The Origin of a Legacy

by QuiteNiceDynamite

Operation: Infiltration

The group continued to walk towards the immensely overwhelming towers of the nearing Changeling Towers. Luna and Celestia were still crying in bereavement with the discovery of their parents’ final resting place, they left a small trail of tears behind them as they walked; their tears of sadness darkened the warm, orange sand of the Desert.

Cirrus was also struggling to deal with seeing the grave of his friends, he also continued to cry, but he wept almost silently, definitely not as loud as the grief-stricken sisters. Raider no longer walked out at the front of the group anymore, in fact, they all walked next to each other as they approached the city of Changelings. Of course, Raider felt woeful also, but he felt that he had to lead the group on, to give them a shoulder to cry on.

---

The group carried on, sadly trotting through the hot desert. Luna and Celestia continued to lean on each other in support, to show they were there for each other, but they had finally stopped sobbing. Cirrus had also turned off the waterworks, but sadly hung his head and stared at the ground as he walked. Raider had walked forwards to lead the down beaten group from his old position at the front of the pack. After all, he was the only one in any shape to concentrate; he just hoped that the other three would be alright and recover to be their usual selves.

---

He understood how hard losing a friend could be, he’d lost many in battle, but never how hard it was losing a family member. A real family member. Simply because he had never known his family. Raider had been abandoned in the Everfree Forest the day he had been born. He would have died on that same day, savagely killed by the creatures of the dark, if it wasn’t for a certain dark khaki-coloured, adventurous Pegasus. She had found him crying in the Forest, surrounded by a band of hungry, fierce Manticores. She had quickly galloped between the Manticores and snatched up the newborn.

Raider remembered how the kind pony raised him through his earliest years. She named him Raider in knowledge that she wanted him to grow up to be an adventurer like her and go with her on expeditions. She’d care for him as if he was her own child, and took him under her wing (literally). She would tell him of her adventures all evening until he fell asleep. The adventurous Pegasi looked after him until he was a year old and could walk on his own, when he reached that age; she let him move in with her sister and their children as she felt that she wasn’t capable of raising a child properly, where her sister had experience.

The Pegasi would have given up her venturesome lifestyle to help the child, but she just didn’t feel right caring for the young Raider any more. The next day when Raider awoke in a different bed than the one he fell asleep in, he leapt from his bed to find the young pony he loved. He didn’t find her that day. Or any other day. He never saw the adventurer again.

Her sister and her sisters' husband took in the young Raider with open arms and raised him as their child. The couple truly loved him, their children played with him as if he was their sibling, and all the children at the school were friends with Raider. He had a much better group of friends and family than many other children in Canterlot, but he felt like he could never adapt without his ‘mother.’ The first pony he had ever seen had been the khaki-coloured Pegasus, and he loved her as a child loves its mother. Raider would always be downbeat, whatever was happening around him.

By the time Raider was twelve years old, he decided that he had had enough of life without the Pegasus, and living with her sister almost tricked him into thinking about not being with her, taunting him. One night, the Pegasus’ sister saw him to bed, but when the sun rose, the young Raider had run away.
Raider spent the next year wandering throughout Equestria, just about scraping by every day. He would spend all his hours trekking in search of a new home. But anywhere he found, he didn’t like. Every night, Raider would settle down in either an abandoned building or in a cave and cry at his loss.
He would cry about that Pegasus. The one he knew as 'Do.'

He’d cry her name quietly under the moon, hoping she would return. But she never did, never could.
Raider spent his next four years venturing for a new home, across land and sea. He had visited nearly every settlement in Equestria except one.
And that’s where he met Captain (then Sergeant) Steel Hooves in Stalliongrad. The Sergeant saw the promise in the maturing Raider and got him enlisted as his Number Two.

---

Raider came back to his senses as he traipsed throughout the Desert, he realised that he had shed tears in memory of ‘Do.’ As he wiped the stray tears from his eyes, he saw a cloud appear in front of him.

“Woah.” Raider thought. “I’m getting really messed up.”

He rubbed his eyes again and noticed that he hadn’t been imagining it. A huge sandstorm had appeared and was approaching them. He turned and saw that the other three wouldn’t have noticed it as they were all staring towards the ground.

“You three!” Raider yelled to raise their attention.

Luna, Celestia and Cirrus all wearily looked upwards, then they realised the trouble that they were in.

