The Faces of War

by Zero the Necromancer

Monsters from Beyond

It's another sunny day in Equestria. Birds are singing, children play and laugh and everyone enjoys the wonderful weather provided by the pegasy. Even Soliton Wave does, and that's difficult after all she had seen. She is part of a project called 'Conversion of Hope', or was until it backfired. She still tried to forget the horrible images of her dead colleagues. That is quite hard, considering that the Golden Way facility is in her view range. It is a palace-like building, similar to the castle of the two sisters back in Canterlot, just bigger. The city, in which it stands is the prideful symbol of the ponies' golden age. Skyscrapers, made out of marble and gold, gigantic, beautiful aqueducts, colorful gardens, statues of their rulers...

The white unicorn looks from her balcony on one of the skyscrapers down to the ponies walking happily in the streets. If they would know what we've unleashed...We are lucky that the humans fear everything they don't understand, that gives us time to find a way to close the portal and the royal guards to prepare themselves for a war. Even though, a war with humanity wouldn't be very long.

She walks into her apartment, a wealthy furnished floor in one of the skyscrapers and quietly opens a door. Inside, a grey unicorn filly with a grey-white mane plays with a radio set that Soliton stole from a police car during her time in the project. The radio is not able to receive messages through the portal and it needs electricity to work, so it's a perfect toy for her daughter and she can try energy spells on it. When the radio soughs than she made it right.

"Hey, Brighty. Are you already home from school?", Soliton says, while she nuzzles her daughter.

"Yep. Our physics teacher is sick, so the last lesson was canceled."

"Again? I need to talk with the principal about this. This is impossible."

"Mom! Why don't you grant me just a little bit less boredom in the week?"

"Because, young mare, you have the oppertunity to attend one of the best schools in Equestria. And I don't want that this 'teacher' ruins your education."

There is a short silence until Bright Dawn speaks up again.

"Dad would be happy that I'm home erlier."

Soliton Wave's expression darkens.

"Your father is a selfish...ah...nevermind. Wanna eat something?"

"Sure. Do you have hayburgers?"

"No, but I can make a salad. Delicious and healthy."

Bright looks dissapointed on the ground.

"Okay, I guess."

Soliton Wave trots out of Bright Dawn's room and gatheres the ingredients she needs. Lattuce, tomatoes, carrots and many other crops, most of them would give a human strong stomach pain. Oh, Potent Potion you stupid, stupid stallion. How could you have thought that they would accept what we did to them? They already hate each other just for having different skin. How could you have thought that they would accept a completely different form?

She levitates a knife with her magic from its holder and slices the crops apart. While she does that, her gaze wanders to a picture in the corner of the room. It was her, Bright Dawn, who was still a baby, and an orange earth pony. All of them look happy. Her eyes narrow and she turns away. Why do I even keep it? It's enough when I see him at work. Little cheat. Maybe it's time to tell Bright Dawn the true story...No, she's still too young. She wouldn't understand. The unicorn throws the sliced crops into a bowl of glass with some controlled anger.

"Honey! Food is ready!"

There is no response.

Oh Celestia, please tell me she didn't teleport away again.

Soliton Wave waits a minute and then goes into her daughters room. Bright Dawn sits in her chair and looks with an arrogant smile at her mother, who can just frown back. "Mom, do you remember when you said that this thing doesn't work?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well, I fixed it.", the filly says full of pride.

Soliton frowns even more at that statement. She goes to the human device and turns it on. Just statics.

"You have to-"

"I know that I have to adjust the frequency, Bright. Thank you.", the unicorn interrupts.

"The what? How does that radio-thing even work?"

"This device receives radio waves and translates them into sounds that we can perceive. Quite tricky to build something like it. Even in our golden age."

But for those hairless monkeys it's so easy. How could they make such technological advances in a world of constant war?

"ZZZZZZDelta teamZZZZZZareaZZZZZZsecureZZZZZZMoZZZZZZnextZZZZZsectorZZZZZ"

"What was that?"

"Ha! I told you I repaired it."

"But that's impossible! Radio waves can't get so far, they just can't! The only logical explanation is either a spell or-"

Soliton Wave's eyes widen, her pupils get smaller and her ears drop backwards. The realization is showing. She holds Bright Dawn's head with her forehooves and makes a very serious face. "Brighty, listen to me very carefully. I'm going to...uh...work. Close the door to the tele-room when I'm through and don't open it if you're not a hundred percent sure it's me. The same goes for the front door. Understood?"

Soliton's daughter is confused about the sudden seriousness of her mother. Did she made something wrong? "O-okay, mom...", the filly stutteres guilty.

"Don't worry, it won't take long.", Soliton assures, while she forces herself to smile.

Both of them are walking towards the tele-room. It is a round, egg-like room and contains a, very nicely ornamented, teleportation platform. The three mosaic-windows on the opposite side of the door are illustrating princess Twilight Sparkle, as a symbol of the scientific effort of Soliton Wave. They showed princess Cadence not too long ago but Soliton had them replaced. The white mare steps on the platform and it lights up. Under her a portal, similar to the one that leads to the human world appears. Of course, it's not as big as the portal to earth.

