Part 3: Salutations
Now with his mask fully activated, a map of the area came up through the hunter’s mask, showing him how Equestria looked in the present. The city he was under had grown a lot larger and more advanced since he last walked the planet. Ponykind had taken a large part of the world as its territory, and he was at the heart of it all: the capital of Equestria, Canterlot. Images of the rulers of Equestria appeared, the four princesses who ruled the land unfamiliar to him. Over time, a constitutional bureaucracy had been adopted into pony society, doing away with the feudal and dictatorial rule they once had. He was surprised by the massive shift in Equestria and its views, but they had also become weaker, now interested in friendship and kindness instead of war and power. The lessons of the past had faded with time itself, becoming less than legend. No pony knew of the temple built to house the wicked alien creature that had caused the infestation of Equestria, and no pony knew of the Predator’s chamber beneath Canterlot.
The Elements stared at him as images flashed through his mask, the images unseen to the mares. He was just standing there, unmoving beside his slow breathing that made his chest slowly puff in and out.
“Um, excuse me…” Twilight said to him, unsure if he was conscious.
He stayed still.
“Thanks for saving us,” she pressed on, wondering if he understood her at all.
He did understood their words due to the translator in his mask that knew the ponies’ language. It sounded deeper and slower through his mask, but he still knew what they were saying.
The images stopped, the world around him reappearing with a flash in his mask. He turned to the six ponies now in front of him. It had been a long time since he had seen one of their colorful kind, but it seemed like only yesterday when he was watching them all bow before him.
There was a series of clicking sounds before a deep voice came from his mask, saying, “Hello, ponies.”
They jumped from the sound of the voice and the creature being able to talk to them in their language.
“You can understand us?” Fluttershy asked, being the expert on everything animal. He nodded to her. She looked around the room for a minute, seeing the ornaments on the walls again.
“W-what are those?” she asked while pointing to them.
“Trophies.”
That made her shudder.
“Proof of the hunt.”
“You hunt?” Twilight hesitantly asked, somewhat afraid to get an answer.
He nodded again. “I am Yautja. Everything is a hunt for my kind.”
“I’ve never heard of such a species in all my time researching mythic creatures,” she said, puzzled and with a hoof on her chin.
“I’m not from this world,” he calmly responded.
That made them gasp. While he did seem very foreign compared to the other creatures of Equus, they did not think him to be an alien, Twilight especially.
“Who are you?” Twilight asked, posing the question she needed answered most. He took a moment to think on what to say, mulling over his multitude of options.
“I am Drak’thul, the last of the Kuuntak clan,”—he slammed a fist into his chest in pride—“bearer of my house name. While I would normally withhold telling you this, you did save my life. For that, I owe you a debt.”
“There’s no need to thank us, really,” Twilight said. “Besides, it was you who saved us first.”
“Regardless, I am in your debt, Equestrians.” He finally took a seat, one popping up from the ground as he leaned back. It looked like it was practically floating, its metallic construction held up by one thin pole. He rested comfortably just above the ground.
“Not this debt thing again,” Applejack whispered under her breath.
“You don’t owe us anything,” Twilight kindly said. His face turned sour quicker than lightning.
“No!” he practically shouted. “You cannot forfeit the debt! To do so is a dishonor to me and my clan.”
“Oh?” she mouthed, slightly taken aback.
“Yes. In my culture, honor perpetuates everything,” he explained. “Discarding a service debt is akin to saying you find the debtor a burden.”
“Okay then. I un-revoke your debt to us.” He seemed to relax, now slumped back in his chair. There was a moment of awkward silence before she knew what to ask—however much she did not want to ask it.
“So,” she began, “what were those things that attacked us?”
He seemed to deflate upon remembering the aliens that escaped his sanctuary.
“They were Xenomorphs. They are wicked yet formidable creatures that we Yautja hunt to gain our marks of honor. Without these marks, you are not considered a true warrior. My kind has gone to countless planets setting up hunting grounds where we can freely earn our marks. We also use these areas for sport, but I am beyond such pastimes. I came to this world to set up my own personal hunting ground, and I did. The temple I don’t doubt you found was built for me by your kind, back when they thought I was a god. It seems its purpose was lost over time, however. The aliens inside were left to breed, and they have started to overrun this planet, I assume. That is why you came looking for me after all, right?”
“We had no idea you were down here, but we knew something important was here,” Twilight said.