“Get your goggles on!” Raider yelled as he grabbed his own and donned them. The goggles were much like the goggles Pegasi would wear while performing high-speed routines.

---

“Luna, get your goggles on,” Celestia repeated to her scared sister,
“I’m going to make a force field. I’ll need your help.” Celestia said,

“But I can’t make those!” Luna cried back.

Celestia’s face became carved with worry, but she had to try. She shouted Cirrus and Raider to tuck in close to them so she could make a smaller and more powerful shield.

The cloud was only twenty metres away.

Celestia tried to make the shield, it didn’t work.

“Celestia…” Cirrus muttered, full of worry.

---

Ten metres.

---

Five metres.

---

The storm cloud hit, the noise was deafening. The initial impact sounded like a bomb exploding, then came the vicious whistling of the wind.

“Tia! You did it!” Luna yelled with delight as she jumped from her cowering position she had got in as the cloud approached.

“Quiet, Luna.” Raider ordered. “She needs to concentrate.”

Celestia had created a see-through magenta-coloured orb of defence around the group, but it wasn't worth seeing through, there was sand everywhere. She was sweating in concentration as the sharp sand crystals scratched loudly against the side of the bubble.
Celestia moved towards the front of the orb and started to walk forward, the other three following her through the sandy maelstrom.

---

“Raider?” The voice came through the static and savage wind battering the shield.
“Raider, do you read?”

“That’s the Captain!” Exclaimed the Sergeant as he reached for his radio transmitter.

“Captain?” Asked the suddenly excited Raider.

“Ah, Raider, good. Listen up, there’s something you need to know about the mission. There’s been a change in-”

“Sorry, Sir. We’re in a tight situation here, I’ll get back to you.” Raider said simply, stowing away his radio.
He wouldn't make any noise that could distract the already-strained Celestia.

---

“Damn it!” Steel Hooves cursed.

“What is it, Captain?” Princess Solaria asked.

“Something’s happening, and he turned his transmitter off.” The Captain described.

“Oh, I suppose we better listen to what he said, then.” She suggested.

“Princess? Should I send an evac chariot?” Steel Hooves asked, quite worried.

“No. Have one on standby, if we haven’t heard from the Sergeant within an hour, send them out.” She ordered.

“Yes, your Highness.” The Captain obeyed.

---

Celestia continued to plow through the malicious storm, beads of perspiration seeping down her face and neck, worried about losing concentration. One moment of distraction could equal the deaths of her three fellow travellers.
The other three knew to be silent, it must be hard enough for Celestia trying to concentrate with the noise of the storm, so she didn’t need them talking either.

---

Step-by-step, Celestia steadily advanced through the dying storm and led the rest onward. Raider peered through the bubble and saw glimpses of sand and distant trees through the Deserts’ tempest.

”Keep going, Celestia!” He yelled, his voice strained. “We’re almost there!”

Knowing that they were almost through, Celestia pushed the rest of her magic into one last burst to force her way through, she then began to gallop forwards to hurry the rest, who followed, keeping pace with her.
Celestia continued to sprint, eyes blurry, head banging, but she continued to maintain the shield until she burst out of the other side of the storm. Then she fell to the ground in exhaustion.
Luna immediately ran to her aid, worried about her older sister, Cirrus also cantered to where Celestia lay while Raider looked towards the tree line surrounding the Changeling Kingdom.

“Tia! Are you alright?” Luna screeched with worry.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Mumbled the groggy Celestia. She stood briefly, only to fall dizzily again.

“Girl, you ain’t fine.” Muttered the worried Cirrus.

Raider turned to see the worn-out Celestia lying on the ground. He trotted over to her and lifted her onto his back, laying her across his shoulders.
“I think our saviour deserves a bit of a rest.” Raider chuckled. “Come on, you two, the tree line’s only a stroll away.”

Raider then led the group towards the small forest.

---

Raider, Luna and Cirrus walked the remaining distance to the trees while Celestia dozed on Raiders’ back. The Sergeant looked towards the sun.
“We’ll camp here for the day, I need to talk to the Captain.” He said.

Luna walked around the back of Raider to face her sleeping sister,
“Come on, your Highness. We’re here.” Luna joked.

“What? Where am I?” Celestia asked, confused. As she tried to ‘get out of bed,’ she fell from Raiders’ shoulders to the sound of giggles from her sister.

“Why did you wake me up?” Celestia grumbled.

