why is your sword all glowy and wavy? What's your favorite color? Where are you from?" Pinkie rattled off.
"None of your business," Adric growled as he pushed past her.
"Well that wasn't very nice," Pinkie said with a pout.
After that, the group trekked mostly in silence, only the Ghost and Twilight still talking. Soon, they made it to the edge of the forest, and Adric stopped by the end of the treeline.
"Right, this is where we part ways," he said.
"What? You're not coming with us?" Twilight asked, surprised.
"No," Adric said simply, before turning around and heading back into the forest. Ghost glanced towards his partner, then back at the ponies.
"Sorry," it said sadly before following. The ponies were understandably nonplussed. But, seeing as they had a friend in need of care, slowly started to walk towards Ponyville. They had a lot to tell the Princesses about.
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THIS STOY IS PRETTY OKAY
+1
Still enjoying &a Yay update
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7638999
7639253
Thank you, my friends. I will endeavor to continue with further updates. Hopefully, in a timely manner.
I like the tough "piss off" attitude towards the mane 6, keep it up and don't hold back when he meets the princesses, or their useless guards.
7640180 Oh, it'll be sticking around for some time, trust me. He will have moments of weakness, however. Have to keep it realistic.
7640380 Just don't make him go soft and be overly polite
7640410 Of course. I'll try my best to keep his attitude in check.
The only thing wrong here is that the number after an Exo's name is how many times they've had to be rebooted since they were built. This results in them loosing memories of that life, essentially becoming a new person. In Adric's case, he's been rebooted nine times. Banshee-44's dialogue heavily implies that.
7644861 Ah, thanks, I haven't had the time to look that up. I'll fix that right away.
Being a destiny gamer, this is probably one of the best ficus I've read, if not THE best
7638999
Good stoy 10/10