“You’re lucky you found me. These creatures will not go down easily, but I know them better than they know themselves. If we are to save this world, we must make a plan.”
“The other princesses are in the city above us. They’ll know what to do to save Equestria,” Twilight said.
“E-excuse me,” a meek voice called out.
Drak’thul turned his head towards the cream-colored pegasus who had spoken. His very gaze made her shrink.
“Shouldn’t w-we t-t-try to save the a-aliens?”
He snarled, sounding like a beast, scaring the ponies around him. He stepped over to her in two quick bounds, towering over her small body.
“No,” he stated, yellow eyes narrowed. “They do not listen to reason. They do not understand emotion. Their sole purpose is to further the hive, which means killing anything in their way and breeding to survive. If they continue to live on this planet, it will only be a matter of time before their infestation is too overwhelming to control. If we are to save this world, we must destroy them!”
Fluttershy was shaking, utterly terrified of him. Her friends came over to her, looking most displeased.
“You can’t just yell at our friend like that!” Twilight said, thinking herself to be intimidating.
“I do as I please, Princess Twilight,” he spoke.
“How do you know my name?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowing.
“I have been collecting information about this world while I’ve been in my pod, so I know all your names. I know of your trinkets that helped you defeat Discord and the other villains you faced. I also know they are gone now.”
“Then you should know that we can use them against you if we have to.”
“True,” he mused. “But you need me. You cannot stop the aliens on your own.”
“With the power of Friendship, anything is possible!” Twilight countered.
“Not when it comes to the aliens. Your magic doesn’t work the same on them. Your Elements will not be able to get rid of them all at once.” He went over to a panel on the floor, pulling it off and grabbing a sphere from within. He twisted the sphere in opposite directions, opening it and taking off the lid. He then grabbed the large syringe that was inside. He extended his arm, inserting the needle into his thick skin and pushing the blue liquid in the syringe into his blood. He tossed the syringe back into the floor, putting the panel back on before standing up to his full height.
“I walked this world before you were born, and I know your kind. You may have changed, but I still know you speak to logic in some way. I am not your enemy. I can help you if you want my help. Otherwise, I will leave you on your own.”
“Fine,” Twilight acquiesced. “We need your help—but don’t think we won’t lock you away if you hurt us.”
“I have no intention to.” He walked over to the exit. “Now, we must begin immediately. I injected myself with something to keep me going for now, but I will need food soon.”
“Once we get back to Canterlot, you can get all the food you want,” Twilight said, she and her friends following him as he went down the hall.
He stopped along the way, looking at some of the weapons he had on display. With the wave of his hand, a robotic arm pushed one of the weapons out of its display, presenting it to him. He picked it up, moving it around and inspecting it. He looked down the barrel of the cannon, finding everything intact. He placed the weapon on his shoulder, his shoulder plate connecting to it. The cannon spun around, calibrating itself, before pointing up at the ceiling.
Drak’thul found another weapon on the wall, this one smaller than the last. He waved his hand again, the gun extending. He put it on his other shoulder, the weapon calibrating itself like the other. He then went to the other wall, glancing at the various armaments. There were disk blades, small swords, small pistols, and his favorite: the energy spear.
He retrieved the spear from the wall, its length about equal to his height. On the outside, it looked like a typical iron spear with a sharpened end, but it was the technology inside that made him love the weapon so much. He spun it around in his hand before placing it on his back, magnets attaching it to part of his armor.
“Grab whatever you want,” he told the ponies. “Those of you without magic will need it.”
Applejack was the first to go for a weapon, seeing a strange type of pitchfork that was small enough for her to handle. She plucked it from the wall, finding it lighter than she thought it would be. Rainbow Dash flew up to grab one of the swords. Pinkie Pie grabbed what looked to be a ball, finding it just the right weight to be something she could bounce.
“What does this do?” she asked while juggling it.
“Don’t drop that!” Pinkie Pie stopped juggling, holding the ball tight. “That thing will harm whatever it hits while in motion.”
He sighed, looking to see what weapons the ponies had.
“Are you not going to grab anything?” he asked, seeing Fluttershy without a weapon.
“No,” she replied. “I can’t bring myself to hurt another creature.”
“If that’s what you wish,” he said, starting down the hall. He led them out the secret door they had come in through, taking them to the large chamber they were in not too long ago. He walked over to a corner in the cave, looking at the ground as he did.