“Well.” Luna started. “You were on Raiders’ back, and he wasn’t going to balance you there all day.” She and Cirrus laughed as Raider configured his transmitter.

“Anyway.” Luna said. “We’re staying here for the day, so you can go back to sleep.” Luna pointed out.

“Good.” Abruptly murmured the unsteady Celestia as she lay down her head, instantly falling asleep.

---

Steel Hooves heard his Number Two’s voice from his radio.
“Sir? Are you there?” Asked Raider, a hint of worry in his voice.

“Raider? Oh, brilliant.” The Captain rejoiced. “We were just about to send a team in for you.” He said as he shook his head at the evac crew awaiting his order.

“You wanted to tell me something, Captain?” The anxious Raider asked, eager to cut to the chase.

“Yes, I was going to say that Discord has stepped down, voluntarily.” The Captain reported.

Luna’s, Cirrus’ and Raider’s jaws hit the floor when they heard that; Discord...step down?

“Yes, he seems to have seen the error of his ways and released the Princess. Princess Solaria is now back in command, awaiting your return with the Elements to imprison Discord. So you have no reason to rush. Take your time, don’t do anything until the time is right.” He recommended.

“Where are you now?” Steel Hooves asked.

“We’re settling down in the tree line around the Changeling Kingdom for the day.” Raider reported.

“No casualties?” The Captain wondered.

“No, Sir. We’re just tired.” Raider simply said.

“Good, like I said, take your time. Radio when you’re moving in and we’ll set off for you.” Steel Hooves ordered.

“Where shall we wait for you?” Asked the curious Raider.

“The primary extraction zone is a hill on the south-west side of the Changeling Kingdom, in the tree line. Can you see it?" The Captain asked.

Raider shielded his eyes to cover the sun as he turned to see the hill.
“Yes, Sir, I see it.” Raider replied.

“Good, that’s the Primary LZ. The secondary LZ will be somewhere in the Desert. If you can’t make it to the Primary LZ, radio the evac crew and run to the Desert. The crew will see you and make an emergency landing near you. It’ll be risky, but it’s the only other way. Hopefully it won’t come to that, ‘cos it’ll get messy.” Pointed out the Commander.

“Yes, Sir, we’ll head to the hill if we can.” Raider obeyed.

“You’ll have the aerial advantage on the hill, so if you can grab any weapons, share them around and fight them off till the evac chariot gets there.” The Captain advised.

“Again, Sergeant, radio in when you’re leaving.” The Captain drilled the order into his Sergeant for the millionth time.

“Yes, Sir. We won’t let you down.” Raider obliged.

---

“Good, that’s what I like to hear.” said the smiling Captain.

“Over and out.”

“Over and out.” repeated Raider.

“When are they going?” Asked the curious Princess.

“Tonight, as soon as the midnight hits.” Reported the Captain.

“Get the evac crew rested, we need them fresh.” Ordered the Princess.

The Captain trotted from the castle to brief his men.

---

Luna woke as midnight struck, she could hear Raider muttering quietly, a distance away from them,

“Why?” She heard him say, Luna silently got to her feet and sneaked towards the sound of Raiders’ voice. Was he crying?
She peered around the foliage to see Raider stood in full armour, staring sadly at the moon, tears in his eyes. He was crying.

What for? Who for? Luna thought.

“Why did you leave, Do?” Raider croaked as he choked back more tears.

Luna loudly left the bushes.
“Are you okay, Raider?” She asked, worried about the Sergeant.

Raider jumped, slightly in shock as he quickly wiped the tears from his face and grabbed his radio.
“Yes…I-I’m fine.” He stammered. “I’m just trying to reach the Captain. Stupid radio.” He chuckled weakly.

Luna pretended she hadn’t seen anything.
“So are we going?” Luna asked the shaky Sergeant.

“Yes, wake Cirrus and Celestia, I’ll raise the Captain.” Raider ordered.

Luna left the lonely Raider to talk to the Captain.

---

“Sir?” Raider asked, still a little teary.

“Yes, Raider?” Asked the ever-present Captain.

“We’re going in.” Raider reported.

“Okay, I’ll prep the crew.” He replied.
“Good luck, Sergeant.” The Captain said.

“We’re gonna need it.” Raider muttered.
“Over and out, Sir.”

“Over and out.” The Captain replied as he went to send away the evac chariot.

---

“Cirrus? Celestia?” Asked Luna. “Come on, we’re going.”