Earth...what a dumb name for a planet but hey, it fits to the inhabitants. What stood in this god-book of theirs again? That humans were made out of mud or dirt or somthing like that?

Soliton stops her thinking as she noticed that the rift started to suck her in.

"Mom...I love you."

"I lo-"

It's too late. The portal devoured the unicorn, leaving a teared up filly behind. Maybe she knows what's happening.

The blinding light subsides and Soliton's vision clears. 'Golden Way Research Facility, Main Entrance' She is here, and no signs of humans so far. No dead ponies, no bullet holes on the walls and no bullet shells on the ground. Everything is fine except the fact that nobody is here.

Please Celestia, let me be wrong for just this time. Soliton doesn't dare to speak something out loud. When a human would hear her, she'd be done for. The unicorn walks towards one of the gigantic hallways. The light, which is coming in from the several windows makes this place to a bigger version of the Canterlot castle. The structure of the hallway let Solitons hoofsteps echo through the building.

Shit! I'm way too loud. Where in Tartarus is everypony!? She continues to walk in the portals direction until a familiar smell fills her nostrils. Sweet, metallic, muddy. All her senses say: "Stop! Turn around! Think about your child!" But her logical and rationally mind pushed those feelings aside.

After a while she finds the source of the disgusting, fruity smell. The hallway is covered in blood and dead royal guards and scientists. Soliton puts a hoof over her mouth in shock. She knows this ponies. Those are her colleagues, her friends. Over there lies Candy Dream and Happy Wind. The horror is still visible in their faces. Their eyes are red, just like their coat. Soliton can tell that they suffered long. The humans shot them in the stomach. That would also explain the huge amount of blood on the floor.

Oh Celestia, please no...no,no,no! This can't be! The Golden Way chamber is protected with the strongest magical shield there is! They couldn't have broken through it!

She advances slowly in the pool of blood. It sounds like a walk in the park after a rainy autumn day. As the torture was finally over Soliton sees something that comfirmes her theory. A dead human soldier. She comes slowly closer. It's a male. Its eyes are closed, the hands folded together, still holding a small weapon.

It couldn't have died like that...its...his companions must have payed him the last respects. There is a relatively small wound on its torso. Probably caused by a spear or an arrow. Did it pierce through its heart? As the white pony passes the human she can't help to look with anger back at it. How many have you killed? The unicorn pushes deeper into the complex.

"Help! Please!"

What the-

The scream is followed by several shots. Solitons memories come back. The screams, the howling of bullets. She pushes them back. The mare sees how a dark grey unicorn runs towards her, followed by a royal guard and a human.

"Get back here and fight, you little fucks!", it shouts.

The orange coated royal guard throws his sword at the human and hits the biped in the thigh. It screams in agony and pulls it out. That gives the two enough time reach Soliton Wave. "Potent Potion?!", Soliton asks unbelievingly.

"Soliton Flare?!", the stallion asks back with a Canterlot accent.

"Hey! You can talk later whan we're outta here.", the royal guard says.

"Oh, great! From all ponies you are the one who survives, huh?!", Soliton shouts at the guard.

"Says the one who-Ahh!"

He is interrupted by shot in his right hindleg. The human sits now, but still fires at them. Behind it three other human soldiers come to their companions aid. Soliton puts up a magical shield. "Potent Potion! Teleport us out of here!"

"W-what?! Teleporting without a platform?!"

"Just do it, you nerd!", the guard adds.

"Fire!", one of the humans yells.

The bulletrain begins to crack the shield. Soliton tries to maintain the field, but she is already bleeding from one of her nostrils.

"Just a little bit longer...", Potent says concentrated.

"I don't think we a little bit have longer!" The guard points at a big metal thing that, surprisingly fast, advances on their position. It has a big horn in front of it and is covered in a camouflage.

"What in Tartarus is that?!", he asks.

Soliton looks at it in shock. She bleeds already from both nostrils. "They brought tanks with them?!"

"What is a tank?!"

The machine brings its weapon into position.

"Potent! Help! Please! I...I can't anymore!"

Soliton Wave can't stand the shelling any longer. Her eyes slowly close. There is a dull sound. A small dark thing flies towards them and explodes. The shield cracks and the group flies a few meters back. Soliton Wave is unconscious or dead. The guard stands up in a defensive position and tries to protect Soliton Wave. Potent Potion cowers behind him aswell. The humans don't come near. They seem to wait for something. The soldier who got a sword in his thigh is holded by his companions.

The metal monstrosity brings its weapon once again in position and fires. A giant explosion follows that destroyes one of the marble pillars in the process, which causes the production of some smoke. As the smoke subsides, the grin on the humans faces does aswell.

A golden shield stands protective over the ponies. A creature, who looks like an angel flies over them and fires a powerful magical charge at the machine which annihilates it completely. The infantry manages to get out of the blast radius. The humans fall back, terrified. And the angel disappears with the ponies just as fast as it came.

Comments

[ODST BRONIE]

Like it keep it up!!!

[Zero the Necromancer]

7433212 Thanks :D

[Castok the Shadow]

Excellent way to start, looking forward to see what happens next. Keep it up

[Zero the Necromancer]

7435752 That is absolutely correct. :)