“If I remember correctly,” he said, slamming his foot on the rock, “then this should work.”
A few seconds later, the ground rumbled, a large hexagon of rock lifting up. He backed away, watching as a metallic elevator came up from the ground. A glass door on it slid open, inviting them in. He walked inside, the control panel inside flashing. He gestured for the ponies to come in, and they did, finding the elevator something awing. He then tapped the panel, the door to the elevator closing. The sound of a machine hummed as they started to rise into the air, the cave disappearing as they passed through layers of rock. Within a minute, they reached another level of the cave.
The door opened, Drak’thul exiting. The ponies came out, finding themselves just below the surface. They could see the faint light coming down the tunnel that led outside.
“It’s just down there,” Twilight said, pointing at the tunnel. Drak’thul started walking, the ponies trotting with him. They went down the tunnel for what seemed like an hour, but they eventually got to the end, the sun’s light blasting them as they climbed out of the cave. They looked around, finding themselves not too far from the gates of Canterlot.
Drak’thul looked at the city in amazement, finding it so different compared to the pony architecture he had seen before. He also realized the city was atop a piece of rock that jutted out from a large mountain—a mountain that he remembered. Back when he walked Equus, the mountain had not broken apart, and one of the most advanced pony cities was at its peak. It seemed that the city was no more, and was instead replaced with Canterlot. Breaking from his trance, he started trudging through the grass, headed towards Canterlot.
It was not long until his helmet picked up on a distant sound. He whipped his head around, listening carefully for what it was. He stilled his body and slowed down his breathing, barely able to hear what sounded like rumbling. He focused on the noise more, finally realizing what it was. He turned to the ponies, who were wondering what was going on.
“Evacuate the city. I’ll hold them off.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight said. “What’s going on?”
He pointed in the opposite direction of Canterlot, Twilight seeing a wave of aliens on their way.
“Dear Celestia,” she whispered, seeing the entire landscape moving. She turned to her friends. “We need to leave now! We have to evacuate the city before they get here!”
“I’ll go warn the princesses,” Rainbow Dash said, already shooting off into the distance.
Drak’thul looked back at the approaching horde, already seeing them getting close. He reached behind his back, grabbing his spear as he steeled himself for combat. He had injected himself with a form of steroid that would give him an extra bout of strength. He hoped it would be enough to hold the aliens off long enough to get reinforcements.
He got into position, his feet finding purchase in the dirt. His shoulder weapons slowly moved, aiming toward the aliens. A red light started to run along their sides, indicating how much charge they had. After a few seconds, both weapons were ready. He waited, watching the top of a large hill that stopped him from seeing most of the aliens. Once they peaked, he would start firing.
The ground began to roll as the horde drew near. The wind stilled, allowing him to hear the horrid screeches of the creatures who all wanted to kill him. There were at least a thousand of them, but he still had decent odds. As long as his technology was still at full functionality after the number of years he had been asleep, then he would be able to stand a chance.
The second the aliens peaked over the hill, his shoulder weapons locked on with laser points, opening fire. One shot a massive ball of energy that burst into a ball of fire as it impacted an alien, taking out at least half a dozen at once. The other shot smaller shots at quicker speeds, each energy bolt going through the head of its target. Drak’thul kept firing as he spun his spear around, the weapon coming to life. A red bar lit up, filling up as he prepared to fight the nearing aliens.
He got off a few more blasts, sending the innards of his foes flying through the air. It was not long before the aliens descended upon him, the first of the wave reaching him. With one swift move, he whipped his spear through the air, the pointed end slicing the head of the closest alien clean off. He then spun his weapon, cutting deep into another.
The metal was able to withstand the acid thanks to the coating it had, and it was as sharp as ever, cleaving through alien after alien. Drak’thul rolled on the ground, thrusting his spear through the torso of one of his attackers before throwing the body off. He then hit an alien behind him with the butt of his spear, dazing it. The metal shifted as another sharp tip formed where the butt was a second ago, Drak’thul stabbing it through the alien’s skull.
His smaller gun was firing at whatever it could, holding off some of his opponents. The cannon was shooting at the hill, still blasting countless aliens. He kept fighting with his spear, but he was getting flanked by more aliens than before. He grabbed his spear with two hands and slammed the butt of it into the ground, a wave of energy washing over the seared grass and scattering the small horde around him into the sky. Their bodies fell upon more of their kin, giving Drak’thul time to release a few more volleys from his weapons.