Cirrus and Celestia slowly rose from their slumbers.

“Come on, it’s midnight.”

“Okay, Luna. We’re coming.” Celestia groaned.

“Come on, you two, we need you both focused.” Raider said as he arrived.

The two immediately rose from their lazy slumbers as the Sergeant brought out his military side.
“We have two weapons, my knife and this sword. I’m guessing you two don’t know how to handle either of them?” Raider asked as he cocked an eyebrow at Luna and Celestia.

“No.” They both replied.

“Right, stick to magic then if things go bad. Use any type that’ll help us; direct harm, distractions, obstructions, just anything that’ll hold them back if they find us.” Raider ordered.

“Okay.” The sisters obliged.

“What about you, Cirrus? Any experience?” He asked the older Pegasi.

“Well, not for a while.” Said the unsure Cirrus. “I could when I was in the guard, but that was a long time ago.” He admitted.

“Well, you take the sword, it may come back to you, I’ll be better with the knife anyway.” Raider said as he passed Cirrus the curved sword. He stared at it for a while, feelings of his past coming back to him; he donned the sword around his shoulders.

---

“I’ll keep the helmet, Luna and Celestia can’t wear it ‘cos there are no horn holes anyway. Cirrus, you take the leg guards. You two can share the chest and back-plates between you.” Raider said as he sacrificed three pieces of his armour to help protect his friends.

Luna took the back-plate and Celestia took the chest-plate and they awkwardly wriggled into the large, chunky armour pieces, Cirrus strapped his leg guards on, then they were ready to go.

“Come on, let’s get this over with.” Raider said as he led the three into town.

---

The group of four sneaked into town under the dark and silence of the night. Raider remained grounded, and without his sword and armour, no longer made the clinking sound with every step he took. Luna, Celestia and Cirrus flew to keep the noise to a minimum.

Raider led the three through the maze of streets towards the castle tower where the Elements of Harmony were (hopefully) being stored.

“Now, we don’t know if the Elements are actually in the tower.” Raider whispered. “But our scouts haven’t seen any movement out of the Changeling Kingdom, so we must assume that they’re still here, as long as Ellixandria didn’t get away with them.”

“Whose Ellixandria?” Luna asked her older sister.

“The Queen of the Changelings.” Celestia replied simply.

Suddenly, Raider stopped as he was about to turn a corner. He leapt into the shadow of the building next to him. The other three also ghosted into the shadow to hide from whatever Raider had seen.

As they waited anxiously in the darkness, two creatures walked past the corner they were hidden in, talking to one another. Luna only caught a glimpse of them, they were obviously soldiers as they wore dark blue armour. The creatures were pure black, with curved, sharp horns and luminescent blue eyes. They also had translucent blue wings and what seemed to be holes in their legs. Raider watched the Changelings walk around the next corner, holding his breath, then crossed the street, nearing the castle, with the others following suit.

---

“So, they have guards on patrol.” Whispered Raider.

The group continued to advance towards the castle until they were hidden behind the last building before the castle itself. Raider peered around the corner and noticed a large path between them and the castle entrance, and worse, two Changeling guards stood watch on the doors.

“Dammit!” Raider quietly cursed, “Dammit!”

“How are we gonna get over there without being seen?” Cirrus asked.

“We could fly.” Celestia suggested.

“No, they’d see us before we got near them.” Raider responded.

“Why don’t we try tomorrow?” Cirrus suggested.

“We can’t, the evac chariot’s already on its way, we have to go now. We’ll have to fight them.”

Raider hid behind the corner as another two Changelings walked past.
“Luna and Celestia, you distract them with your magic, me and Cirrus will deal with them.” Raider ordered as he and Cirrus peered around the corner, ready to pounce.

Luna looked extremely worried about what was unfolding around her.
“Tia…I can’t do this.” she muttered sadly.

“Luna, you have to do this, okay. Do it for Mom and Dad.” Celestia whispered harshly, trying to motivate her younger sister while she looked at the two guards.

“But we don’t belong here, Tia.” Luna said, reaching for her older sister, then she asked.
“What are we doing here?”

An ominous, slightly echoed voice spoke from the darkness behind them.

“That’s exactly what I was going to ask.”

Comments

[Fluttermac36]

DUN-DUN-DUUUUNNNN!!!!!! Why you always leave off at cliff hangers!

[QuiteNiceDynamite]

2403215 i can't help myself.