Even with his supernatural weapons, it did not take long for the swarm to overwhelm him, closing in from all sides. His spear was still recharging from the blast, not at full capacity. He looked around, seeing dozens of aliens all around him. With no other option, he hit his spear on the ground and pushed himself up, getting his bulk off the ground. At the same time, he fired a downward blast with his cannon, propelling himself backward far enough to gain some distance between him and the horde.
Looking back at the landscape, seeing more aliens coming still, he realized he needed an advantage. Even with his technology, he would not last much longer on flat ground. Turning around, his weapons still firing, he noticed the towers of Canterlot, finding them perfect for his plan.
He faced the aliens again, putting his spear on his back. He opened the panel on his wrist gauntlet, touching the screen and syncing with his shoulder cannon. With a few taps, he reconfigured it to fire much larger shots, ones powerful enough to shake the ground. The cannon powered up, Drak’thul aiming it with his gauntlet.
With a tap, he fired it. Like a mortar, it hurled a titanic ball of swirling energy that impacted the ground in front of the aliens, sending dirt everywhere in a cloud of fire and electricity. Ear-piercing screeches filled the air as aliens burned, even more having been completely obliterated. The cannon recharged for a few seconds before he fired again, erasing more aliens from the land. Their advancement slowed as he continued to lay down fire upon them, but after a few more shots, the cannon shut down from overheating.
With that, Drak’thul turned around and sprinted. His legs pumped as he bounded over rocks and holes alike, hoping to reach the city before the aliens caught up to him. If he were lucky, his siege would have bought him some time. He kept his eyes forward, the sound of rapidly approaching angered screeches spurring him on even more. The gates to the city drew near. Drak’thul flicked an arm to his side, blades extending from the gauntlet he wore. He glanced back, seeing the aliens almost set upon him.
Reaching the walls, he sped up, pushing himself as hard as he could before leaping into the air. He drove his blades into the wall, cutting through the stone and latching onto the wall. Using his blades as leverage, he pushed himself up, retracting them before stabbing them into a higher spot on the wall.
An alien leaped at him, its claws just touching his foot before it was obliterated by a small blast from his recharged cannon. He let out a snarl, ignoring the pain as he put an arm on the top of the wall, climbing over it. He started running along the wall, the aliens scaling the side of the wall as well.
He reached a tower, quickly climbing it by its windows and ledges and reaching its roof. He turned around, his shoulder gun spraying the aliens with deadly energy, sending them tumbling to the ground below. His cannon was able to fire down upon the oncoming aliens, blowing them to pieces. As aliens leaped at him, he cut them apart. The tower let him funnel the aliens in, allowing him to kill them easily. He grabbed his spear again, using that to keep his distance as he slew his foes.
Suddenly, his back arched, a pained roar escaping from his mouth as he was slashed across the back. Losing his footing, he slipped on the tiles of the slanted roof, causing him to fall off the edge. He flailed around in the air as he fell toward the hard, deadly ground below.
He grabbed his spear with both hands, trying to aim at the side of the tower as he fell. Wrenching his spear forward, he drove it into the stone, causing his body to jolt as he caught himself. His shoulders were on fire from the pain, but he pulled himself up. He climbed onto a small ledge outside a window, pulling his spear from the side of the tower. The end was a little damaged, but it was still functional.
He heard a sharp hiss, his blades already going into the head of the alien that tried to sneak up on him. It got the last laugh, however, as it started screaming, alerting the others to his presence. Drak’thul watched as the aliens swarmed him within seconds, the serpentine creatures seeming to come from every direction. He started firing as fast as he could, but there was no way to hold off so many, and he had nowhere to run.
He opened the panel on his gauntlet, pressing the screen as his weapons bought him some more time. It seemed he would die to the very creatures he had saved to hunt, the irony of the situation quite apparent to him.
However, that notion did not come to pass, for he saw a bright light in the sky. Looking up, he saw a ball of energy swirling with the colors of the rainbow, watching it descend. The aliens shielded their eyes from the great light, but they were soon charred to crisps as a beam of energy came from the ball, wiping out everything evil that it touched. All around him, the aliens were turned to ash as they disappeared in a flash.
The beam stopped, the ball moving somewhere else before releasing another beam. Drak’thul then heard the sound of hooves, spotting the Royal Guard charging through the city. The aliens started to retreat, those too slow being blasted into oblivion. Any other stragglers were cut down by the guards.
The ball flew over to Drak’thul, smaller beams reaching out and wrapping around his body. At first, he struggled against their magical grip, but after a moment, he relaxed. The energy felt warm and comforting, and he felt at ease as he was lifted from the ledge he was on and lowered to the ground. The beams left him, the ball landing on the ground in front of him. With a flash, it vanished, revealing Twilight and her five friends, their bodies glowing with magical energy. They slowly lowered to the grass beneath them, the mystical breeze blowing through their manes seeming to calm as they did.
“It seems I misjudged you, ponies,” Drak’thul said in his sonorous voice. “Twice, you have saved me. My debt to you only appears to grow.”
“Saving Equestria is enough to fulfill your debt,” Twilight said with a chuckle, trotting up to him.
“Something easier said than done,” he replied, his tone coarse.
“Well, the princesses wish to speak with you. Hopefully, they can help you stop the aliens.”
With that, Drak’thul set off to Canterlot Castle.
When Drak’thul entered the castle, everypony’s eyes were on him. His humongous, bulking form towered over everypony, and even his steps made the tile of the castle shake a little. Not only that, but his cannons and spear made him look menacing to the ponies. Little did they know, he would be their salvation.
He made his way through the castle, Twilight, her friends, and a few guards escorting him. They eventually reached the throne room, the three other princesses waiting for him. One was an alabaster alicorn mare. She was the largest of them. A smaller, dark-coated mare was next to her with an even smaller, pink princess beside her. The three alicorns came up to him, only the largest of them not having to look up to see his mask.
The white one spoke first, saying, “Twilight here tells me your name is Drak’thul.”
“That is correct,” he replied in his digitized voice.
“Why does your voice sound so different?” she asked, off put by his deep, slow voice.
“I do not speak your language as my primary language, so my mask translates it for me.”
“Interesting,” she said, putting a hoof to her chin as she thought about how complex his mask had to be to do such a thing. “Anyway, I must thank you for helping defend Canterlot from the aliens that attacked.”
“It was my debt to do so. I am also the reason those vermin are even here. If I had not kept them here for me to hunt, we would not be in this predicament we are now in.”
“Nonetheless,” she began, “Twilight also tells me you can help stop them.”
“Correct,” he answered. “I have a plan—but if I am to do so, I will need my ship.”
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Nice to see a update. I expected a modded AvP2 or 3 campaign. Lets see how it will run
How are the suppose to archive exterminating all Xenomorphs? Once they get to Pegasus or Griffons they get flying forms.
11301570
It will be explained in time, but the aliens know the Predator is the greatest threat to them, so they will all try to get him
Many ways he can help:
1.- Call in other Predators. A Xenomorph Queen is the ultimate pride of any Trophy hunter collection.
2.- Orbital bombardment. Plasma fire from above.
3.- ... Not very... Surviver friendly...
Good hope to see more chapters
11301657
But keep one thing in mind, the Bad Bloods. They would do absolutely ANYTHING to get their claws on the queen’s head.
11330815
Bad blood is the exception to this rule is my impression.
When is the next chapter?
11331351
Still working on that lol. I’ve been finishing up writing projects and I’ve been pretty busy in general lately, but I hope to work on this again soon
U know if the Xenomorphs caught dragons for the Hive, I can easily imagine them looking like the Death Gripper Dragons from HTTYD The Hidden World. When u compare the Death Grippers with the Xenomorphs, u can see they both have a lot in common. They're both killers (one of dragons and the other of all life), they both breathe/spit acid (one flammable and the other highly corrosive), have a very sharp tail spike, and they both climb on any surface and move in a similar motion. If the Xenomorph Hive hatched from dragon hosts, they would definitely gain flammable acid like the Death Grippers.
David Sobolov as Drak’thul
Congratulations on your new book, any chance for a update on this story this year or maybe even two?
11846194
Thank you! Honestly, idk because I’m very busy this year with school and trying to get some money flowing and stuff like that. However, there isn’t a whole lot left in the story, so it shouldn’t take too long to write it. No promises, but it’s possible within a year or two
11846532
I hoped.for a longer story,but better than having is canceled due to time constraints good luck on your sales.
Stay snuggly